November 3rd

Happy Birthday, Dad!  November 3, 2012 arrived last weekend, which is means it has been exactly one year since Pete and I were given the news that our son has a progressive brain disease.  I have spent the last two months since Owen's birthday playing a mental game of, "This time last year..."  This time last year, I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy amid Hurricane Irene.  This time last year, we took our four-day-old son to dinner with us because he was such an easy baby.  This time last year, Owen started screaming and wouldn't stop.  This time last year, I was researching GI discomfort in babies convinced that Owen must have an ulcer.  This time last year, Owen's nurse practitioner told me at his two month appointment, "His head measures a bit small, let's refer him to a neurologist and have them laugh you out of the office because there is nothing wrong."  This time last year, Owen's neurology appointment lasted ten minutes and he was admitted to the hospital.  This time last year, Owen's doctors told us our baby boy wasn't going to live a complete life.  This time last year was November 3, 2011.

We chose to mark this November 3rd far away from our home.  We flew to Oklahoma to spend time with our great friends, the Potters.  Jenny has served as one of the most supportive people in my life as we have traveled this journey with Owen.  I knew this was going to be a very difficult day for me, and it was.  Being in a house with four adults, two toddlers, a 10-month old, and Owen, provided me with a lot of distraction.  This is exactly what I wanted and needed.  November 3rd will always be a painful day for me, but as long as I have my little guy by my side, life is good.

Owen is doing great lately.  He is calm, awake, and delicious.  He has turned into a complete plumpster guzzling bottles down every couple of hours.  Marking the day with such a healthy looking guy made it much easier.  I often marvel that Owen is one of the healthiest, sick little babies around.  There are no wires, tubes, or suctions attached to his body.  He eats on his own and he breathes on his own.  Yes, there is a tremendous amount of medication coursing through his body, but in our goals of comfort and quality of life, it seems like we are winning right now.  To recognize the day, and to mark how far we have traveled over the past year, Jenny and I ran a 5k wearing t-shirts Pete made for us.

The shirts say, "One Year Strong, Peace, Hope, Answers." Each one has our name on it.  This is a Pete Marshall original design and I love it! At some point in the future we will do a fundraiser for Owen and I know there will be a lot of takers for an Owen shirt! :)

Our visit to Oklahoma started on Halloween- we made it out of Logan airport without a hitch.  There were no hassles with TSA and all of Owen's medications, there were no delays because of Hurricane Sandy, and there were no toddler meltdowns!  Owen slept through all of the flights and was a fantastic traveler.  Here are some pictures of the fun we had on our adventure West:

At the airport wearing their Halloween shirts courtesy of Mammie.  Adorable!

Cutest Pumpkin in the Patch- another Mammie shirt...equally as cute!

Owen and Mickey Mouse about to go Trick or Treating

Silas and Ellie rowing a boat in the
Myriad Gardens in Oklahoma City

Two friends sitting on a porch

Smooches and fresh tortillas- life is good
Margarita for mom (yum)

Owen sleeping in like a teenager

True love

While Silas sleeps... fun will be had!  George and Ellie take over the Island of Sodor...

Owen and George- moments before this picture was captured they were holding hands.
Love those two boys!