Camel Ride

Last weekend Nancy came in to town for a visit and to watch James Thomas so James and I could go out. Nancy stumbled across this Christmas festival at Christ the King Church and we decided to take James Thomas up there to explore. We got to ride a camel, pet lots of animals, make arts and crafts, and lots of other fun Christmas activities. It took me 30 years to go for a camel ride but James Thomas can check that one off the list at 1 year old!!! He had a great time and his new favorite word was camel. The rest of the weekend all we heard was camel, camel, camel.

That night our neighborhood put together a fun Christmas evening. Down at the park they had santa, smores, popcorn, and "The Polar Express" was playing on a projector. JT did not want anything to with Santa so we didn't stay long. Maybe next year.........

Some of my favorite things.....

First of all I have to say that I have been the worst blogger ever. James Thomas is a very active 18 month old who keeps me on my toes and really busy. I have just organized our photos and now I am back. I have lots of posts to upload over the next few days.

James Thomas discovered the train at Memorial City Mall last week and he is in love! We have been three times already and are planning to head back again soon. It is so fun to watch him explore and fall in love with new things. This is a very exciting time in his life. I just wish I could put one of those trains in my back yard!!!!

Thanksgiving

Unfortunately I don't have any pictures to post because I forgot my camera this Thanksgiving weekend. BUT, we had a wonderful time celebrating this great holiday with family. We drove to Ft. Worth to see the entire Garrett family. It was awesome to meet relatives I had never met and to see all the ones we love dearly. James Thomas was perfect and I don't think things could have gone any better.

James and I had a fun Black Friday. For the first time ever we ventured out with the die hards and tried to get us a cheap TV. We arrived to Target at 3:30 thinking that was plenty of time to get in line for the 4 a.m. opening. UMMMMM, we were wrong. There was probably close to a 1,000 people in front of us. We did meet a great young mom from Minnesota who was standing in the freezing cold in flip flops! We unfortunately did not get the door buster deal but we did walk away with a new TV for our living room. We then made a quick stop to What a Burger and crawled back in bed all by 5:15 a.m.! It was pretty exciting. I can honestly say it was an experience like no other. You probably won't catch up ever doing that again but hey you only live once!!!

We did our second annual Christmas card photo shoot with Summer. She is absolutely amazing and did a beautiful job. I was really nervous before our appointment because James Thomas does not always cooperate and is at a very difficult age. He is also puffy because of the steroids so I thought all of this was going to lead to the biggest disaster ever. Summer was AWESOME! She came with puppets, balloons, you name it she had it. Her work is fantastic and that is all I will say, so you will have to wait until you get our card in the mail.

James Thomas is doing well. We go in for labs on Friday. It will have been two weeks so we are praying for great numbers. He is full of energy so I am expecting nothing less that greatness! I have sold lots of cookbooks! THANK YOU THANK YOU to all of you who are supporting the DBA foundation and ordering one. It is not too late. I think we have two more weeks to take orders.

Our house is decorated and we are enjoying this wonderful time of year! I pray each of you reading this is doing the same.

Recipes for Research Cookbook Fundraiser

Recipes for Research
A collection of recipes from individuals with DBA, their family, and friends!

Cookbooks will be available in January 2011.
Place your order now!

Please join our DBA Community in raising money for the Diamond Blackfan Anemia Foundation (www.dbafoundation.org). Cookbooks are $17 each (price includes tax and all shipping costs) and information on DBA, the DBA Foundation, over 400 recipes, and helpful hints and measurements. This money will go towards DBA research and raising awareness of this disorder. Let’s aim big and raise some funds for this amazing cause! There are research studies just waiting for funding! Let’s get started!

There are two methods to pay for cookbooks. You can order on our paypal button or mail me a check.
Make checks out to:
DBA Cookbook Fundraiser
Mail to:
Lindsay Garrett
12422 Rincon Dr.
Houston, TX 77077
Or I can pick them up from you, whatever is easiest.

There are lots of recipes from James Thomas’ family and friends! I know some of you preordered but that was just to get an idea of how many cookbooks were going to be sold. Please reorder your cookbooks through paypal or a check to me. I am not going to order any cookbooks that aren’t paid for so again PLEASE don’t assume I am ordering you cookbooks just because you emailed me with a preorder. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support. If you have any questions or comments email (lindsaywgarrett@hotmail.com) or call me at 281-841-5170.

Food for thought: This Thanksgiving as we all reflect on all we have to be thankful for, like our health, think about buying a cookbook to help out those who daily struggle and battle with DBA!

Happy Holidays from our chunky monkey!

Halloween Weekend

I know this post is a little late but we have been so busy around here. We had a wonderful Halloween weekend which is also my birthday weekend!! I turned 30th this year and had a fun celebrating with family and friends all weekend long. James and I got out Friday and stayed at Hotel Zaza which was perfect. I still can't believe I am 30!

On Saturday we went to Dewberry Farms with my parents. The weather was great and we had a really nice time being outdoors. That night we had our second annual Halloween Party at the Chambers. Everyone was dressed super cute and James Thomas was a monkey!! The kids had a blast and it was a good night. Baylor also beat Texas that night!!! GO BEARS! James was pretty much glued to the tv the entire evening!

The next afternoon we got to attend Miss Mackenzie's 2nd birthday party. Ashley did a fantastic job with her and it was the perfect way to spend our Halloween. James Thomas was obsessed with their lawn mower toy. I know what he will be getting for Christmas this year. We didn't trick or treat but instead came home and passed out candy! All around it was a great weekend! I just love this time of year.

Dewberry Farms




Halloween Party






Mackenzie's Birthday Party

DBA Cookbooks

I absolutely hate asking for money or asking people to buy things but this is so close to my heart. So, I will step out of my comfort zone and ask for your help! One of the DBA mom's that I met and grew close to this summer is putting together a cookbook to raise money for the DBA Foundation. The DBA Foundation is a wonderful organization and has funded lots of medical research to help kids like James Thomas get better treatment options and hopefully, someday find a cure. They also put on the week at Camp Sunshine that James and I got to go to this summer. It was 100% free for the families and was a life changing week. They do so much good, that I have to ask for your help.

They are currently taking preorders to determine how many books to buy. They will run between $10-15 plus shipping. Here is the information I received:

*Ok friends,

*We have reached over 200 recipes in the cookbook and I am still inputting them with the help of some other gracious DBA moms! THANK YOU! At this time, I want to start getting an idea of how many cookbooks I will need to order. *The cookbooks will be hard covered, color cover, with 200+ recipes, some pictures & artwork, including information about DBA, DBAF, and research, and some other extras (recipe abbreviations, spices, measurements, helpful hints, equivalency charts, etc). The cost will be between 10-15$ (depending on # of cookbooks ordered) and they will be available in January if all goes smoothly. S&H will be determined once I know how much the book weighs. *

**

Please check out the DBA Foundation as well. http://www.dbafoundation.org/ If you click on the "contact" tab you will see a picture of James Thomas!

If you would like to order a cookbook or 2 please email me and let me know.

lindsaywgarrett@hotmail.com

I will collect money once I have an exact price. Thank you in advance for supporting our family and this organization that we love!

PS Thank you to all our family and friends who gave recipes. You were such a HUGE help. I can't wait to try all your recipes!

One Year Ago.....

today, our world got turned upside down as I heard the words "Diamond Blackfan Anemia" for the very first time. There aren't even the right words to describe all we have gone through and learned this past year. But one thing I know is that life is a precious gift that should be lived to the fullest. I have seen and met more kids with cancer than I could of ever imagined, spent way to many hours at Texans Children's Hospital, and learned more about anemia than I ever cared to know. This year we have traveled to New York to work with the most amazing DBA team in the world, flown to Maine where for the first time we were able to meet others with DBA & form the best support group ever, we have had a failed IVF cycle, and are in the beginning stages of a successful steroid trial. We learned that we have such supportive families, and AMAZING (not the right word) friends! I have learned to step out of my comfort zone and be more assertive when it come to James Thomas' medical care. And dealing with all of this has not put a strain on my marriage but has made me fall more in love with James than I thought possible. I know the only way this has all been possible is by God's love and grace. He has held us this year and now we are able to stand here better people, ready to face another year. I love my son, I love my life, and as much as I would do anything for him not to suffer or deal with all of this crap (excuse my language but it is what it is), I know James Thomas will come out victorious and exactly who God designed him to be! Here are some pictures taken a year ago today. James Thomas was so sick and pale. Look at him a year later, isn't it a miracle?!?!?!





When we entered the hospital on October 15, 2009 James Thomas had to receive 5 blood transfusions just to get his hgb to a safe range for surgery. He was literally dieing and wouldn't be here today without that blood. We will never know whose blood was given to him that week but we will forever be thankful. I know God knows who those donors were and I pray for extra blessings for them, for their lifesaving gift. James Thomas' now has designated donors who donate regularly. Thank you for your gift of life to our son! We appreciate it more than we can express and we will never forget or taken for granted what you do! SO HERE IS MY PLUG, let's all go donate blood. James has always been faithful in his donating of blood but me on the other well NOT SO GOOD! I am pledging now to donate blood this month, will you?????? Here is a picture of James Thomas' first blood transfusion.

This next picture was taken that same week and was probably transfusion #3, how could you not donate blood for a smile like that?

This last picture was taken at Camp Sunshine this summer. Everyone in the picture has Diamond Blackfan Anemia. Look at those beautiful faces. If you think about it, please say an extra prayer for them as they daily fight their fight!

James Thomas,
If you ever read this I hope you know how proud of you we are. God made you extra special and we thank Him for your precious life. You have taught us more than you will know and you are the bravest little boy! You are my hero! Keep up the good fight!
All my love,
Mommy



PS A little ironic we went to clinic today on the one year anniversary of this adventure.
10-15-09 CBC results
HGB: 3.0
Retic: 0.1%

10-15-10 CBC results
HGB: 13.2 (yes 10 pts higher)
Retic: 1.2% (this is in the normal range)

What AN AWESOME DAY!!!!!

Fun Filled Weekend

We had a wonderful weekend full of FUN! On Friday we headed to Lake Limestone to meet up with Jim and Nancy. Saturday, James and I got up bright and early to go to Dallas for the Balylor v. Tech football game. It was at the Cotton Bowl and neither of us had ever been to the State Fair. We were so excited to eat fair food and walk around so after the game we got Fletcher's corndogs and funnel cake. It was unbelievable to see all the different types of fried food! Even though Baylor lost we had a GREAT time cheering on our Bears.






Then we headed back to the lake house. We got back just in time for an amazing sunset! This place is such a treasure and we enjoy every trip we make. James Thomas had tons of fun playing with Grandma, Pawpaw, and Auntie Crystal (one of Nancy's Sunshine friends).








We had a wonderful, lazy Sunday morning at the lake and then headed back to H-town. Our weekend wasn't over yet. We unpacked the car, loaded the wagon, and headed down to the local Catholic Church Fall Festival. It was awesome! There was so much food, lots of activities for the kids, crafts everywhere, just a great way to spend your Sunday afternoon. Plus all the money raised went to charity!!!







TO TOP IT ALL OFF WE GOT LABS DONE FRIDAY MORNING TOO..........HGB 13.6 and retic 2.1 This is amazing and a true miracle. We are lowering his dose a little over 10% and we go back again on Friday!! GOD IS GOOD!