2nd Birthday!

Monday we celebrated and gave thanks to God for Zoe's second birthday.

Zoe has continued to learn new things and exhibit a strong will that can only mean that we will need to watch out for those teen years. She has been building her skill set and slowly catching up with her peers. We try not to get caught up with the milestones, knowing that the fact we are moving forward is evidence of God's grace.

Zoe has a passion for music and books and has started to enjoy dolls and puzzles. It is amazing how the little ones learn so quickly and eagerly. Sponge is an excellent description.

We have greatly appreciated the interest that many have taken in Zoe's life the past two years, and the help so many have offered. Throughout, we've tried to hold the theme that "no news is good news". As we reflect over this year and the last, we realized that Zoe's day to day life is quite routine and for the most part "normal". God has blessed us pretty regularly of late with "no news". Thank God for his many blessings! That being said, this will be our last post for Zoe's blog. We are thankful for the prayers, words of encouragement, and support you have all given us, many of you whom we have never met. God bless you and your families as he has ours.

Philip, Kimberly & Zoe Casmer

September 2011

After a busy weekend of traveling and seeing family we are finally settled at home and getting back into our daily routine.

One item taken care of, Zoe's check up with her neurologist. He was happy to see how well Zoe is progressing and encouraged us to keep up the therapy to help her progress. So a short but wonderful visit.

Zoe continues to change and grow before our eyes. She is quite a talker and loves to figure out how things are put together and taken apart. She is getting to enjoy certain foods more and this allows meals to be more pleasurable for everyone involved. We are happy to see this improvement.

We hope you are all having a great start to the school year.

Another Blog

Please check out Zoe's pics on Emily's blog!

http://emilyebelingphotography.blogspot.com/2011/08/zoe-18-month-milwaukee-area-childrens.html

It has been a long time since we have had an actual update, I have been wanting to wait for Zoe's latest doctor appointment that way we are all on the same page.

Zoe has continued to show improvement in various areas, especially the weight gain. Currently at 23lb and 4oz she is now considered overweight for her 29in frame. Ha, who would have thought we would be at this stage especially since she still does her best geyser impression once a day. So as with any child, Zoe is changing the game and we are making the necessary adjustments to help keep down the food and stimulate the appetite for more solids.

Zoe has also been getting around a lot more often. Though we are not quite walking or standing, she loves crawling and climbing everywhere. She has also been chatting, babbling or whatever you call it non stop. Recent words now include, eggy, pepper, and oval. We have been truly blessed.

God bless you,

Casmers

Summer Fun

What fun are we going to have at the park?

Swinging Time

Just a quick note before I wake Zoe up from her nap.

Things continue to go well with Zoe. She seems to be keeping her food down more often and her inclination to eat a few bites during a meal is consistent. We continue to pray that the "light bulb" will come on and she will eat more each time.

Zoe is also growing well, though we don't have an official weight, we are definitely over 20lbs. My arms can feel it.

She loves to play and to pet the cat (which she calls "meow") and to swing. We hope the warm weather stays for a while so we can head back outside.

Blessings to you all!

Happy Easter

Blowing Kisses

We have had a full couple of weeks with Zoe's appointments but we are happy to report some great news.

First Zoe is continuing in her growth. Measuring at 18lbs. 14oz. on a 28in frame, she is considered average. Who knew average would sound great?! The recent changes made with medications and schedule have made it easier for Zoe to keep her food down and be more willing to eat a bit more of her solids. We can now focus specifically on her eating her solids and drinking from a cup.

Zoe also continues to be a "boring" case for her neurologist. Her MRI showed nothing of concern so we continue to monitor her and focus on her therapies to get her caught up and keep her on track with her peers.

Zoe also is making nice strides in her therapy though she is bound and determine to keep some of her bad habits. We will continue to do her exercises to break her from these and build skills for the next developmental milestones.

Zoe is also making herself heard more often now. Peek, play, up, baby, meow and bath are her favorite words. She can say mom and dada but prefers to point and yell "up" or give kisses when she needs our attention. Can't deny she is a girl that gets to the point.

Oh, I think the little one stirring from her nap now... Here is a kiss and have a great day!

Spring is in the Air.

Well as we are approaching the end of March, we wanted to let you know how our first three months of 2011 are going.

Zoe continues to grow and learn some new skills, we are happy to see how she is progressing. We recently had a change in Zoe's medication to help stimulate her appetite and decrease her mucus production. We are curious to see if this helps. Despite having a small appetite, Zoe has been eating well, she loves her Cheerios, carrots and the occasional banana. She is also learning how to drink from a straw.

In Zoe's other therapies, Zoe has been working on her flexibility, identifying animals, and building strength in her legs.

It has been a great joy and blessing to see Zoe come so far and to see how far she goes. We continue to pray for continued blessings on her.

Getting Ready to Cruise

Watch out world, here I come.

Spring Get Here Soon!

Today I Would Have Been 1 Year Old, If I Wasn't So Eager

We have been blessed with a full year of Zoe being home. At times it has been nerve wracking, worrisome, quiet, joyful, and always exciting.

We have been happy to see the progress Zoe has made over the past month. We are now crawling, putting toys away, and saying a few words like cat, ma, and baby. The Lord has blessed us.

We also get rid of the feeding tube and replace it with a Mic-Key button in the upcoming week. We are looking forward to getting rid of the plastic appendage.

Though we are unsure of what plans the Lord has for us in the coming days, months, and years we are confident in His word and promises and the comfort they will give us.

Working on that Crawling

New Year

I have been keeping busy the first few weeks in 2011.

First, I gained weight! I am 15lbs and 2 oz. I also got my first tooth! It is cute but some more are coming in. I also have been rolling over, but only in my bed. I also have been wanting to crawl. I hope it is soon, I really want to get moving.

I still keep up with my therapy and all my appointments. It's been cold so our outings have been limited to just that. That's okay I like to stay warm.

It has been a great start to the New Year!

Christmas and Zoe

Phil and I have now learned why our parents were not as excited about Christmas as we were. Naps are no where in sight, presents upon presents to eat, and a series of church services and get-togethers that made bedtimes negotiable. But we did it, our first Christmas home with Zoe, we survived and she of course is no worse for wear. Regardless of the chaos that surrounded the day, we were happy to celebrate Jesus' birthday, singing hymns, and tell of this event to Zoe. How truly blessed we all our because of his birth and the sacrifice he made for us all.

All the festivities did push around around our normal routine but Zoe was ready to get back to work with her physical therapy appointment. The therapist was happy to see Zoe getting better at sitting up on her own and her assisted rolls becoming quicker. We hope with some more strengthening exercises we can get both of these to become unassisted completely. Zoe is also doing well with her feeding despite still having a stuffy nose and nagging cough. We continue to introduce new table foods as she as lost more interest in cereals and purees. So far she enjoys potatoes, chicken and beef broth, noodles, and grown up cereal. We continue to thank God for the success that Zoe has already made and patiently anticipate what the future holds for her.

We hope that you all had a wonderful and blessed Christmas. We surely did.

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ^a the Lord. Luke 2:11

Christmas!

Christmas was fun! I am tired and need some extra beauty sleep so I will update you all later.

Merry Christmas to you all!

Mid December

Unfortunately Zoe had her first trip to the ER on early, early Thursday morning. She developed another round of croup that we were not able to resolve on our own so we headed to the emergency room to get a dose of steroids and time with the nebulizer. Both were quick acting and we were home in an hour and a half resting comfortably in bed.

Zoe continues to have this mild cold or side effects of teething. Either way, she has been a little under the weather and has been keeping both mom and dad on their toes. We pray she is her old self by Christmas.

We continue to be busy in the Casmer home as we gear up for the holidays and Zoe's therapy schedule ramps up to get her closer to her milestones by February. We also have been getting check ups her various doctors. We are happy to see Zoe is gaining weight but is still taking her time with the process. She is currently 14lbs and 11oz and 26in long. As we make more adjustments to her diet we hope to see a faster rate of weight gain.

God's blessings as we celebrate the Advent of our Lord and we look forward to sharing pictures of Zoe's first Christmas home.

A Visit to Santa

Just had to see Santa yesterday to wish him a Merry Christmas. I was a little nervous but mommy was there while daddy took our picture. I got an ornament and a toothbrush. I love my toothbrush! Fun to chew on.

I am pretty busy this month. I have had extra therapy to get me caught up with some skills that I just seem to need a little help with. I also have my check up with my GI doctor so we can get a weight check, evaluate my diet, and see how my tube is healing. Mommy says my and daddy's schedule is a full time job in and of itself. Do you know what that means?

I hope and pray you are all having a wonderful CHRISTmas holiday.

Who Me?

First Cold/Croup

Well once the Thanksgiving busyness came to an end, Zoe got a cold. She is doing well, just stuffy and tired. We are happy that it has taken so long for her to get her first cold.

I also wanted to let you all know how Zoe's new feeding plan was going. Some people have asked how it works so I thought a little explanation was due. With the help of a dietitian, we determine the amount of food Zoe needs to eat to gain weight at a reasonable rate. Once that is in place every feeding Zoe is given a bottle to give her opportunity to take it orally. If Zoe is refusing to eat or we have passed a reasonable amount of time, the food is just placed in a feeding bag where it is pumped in her stomach at a set rate. The set up is quite easy and apart from caring for her new "belly button" the process is similar to when she had her NG tube. Zoe is healing quite well from her surgery and is even back to spending a little time on her belly again.

The Lord has continue to bless us with Zoe's strength and cheerful disposition. We are thankful for all He has given us.