Whoa!

Not sure what has happened to our past few weeks. A lot I guess.

Jeff went on a trip with his parents to Toronto for a Blue Jays/Tigers game. He said it was a lot of fun and we hope to go together someday soon.

We had a nice Easter this year. Nolan wasn't too impressed with his basket and it's contents this year. Hopefully, next year he'll be more interested. We went to the Tigers game on Easter Sunday. It was finally a sunny day, but not too warm unless you were in the sun. We had a lot of fun back at the ballpark. That means that spring is officially on its way. Nolan hit a milestone this year. He was able to hand his ticket to the usher and WALK through the gates of Comerica for the first time. He also received a special gift for kids after he went through the gate. After that, he took off running through the park. It was so awesome to see him enjoy his freedom. It was truly a blessed moment. Nolan really loved his first ride of the season on the carousel and of course, his Big Boy french fries!

The following week we had so much to prepare for our trip to Washington. My sister graciously agreed to watch Nolan while we were gone. We thought that taking him with us was a lot of work, but I think that preparing for someone to stay at our house was just as much work.

We left Sunday morning at 5 a.m. and headed to the airport. I am happy that we went on an early flight because there wasn't much going on at the airport then. We arrived in Washington a little after 8 a.m. We took a cab to our hotel, but couldn't check in. We decided to walk around a little before heading to Nationals Park. It was such a beautiful day there. We got to the park early and walked around. Jeff caught some batting practice. I did everything I could not to pass out from exhaustion. We enjoyed the game and their beautiful park. Before the game ended we headed back to the hotel for a much needed nap and headed out for sightseeing and trying to find a place to eat. We found a hole-in-wall pub that was hosting an adult kickball league group and found some beer and food.

Monday morning we started out with CPR training. It was great to revisit that. It's been two years since we have been trained. We were given CPR training kits. They are really neat. They are intended to share with people who need to learn CPR quickly. The rest of the day consisted of great training and information. We also prepared our issues for the next day. I learned so much about cardiovascular disease, stroke, programs, Congress, lobbying, everything. It was amazing. I felt so empowered to share our story. That evening concluded with a banquet where the AHA presented their national awards.

Tuesday morning we started out very early and headed to Sen. Stabenow's office. She was a very gracious host. Then, another lobbyist and I headed over to the House building and met with three other offices. Then back to the other side of the Capitol. Then back again to the House side for a few more meetings. Boy, was I whipped. After that I headed over to the Capitol steps for our group picture and then off to a special reception in a private part of the Capitol. My lobbying was so eye opening, inspiring and motivating. Not one person I spoke to heard of pediatric stroke, let alone in utero stroke. I feel so proud to be able to share Nolan's story with others. There were 5 other in utero stroke survivor mothers there from other states. Hopefully, our stories will have a lasting impact. I headed home after the reception...that is after 11 hours of straight walking. Who knew I could go that long without my feet hurting. Jeff and I took a small break and then headed out for dinner at the Billy Goat Tavern for beer and hamburgers.

We headed out Wednesday morning and got home around 11:30 a.m. Boy, had my baby Nolan changed. I felt like he looked so much older. He was so mature to me. I missed my baby more than words could ever express however I think he knew that we were doing something important. Nolan's language had exploded while we were gone, he was saying all of these new words and phrases. It was completely amazing and made the trip even more worthwhile. My sister took great care of him and I could tell. When we got home, he went absolutely crazy. It was awesome to see excitement.

We had a hard time getting back to work on Thursday and Friday after all of our excitement. On Saturday, we went to Derek's baseball game and briefly visited with my mom. Then, we headed back for a big night. Nolan stayed at Miss Marcia's and Jeff and I went to The Heart Ball where Nolan was a featured survivor. Again, an amazing experience.

We will hopefully have an uneventful weekend. Next week, we're going to the Tigers game with Cindy and Cole, Nolan sees the ophthalmologist for an update, I am doing a radio interview for stroke month, Nolan turns TWO, we have family pictures, Nolan's party and then on Mother's Day, Jeff is participating in the Tigers Fantasy Batting Practice. Whew! Then, I think we can rest.

I have uploaded pictures from DC to the right. I will be adding some video from soon of Nolan's solo drumming performance.

Here is a link to some of our pictures from the Ball:

Detroit Hour Magazine:
http://www.hourdetroit.com/Hour-Detroit/April-2009/Metropolitan-nbspDetroit-Heart-Ball/index.php?cp=2&si=20

Shutter Booth:
http://www.shutterbooth.com/EventGallery/April/AHA/target10.html

Where Have I Been?

I just noticed that three weeks have passed. I have been getting ready for Washington, D.C. and am growing increasingly nervous. I feel such an obligation to be effective. Since I was selected to be a part of Lobby Day, a lot of great things have come our way. We were chosen to be the featured story for the Midwest Affiliate, which includes 11 states, for the You're The Cure blog. I am not sure what I will totally be responsible for yet, but I said, "Yes!" From what I understand, I will be keeping a blog of the activities in DC. I was also contacted about using Nolan's story and picture for the Heart Ball here in Detroit on April 25. Also, they are sending out press releases to local media about me participating in Lobby Day so hopefully, that will generate interviews and above all awareness about perinatal stroke.

Nolan is doing amazing and we are continuing to sign. He recently tried to sign I Love You. He doesn't quite have it, but I knew exactly what he was trying to sign. It was so precious. And tonight, he said I Love You to me after I put him in bed without me prompting him. It brought tears to my eyes. I woke up yesterday on my birthday to the sweet sound of him calling me. His language has really been improving and now we are working on two word sentences. His physical and occupational therapy are going just as well. We're still waiting for his Theratogs suit and he will be getting new braces soon. He is almost grown out of the ones he has.

Nolan got the opportunity to go to two Easter egg hunts. His first one ever, he did well. He wasn't sure what exactly to do. They started the day with a puppet show which Nolan watched entirely without making a peep. He found a lid in the backyard and that was probably his most prized find. His second one was this past weekend and he really did a great job running around and grabbed a ton of eggs. He loved being in such an open space and running around. He certainly loves his freedom. We went to our friends house for lunch and a visit from the Easter Bunny. It was very reminiscent of the Santa Claus visit. Nolan had a great time pushing his friend Allie in a car on the sidewalks. And on Easter Sunday, we will be going to our first Tigers game of the season.

Jeff is in Toronto tonight with his parents watching a Tigers game. We will also be going to a Nationals game in DC. Hopefully, he will get his baseball fix this summer. Nolan said Baseball tonight for the first time and I videotaped it. I can't wait until he gets home tomorrow to show him.