Dylan's Cord Blood Video

https://vimeo.com/41449761

We thank the Lord every day for our little miracle!

2012 Christmas Newsletter

 

 

What`s New

2012 has been a whirlwind of fun! Our little Andrew joined our family on December 29th last year. I cannot believe he is almost 1!!! He has been such an amazing addition to our crew. Dylan loves having a little brother. And when I say little brother, I only mean by age, because he and Andrew are almost the same size! Andrew is a big bundle of love and can fit into most of Dylan`s clothes. It will not be long before Andrew outgrows Dylan. They love to wrestle, and cannot wait to give each other hugs and kisses in the morning. We had to nickname Andrew, Bubba, so that Dylan could say his name. It melts my heart when Dylan runs into Andrew`s room every morning yelling "Bubba, Bubba!" and climbs up on his crib to greet him. They can be best friends one minute, then tackling each other the next, over some silly toy...but nevertheless, they love each other!

In September of this year, we were blessed to move into a new home! It is in the same neighborhood where we have lived for 3 1/2 years. God's hand was in every single detail of the process and we are blown away by the amazing home He has given us. Our tiled hallways are filled with laughter and screaming as the boys ride their cars and chase each other all over the place. There is never a dull (or quiet) moment at the Praskins! We are looking forward to many, many years in this home and creating new memories!

Erik is still very active in Real Estate and is constantly growing in this ever changing market. Along with Real Estate, he has joined a new venture with his dad in an online business. God has been good and has blessed us with providing for our needs so that I can continue to stay home with our precious little boys. Although staying home with the boys can be challenging some days, it is the greatest job I could ever ask for! Hopefully this year, I will make some time to update our blog with pictures and a glimpse into our crazy life!

Dylan is doing AMAZING! He is healthy and has been in remission for over 3 years!! PRAISE GOD! His glaucoma is under control, although he still has to get it checked twice a year under anesthesia. Because of our insurance situation, Dylan's medical costs are around $5000 a year, out of pocket. Even though we sometimes do not know how we are going to pay for some of those medical needs, God always provides it! Dylan has been going to pre-school 4 days a week for 2 1/2 hours and he LOVES it! He runs down the halls of the school laughing and giggling. School has helped him a little with his vocabulary, but he is still severely behind in many areas. He is a work in progress...just like the rest of us. We could not imagine life without his laughter and silly personality. He is a joy to have around and is a constant reminder of God's faithfulness!

Come and visit our Family blog!

Hi everyone! Thank you so much for taking the time to follow along with our little fighters story. Since we have a new addition to our family, we have started a family blog. I will be posting updates on Dylan's progess along with random family fun also! Thank you for sharing in our journey and being a part of this crazy ride with us!
www.praskinsfamily.blogspot.com

Update

We went to the eye doctor yesterday to try and get Dylan's pressures checked in the office.  We did not succeed :( In order for the doctor to get an accurate pressure, Dylan would have to hold still for 10-20 seconds while the doc puts a pressure probe on his eye. As you can imagine, this was a long-shot to begin with.  Dylan freaked out and screamed his head off.  Even if we could hold his body still, Dylan would have to be completely relaxed and not fight it at all.  We knew this would probably be the outcome, but it was worth a try.  We now have to get the pressure checked under anesthesia as we normally do. He needs this procedure every six months to stay on top of the pressure, just in case it gets too high.  We could choose to not get his pressure checked, but then we would run the risk of it getting high and endanger his eyesight.  Since we no longer have insurance for Dylan, we will have to pay out of pocket for the procedure.  After making numerous calls yesterday, we finally have a total.  The fee from the doctor is $200, the anesthesiologist is $320, and the surgery center is $900.  That is a total of $1420 for a 5 minute procedure!!  As you can imagine, this is a frustrating situation, but it is where God has us right now.  We believe that He will provide for our needs.  We have his procedure scheduled for May 23rd. Please join us in praying that the procedure goes well, and moreover, that his pressures are normal and he will not need any further surgeries. Please pray that God provides the extra money that is needed to pay for the procedure, as well as his monthly eye drops. We feel that at this time, it is best for me to stay home with the boys. It is very important to us that I am here raising them and caring for them and our household. I enjoy being with my family more than anything, and we feel that this is where God wants me.  Raising kids is no easy task, but it is the most rewarding job in the world! Although there is no compensation and benefits, there are lots of hugs and kisses! Thank you for being a part of our journey and for praying for our family. We love you guys!

Time is flying!

Hello everyone! I cannot believe that Andrew is almost 4 months old! Where does the time go??? I am so behind on everything, including this blog. So, for now, I will just start with the newest stuff going on and update everything else later.  First off, the boys are doing wonderful! Andrew is a very healthy and chubby baby! He is so much different than Dylan in every aspect of the word. We are enjoying every moment with him.  Dylan is doing really well too. We just celebrated his 3rd birthday! Do I really have a 3 year old?! Wow, time does fly! It's crazy to think that our little adventure with Dylan started almost 3 years ago. Each year as we celebrate another year of life with Dylan, it is impossible not to think of everything that we have been through with him and how far he has come. He is a constant reminder of God's faithfulness in our lives. Medically, Dylan is doing amazing. He sees his oncologist,Dr. Graham, once every six months; although we would love to visit him more often. He is now getting his eye pressure checked every 6 months also. Other than that, he is growing and thriving, and loving being a BIG brother.  We recently applied for ALTCS through the state. It is a state medical insurance that would cover Dylan and provide for all of his medical needs. But, God had a different plan. Dylan was denied the coverage, which came as a shock to us and all of his therapists. He scored 33 points out of a needed 40 points to qualify. So for now, Dylan is not covered under any insurance. This leaves Erik and I with some decisions to make. Please pray for us as we decide what is best to do for our little family. Our main concern at this point is the eye pressure checks that Dylan needs. We have an appointment next thursday at Dylan's eye doctors office. We are going to attempt to get the pressure in his office. This seems like an impossible feat since Dylan won't even let the doc look in his eye without a fight. At this point, it's our only option that won't end up costing us an arm and a leg. PLEASE pray that we can get Dylan to relax enough to get a good pressure check. Dylan's therapies are also not covered anymore. He was getting physical therapy, speech therapy, and occupational therapy. Thankfully, we have built good relationships with the therapists and they are all being very understanding and have offered to help with advice and ideas on how I can work with him at home. In August, Dylan will be attending the Surprise developmental preschool for a couple of hours a day. As hard as it will be for me to drop off my little man at school, I know that will be the best way for him to continue to develop. When he went through the initial evalutaions, most of his results showed him in the 12-18 month age range. As of right now, his issues are developmental and not disabilities. Everyone we talk to seems to think that he will eventually catch up. He is smart little kiddo, and once he starts to talk, the rest will follow.  We are just thankful that he is here, alive, and bringing laughter and love into our lives.  We know that God has a plan in all of this, and that He will provide.  I think that is all of the "big" stuff for now. Stay tuned for some more posts and lots and lots of pictures!
Thank you for your prayers!

Baby Andrew is HERE!!

We are so excited to welcome our newest addition to the family, Andrew Graham Praskins! He was born on December 29th, weighing in at a healthy 8lbs, 10oz, and was 19 inches long. He is absolutely perfect!! His BIRTHday turned out to be quite an exciting day! I really wanted to try to have a VBAC, which is a vaginal birth after having a c-section. I knew the risks and knew I could very well end up back in surgery for a second c-section, but Erik and I decided it was worth a try! We went in at 8am to get induced due to some insurance technicalities....Oh how I love insurance!! When we got to the hospital, I was dilated at 3cm (I need to be 10 to deliver)....and by 6pm, I made it to a whopping 5cm! Needless to say, I was frustrated. Not only was my body not responding, but little Andrews heart rate kept dropping. Everyone was on edge and Dr. B was ready to do the emergency c-section if needed. He too wanted me to be able to have a VBAC, so he was patient with us and kept encouraging me that I could do it! I was so uncomfortable, tired, and just worn out. I was ready to give up, thinking my body was never going to cooperate. The nurse kept changing my position to keep Andrew's heart rate up. And that is when God said, "its time!". Within a 20 minute period, I went from 5cm-10cm, and Andrew was on his way out!! Once the nurse saw I was at a 10, she ran from the room to get the doc and thats when the fun began. Dr. B was so excited, he ran down the hall and picked up the nurse and swung her around, then ran in the room sand gave me a big hug! He is seriously the coolest doctor ever! Everything happened so quickly. So quickly in fact that nobody had time to get to the hospital! Thankfully, Erik was there, along with my mom and my little sister, Mandy. I was so thankful to have them there to experience the birth with us. After about four pushes, Dr. B told me to look down and I got to see him pull little Andrew out! I immediately started bawling uncontrollably and was overcome with immense joy. It was the most amazing experience I have ever been through! He was absolutely perfect! The rest of the evening was spent with family and friends. Dylan was also able to come and visit his new baby brother. It was really sweet to see Dylan's reaction to the baby. He kept trying to kiss him and just wanted to stare at him and figure out who this new little person was that everyone was excited about. I could not have asked for a better day! Glory to God for blessing us with beautiful and healthy baby boy. Now the REAL fun begins!!