Happy Holidays, Everyone!!

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Hi all,

We hope you're having a wonderful holiday season. It's been hectic, as usual, but we're enjoying ourselves! We spent Christmas Eve at home with Grandma and Grandpa Lee, visited our friends Maya and Graeme across the street, then tomorrow morning it's off to The Villages to see Papa/Rea!

Emily and David made their first gingerbread men cookies today. They really enjoyed themselves. And believe it or not, cleanup actually required a vacuum cleaner to suck up all the flour!

Yum! Decorating them was great fun, although we almost needed the vacuum again!

BTW, David saw his cardiologist yesterday, who pronounced him healthy. He's down to only 3 heart anomaliles (a murmur, a tiny hole, and reversed blood flow into the right chamber), so we're happy. It was amazing seeing an ultrasound of his tiny heart. I saw all 4 chambers with the little valves opening and closing rapidly. David wasn't too happy, but a couple of cookies later he fell asleep, much to the technician's relief. Unfortunately for Mommy, he hadn't swallowed the last cookie, so that was an interesting retrieval!

Thanksgiving in Pennsylvania

What a trip! What fun! What mayhem! Here the kids taste snow for the first time.



Here the kids say goodbye to Grami Frani, who caught the stomach virus that shot through the entire Schraner/Lewis family, except for Emily, David and Aunt Tracey! Poor Grami couldn't even sit up in bed to say goodbye!



Kevin and I got ours on the way home from the airport, at 2am...lovely.

Get Well Wishes for Ranju

And last but never least, we wish a speedy recovery to our beloved Miss Ranju, who had shoulder surgery just a few days ago. Mom and Pop's great friends and neighbors for over 20 years now, Kanti and Ranju are about to become first-time grandparents!! A big CONGRATULATIONS to son Minesh and daughter-in-law Laura on their soon-to-be little bundle of joy! Miss Ranju, you need to heal that shoulder fast and get those arms ready for your new grandbaby! :D

That's all for now...take care, everyone!

Love,

Caroline

Christmas Parade

Hi all,

What fun! Our hometown parade, only 4 blocks long, but so much fun! It was really cold for Florida (64 F), but the kids didn't care since everyone in the parade threw candy.

Note Miss Diane and Miss Anne, our kids' librarians, are on a float, wrapped up as gifts! Friends Liz, Maya and Graeme are also on the float. What fun it was to be waving to people we know! Although, in this small town, it shouldn't be a surprise. The parade spanned only 4 blocks, and then everyone turned around and paraded back! I LOVE this town!!

Don't forget to Elf yourself for Christmas!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Caroline

Happy Gotcha Day, Bruffie!

What a year it's been! What a wonderful little boy we have! My gosh, where did all the time go?

Last year at this time we were marvelling over our new son, who had barely any hair! There were small signs of the outgoing little guy he'd become...a few smiles, some dancing feet, a tight first bond with Daddy and then Emily. Then there were the sleep issues, food issues, refusing to let Mommy touch him, choking on so many different foods, terrifying doctor visits (for him), and then surgeries.

David at 18 months old. But all is forgotten when we look into that adorable face. David, you're a challenge and a blessing rolled into one precious package. You've endured more than a lot of kids your age, and you do it with a happy smile and dogged determination. You're our little survivor, and you've taught us that hard work can also be fun! How we wish we could tell your Chinese birth family that you made it, and that you're so, so happy.

David eats, Medieval style, at his Gotcha Day celebration. Ok, so you haven't taught us much about eating...but that's ok.

That's better! Here's David watching the balloon guy make him a cute little turtle balloon. We ate at a local restaurant that caters to kids on Wednesday nights.

Enjoying Grandma's company while Sissy refuses to smile. It's been an amazing year. Two surgeries, 7 specialists, 5-days a week of speech and occupational therapy. Who needs a quiet life?!!

Like the song says, We-Are-Fah-muh-lee!

A Lovely Christmas Gift

Hi all,

This week we received a beautiful, surprise gift from Emily and David's preschool teachers. It's a gift of love and hope, and one we'll never forget.




The last page of the card has an important message that might be too hard to read. Here's what it says...

Millions of children in developing countries are suffering today with cleft lip and palate.
While babies born with clefts in the U.S. receive surgery soon after birth, babies in developing countries are usually never treated because they are poor.
Children with unrepaired clefts lead desperate lives of shame and isolation. Most will never eat or speak properly. They're not allowed to attend school or hold a job. Without surgery, children in developing countries have no chance, no life, no hope.
Helping these children is the mission of The Smile Train.
We provide free cleft surgery for children who would otherwise never receive it. Through our unique approach of empowering local doctors in developing countries, we can provide cleft surgery that costs as little as $250 and takes as little as 45 minutes.
This medical miracle gives these children not just a new smile, but a second chance at life.

David has been an incredible gift to us. His special needs are a constant challenge. Yet, he's oblivious to these needs. Instead, he's happy just to be with us, charming everyone around him and making friends everywhere. He humbles us simply by his perseverence. We love him more deeply every day.

How do you say thanks for a gift such as this? Miss Laurie and Miss Deb, this was a wonderful, touching gift that will become part of David's history. You are treasured teachers and kind human beings who have created such joy in our children's lives.

Much love,

Caroline, Kevin, David and Emily