Vincent turns 2!

Can you believe it because I sure can't!!

For Vinnie's birthday this year we decided to keep the celebration down to the good stuff. You know cake, pizza, presents. Does it get any better than that? In normal fashion he was spoiled rotten with gifts from his grandma's, aunts, and uncles. I think we are going to have to build on to our house to make another room just for all of his stuff :). No matter what toys, books, etc we get Vinnie his favorite things to play with is still the simple stuff. His favorites are remote controls, kitchen items (spoons, measuring cups) and homemade bottle shakers.

A month prior to his 2nd birthday Vinnie finally had his VP shunt surgery. If you recall about a year ago he went to his first neurologist appointment since his head was growing faster than normal. They discovered he had hydrocephalus.

For the past year we have been monitoring the fluid on his brain with frequent appointments. At his last appointment his neurologist said he did not see any improvement and suggested going ahead with the shunt placement. Of course I was reluctant at first as it is a life long man made machine that will require maintenance and can lead to further problems such as brain infections. At his appointment his doctor took me to the area they view CAT scans. After researching hydrocephalus on my own and viewing his first scans compared to the ones he was showing me their was no decision to be made. Vinnie needed it. In the scans you could tell most of his head was fluid and could see where the fluid was putting pressure on his brain tissue. His scan revealed he had about 55% fluid and 45% brain tissue.

It has now been just over 2 months since his surgery and he is doing very well. In very exciting news the week prior to his surgery Vinnie started taking his first independent steps and never missed a beat after the surgery. He is now a full on walker and even runs too! He also seems to be into discovering more at home and loves the outdoors. His daycare teachers report that he is more interested in different toys and activities. His physical therapist let us know that she will only be visiting once a month now since Vinnie is doing so well. He will still receive speech and occupational therapy. No words yet, but I think we are on the brink!

In other news Vinnie moved up to the next level room at daycare this week. He has more room to run and will work on eating at a table, with silverware, and soon we'll we on to what I am sure is the grand world of potty training.

Enjoy the pictures! He is growing so fast!!!

Rained out

Our March for Babies walk was canceled yesterday due to severe weather. The tornado sirens were going off and we were getting golf ball size hail. Needless to say it would have been more like swimming the 4 mile walk.

Thanks to everyone who sponsored us! Joe and I still plan on completing the 4 miles at Shelby Farms perhaps next weekend. Heck it may produce more entertaining pictures.

So what to do on a stuck in the house Saturday? Play with this little guy of course.



Vinnie has taken a liking to sitting on our regular couch rather than the hardwood floor. Can't say I blame him. Although he has also taken a liking to attempting to head dive off of our couch. He's wild. We thought it best to get him his own little couch. If he decides to take a dive we're talking a belly flop at best.

He was soooo excited when we took it out of the box yesterday. He just sat on it and giggled and would get off of it and back on just giggled the day away. Oh the smallest things are always the funniest. Who knew someday we would be entertained by a 2 year old having a hay day on a backyardigans couch :)

One Small Step For Man, One Giant Leap for Vinnie!

I am proud to announce Vinnie has officially taken his first steps. At his physical therapy a few weeks ago (his therapist goes directly to our daycare) she sent home a note that said "Vincent took two independent steps today." Her hand writing was a little jumbled so of course we thought can this be right as we have been working and working with him with no avail. Sure enough though! She gave us some tips to help him out such as putting his back against a wall standing where basically he would have no choice but to step. It works!!! I officially think that their needs to be a parents handbook of tips.

In other news even though Vinnie is not walking completely yet he is moving around quickly and getting into everything. If you are a parent you know at times this can be funny and scary all at the same time. For example last weekend Vinnie was playing on the floor in the kitchen while I was cleaning up lunch. I saw our dogs come in to get some grub out of the dog food bowl and heard them clanking around. I guess when our pups left the kitchen Vinnie thought he'd get in on the action. I turned around and sure enough it was not the dog anymore, but Vinnie trying a piece of dog food to see what he was missing out on! It must have been some pretty good stuff because he threw a fit when I took it away. Eeek! Other times he will be right in front of you and then off like a race horse. His most common spot to run off to is the washer and dryer show as we call it. He is fascinated by these front load machines. Oh the things that entertain them now. Before I know it he'll be asking for a car. Maybe I'll suggest to him that the washer and dryer show is still playing instead?

We're gearing up next weekend to go to the March of Dimes fundraiser March for Babies. This will be our second year participating. Thanks to everyone who sponsored us! We're so blessed to have such great friends and family who support us in our endeavors. We'll get our walk on for ya!!! In addition to the walk for babies I have joined forces with my family in Nebraska in support of the American Heart Association in remembrance of my father. My hope is through our work we can help even just one person get the preventative or life saving care they need even if it is someone we will never meet in our lifetimes. My dad never came across a stranger, just friends he hadn't met yet. It's important for me personally to carry this frame of mind on and general support for everyone; even people I do not know.

Enjoy the new pictures! We took the Vinmiester to the zoo for the first time last weekend. He had a blast. I think it will take up about 4 trips to make it through the whole zoo so we signed up for a membership. He was so excited he crashed after an hour. Ok, so maybe we were so excited to show him everything that we tuckered him out :) We also took him on his first adventure to a hibachi grill. The chopsticks were the highlight of his trip.

Vinnie is growing up so fast. He is moving out of the baby stage and is starting to look more and more like a little boy everyday. I typically don't see this until I look at pictures because I think I will forever have engrained in my brain that little 2 lb 10 oz baby. Of course Joe thinks I will hinder him by spoiling him, but I just think he'll be a momma's boy. What's wrong with that?!? I can't believe he will be 2 in a little over 2 months. What a journey it's been! Stay tuned!!!


Happy two year anniversary to my wonderful husband! I must have done something very good to deserve a grand husband like you ;)

Uncle Jeremey Says So!

After the persistance of Vinnie's uncle Jeremey reminding me that we are quite over due for a Vinnie blog here we go! It is only appropriate that I highlight a few of the good times those two have together.


Vinnie doing the heisman!


Vinnie and Jeremey's breakfast extravaganza.


Vinnie's super awesome hat from the one and only Uncle Jeremey

To say the least a lot has happened since my last Vinnie post! Looking back at the pictures on my last post he has grown up so much.

Luckily this winter we have been pretty lucky sickness wise. I think daycare (although terrible at first since he was out sick more than he was there) has helped build up his immunity. Our biggest scare was in Decemeber when Vinnie got the virus we don't speak of RSV. If you recall it was life threatening to him when he was an infant. Now that he is older it just seemed like a bad cold. Besides that he has had a few infections and that's about it!

Vinnie now has about 12 teeth. His eye teeth just came in these past few weeks and boy was that fun. I imagine no one warned me how bad those suckers were going to be since it was probably tough for all you parents too and you put that memory in file 13! :)

He is getting very close to walking and our goal is to have him walking by 2. He finally was approved and switched over to Mississippi Early Intervention. We have a team of three therapists who visit him once a week at daycare. He sees an occupational, physical, and speech therapist.

At his 18 month appointment Vinnie's pediatrician said he was showing the early signs of Autism. We will continue to work with him the best we can, but it is still too early to be diagnosed for sure. I wasn't surprised to hear this as his lack of eye contact for example was something I always noticed. Who knows, he could be a late bloomer. Worst case senerio we will work with it. I still feel blessed everyday to just have him here. I think back to those long nights in the hospital asking god to just help him make it here and then when he was in the NICU to just give him enough strength to make it through. I would take any challenges that came with and I meant it. To me he is just amazing and wonderful in every way!

Vinnie is now 20 months old and is doing all sorts of new exciting things! I laugh when I write that he is 20 months because before I became a mother I thought it was silly that people told people their childs age in months after they were one. It is hard to believe in a couple of months he is going to be 2 (then I can drop the month talk right?)!

After months of playing pat a cake he learned to clap this past weekend! It was hands down the most impressive thing I have seen all year :)

I have so many pictures to post which I will put up soon!

Goodbye Dad

On November 27th, 2009 my father Calvin Bahns returned home to God after having a massive heart attack at the age of 56. The previous day on Thanksgiving he spent one final Thanksgiving with my family. He was in good spirit and had a wonderful final day on this earth. He did not verbally or physically show any signs of strain through that final day and the cherished pictures I have seen from that day show him happy and loving life as he normally did.

I have wrote this post several times over the past few months and often stared at the blank page wondering how I write this. How do I sum up my father in one blog post. It came to me today (yes it took over two months) to realize it can not be done and shouldn't have to be done in just one! I think of him everyday. Every time I see a classic car, someone tells me a fast random fact, and every time I talk to my family.

It is still hard for me to believe that he is truly gone. He was a terrific father, friend, and mentor. He was kind and respectful to everyone; even people who had wronged him. Thinking back to I can not remember one time, not a single time he has said anything bad about anyone. I really did not realize this until his wake when his friends also recalled the same.

My dad was a very hard worker. You would have to twist his arm to take a day off and no matter what he would go to work even in bad weather or if he was under the weather. A few winters ago he insisted to go to work during one of the worst snow storms in Nebraska that winter. On his way home (midway) there was a white out and the roads were too covered with snow to drive. He pulled his car up beside a building that afternoon and waited until the next morning. Finally the next morning the snow plows came through and the roads were drivable again (at least somewhat). Rather than going home after his night roughing it(which he should have!) in the freezing cold with no food, water, blankets, etc he scooped off his car and returned to work for his next shift. Of course my mom was extremely worried about his where abouts. He called her when he got back to work the following day. Mind you my dad was a simple man when it came to modern technology. He did not have a cell phone or a credit card at the time. Needless to say that following Christmas we gave him both!

My dad taught my siblings and I so many life lessons. He was well rounded in current events and random facts. He loved to read. While living at home I always knew when I came downstairs for breakfast on the weekends I would find my dad sipping coffee and reading the newspaper. He would talk to us those mornings about all sorts of things. From local news to global, cars to football, and random fast facts he had learned that day. My mom would get on him about cutting out articles from the newspaper before she had a chance to read it. Upon returning home for the first time after he passed I looked through a book my mom brought downstairs from his room. It was amazing. My dad kept a journal through the years that I never knew about. It was packed with so much stuff and was such a blessing for us to have. It had articles from the dam being built in Leigh, articles about the pope, and coverage off 9/11. He had notes with his thoughts, things people had told him that inspired him, and entries of those he had loved and lost through the years.

My father made me well rounded. He showed me how to treat others how I would want to be treated. He taught me how to be a good person, a hard worker, to be family oriented, and to take things one day at a time. At his funeral I found myself having such great sympathy for his friends and family he was leaving behind. After the wake my sister Audrey and I were talking and saying "Did you see ______. I felt so bad for him/her. They are taking this really hard." It is still a little crazy to me because there we were grieving over the loss of our father, but still not having great amounts of self pity and being there for others. I know this was because of him. Even in his death his final lesson to me was how to say good bye (for now) to someone you love and how to be strong and comforting to others no matter what the situation is.

I am so thankful for such an amazing father and so grateful my son had the opportunity to meet his grandfather before his passing. (My dad met Vinnie a for the first time the month prior.)

I love you dad and will see you again someday. Each day that passes is a day closer to seeing you again, but until then I promise to live each day to its fullest, remember your life lessons, and carry you with me always. You will be dearly missed by many.


"We little knew that morning that God was going to call your name. In life we loved you dearly, in death we do the same. It broke our hearts to lose you, you did not go alone; for part of us went with you the day God called you home. You left us peaceful memories, your love is still our guide, and though we cannot see you, you are always by our side. Our family chain is broken and nothing seems the same, but as God calls us one by one, the chain will link again."

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