It has been forever since I last blogged! I feel like winter dragged on forever and that we would never stop getting sick. I am happy to report that spring is in the air :) We have been super busy, who isn't these days?
I am 39 weeks pregnant and I go in on Monday for a c-section. We are really excited! After tearing my house apart a month ago I am pleased to say that as of last night it is all in order and clean again.I love a clean home!
Ricky has been staying busy with work, church, being super dad, and an amazing husband! He is the best :)

Caleb is so much fun! He is the best little boy ever. He amazes me every day and find my self wondering when he got to be so big. He will do or say something and I don't even know where he learned it. He loves to play outside and has become a pro at riding his bike.

We were able to attend an event for our local TARC where they had tons of fun activities for the kids one being taking a ride on a horse or pony. I thought for sure Caleb would freak out once he got up and change his mind but he didn't, he loved it! One of those moments where I stop and realize just how big and brave he is getting. He plays soccer on Saturday mornings, he is so fun to watch. He has been potty trained since the first of April.. I am loving it! We tried on and off for quit some time but he just wasn't ready.... we decided to try again one weekend and he has been in underwear since. Love it!

He has such an imagination! He will go from being a dog one day to a super hero the next. He cracks me up! He has been asking for a small dog, the answer is no but he keeps asking. I wonder when he will figure it out ;) He makes me laugh everyday! He reminds me to be kind and loving towards all... he has the sweetest, purest spirit!

Hannah! Where to begin? She has been through a lot lately and is still making leaps and bounds of progress! We are blessed by this sweet girl who always keeps us close to the spirit. She also got to ride a pony and was smiles the entire time. We are going to see if we can get her into hippo therapy. It is supposed to help her balance. We also started water therapy with but have not really been able to go much due to her surgeries and how busy we have been. That to should help her balance as well.

We decided in February to go ahead and start the process of opening her right nasal passage so she could breath better, eat better, and have more stamina overall. We scheduled the 1st surgery in March knowing that there would be a few more to follow but somewhere communication was lost and we failed to really understand how closely spaced the surgeries need to be. We thought 3 months apart...nope more like 3-4 weeks apart. What a mess! The 1st one was so hard on her body and we were there for 5 days. The second went great, and the third I canceled due to how much we had going on and the baby coming. So pray that the hole will stay open and she will only have to have one more surgery :)

Hannah also loves to be outside! She can walk and stand with assistance. This is huge! She is so close to doing it on her own but she has to learn confidence in her surroundings and abilities. She doesn't have a sense of balance so next you would use your vision to balance but since that is weaker than the average person as well it has been a more difficult process. She can pull her self up in crib... this is huge as well! She gets stronger each day and I am so excited for her to walk on her own. She is one sassy frass of a girl! I could give those cheeks of hers kisses all day if she would hold still long enough to do so. She is amazing!

I love being a mom! It is one of my greatest joys in life :) They teach more about life than I could ever learn else where. I understand why Heavenly Father says to be as a child. They are loving and kind towards all and so forgiving. They bring Ricky and I happiness and peace each and every day! Enjoy your sweet children... they grow so fast!

With love,
Sam

Thank You

Thank you to all for supporting Sweets for Hannah. We had a successful bake sale at Wal-mart on Saturday where we raised over $900. We baked about 90 dozen cookies for the event, which was extremely exhausting, but well worth it. We sold almost everything except for some snicker doodle cookies (which are Ricky's favorite).

Between the two fundraising sources we were able to raise a lot more money than we had ever expected, $2,700 in total. We will treat this money with great respect and appreciation and we will make sure that it will be used for its intended purpose.

One thing that is critical when caring for a child like Hannah is that parents need to be proactive instead of reactive. We have already seen a huge improvement in her overall health because of our efforts. Her vision is a great example of why we need to be proactive. She has one weaker eye that use to wander a bit, but because we noticed it and worked with her ophthalmologist we were able to correct this potential impairment with daily eye patching of the stronger eye. Her balance (vestibular dysfunction) is much more complicated, and it will take a lot more work to help her live with no sense of balance. Because we learned about her vestibular dysfunction early on we have been able to start early with certain therapies to help her walk and cope with this impairment. If we can manage these two impairments properly then her abilities to learn and receive a normal education will be extremely high. Many people hear the word “syndrome” and correlate mental development issues, but that is not the case with CHARGE and that is why we are working so hard with Hannah in these early years. We have no doubt as parents that she will surpass all other expectation and have a higher than average learning ability.

CHARGE Syndrome affects each CHARGEr differently and has numerous possible physical and health disabilities that accompany the syndrome. Some of the funds will help us attend the International CHARGE Syndrome Conference. This conference brings together many of the professionals that research and work with CHARGE Syndrome to teach parents about the advances that have happened over the last two years. This is still a fairly new syndrome and there is a lot happening in the field of CHARGE. It wasn’t diagnosed as a syndrome until 2004 when they discovered a gene that plays a major role in why many of the symptoms of CHARGE occur in a child.

You have made a great difference in Hannah’s life! We feel so grateful and overwhelmed by the generosity and love from others!
Thank you!

With much love,
Ricky, Samantha, Caleb, & Hannah :)

Sweets for Hannah

We are organizing a fundraiser in Hannah's behalf. The proceeds would go towards her educational and medical costs that we will be incurring this year. Hannah has a rare health disorder called CHARGE Syndrome, which affects all of the major senses and gross motor skills. Fortunately CHARGE does not affect the cognitive ability if she receives the correct interventions.

Hannah has faced many obstacles in her life and has already overcome more than a person should ever face in ones life especially a child. She is always happy and never complains. Some of the things she has had to endure include open heart surgery, ear tube surgery, hand surgery, and the most current nasal surgery. At 19 months she is currently learning to walk and she is almost there. We work daily with her on language skills and sign language. Due to her complex disorder overcoming the communication barrier is only half the battle. The other half is for us to learn as much as we can about Hannah so that we can provide the best treatments to help her achieve her highest potential. We love our little Hannah! She brings love, hope, and pure joy to our family every day.

The fundraiser will be a bake sale on April 23 at the Wal-mart on Wanamaker.

There are several ways that you could help us have a successful bake sale:

1.Donate items to sell

2.Let us use your oven a day or two prior to the event. We are planning on making large batches of cookies or brownies and we could use additional ovens to bake them.

3. Let us borrow some equipment such as: folding tables, money boxes, or money bags.

4.A babysitter for Caleb

5.A volunteer or two to help man the tables

6.If you are not able to help in any of the ways listed above or you live out of town you may contribute to our “Bakeless Bake Sale”

What exactly is a bakeless bake sale you might ask...

A bit of news we have today... A BAKELESS BAKE SALE is on the way. In these busy days, who wants to bake, A pie or cookies or even a cake. You’d be surprised if you counted the cost, of ingredients, heat, and the time you’ve lost. Baking for sales is extra work. Yet nobody really wants to shirk. So we’ve thought of a plan that’s really grand, and feel quite sure you’ll understand. In an envelope, if you like, please include the price... of a pie or cake or anything nice. Without fuss or bother, you’ve done your part. We hope you’ll give with a willing heart. Wishing success for our BAKELESS BAKE SALE, This is the end of our little tale.

Please email or call us if you able help in any of these ways.

sammyteed@hotmail.com

richardteed@hotmail.com

785-272-2391 (Home)

563-299-8867 (Cell)

Thank you and we appreciate all the support and prayers offered in our family's behalf!

With Love,

The Teed Family