Thanksgiving pictures and update on Analise

First of all, here are some of the pictures we promised from Erik and Dawn's Thanksgiving celebrations (we told you they have big families!!)  ;-)

The week before Thanksgiving: Thanksgiving celebration with Annette, Dawn's mom's side of the family: Great Grandma Thelma, Grandma Annette, Auntie Victoria, and Analise

Analise had her ears pierced last week!!  How about a bottle to help her forget the pain!!

Hailey hugging her cousin Analise to make her feel better after her ears were pierced, awwww!!

Thursday: Thanksgiving celebration with Bill, Dawn's father's side of the family.  Dawn's Aunt Cindy holding Analise while Erik and Dawn ate their Thanksgiving meal.  Erik didn't get a chance to take too many pictures because he spent a lot of time playing with the kids and talking to Analise's Great Grandpa Jim, who was spending his first Thanksgiving in over 60 years without his wife Margrette.

Friday: Thanksgiving celebration with Ed, Erik's Dad's side of the family: Uncle Steve and Auntie Jen, Grandpa Ed, Grandma Sandy, cousin Tyler, Auntie Monika and cousin Isabela, Kassandra, Dawn, Analise, Erik, Kyle, and Kaley

 Auntie Jen (Erik's stepsister) is recovering from surgery.
We all wish her a speedy recovery!!

Saturday: At our Araoz Family Thanksgiving (Erik's Mom's (me ) side of the family):  Here is Abuela with 20 of her 24 great-grandchildren (and there are 2 more on the way!!) (Big sister Kaley is holding Analise)  Abuela loves these big family get-togethers.  All of Abuela's children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren who were in town were part of this celebration... more than 50 of us!!

Analise and Dawn during the Araoz Thanksgiving...Analise was pretending she was eating the all the yummy Cuban food her great-aunts and uncles prepared for this Thanksgiving celebration, that is why she is smiling!!

Dawn and Analise visit with friends Jana, Georgie, and Vlandita.  Vlandita is also doing a great job being Dawn's long-term sub for her class this year. 

Jana

Georgie

Vlandita

We know the posts don't come as often as they used to, but as Erik said, " it sometimes feels like the movie Groundhog Day" and the same things happen every day and we don't want to lose any blog followers.     Just to give you an idea of what typical day in Erik and Dawn's life nowadays consists of:  Analise wakes up around 6:30 or 7am.  Dawn feeds her then gives her her breathing treatment for the bronchiolitis.  Then "usually" she goes back to sleep for a couple more hours (Analise that is, not Dawn ).  Then the routine rotates around: exercises, tummy time, feeding, napping, changing diapers, and wiping her up for the rest of the day.  She usually gets pretty fussy around dinner time, probably because she doesn't eat the same food as the rest of family and probably the most stressful part of their day.  Then she eats around 8pm and falls asleep for a few hours, wakes up around 10 or 11pm and 3 am (Erik and Dawn love that time) and it starts all over again the next day!! 

Analise continues to struggle with congestion and vomiting.  Everyone's prayers are needed to help her overcome this latest challenge and to help her doctors determine the cause of these issues and prescribe the best treatment.  Weight gain has been minimal due to the vomiting, and she is so tiny as it is, we don't want this to continue.  Erik and Dawn are trying a new feeding schedule, feeding her one ounce less of the formula with each feeding, with the same frequency, and the vomiting seems to have decreased. Let's just pray that she was eating too much!!  Analise has an appointment with the gastroenterologist on Friday. 

Despite challenges that would slow most of us down, Analise is thoroughly enjoying not having her casts any longer and is LOVING her baths.  She loves kicking her feet and legs!!  Dawn only gives her a bath every other day, but if Analise is crying before her bath, she relaxes as soon as her feet touch the warm water!!   

Although we have not had the pleasure of seeing this yet, Erik and Dawn have told us that Analise has started to laugh sporadically...we will work on making her laugh more often!!   She is also imitating her 5 month old cousin Shayne's way of complaining by blowing bubbles and "raspberries"!!  Analise, and all of us will miss her cousins, Shayne, Carson, and Tyler, and her Auntie Ashley and Uncle J.B., who just moved to San Antonio, Texas...Thank you God for Skype!!!

Analise will be having a new cousin, probably tonight or tomorrow!!  Dawn's sister Victoria is in the hospital tonight and she and her husband Andrew will soon welcome their second daughter, Chloe.

Big thanks to Erik and Dawn's friend Donny.  Donny's father owns an electrical company called US Electric Co. out of Murietta and they donated their time, expertise, and materials installing the electrical wiring and light switches in Analise's bedroom, as well as the ceiling fan that Erik never had a chance to install after Analise was born.  THANK YOU!!!

Suzie,Thelma, Dawn, Analise, Debbie, Jack and Erik

Also, one more thank you to Debbie and Jack Freeman, Thelma Jenkins (Analise's great grandma) and Suzie Titus from Prudential in Cerritos.  They stopped by Erik and Dawn's house last week and delivered an amazing check with the proceeds from their fundraiser.  Analise now has a generous emergency account that is waiting to be used towards the expenses that Erik and Dawn will continue to have, associated with Analise's medical condition, medical treatment,  and travel to the Philadelphia Shriners.



 On a sad note, Analise's roommate in the Kaiser Sunset NICU passed away a few days ago.  Erik and Dawn had befriended little Courtney's parents after their long days and nights together with their children in the NICU.  Courtney sadly passed away from congestive heart failure this past Sunday.

The difficulties Erik and Dawn have been enduring, in no way compare to the loss that their friends, Jenna and Joe, have suffered.  Erik and Dawn, and all of us, send our heartfelt love and prayers to Courtney's parents, Jenna and Joe, and her big brother Dylan.

Erik and Dawn are heartbroken for their friends and are holding Analise just a little bit closer, knowing how blessed they are to have her!!