Gift Donation, A New Book, and the Bus

Welcome to 2017. Hope you all had a safe, happy, and healthy holiday. This is going to be a pretty short post because our lives have been pretty uneventful.

Healthwise, James is doing okay. We’re still dealing with the seizures and his oxygen saturation levels have been a bit wonky these past couple of weeks, so we’ve had him on oxygen here and there to keep his levels up. We’re not sure what’s causing it, but it hasn’t gotten to the point where we think we need take him to the hospital. It’s just more of an annoyance than anything, especially when you’re trying to sleep and his pulse ox beeps randomly in the middle of the night because his oxygen saturations drop, set off the alarm, and then bounce back up.

Last week Stacy, my sister, and her two kids dropped the gifts we collected for Christmas off at the children’s hospital. She said that she thought it was a good experience for the kids. To know the feeling of giving back.

 

Three children are positioned between two large, colorful LEGO sculptures shaped like cartoon characters. One sculpture holds flowers and wears a green shirt and blue pants; the other wears a construction helmet and overalls while holding tools. James, in the center, sits in a wheelchair covered with a plaid blanket, while two other children stand behind him. The group is indoors near a decorative railing with potted plants in the background.
In the lobby of the Children’s Hospital

 

Five people gather indoors near a large aquarium. At the center, James sits in a wheelchair wearing a red outfit and holding several boxed toys on his lap. Stacy and another adult stand behind the group, smiling, while two children stand beside the wheelchair; one of them holds a boxed Tinker Bell doll. The background includes signage and features that suggest a medical setting, giving the moment the feel of a cheerful visit or gift‑giving occasion.
Showing off a few of the gifts that were donated

 

Last Saturday James had a routine checkup with the pediatrician. Everything checked out fine. Dr. Mom said his ears look good, too:

 

Stacy in a green hoodie leans in to examine James' ear using an otoscope. James is lying on a padded surface, wearing a gray shirt with an astronaut‑helmet graphic and the words “READY FOR LIFT OFF.”
Dr. Mom checking out James’ ears

 

 

A woman who we became friends with because of James’ stroke in utero recently published a book based on the blog she wrote about her son’s struggles. Stacy pre-ordered it in September, and it finally arrived.

“My book arrived from Amazon and I can’t wait to read it!! Jeff and I were sitting in our hospital room shortly after James was born and when we were informed that he had a stroke in utero, we quickly went online and started Googling babies and strokes. Jeff came across Jennifer’s blog and read all about her cutie Jude. Shortly after that Jennifer and I became friends on Facebook and a year or so later I became friends with her husband Mike. Jude and James were very similar in their disabilities that were caused by those stupid strokes. I became very close with the family and wished that one day we all could meet Jennifer, Mike, Jude and Emily but they live in TX. Our chance to meet this superhero came to a sad halt when Jude passed away in April of 2016…. but he will always live on through the blog and now this book.”

~ Stacy

 

Stacy holds a book titled “The Diary of a Baby and a Stroke” by Jennifer Emerson Ortiz. The cover shows an adult holding a young child as they both look off to the side, with the word “Stroke” styled around a heart and heartbeat line. In the background, James rests on the floor under blankets, and a remote control sits on a nearby surface. The moment feels quiet and personal, centered on the book being shown.
The Diary of a Baby and a Stroke by Jennifer Emerson Ortiz

 

Jennifer’s blog can be found here: http://cjengo.blogspot.com/ and her book can be found on Amazon.

 

One last thing to share. James had another first this week. James has started taking the bus to school. Up until this point, Stacy has always driven him to school, and picked him up after school. Now, James’ one-on-one nurse parks her car at our house, and rides on the bus with James. Of course we were a bit nervous about it, but it went well.

 

A yellow school bus is stopped along a residential street with patches of snow on the ground. Stacy pushes a wheelchair toward the bus while another stands nearby wearing a blue coat and a red headband. Snow‑covered houses line the background, giving the moment a cold, early‑morning feel as the group prepares for transportation.

 

James in a wheelchair, bundled in a plaid blanket, is being assisted onto a yellow bus using a wheelchair lift. Snow covers the ground and nearby rooftops, and another individual in gloves and a blue jacket helps guide the process. The scene takes place in a residential neighborhood with bare winter trees in the background, highlighting a cold‑weather moment of accessible transportation.

 

Two people assist James in a wheelchair as a mechanical lift raises him to the entrance of a yellow school bus. James is wrapped in a plaid blanket, and one helper wears a winter hat and jacket, suggesting cold weather.

 

Stacy had a little fun and put together a short video with music of James riding away:

https://mixcord.co/picplaypost/p/U2uAmrWYqxBbFhNQ9tWy_w/