The Alm Family

Everyone is doing much better!

2012-01-28T11:49:00.001-05:00

Good news to report!

Alex is doing much better. He is no longer needing breathing treatments and is acting and playing like himself.

Donny has been a champ since his nose surgery. He's only had one minor nosebleed from when he bumped himself in the nose! Yay!

Don has responded well to his second dose of remecade and his bowels are getting back to nearly normal.

Steph still has a cold but it's hard to complain with everyone else doing so well!

Thanks to all for your prayers and well thoughts sent our way! God is good and we are thankful for his healing hands to our family!! We are so blessed!

Doctor Donny

2012-01-28T11:41:00.001-05:00

Donny brought in his doctor kit for show and tell at daycare this past Friday. Here he is:

Alex is home!

2012-01-20T19:45:00.000-05:00

Tonight I have good news to report.
While Alex still isn't 100% he is significantly better than he has been the last few days. He is eating better, breathing easier (though still needing breathing treatments every 4-6 hours and oral steroids for the next few days at least) and playing more.

He hasn't had fever in over 24 hours. We are hopeful this trend continues and are so very glad to have him home, especially his big brother Donny.
Thanks to all for the prayers and support. Please keep them coming because Alex still has a little ways to go before getting back to his old self.

The Alm Family Just Cannot Seem to Get Well!

2012-01-19T20:57:00.002-05:00

So there has been a lot going on, to say the least, at the Alm Household in the last several weeks. Here is an update on all that has been going on in the last few weeks:

Early November: Don start with a colitis flare. He visits his gastroenterologist who ups several medications and checks several tests to rule out infection all of which were negative. We start with our watch and wait to see if the meds will work as an outpatient.

Just before Thanksgiving: Alex develops his 2nd ear infection - this time with a 104.5 degree fever. He fails oral antibiotics and requires a dose of rocephin (injectible antibiotic - one in each leg) just as he did for his first ear infection a few weeks prior.

First week of December: Alex develops his 3rd ear infection on the heels of his 2nd. This time he also has very high fevers. This time it takes 3 days of rocephin to clear (for a total of 6 shots in 3 days.. poor baby!). On the third day of Rocephin we get in with the ENT doctor to discuss ear tubes and we all agree these need to be done for both frequent resistant infections as well as some mild hearing loss due to the fluid buildup behind the ears. He can schedule him to have this done the following Monday.

Monday December 12th: Alex goes under anesthesia to get his tubes placed and to drain the fluid from both ears. Overall he does really well and only really takes the morning to get over his anesthesia. The ears end up draining for 2 weeks (which is longer than typical) and he sees the ENT again who states all looks good. Alex's hearing was tested again at the ENT appointment and it has already improved.

December 19th: Steph's 30th birthday

December 25th: Christmas Day - Alex and Donny have a blast and we spend the remainder of the weekend in Lenoir, NC with Steph's family. On the way home to Greensboro from Lenoir from Christmas Donny has 6 nosebleeds in one day (he's had trouble with frequent night time nose bleeds and occasional daytime nose bleeds for some time but this is the worst by far). At least 2 of the nose bleeds take more than 5 and one nearly 15 minutes to stop.

December 27th: Don is admitted to the hospital as his flare has gotten significantly worse and isn't being controlled with oral medications thus needing IV medications (see blog posts). Unfortunately we have to cancel our planned trip to NJ for the New Years Holiday (but thankfully Steph had a few days off because of the planned vacation to take care of the kids while Don is in the hospital)

December 28th: Don's 32nd birthday. - Don still in the hospital

December 29th: Donny has an ENT appointment - at least one large blood vessel that was close to the surface of the nose passage is found and is the likely source of his nosebleeds. To treat this they can do a procedure called cautery or "burning" of the vessel to make it close off. This requires anesthesia to be done.

December 30th: Don and Steph's 6th wedding anniversary - Don still hospitalized

January 1st: New Years Day. - Don still hospitalized

January 3rd: Don comes home after receiving a new medication called Remicade to try to treat his flare. He still isn't feeling great and still having copious bloody bowel movements - at one point 23 BMs in 19 hours. There isn't anything more in the IV they can give him though and thankfully he is doing a good job keeping up with fluids, etc to keep him hydrated and not needing an IV for hydration so they decide to continue therapy as an outpatient for now and keep a close eye on his symptoms.

January 7th: Alex develops a 102.8 fever - Steph thinks it's probably a virus and in just 48 hours his fever has gone down significantly and Alex is acting normally so he can go back to daycare after missing 2 days.

January 13th: Donny has his procedure under anesthesia. While under anesthesia they find that he actually has a large blood vessel on both sides of his nose so both are cauterized. Donny wakes up and does really well. All day he is hilarious - like he's had funny brownies or something - he's talkative, goofy and got the munchies!

January 14th: Donny and Alex's Birthday Party. Both boys are acting well overall, and a good time was had by all at the party but by the evening Alex starts coughing

January 15th: Alex spikes a fever and starts coughing harder and starting to have some trouble breathing. Fever gets to upper 101s this day. Steph calls one of her doctor friends and gets Alex started on Azithromycin (the same medication as a Zpac)as she listened to his lungs and they sounded like there could be infection in them.

January 16th: Alex is acting more puny and fever is now in the 102s. One of Steph's Colleagues graciously states she will see Alex to see if he needs more/different antibiotics or steroids or both. In clinic his fever gets to the highest it has been: 102.8 and he is having more trouble breathing. His O2 sats in the office are in the mid 80s and Alex is sent to the ER. In the ER he gets a chest xray and albuterol nebulizer treatment. Chest xray reveals possible very early pneumonia in the right middle lobe of his lung. He is started on oral antibiotics and sent home as he is able to keep his Oxygen saturation (O2 sats) in the low to mid 90s. He was given a prescription to continue Albuterol nebulizer treatments at home every 4 hours.

January 17th: Alex has a decent morning but still doesn't feel well. Since his ER visit he has been getting nebulized treatments every 4 hours as well as a 2nd antibiotic. He continues to work pretty hard to breathe. By evening despite having 2 antibiotics his fever spikes to 103.8 and he vomits a large amount. Steph takes him back to the ER where his sats are again in the 80s and his fever is very high still. They decide to admit him for IV antibiotics, fluids, steroids and to rule out some infections.

January 18th: Despite getting these medications he continues to work hard to breathe and he is placed on oxygen to keep his O2 sats in the low 90s. Fevers have gone down thankfully. Unfortunately though Alex acts pretty pitiful all day. Alex vomits again x2. Don gets his 2nd dose of his special IV medication down stairs at the hospital this morning and this pretty much wipes him out for the rest of the day.

January 19th: O2 sat seem to start improving and Alex seems to have a little more energy. They are able to during the day wean him off of his oxygen so that he is just on room air. His sats are in the low to mid 90s but no longer in the 80s.

And this is where we stand with Alex still in the hospital - We will have to see how the night goes and how his breathing is doing before we will know when he will come home. If he has a good night, Alex may get to come home on January 20th but only time will tell. Thankfully Don seems to be doing better with his bowels (though not 100% but under 7 BM/day and he's had blood only once in his loose stools in 3 days). Donny also has been doing great since his procedure - no more significant nosebleeds! And while as Alex got sick Steph developed a cold it really is a blessing this is the first time she has gotten sick throughout this.

Whew! It's been the month from hell but hopefully things will start turning around soon. We aren't looking forward to the hospital bills coming up but are thankful for the doctors, nurses and staff that have taken excellent care of everyone and for the prayers of so many family, friends and even strangers - they are making a difference. We appreciate each and every one of you for reaching out to us during these difficult times and providing us with support in so many ways - physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. We don't understand why our little family is going through this test but we are sure it's in God's plan somehow. We will keep things updated here and/or on facebook about how Alex is doing over the next few days. A special thank you goes out to Steph's Mom Susan Morgan for taking some time off of work to help us with the boys as all of this has been going on - we can never thank you enough for all of your help and love. Keep the prayers coming... God is good and he continues to heal in his time.

Here are some pics of Alex while he was in the hospital:

Don Is Home from the Hospital

2012-01-03T20:26:00.002-05:00

I just returned home from the hospital at 8:30 tonight!

Since the IV steroids were not working to control my ulcerative colitis flare, I was given my first dose of Remicade this afternoon/evening. My ulcerative colitis flare is not completely under control yet, and it may take some time for the Remicade to take effect. However, there is no need for me to stay in the hospital with this new medication. I will need to go to the hospital periodically (next dose is in 2 weeks and eventually once every 2 months) to get more doses of Remicade, but I will only need to be in the hospital for a few hours.

It is a relief to be home with Steph, Donny, and Alex, and I hope that things will start getting back to normal now. Thank you all for your support, thoughts, and prayers!

-Don

Monday Hospital Update from Don

2012-01-02T20:34:00.003-05:00

Thank you all for keeping me and my family in your thoughts and prayers!

Monday, January 2nd
- Continued IV steroids
- Frequency of bowel movements increased from 4 to 6, and some bleeding and cramping has resumed
- Continued exercise routine by walking the halls for 30 minutes, stretching, and doing a few exercises like calf raises, squats, push ups, and curl ups in my room
- Energy level low - fatigue

What Happened Today?
Today started out promising, but it seems to be ending with a set back. This morning, the doctor decided to keep me on the IV steroids for another day, which means that the earliest that I can go home now is Wednesday instead of Tuesday. Bummer!

Steph, Donny, and Alex came to the hospital to visit me shortly after I saw the doctor this morning, and they hung out in my room for about 3 hours and ate lunch with me. We had some good family time together playing with some of the boys' toys from Christmas, watching some TV, and eating lunch. It was definitely the highlight of my day!

Unfortunately, about an hour after Steph and the boys left, my flare started back up. The doctor didn't seem overly concerned about it, but he ordered some blood tests for this afternoon and tomorrow morning. The flare isn't as bad as Friday, but now I'm not sure if I'll be out of the hospital by Wednesday. Trying to get back into a positive state of mind, I continued my exercise routine this afternoon, which helped raise my energy level temporarily.

By dinner time, I started feeling fatigued, and I dozed off during part of the Rose Bowl game on TV. Right after I publish this post, I'll probably go to sleep early and get some extra rest.

Please continue to keep us all in your thoughts and prayers. I can't wait to get out of the hospital so I can be home with Steph, Donny, and Alex and resume living again! It would especially be nice to be back home for at least a couple of days before my classes start back up on Monday the 9th.

-Don

Why is Don in the Hospital?

2012-01-01T15:53:00.016-05:00

On Tuesday, December 27th, I was admitted to Moses Cone Memorial Hospital in Greensboro, NC. Several people have seen posts on Facebook and have heard through the grapevine that I have been in the hospital over the past couple of days, and I know that many people have been asking questions about why I am in the hospital. Today, I decided that it would be helpful to lay out all of the information to help answer some questions that you have in this blog post.

What's Wrong with Don?
I have an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) known as ulcerative colitis (UC). Ulcerative colitis is a disease in which the lining of the colon (large intestine) becomes inflamed and develops sores (ulcers), leading to bleeding and diarrhea. I was initially diagnosed with the disease when I was 20 years old as a junior at Bucknell University. It is fairly common for the disease to manifest itself in young adulthood, and you don't know that you have it until you start experiencing symptoms. There is some history of the disease in my family, but doctors are not sure why the disease develops in some people and not others. Since the beginning of November, I have been experiencing a severe ulcerative colitis flare, which consists of frequent (8-10) bowel movements per day consisting of bloody diarrhea and moderate to severe stomach cramping.

What Happened?
My flare started out mildly in the beginning of November, but progressively got worse near the end of November. It is not known what triggered the flare, but once it started, it didn't stop. I have had flares in the past, but I have usually been able to get them under control within a few weeks by taking various kinds of medication prescribed by my GI doctor (doc who specializes in the digestive system). Unfortunately, this time my flare was not responding to the medications that I was taking from home, and I was maxed out on my doses about a week before Christmas. My symptoms got worse during Christmas weekend, and I saw my GI doctor on Tuesday, December 27th. Since my flare was not improving, he admitted me to the hospital right after my appointment so I could receive some different medicine via an IV to try to stop my flare.

What's Been Going on in the Hospital?
I went to the hospital on the afternoon of Tuesday, December 27th, one day before my 32nd birthday. Am I still in the hospital, but I'm hopeful that I can be released as early as Tuesday, January 3rd.
Tuesday, December 27th
- Appointment w/ GI doctor early afternoon - ordered to be admitted to the hospital right after my appointment
- Several tests performed to rule out infections as the source of my symptoms (chest/abdominal x-rays, blood tests, and c-diff tests administered) - found out next day that all tests came back negative confirming that I am having an ulcerative colitis flare
- Started IV steroids
- Frequency of bowel movements reduced from 10 to 6 for the day
- Energy level low
Wednesday, December 28th
- Continued IV steroids
- Frequency of bowel movements reduced from 6 to 4 for the day with no blood
- Feeling much better and optimistic about leaving the hospital by Friday
- Energy level high
Thursday, December 29th
- Stopped IV steroids in the morning
- Started back on prednisone (oral steroids) in morning
- Frequency of bowel movements reduced to 1 for the day with no blood
- Energy level high
Friday, December 30th
- Ulcerative colitis flare started again at midnight with bloody diarrhea and cramping
- Frequency of bowel movements increased from 1 to 9 for the day with moderate to severe abdominal pain
- Stopped taking prednisone and placed back on IV steroids later in the afternoon
- Additional tests (chest x-ray, blood tests, and tuberculosis test) administered to prepare for a new medication called Remicade next week if my symptoms don't improve over the weekend - test results came back on Sunday and confirmed that I should be able to take Remicade if needed
- Felt pretty down and depressed throughout the day
- Energy level very low
Saturday, December 31st
- Continued IV steroids
- Frequency of bowel movements reduced from 9 to 2 with blood and cramping going away
- Started an exercise routine by walking the halls for 20 minutes, stretching, and doing a few exercises like push ups and curl ups in bed
- Energy level high
Sunday, January 1st
- Continued IV steroids
- Frequency of bowel movements increased from 2 to 4, but there is no blood or cramping
- Continued exercise routine by walking the halls for 30 minutes, stretching, and doing a few exercises like calf raises, push ups, and curl ups
- Energy level high

When Does Don Get To Go Home from the Hospital?
I am hopeful that I will be able to go home from the hospital as early as Tuesday, January 3rd. This will only be the case if I do not have any more bloody diarrhea. Most likely I will be taken off of the IV steroids on the morning of Monday, January 2nd and put back on prednisone (oral steroids). If I make it 24 hours without a flare, I should be able to go home on Tuesday (Wahoo!!!).

What Happens If Don Gets Worse Again?
If I have another flare after going off of the IV steroids, I will most likely be starting a new medication called Remicade which has some pretty serious side effects and risks. Fortunately, most patients respond well to the medicine, and it is generally very good at putting and keeping ulcerative colitis in remission. To receive the medicine, I will have to go back to the hospital for a few hours to receive it through an IV, but I shouldn't have to stay in the hospital overnight.

What Can You Do To Help?
Please continue to keep me and my family in your thoughts and prayers. Especially keep Steph in your prayers. Caring for a loved one with a chronic illness takes a tremendous emotional toll, especially when you are juggling the responsibilities and worries of being a wife, mother, and doctor at the same time.

History of Don's Ulcerative Colitis

Fall 2000 (age 20) - First sign of ulcerative colitis occurred during my junior year at Bucknell University
Winter 2000 (age 20) - Diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in the end of my digestive tract (rectum) via a colonoscopy - Treated with some medicine for a month or two and symptoms went away
Spring 2004 (age 24) - Had an ulcerative colitis flare while living in NYC - colonoscopy revealed that I my colitis had moved up my digestive tract into the first few centimeters of the colon (large intestine) - put on a medication called Asacol to keep my colitis in remission
Spring 2008 (age 28) - Had a colonoscopy - ulcerative colitis was in remission, but it had progressed a few more centimeters up the bottom portion of the colon
Spring 2009 (age 29) - Ulcerative colitis flared again - had a sigmoidoscopy and found that my ulcerative colitis progressed through the entire sigmoid colon (bottom portion of large intestine) - put on a different medication called Lialda and treated the flare with a medication called Rowasa - flare subsided within a few weeks
Fall 2009 (age 29) - Ulcerative colitis flared again - added prednisone (oral steroids) to my medication for about a month to calm down the flare - about a month later, I began experiencing severe pain in my left hip due to an effusion which was later attributed to my ulcerative colitis, and I had the effusion drained with a very long needle (I swear that needle must have been at least a foot long)
Winter 2010 (age 30) - Added a new medication to treat my ulcerative colitis called azathioprine over the long term in addition to taking Lialda
Spring 2011 (age 31) - Had a colonoscopy in April which revealed that my ulcerative colitis had progressed through the entire left side of my colon. I had a minor ulcerative colitis flare shortly after my colonoscopy, and it was treated with prednisone (oral steroids) and a hydrocortisone enema for about a month when it eventually subsided
Fall 2011-Present (age 31) - Severe ulcerative colitis flare - treatment with max doses of Lialda, prednisone, azathioprine, and Rowasa enemas could not get the flare under control - admitted to the hospital on December 27th since I was having 8-10 bowel movements a day with bloody diarrhea and moderate to severe abdominal pain - placed on IV steroids in the hospital - first round of IV steroids helped initially but flare resumed within 12 hours of being taken off of the IV steroids - put on a second round of IV steroids for twice as long

Additional Information About Ulcerative Colitis
If you are interested in learning more about ulcerative colitis, here a couple of links that contain some useful information. I have no problems talking to you about my disease if you have questions.
LivingwithUC - http://www.livingwithuc.com/
EverydayHealth - http://www.everydayhealth.com/ulcerative-colitis/ulcerative-colitis-basics.aspx
UpToDate - http://www.uptodate.com/contents/patient-information-ulcerative-colitis?source=search_result&search=ulcerative+colitis&selectedTitle=7~150
MedicineNet - http://www.medicinenet.com/ulcerative_colitis/article.htm

Thank you for all of your love and keeping me and my family in your thoughts and prayers. I am especially grateful for Steph's mom helping Steph out the past 5 days while I have been in the hospital. Also, thank you to Steph's dad and brother for getting some projects done around the house earlier this week.

-Don

Family Portrait

2011-10-23T17:22:00.002-04:00

We went on October 22nd to Portrait Innovations to try to get some pictures of the kids and the family. It was quite the challenge. We did manage to get a few good shots though. Below are some of the pre-cropped versions of the photos. One of the nice things about portrait innovations is that they give you a CD of the photos when you leave for posting on your blog, etc. We didn't end up ordering quite all of these but we did most of them! We can always go back and get more printed at a later date from this CD. Enjoy!

Random Photos from Summer 2011

2011-10-12T19:49:00.001-04:00

Trip to NJ Oct 2011

2011-10-12T19:26:00.007-04:00

We went up for a long weekend in NJ. As you can see we got to see lots of family and friends. A good time was had by all.

Carolina Beach Fair

2011-10-12T19:22:00.002-04:00

Donny loves the fair and has no fear!!

Carolina Beach July 2011

2011-10-12T19:17:00.005-04:00

The family enjoyed a vacation with Don's Mothers side of the family at Carolina Beach, NC

lake hickory summer 2011

2011-10-12T18:48:00.002-04:00

The boys enjoyed Aunt Nancy's Lake house this summer. Alex got into the lake for the first time (and had the wettest diaper ever) and Donny learned how to jump in by himself and swim back to the dock.

Alex's Baptism

2011-10-12T18:27:00.007-04:00

Alex was baptized at First United Methodist Church in Lenoir, NC on 6/26/2011. As you can see it was beautiful in the church and Alex was well behaved. He was able to wear the same baptism outfit that Donny wore.

residency gradution

2011-07-03T17:48:00.001-04:00

Below are a few pictures from my residency graduation on 6/24/11 and the reception that followed. Enjoy.

Mother's Day Video

2011-06-20T21:46:00.001-04:00

This was my Mother's Day video from 2011. Enjoy!

recent happenings

2011-06-20T21:15:00.004-04:00

Well, things are hectic around the Alm household as usual. Potty training for Donny just isn't happening but otherwise he is doing well. Alex is growing like a weed and also overall doing well - he just is having a lot of colds. Such is the joy of the first year of daycare! Don has made it official that he is going back to school full time at UNC-G in August to get his Masters in accounting and I have signed on to Eagle Physicians and Associates as a full time family physician at their Brassfield office. We have also recently put new siding on our house also. We haven't posted pictures or videos on a while so here are a few:

at the West Farm riding horses with Morgan West

Aunt Rachel and Alex

Steph's professional photo for Eagle Physicians

Backyard Bonfire with Uncle Jay

The boys on Mother's Day

With Grandpop Alm

Tweetie with Mom-Mom, Dad and Uncle Patrick

New siding on the house

Easter 2011

2011-04-25T13:46:00.010-04:00

We spent Easter in Steph's hometown of Lenoir, NC. Donny enjoyed hunting for Easter eggs, blowing bubbles, playing with Play-Doh, and eating candy (especially purple Peeps). Alex made it through an hour long church service without crying - an Easter miracle! Alex is smiling more, and we even managed to catch him laughing on video. Happy Easter!

Videos

Photos

pictures :)

2011-03-27T15:06:00.002-04:00

He's a biggun...

2011-03-22T17:28:00.003-04:00

We took Alex to get his last Synagis on Friday 3/18/2011. He had to get weighed and he is up to a whopping 10lb 9oz. So happy at his progress in catching up. :) Now, if the colic would just go away we'd be set! :) will try to post some new pics later.
-steph

2 month checkup

2011-03-04T21:37:00.002-05:00

Alex had his 2 month check up on 3/2. He's growing like a weed-- he's 9lb 2.5oz and 21 inches long now! still doesn't fit on the regular growth curve for his actual age but for his corrected age he's great size. also on the preemie chart he is kicking butt at 1 standard deviation above the mean on all of his measurements. We are happy he is doing well. he is fussy at night (a little colicky) but it's still hard to complain much.

Don added some new videos to many of the blogs below so check them out. :)

Love,
Stephanie

hurray spring!

2011-02-28T13:53:00.003-05:00

Spring is probably our favorite season in the Alm household - the temperature outside is just right for playing outside again and the days are getting longer. Donny has been loving the chance to play outside - riding his sweet tricycle that he got from Santa, playing baseball or just goofing around. I think he'd live outside if we'd let him. My computer is currently sans power (the power cord accidentally made a trip to Lenoir without me) so I don't have my computer to download pictures but I will soon.

Alex's next doc appt is 3/2/11 - his 2 month checkup - hard to believe! He has been kinda cranky recently but hopefully this will pass. Overall he is a great baby and a blessing beyond belief. And big brother Donny is great - the other day he heard Alex crying from upstairs and he came flying down the stairs saying "I'm coming Alex". He got down the stairs and sang songs to him - Twinkle Twinkle little star and ABCs. We got video so will try to post that soon as well.

-Stephanie

Videos

0 days old! and poop in the potty!

2011-02-21T10:46:00.004-05:00

Alex is today officially due! So, that makes Alex's corrected/adjusted age 0 days old! It only took 6 weeks and 4 days to get here so it's a big step! It's still hard to believe he was so early but we are happy he is here and is really doing well. (now, if he would just sleep... it's so hard to sleep when you are refluxing like crazy and trying to poop and/or pass gas all night!).

Speaking of poop - we are still very much working on the potty training thing with Donny. He still isn't really interested and until yesterday 2/20 he had never pooped on the potty. Well, Don caught him in the office that morning squatting down obviously trying to do his business in a rather away place so Don scooped him up and plopped him down on the potty where we had our first successful attempt at pooping on the potty. :) We celebrated with a present and some birthday cake. He loves birthdays (and mom and dad love that we can make the kid super happy with just a slice of cake -- well, all he actually eats is the icing but nonetheless...). Yes, it is silly to get so excited over something so little but if he can actually potty train, he can move up a class at daycare/school. Until then he is stuck in the 2 year old class.

In other funny news, we caught Donny the other day playing with a toy funnel he got in a science kit. He was putting it on his chest. We asked him what he was doing when he told us he was getting milk for Alex. I guess he's seen mommy pumping too much... At any rate, we did catch it on video (though he was much more shy about it on video... I think he figured us out) and we'll try to post it before long.

Love, Steph

Videos

growing like crazy and an infected finger

2011-02-18T11:01:00.005-05:00

So Alex is growing like crazy! Today he had to go into the doctor just to get a special shot called Synagis. It is to help protect him from an infection called RSV. Because he was a preemie and has a brother in daycare and a mom who's a doctor and a family history of asthma/wheezing he is at high risk from bad problems if he gets RSV. Synagis should protect him from RSV if he comes in contact with it. This is why we are practically hibernating in the house until peak flu season and RSV season is over because it is so dangerous for him when he is little. It's also why it's a rule during these seasons you have to have had your flu shot to come visit him because he can't get a shot himself at this age to help protect him from flu. Anyhow, long story short he had to get weighed today to make sure the dose was right and he is now 8 lbs 3 oz! This means he has gained from 6lb 11oz to this in just 16 days! No wonder it seems like he needs to eat all of the time! It's hard to believe that he still isn't even due yet (at least not until Monday!). We are glad he is doing well. He has gotten over his cold but still sounds congested because he eats so much sometimes he spits up out of his nose (GROSS)!!!

Videos

Photos

And since everything happens always at once, Donny decided he couldn't be outdone and has a badly infected third finger on his right (dominant) hand. We aren't sure how it started but he is all boy so likely a little scrape on his finger or something. Either that or a little break in his skin because of his eczema. Either way it got infected very badly to the point of if the oral antibiotics didn't at least slow it down and start it getting better he would have had to be hospitalized for IV antibiotics. and to think if it hadn't been for sticky hands from valentines candy we wouldn't have noticed it to start medicine right away and it probably would have requiried hospitalization. Thank goodness for some delicious treats! So far the finger is stable to maybe a little better but keep saying prayers that the antibiotic (clindamycin and mupircin) keeps working and Donny keeps taking it and letting us put bandages on it because it tastes AWFUL and the finger hurts so he doesn't want us to touch it. Also pray that Donny doesn't hurt too badly.

The hardest part about being a physician...

2011-02-09T13:04:00.005-05:00

... is not the very difficult patients with multiple severe medical problems or mental illness or addiction problems. They aren't the ones who call you in your hospital room to request a refill on their percocet (like one of mine did after I delivered Alex). The hardest patients are those you love and care about most - your kids, your spouse, your siblings, your parents, your good friends, etc. With your family/friends you lose your objectivity... sometimes you fuss..."stop being a wuss and suck it up" only to find out it was something serious. sometimes you know a little too much and panic too early... like I am currently doing with Alex being sick. You're always afraid you'll make a serious mistake (not that you aren't with your regular patients, it just becomes even more real when it is someone so close to you). And at the same time you are embarassed when you ask for help or someone else to take a look particularly whe it is something simple. I mean, that physician who sees your family/friend must be wondering what kind of crappy doctor you are that you don't know how to treat simple problem x (when in reality you do, you just can't think through it when it is a family member!). It's a real bucket of emotions to take care of a family member - particularly your spouse or kids because you can't help but try to figure out the problem because you care and you want it better while at the same time your pride as a physician is still there wanting to be right because colleagues will certainly think why I as a colleague couldn't figure it out. Don't get me wrong, I ask my colleagues questions all of the time at work, even simple ones, but somehow it seems different when it's a family member.

I say all of this because I am feeling this way with Alex currently. I know he just has a little cold. He's a kid... kids gets colds. Kids get over colds just fine. But I also know as a physician that he is a preemie and young... and that a simple cold can turn into a nightmare of a hospitalization very very quickly. I know what I would tell my patients... wait it out, watch him, if anything changes, bring him in and I'll check him out. But as a doctor I could do that myself at home... technically. But then I'd find myself checking his temperature every few minutes, keeping a hand on his chest just to make sure he is breathing since his little nose is so congested and of course all the meantime not sleeping or taking care of myself. So then I find myself in the conundrum... do I bring him in knowing the answers just so someone else can tell me the same thing? That's what I did today... God Bless my kid's physician... my attending Sara Neal. She understands how hard it is to be a parent/spouse/sibling/etc and be a doctor. And I never feel bad about asking her a question I should know the answer to just so I can hear it from someone else to reassure myself. Yet I still find myself worrying too much and wondering if she is thinking at least a little bit why I don't just know he is gonna be fine.

All of this being said, the thing that teaches you the most about being a good physician is experiencing it yourself... being a parent/spouse/etc. It's knowing these feelings so you can try to address them for your patients before they even have to ask. It's remembering what it felt like having a spouse having surgery or a kid that was sick (again) or having a preemie in the NICU or going into preterm labor. It's just not always fun living through it.

Say a prayer that Alex gets better soon. I really hate being a doctor AND mother at the same time. I really stink at it...

~Steph

(ps: sorry about my streaming thoughts on what you expected to be a blog about just our kids :) hope you can forgive me!)

Donny is 3 years old and Alex is 1 month old!

2011-02-06T18:47:00.013-05:00

We had a little party this past weekend for Donny who turned 3 on January 31st. He thinks birthday cake icing and presents are about the best things in the entire world (and honestly maybe he is about right!) Below are some pictures of his party at the house and a little one we had on his actual birthday with his friends at school. I can't believe my oldest son is 3 already. Time really flies. He is growing up so fast and has so much personality. He truly is a ton of fun (even though he does have a bit of an attitude at times and doesn't understand when he can't have his way.. oh yeah, and 3 year olds have no sense of patience.. but of coruse who does when it comes to things like candies and birthday cakes!) So far he is being great to his little brother... even offering up his favorite blankie to Alex because he was crying and bringing Alex his bottle or showing him his movie player. It is all so very sweet.

Speaking of Alex, he turned 1 month old on February 6th.. hard to believe he is a month old since he has only been home for 1 week. He is I believe the gassiest baby I've ever seen. He belches and farts like a grown man. Thankfully it doesn't seem to bother him too terribly... mostly he just squeeks and squirms when he has a gassy tummy... not too much crying for gassiness. Currently he is freaking me out because he has a cold... we have all been sick so I'm sure it was inevitable despite our best efforts that he would end up with it. I am just praying for no fever because that could lead to another hospital admission :(.

Alright, time to enjoy the super bowl. (Go Packers!) Enjoy the pics below.

Videos

Photos

Welcome Home Alex!

2011-01-29T15:54:00.022-05:00

Alex came home from the hospital on Saturday, January 29th. Donny finally got to see his brother for the first time since Alex's birthday on January 6th.

Videos

After a little over 3 weeks in the hospital, Alex was finally able to come home. Donny was excited for Alex to come home from the hospital. Donny only caught a glimpse of Alex on the day that Alex was born.

Donny was finally able to see his new brother Alex up close when Alex came from the hospital.

Donny loves birthdays...especially birthday cake. Donny blew out the candles on Alex's birthday cake when Alex came home from the hospital.

After taking a walk around the block with Alex, Donny decided to show off his basketball skills to his little brother.

Photos

3 weeks old

2011-01-27T12:56:00.002-05:00

we are still waiting for Alex to learn how to eat. He is 6lbs 4.8oz so growing well. Today they are going to see how often he eats and how much he eats (ad lib/demand) to see what he will do on his own and if it is enough or not. Please keep your fingers crossed that he will do well because this is the only step he has to pass to get to come home.

-steph

gaining weight but still not eating...

2011-01-26T17:43:00.004-05:00

Alex continues to do well overall... so well that he doesn't have a oxygen monitor on anymore, just a heartrate monitor and his little feeding tube. He is gaining weight... about 1 oz/day and today was 6lb 4oz. (he's a chunker for a baby his age but is mostly just really tall for his age!). Only thing is, he still won't eat all of his food by mouth, so... we are still waiting with him in the NICU. All of the doctors and nurses (who are fabulous) say one day he will just get it. We as you can imagine cannot wait for that day to come. Until then we just wait. As he gets bigger he has to take more and more food too so that also makes it seem like we will never get there. Currently he is getting 62ccs every 3 hours. We are tired from trying to get up to the NICU to visit a lot and spend time with Donny, prepare for bday parties for Donny and get the house clean... (and me pumping all of the time... I am starting to feel like a cow and actually feel sorry for the cows at this point...). Other than that though and just being a little frustrated that Alex just hasn't gotten the hang of eating we are doing well. (I mean, doesn't he know he is an Alm?!?!? He is supposed to be advanced! ;) )

Thanks to everyone for the prayers. Please keep them up that Alex will get the eating thing down and get to come home soon!

Steph

Donny The Entertainer

2011-01-23T16:27:00.026-05:00

A week from tomorrow, Donny will be turning 3 years old. It's hard to believe how much he has grown in the past three years. He is full of energy and continues to find ways to entertain himself as well as others around him.

Here are some videos and photos of Donny having fun and being silly during his last couple of weeks as a two-year old.

Videos

Donny surprised us by being able to play a couple of notes on his dad's trombone.

Donny found a funny way to play with his Slinky.

Donny loves to sing and dance, especially to Yo Gabba Gabba!

Photos

It's a Donny-in-the-Box!

Nice and comfy.

Nap time in my box.

Oh No!!!

Watching TV with Mom-Mom.

NOTE: There was no snow in the front yard across the street.

That Was Easy!

Peace Out!

Roar!!!

Donny the Dinosaur

Not sure how he fit in this basket.

I need to practice blowing out candles for my birthday!

Where else would you put Smiley Face stickers?

Granddaddy showed me how to use power tools!

Let's Build!

2 weeks old

2011-01-20T23:35:00.004-05:00

as with most things, time flies! Alex is 2 weeks old today. he is still working on figuring out how to eat but is eating more and more. he is getting approximately 2 ounces per feed (every 3 hrs) and is eating about 1/2 of this per feed on his own currently but he needs to needs to be able of course to eat it all on his own before he can come home. speaking of home, there is still no word on when he will get to come home other than when he eats all of his food. they say all babies figure this out in their own time, we are just anxious for this to happen sooner rather than later as you might imagine!

Alex is back to his birthweight, and just in time (it is standard for babies to get back to their birthweight by 2 weeks of age!). he has already gotten his first hepatitis B vaccine, and a special vaccine called Synagis to help protect him from respiratory synsitial virus (RSV). he will need this again in february and in march of this year. his umbilical cord stump fell off the other day too. everything happens so fast at this age! we have been enjoying his little coos and involuntary smiles . we will try to post pictures if we can catch a good one for you!

overall he continues to do well. please continue to keep him in your prayers. every day in the nicu we are reminded of just how lucky we actually are - he has no breathing issues, no trouble keeping his temperature where it needs to be, no trouble with his heart beat dropping or periods of holding his breath. there are babies right across from him born just 1 day of gestation before him (they were born at 33wks 2 days and alex at 33wks 3 days) who have to be in the isolette to help keep their temperature up, on oxygen and getting special bili lights to help them process their bilirubin - we never needed any of these things! those babies will stop breathing sometimes and drop their heartrate. i can't imagine how scary that is for their parents. thank goodness God told Alex to get ready early so we didnt have to do all of that. feeding is such a minor issue when everything is put into perspective.

waiting one day at a time...
steph

Photos

Alex update and thoughts for the day

2011-01-18T20:53:00.003-05:00

Alex overall is doing very well - he was up to 5lb 9 oz today which is great considering they are giving him just straight breastmilk without fortification. He is also eating better and better though he's still not where he needs to be to go home unfortunately. He is getting 51ccs (mls) every 3 hours and he has started waking up for feeding times to let them know he is hungry. He has pretty much been taking at least 20ccs of that by bottle before getting the rest through his feeding tube. Today he was even allowed to be breastfed which he did pretty well. Overall it is hard to complain much because this is really seeming to be his only issue. It is particularly hard to complain after 2 new babies came into his "pod" at the NICU that were the same gestation as him (33wks). Both of those babies are in isolettes, on oxygen or CPAP, needing IVs and other meds and getting all of their feeds through their tube. Alex must have known he was coming early andgot ready. We are so lucky and blessed we didn't have to do really any of that (only the IV for a few days and the eating issues).

All of the above being said though, I still miss my boy. I want him home. I want his brother to get to meet him. While it has been nice to be able to work on getting the house really clean (though we still have a way to go - we really let the house slide during November and December with teaching service/call and Christmas) and spend time with mom it just isn't the same. (BTW, thanks for all your help mom and putting up with my tired, cranky, sad self!) It is hard only pumping all of the time, trying to plan your day to spend time at the hospital (particularly when you are sick like I currently am which means a mask at every visit) and feeling guilty every time you leave and still plan time to hang out with Donny (he isn't allowed in the NICU - RSV season) ... etc, etc. It is also hard thinking about all of the things I missed because of going into early labor - I never packed a hospital bag for either of us, I never really got to get the nursery together/planned completely. I never got to have a baby shower (even just a get together with friends to celebrate) - although one was planned preliminarily (thanks Laura and Susan!) I never got to put my baby straight to the breast and do breastfeeding from the beginning (I so wanted a baby who would really breastfeed... Donny never really got it last time). On top of that I've had to reschedule tons of things - job interviews that were in progress, rotations, etc. And I will be extending my residency even further (unpaid...). And there is even more. I never got to do an in store baby registry like I had planned on doing the very day I delivered. And to top it off, some skumbag hacked the little "registry" I had made on whattogive.com. So the few things I was excited about possibly getting was just a joke. I know it is silly to be so materialistic however when facing a likely large hospital/NICU bill, it would have been nice. In some ways an early delivery is like a loss because of so many things you miss out on. Probably even some things I haven't thought of as of yet.

The whole time the above is going through your head you are wondering what maybe you could have done differently to prevent the early delivery and the NICU stay... was it not eating/drinking enough, was it a medicine change, was it being too stressed at work? I'll never know but I'll always wonder. And it certainly makes you think even harder about the possibility of more kids in the future. We hadn't completely decided if we wanted 2 or 3 but knowing a preterm delivery and NICU stay are possible if there is a 3rd baby at some point since we don't know why this happened makes for some pretty good birth control...

Again, we are blessed and I'm sorry to vent my frustrations and sadness at the situation. Overall Alex is great and I'm so glad he is here and that he is getting such excellent care.

Thanks to all who are sending out prayers - they are working.
Love, Steph

Alex - 1 Week Old

2011-01-15T13:54:00.025-05:00

Alex turned 1 week old on Thursday, January 13th. Alex is still in the hospital, but he is doing very well considering that he was born at 33 weeks. Alex is weighing in around 5 pounds, 5 ounces now, which is 6 ounces less than his birth weight. He has been gradually eating more milk at each feeding, and he is working on getting the eating thing down where he no longer needs a feeding tube. Once he gets this eating thing down, he should be ready to go home soon.

Here are some pictures and videos that were taken during the past few days where Alex is 1 week old. Enjoy!

Videos

Pictures

a few Alex pics. (more will follow in the days to come)

2011-01-13T20:14:00.029-05:00

Introducing Alexander "Alex" James Alm
Born 1/6/2011 at 3:08pm at 33wks and 3 days gestation
5lb 11oz, 19 inches long

Videos

Pictures

Alexander "Alex" James Alm is here!

2011-01-08T04:15:00.002-05:00

Much to our surprise Alex decided he wanted to be born a little BEFORE Donny's 3rd birthday and we were graced with his presence just 33wks 3 days into the pregnancy with a new little fella - Alex!

So far things are going as well as can be expected - a little overwhelmed with everything happening so fast and Alex (as expected for being early) is in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) but for the most part is doing well. He has so far not needed any oxygen and his biggest issue is figuring out this feeding thing... (most babies aren't coordinated to suck, swallow and breathe until 34 wks of gestation - yet Alex is already doing some of this!)

Keep us all in your prayers as it will be hard having to go home and leave our little man here at the hospital - it's hard being a NICU parent - and keep saying prayers that Alex will get this feeding thing together and get to go home a little earlier than predicted (currently they think he'll be here a few weeks). He thankfully must have known something was up because he was a little bigger and longer than any of us could have predicted for his gestational age - he was 5lb 11oz and 19 inches long. There is already talk that we have a little basketball player on our hands!

We will work on getting pictures posted to the blog but in the mean time check out Don's facebook page and he has posted some including a very short video just after Alex was born and a picture of Donny's only glance so far at his little brother (Donny isn't allowed in the NICU due to his age).

Love,
Steph

Almlet #2 is...

2010-11-25T20:53:00.002-05:00

A BOY!

The pregnancy is going well so far and we are very excited to be having another little boy. We know Donny will be a great big brother. He doesn't quite get it yet that a little brother is on the way but we think he will eventually love it. Right now we are thinking the name for Boy #2 will be Alexander James Alm and he will go by Alex.

yo gabba gabba live

2010-11-25T20:48:00.001-05:00

We went to Yo Gabba Gabba live in Greensboro in October 2010. At first we really weren't sure what was going on but by the end, we loved it as you can tell!

sorry we're behind on pics! here are some random fall pics...

2010-11-25T20:44:00.002-05:00

Donny doesn't like to get up in the morning...

The Incredibles...

Donny and Cousin Simone

almlet #2

2010-08-17T18:51:00.001-04:00

Coming on or about February 21st 2010!
We find out the sex of the baby in late September.
Donny's gonna be a big brother!

beach trip august 2010 and various photos from summer 2010

2010-08-17T18:44:00.003-04:00

pittsburgh trip june 2010

2010-08-17T18:38:00.004-04:00

NJ trip May 2010

2010-08-17T18:31:00.003-04:00

sorry so long!

2010-08-17T18:17:00.004-04:00

Below are various pictures from the last few months all over. Enjoy!

various cute pictures

2010-02-21T11:27:00.008-05:00

visit with amy

2010-02-21T11:24:00.003-05:00

Christmas 2009

2010-02-21T10:53:00.009-05:00

Below are the chronicles of Christmas. First you'll see us putting up the christmas tree and decorating the house. Next is Christmas morning. Finally you'll see Donny playing with some of his toys. Enjoy!

December Snow

2010-02-21T10:47:00.003-05:00

On December 19th it snowed about 7" in Greensboro. We took Donny out in the snow and he insisted upon going in his swing. Here are some pictures:

Weee!!!!

Brrr its cold out here!

Standing in front of the snow covered swing

Walking around the back of the house (We were also babysitting friend Nahla Bolden)

Opening the gate to the backyard

Walking to the back of the house to the swing

Thanksgiving in Virginia

2010-02-21T10:38:00.003-05:00

Every November a couple of weekends before thanksgiving we get together with the Alm side of the family for thanksgiving at Nancy and Donna's house in Cape Charles VA. Here are a few photos from the trip:

Playing with Cousin Robby

Playing with grandmom and grandpop

Not excited about going.

Grandmom showed us about the whipped cream can!

Eating bananas with cousins Robby and Brielle

Most of the family at the dinner table

Giving cousin Ella a hug

Playing piano with cousins Robby and Brielle

sorry its been so long! here are some new pics!

2010-02-21T10:21:00.001-05:00

In late October we went up to NJ to complete the NJ Lighthouse Challenge. The weather was really bad unfortunately (thanks to an early season Nor'easter) and Steph didn't get to complete the 2nd day due to coming down with the flu but Dons 2,3 and 4 completed the challenge. Here are some pictures fromour adventure:

A few shots from the past few weeks.

2009-10-04T15:28:00.003-04:00

Dad and Donny

Pushing Cousin Robby in his car

D1-D4 September 2009

Concord Point Lighthouse Maryland

Holding up the lighthouse

one...two...three.....

looking at the sailboats

look at that one!

eating pudding at home...

well, actually just playing with it...

Football

2009-10-04T14:56:00.002-04:00

While watching football on Sunday, Don and Donny thought it would be fun to imitate the players on TV.

Wonder Pets

2009-10-04T14:44:00.001-04:00

One of Donny's favorite shows is the Wonder Pets. In this video, you can see how excited he gets when Wonder Pets comes on the television.

Oak Island Beach Pics 3

2009-08-05T21:51:00.006-04:00

Here are some pictures of Donny playing on the beach Wednesday, August 5. Uncle Mike and Aunt Vickie showed Donny how to make sand castles with his sand bucket. Donny showed Uncle Mike and Aunt Vickie how to destroy the sand castles with his shovels.

Oak Island Beach Pics 2

2009-08-04T19:34:00.006-04:00

Here are some pictures of Donny taken around the beach house on Monday, August 3.

Oak Island Beach Pics

2009-08-04T19:27:00.002-04:00

Don and Donny are spending the week with Don's family in Oak Island, NC. Steph was unable to come since she started her Renal rotation on August 1st. Here are some pics of Donny at the beach. More pics and maybe some videos will be posted throughout the week.

Boom Boom Pow

2009-07-13T14:47:00.005-04:00

Donny loves to dance. Here's a clip of Donny dancing in the kitchen to the Black Eyed Peas song "Boom Boom Pow" on 7/9/2009.

Donny Dancing to Boom Boom Pow - 7/9/2009

Corn on the Cob!

2009-07-03T19:26:00.002-04:00

Mom cooked some corn on the cob for dinner. I really really like corn on the cob (since pretty much all the teeth I have are the perfect ones for it!)

Yum!Big Bite!

Cheesin!

Beach 2009

2009-07-03T19:18:00.005-04:00

Steph, Don and Donny went down to Ocean Isle Beach on Father's Day weekend with Steph's family. Here are some pictures form the trip:

Digging in the sand!

Grandma Ida, this is how you dig in the sand...

Playing in mommy's shade out in the WET sand!

Mommy and Grandmommy were trying to play sunshade for me so I didn't get burnt playing in the wet sand.

See Great Grandma Ida, If you dig just right you might make it to China!

How about a beverage...

Ready for the beach with Grandmommy Susan!

Can we go out to the beach now?

Look, I found wet sand!

The Alm Family at OIB June 2009!

NC Aquarium

2009-07-03T19:07:00.004-04:00

It was too hot the first day of the beach trip to play on the beach (98 and no breeze!) so we decided to visit the NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher. Here are some pictures from our day visit:

Look! I found a fish!

Daddy and I were having a good time. We were checking out the map of where to go next!

Cheese! I'm a crab!

I'm the cutest crab you ever did see!

Grandmommy.. look at these fish! They are shiny!

Mom, look at this giant turtle!

Look at the albino aligator Donny!

The Albino Alligator at the NC Zoo.

I can get so close to these fish!

Look, I found the Quail they said they had in the outdoor scene!

Steak and Shake

2009-07-03T19:04:00.001-04:00

We went to eat at Steak and Shake one night and they let me wear a chef's hat! Here is the proof:

Big Shoes To Fill

2009-06-19T01:53:00.008-04:00

Donny continues to grow bigger each day. When his feet outgrew his size 4 shoes in just a couple of months, Steph and I figured that we could save some money by buying a pair of shoes a few sizes higher. The size 13 shoes may be a little bit on the big side, but Donny seems to be able to get around okay.

Big Shoes To Fill - 5/30/2009

Vote for Donny!!!

2009-06-03T00:29:00.008-04:00

The following picture of Donny was entered into the 1075 KZL Baby Idol contest, and he needs your vote to move on to the final round to win a $1,000 scholarship.

Instructions for Voting

Go to the following link: http://www.1075kzl.com/pages/4444182.php?imageGalleryXRefId=1116620#imgXR
Scroll towards the bottom of the page to find his picture at the end of the second from last row. Click on the circle below Donny's picture and make sure it is filled in.
Click on the Vote button located at the bottom of the page.

You will only be able to vote for Donny until 11:59 PM EDT tonight, so please make sure to vote today.

Guten Tag

2009-05-10T01:49:00.006-04:00

Donny decided that he could work from home just like his dad does. He was doing well until he started speaking German on the phone.

Slaving Away in the Office - 4/30/2009

Vroom Vroom

2009-05-10T01:35:00.004-04:00

Apparently Donny knows how to ride a jet ski already. While at Lake Hickory, Grandmommy Susan showed Donny the jet ski. When Donny sat on the jet ski, he looked like he was ready to take it out for a spin on the lake. He even knew what sound the jet ski makes!

Riding the Jet Ski - April 26, 2009

Full Bloom

2009-05-10T01:21:00.005-04:00

Here are some pictures of the yard with everything in full bloom. It's hard to believe that a couple of inches of snow were on the ground six weeks before the pictures below were taken.

Easter Sunday 2009

2009-05-10T01:01:00.008-04:00

Here are some pictures that were taken during Easter this year.

First Steps

2009-05-10T00:48:00.006-04:00

Donny took his first solo steps in the kitchen on the morning of Saturday, February 21st. Ever since then, he has been walking and running everywhere. Here is the first video of Donny walking on his own.

Walking Across the Living Room - March 8, 2009

Lawnmower Boy

2009-05-10T00:38:00.005-04:00

At the beginning of March there was snow on the ground, but by the end of March the grass was already a few inches high. Donny wanted to help Steph mow the yard with his own lawn mower.

March Snowstorm

2009-05-10T00:11:00.006-04:00

Greensboro received a couple of inches of snow on March 1, 2009. Even though it was cold and dark outside, the three of us enjoyed the rare sight. Donny especially enjoyed it since it was the first substantial snowfall that he had ever seen.

Miscellaneous Winter Videos

2009-05-05T23:24:00.009-04:00

Here are some new videos of Donny that were shot back in January and February. We are hoping to have some more recent photos and videos posted soon.

Dancing Donny - January 6, 2009
Donny enjoys dancing to the singing Christmas toys. This was taken the day after he returned home from the hospital when he had the stomach flu.

Touchdown and Bye Bye - January 21, 2009
Donny started talking more in January. Kelli Bachstein took this video while watching Donny one day in January. Donny tries to say the words "touchdown" and "bye-bye".

Rock Band Practice - January 26, 2009
Donny loves music. He especially likes to play the drums. After some more practice, he will be able to play the drums in Rock Band while Don plays guitar and Steph sings.

Donny's New Swing - February 7, 2009
One of Donny's Christmas presents was a new swing for the playset in the back yard. There was a warm day in February where Donny was able to use his swing for the first time. He seems to enjoy it very much.

miscellaneous pics over the last month

2009-03-01T08:05:00.002-05:00

Donny's First Birthday Party Videos

2009-02-28T22:28:00.003-05:00

Donny had a party to celebrate his first birthday on Sunday, February 15. Here are some videos taken of Donny during the party.

Singing Happy Birthday to Donny

Eating Birthday Cake and Making a Mess

Donny's First Birthday Party

2009-02-28T11:25:00.006-05:00

The Barber Shop

2009-02-26T00:06:00.007-05:00

When Donny's hair was getting out of control and a mullet started to appear, we knew it was time to seek professional help. Donny went to Gene's Barber Shop in Greensboro to get his hair cut by Mr. Jim on Saturday, February 21st. Surprisingly, Donny was well-behaved and never cried or whined the entire time. He was rewarded with a lollipop when his hair cut was finished.

Bike Ride and The Swing

2009-02-07T20:40:00.002-05:00

Mom and Dad took me on a bike ride and out to play on my swing on 2/7/09 because it was really warm that day. It was lots of fun!

Miscellaneous Pics #2

2009-02-07T20:37:00.002-05:00

Miscellaneous Pics #1

2009-02-07T20:28:00.003-05:00

Can I comb your hair?

Here I am with Miss Kelli B! I miss her being my nanny!

Upside down... and 5 teeth!

Showing off my smile and teeth!

Here I am again with Miss Kelli!

Pondering!

Thinking about what kind of trouble I can get into...

Uncle Jay... will you let me out of my playpen... pretty please?!?!?

In the hospital

2009-02-07T20:13:00.005-05:00

Donny got very sick with gastroenteritis just after New Years but couldn't seem to shake it. He got pretty dehydrated and lost quite a bit of weight so they decided to hospitalize him. Here are some pics in the hospital room once he was feeling a little better.

Playing at the window.

Sleepy...

Please let me out of here...

LET ME OUT!!!

I can go?!?!? YAY!!

Christmas Morning

2009-02-07T20:02:00.003-05:00

Well, we know this post is a little delayed but here are some pics from Christmas with Donny!

Opening up some gifts from Santa

Showing off some of my loot

This Christmas thing is pretty sweet!

Going for a ride around the house with my toys in my new wagon!

Zonked at the end of a very long day!

So Busy!

2009-01-23T19:46:00.002-05:00

We are sorry it has been so long since our last post. This one will serve as quick update of what all has been going on. I hope to post pictures very soon from the past several weeks.

Christmas was quite nice at our house even though Stephanie was on call on Christmas Eve. Santa brought Donny a wagon full of toys and the rest of his family was quite generous to him as well. He is one spoiled rotten little kiddo! He has really enjoyed all of his new toys so far!

Donny is starting to think about walking. He is crusing like crazy around everything and particularly likes pulling up and walking around the coffee table while holding onto it. Once in a while he will get brave and try to take a step or two away but he still usually gets scared and just crawls because right now that just seems safer. We don't think it will be long though before he is walking and then likely running! He already crawls to quickly to anything he wants he is hard to keep up with!

We got to spend some time around New Years up with the Alm family in NJ. It was really nice to see everyone and spend some time up there. Unfortunately somewhere along the way our family caught gastroenteritis (some of you may know this as the stomach flu). We ended up coming home a day early. While we were all quite sick and missed several days of work, little Donny seems to have gotten it the worst. After 8 days of being sick and losing 2 lbs from so much diarrhea and vomiting little Donny (or as others have called him D4 or Don Cuatro) was hospitalized at Moses Cone hospital under the care of Stephanie's colleagues. He ended up spending 3 nights in the hospital before getting to come home. thankfully the gastroenteritis has ended but little D once again has a cold (gotta love daycare!). We are quite thankful to have some great family and friends that have helped us out through all of this time missing daycare and being sick. Many thanks to Grandma Susan, Uncle Jay and Aunt Karrie and Miss Kelli B - we couldn't have gotten through all of this without all of you and all of the prayers everyone else was saying!

Hopefully we will all get well soon and really get to enjoy Donny's first birthday (we can't believe he's already a year old!) on Jan 31st and the New Year! We do plan on throwing Donny a party but we haven't had a chance to really set a date yet with Donny being sick and with Steph and Don's work both being so very busy (we are just thankful to have jobs!) We'll be sure to let everyone know when we do set a date!

We hope everyone is doing well and we will post pics and videos soon... we promise!
Love, The Alm Family

Just Hanging Around

2008-12-18T23:43:00.005-05:00

Here are some pictures that we took of Donny "Just Hanging Around" the house.

Chasing Donny

2008-12-18T23:35:00.002-05:00

Donny loves being chased around the house, especially since he is crawling. (12/18/2008)

Little Drummer Boy

2008-12-15T00:31:00.005-05:00

Donny loves playing the drums. Here is a little performance that Donny put on for his mom and dad. He even managed to stand up at the end of the performance to take a bow!

Donny's First Basketball Game

2008-12-12T00:08:00.007-05:00

Donny saw his first basketball game on Saturday, December 12 in Winston-Salem. Unfortunately, Wake Forest beat Bucknell by about 30 points.

Play Hard, Sleep Hard

2008-12-12T00:03:00.003-05:00

Donny had so much fun jumping in his Jumperaoo that he had tired himself out and fell asleep.

Thanksgiving

2008-12-11T23:20:00.012-05:00

We have so many things to be thankful for this year. We are especially thankful for Donny, our family, friends, and where we are right now in life. Here are some pictures that we took around Thanksgiving.

Snow? In Greensboro? In November?

Daddy's Shoes Were a Little Too Big on Me

Indian Donny

Indian Donny Up To Something

Teeth!

lighthouse tour

2008-11-25T18:00:00.002-05:00

Don, Donny and I went on a small lighthouse tour along the coast of Virginia and Maryland and along the Chesapeake Bay. Here are a few cute shots from the trip.

some new pics since the last update

2008-11-25T17:51:00.006-05:00

Sorry for the delay since the last update. Things have been busy our way with a few road trips here and there and with work. Donny continues to grow like a weed and now has 3 teeth. He is crawling very well and we anticipate that he will be walking before we know it. He loves to crawl all around our house and even up the stairs (thanks grandmommy susan for teaching us that...) He is also babbling a lot so we expect some words any day now also.

Celebrating the Phillies World Series Win!

showing off some of my teeth

Playing the video game at the sports bar while wearing my Charlie Brown shirt.

Enjoying time with cousin Robby

A little Houdini

2008-09-28T09:57:00.005-04:00

Mommy and Daddy found me having wiggled though the neck of my sleeper. It was around my waist. I thought I was hot stuff as you can tell.

Go Panthers!

2008-09-28T09:50:00.003-04:00

here I am in my panther's jersey. I like standing up at the coffee table.. I can pull myself up there and walk around the table.

Video Update

2008-09-21T01:25:00.017-04:00

Here are some videos taken of Donny in late August and early September.

Donny has fun making raspberries on his grandparents' couch. (8/23/2008)

Donny loves splashing water around. He had a blast during his bath in his grandparents' kitchen sink. (8/23/2008)

Steph gave Donny his first swimming lesson in Lake Hickory. (8/24/2008)

Donny found a piano to play that was just his size. (9/3/2008)

Uncle Patrick FINALLY got married!

2008-09-13T17:17:00.005-04:00

Uncle Patrick and Aunt Kim FINALLY got married in Lenoir NC on Aug 2nd 2008. Here are some pictures from their wedding and the weekend in Lenoir.

The Happy Couple

Daddy and Donny both in their Tuxedos
Donny and Uncle Dennis!
The happy family at the wedding, all being goofy!
Me and my little girlfriend Allyson. Daddy wasn't so sure about all the kissing!
I was wiped out after a fun night at the wedding!

Playing in the Mirror at Grandmommy's house

The Toy Store!

2008-09-13T17:14:00.003-04:00

Mommy and Daddy took me to the toy store the other night. They had a piano my size there so I decided to play some. Maybe mom and dad will get me one when I'm a little bigger!

Aunt Nancy's Lake House

2008-09-13T17:06:00.004-04:00

Big thanks to Aunt Nancy for buying a lake house! I love spashing in the water at your house (though I'm not so sure about the life jacket...)

Time for another huge update!

2008-09-13T16:59:00.003-04:00

Donny is growing like a weed these days! He has just learned to crawl for real about 1 week ago and he is sitting up by himself and frequently likes to pull himself up on things. In fact, last week he thought he'd be hotstuff and stand up in his baby bath tub... not such a good idea! He stood up so fast it made his baby tub flip over... it surely scared him! This whole new independence thing is such a learning process!

Donny started daycare this past week as well at the Primrose school. He seems to be enjoying it. All of his teachers have fallen in love with him. Our nanny Kelli got into nursing school at UNCG and thus was not able to keep Donny anymore. Donny surely enjoyed his time with Miss Kelli though! Enjoy the next few blogs. There will be lots of pics and hopefully some videos too!
Love you all! Steph

Here are some pics from the tub. Donny loves to hold the water!

LOL

2008-08-18T00:52:00.004-04:00

Last week, we found out that Donny gets a good kick out of Steph's hair when she flips in front of his face. Here's a collection of a few clips that we caught on video of Donny laughing uncontrollably.

Oak Island: Part 2

2008-08-18T00:29:00.012-04:00

Don and Donny were with Don's family for the weekend at a beach house in Oak Island, NC at the end of July. Here is the second post of some pictures taken at the beach.

Copy Cat

2008-07-28T00:33:00.002-04:00

Donny is starting to imitate what he sees around him. Here's a video of Donny doing the same thing Don is doing.

Oak Island: Part 1

2008-07-28T00:15:00.009-04:00

Don and Donny are with Don's family for the weekend at a beach house in Oak Island, NC. Here is the first post of some pictures and videos taken at the beach.

Donny Meets Kirby

2008-07-27T20:39:00.008-04:00

Vickie and Mike stopped by with Kirby on their way down to Oak Island from New Jersey on Saturday. Donny had a fun time meeting Kirby as you can tell from the pictures and the video.