Diaper Boy, Ears and Christmas Cookies

There's never a boring day here at the Kragel house. Lately Zach has been wanting to run around and play with only his diaper on. He thinks it's the most fun thing ever. Mom and Dad are bundled up with tons of clothes and Zach is nice and warm, just in his diaper!





The other thing he's been up to lately is finding things to stick into his ears. One day it was fish crackers; this day he decided on the Mr Potato Head ears.

Last weekend we celebrated Christmas at Grandma Karen's and Grandpa Al's. Daddy and Zachary learned how to make cut out cookies. Cousin Collin and Grandma taught them a few things.
We also got to go sledding again. Zach loved being pulled on the sled. Uncle Tim, Aunt Jodi, Cousins Collin & Rebecca, Momma & Daddy got quite a workout pulling him back up the hill each time. Thirty some pounds started to get heavy!!!
We wish all of you a very Merry Christmas. Take time to reflect upon the reason for the season. Everyone drive safely if you are traveling.

Kicking Around the House

What's new with our boy? He's been having fun looking at the Christmas lights, both at home and around the neighborhood. He says "wow" when he really likes what he sees! He also likes snowmen. We haven't shown him Santa yet; his fear of masks may send him through the roof! He's also been having fun playing with a nativity set, carrying each piece from one spot to another. His favorite piece is the "Baby" (aka Jesus)!
Other than that, the ZMan is growing like a weed. These cute jammas won't fit him much longer!

First Thanksgiving Dinner, Pumpkin Pie included!

This post is a bit late, but here are some pictures from Thanksgiving. Zach had fun playing with all of his cousins, aunts & uncles at Grandma Karen and Grandpa Al's. Cousin Carter was even there to join in on the fun. Check out the guy's group picture on the bottom; if you look closely you will see Carter behind Zach. He is doing very well, 2 months after his open heart surgery.












He is still in the phase of wanting to help with everything so we put him to work with the vacuum & making buns. Do you think this phase will last another 10 years???

Turkey Day!

The above shot was taken today (Wed)--the scar is a bit more noticeable due to his recent face plant. The shot below was taken on Sunday, prior to the face plant; the scar was barely noticeable then!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!! This year the Kragel family has sooooo many things to be thankful for. It's hard to imagine that last Thanksgiving we did not even know our son. We were praying for God to bring us a child but had our doubts about China. We became impatient with God's timing and started looking into a domestic adoption. We felt lost, confused but still hopeful that God hadn't forgotten about us.

Now one year later we have an amazing son. We are thankful that God made us wait for him. Now looking back it, we can hardly remember what life was like without Zachary. God has brought us so much joy, love, and laughter through Zachary. He blesses us everyday!

We are CERTAIN that God had his hand of protection over Zachary during his recovery from his lip surgery. As mentioned in the last blog post, Zach pulled off the super glue and a few stitches 10 days after surgery when he wiggled out of his arm restraint. No damage was done. Now this week our boy who doesn't like to sit still did a nose dive into the wall in his bedroom. He learned what ouch meant that day (Monday). Sure enough he hit his nose and lip. The lip swelled up quite a bit and the nose bled. We called Iowa City and they said that everything should be healed from the surgery so not to worry. Today he looks a bit bruised from that fall but we don't think any damage was done. Praise God for that one!

So on this Thanksgiving weekend, we pray that you would take time to recognize your blessings even if you are lost and frustrated as we were last year. God is an amazing God and his timing is always for a reason.

He's Free!

Yesterday's appointment went well. Dr Canady was pleased with how things looked; turns out that Zach didn't harm anything when he got out of his arm restraint and pulled off the super glue and a few stitches last Friday! The doctors snipped off the bolsters and pulled an assortment of little things out of his nose. We had no idea how much he was packing up there.

No more arm cuffs. No more liquid diet. No more sleeping only on his back. We are back to normal. The Dr did say it will still be healing for the next week, so we're going to do mittens at bed times, so he doesn't pick, explore, etc. too much.

The next surgery (for the palate) is scheduled for April. We will enjoy our freedom until then;)

Thanks for all your prayers, words of encouragement and activity ideas over the last few weeks.

The Smiles are Back

Each day Zachary gets a little more energy and a little more anxious to run, run, run. He has accepted his new diet and the arm cuffs, so he's much more content now. Mom is making considerable efforts to keep Zachary sleeping on his back. She goes into his room throughout the night to check in and turn him over when needed.
It's so nice to see Zachary smiling & laughing again. His eyes look much better too--the swelling is gone and the sparkle is back. He's turned into a big boy all of a sudden!


The rest of the herd is off camera eating their cup lunches, "just like Zachary."

Can't wait to put those arm cuffs in the garbage and run and wrestle! We go back to Iowa City on Monday to get the bolsters out of the nose and maybe stitches out of the lip. We probably still have 2 more weeks left of the arm restraints. Not sure how long this diet has to continue; we will know more on Monday.

Our Brave Boy

Here are a couple of shots of Zachary the day after his surgery. The green arm cuffs are designed so he can't bend his arms and touch his stitches or bolsters. The bolsters are the three things you see on the top of his nose. They hold the shape of his nose while it heals.

Thank you for all your prayers. We are confident Zachary has been pretty comfortable throughout, i.e. low or no pain. Although he has had to accept a liquid diet...no crackers; drat.

If you're wondering how he's doing now, Mamma put him down for a nap today and went downstairs and listened in on the monitor. Within a few minutes she could here him jumping on his bed. So she went back up to get him settled down to sleep.

We are being extremely cautious with his stitches, as we were warned during the thumb sucking meeting that if the stitches separate, we will have quite a mess. So we're trying to do calm things as much as possible; movies, books, stroller rides, etc. and not let him do much moving around without a hand on him. No face plants allowed!

We have a follow up appointment on Nov 16 to have the bolsters removed. The arm cuffs stay on for three weeks. So we have a ways to go, but it's good to have a goal.

Let's hope we don't have to puree the turkey on Thanksgiving!

Home from Surgery

Just a quick note to say that we're home from Ia City. Surgery went very well--only 2 hrs instead of 3.5. They ended up putting tubes in the ears too in order to prevent ear infections while he's healing. They did some work on his nose too. He looks pretty different. He's been a trooper through it all. He has to wear arm splints at all times in order to keep his hands and toys away from the face while everything heals. Getting the boy dressed and keeping his hands out of his face is a challenge. Also right now we aren't letting him walk on his own, as we don't want him to fall and do a face plant. He's on a "cup diet" which means he can only drink his food. That's been interesting! He's a bit picky on what pureed liquid foods he will drink. Plus he's not too hip on the medicine so we are having to find foods to put it in and hope he can't taste it!
Of interest, his favorite word right now is "no". He says it very clearly! Before surgery he really didn't say no very often and really couldn't pronounce it well. That's changed;)

Thanks everyone for your prayers. Keep em comin'.

Weekend on the Farm

Last weekend we went to Grandpa Dick and Grandma Phyllis' house. Saturday we stayed inside since it was raining. Grandma & Grandpa had fun reading him books before bed; he slept 12 hours that night! He's still working on his 2 yr molars, so his sleep schedule is a bit off right now.

Sunday we got to go outside to play. Although it was wet from Saturday's rain, Zach still got the chance to play in the leaf pile, sit in Grandpa's combine, play with some corn, ride in the little red wagon, and chase a kitty around.

We head to Ia City on Monday. Surgery is still scheduled for Tuesday Nov 3rd. Our next entry will be with some post surgery photos. Thank you for all your prayers as we head into this next chapter in Zachary's life.

Pumpkins & Snow!

Carving Zach's first pumpkin with Uncle Tim and Aunt Jodi's help.

Wow! Is this supposed to come off?

Snuggling up with Grandma Karen and cousins Rebecca & Collin at the pumpkin patch after snow last weekend!

Helpin' mom & dad pick out the pumpkin to carve.

Zach's first time sledding with cousin Collin. He wanted "more" of that!

Building a snowman. But why does he have a pumpkin head???

Zach's first time touching snow. Brrr!

Feeding the horses at Mahoney State Park (the day before the snow). The horse nibbled Zach's finger--he's got an owie to prove it!

Climbing up the stairs at the look out tower at Mahoney State Park. He climbed up and down all 107 stairs, just holding momma's hand!

What's new with Zachary lately? He's big into pointing out every single pumpkin he sees. He has also discovered Elmo, which really helps keep him occupied when Momma is making supper! He continues to say/sign "help", however has switched from always asking for help to now offering to help with a lot of things mom or dad is doing. His speech is becoming a bit easier to understand. Mom is working on getting him to say his "m" sounds at the beginning of words. That speech pathologist in her never quits! Another cute thing he does lately: he stops whatever he happens to be doing, folds his hands, and requests that we pray. So precious! Speaking of praying, his surgery is set for November 3rd. You can keep him in your prayers as we move forward with that.

Orchard Season

One advantage of having Zac's surgery pushed back is that we have been able enjoy some fall activities before the snow flies.

A couple of weekends ago we went to Center Grove Orchard near Cambridge. Zachary visited the homes of the three little pigs, watched goats, chickens, pigs, and horses, and we picked up our first round of Honey Crisp apples (amongst many other things). The ironic thing is that two farm kids (Nancy & Lonnie) actually PAID to visit a farm. Sheesh.

In the meantime, we have been in Thumb Sucking Boot Camp. After about a week we were able to stop putting anything on Zac's thumb during the day. At night and during naps we are still using the mittens although they are usually dry when we get him out of bed. So it doesn't appear as though he is trying to suck through the mitten (although we do add some athletic tape and Mavala in strategic places to assist).

At this point, as we're getting ready for bed, Zachary will point to the mittens when it's time to put them on. He thinks they're pretty cool. As we're putting on the Mavala, he will grin and whisper, "ackey." It is truely ackey.

It is just amazing how quickly this little boy adapts to things. We are so thankful for him.









Dad & Zac get lift-off on the jumping pillow.

















Zachary doing the back float in the corn pool.

























Can you believe it!? We found this cool circle of rocks to stand in at Saylorville. It doesn't get any better than this.

No family resemblance, but the pictures don't lie. --Brian Andreas

Sticks & Mittens

All a boy needs is some sand to play in (or eat) and a stick! Taken at the Ledges on Labor Day.

Look--Zach found a bigger stick at Saylorville!

Dad showin' Zachary how to throw rocks into the lake. He was content doing that for an hour!

If you haven't heard, Zach's lip surgery has been rescheduled. It is now November 3rd. We went up last Thursday for our pre op appointment. The surgeon recommended we help Zach stop thumb sucking or we'll "have a big mess on our hands" after surgery. The thumb sucking would likely pull out all the stitches, requiring yet another surgery to fix it. Although mom and dad were frustrated by yet another schedule change and for not being told this information in July, it will all work out for good. This way Zachary can enjoy all the fun outdoor fall activities without worrying about having to try to sit still and heal. Daddy said it well the other day--keep in mind that the cleft lip and palate are what God used to bring Zach into our family; God tugged at our heart to be open to a child with a cleft lip/palate and he brought us an amazing son! Remembering that helps us be thankful and patient with all the schedule changes and thumb sucking challenges! Currently we are using mittens at nap time/bedtime and Tabasco sauce during the day to rid this habit. We know that God is helping out big time as Zach is not grumpy by all this. In fact he gladly accepts the mittens as part of his night time routine!

The Countdown

Mom and Zach wrestling in the grass at Jester Park.

Dad & Zach being goofy.

Hiking with Dad at Jester Park after the Pelican Festival.

Givin' Momma another big wet smooch!

Zachary continues to explore his world. His latest favorites are turning lights on/off, pointing out trucks on the road or airplanes flying by, snuggling with his Teddy Bears, singing the spider song, and opening/closing doors. His joy and laughter are such gifts!

Surgery got moved again. It is now set for the day after Labor Day. Six days and counting. We still go up tomorrow for his pre op appt where we will find out more details about the surgery.

Iowa City

Turns out that Zachary and his little cousin Carter will be in Iowa City the same week. Carter's appointment for his heart valve surgery got moved back a week and Zach's got moved up a week. Zachary will have his cleft lip repaired on Sept 4. We go up the day before for a pre-op appointment. Carter will be leaving about the time we arrive. Please keep both of these boys in your prayers.

Dad took Zach for his 2 year check up and shots this week. He gained almost 4 pounds in less than 3 months. He is now 26.7 lbs and 32 inches tall. He can now reach the pedals on his tricycle but is still working on the coordination for pedaling. His feet have grown a lot in the last month, as his little toes now reach the very end of his stinky sandals (yes stinky--that's what happens to shoes when sweaty feet wear them!). Dr. Gavin just laughed when we asked how to get him to stop sucking his thumb. Apparently it is too soon to expect a toddler to give up the thumb, so we will just deal with it after surgery.

Zachary continues to love eating fruit! In fact he spit out the brownies that Aunt Marcia made him and requested grapes instead! He also prefers applesauce over ice cream!

We continue to spend a lot of time outside--in the sandbox, blowing bubbles, picking up sticks or rocks, and taking time to smell the flowers (or maybe blowing on the flowers with his nose).

The Thumb

One more thing about Iowa City--the surgeon suggested that we get Zach to stop sucking his thumb by his surgery. Remember, the surgery is only a month away. We tried taping the thumbs. It worked like a charm--for 4 hours that is. Then he peeled the tape off the right thumb so he could suck his way to sleep! He is working on another tooth right now. After that comes in we may try another attempt at breaking this habit. Any suggestions anyone???

Iowa City Consultation

Zach had his first appointment in Iowa City on July 27. The day before we went to the Children's Museum in the mall. Zachary loved it! He loved playing in the pizza restaurant, grocery store, and farm. Think Godfather's would hire him???? After the museum we met some friends at our hotel and went swimming. Zach is a little fish. He loves getting dunked. He really wants to venture off on his own!

The week before the appointment we practiced opening our mouth and saying "ah" with the doctor's kit Grandma Karen gave him. We also practiced taking our temp, listening to heart and lungs, etc. The practice paid off! Zach was a trooper. He didn't cry when they took his temp and got his weight (now 27 lbs). He didn't like the intern doctor trying to look in his mouth, but he let the surgeon look. He had fun playing with the audiologists too, as he got a hearing test done. He eared an A+ on that test! We also met with a speech-language pathologist who said that Zach is doing very well with his speech and language right now. The surgeon suggested that we go ahead with his surgeries as soon as possible since this is a prime time for developing language. He explained that we don't want Zachary to get in the habit of incorrectly saying sounds, given his cleft lip and palate.

Zachary's lip will be repaired with one surgery now (Sept 10) and then another into adolescence to even out scar tissue. He will have his cleft palate repaired in March. That should be the only surgery needed on the palate. After permanent teeth come in, they will start working on his teeth.

Mom and Dad don't even notice the cleft lip when we see our little Zachary. All we see is his amazing smile. So many people tell us that his eyes even smile! What a gift of joy God has placed in his heart! Although we don't notice the cleft lip, he will still look so different after it is repaired.