14 Years

Giancarlo & Vincenzo

January 1993

14 Years ago today we lost our little Gino to SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). So every year I try to get the word out there that SIDS deaths still occur & what things we can do to prevent SIDS. Because SIDS is still basically the death of an infant under 1 years old for unknown causes, there is no 100% cure for these occurances. However, there are preventative measures you can take. Never place an infant to sleep on their stomach(edited. Thanks for the heads up Frank!!). Do not overdress your baby. Blanket sleepers are great and keep baby warm all night. Do not allow ANYONE to smoke around your baby. Second hand smoke can not only cause SIDS but numerous other health problems. This includes people smoking around you when you are pregnant. If you'd like more information on the research & other information regarding SIDS & their Back To Sleep Campaign, check out the SIDS Alliance website at http://www.sidsalliance.org/.

While the incidents of SIDS deaths has dropped dramatically in the years since we lost Gino, no cure has been found. Just a couple of weeks ago I read in the newspaper about a 5 month old boy whose parents were both EMT's & the baby died from SIDS. So this can happen to anyone. I long for the day when we finally find a cure for this & parents can comfortably put their babies to sleep without any worries.

On a happy note, the twins are doing great & actually taking bottles now. I can't believe just 8 days ago I was still pregnant. It is amazing how quickly & unexpectedly life changes. My kids are adjusting to a mom who is mobile now. The pneumonia had me laid out for a few days so Jim was taking care of them & I must say, he was quite the trooper. It truly made me realize how very much I need him & proved that when the going gets tough I can count on him to take care of all of us. Anyone who knows me knows I am not a big whiner but can I just say, pneumonia brought out a side of me Jim has never seen. Being married 8 years, this guy has rarely seen me vulnerable but boy, he knew something was wrong when all I could do was cry about how I felt like I was dying. Obviously not your everyday run of the mill cold makes you feel like death warmed over. Word of advice: if you ever get a cold & you DO feel like you're dying, go to the doctor. Immediately. Because that is exactly how you feel with pneumonia. Horrible worst thing I've ever had. Giving birth was actually a piece of cake compared to having that. Seriously.

Ok, wahhwahhwahh I had pneumonia. And I haven't cropped in weeks so I am suffering some serious withdrawals. Hopefully I can crop this weekend. I need to create something!!!

And on an even happier note, Jim went to the audiologist today & they said he is a candidate for the cochlear implant! We are very excited & I am soooo looking forward to him being able to hear better. The technology has improved a lot since they first introduced the cochlear so there is a higher rate of success. This is something we have been talking about for years & it looks like it might finally happen. Yay! No more yelling, no more of my friends hearing me say 'Which phone are you on???' because he doesn't use the 'deaf' phone that he can actually hear on because he's stubborn. Ain't technology great??

Alrighty, I know it's only Wednesday but it's looking like this is going to be a gorgeous weekend AND St. Patty's Day. So go out, enjoy that weather, put on your bit of green & have a Guiness for ol' St. Pat.