Rachael: Hi, that's me! I'm a stay at home mom to my 4 crazy boys and a wife to my high sweetheart husband of 4 (almost) years. I'm 23 and became a mom at age 18. I HATE having my picture taken, so that's why you never see me! I'm new this whole blogging thing, decided to start a year after our youngest boy was diagnosed with Hydrocephalus and Trismoy 12 (more on that later), and MANY people asked to follow our journey so here I am writing this blog. I am incredibly honest sometimes to a fault, I can be your best friend or your worst enemy, but I have a huge heart and I LOVE meeting new people. I would consider myself a homebody, I would rather cuddle up on the couch and watch movies with my husband and kids then spend a night on the town. Learning my perfect Reid had many health issues and was a 'Special"( I use that term loosely because ALL children are special in their own rite) boy was hard for me to come to terms with, I felt like my world was ending, but in reality my world had only just begun. I now have grown and adapted and even though I lost my way for a short time I KNOW that God put me here to care and love for this special little boy. Yup, that's right I mentioned God, I'm proudly a member of the Catholic Church born and raised and now I'm bringing my sons up in the faith. Our family is VERY close to my family, family is EVERYTHING to me and I am so glad my sons have a very close relationship with my family. I will say upfront that our lifestyle is very unique, but our choices are just that OUR choices and if you don't like it, it won't hurt my feelings because your not the one living it everyday.
Josh: Josh is my husband of almost 4 years. We met his senior year of high school and have been together ever since. We have been though EVERYTHING together, so many bumps in our crazy roller coaster life but I wouldn't and couldn't imagine doing it with anyone else. We have beat the odds together, everyone thought we wouldn't make it but here we are 4 years and 4 kids later. Josh is my rock, I couldn't have made it through the last 13 months with him here loving me and supporting me though it all. Josh is a dedicated husband and father, he loves his boys. Last year Josh proudly opened his own business,he runs a salt water maintenance and design company and he LOVES doing what he LOVES everyday. Obviously,hes a salt water nerd (only I'm allowed to call him that!)fish are his "thing" and because of that we have a 180 gallon salt water tank in our basement! very time consuming but so BEAUTIFUL and worth it. Josh also has a passion for ANYTHING musical, he's a very talented drummer and avid guitar player. He played in many bands during our almost 7 years together, even tried to make it his career but gave it all up for me( I know what a sweet guy, huh!)and to be a daddy to our boys. Josh also shares my love for God, he is a devoted Christian and even though he is not Catholic has agreed with me to raise our boys in the faith and attends church with us. Josh LOVES football(what man doesn't?!) but no really, he's an OBSESSIVE Indianapolis Colts and Ohio state Buckeyes fan, like never misses a game glued the TV kinda fan. For 6 months of the year football rules our house, it's not just a game it's a way of life! even in the "off" ( again using that word loosely)he's still talking about and following "his" teams. Josh, and our family recently grew when we found his biological family. Josh was adopted as newborn and after Reid was born and we discovered all his health issues Josh decided to track down his birth parents. He was successful in finding them, and they have welcomed us all into their family and into their lives like they have always known us.
Our CRAZY 4 :
- Owen: The oldest boy in our bunch. He's 5 and was born on election day in 2008. He is the poster child for everything a first born child is, a perfectionist, always needs to be right, he's a born leader, but he is so sweet and loving. He's a proud "memes" boy (meme = memay = Grandemarie= grandma, its french okay!) Owen loves being outside, no matter the weather. He also loves ANYTHING Batman (okay he maybe more than loves batman, hes OBSESSED, EVERYTHING he owns is Batman). I mentioned he's a perfectionist and little bit of a control freak, for a boy hes very organized (NO clue where he gets that from?!- No really, I am the farthest thing from organized) his clothes have to match, and he ABSOLUTELY cannot be dirty! despite his (sometimes) neurotic behavior, he changed my life the day he was born, my pregnancy with him was A WILD WILD ride not only with my health but with all the relationships in my life. He is one of the biggest reasons my mom and I have the relationship we have today, my pregnancy literally DESTROYED our relationship but the birth of this tiny human child changed EVERYTHING for us and from that point on my mom is one of my biggest supporters and is one of my best friends.
DANE: One of our middle boys in our bunch. He's 3 and was born in the fall of 2010. There are not many words to describe this crazy little boy. He is for sure our "problem" child, totally a middle child through and through. He's as goofy as he is stubborn. He is for sure his daddy's son, in looks and personality. He's very strong willed but he's a lover, and is easily hurt, he can start a fight but can't finish one. Some would probably describe him as dramatic,and moody. I think he's still trying to find where he fits in our crazy family, not the baby but not the oldest, hes trying to find his voice. He was only "the baby" for 11 months before our 2 yr old was born and some days I really think that messed with him. I hate that he didn't have a chance to "grow up" before mommy had another baby. Dane LOVES all things Power rangers, an obsession he got from his daddy. I think he's really a 90's kid at heart, he loves old school TV, Captain Planet, Power puff girls, Dexter's lab are a few of his other favorites. Dane and Owen are like oil and water, they are always at each others throats,even though they are bothers they couldn't be more different, their differences cause them to butt heads and makes getting along VERY hard, hopefully with age that will get better.
FINN: The second middle boy in our bunch. He's 2 and was born in the late summer of 2011. Finn and Dane are 11 months and 2.5 wks apart. Finn is a special little boy, after a CRAZY (gosh there's that word again) labor and delivery that left him oxygen deprived for the first 5- 10 minutes of his life. He came into this world all on his own, without anyone knowing, such a mischievous child from the day he was born. Totally blue and unresponsive and not crying, he was taken to the NICU where he spent the first week of his life. After coming home, things didn't get much better he struggled with Failure to Thrive for the first 6 months of his life. His failure to thrive took a toil on EVERYONE, he was placed in physical therapy because he had very little muscle tone, he couldn't roll over, sit up, all of the things a normal 6 month old should have been doing Finn was behind, all therapist thought he would need therapy for a very long time but he showed them, he started gaining weight and then his milestones took off, every week he had mastered a new skill, showing everyone just how strong he really was. Just before his first birthday he was almost walking, the little boy who was born unresponsive who no one believed would make a comeback so quickly was beating everyone's standards!!! he was discharged from physical therapy and has been a happy healthy kid ever since! the only lasting effect he has from his birth was on his speech, Finn is very speech delayed, hes been receiving speech therapy since his first birthday, and although he has made leaps and bounds from not making any noise to trying to talk. Today, Finn knows a few words but still has a long ways to go! Watching him struggle and overcome warms my heart everyday, Finn makes everyone he meets smile. Hes a goofy,bossy, lovable little boy. I'm so glad God blessed me by picking me to be his mom.
REID: The youngest boy in our bunch. Reid is a Thanksgiving baby born in 2012. He's 13 (almost 14) months. I don't even know how to describe this perfect little human. He has touched our family in every way possible since the day he took his first breath. I am so so lucky to be able to Reid's mom. This little boy has seen a lot in his 13 months of life, so many struggles but a lot of smiles and happiness along that bumpy road too. Reid, has underwent 3 surgeries, 3 hospital stays (one for a month long) survived Meningitis and is my Shunted superhero who kicked Hydrocephalus in the butt just before his first birthday, and rocks an extra 12th chromosome with Trisomy 12. I'll do a whole detailed blog on Reid's journey later! He is such a fighter. He is our proof that through all the heartbreak our family has endured in the last 13 months that their is ALWAYS a rainbow through all the rain and clouds in life!
Wow, that was long! I hope to be able to blog something for you guys everyday! what are some kind of things you wanna see here? leave me some comments and let me know! make sure you guys share my blog with everyone! I really want to get our story and Reid's journey out there to raise Trisomy 12 and Hydrocephalus awareness! by spreading the word and not being silent we can help find a cure so no other children have to endure what Reid has gone though!
Follow me on Instagram for daily pictures of my beautiful family!
http://instagram.com/r_harrison13
-until next time y'all!
<3 Rachael
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