Antonio Update

Many people have loved and prayed for Antonio over the years.  Out of all our children, he is the one that people constantly ask about.  Today, I am going to finally type out the update many of you have been asking for.  I have not written much about the details of his life because truthfully, it is hard for me to talk about and share.  Not that I don't want anyone to know, just that it breaks my heart and we are in the midst of it all right now.

Antonio was born a 23 week preemie and survived.  He has a lot of medical issues because of this miraculous beginning.  He was a foster child his whole life and God brought him to us and he became our son when he was six years old.  He has always been the sweetest and happiest soul.  When he came into our lives, even though he was a lot of care, he was such a blessing.  As he grew and matured though the years, he spent his time praying for others.  His heart is so kind and compassionate.  His body has slowly grown into a man but his mind is still the mind of a four year old.  I had never heard him say a cross or mean thing in his whole life the whole time he was growing up.  Even though he can not do very much at all physically, he is so helpful with the younger children and loves to watch them play and will call to me if they do anything they should not be doing.  We adore this young man.  I say all of this to paint a picture of our son we love and cherish so much.  To show what he was like, his true character, for most of his life...to compare to what his days are like now.

Antonio has Cerebral Palsy.  His is very spastic in all four limbs. The tone is so tight that he can not functionally use his limbs.  It is so tight, that as his body grew, the constant pulling of his tight muscles warped his bones as they grew.  It is so tight, that he has discomfort and pain in his joints and limbs.  When he was young, insurance paid for him to go to a physical therapist once a week to get worked on.  They would slowly uncurl his fingers and straighten his wrists with gentle constant pressure.  It takes a lot of hand strength to be able to do this.  They worked on his whole body gently stretching him.  He always felt better after a session.  Tim and I also pay for a pediatric massage therapist to come to our home once a week to massage his whole body and straighten out all his limbs as well.  Insurance will no longer pay for the physical therapy but we still pay out of pocket, for the therapeutic massage therapist to come once a week.  For many years, from the time he was very young, we took him to the neurologist twice a year to get Botox shots, into his tightest muscles.  To relax them and give him some relief from the constant discomfort, pain and spasms.  They usually only injected his wrists and major leg muscles.  The botox stayed in those muscles and the resulting relaxing of the muscles lasted several months.  It did not make it all go away but did give him a small amount of relief.  Enough to make it worth it.

When Antonio became an adult, we had to find a new neurologist.  The first time we went for his botox injections all went well.  On the second visit things went horribly wrong.  In the days following his injections, Antonio became totally paralyzed.  He could not even blink and could not swallow or protect his airway.  Praise God for his feeding tube.  His heart rate and breathing were very slow and he was non-responsive.   I took him back to the neurologist and he said he had given Antonio the maximum amount of botox for his weight.  No one had ever done that before and everyones body is very different.  So we don't know if for Antonio's body, it was an over dose?   If he got a bad batch of Botox?  OR what really happened but all we know it that it did not stay in the muscles in which it was put and went through out his whole body.  Antonio was like this for about three months and slowly regained his ability to swallow and such BUT... it did something else to him.  Some how this toxin has done damage to or caused an imbalance in the chemistry of his mind.  For the next year he would be a little better and almost himself for a few weeks and then for a month or so have a total personality change.  He would sleep a lot day and night.  Have dementia, be combative, bite himself, suffer from depression and say the most horrible things.  He will yell out, scream, cry out and say horrible things all day long...It breaks our heart.  If we try to talk to him or redirect him when he is going though these spells it makes them MUCH worse.  These cycles are horrible.  When he is going thru a bad spell he is much harder to care for as he fights us and we don't want to get hurt, him get hurt or us drop him.  When he is going thru a good spell, he smiles and prays and is back to being the sweetest soul.  This has went on for over two years now.  We have tried everything I know to try and prayed and prayed.  I research often about what we can do or try.

Antonio was going though a very hard spell during our vacation.  It was a struggle for him to smile and I have only a few pictures of him smiling after taking dozens of pictures with him trying.  You can tell in the above one he is tired and distressed but trying to smile for me.

Recently, someone mentioned amino acid therapy.  We tried one and praise God so far it seems to be helping.  It is God and a miracle the difference it has made but he is still having bad spells.  They are just shorter and not as bad.  When we first tried it he had the best and longest good spell yet.  I can honestly say he was back to how he was before the Botox tragedy.  That wonderful three week spell was followed by five horrible days but he was not as bad as the spells of the past two years.  It was the shortest bad spell he has ever went though as well.  Usually, it lasts for at least a month or more.  He is now on day two of a good spell.

I am grateful for our son.  He is such a fine young man.  It has been very hard, as his mother, to see him suffer so and go through this.  It has been hard on all of us, not just to see him going thru it but because his daily care is so  much harder when he is not in his right mind.  Antonio can do nothing for himself.  We have to lift him, shower him, clean and wipe him, diaper him, feed him, tube feed him... and all that is so much harder when he is trying to punch us, spit food at us and saying mean things.  We know it is not him.  We know this is mental instability as we know this young man and his heart.  He knows too.  He is so loving and apologetic when he is in his right mind and going thru a good spell.  We give God all the glory, honor and praise for all the healing and progress Antonio has made.  We are still looking for answers and new things to try to help Antonio.  We are still praying fervently for his total healing, both physically and mentally and that our sweet, sweet, young man will feel and be well, in all areas of his mind and body.

2 Timothy 1:7  For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

I pray everyone is having a great transition from summer to fall.  May God pour out His peace, strength, healing and direction into your life as you live and grow in Him.

Blessings,
susan   

   

Happy Birthday Young Man!!

At the end of December Antonio had his 22nd birthday!

A cookie his massage therapist made for him!

He was one of the children that did not come into our home as an infant.  Our daughter Faith Anne had just passed away and I was filled with grief.  I had a very hard time with it all and spent much of my time escaping on the internet, trying to learn more about special needs children and the diagnosis that Faith Anne  had.  I stumbled upon My Turn Now.  The adoption site for our state, Georgia.  I was blown away that there were children, nation wide, that were wards of the state.  That had no parental rights over them and were just waiting for homes.  I stumbled upon Antonio's page and was very drawn to him.  Below is the picture that was on his waiting list page.

We requested more information about him and learned all about his diagnosis and history.  He had been in care since the day he was born, up for adoption his whole life and no one ever tried to adopt him.  I fully believe that the Lord gave us Antonio to bless our home and also help me navigate the deep sorrow of the death of our daughter.  Antonio is such a wonderful person.  That little five year old brought us a lot of joy from the day we met him.  He was moved to our home and six months later we adopted him and made him our son.  Carolyn and Antonio shared an adoption day.

He fit in seamlessly and was just one of the gang!

He had never left down town Atlanta in his whole life, so experienced a lot of firsts with us.  Like going fishing, to the zoo, museum or going to the ocean.

Or going to Disney.

He absolutely loved being in a large active family.

Loved having his own dad for the first time in his life.

He was and is, just so loved by us all.

 His personality was always positive and upbeat before his Botox overdose, his smile rarely left his face.

He loves me and prays for me and everyone he knows.

He loves to bowl...

and be in the middle of everything going on.

He loved it when we started adopting little ones.  He is the best big brother!

He loves meeting up and going places with extended family!  Like his papa and nana. (Tim's dad below)

God is so good to have blessed us with this child of ours.  Antonio has grown into a fine young man and is one of the kindest and best of men I know.

For his birthday he wanted Aunt "S" to make him a Bob the Builder cake.  She always does such wonderful work.  It made his day.

 Isaiah 41:10  Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

May God in heaven give you health and long life.  May He hold you in His powerful hand keeping you safe and well.  You are a true blessing and we love you dearly!

Love Always and Forever, Dad, mom. Stephen, William, Carolyn, Zeke, Elizabeth, Billy, Timothy, Kinsley and Anna-Kate 

Antonio Turns 21!!!

Antonio had a birthday this week!  I don't know why this birthday was so hard for me this year but truly I am just amazed.  How did this child of ours get so old so fast!!!  21!!!!

He was just a little guy when we adopted him.  23 pounds at almost 6 years old!  We quickly started working on getting him evaluated for a G-tube.  Until then we used an NG-tube through his nose to feed him extra calories.

He quickly started to put on weight, grow and get healthier.  Praise God!

I know he is very tired in the picture below but I wanted to include it, to show how sweet and kind he has always been to all of the other children.  Here he is holding Zeke's little hand.

Antonio was a very medically fragile infant and child. (He was a 23 week preemie)  He had so many issues, surgeries and hospital stays his whole life.  I can't even count the times or amount of days he has been in the hospital since he has been with us but he is so worth it.  He is such a miracle and it is by the grace of God he is here and so healthy today.  God is faithful!

He has always been such a good boy. We have all loved him as one of our own from the very beginning.

William and Antonio have always had a very special bond.  They still do to this day.

William would do anything for him to make him happy. 

He is a genuinely happy soul.  He encourages others and prays for everyone he knows.

He could not be a better son!  I have hardly ever had to discipline him.  He is a very easy going, laid back, young guy.

He truly is a great blessing to us.  We try to find ways to include him in everything we do and take him everywhere we go.  If it is not wheel chair accessible, we don't go.

He has always loved all his siblings so much.  Being one of the oldest children in the home, he has watched the middles grow up from little babies.

Antonio has really enjoyed having young children in the house again, with our newest additions.

Antonio felt well on his birthday and wanted to go out to eat to the Hibachi Grill. Then we came home for cake.  He wanted Aunt "S" to make him a cake with Oswald on it, like Timothy had, so she did.  He loved it.

 Thank you Aunt "S" and Uncle "B" for making his day special!

You are a wonderful gift from God and such a blessing in our lives, my sweet Antonio!  May God bless you with health and happiness every day of your life!

Psalm 91:16  With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.

Love, Dad, mom, Stephen, William, Carolyn, Zeke, Elizabeth, Billy, Timothy, Kinsley and baby "A"!!

 

Prayers Appreciated For Antonio

I can't sleep.  So I decided to get up and write.  We have so many huge things going on right now and our schedule is full to the brim with appointments.  I will be sharing some of these things soon but today my heart and mind are full with praying for and caring for our sweet Antonio. 

When we started adopting children with special needs, we did it with the full knowledge that there were going to be times they would need extreme care, be in the hospital, need surgeries and in general just be a lot of work.  We knew there would be times of great joy, times of stress on the family and times of great worry.  These children God blessed us with, are worth it all.  Where to start...???

Antonio has Hypo tonic Cerebral Palsy.  His muscles are so tight, that as he has gotten older, the doctors worry about them snapping his bones when he contracts them.  He is so tight, that it is very hard to dress him and diaper him.  He gets the "generic brand" of Botox shots, in his tightest muscles, every six months or so, to give his body relief from the extreme tone and pain, that tone causes to his joints and body.

His last appointment to get those shots was canceled because Medicaid would not approve it.  We resubmitted and waited.  They finally only approved, if we used the name brand of Botox.  No big deal.  He was so tight by this time we just needed it done.  Tim took him in to have it done and Antonio was so tight and had so many areas that needed it, that the doctor used the full limit amount of Botox possible, for Antonio's body weight.  Antonio had never received that much before.  Right away the next day I started to see changes and slowly day by day Antonio slipped into a non-responsive semi-vegetative state.  As soon as I realized what was happening and that this was from the Botox, we jumped into action.  The doctor wanted to do tests to rule out anything else but I knew what this was.  I am his mom and have seen him in almost every situation from shunt failures to sicknesses.  They drew blood-work to rule out infection.  It came back perfect.  They ordered an emergency CatScan, that Medicaid denied to pay for, to rule out a shunt failure.  I am still trying to get the results from it but imagine it was fine or they would have called and rushed Antonio in for surgery.  This degrade in Antonio's health is from to much Botox or from using the brand name instead of the generic.

The good news is, Botox effects peeks at 7-10 days and we are past that.  So he should not get any worse but he can not move at all.  He could not move much of his body before but could move his right hand enough to play with is Ipad by using his thumb or knuckle.  If we put a marker in his hand he could color.  Now he can not safely eat.  He also can not speak.  Praise God we have his g-tube to feed him till this wears off.  I feel so badly for Antonio.  He sleeps most of the day and night.  He just stares at us blankly when we speak to him.  He is usually such a chatter box.  Once or twice a day he may say a weak yes or no to a question.  Since he was a little boy we could always put him on the potty in the morning and he would do his business for the day.  He now can not control his bowels.  I know deep in my heart he is in there and coherent.  He opens his mouth when we go to brush his teeth and a few times a day he will acknowledge a question we ask him.  But mostly it is just a blank stare. 

We are trying to keep things as normal and upbeat as possible for him right now.  We just talk to him like we always have and include him in everything.  There is absolutly nothing he can do now, so we just keep playing his favorite movies for him.  I also put him in front of his turtle tank and gecko tank, to watch them, like he always loved to do.  I know he is in there.  I know he is thinking but just cant respond, so I went out and bought him a new lizard to cheer him up inside.  Something new to look at and enjoy till he can talk and respond again.  He loves his reptiles.

Please keep Antonio in your prayers.  He is one of the sweetest and kindest, pure souls I have ever known in my whole life.   He normally has such a positive attitude daily, no matter what he is going thru and facing.  A huge smile never leaves that young mans face.  He is flaccid now.  He has always love the Lord with great joy and prays constantly for others.  We are trusting in God for this to wear of quickly and have no ill effects on his future health.

James 5:16  Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

May God move mightily in all our lives, as we live for Him.

susan

Optic Nerve Hypoplasia

Today I am going to do a little update on our baby "K", for those who have been following her stay here, are praying for her and know her.  This post is going to have quite a bit of medical talk in it, so please bare with me, as it may help or encourage someone else going thru anything similar with their child.

When we were contacted to take in baby "K" as a foster placement, we were told that she was a four week old preemie, that was heavily drug exposed thru the whole pregnancy and had some feeding difficulties.  We prayed about it and took her on a one week trail placement.  By her second day here, we knew she was meant stay, as she fit into our family so well.  She has been the best baby we have ever cared for.  She is good natured, pleasant all the time, sleeps well and is very laid back.  We all love her dearly and have commented, how just spending time with her relaxes us and brightens our day.  We have all said at one point or another that we need some baby "K" time.  She is beautiful to boot and an amazing blessing to us for as long as God chooses to have her with us.

But...she has had many medical issues make themselves known the longer she stays.  This often happens when doing foster care of an infant that was as drug exposed as she was.  It is like unraveling a mystery when trying to get to the bottom of all the health issues.  We see something that is not right...we go to the pediatrician about it...get sent to a specialist...and they send us to two or three more.  We have been to so many appointments this year with our foster placements, I am ready for next year to begin.  I am going to try to keep my schedule lighter in 2015.

The very first day baby "K" came to live with us, I noticed her very low muscle tone.  It was worse than Elizabeth's or Zeke's when they were infants and they both have Hypotonic Cerebral Palsy.  Her joints pop, creek and her bones slide in and out of place when I bathe and dress her.  I am very gentle and it never seems to bother her.  When she came, she had strabismus and nystagmus as well.  After she had been here for a few months, I also noticed that she never made eye contact, didn't track objects and only reacted to light and dark.  I was very concerned, as usually by two to three months old, all of the infants I have ever had in our care, could do these things.  Praise God the strabismus has improved and nystagmus stopped when she was four month old.  An MRI was scheduled and a trip to the Pediatric ophthalmologist.  The MRI showed she had Hypoplasia of the Corpus Collosum.  (Very thin bridge that connects the two halves of the brain)  This explained a lot, as she was very behind in meeting any milestones and never used both halves of her body together to do anything.  She actually just started to use her left arm a little in the last eight weeks.   She was also diagnosed with Hypotonic Cerebral Palsy when we were at the neurologist.

In September, when we went to her ophthalmologist appointment, the doctor said it looked like her optic nerves were ok.  At that appointment he said she might have Cortical Visual Impairment or Delayed Visual Maturation.  But we went back in November and he said he could definitely see the optic nerves were smaller than they should be and diagnosed her with Optic Nerve Hypoplasia.  We were not surprised at this diagnosis, as were told this condition often goes hand in hand with the Hypoplasia of the Corpus Collosum. (when she was diagnosed with that)  He said that her right eye optic nerves were much smaller than her left and that the left was slightly small than they should be.  So now we at least have a diagnosis for her eyes.  I must say that over the last many months she has begun to use what vision she has.  It still does not seem normal.  But she will smile at me if I smile at her first, if I am with in five feet of her.  She looks around at things, does slowly track things now and loves to look at TV, kindle and I-phone screens.  She seems to see things better if they are back lighted.  The ophthalmologist said we will not know the extent of her vision, till she can speak or be tested better when she is around four years old.  He did decide to hold off on surgery for her strabismus because her eyes are lining up more and more as she uses what vision she has.  Those muscles are getting stronger.  Praise God!  Remember how I said sometimes we go to one appointment to walk away with another appointment?   Well, Optic Nerve Hypoplasia is one diagnosis we were praying she did not have, as it usually has a whole slew of other health issues that go hand and hand with it.  These health issues that are all hormonal, are tied to the pituitary gland and can appear at any point in her life.  She will need to be tested for Hypothyroidism, Hypopituitarism, Estrogen, progesterone, cortisol levels for Addison's disease, Hypoglycemia as a side effect of many of these diagnosis, antidiuretic hormone and growth hormone regularly the rest of her whole life.  Whew.  Any of these thing plus seizures could happen at any age her whole life and need to be watched for.  She will also need to be followed by the ophthalmologist, as most people with this are blind or legally blind and are at a higher risk of cancer on the optic nerves. I am very grateful that she can see, as when she came we knew she could not.  So any vision is better than none at all.  It has improved so much, we are praying it will continue to do so.  God is so good.

So over all...  Baby "K" is just turning 8 months old.  She is missing some of her brain bridge that connects the two halves, so that is making it very hard for her to learn to use the two halves of her body together to do things like play and move.  She has very low tone cerebral palsy and that is also hindering her from having the strength to do what she wants to do and progress.  She has qualified for Physical therapy and Occupational therapy.  She still aspirates on her saliva, so does not cry or try to coo much, as it throws her into a coughing fit, from the saliva being aspirated and she does not like that.  I still have to thicken her formula or she aspirates.  She is however, doing well with eating thick baby food from a spoon.  Things like Avocado, Sweet potato, vegetables and fruits. She actually likes to eat better than nursing.  As she does not choke at all when eating.  She is in feeding therapy as well.  She has always been extremely constipated, with her over all low tone, making it very hard for her to potty.  Since starting foods, this has helped her so much in that area.  Her optic nerves are to small and underdeveloped, so her vision is impaired but we don't know to what extent yet.  We are in the process of getting an appointment with an endocrinologist, to check out all of the things that can be effected by having optic nerve hypoplasia. 

Now for the progress report!   Baby "K" started out very small but is now in the 95th percentile for height and weight.  Yes, a very big girl.  She takes a 12 or 18 months size clothing and is just turning 8 months old next week!  She can now roll over front to back and back to front!  She can hold her head up and pivot around in a circle, on her tummy on the floor, to play with toys.  She can sit in the highchair if I have a towel around her middle to help her.  She can hold a toy, reach for a toy and is now finally using both hands to play and can transfer a toy from one hand to the other.  She also just started to put in her own passifier if I hand it to her.   She also can now jump a little when in the bouncer/play gym. 

Baby "K" is really a joy.  She has been a gift from God, to our life and home. We have seen God already do such a huge work in her life and body.  Even though she has been a lot of work in so many ways, she is well worth it, as all children are.  She is so sweet, that the work to care for her is a joy.  We all love her so much!

1 Peter 1:8-9  Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:  Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

Blessings,

susan

Antonio Is 20!!!

I was reeling from the death of our daughter, Faith Anne, when I saw Antonio's picture on My Turn Now.  He is the only one of our adopted children that I felt instantly drawn to the moment I saw his picture.  I don't know what it was about him.  In the picture he was not smiling, nor did he look like he could respond to his environment but at that moment I didn't care. 

I just wanted more information about him.  I wanted to meet him and scoop him up in my arms and love on him.

When we got his packet, we learned so much.  He had been in care since the day he was born.  He was born a 23 week preemie, to a young addict, who surrendered her rights right away.  She did not know who the father was.  A case worker snapped a Polaroid of his mom while she was in the office signing papers.  I am grateful we have a picture of his biological mom for him.  I am grateful to her that she carried our son and gave him life.  She never would know what a treasure he is and how loved he is by us all.

He was born so early that he spent his first  year in the hospital.  He had many surgeries and troubles to overcome in order to live.  He had several brain bleeds resulting in him needing a shunt from hydrocephalus.  He blew a bowl and needed to have a colostomy bag for a while.  He had preemie lungs and needed a lot of support.  When he was finally stable enough to be released from the hospital, his first foster home could not handle his care and asked he be moved.  He then was taken in by a very nice elderly, single, foster mom.  She loved Antonio so much.  Sadly, there were no pictures taken of him in the first five years of his life.  The earliest picture I have of him is a school picture that they had sent home to his foster mom and she gave us of when he was five years old.
 
When we were cleared to go and visit him, he was five years old and his foster mom was 70.  She cried when we met him and told us no one had ever tried all these years to adopt him.  That she had been praying fervently for a family for him because the only reason why she was still fostering, was for him and she knew she could not lift and care for him much longer.  Oh how she loved that boy...so much, that she never made him wear any of his leg braces or glasses.  She would make the therapist leave her home if they made him cry.  When we would go for a visit, he ruled their house and would be on the couch all propped up, with pillows all around him, on her couch watching TV.  She didn't make him do anything he didn't want to do, including eat.  When he moved in with us, he had just turned 6 and weighted 24 pounds.  The first thing we did was had him evaluated for a G-tube.

We had the surgery done and they also did a flundo so he could not vomit.  So he kept his food down better.  He began to grow and put on weight right away.  We also made him wear his glasses.  His eyes were very crossed and he would take his finger and hook it around the bow and give them a yank and toss them across the room.  He broke several pair before he learned I was going to just keep putting them back on every time.  After wearing his glasses for a few years, his eyes are fine and he needs no glasses at all anymore! We made him stand in his stander and wear his leg braces.  He quickly learned to love therapy and enjoy the long process of getting him ready every day. 

Believe it or not, we were also told that he swore like a sailor and spent most of his time at preschool in time out.  We have never heard him say one bad word in his whole life with us all these years.  He has been nothing but sweet and joyful almost every day.

We had a very ruff start with him medically.  As he had 15 shunt failures back to back when he came.  It was exhausting.  The long hospital stays and we had many children back then as well. Twice he got brain fluid infections from the surgery and we had to spend months at the hospital treating with antibiotics till all the infection cleared and he could have a shunt put back in. 

He has had to have a hip reconstructed,

his back rodded

and many other surgery and hospital stays over the years, for everything from pneumonia to flu.  Even though he has went thru so much, he has always stayed happy and upbeat.  He gives out complements to all he meets and has prayed, out loud, off and on, day and night since he was a little boy, for prayer needs he knows of.  He has almost always been a well behaved, grateful and happy guy.  He has grown into a strapping, very muscular, young man.

I have to admit, when we adopted Antonio I did not think this far into the future.  I mean Tim and I prayed about adopting him.  We talked about how we would care for him as he grew but we had no idea the amount of care and work it would be to care for him as an adult.  He is huge.  He is heavy.  His body is very stiff and like moving a large odd shaped jack.  We have to be very careful.  His medications and breathing treatments HAVE to be given every day at the correct time or he gets very sick quickly.  His lungs fill with fluid.  Also, there are many meds for  his digestive system or it ceases to function properly.  It is all a very delicate balance.  All I can say now that Antonio has turned 20 is that it was all worth it.  He is so worth every moment of time, every pulled muscle, every dime spent, every prayer prayed.  He is the most wonderful son and such a joy to have as part of our family every day.  God bless him for all the happiness he has brought into our lives.

Of course Aunt "S" made Antonio his cake.  He wanted Bob and Larry!  Thank you Aunt "S" and Uncle "B" for all you do for the children to make their lives special.

Happy birthday my sweet, happy, grown man!   We love you more than you'll ever know!  May God give you healing and happiness all the days of your life!

Numbers 6:24-26  The Lord bless thee, and keep thee:  The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:  The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

WE love you so much!  Dad, mom, Stephen, William, Carolyn, Zeke, Elizabeth, "T", "B" and baby "K"!