Down with Cruz

06/02/2024

We’re cutting it close this year as Cruz is about to become a big brother very soon, but we couldn’t miss out on this special event 💙💛

I am participating in the GiGiFIT Acceptance Challenge because I believe in GiGi’s Playhouse and its mission of global acceptance for all. Please help me support GiGi’s by donating to my page and spreading our message of acceptance to your friends. Do you want to continue to live in a world wher...

05/25/2024

Cruz has been feeling great lately and was so excited to get back to LMNOP at GiGi's Playhouse Cleveland today💙💛

03/21/2024

Happy World Down Syndrome Day 💙💛 featuring baby Cruz and his biggest bro Jacoby

03/14/2024

You know what happens when you assume 👊🏽💙💛

03/05/2024

And a brief February medical recap-

Cruz met with hematology this month to make a plan to handle his severe anemia. We started with a few iron infusions and we will see if those help!

Little guy also saw Immunology to see if there’s anything we can do to help him stay healthier, we’re going to do some more labs to dig deeper once we get a stretch off of steroids.

Cruz was in and out of the peds this month trying to fight off a virus and figure out his extra oxygen needs. He had the help of some extra steroids and was on the right track. But Cruz is a tricky guy and went from having his best day he’d had in weeks to crashing at 2am two weeks ago. Heart rate sustaining in the 200’s, oxygen low 80’s even with 5L of oxygen, and a 103F fever. So that led to our most “exciting” ER trip yet which included Dada helping get us out of the house in his underwear in the snow lol definitely a time we’re so grateful to live 6 miles away from one of the top hospitals in the world.

Cruz was admitted for a few days with a pretty rough case of pneumonia (bacterial and aspiration) which he needed respiratory support, antibiotics and steroids to help him fight off. We have plans to meet soon with his favorite PCAVS (pediatric center for airway, voice and swallowing disorders) team to work towards getting some more answers and plans.

But for now Cruz has been home and feeling great!! 🤍

03/05/2024

Cruz has been stable without extra oxygen support (while awake) for a week now and I had to document his cute tape free face from the last few days. Little guy has been feeling so great! Army crawling literally everywhere, obsessed with his big brothers and he has his first tooth slowly breaking through!

February ended up being a little bit of a rougher month medically but the warm weather lately has been the best little reminder that sick season is on its way out!!🤞🏽

02/10/2024

It is the last day of feeding tube awareness week so we had to jump in and share how grateful we are for the tubes that have helped our boy along the way! ❤️

(Start from the last picture and work your way back, I had to put his big smiles first lol)

01/13/2024

Being part of the T21 community we are often reminded how precious life is. Growing older is a privilege and we definitely felt that privilege today as Cruz celebrated his first birthday. He isn’t feeling well so we saved his other presents and fun plans for another day. But we had to have his angel buddy Zion help him celebrate today. Zion didn’t get to celebrate his first birthday but his parents created Zion’s ARMY to grow something beautiful in their sons memory.

https://zionsarmy.net/our-mission

12/31/2023

We unfortunately ended 2023 very similar to how we started it. Cruz handled Adenovirus like a champ 💪🏽 and we are finally back home!

Less than a year and this little guy has racked up 6 hospital admissions, but through it all we have learned that we can do hard things and still have a smile. So here’s to hoping 2024 has a few less bumps along the way so Cruz can focus on some fun stuff 🤍

12/16/2023

Had to share Cruz’s other Santa visits this year, he’s definitely a fan 🤍

12/16/2023

Thank you GiGi's Playhouse Cleveland for all the Holiday fun today!! 💙💛

11/28/2023

Cruz has his army crawl down and we’re starting to see a whole new michevous side of his personality! Sleep is overrated and everything must be explored 😂

He has worked so hard to figure this out and it really is the best seeing him be so proud of himself! 🤍

11/13/2023

11/13/2023

10 months old today so here’s 10 recent photos of our little cheeseball 🤍 Cruz now has extra energy for all of the fun stuff and we are all loving it!!

10/28/2023

GiGi’s days are the best days 💙💛 GiGi's Playhouse Cleveland