Today is Liam's 4th Birthday. I cannot believe a whole year has gone by. My husband and I for the past few months have been saying we cannot wait for 2011 to be over. This year has been so hard, and we just kept thinking to ourselves it was one of the worst years thus far. Then my mom said something that changed my husband and I forever. She said "Katie this is the year you got Liam healthy". "It is one of the best years we all have had". I cried when she said this and later that day I told Mike what she said. He looked at me with tears in his eyes and said "Please tell your mom thank you. It is exactly what I needed to hear".
When Liam turned three he had just been diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis. It was a day both Mike and I will never forget. We both felt like the wind was just knocked out of us. Then I saw a pale, malnourished, little boy who was losing weight and not eating much. He was in the 5% for weight and 50% for height. Compared to his sister who has always been off the charts for height and 75-90% for weight it concerned us greatly. At first we made small changes in our diet. Little by little I saw improvement in him. Little by little I saw improvement in all of us. A year later we are all on a gluten free, dairy free, refined sugar free, nitrate free diet. We eat whole foods or "real" food as I call it. Liam who was 26 pounds is now 36 pounds and has grown 3 inches this year. He is also fighting colds better than he ever has since birth. Mike and I have so much to be grateful for. I hope this next year is even better for our Liam bug and family.
Happy Birthday Buddy, we love you so much!
