The Zoo

Quinn taking it easy in his stroller.

Ben loved to show Quinn the animals!

Quinn - there's a goat.

Ella (in pink) petting the baby goat.

Ben and Ella enjoying a cookie while waiting for the rain to let up.

My mom and I took Ben, Quinn, and my cousin's little girl Ella to the MN Zoo. We wanted to see the Wells Fargo Baby Farm Animals exhibit that opened on April 1st. We managed to see the farm right before the rain started pouring down. We rushed back and forth between whatever shelter we could find until we made it back to the car. Ella loved the sea otters and Ben liked to watched the animals from a far. The tiger got a little too close to the glass at one point and I don't think Ben appreciated it at all. Both Ella and Ben were fantastic and Quinn had a leisurely stroll in his stroller.

Waking up is hard to do....

Ben looks like the one that needs a nap!

Quinn is not ready to be awake yet!

Ben with his stuff that he brought to show Quinn.

Quinn is checking out his own Twilight Turtle.

Ben usually gets up before Quinn and once he hears Quinn making some noise on the monitor he wants to be the one to go in there and get him up. One day, Ben wanted to do a little Show and Tell for Quinn so he brought in his penguin, Twilight Turtle, Gloworm, and blankie. Quinn had a hard time waking up and wasn't really interested in all the neat stuff Ben brought to show.

Target Field - Welcome Outdoor Baseball!

Papa, Quinn, and Ben at the game.

The scoreboard in left field. They are presenting the President of the Twins with a Gopher Baseball jersey.

The outfield.

Mom, Quinn, Ben, and Chris

A tired boy after a day at the ballpark!

We took the boys down to the brand-new Target Field, new outdoor home to the MN Twins to watch the MN Gophers play a game as a test-run for opening day. The weather was good, we have had an amazing Spring here, and the new stadium was BEAUTIFUL. It was fun to see all the people there to watch the Gophers and Ben loved the atmosphere. He helped Papa shell peanuts, ate some snacks, and watched a little baseball. It was also our first outing in the minivan with 6 poeple inside. It was sure nice to only have to pay for one vehicle to park!

Getting ready for Spring!

Quinn is officially getting ready for spring as he recently acquired his first bike helmet. Chris and I got new bikes for the summer and are hoping to take the boys on some rides. It took Quinn some time to get used to the helmet (he does not like to wear things on his head), but eventually he forgot about it and went about his business as if nothign were new. Hopefully he will like the bike trailer and Dad will like pulling the bike trailer!

Getting Ready for Bed!

Slight problem here - who put your pants on Ben??

Ben getting some brotherly love from little brother Quinn.

Beautiful boys!

Skate with the Gophers

Papa getting Ben's helmet on.

Papa and Ben on the ice!

Derek, Becky, Sophie, Ronni, Ben, Quinn, and Chris at Mariucci Arena.

Mom and Ben on the ice with a Gopher player.

Mom and Ben getting autographs.

My Dad, Chris, and I took the boys to Mariucci Arena for the annual Skate with the Gophers event. My Dad and I got our skates on and took Ben on the ice for a 20 minute skate-around with a few members of the men's hockey team. We also took Ben around the concourse to have some autographs and pictures taken. Ben had a pretty good time, except for a close encounter with Goldy Gopher!

Quinn's 2nd MRI

Quinn and Mom in the waiting room.

Getting ready for the IV

All dressed and ready to go!

Quinn underwent another MRI to see how much swelling and inflammation was still in his spinal cord. We were at Children's in Minnetonka at 7 am and Quinn had to be put under again. Everything went very well and we were home with the little guy around 11 am.

We met with the neurologist the following Wednesday and he gave us the greatest news - There is no swelling or inflammation left in Quinn's spinal cord! He has officially moved into the category of someone who has HAD Transverse Myelitis, no longer someone who HAS TM!! We are so lucky and blessed, we NEVER thought this would have such a positive outcome! Quinn will still have PT as he has a few motor deficits that can benefit from PT but he is essentially right back on track in terms of his physical development. He is a crawling maniac and loves to get into everything he can. He has learned to clap and Chris swears he says Da-da. We are so thankful for the excellent medical care that Quinn has and is receiving, his doctors and therapists are amazing! We will continue to keep everyone posted!