Thank you Angela from North Dakota for walking on behalf of team "Rocky"!!!! The letter below was written by her 1st grader.

North Dakota raised 90,000 for the March of Dimes

_______________________________________

Dear Carter,

Today we walkd for you becase you r too little to walk yorslf.
It was cold on the walk and my legs got tired. My legs rn't vry long but they r bigher then yours.
We talked about you the whol time we walked. That helpped.
My mommy shoed me picures of you. You are vry litle and vry cute.
I hoop you get that thing out of yur nos soon.
Please grow big so you can walk wif us next time. Lots of us r prying for you. Grow good.
Love,
AnneMarie

Warmest Wishes,

Angela Smith
http://www.hopehealingempowerment.blogspot.com
http://www.thevictimsvoices.blogspot.com

I am happy to report that my son is doing GREAT!!!! I am so proud of him and so excited to be in a place of happiness as he has been through so much.


I am Mrs Alabama Int'l 2009 and very excited. I understand the thoughts that are out there about me competing but as I walked last week with great friends, my husband and my furry family, I was once again reminded of the beautiful people I met through pageantry.

My story is not one that I lived alone. There are many that go through this daily yet move on. People ask me how I do it. It is my SON, Carter, (my biggest hero)MY HUSBAND AND HIS REMARKABLE SERVICE, Tiffany Berg and her husband, Laine Berry and her family, Cay Stout, Ryan and your beautiful daughter, my sister and my parents, AJ and your heart and Lori...your soul, CJ...my point is I am so not alone in my story and my life. When I lost my parents, I picked up the phone everyday hoping my Mom would answer. I am soooo blessed to those who answer the call.

If you let the world tear you down, it will because it doesn't get better until you make those strides. YOU ARE BETTER if you fill the shoes you walk in, not judge them.

Good morning-

I had a great weekend with family and friends which started off with a walk for the MARCH OF DIMES. Laquisha Hall (Mrs MD Galaxy 2009), Peta Gay Lewis, Heather Ablondi (Mrs MD Int'l 2008) and of course my wonderful husband, Halo and Jack all joined in. It was a great walk and very warm. The turnout was amazing and our team raised $500 for the MD walk. Go team "Rocky"!!!!

Thank you to all work donated and walked this weekend on behalf of Carter (aka- Team Rocky)

Connie Sharp in Ohio, Amy Gregario in Illinois, Angela Smith in North Dakota, Joy Wadsworth in Alabama.

Love to all!!!!!!

I wanted to thank my wonderful friends and family who have donated to the March of Dimes for Carters walk this Saturday and my incredible friends who are walking too! Carter thanks you, I thank you and all of the babies born everyday thank you!!!!

Amy Gregario- Walking in Illinois
Joy Wadsworth- Walking in Alabama
Heather Ablondi- Walking in Baltimore, MD
Laquisha Hall- Walking in Rockville, MD
Peta Gay Lewis- Walking in Rockville, MD
Angela Smith- Walking in North Dakota

Darlene Deeben, Meredith Boyd, Dr Bonnie Jeffries and of course my wonderful husband!

http://www.marchforbabies.org/teams/CarterThomasLinz


Its not to late to donate or walk!!!!!

You looking at me?
Guardian Smurfs!


I have a thought!


It is hard to believe Carter has been in the NICU for 106 days, but he is doing well. We love the NICU staff and I continue to praise them for all they do EVERYDAY. I have to tell you, one thing I noticed in the NICU is there are A LOT of twins out there!

Easter was celebrated with Carters 100th day of life and also Andy and I's wedding anniversary. We technically celebrate two each year but this is the "official" one:)

Carter is still on hi-flow but is getting bigger each day. He is up to 4lbs, 16 oz. We are doing the March of Dimes walk for him next week. Excited.

http://www.marchforbabies.org/teams/CarterThomasLinz



Many positive things on the horizon and I will post more later!

Love to all-

Deanna, Andy, Carter, Halo, Josie & Jack

So today I was watching the news and I have an issue....

Everyone, including President Obama states that we are coming home from Iraq. It makes a great speech and he does it well but there is one point that seems to be out of the spot light.

My sister is deploying to Afghanistan for 15 months, Carters Doctor deployed and his nurses have deployed and are deploying.

I realize in the economic state it is easy to forget and the media is not covering it as it was.

We continue to deploy daily. There are over 20K in Afghanistan.

I love you Mommy!!!Really 1st runner up! Yeah!
Beautiful Amy & Carter
The stunning Mrs ladies...Ginny Meerman, Rebecca Crosen, Amy G and Laura Price
Clay Spann and the gals!
Clay, Joey and I giving me the "Competitive Image":)))
Beautiful Laine Berry, Mrs International and I
Joey, Clay and I! Thank goodness the dress zipped up!
My love and baby daddy....Andy...my love
Andrienne Carver, Mrs MD Intl 2009. You rocked beautiful lady! Congrats!
Cocktail Party
Orientation
Laine Berry, Heather Ablondi and I.

I had such a nice weekend with family, friends and the contestants. The Miss Teen, Preteen and Mrs Categories had some remarkable women and young ladies competing. I am sure it was hard for the judges to choose and as we all know…there can only be one winner!



In the Mrs:



Adrienne Watson Carver- Winner and winner of most people in the audience

Deanna Linz- First Runner up and Photogenic (Clay Spann did my photos and ad and he is AMAZING!!!)

LaQuisha Hall- 2nd runner up and Congeniality



I did my best and I have no regrets. I love the International system and family. Clay Spann, Joey Rutherford and Terri came in from Alabama to do my hair, make up and to GET ME INTO THAT DRESS))) After having a baby in January, I am not “Mrs Fitness” yet so some things were a bit tight….who breathes in a pageant anyway….right? They are remarkable people and geniuses when it comes to wardrobe and makeup. I have been working with them for 4 years now and feel so lucky to have them in my life. There links are at the top of the blog and I highly recommend them!!!!



My good friend Amy Gregario also flew in from Illinois for support. She had quite the spread in the hotel room for after the pageant. SOOOOOO sweet! Love you AMY!!!!! You have been such a wonderful friend to me and I thank you so much for ALWAYS being there. Not sure what I would do without our daily calls and text for motivation. You look AMAZING!



I have to say all the contestants were so sweet. What an amazing group of caring and sincere ladies.



The beautiful Mrs Laine Berry was also in attendance and judged the Teen category. She looked STUNNING (of course) and I am so proud of all the work she is doing for Go Red and the International system.



To Joe & Dimitri….ahh the journey….thank you for believing in me. Hugging you all the way from Maryland!!!! With both arms!



Andy, I won’t tell you I will never compete again because that would be a LIE))))) I still have one more chance to be Mrs International!!!! After that I am done...no REALLY!!!!!


I know there was a lot of question about me doing the pageant and I am glad I did. I will continue to do my work with America Supports You, Go Red and various other organizations. It is important to get out there and make a difference. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed because lets face it, we wouldn’t enter a pageant if we didn’t want to win; however, I am also very excited for Adrienne. She will do remarkable things for the state of Maryland and I think will shine in Chicago. Supporting her all the way!





Carter is doing well and growing daily. I am so proud of him. Thank you to all who came to see him this weekend. High five from Carter!



Much love to all….Deanna, Andy, Carter, Halo, Josie & Jack

So I just got back from visiting my little perfect man and very excited for the weekend to begin. Today we have check in, rehearsals and a cocktail party. I am very much looking forward to seeing my good friends this weekend and celebrating marriage with my husband. As I said to him this morning, "Thank you for loving me, giving me Carter and being so incredibly special".Of course I told him this about 4am so I am hoping he remembers...which is why I am writing it down!

This also would have been my Fathers birthday weekend. Happy Birthday and I miss you daily.

I am off to get ready and then drive up. I must be crazy because I spray tanned this morning and IT IS RAINING!!!! So far this week, my dress was altered wrong, the hospital was hit by lightening this morning so every siren was going off and my friends who are coming in had a bumpy road and almost didn't make it at the airport!

But...God is great, Carter is great and life is great.....there are far worse things to worry about, right!:)

If you are coming to the pageant, it is at Kent Island High school. Pageant is 8-11pm tomorrow night!

Many thanks again to Joe and Dimitri for sponsoring me and believing in me. Without you, this would not be possible. I love you always....

To the sisters I am competing with, could you be any more beautiful? Inside and out. Thank you Peta and Laquisha for walking with me for Carter. You are incredible ladies!

God is great...safe travels-

Deanna

Mrs Rockville Maryland International 2009 and proud Mommy to Carter!

Well as you can imagine, I am on cloud nine and feel so blessed...God is GREAT!


I have made the decision to compete for Mrs Maryland International. This was a decision I made right after Mrs International last year (literally) and then God gave us the beautiful gift of Carter and everything changed. Because of our journey, I have learned and grown so much. There are days I thought my heart would break and I just wanted to crawl in a hole. As I look around the NICU and see how many babies come in EVERYDAY, I am far from alone in my story as many have gone through it before and will continue to even after Carter is home. Feeling sorry for myself is not an option. What good would I be for my son if I did that. I fell in love with the International system because of the people involved in it and the extended family it has given me through my sisters in pageantry. The amazing women I have met humble me. I have seen them come together through tragedy and rally when needed. The love and support I have felt for Carter leaves me speechless and so blessed I could not have gotten through this without it.


I have choices in life. I remember after I lost my parents I felt so alone but I knew my parents would want me to live my life and make a difference, which is why I became involved with the American Heart Association. Through my sisters battle with breast cancer, I became involved with various breast cancer events and walks.Even after walking so many miles, I realized I did not walk in her shoes. Through my husband and his 5 deployments in 9 years, I have learned the value of our military and the sacrifices they make everyday.

My journey through life is one that many people live everyday. The challenges we face, the tragedy's and the beautiful gift called life. My choice is to stand up for my family, my son, my husband and my God and hopefully make a difference.


I am humbly inspired by people like Cay Stout who lost her husband to ALS, Jervaun Trier and her husband for the missionary work they do, Lindsey Brothers for her work with the Armed Forces, Laine Berry for all she has gone through with her parents health and her ability to make a difference, Amy Gregario for doing so much for so many, the doctors and nurses that take care of our beautiful babies everyday and save lifes....and the list goes on and on.


So I am competing for my son, my husband and those who make the choice everyday to stand up and make a difference. I realize a crown is not what you need to do that but it does offer the platform to be heard on a broader level. If I can just touch one person, then my job is done....


The Maryland International family is a beautiful one. There are so many incredible people involved and competing. The ladies are beautiful and frankly it is anyone's pageant. I encourage and ask to please support all of us who are competing. We are all excited and support each other, which again, is what makes the International family so special. We all have stories so don't judge until you walk in someone shoes. We all know what we can handle.

To Joe Peri & Dimitri, love you guys! Thank you for continuing to sponsor my journey. I'll do my best!

To my little hero Carter and my big hero Andy, I love you both...with everything I have. You make me want to be a better person everyday....

God is great!

It has been a great few weeks. Carter has made great strides and is doing well on hi flow. He was moved to the intermediate side of the NICU yesterday and I am soooooo proud of him!!! They always say that God doesn't give you anything you can't handle. I hope I have made him proud. I truly believe our little Carter is meant for great things!!!

Andy's parents came in this past weekend and unfortunatly my Mother in law was to sick to come to the hospital to visit Carter. My Father in law came though along with Uncle Tommy and we got some cute photos. Grandpa held Carter for the first time.

This is a wonderful and exciting week for us. I am looking forward to visiting with good friends this weekend.

Much love and MANY thanks for all the prayers.

Carters Mommy:)

Today I am writing with GREAT EXCITEMENT! Carter is doing very well!!!! It is so exciting to see the progression when there have been so many days of nothing but tears. I bathed him yesterday and he was able to breathe room air without desatting. He is so cute and was just looking around. HE HATES THE CPAP but hopefully he will be on hi flow next week. I have nothing but wonderful news to share.

Andy and I feel so blessed for all the love and prayers that have come our way. It is the power of God that has really pulled him through everything.

Today is also my wonderful husbands BIRTHDAY! So to my husband....I LOVE YOU each and everyday just a little bit more. You are my world, my sunshine and my BABY DADDY!

Much love and prayers- Deanna

I was so excited and honored today when we recieved this certificate from the Secretary of the Army and the Army Chief of Staff, along with an Army lapel pin!

We also feel so blessed that the military is taking such wonderful care of Carter.

Many blessings to our Doctors & Nurses and all who continue to serve daily.

Which way does the diaper go? Help Clarence! (Clarence is one of Carters favorite nurses and ours:)
Are you serious...I can do this on my own!

LOVE BRANDY!

We have been so blessed this week and thank you to the doctors and nurses at the National Naval Medical Center.

Carter had a good week. For the first time, I cried happy tears....He apparently decided yesterday ENOUGH and today he is on CPAP. This is great news for him and he is in an open crib! Clarence, Anya & Brandy have done such an amazing job this week and I just want to say THANK YOU!

Daddy changed his diaper today and held him for the first time!

As a follow up, I am doing the March of Dimes walk in April. I hope you can join me. Information is listed below.

http://www.marchforbabies.org/teams/CarterThomasLinz

Much love...many thanks and MANY blessings-

Deanna, Andy & Carter (and Halo, Josie & Jack :)

Last week I was sitting in the NICU and I looked over and found my self upset that another baby had made it onto the CPAP and Carter had not. This beautiful blessing was born about 4 days after Carter so had been there as long as us and gestationally just as challenged. On Saturday, we could tell he was having a bad day but this to me was just what Carter had gone through. On Sunday, he wasn't there. Please pray for him and his family. My heart breaks for them.

Carter's nurse asked me today why it would bother me if Carter passed away. "Was it because he has been through so much?" I am pretty horrified by this statement because he is my son. Regardless of the challenges we may face...HE IS OUR SON.

People aren't perfect, I am not perfect and life is not perfect. I am married to one of the greatest men I have ever known with a beautiful son and soooo blessed to have the love of friends, family and God with me daily.

Carter's eye surgery went well. We won't know for about two weeks as far as the outcome. We know he will have some vision challenges but it could just be him being near sighted. I pray for a positive outcome so he can see just how special he is.

Please pray for the joy in the NICU that has been with Carter, the children who struggle everyday,our doctor who is deploying and our neighbors in life who live a life we may never know but are heroes in everything they do.

God bless our angels in waiting.

Today we met with Carters opthamologist team. He has ROP. Yes, I feel at times like he has hit every issue in the preemie book. He is having surgery tomorrow on both eyes. Scared, yes but out of everything Carter has been through, I want him to see. On some level, it hit me in a different way because I want him to see the beauty in life, smell the flowers and hear the sounds of life.

Many have asked what ROP is: Retinopathy of Prematurity
The eyes of premature infants are especially vulnerable to injury after birth. A serious complication is called retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), which is abnormal growth of the blood vessels in an infant's eye. About 7% of babies weighing 1,250 grams (2.75 pounds) or less at birth develop ROP, and the resulting damage may range from mild (the need for glasses) to severe (blindness). The cause of ROP in premature infants is unknown. Although it was previously thought that too much oxygen was the primary problem, further research has shown that oxygen levels (either too low or too high) play only a contributing factor in the development of ROP. Premature babies receive eye exams in the NICU to check for ROP.


He is our joy, our blessing and my little fighter.

Today he is 3lbs 3 oz and 15 inches.

Much love-

Deanna, Andy & Carter

Andy and I have been working with America Supports You for over 4 years. As a military spouse, I am so proud and now as a mother touched by it all.One of Carter's attendings is being deployed to Afghanistan. She will be gone for at least a year. My heart aches for her and I pray for her safe return. I think it is so easy to forget but the war continues and our military family continues to deploy.

We have had very bad days and days filled with so many blessings. I never thought my life would be as it is at this moment but feel so blessed for all God has given us.

Much love to all- Deanna, Andy, Carter, Halo, Josie & Jack

Please log onto :

http://www.marchforbabies.org/teams/CarterThomasLinz





As many know, Andy and I were blessed with the birth of our son, Carter Thomas Linz on January 2, 2009. He came into this world at 23 weeks weighing just 1 lb, 8oz..
He has been through pulmonary blebs, IVH, NEC and heart surgery for his PDA. He continues to be our little "rocky" and beat the statistics. We are so proud of him.
This walk is for him....


Join us in the walk that helps all moms and babies.
The money we raise for March for Babies will help:
...support all-important research offering preventions and solutions for babies born too soon or with birth defects
...educate women on things they can do to increase their chances of having a healthy baby
...provide comfort and information to families with a newborn in intensive care
...push for newborn screening and health insurance for all pregnant women and children.
Please help our team help babies— click JOIN THIS TEAM at the top of the page and get started!

The mission of March of Dimes is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality..

Snowy Day!

Today it is snowing outside, a lot! I don't think I have seen this much since we lived in Germany.

Carter has had a good few weeks. His lungs are still very sick but he is growing, which is good. Still no feeds but with any luck, today is the day! He is 1285 grams today. Who would have thought that my college math classes would come into play in my lifetime :) Carter is 59 days old today!

Heather Ablondi came to visit Carter and I last week. She had two premature deliveries herself so it was wonderful to have someone who has been there to come visit. She has done remarkable work with the March of Dimes. I have come to use them as a source of information. You can feel very alone in the NICU sometimes but I have come to realize that there are many babies born prematurely. I am going to walk for Carter in April for the March of Dimes. Once I have all the information, I will post it...hopefully you can share in my journey and help to make a difference.

Each day I find us getting stronger, ALL OF US. They always say God does not give you anything you cannot handle. For him, my son and my husband...I am choosing to be the best I can be everyday and do the best I can. As I have said, laying down is not an option.

Things have been quiet with Carter for the last week! Yes, this is good news! Is Carter getting "better"...No but he is getting bigger which is what we need for his lungs. We have been very lucky that his NEC has not progressed. Hopefully on Friday he can start feeds, very small, but still the nutrition he needs. It has been almost three weeks for him.

I firmly believe in the power of prayer and in little miracles. I cannot thank everyone enough for all the love and support that has come our way.

This week was also Halo's birthday. As some may know, Halo was given to me by my Mother and was the last gift I recieved from my parents so she is a very special little girl to us. She celebrated her birthday with Jack & Josie and cannot wait to meet our little Carter.

I also want to thank "The Stars" @ The Bridge Community Church and Rebecca Crosen for their beautiful get well cards for Carter.

Carter is 53 days old today. He is 2 lbs and 11 oz. A friend of mine called him "ROCKY" and the name sticks. He is our fighter, our blessing, and a gift to remind me daily that God is with us and to believe we are never alone.

Some have wondered how I am getting through things. I feel like I am channeling my Father when I say we have choices in life. God gives us lessons and fills us with love. If I lay down now, what good am I for my son.

With much love and many, many blessings...Deanna, Andy, Carter, Halo, Josie and Jack.

Wanted to give an update on Carter. I included definitions as far as what some things are. Thank goodness for Google! This explains things better than I can.



Carter has had a few quiet days, thank goodness after Saturday. Nothing really has changed except minor changes to his vent. We spoke with the third year fellow last night and he did say to us that in his three years as a fellow he has never seen lungs as sick as Carter. I also blatantly asked him if this can be resolved and he did say yes but he will need to get the advice of others. I am taking this as positive but we know that Carter has really sick lungs. Pulmonary Blebs are uncommon in preemies and being on a vent for 47 days is also damaging to the lungs. They try to be informative and keep us in the reality of it all at the same time. At least they are not giving up hope.



The also spoke with us that there is a POSIBILITY and I say that is more of a … “hey we will keep an eye on it”….that Carter may have NEC.



What Is Necrotizing Enterocolitis?

A gastrointestinal disease that mostly affects premature infants, NEC involves infection and inflammation that causes destruction of the bowel (intestine) or part of the bowel. Although it affects only one in 2,000 to 4,000 births, or between 1% and 5% of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admissions, NEC is the most common and serious gastrointestinal disorder among hospitalized preterm infants.

Today he is having a head Ultrasound. His platelets are low and have been consistently so they are checking for where they may be going or if he is just not producing enough of them. He has had multiple transfusions. Because he has IVH, they are just doing the ultrasound to rule out possibilities so at this time there is a not a point of concern. We will get results today.



(INTRAVENTRICULAR HEMORRHAGE Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) is a generic term that refers to bleeding that begins in the germinal matrix of the brain’s ventricles. This condition most commonly affects premature babies. IVH is graded into four categories from mildest to most severe: subependymal haemorrhage or Grade I IVH, intraventricular hemorrhage or Grade II IVH, ventricular dilatation also called ventriculomegaly or Grade III IVH, and intraparenchymal hemorrhage due to rupture of the blood into the brain from within the ventricles or Grade IV IVH.)



They did an x-ray this morning but the doctors have not reviewed them yet. They had a new admit and rounds. By noon, we should know if there are any changes and if anything will change from a medical perspective today. I am just waiting.



It does feel like everyday there is something and Carter is our little “Rocky” as far as continuing to push through. We are very proud of our little man.



Weight 2 pounds, 5 oz and 14 inches