Grandma comes to play

We always love having visitors and when grandma came a month ago it was no exception. I'm not sure how much of a vacation it was for her, but she was so sweet to come and help us. It's been harder and harder to take care of Andrew. I'm wasn't able to lift much of anything, so grocery shopping, getting Andrew in and out of the car, his booster seat, doing laundry and chasing him down to get dressed and change his diaper is becoming nearly impossible. Grandma's timing couldn't have been better as we are trying to take every precaution with this pregnancy.

Andrew of course loved every minute of attention from grandma and soaked it all in. He asked every morning where grandma was and if he could wake her up. But I think his most favorite thing to do with Grandma was to...of course walk. He'd love to walk with her hand either to the laundry room and shut the door so it would be completely dark, or he'd walk her to his bedroom and "put her to bed" have her lay down and sleep on his bed. He'd even sing a song or two and maybe read a book, then close the door. It kind of became a joke that it was "hard work" to play with Andrew because he'd just put you to bed. As much as they played that little game I never got a picture, but did get some cute ones of Grandma and Andrew!

 Storytime with Grandma

 Playing with cars

 Playing with leftover fireworks on the front porch

Walking around the park 

Grandma also helped us do lots of organizing and unpacking. Which was a huge help, as that too has been a slow process with me being pregnant and not able to do much. With all of that said...we did squeeze in a little playing time. 

Stephen took Andrew and his mom hiking on the weekend. They found a fun new spot with a gorgeous view and lots of steps! 

Before she left, Stephen decided to take a day off and we headed downtown to check out the Georgia Aquarium. Which was incredible!! One of the best aquariums I've been to by far. Apparently when it opened it was the largest in the aquarium in the world. It has 11 dolphins that put on a pretty fun dolphin show  with all their jumps, twists, dives and splashes.  I also loved seeing the huge aquatic life like the beluga whales, whale sharks and manta rays. What a fun day!

Petting the Sting Rays

 This picture doesn't do it justice at how huge the Manta ray is.

Andrew had fun taking pictures of the animals too. This one of the jelly

fish actually turned out pretty cool. 

 The only way I could have gone was if I was in a wheel chair. Andrew loved going for a ride in "mommy's stroller" 

Andrew's Surgery

With a little extra time on my hands these days, we are catching up on some overdue blog posts! 

Last month Andrew had Surgery on his legs. This was a surgery that had been recommended to us and there are only two doctors in the country who perform this specific surgery on kids with CP. One doctor is in New Jersey and the other is in Galveston, Texas. We were hoping that we could get in and do it before we moved, so we could just make the 6 hour drive to Galveston.... But no such luck! 

This surgery was an optional surgery, one that we didn't need to do. It was tough to try and decide whether or not this was the best thing for Andrew. After tons of research, consulting with different doctors and therapists, and much prayer we decided to go for it. Here's a little bit about what Stephen and I had been contemplating as parents. [taken from an email written to our family]

We are grateful that Andrew was approved and is a candidate for this procedure. Stephen will be flying with him to a doctor we were referred to down in Galveston, TX on Wednesday. The surgery he'll be having on Friday is a SPML (Selective Percutaneous Myofascial Lengthening) Surgery. Most kids with CP have to go through numerous tendon lengthenings surgeries throughout their life. Their muscles (because of the spasticity and tightness) cannot keep up with the growth of their bones and if not taken care of can cause bone growth deformities. The reason we are flying back to Texas for this procedure is because this specific doctor, Dr. Yngve uses a unique approach (less time under anesthesia, 2-3mm incisions, less scarring and has a longer lasting impact) He will be having it done in four different places on each leg from his hips to his ankles. Then it will be a 4-6 weeks of recovery.  We are praying and hoping this will help him in the long run with his bone growth as well as helping him be more independent with walking and other activities. 

We had only consulted with Dr. Yngve over the phone and he explained that Andrew would have the procedure done in four different places. His inner thighs, hamstrings, calves and ankles.  But after his actual consult in person before the surgery the doctor didn't feel that Andrew needed the whole procedure in all the areas. So they ended up just doing the calves and the ankles. In some ways this is good....in that he's not as severe as the doctor originally thought,  But half of our issues is that Andrew is really still really struggling sitting on his bottom because he is so tight in his hamstrings. We have mixed emotions that the doctor didn't just do everything. But maybe next time around. 

Stephen was a trooper to take this on himself and let me rest at home. He flew with Andrew by himself and did everything. To buy some time the day before the surgery, they found the NASA space center just outside of Houston and walked around some of the exhibits. Andrew of course LOVED this.

The first few days post-surgery Andrew was in a lot of pain and wanted to walk. He couldn't walk because of the pain, so he'd just stand and cry. Since it was a same-day surgery, they pretty much hung out in the hotel room ordered pizza and watched movies on the iPad for a few days. Stephen tried to venture to the Houston Zoo one day as a distraction, but that pretty much backfired. Andrew just wasn't himself. They came home a few days later and he did just fine. 

He can walk if he holds your hand and hasn't been bothered by the casts at all. The are pretty similar to his regular braces. So he's adapted pretty well.


Here's a little before surgery walking taken at the NASA space center

Life in bed in the hotel room. 

Those are some BRIGHT green casts!

He tried really hard to ride his new trike, but it was pretty tricky with casts. 

Four weeks later his casts are now off. He was fitted for new braces and we are crossing our fingers that we can see a difference in his ability to walk and keep his balance.

Bed Rest

I knew with this pregnancy, with my history and being pregnant with twins again... There would be some point where I would need to go on bed rest. Well, that point came a little earlier than I had hoped. But we are so very grateful that this time around we at least got some warning and thanks to modern medicine things were able to be stopped. 

The last few weeks as the days ticked by, both Stephen and I have been nervous, anxious and emotionally stressed knowing that we were getting closer and closer to the time that I delivered Andrew and Ethan. 26 weeks 4 days. It has been etched in my heart for many different reasons.  

A few weeks ago I had started feeling some Braxton Hicks contraction, which I never felt last time around. I had an appointment with my OB a few days after feeling them and he reassured me that they were completely normal. Well a few days later we were at church. I kept feeling them more constantly. Stephen and I left church a little early so I could go home and lay down. But before I could get to that point. I'd had a few more and we decided to just go get everything checked out. 

I'm so glad we did because apparently there was more happening then I could feel and I was constantly contracting. They immediately gave me steroid shots for the girls to help their lungs develop faster and put me on magnesium to calm the uterus and slow things down. 

This pregnancy I've seen a perinatalologist who specializes in high risk preganancies every two weeks since I was 12 weeks along. They do ultrasounds at every appointment and take all sorts of measurements. One of those being my cervix length. Anything above a 2.5 is in the normal range. Mine have usually averaged aroung 3.3-3.6. They checked it again when I was admitted to the hospital and it had dropped to a 2.1 and it was funneling(starting to open near the babies head). They then of course ran all sorts of test and said I was dialated to a 1-2cm. 

After three days of IV fluids and 24 hrs of magnesium sulfate (which makes you feel tired, dizzy, nauseous and just completely out of it.) They started me on indosium. Another muscle relaxer to help calm the uterus down. I went in for another ultrasound 3 days later.  Things had improved my cervix was a 2.6 and although the funneling was deeper, it was closing up. This was such a relief to hear.  I continued on the indosium and followed up again a few days later. My cervix measured 3.0 this time and the cervix was mostly closed. Who knew your cervix can change back? I sure didn't. At this point there was a big debate on whether I should stay at the hospital or I should go home and be on bed rest there. 

Thankfully my OB is totally on board with me staying. As hard as it is on my family to be gone. This is right where both Stephen and I would prefer me to be. I need to make it at least through the month of August. Then I will be 30 weeks and the risk of a long-term disability goes down significantly. These girls will most likely come early, but when is the big question. We'll see how things go and are taking it a day at a time. 

It been about a week and a half and for now this is life at the Holden home. We know that this is just temporary. Stephen has been amazing at just taking everything on. The household chores, taking care for Andrew plus all the stress with work. Our ward has been amazing and has step up and help this new family that most people don't even know. From taking Andrew at the drop of a hat to bringing meals by and visiting me at the hospital...they have been wonderful! Only in the church would you feel completely comfortable letting complete strangers take your child and bring you food and not worry one bit. I feel so grateful knowing my family is being taken care of. 

Frozen Quotes

As I've been laying low with these two girls...we have been playing a lot of movies. Frozen has been one of the top ones that Andrew's been in to lately. He's seen it so much he's starting to quote it. I just love his little voice repeating these big sentences!

"I just can't...the sky's awake so I'm awake. We HAVE to play!"


"Hey we were just talking about you...All good things, all good things."


"What's that smell? Mmmmmmmmm chocolate! Hehehe."


"We need to head this way to the North Mountain, Come on."

Happy Birthday America!

I seriously can't believe how fast the Fourth of July snuck up on us this year. Is it really already July? Stephen has been working some crazy hours with his new position and so a long weekend was exactly what we needed.

One of Stephen's good buddies from high school and his family live close by in Tennessee. They invited us up for a BBQ with their family. So we decided to escape from the city for a day. Unfortunately, they called us the night before and told us that their little girl was sick so the family wasn't coming over for the BBQ. Well, we decided we'd better not chance it either with Andrew and so we'd stay home. 

Then the next morning Stephen and I decided that since he had the day off we'd run up the rest of his sail boat gear. His friend, Jason is storing our small sailboat and has a small lake on his property where he can sail it with his boys. So we figured we'd still go up anyways and take the rest of the gear and just not stay....well, after driving and hour and a half we arrived...they convinced Stephen since they were going down to the lake that they should take a few poles and take Andrew fishing.....Well, that turned into a big event and then it was lunch time... before we knew it we were firing up the grill and having a bbq.

Ahh well, we did keep Andrew pretty much separated from their little girl who was sick, but the sad part is she's 3-years old as well. And it's been a week and we've had no sign of sickness at our household. So I think we were successful.

We had a wonderful time and it was so nice to get away for the day. They live on a beautiful little farm, with lots of land, chickens and dogs and an amazing garden. To top it all off it has an incredible view of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance. While Jason and Stephen and all the boys were out fishing, I helped Maria with some last minute freezing of blueberries and green beans freshly picked and was able to cuddle and hold their little one month old baby. Then of course the big boys had to drive into town and load up on some fireworks. Nothing is illegal in Tennessee, so we had quite the show that night.

This year Andrew LOVED the fireworks. After each one he would stop, clap his hands and cheer "wahoo". The loud ones didn't seem to bother him. He'd jump, then say "oh wow that one scared me!"  It was pretty funny. We did sparklers for the first time and he loved those as well. No fear in this kid. I was impressed at how long he lasted too. It's was after 10:30 before we finished and headed out. He was a such a trooper and unusually happy for that hour. Must have been all the celebrations. This years firework experience ended up being much better than last years 4th of July...hands down. No crying or screaming at all. Kids make the holidays that much more exciting and fun.  Although, I'll always remember how we spent his first 4th of July. He'd just come home from the hospital the day before and we watched fireworks from inside the house tethered to an oxygen tank.

Here's a few random photos from the day. Since we weren't going to stay I didn't bring my camera or my phone. Good thing Stephen remembered his and we were able to snap a few.

Catching a few catfish

 Here's what Andrew reeled in...

 He thought he was so grown up in his own chair!

 Playing with the big boys

 They had some of the sweetest dogs and Andrew kept asking 

if he could ride one like a horse...so finally we gave 

in and let him. They didn't seem to mind at all.

 SPARKLERS!!!

The big kids decided to get the pellet gun 

out and practice shooting targets.

We had such a fun day! Thanks Silvenis Family!!

Things I've learned in Georgia...

We have now been in Georgia a month and I've come to learn a few very interesting things about this place. It has been quite an adjustment for our family and I think of all the moves we've done the last 4 years...this one has by far affected Andrew the most. Although he's only 3, he certainly misses his friends in Texas....as do Stephen and I.

So here is my Georgia Top 10 list of things I've learned this past month while living here...

1. Accents. I thought I'd be bombarded by huge southern accents that I wouldn't be able to understand. Come to find out, Atlanta is really a melting pot of people and cultures. Most everyone has moved here from somewhere else and there are very few native Georgians in the Atlanta area. I come across one every now and then, but so far we really haven't had too hard of a time deciphering through the southern accents!

2. Rain. I have NEVER seen so much rain in my ENTIRE life!! It's a rare day that it doesn't rain. Umbrellas are my new best friend. Went and bought one for each car and a compact one for my purse...never get caught without one. It comes quick and it comes hard. Then it's gone and sunny. The 90% humidity however seems to always stick around, but my curly hair has never been curlier!

3. Apartments. Apartment living with a toddler is harder then I thought it would be. I knew it would be different and I knew it would be a challenge, but having no backyard and very little space inside has certainly been an adjustment. Sooooo we've had to be creative!

Picnics on the front porch 

Go on walks

 Sensory play on the back deck

Swimming at the pool in the complex

Feeding the ducks at the Chattahoochee River close by.

Boxes have also become endless entertainment

We try to venture out as much as we can...while I still can. :)

4. Location. One amazing thing about living in the city in an apartment is everything we'd ever need is in about an 8 mile radius. The proximity is awesome! I LOVE it!! All of Andrew's doctors are at the children's hospital about 5 miles down the road. My doctors are just across the street at another hospital.  The Atlanta temple and our ward building is literally 5 blocks away. So many different shopping areas, I'll never be able to hit them all up or keep them straight. It's awesome! We used to drive over an hour to Fort Worth for all Andrew's Neuro-stuff and almost 45 min just for his pediatrician. I'm going to get real spoiled really fast with this new convenience .

5. Fireflies. I've decided that my new favorite past-time is to watch fireflies at night. Tried to catch some the other night, but didn't have much success as I was getting bitten by many other six-legged creatures! 

Awesome picture courtesy of google. 

6. Hills and Trees. The first thing I noticed when we got here was how many huge green trees and how there are hills there are everywhere. When you drive down in interstate it's just walls of trees on either side. Sometimes I get claustrophobic because I can't see out, and as big and beautiful as they are it makes finding things even harder and frustrating. You can drive right by your destination and not even know it, because so many trees block your view. So as beautiful as they are, I find them to be a bit frustrating. 

7. Bugs. Bug spray is a must! With all those trees and woods and of course the warm weather comes lots and lots of bugs! I thought I knew bugs living in Texas, but it's way different out here. Those college students who sell pest control in the south during the summer...well, it is a NECESSITY out here!  The nighttime symphony outside my window each evening with all the different bugs and critters is fun though. 

8. Grits. Grits is for breakfast. Everyone tells us you have to try grits and you have to have them for breakfast not for dinner AND you must put lots of butter and cheese!  So I bought some at the store and tried it this week. I'm not a huge fan, but maybe I'm just not making them right...I'll have to experiment more.

9. Moss grows everywhere. Moss and mold. Some people wouldn't think this is a big deal. But for a Utah girl. This is crazy and weird to me that moss will just randomly grow on trees, sidewalks, railings etc. We actually have to run our air conditioning more for the fact of reducing the humidity in the air, then really cooling us off. It really hasn't gotten much hotter then the low 90's, but the humidity makes it seem much hotter than that. Everyone warned us about how hot it would be, but honestly I'd rather take this weather than 3-4 months of 100+ degree weather in Texas.  

10. Atlanta Driving and Roads.  Navigating in a new city is always  a fun adventure. The Roads are CRAZY out here. First of all traffic...of course all big cities have traffic...it's just apart of life. And I'm pretty used to it after living in Chicago and Dallas. But the roads in Atlanta were not planned to handle the amount of traffic this city has. What would be a 2-3 lane road each way in Dallas is a single lane road each way here. I learned the hard way to not leave my house between the hours of 4:30-7:00 pm. It took me almost 45 minutes to get home from the grocery store, just 4 miles away.

You can come to a light and each road at that intersection has a completely different name. So even if you go straight through the light you just might be on a completely different road. It makes no sense to me.

Georgians are also not very creative when it comes to naming streets. There are many variations of the same name.  Peachtree is a popular road name down here. Just to name a few, we have Peachtree-Dunwoody, Peachtree Village Way, Peachtree NE, Peachtree Pkwy, Peachtree Creek Rd, Peachtree Memorial Rd, New Peachtree Drive....etc Yes. I heard there are over 70 variations of different "Peachtree" streets just in Atlanta city limits, plus countless others across the state. 

All I can say is after a month of driving in Atlanta,  I am so very thankful for my GPS.

Father's Day Celebrations

Since we really didn't do anything for Stephen's birthday we decided to make it a whole weekend of celebrations for Father's Day. Stephen wanted to go on a hike. So we found a fun place not too far away that was simply the most beautiful retreat from the city. It was just what we needed.

In the northeast corner of Georgia, just on the boarder next to South Carolina is Talullah Falls. We thought it would be fun to go and explore this state park and see a few water falls. After going on a few trails and exploring the hills of North Georgia, I definitely think I've fallen in love with the beauty of this part of the country. It was simply breathtaking and a spectacular canyon with lots of easy trails and overlooks. Then Stephen decided to be adventurous and take Andrew by himself down 330 steps and across the suspension bridge that connects both sides of the gorge. He was brave...especially to take an extra 35 lbs on his back.

Then we decided to hit up a little mom and pop BBQ joint close by. Living in Texas has made us both huge BBQ fans. Both Stephen and I love meat and I don't think I'd ever get tired of BBQ. Well, we tried to do some reasearch and  we think we found a favorite! 

Here's Stephen in mid-sentence with his first bite of his ribs. Just imagine him saying "oh man....these are A-Maz-Ing!" The look on his face is priceless. 

Georgia proved us once again.  When we were strolling through Target afterwards we found some of this Texas delicacy! We had to stalk up although it's quite a bit more expensive then what we would pay in Texas. It was well worth it!  

Sunday was just the icing on the cake...sleeping in. Skyping with both sides of the family and Andrew giving daddy a little homemade gift! I sure am grateful for such a wonderful husband who puts his family first. He is an amazing dad to Andrew and will be to our little girls. Andrew looks up to him so much and asks multiple times a day if we can go to work to be with daddy. He adores his dad and so do I.

Happy Father's Day Stephen!