4.30.2016

Birthday Celebrations!

My baby is 5...

How is that I don't feel any older, and yet my children are growing up too fast around me. The last year Andrew has been inviting everyone he meets from doctors and nurses, to the stranger at the grocery store and all of his teachers and friends to his birthday party. So I knew that we need to throw a little friend party. But with his surgery date just 10 days before his birthday Stephen and I decided not to complicate things.

Then we realized after he attended a birthday party of a friends in the middle of February, that he could not wait until it was his turn to have a "fireman birthday" So we threw together a quick and easy birthday party.
I had fun putting together theses little invites!

We headed to the fire station and had all his friends join us there. The firemen did a wonderful job and it was pretty low key, easy and simple. They took us on a tour of the fire station, taught us about their clothes they wear and about the different trucks they drive. Then they let Andrew and all his friend climb in and play in all the different trucks. Afterwards we walked over to the park next door and had cupcakes. Simple and easy...and the kids had a blast! Andrew gets overwhelmed pretty easy and was done by that point. So we brought his presents home and opened them the next day after church. It was great and super easy! He loved it and now he want's to be a real fireman and drive a firetruck.

 Climbing in the trucks! 

 He did not want to move! He could have spent all day in that drivers seat! 

 The girls had a blast too exploring everywhere!








On his actual birthday, it was just 10 days after surgery so we played it pretty low key... which was nice. Grandma Holden was here and able to celebrate with us.


He woke up to one of his presents laid out across our entire family room floor! He was ecstatic about his new train set and has played with it and built tracks with bridges and tunnels almost every day since. The hardest part about this toy is that his sisters love it just as much as he does and seem to wreck it just as fast as we can build it.



We had to pull him away to eat some breakfast birthday pancakes 

After a morning at therapy and orthotics fitting appointments, we had his preschool teachers and the school nurse who works with Andrew stop by our house. Which was a fun surprise! 




A "whole hand" old

We also had Aunt PJ and Uncle Chuck  come down from North Carolina for the evening!! We had a little BBQ and opened presents. This kid was in heaven and spoiled by everyone. It was a wonderful day and we loved celebrating our Andrew.





The girls dived right into the cake!!! Yum! 


FaceTiming with Grandpa Jerry & Grandma Lyn as we open presents!

Sisters are trying out some of the birthday presents!




Here's his yearly interview....

  • This kid tries to negotiate just about everything under the sun. He's got it down pretty good and seems to think he can find a way to get whatever he wants. 
  • He can strike up a conversation with just about anybody and introduces himself to just about everyone he sees. 
  • He has the biggest imagination that I've ever seen. If I can't get him to do something I need him to do, if I can figure out a creative way to incorporate some sort of pretend play he dives right in and plays along. He especially loves to pretend he's a bus driver and
  • He still continues to be obsessed with anything with wheels on it. Cars, Trucks, Busses Bikes and his latest obsession is Trains. 
  • He LOVES school and is seriously sad when he has a vacation and always asks why we don't go to school on Saturday and Sunday. 
  • Despite his sisters teasing and toy taking he is the best big brother and loves to help his sisters and gives them the cutest kisses at bedtime. 
And as for this kids 5 year stats...

Weight: 34 lbs  6th Percentile
Height 39.25 inches  2nd Percentile

Our pediatrician was excited with his "growth spurt" and gave us the two thumbs up that he's now on the growth charts. We are finally putting away his 2T pants and we are still adding extra calories to everything. But we love out Big Boy! I have a feeling this year is going to be the best one yet!! Love him!

3.15.2016

Dancing in the Kitchen

Dear Andrew,

As I sit by your bedside from your now 7th surgery in the last almost 4 years. My heart just aches as I see you lay in that bed with so many cords and tubes and especially seeing your epidural. This surgery compared to all there rest you have had is going to be the hardest one yet.  Right now you are wide awake and asking such silly questions and watching t.v.  So although it's after 11, I'm writing a bit on the blog to pass the time. You will be on pretty strong pain medications for the next few days as you have to lay flat so you don't feel too much now.  But in a few days when they take your epidural out, it will be much different. It's overwhelming to know the long long road ahead of you as "we" recover.  The last little while you have truly become my little hero!  I will be honest the last few weeks as your surgery has gotten closer and closer I've been a ball of emotions. Wondering if this is truly the right thing for you and anxious about how you will respond to therapy 5 days a week for the next six month and then 2-4 times a week for the next few years. It will be hard, but it will be worth it. You've been doing so well with your walking and progress with school and potty training. It will be difficult to have to re-learn everything.

Your dad and I have felt many confirmations this was the next step we should take with your medical care and now is the optimal time in your life to have this procedure done. We'd hoped that this surgery will give you more abilities and prevent some of the negative effects that spasticity can have as you get older. When we are dealing with cutting nerves in the spine and we wanted to make sure you got the best care. This is the reason we came to St. Louis and work with Dr. Park and his team. Dr. Park has pioneered this type of surgery for kids with cerebral palsy and people from all around the world come to see this wonderful doctor.

Yesterday as we met with him, he was so positive with the outcome of this surgery for you. We almost couldn't believe the things he was saying. Because you are so strong and doing so well, he told us that you'd have a quicker recovery than most and that you'd eventually be able to do some amazing things that wouldn't be possible with spasticity like running, jumping, playing sports like swimming, soccer and karate. Those things have never really been a possibility. It's almost hard to believe that they will be apart of your future. This news is overwhelmingly exciting to both your dad and I.

My favorite memory from this last week was when we were dancing in the kitchen. One night after dinner, I put some music on to dance to as we were cleaning up and doing dishes. You came over to me and yanked on my hand and asked me to put on your favorite song "Brave". Of course when that song comes on you always ask me to dance...which melts my heart. So this night we danced together in the kitchen and I couldn't help think of the words and this surgery and the tears just started to come. You of course were giggling and laughing as we spun around and danced in the kitchen not completely understanding what lies ahead for you. I soaked in the moment and enjoyed this special one on one time. You will have to be brave and be strong then next few years....but there is a reason you are here and you have overcome so much in your little life. With your determined little personality, you can do hard things and I have no doubt that you will continue to exceed doctors expectations.

You dad and I love you so much! We are grateful for the shining example you are in our family.

Love your,
Mommy





Wrap up of the last few months!

In January we got some snow!!! Apparently it's not too rare in Georgia. We heard that we can expect to get at least one good snow storm a year... so far it's held true since we have lived here. This time we were actually in town. We had two snow days and school was canceled both days. They closed the school because of rain and then the possible freeze, so to tell the kids that school was closed for a snow day is a bit misleading. So when Saturday came and it had snowed during the night Andrew was pretty stoked....We couldn't eat breakfast and get our "Snow clothes" on fast enough. It was a good thing we went and played in it when we did, because around 2pm it was pretty much all gone.



 Andrew loved making tracks, but it was sure slippery for him! 

 Of course he wanted to build a snowman but there wasn't that much snow so we opted for a miniature snowman!


Since the schools were closed that meant that daddy had to work from home too! (Pretty much the entire city closes down) Daddy builds the best forts!


Stephen and I celebrated our 9th Anniversary this January! It's crazy to think it's already been 9 years!!! We got a sitter and ate at the most amazing Argentine steakhouse! Seriously the best steak ever eaten and a fun date night together!


We've started hitting up story time each week at the library! It's always a big hit and these girls love dancing and singing! And of course the bubbles at the end are always the best! 



We had Aunt Janet come and visit for a few days! It was so fun to see her! We spent a day at the zoo since it's right close to the airport, played games and of course we got some shopping at the outlets in before she headed up to North Carolina for her big birthday celebrations!



It's hard to see, but the elephants were waving hello to us!





Riding the train is the best part of the zoo!

A few other random happenings...

We tried to take some pictures in our valentine's day church clothes...but these kiddos were way too busy for mom to snap a few pictures!




I've pulled out some of the sensory bins that I made for Andrew and these three had a blast!!!


We've loved spending time outside now it's been getting warmer. I'm getting excited about this summer!!




1.18.2016

My Babies Are Toddlers

I'm slowly coming to the realization that my sweet little babies are more toddler than baby.... in some ways knowing this makes me hold on to them just a little bit long and squeeze them a little bit tighter and procrastinate what needs to get done for the day so I can just sit down and play with them. These two are growing too fast. I seriously can't believe they are 15 months old.

Another Doctor's appointment. I don't know how many more I can do alone with two crying babies after their shots. Although, I'm seriously amazed at how simple these appointments are (even though it's with two babies). Any concern's with their development? Nope. Okay and then the Dr. asks a series of 4-5 questions about different areas of development. In and out with two babies, shots and all in 45 minutes. I find it completely refreshing.

 Here's their 15 month stats

Olivia June
Height: 28 3/4 inch 8th Percentile
Weight: 20 lb 2 oz 12th Percentile
Head Circumference: 46.1 cm 56th Percentile

  • We are starting to call this sweet girl "Livi" a lot more these days
  • She says, mama, dada, nana (banana) ba (ball), hi and pes-pes (please) buh, buh (bye-bye) and uh-oh and she is constantly learning new ones every few days....
  • Loves to sit on my lap when we are sitting on the floor. She gets a bit jealous when Kathryn or Andrew are sitting on my lap. She even tries to squeeze in between them and push them out of the way. Also, if I'm changing Kathryn's diaper on the floor, she'll come and park herself right on my lap...which can make changing a stinky diaper a bit more tricky. 
  • She's becoming a bit dramatic and it's hilarious to watch. At the slightest bump or toy taking away, she'll become limp as a noodle and fall to the floor with her face in the carpet and start crying. It's hard not to laugh sometimes. 
  • She has six teeth. Three on the top and three on the bottom
  • She loves to color and draw. I pulled out some crayons the other day for the first time and she sat and was entertained long past Kathryn and Andrew both. And now she looks for every pen or pencil and tries to find paper to write on. 
  • She is really picking up on sign language in just the last few weeks. She'll use the signs "more" "eat" "all done" "milk"  "baby" "please" "apple" "thank you" and "thirsty" all unprompted. 
  • Started walking and took her first steps at 14 months old exactly to the day December 7th
  • She is just starting to wear 18 month clothes. 
  • Olivia's is totally into giving kisses...not just blowing a kiss, but she puckers her lips in the cutest way and dive right in. It's hilarious and when she starts it's not just one or two kisses. It's like 7-8 kisses in a row. 
  • She's my little helper. Any time I start singing the clean-up song and will pick up what ever mess the girls have made, she's right by my side helping me put books on the shelf, toys in the basket or the Tupperware back into the cupboard.

Here is Olivia's Kissy face! Pucker up! 


She'll give kisses to anyone and everyone who'll take them.

This girl loves pictures and has started to say cheese when I get the camera out. Then runs to me and wants to see it.

Helping mommy on cleaning day. 
She climbs in the basket and signs more. She wants me to push her down the hall for a little ride. How can you not resist that request from this cutie? 

Now this girl can walk, she is a lover of the outdoors...just like Kathryn. 


Kathryn Mary

Height: 30 in 35th Percentile
Weight: 22 lbs 4 oz 37th Percentile
Head Circumference: 48.8 cm 98th Percentile
(Fun Fact...Kathryn and Andrew have the EXACT same head size. I knew Andrew's head is small with his hydrocephalus and brachycephaly, but I didn't realize it was truly THAT small. Kathryn's head is in the 99th percentile. No headbands fit her. We've also found out that she can wear Andrew's bike helmet and snow hat and both fit her just right.)

  • She most definitely keeps up with her brother. She doesn't really walk. She pretty much just runs around everywhere. 
  • She can hold her own too. Andrew loves to "wrestle" with the girls and Kathryn thinks it's funny and giggles to no end. She'll even will try to get Andrew as well. Her sister on the other hand, ends up in tears every time. 
  • Kathryn loves to play "Ring Around the Rosie" Full of giggles.
  • She is still the best eater in the house. I really have to watch her because she'll stuff her little cheeks so full and.....somehow she chews it all.
  • She always has to have something in her hands. She is my little pack rat. She'll will try to fit as much as possible in both her hands and just wander around the house. I'll find things from one room on the opposite side of the house... Kathryn is usually the culprit. Her favorite is some little cups she got for Christmas to go with her play kitchen. One day she literally had the little cup in her hand from sun up to sun down. Slept with them at naptime and would hardly put them down at mealtime. They must be just the right size for her little hands. 
  • Kathryn has 8 teeth and two molars that are about to pop through. 
  • She is my dancer and will bounce up and down anytime she hears music or even when we are singing songs together. 
  • She loves stuffed animals and soft dolls. I don't know if she has a favorite it rotates depending on the day, but she always wants to take one to bed and grabs one as I lift her out of her crib. 
  • She pretends to talk on the phone and will just walk around the house chatting away.
  • She is quite the tease and knows exactly what she is doing.
  • She has been wearing 18 month clothes the past month or so.  
  • We can now make a teeny tiny ponytail on the top of her head...but the picture above is proof that it is possible. Now maybe people won't ask if the twins are a boy and a girl. 
  • Kathryn is becoming quite the shoe lover. You can always find her by the basket of shoes by the front door. She will bring me my shoes and try to put them on my feet or bring me her shoes and wants me to put them on her. It's pretty cute. 

It's still quite the excursion to go grocery shopping with these two. They are really good babies and good helpers at putting the groceries away too!


This Girl loves to go outside and anytime I say, it's time to go bye-bye or let's get your shoes on...she is right there ready to go.

She sure loves her brother!

Bike Helmet....check!


trying to put her own shoe on


These two are starting to really become quite the characters.....


There are about 3 cupboards I just let these girls dig into and play in...usually while I'm working in the kitchen doing dishes or cooking. One of which is the tupperware cupboard. They love unloading it, stacking the putting different toys in them and recently they've discover they love climbing inside once the cupboard is empty. 

Making silly faces!

Full of giggles!

Playing a little peek-a-boo with mommy!

Then not more than a moment after the adorable peek-a-boo, Kathryn becomes a tease and tries to shut the door on Olivia. This made Olivia mad of course. However, the worse part about it was Kathryn was laughing the entire time knowing full well she was making Olivia cry.....and so it begins. 


What a ham....Olivia climbed into the doll stroller and just sat and waited until her sister came along to push her. Proud little face.


I am a lover of Amazon and get a monthly shipment of diapers, wipes, toilet paper, cleaning supplies etc...well these girls love when that big brown box comes to our doorstep. Boxes truly are the best!






 Even though it was a bit chilly we needed to get out for a walk after therapy one day. I braved it and let the girls walk on their own instead of ride in the usual stroller. They were in heaven and it wasn't as bad as I thought to keep them going. Andrew is just 10 times faster in his walker and the girls explored every little thing. Not much for exercise but the fresh air was all we were going for that day.



These two try to squeeze into the same chair and sit on each other's laps. Again Kathryn knows exactly what she's doing and how to push her sisters buttons. 


These two are the best little troopers as we head to therapy three days a week. They get strapped into the stroller to wait for 45 minutes to an hour depending on the day, while Andrew works with his therapist. It's starting to become a challenge some days, but most of the time they are pretty darn good!


These girls still take two naps a day. I don't know how much longer this will be happening, but I'll take it for now. I can only let them sleep 45 min-1 hour in the morning or their afternoon nap is shot. For now it's still working for us. After Christmas, I tried to transition them to one nap and it's pretty brutal from 10:00-nap time. So we'll stick with the two naps for another month or so...it won't be much longer. I've also had to split them up during nap time. Now Kathryn who usually sleep in the pack n'play thinks it's much more comfortable to pull the mat up and sleep right on the bars. As I went in to wake her I just had to snap a picture. That's gotta be uncomfortable and she does it on a daily basis now.


They are in full-on "monkey see; monkey do" mode. It's fun most of the time...meal time though it can be a bit rough...
one rips her bib off. so does the other. 
one throws her cup on the floor, so does the other
one blows raspberries with a mouth full of food....so does the other.
on puts a bowl of yogurt on her head, yup you got it...so does the other.
Always fun times! 


Trouble with a capital T


Playing at the park...these two are getting too fast for me. I can't get them both in the same picture!


Playing with their new kitchen set that Santa brought. I didn't think they'd really use it much right now, but so far they've loved it! 

These two are seriously a crack up. They are at such a fun and BUSY stage. They are such cute little playmates and they keep me running.Not much happens at our house but the bare essentials, which in someways is nice. I've had to learn to let a lot of things go. But I really wouldn't have it any other way. It's quite the circus and I'm completely exhausted at the end of the day.But oh how we love our Kate and Livi!