Happy Birthday Mac!

Today my beautiful, my first-born, my most special girl, Mackensie, turns 3. I could not be more proud of, more pleased with, or more in love with her. She started out as a not-so-tiny little baby. She has suffered through my mommy learning curve, allowing me to make mistakes and still standing strong. She was the first that I diapered, the first that I read books to, the first on whom I tried to imitate my own mother's gentle and unconditional love. Mackensie, my love, will always have a special place in my heart because it was with her that I learned how to be a mom. Although I continue to learn more all the time, and Oliver teaches me sweet new lessons every day, it was with Mac that I took my first halting steps as a mother. I sometimes have a hard time remembering those early days now, but I will alwyas remember how sweet and special they were. And we continue to break new ground as mother and daughter every day; entering the preschool years and a time for Mackensie to really develop her personality. I hope that I can provide for her and relate to her in the ways that she needs.

I am not with her today. Tim and I are in Las Vegas for a tournament, so Mac doesn't actually know it is her birthday. We will celebrate it with her next week. But in my heart and mind all day, I am celebrating the fact that three years ago today, I welcomed the most special little girl into our lives.

Happy Birthday, baby. I love you!

All Okay, but with a Surgery

Our day at CHOP went well. Oliver is doing well on all spina bifida related issues. My mom took off the day to come with us again, so the three of us headed down to Philly after dropping Mac off at school. Our first appointment was ortho and we were pleased to hear that there was only one person ahead of us. But for some reason we still waited 2 hours for him to come in and tell us there is nothing he can do and to keep stretching Oliver's feet and legs. That is starting to get old.

Then we met with Chris from the brace shop. There really isn't anything that he can do to make the braces fit better until Oliver's feet grow. Again, frustrating. But okay.

Then we met with the physical therapist who seemed pleased with Oliver's progress. Then we met with the pediatrician, who indulged my 20 million questions about what Oliver's eating schedule should be. He also gave us a prescription for a laxative for Oliver. I thought it was funny that he felt it necessary to add that it wasn't a kind that Oliver could get addicted to. The idea of a 6-month old addicted to laxatives is a bit much. Of course, Mac does call Oliver "chubby, chubby" so I guess he could develop a complex and get addicted...

Neurosurgery went well. They still don't see a need for a shunt! But they did ask us to make sure that he gets measured monthly by either CHOP or my pediatrician.

For the first time, Oliver also had a renal ultrasound. It was so funny to be at a ultrasound that wasn't a prenatal ultrasound. This time, the baby was on the outside and he was the one getting the ultrasound. Luckily, everything looks good. But we did find out that he still has an undescended testicle. We've known this for a while, and we kind of make fun of him sometimes. Is that mean? Well, we won't make fun of him anymore because he actually has to have surgery to bring it down. Ouch! Luckily it's an outpatient procedure, but it's another round of anesthesia.

We got some good alone time with Grandma and McDonald's for lunch. I'm not happy about the surgery, but very relieved to hear that we are okay on spina bifida issues. All told, a full and successful day.

Grateful

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a person of faith. I cherish my relationship with God. As I sit here and reflect on my day, my week, my year; I am amazed by just how much of a presence God has been in even my little, day to day occurences. It just struck me. I am blessed, and I am grateful.

I know he will be with us when we take Oliver to CHOP tomorrow.

And may his grace be with you, as well.

Cute, Cute, Cute!

Look at my cute little nuggets! This is thier 3 yr./6 month pictures. I like to professionally document every 6 months or so...

Big News!

So I've been holding off on this post for a while, but I think it's finally time to say it. Mac is almost potty-trained! You have no idea how much I hate diapers, and how excited I am to have Mackensie finally out of them. When I went for her parent-teacher conference 2 weeks ago, her teacher asked why she was still in diapers, since she always uses the potty at school. At that point, we were averaging about 20% on the potty, 80% in diapers. But when her teacher said she always went at school, I realized that it wasn't that Mac didn't know how to control pottying, but rather that she just didn't feel like stopping and going at home. So I waited for the weekend, put some underpants on her, and didn't look back.

We've averaged 1-2 accidents a day for the last week, and yesterday we finally had an accident free day! I'm so excited, but my mom pointed out that potty training is all good until you are out and your child has to go to the bathroom constantly. Well, we went out to lunch today, and she went on the potty 5 times. What?! It was a long lunch, but I had no idea how often she had to go. It was a really colorful bathroom and I think she just liked going in it. Then we went to the mall. She didn't quite make it to the bathroom, and we had a poop situation. What a mess -- I almost missed the diapers. Not to mention the fact that I kind of skeeve on bathroom germs, and I have to crouch down on the floor, cover the seat for her, and then convince her not to touch the seat/toilet paper roll/stall garbage while we wipe and flush. It's a lot of gross work, but I'm still flush with the excitement of no diapers.

6 months

6 Months Ago

6 lb. 11 oz.
Sleeps a lot
Eats through IV
So perfect and small
No shunt

2 surgeries, weekly casting, 1 pair of $1200 braces*, 16 sessions of PT, 500 pokes in the eye by Mackensie, and 1 billion kisses later...

Now

19 lb.
Eats breastmilk, prunes, applesauce, and cereal
Can sit on his own
"Stands" in his excersaucer
Giggles and "talks"
No shunt!


Six months ago today Oliver joined us on the outside. Even though I had contractions in the middle of the night and thought he was going to make an early debut, he arrived bia c-section at 9:55 a.m. on August 13. The last six months have been amazing -- he has grown into such a sweet and laid back little baby. He has taught me that you really can love two babies with all your heart, and allowed me to do all of the things that I wish I had done differently with Mac. He has met and exceeded any expectations that we could have had for him. I thank God for him (and Mac) every second of every day.

Happy 6-month birthday little man!

* I just found out today that each of his braces cost $594. Insurance was refusing to pay for them, but now it seems like they will. The braces don't even stay on, and when they do, they leave red marks. They are made of plastic and velcro with some padding. I seriously feel like I could have made them. I am dumbfounded and so grateful for the fact that we have insurance.

A sick day for Everyone

So nobody was able to escape the evil stomach bug. Oliver got it, too. Poor guy...now I know the difference between a lot of spit up and actual baby vomit. Ugh. Tim and I are back at work for the first time today. I think Oliver is pretty much over it -- he was finally able to keep some milk down last night. The only upside for him was that he got to try Pedialite and applesauce -- two new flavors for him.

Even though we were all sick, we did get to spend some good family time together. That's something we don't always have. Mac was the healthiest, since she started on Saturday and had pretty much recovered by Tuesday. So she had free-run of the house while Tim, Oli, and I were passed out on the couch. Any guesses what a house ruled by a 3 year old looks like? I considered taking pictures for posterity but was way too embarrassed. It seriously looks like a hurricane hit. There are baby blankets (that she uses as sleep mats for her dolls) and the corresponding dolls everywhere. Books are scattered on every surface, since that is all I could really do with her. We watched so much freaking Little Bear my mind might explode. Her puzzles are strewn through every room. I just last night finished the piles of puked on sheets and towels that were waiting to be laundered.

Okay, I know this description sounds bad, but really it wasn't. Tim and I got to veg and watch some non-Little Bear TV, Mac and I did read a lot of books and doa lot of good snuggling. And once he threw up, I got to snuggle Oliver pretty much non-stop. Once we were feeling a little better on Wednesday, we made the Lipton Ring-o-Noodle soup from a packet, which is always a "sick day" treat. It was also nice enough for us to open the windows and air the house out -- God's way of helping us get rid of the germs.

I guess everyone needs one good "sick" a year where they are able to hibernate. Hopefully this was it for us. I'm glad we got to hibernate together.

Speaking of Milestones...

How could I leave this out? Mac had her first dentist appointment yesterday. She was such a good girl! No cavities, but the dentist did say we have to brush better. We also have to get rid of the pacifier. That is going to be one of the most difficult parenting tricks to date.

You can also add me to the list of people throwing up in the house. Oliver is the only hold-out. I hope he can stay healthy!

Mac's First Report Card

Mac has been going to school 2 days a week since September. Although we have to fight to get her to go in the morning, I think she likes it. There are many days that I go to get her when she doesn't want to leave. But even when she wants to stay at school, she usually runs up to me and yells "Mommy!" It's really the best feeling. She started out in the "twos" class, but moved up to "pre-K" in January. Her days consist of songs, circle time, religion, puzzles, story, play-dough, and the dreaded nap (from which she usually abstains -- big surprise). It's a great chance for her to socialize, although she has informed us that these kids don't share and have bad manners.

Today was her first parent teacher conference. I couldn't wait. I've been looking forward to it for two weeks. I got to meet with her teacher and hear about how she is doing in class, as well as look at her report card. I was happy to learn that she is progressing satisfactorally in all of the important skills. Yay! Although in the "I accept and respond to my teacher's authority" column, the teacher did add the word "eventually."

Mac really is an amazing little person. She is in the process of testing her boundaries something fierce right now. When I'm in the moment, it is really frustrating. But when I have time to reflect, I really am amazed by all that she can process and think and reason. She is so much of a little girl now that I have to remind myself constantly that she is still a baby, too.

Mac also hit another milestone this weekend - she threw up for the first time since she was a very little baby. It was super-gross. It started right after she went to bed on Saturday. We heard her crying so Tim went in to check on her. He called me in for help and it was all over her pillow. So my question was "What do we do?" Unforutunately, the answer was to clean it up. Three sets of sheets later, she was finally asleep. The next day she seemed fine for a while, but has been really tired ever since.

Tim started throwing up today.

I guess I know what I have to look forward to tomorrow.

Pass the Prunes, Please

As a parent, I've become obsessed with all bodily functions and fluids. Runny nose? I head right for the nasal aspirator and suck those boogies out! Poopy diaper? What does it look like? Too hard, too soft? Ear wax? Better get it out before it turns into an ear infection!

Okay, so that's kind of gross. But shamefully true. So when Oliver stopped pooping for a couple of days, I definitely noticed. We went through two cycles of no poop for a couple of days when I decided to call the doctor. Add two more days of waiting for the doctor to call back (until I realized I left my old phone number on the message) and the poor little man had some issues.

It turns out that constipation is a common condition with spina bifida. I felt so bad for not knowing! The SB nurse at CHOP told me to give him some prune juice, or maybe to even start him on baby food that could loosen him up. You didn't have to tell me twice -- I've been so anxious to start Oliver on baby food, but was waiting until 6 months. So I went right out to the store and got some baby prunes. Mac's firstfood was bananas. Delicious! Prunes? Um -- okay, I guess not so bad. Too bad that the story of his first food has to be linked with constipation. But he really seemed to enjoy them, and they've started to do their job. Going forward, I guess this is something he will have to have on a daily basis. I really do learn something new every day.