Family Portraits Unveiled

I know that Christmas pictures have not been shared because we were in Alabama, but I thought I would end this year with our family portraits. We had these done as a surprise for our parents so we couldn't share them until after they had received them. K is absolutely adorable of course and I think we cleaned up fairly well too:) Christmas pictures are forthcoming, but it probably will be tomorrow. We just got home and unpacking tends to wipe you out. Thank you again for this year of prayers and encouraging words. God has truly blessed us with a wonderful family, biological and otherwise.

Sorry about the Delay

Well, everyone. I know there are no pictures, but I promise there is a good explanation for it. We are down in Alabama for the Christmas holidays and needless to say it has been hard to transfer pictures from our camera to the computer. K's first Christmas has been great and she has enjoyed eating sugar cookies, rolls, and spaetzle (if you know my family you know what that is). Things are going well and you can't tell that she has had a surgery recently. She is on no pain medication whatsoever and she is just as cheerful as she can be. Sponge baths have been interesting, but fortunately she doesn't get too dirty too quickly. She got enough toys to supply her own store, but of course we expected that one. We are also having an early birthday party for her tomorrow so that Nate's parents and mine can be there. K will be trying birthday cake and there will be plenty of pictures to share with all of you. We have not forgotten you, just know that when the pictures come they will be coming in full force! Merry Christmas to all of you and a Happy New Year!

We Are Home!!!

I am home after a day and a half at the hospital. I am doing well as you can see in the picture. My cast is white, but it has some green wrapping around it so I look kinda in the spirit of Christmas.

The surgery went well and recovery is going great! Thank you for all who have been praying for K. She is on some strong pain killers, but she is eating fairly normal and playing like a little baby should.
K was given a gift while she was at the hospital, so mommy and daddy were nice enough to let her open it early since she got home and is doing so well.


Hmm, what is this! The new Elmo doll!

Yeah! A box. K loves playing with boxes. Toys are the icing on the cake when it comes to presents. The boxes are what it is really all about! She did not even notice the doll when I opened the box and got the gift out. She went straight for the box. Too funny!
This is a funny looking guy. She could not figure out what to do with him, but when she did it was very funny!
She tackles him and he laughs but cannot move because K is practicing her wrestling moves on Elmo! In this picture she was spanking him... I guess he was being bad...or she was clapping his butt. Whatever it was supposed to be mommy and daddy were laughing just about as hard as Elmo was.

The Countdown Begins

So the days are beginning to go by too quickly. To say the least, I am a little scared. I know everything is going to be alright, but the thought of my daughter going through surgery is terrifying. Not quite the birthday present I was hoping for, but I know she will be just fine. Wondering how she will react with the cast though. She is such an active little fireball and I hope she will be able to be mobile like she is now. It is going to be a long day, but we appreciate all of the encouraging words and prayers that have been given for our family. I thought you would enjoy seeing a few bath time pictures because after the cast it will be sponge baths for a few weeks. We can do it though.

Dangling Tonsils

Well, this post might be a little bit lengthy, but there is much to go over.
1. The MRIs came back and the report was good. We were told that her cerebellum and tonsils were sitting "low," which doesn't mean much according to the doctors. Little confusing, but what is new?
2. The renal ultrasound came back and her kidneys are just fine. There was no sign of anything to be concerned about. (she did however have a very full bladder at the time of the ultrasound-according to the doctor)
3. Pre-op went very well. We met with K's anesthesiologist (spelling?) as well as her surgeons. The surgery is going to take place around 10 in the morning on Tuesday and it will last 2 to 3 hours. (Those are going to be so much fun:() Prayers would be appreciated during that time. We are both going to go just a little bit crazy.
4. K will be put in a cast after the surgery and she will be wearing it for four weeks. We now have to make sure she doesn't fling it off of her arm. Didn't see that one coming:) She's smart enough to figure it out.
5. K will be fitted for a brace for her scoliosis after she is out of the cast. This will be worn possibly years, but it is able to come off and we are able to have baths. That does take some getting used to, but we want her to heal quickly with no surgery for the spine.
6. My mother is currently in the hospital. She is doing fine, but timing is amazing isn't it?
Hmmm...do you think this would taste good? Mommy won't ever know.
Momma G is almost home and we will miss her. We are so thankful for her coming and helping us keep our little one well. K is going to miss the quilting woman.
This is the dog the Shriners gave me. Christmas came early today.
I'm riding on the recliner. That's one way to enjoy a chair.
Thank you for all the love! I hope to get my Christmas cast Tuesday!

Feelin' Good

Well, we are feeling better today. (knock on wood) K is up and running around enjoying her teeth. They sure are sharp!
I'm a crazy girl!!!
Here is K trying to take a bite out of mommy! It's supposed to be crime, K, crime.
See me and the tree? This is my favorite part. Taking off all of the ornaments.
Poppa G gave me a truck. What a handy little table:)
Check out my teeth! Aren't I a cutie pie?

K is Sick

Okay, so we have done everything we can to keep K from getting sick, and it has not worked! Yesterday was a big day for her since we left home at 6am to get her to the hospital in time for the MRI and the Ultrasound. We thought we were supposed to meet with her Docs also, but we were wrong. We do that next Friday when we take K for pre-op.

She did fairly well yesterday until it was time for the IV and she did not like that to say the least. It was close on her getting her MRI because of her having a bug, but it was not that bad yet and we thought it was just drainage from teething (now we know different). She hated the MRI experience up to the point when they knocked her out through the IV. At least she got an hour nap even if it was medically induced. Then she had her ultrasound to see if she has an abnormal kidney. It does not appear so from what we were able to gather, but we will not know for certain until next Friday which will be a marathon appointment. We then came home and got K to rest for a bit and then she went to a Christmas party at her day care. She had a great time and was given a nice book. She also played, or chewed, bells while the other kids sang Jingle Bells. It was adorable. Her Momma G was able to be there and it was great for to be with us and to see that.

Moving on to this morning. K is sick! Please pray that she gets better. I cannot express how important it is for her to get well before Friday or she will not be able to have her surgery. She is lethargic, congested and fussy. She is not a happy baby today. PLEASE PRAY that she gets well. I have to get her now so I will not write any more for now.

Back by Demand

Therapy is really paying off. K has begun to walk forward on her own, with a little help of course. We are working on sitting to stand and walking forward. She is doing well.
K has discovered the wonder of penguins. She has also learned to touch the tree. She enjoys that quite a bit. She pulls really hard on the ornaments in hopes that they will fall off. One of these days I am sure it will.
Here is K in her beautiful Christmasy outfit. Of course, she looks wonderful.
What do K and a lint brush have in common. Both roll around picking up dog hair. She is more effective though.
Already discovered the presents. We are in danger for sure.

Got My Blue Jeans On

Now the fun times of therapy have begun! K is learning how to pull herself up from a sitting position. We have her sitting in our lap and then she pulls herself up. It's going to be a little more difficult for her, but as you can see nothing will stop her from getting what she wants.
The cell phone is obviously the prize. Guess not much changes when you are sixteen.
Check out those jeans. Doesn't she look adorable? Our little cue ball.

Pics from K's Trip to Indiana

Happy First Thanksgiving!

Well, we have arrived in Indiana safely. K did really well on the trip up. She enjoyed driving around town with her very own steering wheel. Definitely don't want to rush to that point in our life.
Here is K's First Thanksgiving outfit. The tights are a little "untight" but of course she manages to pull it off well. You can't really see it, but she is playing with her "Little People" Thanksgiving set. Her cousins C and M gave it to her. She enjoys chewing on all of it. I know that comes as a shock to all of you!
Here is a better view of the Little People. Too adorable!
Here is K with her Aunt Joy. We stopped in Tennessee on our way to Indiana. It was a nice little visit, but we hope to get back for a longer one.
K has this new habit that she does now. She juts out her bottom jaw and shows off her pretty white teeth. Guess she wants the world to know that she is big and bad with those grown up teeth. See the double chin? Packing on the weight now! Once again, we wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving! Stay tuned for some more pictures. I am sure we will go Hog Wild with the pictures:) Love you mom and dad and Aunt Amy and Uncle Eric:)

Saturday Equals FUN DAY!

Today K is experiencing her very first Auburn vs. Alabama game. We thought she should be appropriately attired. This is a little cheerleader outfit, but it is made for a two year old. She has a little bit of time to grow into it.
K is getting sneaky now. She can roll wherever she wants to which means much trouble for mommy and daddy. Stay tuned for the adventures of K as she travels throughout the house. There is so much to explore and so little time!!!
K sleeping off the hard day of rolling. The animosity towards Pooh has obviously dissipated.
All I can say is that K and her daddy sleep in strange ways! Her little bottom is sticking up in the air and Pooh is crushed underneath. So much for the love!