Sick, Sick

I can't wait for summer just because Grace won't be sick!  We are all sharing something...she has the runny nose and last night it was the bark cough, Brad has pretty much been sleeping non-stop because of feeling so rotten, and I've got the yucky nose and a slight sore throat.  Darnit!  Spring is March 20th and I can't wait for that.

She didn't get to go to school today because of the runny nose, so we hung out in bed for quite a while this morning and then was lazy around home.  We had to run to the school to get a prescription and so we went to the track as well (while Daddy stayed home to sleep), and we walked 2 miles together.  Grace was so fast!  I didn't take the jogging stroller and so we just got to walk/run around together.  It was fun.

Naptime was nice because I got some homework done and got in about a 5 minute nap, and then we went to Idaho Falls to get gas and go to Chuck-o-Rama for dinner.  It was a nice day for all of us not feeling very well.

Amanda

Last Day of Gym makeups

We've been going to gymnastics 2 times a week for the past month because we missed all last month, and today was the last day.  It was a tough day for Grace just because there are more distractions and she doesn't have her helper, so I went out with her.  One good thing?  She walked on the tall balance beam by herself!  Her coach was holding onto the noodle that grace was holding onto and that was the only support Grace had.  Pretty impressive!  So she had school and then gym, and then time at home.  

Just a short note today.  I'm super tired so I'll read for a little bit and then head to bed.  I can't wait to be done with school.  It really takes a toll on me.  I feel like I'm 50 instead of 27.

Shew.

Amanda

Busy busy busy

I can't believe it's almost been a week!  Time has just been flying by and so now I'm here, with a minute to spare and so I figured I'd catch up.  We went to Utah Thursday-Saturday and everything went pretty well.  Dr. Hoffman said her eyes look great and we'll be going back June 21st.  And her bladder is growing and is almost the size that is typical for her age, but the bladder does contract sometimes on it's own.  So she might have to us medication later in life, but for right now, she's doing great!  And all her other organs look good as well, so it was a good trip.  She got so much stuff from the hospital and the Ronald McDonald House.  She got a big princess doll after her bladder pressure test, and she got a blanket/bear when we checked out of the House.  She also got another teddy bear from a friend we have there that works as housekeeping, a dress that a volunteer made for anyone, a doll with a crochet dolled that turns into a purse, a fishing game from the friend as well, and a toy set (purse, bracelet, hair clips) from checkout of the house.  TONS of stuff!  Oh, and she got a super beautiful twin size quilt from the friend as well :)  Grace is super spoiled.

We stayed an extra night because Brad and I were both so tired that we didn't want to risk driving home.  Of course we had to lose the key to the bedroom and so we had to pay $5 for a replacement.  Darnit!  

Church was tough on Sunday!  Grace was just a super wiggle worm and really tired, and so she was non stop moving and making noise.  She was brought to me out of second hour because of this and so I went back in with her to sit through the rest of the time, and then I had to go back in with her for third hour because she couldn't sit still.  Right when we got home she didn't even want lunch...she just fell right to sleep!  And she even asked to go to bed!

Today was the same way.  She went to school this morning and loved it as usual, and then we went to run some errands afterwards.  By the time we got home she got undressed and asked to go to sleep.  Literally, she said, "Mom, time for bed.  I go to bed."  She's started sleeping without clothes on and I'm ok with it because she's not gotten into her diaper, so that's good.  So I put her into the pack 'n play and she went right to sleep!  She slept until almost 4 and then while I was cleaning her room, she saw her friend Robert out front!  So we went outside to play for a while, and then came in, had some cereal, and now she's watching Super Why while I write this.  I had just finished up getting FHE ready for tonight so now we'll have dinner and then have FHE :)  And then bedtime and then homework time for me.

Amanda

Almost a Week

I can't believe it's been so long.  Well, actually, I can.  School has been insanely busy, we've been getting ready for Grace's appointments down in Utah, keeping the house up and getting to all Grace's activities.  Not that it's excessive.  I'm just needing to remember about priorities and scheduling.  

Grace did GREAT at gymnastics today!  She did every activity, and what's better?  She has a new helper and they worked great together!  Tumbles, swinging on ropes, jumping into the foam pit, playing with a parachute, walking on balance beams...WOW.  She did fabulous on the balance beams.    She was even able to jump on the short balance beam.  And on the tallest one she held onto a pool noodle, way above her head, and walked all the way across without too much help!  Her helper was very softly holding around her waist.  What a wonderful job she did.

After gymnastics was home intervention therapy, and she enjoyed this as well!  Her home intervention therapist is so sweet to Grace and Grace just loves having her over to play.  She was so sad when Alyssa had to leave today to go see another client.  She kept saying, "please play wis me?"  "Peas?  P-yay wis me?"  And then Alyssa said she'd come next week and Grace said, "ok.  Bye!  See you yater!  Bye bye baby in the tummy!"  And then she ran up and rubbed Alyssa's stomach.  Grace is such a sweet girl and I'm so glad I'm hers!!

Next came lunch and then nap time...or should I say playtime in the pack and play.  Grr.  And then we had a friend over :)  We were supposed to do preschool but I had to drop this for a while.  Just need to get through this semester.  I am on the verge of a couple grades going to B+ so I need to keep up.

Grace, as usual, loves playing with her friends!  they didn't stay too long because of dinner and things like that.  Quickly came pancakes with chocolate chips, eggs with sausage and juice for dinner.  Then a visit from Skyler and Mariah, and then a Care Bears movie!!  Hurray!

She went to bed super early...7:20 pm.  No nap means early bedtime.  And she was fine with it.  She's getting to be such a good girl about getting eye drops.  I have been giving them to her because of the growth on her eye.  The redness is going away but the growth is still there.  But that's ok.  We're getting it checked on Friday.

And now here I am shoveling through homework...well, after I finish this post :)

Amanda

Already Wednesday

I can't believe the days have gone by so fast!!  Already the middle of the week and no more school for Grace until next Wednesday!  Today she got to have a Valentine's Day party with her class!!  It was so great and she had such a wonderful time.  Of course I didn't know it was today...I thought it was Friday.  So when I went to drop her off and her teacher said, "Grace, did you bring your Valentine's Day cards?"  AH!!  So Brad and I raced out to Broulims and got cards, candies and a box of 10 100% juice containers and rushed back to her school.  We were in the front office getting the cards taped to the candies and the receptionist was helping us and then off we went to her room...well, there are a LOT more kids then I thought!  So we raced back to Broulims to get another box of juices and then got back to the school just in time :)  Shew!  We stayed to watch the class pass out cards/candy and it was so cute watching Grace!  She had such a great time and I can tell she loves all the friends in her class.  There was a little boy walking around and his name is Flash, and when she saw him she started following him and saying, "Hi, Flash.  Hi!"  And she was waving at him, too.  So cute :)  She's such a wonderful friend.

Oh, she went to gymnastics as well.  It was a super distracting day because there is a preschool going on at the same time and they had the rainbow parachute out, but she did the best she could when it came to listening to her teachers.  There was a little girl in the waiting area for the parents before class started...and I'm talking maybe 16 months old, if that.  Grace went up to her and very softly pet her on the head, stroking her a couple times, and then softly pat her on the back and said, "Hi baby" really softly.  It was so cute to watch her.  She is the most gentle girly I've ever seen.

So I have a friend that let my try out some essential oils and pills that she thought would help with my mood swings.  Well, I've taken them the past two days and I haven't had any problems!  Now, I don't know if that's because I'm on my normal high for my bipolar or what, but I've actually enjoyed the past two days.  So if this goes on for a while week I will most definitely be investing in essential oils/pills.  Knock on wood!  Grace has been super calm as well and so I know for certain that how she acts is because of how I'm acting.  And this gives me even more of a reason to keep on these items.  It's good so far!

Amanda

Just a Day

It's been a frustrating day.  I don't like that there are so many frustrating days in my weeks.  It makes it seem like the dark days will never end, you know?  Like, you see a bit of glimmer and think that everything is going really well, and then BAM!  Like, I can be holding Grace and she's being so loving, soft and kind and listening while I talk with Brad and then BAM!  She lashes out and grabs my glasses and rips them off my face.  What the heck?!  I don't understand how she can be so normal one minute and then randomly do something like that.  Like when she's deep in play with her dolls and then, as if someone whispered in her ear of what to do, she jumps up, walks over to me and slams the dishwasher closed while I'm loading it.  I wasn't engaging her at all but randomly she does this.  I don't get it!!  Or she'll be watching her show on the computer while I'm on my laptop on the couch, and BAM!  She climbs down off the chair, walks over, and slams her hands on the keyboard.  I DON'T GET IT.  And it's so frustrating, and draining, and it makes me sad.  Today was a fine day until she grabbed my glasses.  Now it's a bad day where she's going to bed, but she's not in bed because she's screaming at her door, slamming her hands into the door, and then crying for ice cream.  I want days like this to stop happening.  I want her to be able to mellow out, understand how communication and conversation works, and how to act appropriately in every day life.  Sometimes I'm so confused about how I'm supposed to teach her, and why things have to be so hard for her to comprehend.  I haven't had her sit on the potty this week because it's just so frustrating that she won't listen to me when I ask her to sit and stay.  I don't want to have to clean up anymore messes because she got up and walked around before she was done.  I want her to just be able to listen and realize, "oh, if I walk around I'll make a mess."  I haven't had her dress herself because it is such a fight, such a huge battle, and she sits there staring at me with a sly grin and repeats "huh?  Huh?" over and over and over.  She's now regressed to eating with her hands, as messy as she can, and our super cheesy (lets show her she's not upsetting us) voices are asking her to please use her fork, and we are showing her how to do it, and helping hand over hand.  But she stares at us while she reaches onto her plate, grabs a handful and shoves it in her mouth. 

I am really not understanding what's going on, and I'm really tired of having my patience always tested.  Most of the time I fail and it's so frustrating that I can be this super calm, patient, loving and accepting mother about all that she's been given to suffer through.  And it is suffering, but at this point, it's more us that are suffering because we are so clueless as to how to help her.

I want a day where it's a completely good day.  I don't want to be hit over and over, I want her to use a utensil, help dress herself, stay on the potty, lay right down for her nap, not take her diaper off and smear feces everywhere, and I want to be able to ask her "How was your day?" after preschool and have an actual response, not just "huh?"

Amanda

Shopping Saturday

We had such a good, fun and exciting day today!!!  Grace and I went to DI this morning around 10 am and after some wandering around, we bought a twin bed for her!  Just the headboard and footboard set.  It's absolutely beautiful, and Grace is SO excited!  It has 4 posts which really makes it look like a princess bed, and she has to really reach hard to get up into the bed.  But I put a stool in her room by her bed so that she could get up easily.  It's so fun to see her so excited about a new bed!  I can't count how many times she said "I have a BIG GIRL'S BED!!!"  It was just so darn cute.  

Other than DI, we didn't do much else today.  It was a beautiful day but I really don't want Grace getting sick, and so we don't go outside very often.  Grace got up from nap (she slept in her pack and play) around 4 and then we watched a movie together while I worked on some paperwork for a will for Grace.  Then came dinnertime...peanut butter chocolate chip pancakes!!  After this came some playtime!  Grace and I played with her dollhouse for about half an hour and it was so fun because she's getting much better at "pretending" with the dolls.  She makes them "tap, tap, tap" their feet as they are "walking" in the house, she has them hug/kiss, and one time she even put a dolls hand up to pet the pretend kitty without me even prompting her!  I was so proud of her and almost cried.  Ug, what a sappy mama :)  After playing for a while we read together and then she got to watch Magic School Bus because I had an exam for psychology that was due by 9 pm.  

Now it's 10:20 pm, Grace finally quieted down for the evening, I'm finished with homework, and we are probably going to get some ice cream and head to bed to watch a movie :)  Tomorrow is church!  And Grace is so excited about that!!

Amanda

So Busy

We are still so busy.  Grace has been doing well except for the fact that she's been undressing herself again during naptime and painting the walls.  It is so frustrating when this happens!  We have started using cool water when we have to wash her after this in hopes that she will understand that it is NOT fun to be washed with cool water.  I really hate that we have to do it but we have to find something that will work.  Grace loves going to school still and always asks what we are going to do.  She's getting pretty good at guessing what each day is going to bring!  And for the most part, she get's it right.  We went to the library and grocery shopping after preschool this morning and she got to get a cookie from the bakery!  She knows now that we will be getting a cookie when we go to the grocery store.  Today wasn't such a good day for shopping, though, because she was super fidgety and kept disobeying what I would ask her.  So for the first time ever she got a timeout in the grocery store!!

In the end, it didn't work.  She was still super rambunctious, touching all the groceries in the cart, and then looking back at me to see if I was getting frustrated.  We'll see if I take her next time!!  A while ago we pained snow but I don't know if I posted a picture of it so I will now!

So cute!!  All in all, it was a pretty good day.  Last night for dinner we had quinoa burgers and they were so amazing!  I cooked quinoa and then added tons of seasoning, bread crumbs, ground flaxseed, and egg.  Mixed all that together and made patties out of them, and we had these with double fiber English muffins smeared with avocado and a light spread of cream cheese.  It was fabulous!  Grace even loved it.  I made hers into scrambled eggs instead of a patty because I knew it would be easier for her to eat, and she wolfed it down so fast!  Tonight we had bison alfredo with egg noodles, sun dried tomatoes, peppers from the garden that were dehydrated, and we had broccoli on the side.  Grace is starting to enjoy eating "trees" and so I'm pretty excited about that.

Tomorrow is Saturday :)  I don't know what we will do but I know for sure that I've got homework that will need to get done.  We'll see what else there is.

Amanda

Busy Day

Today was such a busy girl day!  It was a blistering, freezing and insanely bitter -7 this morning when we drove to school and I was so close to just staying home and having all of us snuggle down into the covers, but school is important.  So she went to school and I got some homework done, and then after school she got to go to gymnastics!  We get to go 2x a week this month because we missed all of January.  She did pretty good today.  It was really distracting because there were 3 different classes out in the gym, but Grace did really well.

After this came lunch time and I was hoping bedtime, but Grace decided it was play time instead.  So after a while I kept doing homework and Brad took Grace out front to play in the snow!  Then our new fridge, washer and dryer came :)  It's now 9 pm and the fridge is put in place and filled, the washer is in place but the dryer is still being worked on, and the old things are over at the townhome!  Oh, yeah, we bought a townhome for rent income but for now, Skyler and Mariah are living there.  It's so wonderful having them so close :)

So grace just went to bed and I can still hear her in there talking.  I was supposed to go for a run tonight but I'm being lazy.  Silly me.  Grace LOVED having Sky and Mariah here because it's always a party when they are here. 

A great day!!

Amanda

Back to Our Normal Schedule

We are finally getting back to our normal schedule.  It's really nice to be getting back to life without crazy Utah doctor trips, wedding receptions and other travels or whatever.  Grace went to gymnastics today and did so well!!  She did every single thing she was supposed to today.  I was so proud of her trying her best.  I am always so proud of her.  

After gymnastics we headed home and had lunch, and then I had an appointment at the same time Brad had an eye appointment and so she got to go with me!  She was such a good girl in the doctor's office and watched Pooh Bear while I talked with my doctor.  Just a check-up.  No worries!  

Naptime came, homework time came with that, and then we all went to Walmart after to just get out of the house and see other live people.  

Brad and Grace had a wonderful time cuddling while I did homework, and then she went to bed at 8:45 pm.  They were enjoying their cuddling so much that I wasn't going to push her to go to bed on time.  But now it's 10:20 pm and she's still awake.  Gr..

Silly girl.  I love her so much.

Amanda

Healing!

Grace has been healing so nicely.  Her eyes are almost clear again and, while she's still extremely hyperactive, I think it's just because we've been in the house for so long healing.  So thankfully school is tomorrow, and then Tuesday we are meeting with two new children to see if they will be compatible with Grace.  I posted on Facebook that I'm looking for people with children of similar ages so that we can get some more friends for her.  Hopefully these two will work out, but we'll see.

It was a tough day for Grace in Sacrament today.  Like I said above, she's been really hyperactive and so it was a big struggle to get her to sit down, relax and listen.  And then Daddy and Skyler went up to share their testimonies, so of course Grace wanted to go up.  Well, she freaked out when Daddy took her and so it was pretty embarrassing.  But at least she was showing a desire.

We had Skyler and Mariah, Shannon and Steven, and Ryan over for dinner tonight!  We had homemade chili, rolls and juice for dinner tonight.  Everyone said it was pretty good, but it definitely could have used some more seasonings!  Grace LOVED having so many people over!  Of course they were all here just for her, and so she had a great time entertaining everyone.

After dinner Shannon and I went onto familysearch to find out how we are linked as family, and it turns out we are 9th cousins.  Her line comes to a man, my comes to a woman, and these two people are siblings.  Pretty neat!!

All in all, a great day.  I will be working on organizing the sewing room downstairs now that Skyler and Mariah have moved out, and will be meeting with city council on Wednesday to discuss my idea for the all0inclusive playground I want to have put into Porter Park.  I've written my proposal and am trying to decide if I should print it for each person, or if I should make a powerpoint.  I'm excited and the nerves haven't set in yet, so I'm happy about that!

Hurray!

Love you Grace.

Amanda

Good day!

Today was such a great day!  Grace went to therapy for 3 hours this morning and Daddy was so great because he took her and picked her up.  This gave me so much time to be able to finish up a lot of homework.  When they walked in the door after therapy it was so cute because she was sleeping on Daddy's shoulder.  I helped tuck her into bed and she slept soundly until 4:30 pm.  While she slept I got a bunch more homework done and then got to clean the house a bit as well.  After naptime came dinner, and then we went out to the track at the college!!  I didn't do any running today because I need to build back up from not working out at all the past weeks, but it was so great walking the track.  Grace had such a great time running around the track.  It was so adorable because she would bend over and touch the ground, as if she were getting ready to run a race.  I would countdown..."3...2...1!" and then she would take off like a shot!  Over and over we did this.  She also chased Daddy when he got too far ahead.  It was fun to watch her run because she was in her footie pajamas and so it was a bit slippery for her.  So she would throw her legs out like a duck to get traction :)  What a sweetie!  And then there were times when she was way ahead of me and then she would turn around, make a silly face, and then charge at me as fast as she could!!!  I just loved that happy face that she shared with me.  I think she went around about 4 or 5 times, so almost a mile.  She was so darn tired even though she had slept until 4:30 pm.  After we got home she and I shared an orange and then off to bed she went.  She had her last dose of eye drops...which she hates!  Teeth brushed, jammies on, book read (Eric Carl Very Hungry Caterpillar), and then a kiss/hug, off to bed.  I heard her in there talking a little while ago (10 pm) but now it's quiet in there.  

Grace has been pretty much talking non-stop.  Here are some of the things that we've gotten to hear recently:

• "Hi Mariah!  How ah you Mariah (it's more like Ma-why-ah)?"
• "Tum p-yay wis me!  Mom, tum p-yay wis me!"
• "Iss time to eat.  O-tay!  Time to eat!"
• "I go to stool tomowwow.  I go see Miss Kim and Mimi."
• "I go to gymnastis tomowwow?"  "Yes, you get to go to gymnastics tomorrow."  "I go p-yay?!"  "YES!"
• "I don't want to eat da bwoccolli!"
• "I all done mom.  Can I get down now and go p-yay peas?  I go p-yay wis dollhouse?"
• "I help you wash dishes?  You det my stoo? (Stool)  I help you det stoo and I help wash dishes."
• "Where's Stotty boy?  Stotty dog???!!  (She is yelling).  Where ah you Stotty dog?  Tum here!!!  (she's kissing at this point like you would to call an animal)  Mom, where is he?"  Then I tell her he's outside, so she runs to the door to look out. "Oh."
• One really interesting thing?  She knows the National Anthem.  I randomly started singing it..."Oh say can..."  Right then she cut in with ... "Can you seeeeeeeeee?"  What?!  Where in the world did she learn this?  Maybe school.

She's doing so well.  I love this girly.  Muah.  Love you Grace.

Amanda

School

Grace got to go to school today and was so happy!  It was insanely snowing most of the day today and Grace really enjoyed that as well.  We didn't get a chance to do preschool together because we had a ton of errands to run and then I had homework to catch up on, but our day was pretty smashed full of things.  This day flew by.  Ever since she got her surgery done she's really been wild.  I don't know what it's about and I'm hoping it goes away.  I'm wondering if this is a reaction to the anesthesia, but it's getting pretty tiring.  She's constantly going, going, going like she's got fire under her butt, and it's so tiring to keep up!  She hasn't napped since coming home...granted, naps were sporadic before the surgery.  And with all the wall painting instead of napping we've pretty much given up on the naps.  We put her in there and give her a half hour or so to sleep, and if she doesn't then we let her out.  I'm really sad about it because that's 2-3 less hours that I have to do homework...  Tomorrow she goes to therapy for 3 hours so I can catch up.  Thank goodness for this huge chunk of time.  So now it's time to head to bed.  I'm exhausted.  Literally falling asleep as I read this.  Sometimes there needs to be two of me so that I can accomplish everything and still have enough energy to actually have adult conversations with my husband before conking out in bed.

Pray for naps and pray for my calm girly back.  Oh, and pray for the hitting/slapping/pushing/screaming to stop, too.

Amanda

Tough Day

Yep, today was tough.  Not all of it, though.  Up until Grace smeared diaper mess all over her room and bed instead of going to sleep, the day was great!  Her friend came over about 8 am and got to wake Grace up, which was really fun for Grace.  They played until about 10:45 (when her friend went home) and then Grace and I went to her preschool room and worked on some activities.  Then she started hitting and misbehaving so we were done in that room!  But it was so fun :)  We put the number on the calendar, did some yoga together, read some books, sang a song, and worked on some of her school activities in her workboxes.  She had a great time and we were in there for about a half hour.  After that I brought out her canvas that she's been coloring on and she sat at her princess table coloring on there while I read the Ensign.  Then lunchtime came and she helped make Macaroni and Cheese!  But she got bored of that pretty quick and went to play with her doll house while I cooked.  Lunchtime came and went and then it was off to bed.  I'll fast forward through bedtime, or the supposed to be bedtime and just get to where she was no longer in bed because we'd given up trying.  Mommy and Daddy were both frustrated, the house smelled like a dirty diaper, and Grace could feel the frustration and so she started hitting/slapping/pushing.  When she gets like this I'm just ready to call it a day and put her to bed, and then me next.  I'm really getting tired of the hitting/slapping, but not only that, I'm tired of the fecal smearing.  I don't get it, I don't like it, and I HATE that she isn't sleeping!  I need that time to do homework since I don't get much other time, and she needs to rest so she's not crazy the rest of the day.  And ever since the eye surgery she's been unstoppable, like she's got ADHD or something.  Today was a bad day after that point.  It got better when Brad went to Idaho Falls and Mariah came home.  it was nice and calm, Grace played with Mariah after dinner and I was able to clean the kitchen.  Then came bedtime.  Grace was being super sweet cuddling with Mariah, laying on her lap under a blanket and saying "Night night" so I figured she'd be easy to put to bed.  We headed to bed and I told her I would read her two books!  So I put the eye drops in, changed her, dressed her, and then she smacked me.  Hard.  Right on the face.  And that was it.  I was SO DONE WITH HER!  I told her we wouldn't be reading, picked her up and put her in bed (at this point she's acting like a dead fish and wouldn't stand up), said goodnight/I love you and walked out.  Before that I told her we wouldn't be reading because she slapped me and she was so upset, but seriously, I'm fed up with her behavior.  I'm ready to get her tested for...something!  But by the time I shut the door, threw the diaper away and sat at the desk she was already asleep.  So, chalk it up to being tired.  That's what the naps are for, Grace!!

I'm glad the day is over.  I'm glad I can go to bed and no one needs anything.  I wish I understood what was going through her head because I'm really struggling with this situation we're in with her.  I'm struggling as a person, as a mom, a wife, and as a role model.  This whole situation is extremely difficult and really feel like I'm alone in dealing with all of this (even though Brad is there).

Amanda

Saturday was More Recovery

Grace is doing much better.  Her eyes have still been slightly itchy and so we've continued with the pain medication as well as the Benadryl, but she hasn't had to wear the arm braces to keep from itching.  Today she's had more mucus coming out from her eyes but it's not the infectious mucus, just typical after surgery mucus.  Here's a picture of our sweetie!

Ouchies, right?  But she is such a tough cookie.  Strong as can be, this little one is.  She's still been pretty crabby, definitely more needy (which means TONS of cuddles with mommy and daddy!), and has definitely been off her diet.  We like to spoil when there are huge things like this going on because there is no real point in trying to force her to eat things that we would normally expect her to if she's not feeling well.  At this point, she can have milk, juice or water whenever she asks, and whatever food she's willing to eat, we'll give it to her (food, not candy--not allowed).  

I don't know about everyone else, but I've got the best kid in the world.

Amanda

Day After Surgery/Spina Bifida Clinic

Here is a picture of Grace heading home after Spina Bifida clinic!  I am getting a bit ahead of myself with showing the picture of us packed up to head home but it's just such a cute picture!

Anyways, back to before we left.  We went to Spina Bifida clinic at 8 am and were there until about 11:30.  Thankfully it didn't take as long as I thought it would.  We saw the dietician (all is well with intake of food), nurse (height: 39 inches, weight: 29 inches, head circumference: 43 cm?), neurosurgery (back pain was probably just growth spurts, all leg strength has been maintained, foot pressure is good and so there should be no worry...oh, children with spina bifida usually have stiff muscles and so this is why it's so hard for her to stretch), social worker (gave a website of a support group in Utah), urology (set up an appointment for a eurodynamics test, renal ultrasound and want us to collect some urine for testing when we go back next month), and...I think that's all.  So, that's good!

And then we headed to the House for lunch.  I saw a little "grandma" that we had been talking to since we arrived and I invited her to eat with us.  It was so nice sitting and chatting with her!  She was just the sweetest woman in the world :)  Grace called her Grandma, and so we know she liked her as well.  About 12:30 pm it was time to head out to the other House to pack up and head home.  I gave her hugs and she helped me take some things out to the truck, and then she left with her granddaughter to go to the hospital (her granddaughter had a son 10 weeks premature).  After cleaning up the room we went back to the main house to finish up checkout.  That's where Grace got the purple blanket and the Unicorn friend that is in the picture!!  The unicorn has a zipper opening in his back and you can pull out his castle and then stuff him inside the castle.  After you zip it up you can press the doorbell and it sounds like a snoring unicorn!  So cute :)

We got home about 5:30 pm and it was such a beautiful drive.  Grace as up for most of it and really needy, whiny, and in pain/itching, so it was a tough ride for her.  About 1.5 hours from home she finally fell asleep and so that was good!

The rest of the night we just hung out at home.  I checked Grace about 7 pm and she had a fever...100 degrees.  I called the on-call opthamologist at Primary Childrens and he said if she went above 100.3, then we were to take her in.  Thankfully she didn't!  I ran to Broulims to get her some Benadryl because her eyes were insanely itchy and the doctor said that would help, got some ice cream that was on sale, and then shot back home.  Pretty quickly she was full of pain meds and Benadryl, changed and teeth brushed and ready for bed.  My poor girly.  

Love you Grace.  You are the strongest person I know in this entire world.

Amanda

Surgery Day

The day we didn't want to have happen.  Here are the posts I put up on Facebook.

11:30 am

Ok so Grace is in surgery already. We got a call that the doctor was early and the schedule had been switched around. What a blessing. I have to say it wasn't just coincidence with how our morning went. She had a rule that the last time she can have water is 8 am. So I didn't get out of bed until 7:30 am just because I was being lazy. But then I got the phone call..."Has Grace eaten or had a drink at all?" I was able to say no and so I was told to bring her in at 10:30 am. So I got up and gave her a bath and I was going to take a shower but just had a feeling that I shouldn't take a shower. So I just washed my hair and RIGHT when I finished and had towel dried my hair, I got a phone call saying to come right then. It was 9:40 am. Awesome! Blessings for sure. And all throughout the nurses and doctor coming in she was happy as a clam, and she walked away with the nurse without a problem. I don't walk back with her since I'm Miss Crybaby. So now I sit and wait for the news. It should take about an hour. Oh, and she chose watermelon gas to put her out and she will be having a breathing tube for this surgery.

12:55

Grace is out of surgery. I love her doctor because he comes out and talks to me instead of sending a nurse or just calling to say we can go back. Everything went great and I get to go see her soon. Now comes recovery, hopefully no nausea/vomiting, she'll wear arm braces for a week to keep her from itching, and drops 3x a day for a week.

 

 

 I love you sweet girl.  I'm sorry you have to go through all this.

Mommy

More of Utah

We went to the state capitol and Pioneer museum today before Grace's pre-operation appointment.  It was so fun to be able to do more than just sit around the Ronald McDonald house waiting for an appointment to come up.  We got up about 8:30 am and really just took our time getting ready.  This is the house we stayed in...

 I really liked this house.  It's such a beautiful and vintage house and these are the kinds of houses I like to see and go through.  There aren't very many more of these houses around.

 This is one side of the dining room.  I can't believe how big the table was!

 

This is the other side of the dining room.  Grace is so tiny in this big room!

 This is the TV room.  I really like the huge windows but during the night I could really feel the cold air coming through them.

 I couldn't believe how big this front door was!  I've never seen anything so big.  And I really like the chandelier.

 This is another shot of the TV room.

And this is the sitting room to the left of the front door.  The TV room was on the right of the front door.

 Beautiful stairwell.  I think after new carpeting it would be beautiful!  Grace did so great climbing up this stairwell by herself, but I liked holding her hand just to be sure she was safe.

And then we went to the Pioneer Museum!

 This was such an awesome covered wagon!  And it was absolutely huge!  The top part (canvas) had been burned and so it was replaced by the museum.

 This is the pioneer doll that I bought Grace :)  She had such a great time at the Museum.  We were there almost two hours and it was fabulous because I didn't have to worry about her touching anything.  Everything was either behind glass or behind fences.  And she was just SO interested in everything that I didn't have to worry about keeping her entertained.  A great thing about Utah?  People EVERYWHERE have kids and so I didn't even worry about her being loud in the museum, and no one cared when she was!

 Outside of the museum.  So small next to something SO big!

And the most awesome fire engine I've EVER seen!  Grace thought this was so awesome and she got so excited to see it.  She jumped up and down and said, "I so eh-sited!!"  And then she ran around the room a bit to see everything else there was.

Amanda

I had fun with you sweet girl.  I'm so thankful I got to spend this time with you.  Love you.

Here are some pictures from going to see the state capitol.  We didn't go in or anything.  But it was a beautiful day, warm weather, and I had an itch to get out so I thought Grace would really enjoy seeing the "big building!" 

Pre-op Appointment

Today was the pre-op appointment.  I like these appointments only because they are about 10 minutes long, whereas her normal appointments can last anywhere from 1-2 hours.  Her eye is turning in more than it was from her last checkup, so that kind of stinks.  But that's ok.  That's why it's so good that we are here now.  This morning Grace and I went to the Pioneer History Museum this morning and had such a great time.  Grace was so excited that she could walk around by herself without me grabbing her back.  Every single thing was behind glass so I had no worry about her touching anything.  They had rooms that were completely set up as if they were in the past and there were little numbers all throughout the rooms that had a poster full of the numbers and descriptions.  It was really interesting!  And I was just so excited to see how excited Grace was!  Usually we go to museums that have things out on shelves without glass casings, and so Grace either has to be carried or yanked around.  What a family friendly place!  I even found some family names, and so that's even more exciting.

After that we raced back to the House so we could grab a bite to eat and there was some wonderful salsa pork chunks with homemade mexican macaroni.  It was SO GOOD!  And then came the quick appointment.  And then we came back to the house so Grace could take a nap.  After nap it was a bit tough because Grace ended up getting into the bags and making a horrendous mess.  Ug.  Fish crackers everywhere, stickers EVERYWHERE from her potty chart stickers, clothes everywhere, etc.  And how did I find out?  She came walking into the TV room!  No shirt on..and down three flights of stairs.  WOW.  First of all, great job on going down the stairs!  Second, it was so weird seeing Grace walking through the hallway without knowing that it was going to happen.  I looked at her and thought, "She looks familiar."  I saw her from behind and it was just weird!!  Silly mommy :)   Anywho...I won't go into the cleanup of the bedroom, the attitude I got from her and she got back in return, etc because it doesn't matter.  I have now learned to sit outside of the door during naptime instead of going downstairs so I can hear her when she wakes up.  And that's where I am right now.  It's 10:08 pm and I'm sitting outside the bedroom door!  I was worried she would climb out of the pack and play and get into something, and so I sat here instead of going downstairs.

All in all, we've had a good trip so far.  Grace's surgery isn't until 3:30 pm and so we can have breakfast (cereal and milk) before 8 am and then clear liquids until naptime and then that's it.  But she'll be fine.  We'll probably hangout here in the morning, play games, read books, etc since there isn't much else to do here.  We were going to go to the family history library but I looked online and it really is just a library.  Some people were calling it museum so I thought it would be somewhere fun to take Grace.

Well, Goodnight!

AAmanda

Catch Up

I'm desperately trying to catch up with these darn posts, but January has been absolutely insane!!  I am sitting here at the Ronald McDonald house at 1 am writing this because I feel so bad that I'm 3 days behind.  I just spent 4 hours doing homework and will be getting up in about 6 hours (Grace wakes at 7 am or so) and so it's going to be a great day!  But it will be worth it.  Now I won't have to worry about racing Grace to bed Wednesday night (today) to get homework done by the deadline an hour later.  Today I'm hoping to take Grace to the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers Museum before going to her appointment, and then after it we will go to the family history museum.  But we'll see how that goes!  She might end up watching cartoons in the morning while I sleep in!!  :)

We are alive, we are well.  Today is the pre-operation appointment to make sure we are all on the same page as to what's going to happen.  Tomorrow is her surgery, and Friday is Spina Bifida Clinic.  Poor girly doesn't even know what's coming.

I love Grace so much.

Amanda

Reception

We had Skyler and Mariah's reception on Saturday!  This was an absolutely crazy weekend and Grace just had so much fun :)  On Friday Grandma and Grandpa Hildreth came and then in the evening Sissy (Kailyn) and Skyler/Mariah came home!!  When Grace saw sissy she wasn't going to let her out of sight.  She was in her lap, right by her side, in her face and just so excited that Sissy was here...  more to come later.  The family is downstairs and I want to go visit.

Amanda

MISSED POSTS!

Oh Miss Grace, I hope you know how much I love you.  I hope you know how much we love you, little Miss.  I hope you know how hard we are working to keep you happy, healthy, loved and protected.  

WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH!

I've missed some days.  I see this.  It has been an absolutely crazy week this week with Miss Grace being sick, me having to get everything ready and cooked for the reception as well as all the family that's coming to stay with us.  It's so extremely exciting and I can't wait to see the newlyweds!  Grace is so excited to see her brother and sisters, too!  Sisters because Kailyn is coming!!  Hurray!  She should be here about 7 pm, and will be leaving home at 6 am.  Grace has been asking and asking about "Sissy toming?"  I keep telling her, "Yes, Grace.  Sissy is coming from California and Sissy and brother are coming from their wedding!"  Her eyes just light up so much when I tell her that people are coming to see her!  And she's extra excited about Papa Brian and See-Sa!  Oh, and she doesn't know it, but her bestest friend Lane is coming!!!  AH!  

This will be a great weekend for all the family, it will be exciting to have the reception and I'm REALLY hoping everyone likes the food, and it's just really nice to reconnect.  

Grace is healthy, as of now.  Grace will be going to school today...dangerous, I know.  I am so worried she's going to get sick from someone at school, but she has been asking and asking to go to school so I have to be able to let her.  And we missed gymnastics , too so I'm going to call and see if there is a Friday class that she can go to to make up.

As I'm writing this, Scuffles is flipping and flopping around throwing a toy mouse around the room!  It's so darn cute :)  You'd think she would be an old and lazy kitty, but...oh wait, she so is!  She sleeps ALL THE TIME!  And we've been finding her on Grace's bed..ug.  So we are trying to teach the cat to not go in there since grace is allergic to her. 

LOVE YOU GRACE!

Amanda

Sick Girly

I really wish my girly didn't get sick.  She is such a sweetie and really misses school when she can't go.  But it was fun to cuddle with her in bed :)  I always like that time I have with her!  We didn't do much today but once again, played and had fun.  Grace actually played by herself for about an hour and it was amazing to see her focus and ability to remain involved with an activity.  It made me really proud!  She was playing with a new toy that Daddy gave her for Christmas and she always likes to play with her toys while she's sitting on her trampoline and watching herself in her mirror. 

While she was busy playing I was cleaning the kitchen and the house so that when daddy got home it would look nice :)  Naptime was tough because Grace was having trouble breathing.  Darnit.  I really hope she gets over this before her surgery because if she even has a runny nose, we won't be able to go for her surgery.  Truthfully...I would rather not go.  But that's just because I don't want her to have to suffer anymore.  But she always does so well and so I need to be strong, just like her.

After naptime we went to the library to return some books.  There's no point in having them here because we are going to be so busy with the wedding reception and then being in Utah that I just have no time to read.  We had such a great time at the library!  There are touch screen computers there and so it's really fun for Grace.  I was so amazed by how well she was doing with the touch screen game.  I wasn't having to help her as much, and it was fabulous to watch.  She always plays the Dora game and it has a bingo game on it.  She knows how to touch the screen on the bingo card when she sees matching pictures.  There are times I have to help her a little here and there but for the most part, she did great!  It was almost an hour that she played the computer by herself.  And she was so frustrated to have to leave but it was time to head home for dinner.  She was pretty excited to hear that we were having chocolate chip pancakes!  YUM!  Of course Mommy was excited as well.  

I had written this part way and didn't realize that I had forgotten about it, so I'll just post it as it is.

Amanda

Church :)

I can't believe how fast Sundays go now that we have church at 11 am.  I got Grace up at 8 am (well, she was already up) and we cuddled in bed together while watching SuperWhy :)  Then off to church we went!  She did GREAT in sacrament this week and was so excited to go to Primary.  I am so glad she likes going to church.  

After church I had a meeting with the bishop so Grace didn't get to take a nap.  I gave her a late one at 5:30 and she slept until 6 pm.  The rest of the evening we were busy cooking and she played and read while I did this.  She started helping me but just couldn't keep her hands out of things that she wasn't supposed to touch, and so it was time to be done.  I made 24 enchiladas and still have enough of filling left to make about 12-16 more.  

Now it's 8:34 pm and I can hear Grace in there playing :)  Silly girly.

Amanda

Run Day for Mom!

Grace was so excited to play with her friend Samantha today!  I had to run 10 miles today and knew that Grace wouldn't last 3 hours in the stroller, so I asked a friend if she could have Grace over.  I was texting to her while we were dropping of a package to a person that sent me the wrong thing on Ebay and an envelope full of pictures for my grandparents!  I was so excited that she could go over there, and Samantha was so happy to be having her friend over!  I did my run in 2 hours 17 minutes instead of the over 3 hours expected on my training schedule, so I still had time to pick Grace up and stick her in bed.  I was so excited to get her down but...she never went to sleep.  Stinker!  The rest of the day we played and played and played!!  it was tough getting down on the ground to play with her but I managed :)

And then there was an early bedtime!  Grace was in bed by 7:40 pm and so was I.  I had a bowl of ice cream while watching a movie, had ice packs on each of my knees, and after the movie I went to bed.

I'm so glad I've found a good friend for Grace.  They are soon to have twins and so we'll get to see Samantha a lot more because we will be having her over at least once a week so the girls can play together and her mommy can have some time with the boys, naptime, or whatever she needs!

Amanda

Busy day Today

Shew, this day went by SO fast it's crazy!  Grace had school in the morning and I was really wanting to just roll over and go back to sleep, but she started crying.  Turns out she rolled out of bed and hit her head on the shelf.  Darnit.  Not too hard though, so that's good.  After school we ran some errands and then very quickly came naptime!  During naptime I cooked up a HUGE batch of chili for the wedding reception.  I definitely didn't make enough so I have taken out more elk meat and will make another batch tomorrow.  After naptime there were more errands because I had forgotten to do somethings.  I also took Grace to the doctor because she kept whining every time she went potty, and what I thought was right.  She has a urinary tract infection.  Dangit.  So we went to Walmart to get her prescription as well as a few other things for the chicken enchiladas I'm making for the wedding reception.

When we got home we had bbq roast that I made in our crock pot, and then watched a princess movie!  And now it's 8:47 pm and she's still talking to herself in bed.  Silly girl :)  I already wrote in my marathon blog, and now this one is done, so I'll finish watching my movie, have some chocolate ice cream and then hit the sack!

Amanda

The airport and therapy

What a day today.  We had to get up at 4:30 this morning so that we could get Brad to the airport on time for a flight.  He is headed to Nauvoo so that he can enjoy seeing Skyler and Mariah get married in the temple!  WOW!  I wish Grace and I could be there but we have to keep her healthy and I have 6 classes so it just wouldn't have worked.  Anyways, she was a sweet pea getting up super early and was snuggly and lovey.  We got on the road and it was horrible.  Dark, snow blowing in all directions, fog, and the roads haven't been plowed which meant that we didn't have very good traction.  All in all, we didn't make it in time.  Darnit!  We were 5 minutes late.  But the airlines forced 10 people off the flight because there was too much weight, and I'm only assuming with our luck that Brad would have been one of them.  He got a new flight for 1:30 pm, so we headed back home in the insane weather.  As we were driving away from the airport we could see the plane on the runway being sprayed with anti-freeze.  The plane ended up staying there for another 25 minutes because of all the ice on the plane.  Flying in winter...not for me...OR GRACE!

Back home we went.  Daddy went back to bed to catch a few more winks of sleep and I took Grace to therapy.  I got some homework done and then we picked Grace up at 12 pm and we headed back to the airport.  Thankfully the weather was better, and so we got there 20 minutes early (yet the flight was late and then they pushed people off the flight, but not Brad).  Then back to home Grace and I went.  Oh, by 12:30 pm Grace was OUT!  She had her pretzel in her hand, her piece that she had eaten still in her mouth, head laying all the way back and little snores coming out every once in a while.  Cute girly!

She slept until 3:30 and then we went to Pizza Pie Cafe for a mommy daughter date, and then to Walmart and DI.  FUN!!  

After this came Mommy's 6 mile run.  Grace was SUCH a good girl sitting in the stroller the whole 6 miles...1 hour and 19 minutes.  Afterwards she got to get out and run around the track, and it was SO DARN CUTE!  She enjoys being like mommy, that's for sure.

Then off to bed she went once we got home.

Love you girly!

Amanda

School day and then Snow

Wow wee, talk about snow!  It was snowing when I took Grace to school and it pretty much snowed the rest of the day.  So other than school, we didn't go anywhere.  Just stayed home and played.  I'm really enjoying all this snow, and I can see that Grace does as well because she's always trying to look out the window at it.  I've had to turn her chest of drawers around again because she keeps opening all the doors/drawers.  What's amazing is that they all have the child safety locks on them that Brad installed!  I don't know how she does it but she gets the darn things open.  

Grace got to go to the library today!  She brought home two books, and she's always so excited when she gets to do that.  I almost slipped and cracked my head when I was walking into the school to pick up Grace from the school.  I went from carpet to linoleum and WOW!  I slid about 3 feet on one foot, but thankfully, I recovered without embarrassing myself.  And of course she was talking nonstop all the way home about all the fun things she did at school.  I absolutely love hearing about all the fun things they get to do.  I wish they had an observation window because I would love to see what they are doing through the whole class day.

What a sweet girly.  I love you Grace.

Amanda

Gymnastics

Today Grace finally got to go back to gymnastics and she was so happy!  There were a few times that she fussed but she did so great!  She even walked on the balance beam facing forwards and sideways with just one hand being held.  This is a HUGE improvement for her.  I am so so so proud of her!  And I can tell that she is so excited to be back there after the long break that we had.  

After gymnastics her home intervention therapist came and spent an hour here, and then it was nap time!

The rest of the day was running.  We went to Idaho Falls to get some shopping done for the wedding reception, and then we went to Teton Running.  I got a lot of good information about what I need and Grace did so well there!  She found a box of toys and was so excited.  She said, "Toys!  Yets play!  P-yay wis me!"  She is so darn cute.  And then she found a mirror.  So she was set :)

After this is was dinner time and then bedtime.  The little princess took a little while to get herself down, but she did fine.

Tomorrow is school and she was so excited when I told her that this evening!  She just loves having all these fun activities.  And I'm so glad that she finds it all fun.

Love you Grace!

Amanda

SCHOOL!!!

Grace finally got to go back to school today, and boy was she so excited!  For once I was the one to wake her up, and it was so nice to be on the delivery end of an early morning wake up!  She was pretty happy to go to school but had a little trouble going potty this time.  Ug.  She did good letting it go but it wasn't at the right moment because she was standing up!  Oh well, though.  She finished up in her potty, got her cooky and sticker on her calendar, and we moved on!  Breakfast came and then off to school.  I did homework for the two hours and after that we went to the campus so I could do my 30 minute walk.  I did a mile in 14 minutes and then I let Grace push the stroller the rest of the time.  She had so much fun!!  She ran so fast and I couldn't believe she could run that fast.  There was an older man there and he sang the Mickey Mouse song to her when we walked beside him for a while.  How sweet!  After the walk we headed home (about 12:15 pm), had lunch, and then I put her to bed but the little stinker didn't fall asleep until 4 pm.  Ug.  Then her little friend Samantha came over at 4:30-5:30, we had dinner (spicy Asian chicken, brown rice, olives and fruit cocktail), Grace got to watch some SuperWhy for a while and then it was bedtime!  The little princess went to her room well for the most part, but it took her about an hour to finally go to sleep.  

Here's a fun part of the day!

Grace asked me to color with her, and I had told her no because I was reading, but then the cute face got to me. I said, "Ok, Grace. You go to the princess table (her little table she got for Christmas) and I'll be over in just a second." "Ok, mom." So she ran over and I followed.."You sit here mom. Sit down!" So I sit down and then she says, "Ok, now we dunna ca-yer. You ca-yer mom! Here's pink (she hands me a brown crayon.)" I didn't have anything to color so I asked her, "Can I have a picture from your coloring book please?" "Sure you can! I share. (She rips one out for me). Der you go. Now you ca-yer da pit-cher. You ca-yer it ALL pwetty. Okay?" SO CUTE!!!

A great day today :)

Amanda

Church Sunday!

Grace is now a CTR 4!!!  WOW!  We get to go to church at 11 am now and I thought that would be a horrible time, but I realized that it's so much nicer.  We got up about 8 am, but then I brought Grace to bed with us for a while.  Then we went to have potty time and it was a bit messy this time, and so Grace got to have a dip in the tub!  Breakfast was nice and slow and getting ready for church wasn't rushed, and so it was a wonderful morning.  We got to church and spent our three hours there, and I went to find Grace's class.  Her classroom has a window and I am SO excited about that!  I peeked in and she was in the middle of the class, jumping up and down and talking so fast that no one could understand her.  And then she was so proud of herself and ran back to her seat, climbed up, and sat to listen some more.  A little girl saw me looking through the window and yelled "There's Grace's MOMMY!"  And then she leaned over and whispered to Grace.  Then Grace saw me and got so excited.  She has two men as teachers and they opened the door for me and told Grace goodbye.  She had a cute CTR shield necklace and her teachers were so cute saying goodbye to her.  And one of her teachers said, "Grace, don't forget to choose the right!"  And she said, "Choose da white!"  AH!  Adorable.  She had about 6 other kids in her class and she was just so excited.  I was carrying her out and she was talking so fast it was just mumble jumble.  But then she said, " I yike my class!  So many friends!  I sit with my fwiends."  

After church was naptime and she slept until 5 pm since she didn't go to bed until 2.  And then at 5 our friends came over for dinner and left about 6:30 pm.  Then all three of us played with Grace's doll house for quite a while.  She was so excited that Mommy and Daddy were playing with her.  And now it's 8:03 pm, Grace is watching Caillou, and I'm writing this before checking on some homework.  Tomorrow is school again for her!!

Amanda

Super fast Saturday

I can't believe Saturday went by so fast.  We all were very lazy and stayed in bed until 9 am, and then Grace got to have a bath once we finally got up.  After this we had breakfast, slowly got ready for the day, and finally, about 11 ish, we went to campus so that I could do my 3 mile run.  I pushed Grace around in the stroller and she did so well!  She held onto Elmo for a while and then held onto the information book about my heart monitoring watch.  I ran three miles in 47 minutes, which I think is pretty good.  After this we went home to have lunch, and then Miss Grace had a nap!  She didn't get up until around 5 pm and then the rest of the day was just us sitting around, enjoying one another's company, playing with Grace's toys and reading.  It was fun :)

Amanda

Getting Better

Grace girl is getting better.  I'm so happy she is!  Then we can finally have little friends over to play!  Today was another speed by day.  It's actually pretty crazy how fast these days are going by.  Grace still has so much fun with her doll house and so that took up quite a bit of her time.  We also printed some pictures at Walmart, went to the campus to do mommy's 30 minute walk exercise, got free hot chocolate at a gas station, went potty on the toilet two times (HURRAY!), and played some more.

On Monday, school starts again :)  Same with gymnastics on Tuesday and Therapy on Thursday!  Grace is pretty excited about going back to school.  She's always asking about it, so I'll be happy to oblige.  

What a good girly.  I've had to start keeping her door closed after I check on her before I go to bed because she keeps coming to our room at 3-4 in the morning, and mama needs her sleep!  I think that once we get back on schedule with all her activities then it will be easier for her to sleep through the night.

I've realized that it will probably be a good thing to go to the Spina Bifida clinic.  Brad and I have been noticing that it's extremely difficult for her to stretch AT ALL!  When I hold her legs down straight with the knees locked, she cries sitting straight up.  She leans back with the weight on her arms.  Every time I try to do simple stretches with her she freaks out.  So I'm really hoping her muscles aren't tightening up...ug.  She's also got some weird marks coming on above her scar from surgery.  They are about the size of silver dollars and are tan in color.  I don't know if it's something we should be worried about, but it will be good to get it checked.

Anyways,

It was a good day today :)

Amanda

Grace's Blessing

I'm getting Grace's blessing printed so I can put it up on the wall.  I'm so thankful that it was taped as Brad was talking so that we could have it forever.  Here's what's being printed...

So cute!!

Amanda

We're Getting Better!

All three of us are getting much better.  Our colds seemed like they'd never leave us but finally, I'm seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.  We hung out at home once again except for going to Walmart to return some things and also to pick up some more stuff for the wedding cake...ug.  Sure wish I was a pro.  

Grace had fun playing with her doll house some more, and we read a lot of books, drew a lot, etc.  The day really seemed to fly by!  I made the correct frosting for the wedding cake and have been working on that a lot, and I'm so glad it's coming together.  Of course this is another practice cake. 

Grace girl went to bed tonight all right, but nap time was another story.  She talked and played and banged on the door and called out from the crack and everything.  Silly girl!

Ug, that's pretty much it.  Tomorrow the campus opens and so I'll be able to take Grace to the indoor track instead of going stir crazy here all the time.  Hurray!

Amanda

Almost New Years!

Wow, I can't believe that it's almost a New Year!  I just got used to writing 2013!  I can't believe how fast the time is going, and how fast Grace is growing.  Just a quick update because Brad and I are going to go watch a movie together :)  Our last movie of 2013!  

there wasn't much going on since it's still a holiday vacation, so there was no gymnastics or therapy today.  I did my training today, and Grace had fun watching a cartoon show with Mickey and Minnie mouse in it.  Other than that and going to Pizza Pie Cafe for our last "eat out" of the year, the day was pretty much full of staying home.  I got the practice wedding cake frosted and put together.  I also made fondant and will be working on that tomorrow to see if it is worth the work.  I also finally made cheese and have it in the homemade cheese press.  I saved the whey and it's sitting in a bowl for the next 12-24 hours at room temperature.  I will be making ricotta cheese with those leftovers!  If this all actually works out, we'll be eating homemade, non-additive cheese and a really good price!  Just the price of the gallon of whole milk.  But it says that you can make cheese with whatever kind of milk, so I might try the cannery milk next.

All in all, that's it.  Grace got another add-on for her dollhouse today!  She got the dog, doghouse, puppy, dog food bowls, bag of dog food, brush, bed and blanket.  SO CUTE!  I think she played with her dollhouse a few different times today and each day it was about 20-25 minutes.  Definitely a good buy!

Amanda