Monday, February 6, 2012

What's going on?

I have neglected this little blog for too long.  I think it's due to a combination of several things; Emily's health has been fairly stable, Drew is more heavily involved in extra-curricular activities, Carter and Brenna have given up napping, we moved, I started my photography business, Gee-off is extra busy with school, and, well,  Facebook! ;)

I only get about 2 1/2 hours each morning to myself while Carter and Brenna are at school.  Most of that time is for chores and errands, showering, coffee . . . so I have to keep this short.  But, did you catch that??  I get 2 1/2 hours every weekday morning to myself!!!!!!!  Yipppeeeeeeee!!!!! :)

Okay, the update.

Let's break it down.

Emily has been doing pretty well.  She is now in her second year of Pre-K at her school and loving it!  She stays awake most of the day now and is happier while she is there.  Developmentally, she is making some progress.  She is holding small toys, she can even "see" a toy if it is held a few inches from her face and will reach out to grab it.  She makes "talky" noises, but no real speech yet.  She laughs a lot.  She rolls everywhere, and is now getting up on her knees and forearms and trying to crawl!  Go Em!!  She is still on 100% tube feeds, but likes to get drops of water from her syringes and she gets sips of water from a special cup and straw at school.  Medically, she has been very stable, except her seizures.  She still has infantile spasms and they have been increasing a bit lately.  We also think we've been seeing something that looks like it could be a new kind of seizure as well.  

Here is one of her most recent pics.


Drew is in 2nd grade and doing great!  He has been to the orthodontist over the last year because his adult teeth have been coming in super tight and very crooked.  He does need braces, but we are holding off just a little bit longer.  He loves soccer and played this fall.  Then he tried out for the travel team and made it!  And then he was asked to play on an indoor soccer team as well.  He is big into video games and has a best friend that he likes to hang out with all the time.  He's really a big boy now. :)


Carter and Brenna are in Pre-K now and in separate classes.  They are both doing great academically, but still need to work on things like sharing and playing nicely with others. :)  Carter is doing great with his OT and PT and it looks like he'll be able to transition to regular Kindergarten next year.  They are very active and rarely nap, but they love to play with each other so they usually keep each other entertained pretty well . . . when they're not fighting!




In November, we moved to our new home.  We decided we need to sell our old home because it wasn't accessible enough for Emily.  All of the bedrooms and bathrooms were upstairs and she has to be carried.  We looked into renovating, but buying turned out to be a much better option for us.  Our new home is just about perfect, everyone has their own bedroom.  Well, I still have to share!! ;)  Our room and Emily's room are on the main floor, as well as an accessible bathroom for her too.  It is great and really feels like home already, though our first home will always hold sentimental value for us.  It was our very first real home and where we lived when all of our children were born.  Ahh, memories. :)

That's all for now!