Life is Grand!

There has been so much that has been going on in our life that I am so ready for a period where I can just sit and enjoy what life has given me. So here I am...taking a break and enjoying it all!! So here is my blog about all the things I appreciate. I feel like lately it has all been about negatives and worries.

I have a great family (both immediate and extended) who is always there ready to support and love me and my little family. My parents are always there willing to help me out when I need it and watch my girls while I have to work. They constantly remind me how much it means to be a parent and that no matter the age of the child you are always going to love them and want to provide for them. I can always trust that they will be there to help bring up when I need it and to sacrifice their own time and money when I am struggling to hold it together. I am going to be forever grateful for that.

My husband works super hard to help provide for our family. He helps care for our girls and plays with them. He is not afraid to act goofy when Izzy wants to play, and he is always providing love and support for the girls when they are hurt or sad. He is there for me on days that I have a hard time at work, or when I just am not feeling up there in my moods.

And than of course there are my girls. They have completely changed me inside and out. They have shown me to be appreciative of even the little things - the smiles and the laughs, the hugs and the kisses, the small accomplishments and the big. They bring me up when I am having a hard time just getting out of bed. They make me smile when all I want to do is cry. And on those days that I just don't know if I can handle one more negative they remind me to appreciate all the positives. They remind me that what I do for work is really needed because I am helping moms and dads bring their own little ones home in the safest way possible. And they make every second of life worthwhile. I created these human beings and I am the one (along with Sam) who is helping to mold them into grown ups. No matter what else I do in my life, that is a pretty amazing accomplishment. They provide so much love and joy to the rest of the world that if that is all I manage to accomplish, I am proud. I will forever be a loving momma to those girls. And one day, maybe we will bring more kids into this world so we can help mold them as well.

It FINALLY happened!

We finally were able to get Brooklynn's tubes in her ears and I couldn't be happier! We arrived at 6:30am this morning and the surgery started at 7:30am. We were pulled in by the doctor at 7:45. Such a relief it did not take very long. By 8:00am I was able to see my baby girl. She was crying when I went back there and was so irritable, but now she is playing and smiling like her normal self. The doctor said she had fluid in her right ear and her adenoids WERE swollen which could explain some of the loud breathing, pauses in breathing, and the startling awake she has at night. So we will be watching her closely to make sure this is not causing any sleep apnea. He said that usually they will grow out of it, but they won't do anything surgically until at least 1 1/2 and preferably 2 years of age. I feel better knowing that I am not just being a psycho worried mother but there is actually something that is causing her to breath loud at night. Now I will just be even more of a worried mother counting the seconds her breathing is paused at night :).

Brooklynn Update

We had Brooklynn's follow up CT of the head to follow her mildly enlarged ventricles seen on her MRI back in October done on Monday. Today we had the follow up appointment with neurosurgery to find out the results. They first take you in to measure the head and weigh her. Her head was 54.5 cm based on the nurse's measurement but 53 cm based on Dr Hornigs head measurement. Her weight fully clothed is 23 pounds 8 ounces. Dr. Hornig said she is looking good and that her CT scan showed that her ventricles are still mildly enlarged but no more than from her MRI. He also said her brain looked "happy" meaning it looks like it is growing appropriately and not pushing against anything. He did say though with the size of her head he is putting in a referral to genetics since we have not yet been seen by them. He said even if they find something there might not be anything we will do and they might not even find anything. We are however cleared from neurosurgery for a year!! So no more CT or MRI for at least that time frame which I am happy about. Now we just have to keep Brooklynn healthy until Monday for her ear tube placement surgery!

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