Wednesday, May 22, 2013

These are the Moments...

The ones I dreamed about for years...

I'm eating up these precious moments and trying to make the most of each day. 

Moments where I find Asher stuck in the castle because he's a beast and knocked it over. Again.

 
The quiet times on the back porch with Avery while Asher is napping


Another "first".  Sitting at the big kid table

His smile.  Those dimples. 

Her innocence 


Showing Asher the ropes... First time in his baby pool.

"Look Mommy! I can jump so high!"

His love of footballs.  And basketballs.  And anything else that he can throw or kick. 

Bribed her with a sucker to hug her brother and he screamed and hit her.


Yep, these days are wonderful.  But they're also exhausting and I feel like I say "no" or "are you listening" a hundred times but I know 20 years from now it won't be the hard moments I'll remember. 

It will be the special ones.  The simple ones that tug on my heart and remind me how blessed I really am to be home making these memories.


Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Avery's Tonsillectomy

I've known for the past few months that Avery needed her tonsils removed.  She's always snored but recently it had gotten so bad that she struggled to breathe at night.  Any time she was relaxed her breathing became so labored that Matt and I decided she needed to see an ENT doctor to have her tonsils looked at.  Before her appointment, I already knew what he would say... something had to be done to help my baby breathe better. 

Sure enough, he took one look in her mouth and the doctor told me she had some of the largest tonsils he'd seen in a long time.  That they rate tonsil size on a 1-4 rating and hers were a 4+.  There was no discussion or recommendation... it was "how soon can we schedule this".

I had numerous people ask me if I was nervous or worried about the procedure but her breathing had become so labored I was actually more nervous about putting her to bed each night before the surgery.  We could hear her struggling to breath from across the house and at night when I'd check on her before bed she was wet with sweat from working so hard to breath.  It broke my heart and honestly I woke up each morning thankful that she was okay.  I couldn't have been more ready for her surgery.

Her appointment was scheduled for 7:00 am on a Monday so we woke up very early to be there by 6:00.  Poor baby was so confused about why we were waking her up when it was still dark.

She did great in the waiting room and was good about letting the nurses take her vitals.


The procedure took less than 15 minutes and as soon as she woke up from the anesthesia we went back to see her.  The nurses had warned us that most children wake up very angry from anesthesia but she was just sleepy and confused.  She perked up when we offered her a 'hopsicle'!


The first two days after her surgery she was fine.  She only took one dose of pain medication and it was all I could do to explain to her that she couldn't eat crackers and goldfish.  She had a great appetite and was in a good mood.

Then the third day hit and it was all down hill.  She was in a lot of pain and was clearly not herself.  We spent a lot of time watching cartoons, eating popsicles, and reading books. She even got to take a bath in my tub with her new color tablets (no she's not bathing in bloody water!).

Nothing seemed to help so I started giving her more pain medication (hydrocodone).  She still wasn't herself and was very lethargic but at least the pain let up.

Saturday evening she was a royal mess.  She was so tired and grouchy and still in pain.  She was falling asleep at the dinner table so Matt told her to go rest on the couch.  10 minutes later we found her sound asleep.  She has NEVER fallen asleep anywhere but her bed or car seat since she was a baby so this was a big deal.  I knew she was exhausted but still didn't expect for her to pass out at 6:00 on the couch. 

 

Poor baby, I have hated seeing her like this.  She's been so brave but it's been a tough week and I can't wait to put it behind us.  She is doing much better now and I'm amazed at the changes we are already seeing.  Her voice sounds much different now, but the biggest change is how quiet she is while sleeping.  A week later it still amazes me.  I walk in to her room and she is peacefully asleep.  No snoring, no gasping for air.  I even took a nap with her last week and was able to fall asleep beside her! 

So thankful for this procedure and the peace of mind that she is sleeping and breathing better but I'm ready to have my baby girl back! She's doing better today but still a little run down.  She hasn't slept through the night since the surgery and that is certainly taking its effect on her (and us). 





Monday, May 13, 2013

Avery's Sweet Shoppe

The theme for Avery's third birthday party was a no-brainer, really.  She loves sweets and has a huge sweet tooth so we decided to do a Sweet Shoppe party! When I asked her what she wanted for her party she said balloons, pink cupcakes, lots of friends and friends' mommy's. 

Everything was very simple and low-key, I love ordering printable party packs from Etsy, makes decorating so easy!







We had her party at a local church and Avery loved it! She had so much fun playing!

Little brother is always up to something :) 

Singing happy birthday :) 

Enjoying cupcakes!

Most of the kiddos

Present time! 


Thursday, May 9, 2013

Asher Bug

I just can't handle this much cuteness...

Please excuse the food on his face.  If I'd know he was going to pose like this I would have wiped him off first.  Oh well, he's a mess 99% of the time anyway, if he was all clean and tidy it wouldn't be right. 




I will be so sad when he gets more teeth.  This is such a classic Asher smile right now!






Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Avery's Third Birthday

We celebrated all weekend!! Saturday was beautiful and we had so much fun just playing out back.  I love these pictures because they truly capture Avery's personality right now.






On the morning of her birthday we went to the park and had a picnic









One of Avery's favorite things to do is ride her tricycle but she's getting a little big for it so we thought a real bike would be perfect for her this year.

Opening presents from Grandma and Grandpa and Ruffy and Brian


She loves her new bike!



I'm three!!!


Happy birthday, Avery Lynn! I hope your day was as special as you are :)