12 Month Check-Up

We've been busy since their 1st birthday party! Drake's sweet home-health nurse has definitely been missed this week while she has been on vacation. He has outgrown his helmet from Cranial Technologies, but the corporate offices called today and would like to move forward with a second helmet. We have high hopes that this one will be a better fit than the last one, and that Drake will tolerate having it in his head. If they are willing to try, we are willing to try too. 

Yesterday Drake was evaluated by a physical therapist and he did an outstanding job! Of course, she had his medical history coming in and she was very impressed with his abilities! I was pleased that she sees the potential that we see in Drake! 

Today at their 12 month well check, Drake measured 26.5" and weighed in at 16# 14oz. Little Miss Kennedy measured 25.25" and weighed 16# 0.5oz. Kennedy was all smiles and a little chatter box showing off until it came time for her shots. That was a much different story! Wow! I would say she definitely has some healthy lungs now! Poor little Drake was next and he surprised all of us by lifting himself off of the table trying to stop the nurse from administering the shots. It was more of a "crunch" than a "sit-up" and it was very sad because he was crying, but I was also very proud of him. 

I received an email from Brookshire's today and they gave me the following information about where Kennedy will be spotted soon:

 

·         July Celebrate Cooking Magazine (found in-store or online)

·         Large Electronic Sign outside of our corporate office on Loop 323

·         brookshires.com website on baby page and will be on the monthly eNewsletters to baby club members (beginning next week)

·         7/17 Back page of Main Weekly Ad

·         Mid July there will be in-store signs, aisle blades, and new baby club brochures with different photos.

         

We will be on the lookout in our local Brookshire's for our sweet baby girl! Maybe we will even be adventurous enough to take them both in the store while we grocery shop...maybe...I feel like the thought of strangers and germs is already overwhelming. 

One Year Old-It's Party Time!

We made it one full year! My, oh my, what a year it has been! I pray this was the most difficult and challenging year we ever face in our lifetime. We are so fortunate to have two little miracles who we were able to celebrate this weekend with our family. We were also able to celebrate alongside some of our absolute favorite NICU nurses! What a difference a year can make! 

We owe a HUGE thank you to Kristy Tuttle Chapman, owner of Kosmic Cakes in New Braunfels, TX, for creating an absolutely amazingly perfect 1st birthday cake for Drake and Kennedy!!! I could not believe my eyes! Another HUGE thank you to Brian's dad, Papa, for transporting the cake all the way from New Braunfels to McKinney! Thank you to Gran and Poppy for hosting the party at their house! We could feel the love and happiness in the air as we celebrated together! 

Our two nieces, Alyssa & Hannah, were able to meet their cousins for the avery 1st time! Brian's dad, Papa, was able to capture a picture with all 4 of his grandchildren. This was a special moment! 

As you can imagine, our babies have more than they could ever need; therefore, in leu of gifts, we asked for care-package items for families with babies in the NICU at Dallas Presbyterian Hospital. I am so excited about how many fantastic care packages we will be able to put together and deliver to the hospital! Not everyone with a child in the NICU is as fortunate as we were to have an outpouring of support from family and friends. Our hope is to provide some comfort for these families during this difficult time. I will post pictures of everything when we deliver the packages. 

Below you will find pictures from the party that our family members snapped with their cell phones. We had a photographer friend take pictures, too and I will be posting those soon! I can't wait to see the precious moments that she captured on film and share them with you! 

Party Prep

My oh my, there is a lot to do in preparation for a birthday party! It's a small birthday with some close family, but still our day has been filled with party preparations. Thank goodness for Drake's wonderful nurse who came today and helped out even on her day off. She is a God send and we are extremely grateful! We do realize just how lucky we are! I can't wait to see how their party turns out and share pictures of this happy occasion! 

We are also thankful for Aunt Meredith! We dropped Kennedy off with her yesterday morning before we headed to Dallas with Drake for an appointment with his chiropractor. It is so much easier to focus on Drake at his doctor's appointments when we have someone to watch Kennedy.  Gran needed the day in order to get the house in order and run some errands. 

Today, Papa drove to New Braunfels, picked up the cake, drove to McKinney to bring it here to Gran's house, then drove back to East Texas.  What a trooper!    And he will be back in the morning for the party!  I am amazed at this cake, and we are so thankful he was able to make this drive for these babies!  

Our day is coming to an end, the babies are sleeping, and we can get a little sleep before the party begins!  Can't wait to see how our babies react tomorrow, especially with their Smash Cakes!!! 

Father's Day Weekend

We spent a nice relaxing Father's Day weekend at home together. Brian's brother even came in to spend the weekend with us. We took a family walk down to the lake and spent some time with good friends we haven't seen in quite a while. This 1st Father's Day was pretty low key, but it was exactly what Brian wanted. We didn't see Poppy or Papa, but they each received a special message from their crew. 

It has been different the past two days without going to Hyperbaric treatments. This has been an adjustment to our daily routine. I have continued to look into other options available and we are excited about some possibilities to come. I find myself checking my calendar daily because it just doesn't seem possible for Drake to only have one doctor's appointment this week. I'm not complaining. This is a nice change of pace; especially, since we have a full schedule next week. 

My sister, Drake's nurse and I took Kennedy and Jacob on a walk today. I had planned to take all 3 babies, but Drake was taking a nap and we didn't want to disturb him. Gran stayed with him and said he was in a deep sleep full of sweet smiles. He was still sound asleep when we returned. 

Kennedy has decided she is a big girl! Yesterday she began holding her bottle and actually feeding herself the entire thing. As if that wasn't enough, she blew me away when she began pulling herself up to a standing position at her activity table. She's going to be running circles around us before long!