Ringing in the New Year!

Happy 2014!  2013 has been good to our little family, and I can't wait to see what the new year has in store for us! Daddy is home from his hunting trip, and we were all excited to be reunited! 

Drake received his Synagis shots this morning in Dallas, and as he grows, so do the size of the shots. Tears were shed, but we all braved through. By mid-morning no one would have ever known how traumatic the office visit had been. Ever since his two front teeth broke through at Christmas, our happy little boy is back! Everyone has taken notice of his happier disposition, including all of his therapist. 

Kennedy has finally had a successful big girl bath!!! For the longest time, she wanted absolutely nothing to do with a full bathtub that did not include her infant tub. Adding new bath time toys did not make a difference, but she finally decided the big tub was acceptable this week. She has also successfully taken a few pictures with my cell phone. Who knew a toddler could figure that out on her own! 

This evening after dinner I was in our living room surrounded by all of my soundly sleeping family. I couldn't help but smile! When your duck hunter has been up since 2am, he is not able to stay up past dinner. We did buy champagne, so I will have to wake Brian up to toast the new year :) Wishing everyone a very happy New Year! 

My little snuggle bug!

She has been insistent on wearing hair bows lately! And she clearly doesn't stop moving for pictures. 

Pool time!

A successful big girl bath!

Sweet baby boy!

Belly laughs! Gran experienced this a few days ago. You can't hear him, but if you are holding him, you can feel his laughter. 

My sleeping Drake & Harlee to my left.

Sleeping daddy & Kennedy to my right :)

'Tis the Season

We have really been enjoying this holiday season and having extra days to spend with loved ones off from work. We spent Christmas at home just the 4 of us, and daddy made pancakes for breakfast. What a treat! This was Kennedy's 1st time eating pancakes and she was a BIG fan. Daddy insisted that she have syrup with them; therefore, we went straight from the highchair to the tub immediately following breakfast. She really didn't get that sticky, but the bath seemed like the easiest option for cleaning. Her daddy also gave her a whistle which was lots of fun, once she got the hang of it. Drake did not like the sound of her whistle at first, but he is really good about adapting to noises once he has heard them. 

Brian (daddy) is out of town on a hunting trip with a good friend; therefore, the babies and I are back in McKinney spending these extra days with Gran & Poppy. Kennedy is getting her energy out running around their house constantly playing with her new toys. She likes playing with Drake's toys, too! Today I was able to get out for a lunch with some good friends. It was really nice to see each of them and catch up. Those with children had them in tow, and while it would have been nice to have Drake & Kennedy with me, the risk of illness/germs is too great. Someday...patience is a virtue. 

Sweet girl giving bubba a kiss. 

Best buds/cousins! 

Christmas morning at home! Santa even put her doll in the stroller :)

Lounging with his lion.

Pushing her stroller everywhere! 

Bed head! Thanks for the whistle, daddy! 

Story time with Poppy!

Clearly a mess!

He looks like such a big boy!

Cheese! 

Merry Christmas!

We celebrated Christmas over the weekend with family, and now we are settled in at home this Christmas Eve. Tonight we were all in the kitchen cooking dinner and listening to Christmas music; Drake was relaxing in his baby chair while Kennedy was dancing all around with giggles and smiles! I would say this was a very successful Christmas Eve at home with our little munchkins! We are so thankful Drake and Kennedy are both happy and healthy. That is the best Christmas present of all!

Kennedy is obsessed with wearing beads!!! We use them with Drake as a part of his therapies, but Kennedy finds them and immediately puts them on to wear. She also loves her hair brush that she received as a present. Everywhere she runs around the house she has beads around her neck and a brush in her hand. Oh, and our little escape artist climbed out of her crib last night! Brian went into their room when he heard her during the night. To his surprise, she was sitting in the floor playing with diapers and such that she discovered in the closet. 

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas!!!

Playing in her new wagon!

Jacob got a wagon, too!

Drake seems to like his new sensory toy!

He had a tight grip on his check from Uncle Mikey & Aunt Jamie!

Beads and brush in tow!

Big boy!

She spotted some hunters outside after breakfast.

Opening a present from Papa!

Christmas with Papa!

Look at those teeth!

Harlee likes to lay near Drake.

Tough Guy!

You should have seen our brave little man this morning! Wow! Never in my life have I seen such a brave little soul. When the phlebotomist punctured his arm in search of a vein he made a pouty face and teared up, but he never cried. This is routine blood work to make sure his seizure medications are not causing any problems with his organ function. 

We may not be able to go anywhere or have visitors, but it didn't stop us from having a little fun with some Christmas photos this week. These are not professional shots by any means, but we did the best we could using a white sheet to cover Gran & Poppy's chair as a backdrop. I am still very pleased with the way they turned out! 

I am also including a picture of our Christmas Card that didn't happen. We took the picture and ordered the cards weeks ago, but somehow our order was lost in the mix and never arrived...(I'm still working on a refund). Oh well, no big deal. We're glad to be able to have a copy of what it would have looked like to share with you on here, and hopefully next year it will work out in our favor. Tomorrow morning we will be celebrating Christmas in McKinney with my family and then on Sunday at our house with Brian's brother and dad. Oh, so many things to be thankful for in our lives! Please be sure to say a special "Thank You" prayer for all of the joys in your life, too! 

Last year & this year! Sister harassment never changes! 

Our little Santa! 

Little Miss Christmas! 

Inspecting every ornament. 

Our sweet Christmas angels! 

Photos of babies are not easy! 

Love! Love! Love!

This was our Christmas card. Merry Christmas! 

Tagging Along

Yesterday Drake had an appointment with his pulmonologist (lung doc) after his physical therapy. Gran usually keeps Kennedy while we take Drake to his appointments, but she was busy yesterday and Aunt Mere (our backup) was busy taking Jacob for a routine visit with his pediatrician. Kennedy is a good girl and not a problem tagging along with us. She was not sure about the doctor at first, and was very quiet, serious and focused while Drake was being examined; however, by the end of the appointment she decided he was ok and even shook his hand. The doctor thought Drake looked really good and despite his noisy breathing his lung are nice and clear! 

Tomorrow Drake has his rescheduled appointment with the Retinal Eye Association. We're hoping he cooperates in-spite of his teething troubles. We are still waiting on 3 top teeth to break through. One of them is visible, but it isn't making this teething issue any easier. This Christmas our little man (and all of us) are hoping his teeth come on through soon, soon, soon! 

Love these two!!!

Sometimes pictures tell a story...

Ready to head to the doctor! He looks like such a big boy! 

Playing the piano at Gran & Poppy's.

Prepared for cold weather! 

Looking outside for daddy. 

I love the way he sleeps! 

Sucking his thumb!!!!!!!!!! Such a joy! 

1 out of 4

The wait for Drake's top front teeth is still an ongoing process. Thank you for the many suggestions to help cope! So far we only have 1 of 4 that have broken through, but we can see  the neighboring tooth becoming visible. Hopefully by tomorrow he will have 2/4 and we will be 1/2 through! His teething has made keeping up with our daily routine and regimen a bit challenging, but we are doing the best that we can. This soon (or eventually) will pass and we will be back on track with our regularly scheduled program. Right now our goal is to keep him comfortable and as pain free as possible. 

He has been doing really well in his therapy pool! We have it set up in Gran & Poppy's bathroom for right now. It says to use it in a garden tub or shower. We don't have a garden tub at our house, but I'm sure we will figure out a way to make it work once we bring it home. He really has to use his entire body and all of his muscles in the water. When his legs float out from under him, it is up to him to figure out how to get them back underneath. I think he enjoys the freedom he has in the water. 

A friend of mine asked what the goals were for the pool and how it works. The warm water soothes, calms, and relaxes while stimulating improved muscle tone through movement. It helps with strength & tone, range of motion, digestion, breathing & cough reflex, alertness and social play, sleep patterns, spatial awareness, scoliosis, shoulder dystopia & high-tone relaxation.  

 

Kennedy is running all over the house, and she definitely keeps us on our toes! Yesterday she spotted Drake's Speech therapist's iPhone. She reached for it and said, "thank you." His therapist said, "no, thank you" and moved her phone. Kennedy stood and looked at her for a moment and then reached for it again and said, "mine!" I jumped in with a "no, ma'am. That is not your phone." She started saying Drake this week...well, she says, "Dake, Dake." She also started saying, "Mere, Mere" for Aunt Meredith, "J,J" for Jacob, and "See-Sa" for Lisa. She pretty much repeats everything that I say :) It is really cute when she points at the tree and says Christmas Tree. She still amazes us with what all she says and comprehends. She also started bringing us diapers and wipes when she wants her diaper changed. Drake's therapist really get a kick out of it when she does this! Maybe little miss smarty pants is going to be ready for potty training soon. 

Snuggling with mommy! 

Napping on nurse Lisa! Snug as a bug! 

Pool time!

Helping daddy work today.

Hanging out with daddy.

Busted! She climbed in the kitchen drawer to play.