Always Love a Good Report!

A trip to the doctor can go either way for our family. I am pleased to say that our past week has been filled with good reports! Nurse Lisa and I were very happy with Drake's new urologist at Children's! Usually a new doctor means that I have to recount every difficult moment from his medical history, answer questions about what his current abilities entail, and give the doctors best guess in terms of a long term prognosis. I honestly dread these conversations. To my surprise, this doctor had reviewed his medical history that I previously filled out and read over my questionnaire from this visit, too. Drake's kidneys and bladder looked great on his sono! We will continue a yearly follow-up, and only need to contact them if he has a problem. He even complimented us and said to continue whatever we have been doing because he looks great! 

Recently our insurance company contacted our pediatrician about an auditory test for Kennedy due to her prematurity. I assured our pediatrician that if we were concerned about her hearing, they would have heard from me before now. Trust me...she hears everything! However, we followed the rules and went to the ENT today for a hearing test. Not surprising to us, Kennedy passed with flying colors! 

I'm thankful for a good report at my doctor's appointment, too! I'm also thankful for good friends and family who have stepped in to help out with Kennedy while I have frequent appointments. Not only did Kennedy get babysat by our dear friends, she also got to take a trip to the zoo! Our friends and family really are amazing! Mimi is here for a few days to help out and take care of Kennedy so that I can join my friends for a Girls Day tomorrow and she will watch her during my doctors appointment on Thursday. That appointment will have my glucose test...something I did not make it to with my last pregnancy. 

Not only do I have an appointment this week, but Drake and Kennedy have their 3 year appointment, too. We are praying for these good reports to continue! We are looking forward to a relaxing 4th of July, and we wish the same for everyone else. 

I love, love, love the progress he is making in his gait trainer!!!

His smile is too much!!!

Drake meeting Mimi & Poppy's new dog, River, from CLASS (Canyon Lake Animal Shelter) 

A little more birthday celebration fun at Papa's house!

Now that Papa lives in our neighborhood, it made a fun outing for Drake, too!

A BIG thank you to Aunt Mere & Uncle Aaron for Drake's birthday wagon! This will make all of our doctor visits much easier! 

Love this girl! Playing with a future decoration for her bedroom! 

Zoo fun!

She had a better experience with the birds this time!

Checking out the black bear with Harper! 

Before, During, After

Improving at gymnastics each week!

Love this laughter! 

Evening swim with daddy! She loves walking to the water with daddy after work! 

Celebrating 3 Years!

It's hard to believe it has been 3 full years since our first terrifying days and months after Drake and Kennedy were born! Back then it seemed like time was inching along...minutes felt like hours and hours felt like days; however, now time has rapidly sped up! 3??? How are they already 3 years old? 

We opted out of a party this year and decided on a family adventure instead. Our experience today was at the Dallas Wold Aquarium! So many wonderful animals to see in a day trip for our family. Drake seemed to enjoy seeing the glowing jellyfish, shark tunnel, and the regional aquariums. Kennedy loved everything! Her excitement, laughter and expressions were priceless! 

Kennedy is enjoying a sleepover at Mimi & Poppy's house tonight. It's definitely strange around here without our little girl...and quieter, too. Nurse Lisa and I will be leaving for Dallas again early in the morning for a much less fun adventure. Drake has an appointment with his urologist at Children's Hospital tomorrow. Kennedy and Mimi will meet up with us in the afternoon so that we can retrieve our little girl. 

We also enjoyed a fun Father's Day weekend! Daddy was busy helping Papa and Uncle Matt move into our neighborhood, but he worked quickly and efficiently so that he could spend plenty of time with us. A nice and relaxing pool day at our friends' house made for a perfect Sunday afternoon. 

We had such a fun time with our family outing today that we are already brainstorming future adventures...day trips or even a possible real family vacation! 

Our little birthday boy liked tasting the icing! 

Blowing out her candles and loving her strawberry cake!

Family birthday picture! 

Shark tunnel!

Checking out the fish!

A sloth!

So much to see!

"Look at the Penguins!"

Checking out the wildlife with Poppy! 

So tired!

We love our daddy!

Checking our mowers with daddy. 

Pool fun with Harper!

Swimming to daddy!

Kisses for daddy!

Great job, Kennedy!

Happy boy!

Ups, Downs & Rebounds

Kennedy had her 1st trip to the hair salon for her very 1st haircut. She enjoyed it and did a great job! She told me her favorite part was "chocolate" because she got a Hershey's kiss at the end. After we got back home, I gave Drake a haircut, too. 

Kennedy also had her first gymnastics class this week. I love seeing her confidence as she bravely enters a new place! As a teacher, I was slightly embarrassed watching through the glass with the other parents. My child was the one trying to explore all of the equipment during the class. Needless to say she needed quite a bit of redirecting. The good news is that she had fun, and despite me being mortified her teacher assured me she did really good for their 1st class. 

We've definitely been more active with Drake lately, and we have really enjoyed getting him outside. He seems very relaxed and comfortable when he is outside. I'm sure he must enjoy the change of scenery...I know I sure do. Unfortunately, we dealt with another prolonged seizure over the weekend. It took place on Saturday night, which is our only night without a nurse. It's usually not an issue because Brian and I just split the night in the living room doing his breathing treatments. I noticed his seizure during my watch and had to run get Brian for his help. We administered his diazepam rectally which did seem to slow his seizure significantly. It still took a few hours before he finally settled and fell asleep. We know that as he continues to grow, develop and progress, his seizure types and frequency could change. This is something we remain vigilant about and work closely with his doctors to make sure he's on the best plan of defense possible. For now, are thankful that we have medication accessible to us at home which prevented a hospital visit. 

Drake is doing much better now and seems to have recovered fairly quickly from his seizure. It can take several days to get back to his full strength and activity level back. We were able to wean him off of the oxygen support completely by Monday evening! 

My sister and her family came to visit for the day on Saturday! It's always fun to see them! Kennedy had a blast playing with her cousins, and they were all worn out after they headed home. Water guns were a huge hit, and even Drake enjoyed getting squirted with water. We hope the weather cooperates and we are able to spend more time outside during the rest of the summer. 

Going on a little ride!

She loves to help with her brother!

Hair Salon!

Big girl!

1st day of gymnastics!

On the way home :)

My sweet sweet boy! Love snuggles!

Riot likes snuggles with Drake, too!

Splash time with cousins!

Jacob is very helpful and wanted to help Kennedy with her towel.

Stander time with toys on his tray! Time to explore!

I love seeing story time with daddy on the baby monitor! Makes me smile!

Summer is Finally Here!

School may be out for summer, but our little Drake doesn't get a break from his therapies and hard work. This past week has been busy, as usual, for our little family! We've been outside as much as possible. Drake loves being outside! He also enjoys traveling in the car, which is a good thing because we have several trips to Dallas coming soon. This past week we visited his eye doctor in Dallas. We brought up concerns about what he is able to see and process. We know that he can see, but we are not sure that he sees all of the time. We would like the opportunity to try vision therapy. His doctor was hesitant and is unsure as to whether vision therapy will help Drake or not. I explained that we don't know if it will help either; however, we would like the chance to give it a try. He has assured me that he will fill out the paperwork and mail it to us. We are under a time crunch because we need this in place before his 3rd birthday. I have been anxiously checking the mail each day. So far...nothing. I will be waiting at the mailbox tomorrow, too! Surely it will arrive this week! 

Thank goodness for family! Not only do they take care of me by coming here to help out, but they also step in to help during Drake's doctor visits. Sure, we could take Kennedy with us, but it is much easier and more enjoyable when she is able to spend time with her Mimi, aunt & cousins. Plus, we enjoy seeing them, too. Even if it is only for a short time. 

We arrived home from Dallas in just enough time to change and head to swim lessons! This time, Daddy and I were able to see "show-offs." Kennedy was beyond excited to see us! She kept waving to us from her little step while she waited for her turn. It was fun for us to experience what I believe to be an actual normal parenting event. 

Our little gymnast begins classes on Thursday! We went to the gym to purchased her leotard and see where her class will be held. She was over the moon with excitement! She loved the bouncy floor and wanted to make sure that I saw everything. What she didn't want to do was leave. We are looking forward seeing how she does this week! 

Riot is doing fantastic and he has been such a happy addition to our family! I just can't get over how great he is with the kids! Brian's sister said that he was sent to us for a reason, and we are starting to think she may be correct. 

Hopefully the endless rain will hold off for a while and we can enjoy more family time in the great outdoors. Other than doctor visits, we have been cooped up inside since fall. We'll take the heat if it means getting to play outside! 

I love watching them walk to the lake! I can't wait until Drake, baby boy and I can join them!

Taking his exercises outside!

Ugly sunglasses to protect dilated eyes.

So much more fun with cousins than at a doctor's office!

I didn't even realize there are grocery carts big enough for 3 kiddos!

Waiting with daddy for swim class to start!

Waiting her turn

Ready for gymnastics!

Chalk time!

Riot hanging out with Drake!

Testing out bikes with daddy at Walmart!

Laughing at his silly sister!!!

Helping daddy!

Daddy's little fishing buddy!

Daddy says she is a natural!