Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Improvements!

Today was another successful visit to Vent Clinic in Dallas! Everyone was pleased with Drake's progress and overall health. With our history of dealing with concerned medical personnel, it's nice to have shifted into smoother visits. No changes were made, and we will continue our current routine. Vent clinic days are always long, but it's also nice to have time with just Drake. Kennedy and Hayes had a fun filled day with Mimi, Mere and their cousins while we were at the doctor. 

Brian and I are still in disbelief about Kennedy's progress with swimming! She has turned into a regular fish! She jumps in, swims and climbs out all on her own. She and her daddy bought some goggles, and she loves wearing them! She's even worn the. around the house! Her confidence level in swimming dramatically increased with the goggles. 

Hayes is on the move, into absolutely everything and pulling up on everything! Somehow our sweet little baby grew up over night! He's quite the talker, too. Dada is a favorite but there are plenty more things he says regularly...we just can't quite understand him yet. 

As long as all 3 are learning, growing and improving at their own pace, it's a happy day in our world!

Sunshine!

Daddy/Daughter Day!

These two!!😍
A lovely picture taken by Kennedy! We have to contain him somehow for trach care 

Another great picture taken by Kennedy

Pool time!


Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Confidence

Watching our sweet Kennedy swimming across the pool is a still hard to believe. She has truly transformed from terrified to try into a little mermaid. She's now brave enough to swim across all on her own! The ability to swim is such an important lesson, and I'm excited for Hayes to take lessons next year, too.

Drake is doing so much better! We are confident that the nutritional supplements he is now on have greatly impacted his overall health. We enjoy seeing him improve and be able to gain some control and independence in his daily life. He's also experiencing some of the great outdoors with his sweet sister!

Mr brave himself is pulling up to a stand everywhere! It almost seems like Hayes' 1st year is flying by in fast forward! When did my baby get so big?! We joke around about how quickly he is going to out grow Kennedy all of the time...there is less than a 4# difference! 

Each of our little darlings is growing at their own pace and creating joy for us along each of their paths! 

Park time!

Family swim! Happy Tuesday!

Checking out the park!

Spinning with sister!

Such a cutie!

She made her bed all by herself! Not bad for a 4 year old!

Preparing to kayak with daddy!

We love summer!

Such a wonderful weekend with my team!!

Wednesday, July 13, 2016

Rolling with the Punches

The past week has been extremely busy for our family! Hayes had his 9 month doctors appointment on Tuesday and she was extremely pleased with his progress! Drake & Kennedy had their 4 year check-up on Thursday. She was very pleased with Drake & how well he is doing! She has some concerns about Kennedy's size, which I knew was coming. She took bloodwork (which has all come back normal), sent us for a bone age x-Ray (which shows her bone age is delayed) and we have a referral to see an endocrinologist in Dallas. We are aware that she is smaller than other kids her age; however, looking back at my baby book provides some comfort. At my 4 year appointment, I was less than an inch taller than Kennedy & one pound more than she is now. I plan to weigh her & measure her in October (when she was supposed to be born) and then compare again. 

On Saturday Brian and I attended an event in Dallas! We dropped Kennedy & Hayes off with Mimi & Poppy for a fun filled day!  After our event, we headed to Children's Hospital to visit some of our friends who are there with their children. After a good but long day, we made it back home after bedtime. Our sweet Drake was already asleep & Brian and I transferred Kennedy & Hayes to bed. We showered & turned out our lights for bed at 11:30pm. Our night nurse came to get us at 11:50pm because Drake had woken up and wasn't acting right. We hopped out of bed to discover that he was having a constant circuit of seizures. I administered his emergency medications and we monitored and timed the effects of the medicine. The seizure intensity lessened, but did not stop. At that point, we called for an ambulance and gathered all of the things we needed for the hospital. In route to the hospital, the ENT told me he could administer Ativan through the IV they placed. I asked him to please do so, hoping the seizures would stop. Unfortunately, his seizures did not stop. The doctor in the ER ordered a Dilantin drip & called Dallas to consult with our Neurolgist. His seizure activity finally stopped & he was monitored over the next several hours. The dosage on his daily seizure medication was changed, and we were discharged a little after 6am. Brian's dad came over to our house to be there for Kennedy & Hayes while Brian drove to pick us up. Drake was extremely sore & began crying as soon as we picked him up to transfer him to his car seat. His tears absolutely broke my heart. 

Drake slept most of Sunday, and thanks to Brian stepping in as Super Dad, I was able to rest, too! We didn't want to move Drake out of his bed because of his soreness, so we brought Kennedy & Hayes into his room for a "bed party." Drake wasn't his active self, but we could see the happiness on his face being with his siblings. Not only that, but his oxygen saturation goes up when Kennedy talks and sings to him! I cancelled his therapies for Monday to allow his body more time to rest. We resumed today & he did great, but was definitely tired. He even took a nap, which never happens! Seeing him smile & resume his active lifestyle makes our entire household happy! 

Something VERY exciting has happened today...Kennedy pooped on the potty!!! She has been potty trained with urinating for over a year now, but pooping was something I feared would never happen. If she needed to poop, she would go into the bathroom, put on a pull-up and let us know when she was finished. This had just become a way of life that we were accustomed to around here. We knew at some point she would be ready, but we didn't know what else to try. Even our pediatrician said she didn't have any other suggestions for us because we had already tried everything she was going to tell us. Clearly we just needed a little more time and patience with Kennedy's timeline. 

This past week as been a true roller coaster of ups & downs, but Brian and I have learned to roll with the punches and take things one day at a time. 

Bed party for Drakey!!

Headed to Dallas!

Amazing day with my team members representing Houston, Dallas, San Antonio & Nashville! 

Sweet Drakey!

Play time at Mimi & Poppy's!

He's always watching his big sister!

Happy boy!!

Big boy!

Plenty of entertainment!

Finally resting at the hospital 

Riding home

Happy Monday swims!

Oh, this baby boy!!

So happy to have earned her Peppa Pig House!!

Back float 

She has come so far with her swimming skills this summer!! Next summer, lessons for both Kennedy & Hayes! 


Wednesday, July 6, 2016

Popping & Knocking

Celebrating the 4th of July involves lots of fireworks, especially in our neighborhood. Kennedy & Hayes loved them! I was worried about Drake being startled, but they didn't seem to bother him. Even after putting our kiddos to bed late, fireworks continued for quite some time. Kennedy called us back into her room asking, "What's all that popping & knocking?" 

Swim lessons are going. I would like to say they are going well, and I guess they are in the sense that she is doing a great job swimming. Especially since she seems to hate swimming, she is doing exceptionally well! I truly wished she liked it more, but the main thing is that she learn survival skills. 

Hayes turned 9 months old today and had his 9 month checkup! Conclusion...he is perfect! He is growing and developing nicely. 27.8" (27th percentile) and 20# 3oz (60th percentile). He may be a little on the husky side, but he is very healthy! Kennedy & Drake have their 4 year check up on Thursday. I'm anxious to find out how they have grown over the past year!

Drake is continuing to improve with his communication skills! I love watching him push his buttons during therapies for either "more, please" or "all done." He uses his buttons with us, too, but I feel like he pushes them more frequently during is therapy sessions...especially Speech. 

4th of July 2012 is very vivid to me. Kennedy had an infection in the NICU and Drake was showing signs that he was coming down with an infection as well. It was the beginning of an extremely difficult time during our hospital stay. 2013-15 are a bit of a blur. I know we were home and watched the traditional fireworks over the lake, but the specifics are lost in memory. Hopefully my next memorable 4th of July will be an exciting one with our little ones!

A family 4th photo with all 5 of us!!

I couldn't possibly love these little darling any more!!! My blessings, my miracles, my why!

My whole heart!

I love family walks! 

Planning by the pool! A little impromptu business meeting with my favorite cousin/business partner! 

So this is happening...he's pulling to stand! Growing up too fast!

Working with my amazing team!

Lake time!

The sweetest smile!

Pool time!

Cheese!

Me - "we're meeting your friend here for ice cream."
K - "But mommy...the sign says Hot Coffee!"
Me - "I promise they have ice cream, too." 

Thursday evening dinner on the lake!!