Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Christmas in July....
As you might remember, I organized a fundraiser for the Holiday Project at our agencies care center (Layla House). The volunteers made a video of the Christmas celebration, and the agency sent them out to the families... I received my video a little bit late - on Friday! Anyway... I was pleasantly surprised to see my sweet Ava Sidisse on the film. She was only at Layla House for about a week at the end of December, beginning of January... and she ended up on the DVD... she looks so tiny... I snatched a still picture from the video... It's a little bit grainy, but you can see her! See if you can pick her out! And Enjoy Christmas in July!
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Longing to stand on her own...
Ava has been dying to stand up... she always wants you to pull her up. She is even trying to pull up on the coffee table and exersaucer by herself... but ends up needing just a little help... She hasn't yet got the concept that she needs to hold on. She does great however, once she is up there.... So, for your enjoyment... a few pics of Ava standing. She looks like such a big girl!
This stuff is even more fun from this side!
Wow... There's a lot of cool stuff up here!
I want that!
Not the Doll, the Beads!
This stuff is even more fun from this side!
Wow... There's a lot of cool stuff up here!
I want that!
Not the Doll, the Beads!
Ava's Sitting up! And Leyton gets a new do!
Wow... lots of progress in the last week.... Ava started sitting up all by herself. Its so cute, to turn around and see her sitting, and I didn't put her like that! She rolls wherever she wants to go, and then just sits up, so matter-of-factly.... Its nice to see her doing so well... And of course, Leyton is all over her.... She is also cutting four more teeth... two on the top and two on the bottom... the bottom ones poked thier corners through the gums a day or so ago, and the tops are close, but still not through. She is getting so big... a whopping 21 lbs, and 29"... amazing what a few months at home with your Mama will do!
In other news.... Leyton was in such need of a haircut... He usually goes with Daddy, but this time, he was so excited to go downtown to the shop that cuts my hair, and half the little boys hair in town! He came out with a pretty versatile do.... He can wear it down, In a spike, or in a mohawk... or as he likes to call it... an 'incredible hawk!'....
Man, He looks like such a big kid now... How time flies.
In other news.... Leyton was in such need of a haircut... He usually goes with Daddy, but this time, he was so excited to go downtown to the shop that cuts my hair, and half the little boys hair in town! He came out with a pretty versatile do.... He can wear it down, In a spike, or in a mohawk... or as he likes to call it... an 'incredible hawk!'....
Man, He looks like such a big kid now... How time flies.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
A Crazy Few Weeks...
Of course, What's new? It seems like it is always a 'crazy few weeks' around here. It has been just over a month (14 more to go!) since Jon left for the desert, and we are missing him. I believe that there are two 'worst parts' to the deployment... the first, is getting past that first month - Thank God that is over... and the second is about half way... When you know you are almost done, but in our case, will look at it as still having 7.5 months to go.
I have spoken to Jon a few times... (Hi, honey... if you get the chance to read this!) He seems to be doing okay, he has been busy working 12-14 hour days and trying to stay out of the heat. He still doesn't have his internet hooked up, but it should be any day... I really hope he will have a better connection than he had in Kuwait.
On the 2nd of July, Ava went in to the hospital for a minor outpatient surgery on her tongue, and for the follow-up MRI. The surgery went great, and she now has a full range of motion (she was tongue-tied). The MRI, however, wasn't so good. Her Doctors and I were shocked to see the images. Ava has been diagnosed with an extremely rare birth defect, schizencephaly, where her brain didn't develop properly in the womb. Of course, with the language barrier (we are seeing German Pediatric Neurologists), it was difficult to understand what the prognosis might be... Ava's Neuro has never seen a case of his own... so he has referred us to a specialist in Munich... we will be going there in a few weeks. I have researched the web, but there really isn't a definitive answer on how things could turn out. The defect causes a number of problems, that Thankfully, Ava does NOT suffer from, so we (the neuro and I) are guessing that she is on the mild side of the spectrum. However, the diagnosis does explain the tight muscles on her right side... she is using them much more, but they are still tight. It also explains why she isn't crawling/pulling up/walking/talking yet. The disorder affects her movement and speech... She is able to get everywhere she wants to be, by rolling.... She has no problem in that area! She is making a lot more noise since the surgery, but is still not saying any words... mama, baba, dada, etc...
I'm sure you can imagine how difficult the first few days were after I received the news.... I was at the hospital alone, with Ava... who by the way, was out cold... for 12 hours! And no way to get ahold of Jon... Everything always happens when he is away... that is the rule. I think I spent most of that week crying, or on the verge of tears... It wasn't until the following week, when I joined a group for families who have children with this same diagnosis, that I began to pick myself up... After all, I have to be the strong one. I have two little kids to worry about, and take care of. From the families in this group, I have gotten a great deal of info, and hope that I couldn't find anywhere else... And I have every reason to believe that she will be exactly what God intended her to be. She has made so much progress since we brought her home, it is amazing. She is a totally different baby. I believe that she will crawl/walk/talk, maybe not as soon as expected, but eventually... (And I hope that you will keep her/us in your thoughts and prayers... Jon, too... he probably needs them more!)
I have spoken to Jon a few times... (Hi, honey... if you get the chance to read this!) He seems to be doing okay, he has been busy working 12-14 hour days and trying to stay out of the heat. He still doesn't have his internet hooked up, but it should be any day... I really hope he will have a better connection than he had in Kuwait.
On the 2nd of July, Ava went in to the hospital for a minor outpatient surgery on her tongue, and for the follow-up MRI. The surgery went great, and she now has a full range of motion (she was tongue-tied). The MRI, however, wasn't so good. Her Doctors and I were shocked to see the images. Ava has been diagnosed with an extremely rare birth defect, schizencephaly, where her brain didn't develop properly in the womb. Of course, with the language barrier (we are seeing German Pediatric Neurologists), it was difficult to understand what the prognosis might be... Ava's Neuro has never seen a case of his own... so he has referred us to a specialist in Munich... we will be going there in a few weeks. I have researched the web, but there really isn't a definitive answer on how things could turn out. The defect causes a number of problems, that Thankfully, Ava does NOT suffer from, so we (the neuro and I) are guessing that she is on the mild side of the spectrum. However, the diagnosis does explain the tight muscles on her right side... she is using them much more, but they are still tight. It also explains why she isn't crawling/pulling up/walking/talking yet. The disorder affects her movement and speech... She is able to get everywhere she wants to be, by rolling.... She has no problem in that area! She is making a lot more noise since the surgery, but is still not saying any words... mama, baba, dada, etc...
I'm sure you can imagine how difficult the first few days were after I received the news.... I was at the hospital alone, with Ava... who by the way, was out cold... for 12 hours! And no way to get ahold of Jon... Everything always happens when he is away... that is the rule. I think I spent most of that week crying, or on the verge of tears... It wasn't until the following week, when I joined a group for families who have children with this same diagnosis, that I began to pick myself up... After all, I have to be the strong one. I have two little kids to worry about, and take care of. From the families in this group, I have gotten a great deal of info, and hope that I couldn't find anywhere else... And I have every reason to believe that she will be exactly what God intended her to be. She has made so much progress since we brought her home, it is amazing. She is a totally different baby. I believe that she will crawl/walk/talk, maybe not as soon as expected, but eventually... (And I hope that you will keep her/us in your thoughts and prayers... Jon, too... he probably needs them more!)
Sunday, July 01, 2007
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