Blogless

Don't really know why I haven't blogged. We have been busy but I think the impending loom of school has made me a little rebellious....not going to do anything I don't have to do!! I do love getting back into routine but change is always hard for me. So bear with me the next month and I try to readjust my life back to normal.

Last weekend we went to the mountains with my parents and grandparents. We had a great time and ate way too much. Billy and I celebrated our 11th anniversary on Saturday at a wonderful spot in Black Mountain, The Cellar Door. I highly recommend it. Even though this years anniversary trip was much different from last year, we enjoyed it all the same.

Some great Rumikub games. Check out that view!

Sleeping in the hammock.

Letting "Kinney" feed me.

We decided to check out a new hiking trail that was cut to a waterfall. Billy really tested his endurance carrying AnnaKate. It was a mile straight down to the waterfall and then of course, a mile straight up. Not to mention the mile to the trail and back.

The rocking motion puts AnnaKate right to sleep every time.

A sweaty family portrait.

This week AnnaKate had an eye appointment and everything looked good. Her nystagmus was cleared and he still thinks she is slightly near sited. No need for glass at this time....whew!

We are headed for the sleep study on Friday and then our Mommy-Daughter trip to see Holly and the boys. Then the real world of schedules and work will consume us again. But that means that fall is just around the corner. :)

**Jessica, Alex's mom, my friend for life, Florida buddy, etc.... is pregnant with baby number 4. We are hosting a blog baby shower for her. Go check it out!

Girls Getaway

On Sunday night, I went on a short Girls Getaway with two dear friends, Annette and Marsha. We worked together briefly years ago but a friendship formed and we have been laughing ever since! We do dinner monthly, always do something really special for birthdays and try to have little fun outings together whenever we can. This weekend we went to my paren'ts mountain house near Asheville, NC. We enjoyed some of the most wonderful food, laughed a whole lot and really enjoyed out time together.

The view from the deck at the cabin.

Dinner at Modesto's was absolutely amazing!! Homemade gnocchi...yummy!

Nan, Slute and Lel (aka Annette, Marsha and Kelly)

I made a special birthday breakfast for the girls...lemon ricotta panackes!

Until we do it again..Cheers girls!

A glitch...

There has been a glitch in my plan.

I feel like raising a special needs child is like running in a race. You give it all you have, you think positively because you know you will perform better if you do and you pace yourself. You pace yourself because you know you need to make it to the end. We have been so lucky with AnnaKate regarding her health. She has had set backs but in the grand scheme of RTS she is really healthy. I have handled and done a lot of things that I thought I would never be able to do and I have tried to remain positive. I stay the course and our life is blessed, good...and somedays even easy.

Yesterday we returned to the sleep doctor to discuss another sleep study to see if AnnaKate's sleep apnea has cleared. In my mind, I thought she was doing great until I spoke with the doctor and he pieced some of my comments together...slight snoring, constant yawning, unhappy in the morning, etc. He explained that AnnaKate's apnea was so extreme that the tonsillectomy last fall probably helped but by no means fixed her apnea. He said a 50 percent increase could look dramatic to us but she still could have severe apnea. I felt like the rug was pulled out from under me. I had not planned for this. I don't like change and this has changed things for us. Most days I can handle being a mom to a special needs child but yesterday I felt like I was losing the race.

So today, I am creating my new plan and preparing for a sleep study in the next couple of weeks. If apnea is still an issue (for the record, I am now convinced it is and Billy is convinced it is not) a CPAP machine could be in our future. People talk about how horrible this would be for a toddler and how hard it is to train them to sleep with this on. But, I look at all my strong friends who have handled, feeding tubes, Leukemia, multiple surgeries, breast cancer, infertility issues and the loss of a spouse and I think....a CPAP machine is cake. I can do this. So after a little glitch yesterday, I am back on track.

She's a Fish!!!

Around our house progress is usually made in baby steps...but not today! AnnaKate tried out her new swimmies last week and seemed ok with them. Today when we put her in the pool with her swimmies she whined and cried a little because it was hard work staying afloat. The second time we got in the water it clicked! She started kicking her feet and moving her arms. She seemed to get the idea of righting herself when she started floating back and sidways. She loved it and even pushed our arms away when we tried to help her. We are so proud of our little fish! I can't wait to see what she does tomorrow.

Not what the manufacturer had in mind...

AnnaKate has the neatest tractor toy that makes noises and drives across the floor when you press the smoke stack. She enjoys listening to "Old MacDonald had a Farm", listening to the animals make their sounds and watching it go across the floor. Today she decided that she may try something new...

She decided to ride it! She sat on it, turned it on and then propelled herself with her feet. I am so surprised she did not ruin the motor. Must be a good toy!!

She clapped along with the music and was just delighted!

Those poor animals!

What a silly girl!

What a Wednesday!

Wow...what a Wednesday! Here is our run down from today...

6:30am: AnnaKate woke up happy. Usually she is a little cranky and wakes up before 6am. She played and watched a little tv. I went to the basement and when I came back up stairs, I could not find her. She had gone into my bathroom and gotten into my shower. When I asked her what she was doing, she signed bath and said "baaa". OK little girl...whatever you say!!!

10:00am: Playdate with Cathy and Emerson. Popcorn, stickers, piano, Curious George, puzzles, etc. We all had a ball!

12:00pm: Yummy grilled cheese lunch at the Pickwick with Cathy and Emerson.

1:00pm: Early Intervention therapy with Mrs. Ashley.

2:00pm: Nap---I put AnnaKate in her bed for a snooze and all she did was "play" night-night with all her animals. No napping here!

3:00pm: Hearing test with the audiologist. Results were great and AnnaKate really did a good job responding in the booth.

5:00pm: Dinner. About half way through dinner Billy called me to come and look at AnnaKate. We both were worried because she looked like she was going to have a seizure. Eyes rolling back in her head...etc. Then she laid her head in her pudding and went to sleep!! So this is the scene at 5:35pm at our house. One sleepy girl!

I just love summer!

Randomness

* Happy Fourth of July! We are going to spend the day at the City Market, by the pool and grilling out with my grandparents. Here are some picture of AnnaKate at the pool yesterday with her new "float". She really likes it! She feels a little more independent which she likes. We start mom and tot swim lessons next week. I will let you know how those go!! :)

*Last week we had a play date with Taylor. AnnaKate loves Taylor and Cassie and she especially loves their dog, Baxter. He gave her lots of kisses!

Taylor playing with play dough and AnnaKate loving on Baxter!

Taylor and AnnaKate giving Cassie hugs.

*Last week we went to have our yearly appointment with the geneticists. Since this is a relatively new profession, many people don't understand what they do. The geneticists try to put the pieces of the puzzle together. They look at a persons anomalies (a strange or unique occurrence) and put them together with test results or other data to try and diagnose an issue. It can be overwhelming to go to a geneticist for the first time. They will point out everything that is "wrong" with your child. Most of the things don't mean anything...but some certain anomalies can match up and lead to the diagnosis of a syndrome. In AnnaKate's case, her thumbs, hair, small stature, facial features and a whole host of other small things is what led to her diagnosis. I told our doctor on this visit how much I appreciated how he gave us our diagnosis. He has a child with cerebral palsy and he was able to put a personal spin on it and it did not seem so devastating. Some people have horror stories on how they got a diagnosis. When you receive your report from the geneticist, you have to go to google to decipher all that has been written. I have gotten pretty good with the lingo. Yesterday, I got the report in the mail and I stood in the driveway as I read it. I thought about how different I feel now than I did when I got the first report, which I really did not even read because it hurt to bad to read all of those things. This current letter made me smile, here are a few of my favorite parts:
*Today I met with AnnaKate, a delightful and engaging 3 year old.
*She is doing extraordinarily well.
*She is in the 50th percentile based on the RTS growth chart.
*In every way her family is doing a top-notch, super-duper job.
Our doctor did recommend another hearing test and another sleep study. I don't want to do another sleep study but it is necessary. I really love seeing our geneticist!!

*AnnaKate is doing some cute things right now. We have been working on blowing kisses. She could not figure out how to make the kissing sound so she started putting her fingers in her mouth and pulling them out to making the sound. What a cute girl! It always makes me smile when she does it because it exhibits problem solving skills.

Have a great holiday weekend!

Playdate

AnnaKate is out of school this week and next and I am trying to schedule some fun things to do. Marsha had us over to play today and AnnaKate and Frank got along so well. Frank is an only child so he loved AnnaKate laughing at everything he did. AnnaKate is an only child and she loved watching Frank and following him around. Marsha and I loved talking while the kids entertained each other. It is a match made in heaven!!

Marsha and Frank

What'cha drinking Frank?