Life as a Leach

Ever since we lost Becky, Caleb has rediscovered his love for his little stuffed Boxer.  He didn't really have a name before, but now it is most definitely Bat Dog.  Bat Dog pretty much goes everywhere with him in the house and Caleb throws a fit if you tease him about taking him or something.  I'm pretty sure the missing of Becky has a lot to do with that. Bat Dog often gets carried around in a little "pouch" like a kangaroo. I am slightly concerned that this could be foreshadowing, should we get another dog...please don't call the Humane Society on us!  I promise I would never let them do this to a real dog, much less take pictures while they are doing it! But they had a great time making Bat Dog "fly," and that's all that matters...right?? In other news:  Caleb is really missing Becky.  He'll sometimes stare out the back door at her grave and just get this face of udder sadness.  It makes he tear up every time.  Sometimes he'll voca...

Amy and I went thrift store shopping last weekend and got some pretty great deals!  This little monkey shirt is just one of many Gymboree pieces I found for wayyyyy less than in the store.  Doesn't Caleb look handsome?!  I found this Children's Place sport coat at Good Will and decided that it would make the perfect addition to his Easter outfit.  Knowing that Caleb would be less than thrilled about this coat, I decided to call it his Magic Jacket.  Amazingly, coins and treats appeared in his pocket every now and then while he was wearing it!  Even more amazingly, he wore it for the better part of the day with little to no complaining!  :)

I'm not sure what happened to the bath video I posted last night, but I re-uploaded it and it is working now.  :)

Not really...I'm pretty much third in this girl's eyes (Caleb, Matt, then me!) but we'll just pretend. And my favorite... (Do you see that pudgy little hand on my leg?  Isn't she the sweetest?!)

Abby got her very first REAL bath the night before Easter!  Nope, she'd never had anymore than a sponge bath until then.  Crazy, right?!  I finally found our missing infant bath tub and worked up the nerve to try her out in it.  Because it's so dangerous for water to get into the trach (read:  into the trachea ), I've been pretty hesitant to try it.  At first, she looked at me with this are-you-sure-this-is-a-good-idea look on her face, but once I splashed her legs a little and showed her how she could use her hands and feet to splash, she loved it! I still wouldn't brave bathtime without two people, but it was definitely a lot of fun. Here's a video of Abby's first introduction to the water.  There will be many more pictures to come!

Here's the entire scoop of Abby's doctors' appointments on Tuesday and Wednesday! ENT Abby went to see the ENT on Tuesday with Matt and a nurse.  (You wouldn't know it by the amount of times I've had to take off, but we really do try to split the appointments as much as possible!)  It was a good visit and Dr. T thinks that she is developing well.  The trach site looks good and he gave us a few suggestions on how to keep the site from getting so red.  He will be doing a bronchoscopy (scoping her airway) during her palate repair to see how it is growing.  During the palate repair, he will also see if she needs tubes (90% of cleft palate kids do, so we're figuring she will) and put them in then.  He'll also do a comprehensive hearing screening using brain waves (they aren't questioning her hearing, but they just want to make sure).  I'm glad that they'll be able to get so much done at once so that they won't have to put Abby under anesthesia ...

...Because after a LONG winter of being cooped up indoors, we are finally able to spend lots of quality time OUTSIDE!!! Do you see the slight blurriness at her hand?  That's because she was rubbing her hand back and forth on the grass.  I think she liked the texture.  Playing peekaboo under the van.  Have I mentioned that this was a looooooooooooooong winter?!?  TGIS! (Thank Goodness It's Spring!!)

I don't have much time at all to post, but I wanted to let you know, in case you haven't heard... Today went FABULOUSLY!!! I will write a more detailed post later, but Abby doesn't need to have any rib surgeries right now, nor does the doctor think she will EVER need them!  (This would probably only change if the rib anomalies get impact her breathing.)  We cried happy tears and then got back in the car to hear--what song?  "Our God."  Perfect! We also learned about her cleft palate repair, which will take place in September.  They're going to do a whole slew of things during that procedure to maximize the time she's under anesthesia, but more on that later.  Thank you for all of the prayers!  God is hearing them and is performing miracles in our girl to show others His power.  :)

Easter this year was wonderful!  Caleb's big gift was tickets to the Monster Truck rally in Baltimore (he watches it every morning!), but he also received a few little things.  Abby got a learning cow that does all kinds of things and a cool ball that flashes.  They got their first joint present of a butterfly garden, and Caleb is incredibly excited about this!  (We're still working on teaching Abby about metamorphosis, but she's getting there.)  He's been asking every day if the larvae have arrived in the mail, so hopefully they'll get here soon!  I have sooo many great memories of raising butterflies every year growing up.  I can't wait to get some good pictures! We adjusted our nursing hours so that we would have the afternoon and evening to celebrate on our own, so we headed up to my parents' house around 2:30.  After a lively Easter egg hunt that included lots of running, squealing, and crying (and that was just Bruce!)  :), t...

1.  I passed my BIG test that I took back in March with flying colors!  This is a huge sigh of relief....especially since I was "slightly" busy during study time!  2.  We had a yummy dinner that included roasted broccoli--one of my new favs!  I added some feta cheese this time, and it was SO good! 3.  I've been selected to be a blogger for Lock-n-Lock (you know, the storage containers?), so I will be getting lots of freebies in exchange for some blogs about how much I love them...which I do! 4.  Somehow, I was able to get two appointments for the same day...tomorrow!!!  This is no small miracle. 5.  Warm weather makes me happy.  In other news, tomorrow is a HUGE appointment with the head of pediatric surgery at JHH.  He's the thoracic surgeon and he'll be checking out Abby's ribs and letting us know the next steps.  We also were able to get an appointment with the cleft palate clinic for tomorrow, so it's a big day!...

My parents went camping at the Navy Rec Center in Solomons (a very nice facility, I might add!), so we visited with them one night.  Caleb and Sara spent the night there and had a blast! Mom and Aunt Judy set up a treasure hunt for the kids, complete with clues and--of course--treasure!  They were thrilled with the idea and had a ball running from one place to another in search of the next clue. Matt took all of these pictures so that I could stay a safe distance away...for germs' sake.  Yep, still a germaphobe, but for very good reason! The treasure was a bubble gun that works extremely well, a bunny bubble wand, and some colored bubbles!  (Note:  these colored bubbles are cool in theory, but they stain everything they touch...including kids!  They are definitely a bathing suit toy!!) Heidi tried to stay away from the mayhem, but there's no rest for the weary when Caleb is around!  (Did you know that he has decided that Heidi is h...

PS:  Can you see how red her hair is getting in the back?!?  Ignore the bald spots and focus on the beautiful red locks she's growing!  :)

We hope that this Easter season, you are able to celebrate its real meaning!  Candy, eggs, and bunnies are all fun for the kids, but Jesus is the only reason that we even have this holiday.  And it's not really all about Jesus dying on the cross...anyone can die.  What sets Jesus apart is that he actually rose from the dead!   I don't really know anyone else who has been able to do that, do you?! If you want to hear more about how cool this holiday is, I'd love to talk to you about it!  :) We'll be enjoying our own celebration later on today, so enjoy some pictures from a recent Easter egg hunt Caleb attended in our community! PS:  Aren't the cherry trees beautiful?!  I think they're a new favorite of mine.

This is neither a trach, nor a vent, nor does it have anything to do with a trach or a vent.  But, it goes along with my series.  Perhaps I should have come up with a different title.  Oh well... This is Abby's feeding pump, and it provides her with all of her milk.  She doesn't take anything by mouth right now, but we're hoping that will change soon!  (I'm kind of doubting it, but a girl can dream!) There is a feeding tube in Abby's belly that this pump tubing connects to.  The feeding tube is really not much of a tube at all.  In fact, we call it a "button."  It's a round circle (hence the name button!) that has a deflated balloon attached to it.  You insert the balloon side into her belly and fill it (through a little hole on the side) with a few mls of water.  That inflates the balloon and keeps the button in place.  We clean around the site each day, and that's about the extent of the care!  You only change the butto...

We took Abby to the playground at my school for the first time last Sunday!  It's Caleb favorite playground because it has a castle--plus it's handicapped (stroller) accessible and we rarely see anyone else there! We kept her in the stroller most of the time for simplicity's sake....and because it was really sunny. Caleb was soooo excited and loved "rescuing" Princess Abby from the tower! I did take her out for a bit to swing.  (She was awake, but the sun was in her eyes.  We faced the other direction as soon as this was taken, and she was much happier!) It was such a nice day to be outside, and I'm SO glad that we can finally do that!!!

(In the midst of throwing a tantrum over what he was going to wear to church):  "But I haaaave to wear my Batman shirt, because that's how I get all of my powers!" (When I wasn't understanding the word he was trying to say):  "I wouldn't expect you to understand, Momma.  I'll talk to Daddy instead." (In a sing-songy high-pitched voice):  "Where's my precious little sister?!" (Regarding his new car seat):  "Riding in the car used to be soooooo boring.  Now it's so exciting!!" (Asking me to read a book in German to him):  "Well, you're German.  You're a really good Germaner!" And I just have to throw in an Owenism (Owen is my eight year old nephew), but I need to stage it a bit: We were watching The Sound of Music in the car on the way to RMH, and I was giving a simplistic explanation of WWII.  He really loves history and was asking lots of questions about Hitler and the Nazis.  When I explained...

We went back to the Ronald McDonald House on Tuesday...but this time, as volunteers!!  Do you know how great it feels to get an amazing welcome from everyone on staff, like we're some long-lost family members?!  I know the director, Sandy, must have hugged us at least 5 times!  I tell you, I love those people! Our Easter egg hunt was a wonderful success, besides the fact that only 4 RMH kids participated.  I think that it may have just been a little too early and some of the kids were still at therapy.  Sandy also said that they have a lot of inpatient kids right now, so there's more adults at the house than usual.  It didn't really matter though, because those four kids had a blast and got a lot more eggs because of the small number!  In addition to all of the candy-filled eggs, each kid got to find four golden eggs, which with slips for the special prizes.  They were so excited with the prizes!  My favorite was an eight year old boy ...

This little guy isn't an alarm, but it does have a pretty important job.  This is our suction machine, and it suctions the junk out of Abby's trach, nose, and mouth.  We have two because we need one to take with us when we go places and one to be stationary. Without getting into too much of the gross details, the suction machine manually does for Abby what you do when you cough.  We usually suction the trach between 6-8 times a day (more if she's sick).  Although we could suction her nose all day long if we wanted to, we try to just use a tissue as much as possible and save the nose-sucking for when absolutely necessary.  (Think how much your kids love/loved the nasal aspirator, and times that by 50.  That's how much Abby "loves" getting her nose sucked!) What she does truly love, though, is getting her mouth sucked!  Now that she's putting toys in her mouth, she's creating a lot more saliva.  Sometimes she can swallow it, but sometimes...

The other day, Abby was soooo smiley!  Just putting her hand on my face got big grins!

Are you getting tired of my song-sharing yet?  I hope not, because the songs I share are so important to me.  God speaks to me through music! A few weeks ago, Matt preached at church.  The Friday before, he was sharing the verses he was doing and it was very much about struggling and how God meets you where you are.  I asked if he was going to talk about Abby and he said he didn't think he was ready.  I told him that he either needed to get ready or save this sermon for when he is, because these are the verses to use! Well, as you know if you were there, Matt did it!  He even shared our conversation.  :)  I have never been more proud of my husband than that day.  He allowed God to use his brokenness and transparency to minister to others, and it was beautiful.  He definitely made me cry....but then again, that's not so hard to do!  :)  It was certainly an encouragement to Matt to hear from so many that they appreciated his ...

1.  The sinus rinse  is by far the best thing I've ever done for my allergies.  I have been on about a million medications...Claritin, Allegra, Singulair...and nothing has worked as well as this.  Plus, it's the safest and most natural thing to do if you are pregnant or nursing, so it's the only thing I have really used in the last year.  If you've heard of the Neti Pot, it's a lot like that, but I have heard it's a bit easier to use.  I haven't tried the Neti Pot myself, but I can attest that the Sinus Rinse is pretty user-friendly.  Before I started using it about a year and 1/2 ago, I got sinus infections constantly from my allergies.  Now, I don't!  I can tell when I didn't do it one morning (I don't use it as much in the winter time unless I have a cold, but I'm using it daily now that it's allergy season), but I feel pretty good all day if I use it in the morning!  2.  Does anyone else send their food to Leftover Land...

We received Abby's book that we (a collective we--so many of you contributed!!) made her on Friday, and let me tell you...it is beautiful!   I can't wait to show it to many of you, but until then, I figured that I would share some excerpts.  The vast majority of those who contributed have not met Abby, and some have not even met us before, but the love and sincerity that is portrayed in their writing is evident.  Thank you to all who contributed!! "...We are inspired by your strenth and it has been so special to share in the miracle which is your life..." "...Through your parents' words and actions, you have opened eyes (mine included) to see the glory of God and have us longing for Him more..." "...You are so LOVED!!  You are a daughter of the KING!..." "...I've heard it said that people come into our lives for a reason, briging something we must learn and we are led to those who help us most to grow if we let them and we help...

Abby got a Singamajig as a gift from RMH at Christmas. They're supposed to be one of the hot toys and it got Toy of the Year....not really sure how because you can't compare it to past winners like Cranium or the Leapster Explorer.   Basically, everytime you squeeze it, it "sings" a note and its mouth moves. When Caleb gets ahold of the Singamajig, it gets annoying very quickly! BUT, Abby absolutely loves it and especially enjoys her poof of hair. Here's a video of her grabbing it! **Remember to pause the music at the bottom! 

On Saturday, we jumped on a good deal at Babies R Us and got Caleb a booster seat.  He's of the right age, height, and weight for it, and switching a booster from car to car when he's riding with someone else is a lot easier than a regular car seat.  We'll still primarily use his 5 point harness because it is safer, but this will be good for rides in other people's cars and such. Public Service Announcement: Don't get sucked into buying the all-in-one car seat that works for infants, toddlers, and as a booster seat. Car seats have expiration dates and yours will expire well before your child is ready to be without one! (And yes, you really do need to pay attention to the expiration date...it's important!!) They are ridiculously expensive and they won't last the whole time anyway.  I saw them at BRU and thought, what a waste of money!  Our booster was $26 and has a removable back for when he gets bigger! Let me tell you, this boy LOVES his booster...