Christmas Portraits 2010

So I had the realization that with Emma, I had her picture taken at 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12 months, etc.  Carol? We had some taken at 1 month....and now she is almost 9 months old! Poor second child!

So for Christmas I took both girls to have their pictures taken! Here are some of the good shots!

Carol Joy is Eight Months Old!!!

So this post is a little late considering that Carol turned 8 months old on December 5th, but the picture was taken at the time:

Look at that pudgy belly!

Look at those rolls!!!

Emma helped.

Unfortunately, it has been too long that I don't remember her advancements during this month, so the 9 month blog will have a lot of stuff! I do know that she still has blue eyes, and at this point still had no teeth!

Our Little Model!

Last August (actually on my birthday!), both girls participated in a photo shoot for Cook Children's Medical Center. Well, they just revamped their website, and guess who is on it!! Emma Rose!!! I couldn't find any pics of Carol, maybe they will show up in one of their magazines in the spring... who knows!!

Here are some of the links I found:

https://www.cookchildrens.org/SpecialtyServices/Rehabilitation/Pages/default.aspx#4

https://www.cookchildrens.org/ForPatientsFamilies/MedicalCenter/PatientInformation/Pages/Concierge.aspx

https://www.cookchildrens.org/ForPatientsFamilies/MedicalCenter/Financial/Pages/default.aspx

https://www.cookchildrens.org/ForPatientsFamilies/Programs/Pages/default.aspx

Yay!!!

What are you thankful for?

In Sunday School today, Emma's class was using the word "Thanksgiving" to talk about what they were thankful for. Meaning, they came up with things that started with the letter "T" that they were thankful for, then "H", "A", "N" and so forth through the word thanksgiving.

When they were on "T" kids had talked about toys, trees, trains, etc. When her teacher asked Emma what she was thankful for that started with the letter "T" Emma replied....




Toilet Paper.

Yes, that is something to definitely be thankful for. :)

Operation Shoebox

As a Christmas tradition, Daniel's mom (Gigi to Emma) takes Emma and her two cousins, Zac and Zeb, out to Walmart to fill up a Shoebox for  Operation Shoebox. This organization sends out shoeboxes full of goodies to needy children at Christmas. Emma filled her shoebox with a pink doll, a pink baseball, a pink play microphone, a toothbrush, crayons, and a disney princess pink cell phone (and candy, of course). She also wrote this letter, with spelling help from her granddad.

Translation: "Hello! My name is Emma. This box is just for you. It has a lot of candy and stuff. Jesus loves you. I hope you like your doll. Emma"

Random Videos

So here are some random videos from my flip camera from the past few months for you to enjoy!!

Carol when she first started to crawl...trying to get to the camera! October 28 (6 and a half months old)

Carol with her "rap" impression while Trick-or-Treating (with help from Dad)

Emma enjoying the last dip in her "pool" for the fall....it was chilly! And her daddy messing around with her! October 26

Emma loved to spin Carol around in the exersaucer...and as you hear, Carol loved it too! September 2010

Emma was part of her first dance class this summer at my old dance studio! Here is the end-of-session little performance!! Emma is at the end of the line on the left. August, 2010

And finally, some of Emma swimming over the summer underwater!!!

Carol Joy is SEVEN months old!

...you are getting so big! You have a pudgy belly and very very pudgy thighs...mommy is not used to that!!
...you LOVE your solid foods. You especially like sweet potatoes and prunes. You have taken longer to accept fruits...you would rather have your veggies!
...you sit up easily without a problem.
...you started crawling!! Watch out world!!!
...you put everything into your mouth. I mean everything.
...you decided you were tired of your exersaucer so we got out the walker. This is a new and fun experience for you....walking around the house chasing after your sister!
...your sister is still one of your best friends. She always makes you laugh and smile. When we pick her up from school, you lean forward in your carseat as much as the straps will let you in order just to look at her.
...you still have blue eyes. Weird, I know.
...you are starting to get glimpses of hair. Just little wisps here and there. :)
... you are definitely using your voice more to make your opinion known.
...you are still not sleeping through the night. I think you like mommy and daddy's company too much.
...you are an expert with your pacifier. When it is on it's "leash" attached to you, you play with it all the time. In your sleep you will reach for it and put it into your mouth.
...you had your first Halloween! You were a very cute Eeyore...although you didn't know what the fuss was all about.
...you still live up to your middle name of Joy.

Playing with our tongues

It took a couple of tries to get our monthly picture....you wanted to play with the sign and put it in your mouth!

you love to swing at the playground!

Beautiful Joy!

A joyful Eeyore

Visit to Barney at Chuck-e-Cheese 

Walking around!





Car Button

More and more I am convinced that my daughter is a genius with an amazing memory. (I know I'm biased like all parents are.)

Today after picking up Emma from school we were going down Boat Club Road. All of a sudden we could smell a skunk that had let its juices flow. After we both gave the obligatory "eww" sound, Emma told me "Mommy, hit the car button!" I was like "car button?" and then she pointed to my dashboard and I understood. I had told her once the meaning of this button several months ago.

So I hit the "car button" to help keep the skunk outside!

Hallelujah!

Last night we were out late with family so Emma didn't get to sleep until almost 11 o'clock. Because it was raining and he didn't have to get crews out, Daniel was able to take her to school late after she slept in.

Apparently, when they arrived, all of her classmates were on the carpet and they had just prayed. One of the things they pray for is all their classmates who aren't there today- specifically if they were sick that they would feel better, etc. Since she wasn't at school yet, they prayed that Emma would feel better soon. Just a few minutes later, in walked Emma with Daniel. Almost immediately, one of Emma's closest friends ran over to her, raising her hands and spontaneously yelled "Hallelujah!".

Even the youngest need to know prayers are answered!!!

Sisters....Part 2!

I just KNEW I was forgetting a story on my last post!!!

We were over at Daniel's parents house when Daniel started tickling/wrestling Emma on the floor. Carol was sitting on the couch with her granddad, and when she saw Daniel "attacking" her sister and her sister squealing, she just broke down crying and upset. Daniel stopped and both sat up and looked at Carol...and she immediately stopped crying and started smiling again!! She didn't want anyone (even Daddy) wrestling with her big sister!!!

Sisters!!!

So we are starting to witness the first evidence of sisterly love (and aggravation) between Emma and Carol. This is whole new territory for me. Yes, I do have a half-brother and half-sister, but they are 16 and 14 years older than me respectively, so I am basically an only child. (Although I have many memories of being held upside down over the in-ground couch by my feet by my older brother....) So having two children is totally new ground for me in so many ways. Daniel is the middle of three boys, so he's a little more familiar with the sibling relationships.

First, Emma is GREAT around Carol- she really loves her so much. Sometimes if I am sitting on the couch with Carol when Emma wakes up and walks in, Emma goes to Carol first, not me! And Carol LOVES her big sister- she always smiles and gets so excited to see her, even when Emma is squishing her, hugging her, kissing on her, trying to carry her around! But...sometimes the sister-sister relationship can hit a few snags...even now:

- A few weeks ago I got two of Emma's old baby toys out of storage for Carol to play with since she is sitting up by herself now. Good thing I got two and not just one because Emma just had to play with one, too. After a few minutes, Emma took Carol's toy away from her and started playing with it. Carol looked at her and then just started crying big boo-hoo tears! We gave Carol the toy back and she was immediately happy again!

- In the bathtub last week, both girls were getting their baths at the same time. Now Emma has this over-dramatic flair whenever she has even the slightest of boo-boos. She had a small, almost invisible scratch on her foot and you would have thought it was the end of the world when she got it wet. She cried and cried, even though she was holding it outside of the water and was dry again. As she is putting on this show, Carol is just watching her and then starts to giggle...and a little bit more...and then full out laugh while watching Emma just cry. Apparently she thought it was a little bit ridiculous, too!

- Yesterday, Emma told me "Mommy, I'm tired of having a sister." Well I hate to break it to you....

- If I am cleaning our bathroom/bedroom, I put Carol in the Johnny-Jump-Up. It's one of the few doorways that actually has molding on it that we can use in our house. Emma loves to use it as a swing. I'll pull it up high enough that Carol's feet aren't touching the ground and Emma will swing her on it. Carol just laughs and laughs! (It's an extra-wide door opening, don't worry!)

- Emma has gotten in the habit of getting a doll or two after we have put her in bed (sigh....) and places them on the floor with a small pillow. She then gets a blanket or two (or three or four....sigh again) and makes sure to cover them up to tuck them in. I've even gone in and her horse and Clifford that are longer than her are sometimes tucked in their own little floor pallet. Well, last night after both had fallen asleep, I went to check on them. Emma had two dolls on their pallets in the floor, all covered up. When I checked on Carol, I saw that Emma had climbed up the crib and covered her sister with a blanket, being careful not to cover up her head. She had tucked in her sweet sister, too!

I can't wait to see what the next years bring about!!!

This one is a little dark, but Emma wanted to feed Carol her bottle before school this morning: 

Reading in the bathtub!

Carol Joy is SIX months old!!!

Life got in the way of the 5-month update...so here's months 5-6!!

...you weigh 16 pounds (50th percentile), are 26 inches long (a little over the 50th percentile), and have a huge head (above 95th percentile....not surprising considering your genes!). You are actually going to change into 6-9 month clothes when you are 6 months! (Big sister NEVER did that "on time")
...you have the cutest rolls on your legs!
...you still have your blue eyes!
...you roll over, sit up, and "inch" along on the floor, trying desperately to figure out this crawling thing!
...you went on ANOTHER trip (such a traveler!), this time on a car trip with mommy, daddy, and big sister to Arizona for a friend's wedding. You did ok...you liked it best when mommy or daddy pulled your car seat up to the front seat to feed you!
...you started eating solids, and you LOVE them! So far, rice cereal, oatmeal, mixed grains, sweet potatoes, carrots, peas, mixed veggies...and mommy is actually making homemade baby food for you so you are spoiled!! You love to try and grab the spoon as you sit in your bumbo while eating.
...you go to sleep sometime between 7-8 and then wakeup to eat in the 3 o'clock hour. Then you go back to sleep until about 6:30. Mommy is really ready for you to sleep through the night. :)
...you had your first sickness. :( An infection in both ears. You weren't a happy camper. But after two rounds of antibiotics, you are back to your normal joyful self!
...you live up to your middle name. You are always smiling, laughing, and making those around you fall in love with you.
...you now sit up in the shopping cart at the grocery store and make eyes and smiles to all of the people around you. You also try and eat mommy's shopping list if she isn't watching. ;)
...you gained a new Moody cousin, Evan James Karnes, to play with!
...you LOVE to jump up and down and bend those knees. You love doing it in your exersaucer, and are starting to get the hang of how to do it in your johnny-jump-up. You just want to move, move, move!
...if you are laying down in bed or sitting in your carseat and see someone, you start kicking your legs as if there is no tomorrow out of pure joy and excitement!
...you attended your first LCCS football game!
...you LOVE your big sister and she loves you back. You start laughing when she talks to you in her own special sister language, and are so happy even when she is hugging you (really!) tight.
...you easily pick up items and put them straight into your mouth. You are an expert at getting the pacifier at the end of the pacifier holder/ribbon and putting in into your mouth.
...you have started taking baths in the big bathtub (sometimes with big sister) and you love it! You love to splash the water and watch the water fill up the bathtub.

All About Me...from the lips of Emma Rose

Each child in Emma's PK class gets to be "Student of the Week" for one week during the school year. Next week it's Emma's turn and she is very excited. She was singing "Student of the Week, I'm Student of the Week" around the house tonight.

As part of her "assignment", we filled out a poster sent home that is "All About Me". At the top, Emma wrote her whole full name (with some help on Montgomery-- that's a doozy for a 4 year old!) and then I filled out the rest as she answered each question.

So here's All about Emma in her own words (I think you might see what was on her mind the moment we were filling it out). Her answers are underlined.

Fascinating Facts About Me:

I am 4 years old.
My birthday is July 9.
I am in this grade: Pre-K (she had to have a little help on this one...she first said "little school")
My teacher is Ms. Laxson, Ms. Ackley.
I get to school by Mommy's Car (a little help here, too-- she didn't quite understand)
These are the members of my family: Daddy, Mommy, Carol (sorry Gabby cat)
When I grow up I would like to be: A Princess.


I show others I care by...Give them a hug and a kiss.
I am a star because I can read. (Well...we are getting there!! She is recognizing the little words that they have been working on in class like "my" and "the")

These are a few of my favorite things:

Color: Dark Pink (apparently just pink wasn't a good enough description)
Animal: Ducklings (yes, ducklings, not just ducks...I think the episode of Wonder Pets she had watched before church was still in her brain).
Food: Candy (I sadly wrote that down...and then asked her what other food she liked) Mexican (that's my girl!)
Book: Princesses (i.e. any book about a princess, specifically Belle, Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Mulan or Pocohontas)
Sport: (long pause....) Ball. (why choose just one?)
Things to do in school: Play Princesses
Thing to do at home: Dress Up

Three Super-Cool Facts about yourself:
1. I can Dress Up.
2. I can put on hats.
3. I can play weddings.

And then the picture she chose to attached is one where she is dressed up in a fairy outfits, complete with wings.

We definitely have a little girl on our hands.

I love you my princess!

Chocolate Chip Cookies!!

So (unfortunately), I found a great chocolate chip recipe off of allrecipes.com. It got like 5000 recommendations, so it is pretty good. Here it is:

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 package instant vanilla pudding mix
2 eggs
1 tbl vanilla extract
2 cups milk chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder, set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar using a mixer. Beat in the instant pudding mix until blended. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Blend in the flour mixture. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips. Drop cookies onto cookie sheet
3. Bake for 10-12 minutes in the preheated oven.

Hints::
- start checking the cookies at 9 minutes. if the edges are starting to be brown, take the cookies out-- it will continue to cook on the baking sheet for a couple of minutes.
- I have found that these are even better on the second day, after spending the night in a ziploc bag. They get moister that way.
- The cookies won't expand or flatten out while cooking, so shape them how you like-- I go ahead and flatten mine out on the cookie sheet.
- Luckily, I don't have instant vanilla pudding mix in my pantry all the time, so I can't make these as much as I might want!!!

Update on Daniel...

Well after this week's events and today's emergency room visit, I needed to give a quick update on Daniel's health.

Since seeing the ENT a couple of weeks ago, Daniel has been on a steriod regiment while taking all of these tests to identify what exactly is causing his headaches and dizziness. He took a hearing test as well as a balance test, during both he got extremely dizzy. He had actually gotten to a point where he could go through his day and survive, I guess you would say. We were even able to drive to Arizona for a friend's wedding.

However, last Saturday, things took a sharp turn for the worse. Since then Daniel's dizziness and spinning have been non-stop to a point that he cannot function for periods of time. He had to come home from work early several times this week and just lay in bed to get through the rest of the day. Even when he just turns his head, the room starts spinning uncontrollably.

This morning when he woke up, he said things were different, not in a good way. The best way he could explain it is that he felt outside of himself. He was trying to just watch a movie with Emma and had to go lay down on the bed. I went to go check on him and to tell him that I was going to take the girls to the zoo (since the weather here is beautiful!). As we were talking, all of a sudden he said that he was numb on the right side of his face and down his right side through his hands. Then he literally lost all motor control of his head, and it rolled from one side to the other with no impulse from Daniel. I immediately called 911, thinking maybe he was having a stroke or something. He never lost consciousness but even tually the numbness spread to his left arm and hand. He also started shaking uncontrollably, probably due to shock. Kristen and Summer came over to take care of the girls immediately while Daniel and I went to the hospital in an ambulance. Blessedly, Summer had Emma playing in her room with the door closed so she didn't see daddy being wheeled out. I told her that Daddy's head was hurting even more (she's been very aware that he has been sick and hasn't been able to play with her as much as he normally does) and so mommy was taking him to the hospital in an ambulance to have the doctors check him.

At the hospital, they drew blood samples, and all of his vitals looked good. He got another cat-scan to make sure his cyst wasn't leaking or growing. Laying down in a dark room helped Daniel a little bit, and he eventually did regain feeling in his arms. They did give him a medicine through an iv for headaches/nausea as well as a bag of fluid. All of his tests showed that he did not have a stroke or anything that would be of immediate danger. Basically we got a diagnosis of exclusion- knowing everything it wasn't. The doctor (named Dr. Disney by the way which we thought was unusual!) basically thought that the numbness was just a manifestation of bad side-effects of whatever is causing all of Daniel's symptoms. He told Daniel to rest, gave us a prescription for the headache/nausesa medicine and told him to call his ENT when their office opens on Tuesday (argh Labor Day).

Once we got home, Daniel ate a little bit and then needed to go lay down and slept for several hours. When he woke up, he was back to the "status quo"-- nonstop spinning and headache like he has been feeling for the past week. So we'll keep our eye out for any additional symptoms and prayerfully, we are close to a diagnosis this week now that his tests are pretty much complete.

Thank you again for all of your prayers. We are pretty exhausted over this all, but thankful because we know there are many things that are worse.

Yellow Light

So when I picked up Emma from school today, one of the questions I had for her was whether or not she took a nap during naptime. She said no, that she got in trouble during nap and had to move her mat. AND she got her marker moved from green to yellow for the 1st time. (Momentous occasion!) When I asked her why she got in trouble she replied..."I was just playing with Arabella during naptime."

And so school begins!

Carol Joy is 4 months old!!

Wow!! Can you believe it???

... you had some growing pains this month with waking up repeatedly in the night to eat, but you have gotten back down to your sleeping schedule of around 9pm- 5am.

... we switched out your 0-3 months clothes for 3-6 months! It was so fun getting out your big sister's old clothes and reliving those memories!!

... we haven't had your 4 month appointment yet, but I think you are around 12 pounds. You bulked up some more this month!

... you are fully a formula baby now, and at the end of this month we introduced rice cereal into your formula-- you gobbled it all down!

... you roll easily from your tummy to your back....and you often wake yourself up at night because you have rolled to your back and you can't get back! But mommy just comes and rolls you over and you go right back to sleep!

...you moved into your room this month! You and your sister now share a room- for what will probably be years to come! I will sometimes come into your room in the morning and you and your sister are just "talking" back and forth to each other as your sister has climbed into your crib to keep you company!

... you smile and laugh ALL THE TIME! you love it when someone smiles at you, the only time you don't give one back is when you are hungry!

... you have started to grab and reach for things, and have discovered your mouth and your feet!!

... you really like to stand up (with help, of course!). We think you will be a walker, chasing after your sister before we know it!

... you are pretty laid back! You don't mind just watching mommy in your bouncy chair!

... you went swimming for the 1st time! Overall, you like it ok...just wait until next summer!

Good news!

So we got good news at the neurosurgeon today! Yay!!

- Daniel definitely has a large cyst in the back of his brain. The surgeon said it was a pretty big one, and he's probably had it since birth. It's pretty amazing to see on the CT scan and MRI how big it is...
-...but it doesn't seem to be adding any undue pressure on his brain. The ventricles in his brain are not ballooned or misformed, and his skull is not thin (due to pressure on it).
- The dr thinks Daniel's head issues are completely sinus related. Both of his sinuses have blockage, especially the right side. He also thinks Daniel has a vertigo problem that can probably be helped with some particular exercises.
- He has sent Daniel to see an ENT to get his sinuses cleared out (which might involve an outpatient surgery to clean them out surgically) as well as an opthamalogist to check the pressure of his brain against his eyes (to check to make sure there isn't extra pressure from the cyst).
-Once he has those taken care of, we'll go back to the neurosurgeon and re-evaluate his symptoms. At this point, he doesn't think draining the cyst would make any difference. Daniel will get another MRI in 6 months-1 year to just see if it is growing right now.

So we are relieved, to say the least! Thank you for all of your love, support, and prayers. While we are not out of the woods yet, and Daniel is still in constant pain due to the headache, we feel so relieved right now that it was not worst-case scenerio!

Arachnoid what?

Over the past 3-4 weeks, Daniel has experienced a constant headache and some vertigo/equilibrium problems. He would get really dizzy if he moved quickly, bounced Carol up and down, or even while watching the bright colors and movements of Beauty and the Beast for Emma's birthday. So he finally went to the doctors last week, thinking he just had a really bad sinus infection.

He saw the PA at the clinic, and she not only got him some antibiotics for a slight sinusitis problem, but she ordered a cat-scan just to check stuff out. On his cat-scan there was some shadowing and an MRI yesterday confirmed that Daniel has an "arachnoid cyst" on his brain stem.

An arachnoid cyst is a fluid-filled sac that is located between the brain or spinal cord and the arachnoid membrane, one of the three membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord. It is usually a congenital birth defect, one that goes unnoticed in most cases because it never gets big enough to cause symptoms. So Daniel has probably had it since birth, and it has slowly been filling , until now where it is now approximately 8 cm by 3 cm in size. Typical symptoms of an arachnoid cyst around the brain include headache, nausea and vomiting, seizures, hearing and visual disturbances, vertigo, and difficulties with balance and walking-- all signs he has shown except for the vomiting.

Untreated, arachnoid cysts may cause permanent severe neurological damage when progressive expansion of the cyst(s) or hemorrhage injures the brain or spinal cord. Symptoms usually resolve or improve with treatment. So obviously, we want treatment! Daniel will meet with a neurosurgeon in the next few days, one that my dad knows and recommends through Arlington Memorial Hospital. Treatment will involve surgery of some sort to drain the cyst and possibly insert a brain shunt to keep the cyst from building up again.

The good news that we can see through this diagnosis is that it is treatable, and it explains all of Daniel's symptoms, some now that he looks back in his life and sees that there are many times he was probably experiencing symptoms unknowingly. He has often had equilibrium/vertigo and numbing of appendages issues, so maybe this is partly to blame for a lot of those.


As we step into this new medical challenge in our lives we would ask for prayer in the following ways:


- wisdom of how to proceed medically
- peace for our hearts and spirits as we face surgery
- peace against feelings of "why us"- I especially struggle with this. We know that God uses medicine and surgeons to bring healing- a lesson learned through Emma's four heart surgeries. However, on top of Emma's health problems and a slew of other medical issues and rough times in the past 4 years, it is hard not to fall into the trap of "it's not fair!" or to get completely discouraged.
- wisdom to know how the recovery will affect Daniel's ability to work and my ability to stay home with the girls- just so many unknowns at this point.
- wisdom of how to tell Emma when the time comes. She's a smart cookie, but luckily we just had a positive experience for her at the hospital with Carol's arrival- we don't want a hospital to be a scary place for her since it will continue to be a constant presence in her life. We also want things to be as normal as possible as her new school year begins.

As plans are made and we meet with the specialists, we will keep you updated!

Montgomery Family Pictures!

We took professional family shots in June at my Grandparent's house in Weatherford. They turned out great!!

Carol is THREE months old!

A little better late than never...

Carol Joy is 3 months old!

... we stopped nursing, and wow, have you chunked up since then! (Well, chunky for a Montgomery girl baby!). You have gained a double chin and small rolls on your legs!

... you are smiling all of the time! (but not in the above picture...you had just woken up!) You live up to your middle name of Joy!

...you love to babble and talk to all of us.

...your eyes are still blue....hmmm....we always thought that there was no way we could have any children who weren't brown hair and brown/hazel eyes, but so far you are breaking our expectations! They haven't changed in the slightest, so we'll see what the next few months bring!

...for the most part, you sleep until 4-5, eat and then sleep again for another 1-2 hours. However, the last couple of weeks of this month, you have been a VERY loud sleeper, keeping mommy awake although you don't remember it at all.

...when you do wake up to eat, I love laying you down on the changing table and watch you slowly wake up. After stretching, you finally open your eyes and see me...and reward me with the biggest, happiest smile, like I just made your day!

... you can claim at least one thing that you did before your big sister: you flew on an airplane this month! You joined mommy and nana on a trip to Pittsburgh to see a friend get married. You were an excellent traveler! In fact, on the way back, you fell asleep as we were lifting off in the air, and stayed that way until we deplaned. We were able to strap your carseat into the seat next to us on the way home, so that helped!