H.A.P.P.Y. H.A.L.L.O.W.E.E.N!!!

It's amazing the difference a year makes.  Last Halloween we were on the phone back and forth with the neuros office setting up for  Charlie Claire to be admitted to the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit on Nov 2 and this year we were just able to enjoy the day! :) 

Hope everyone had a very Happy Halloween! Loved seeing all the pics of the little ones dressed up that everyone posted on facebook! 

Our new home!!!! 

Sandy threatened our plans to move into our new house this weekend but thanks to our amazing family and some awesome friends we were still able to get it done! :)We are officially in our new house and working on getting settled.  

We are beyond grateful to my parents for allowing us to overtake their house this past year.  It is bittersweet leaving.  It seems apparent that it will take J and C some time to adjust...this morning C asked for Nonno and Grandma at least 50 times. :) 

Hope that everyone made it through the storm safe and sound. 

Helping Grandma make pancakes! 

Fun with Aunt T during the move! 

Supervising the movers! :)

constant togetherness

Don't let this fool you...we still have EPIC battles in our house over cups, toys, who is sitting on my lap, etc! :) 

keppra

Guess what? 

Charlie Claire is officially only on ONE seizure medication.  Isn't that awesome?  She has been on more than 1 since she was 7 weeks old! We will be holding steady with her current zonegran dose until further action is necessary. :)

twenty four months!

Jackson:

weight:

29lbs (75th percentile)

length:

35.5in (75th percentile) 

nicknames:

Jax, Monster, JMonster, Monster Mash, Bud

likes:

EATING, Bubble Guppies, dogs, trucks, buses, vacuuming, the park, keys

dislikes:

vegetables, getting your hair washed, when Charlie Claire takes something away from you

what we love most about you right now:

how much personality you have, how excited you get when you see certain people or things you like, that you always want to help...whether it's cook, clean, feed the dogs, etc.

Charlie Claire:

weight:

23lbs @ CHKD, 25lbs at Dr. Cotton's - either way she is only in the 12th percentile! 

length:

35in

nicknames:

Charlie Cakes, Cakes, String Bean, Charlie Bear, Sassy Pants

likes:

DANCING, music, Bubble Guppies, the park, dogs, being outside

dislikes:

getting your earrings cleaned and turned, getting out of the bath tub

what we love most about you right now:

your new super funny dance, how all the words you are learning to say sound just like how Jackson says them, your determination

10.11.12

It's so fun to think back to the day Jackson and Charlie Claire were born..in some ways it feels like FOREVER ago and in others it feels like just yesterday! Never will I ever forget the moment that my two sweet babies made me a mama! 

Today was a big day! 

Not only did Jackson and Charlie Claire turn 2 but they started preschool! Ever since surgery last week Charlie Claire has been in an EPIC mommy phase so I have been dreading the drop off (more-so then I think most moms do!) and while she cried she apparently recovered pretty quickly! Their teacher, Ms. Kelly, said that both J and C did great...C did a tad better than Jackson as far as warming up to the class but they both stayed pretty close to each other all day and Jackson loved snack time (shocking!). 

Since we celebrated J and C's birthday on Saturday we kept today somewhat low key.  We did however go visit daddy at work and got a cupcake! 

And took a break from eating to give Grandma some kisses! :) 

T.W.O.

Two years ago two of the sweetest little love bugs blessed us in a way we never knew was possible! 

Happy birthday to the loves of our lives! 

Monday Quickie!

A few birthday pictures...just for fun!  Our girl who has been known to not eat sweets decided Saturday was the day to DOWN a cupcake, get it sister! :)  

Charlie Claire's post op appointment with Dr. Lall-Trail went great today.  He said Charlie Claire's eyes look real good and right now her right eye drifts in toward her nose every now and then but that is normal and to be expected right now.  We go back in to see him two months!  

Sweet Monster Mash...he apparently took a cue from the rainy, cold weather today and wanted to hang in his jammies.  Who can argue with that? He may have even gotten his very own DECAF vanilla latte! 

 Even though they are in Redskins gear, they still look cute! :) 

Happy Monday! 

Post Op

Before C's surgery on Thursday the nurse told me that in her experience (her daughter had the same surgery also!) Charlie Claire would be back to her normal self but that evening. I am not going to lie, I can't say that I believed her but I should have! C was most definitely back to her self by the evening. One thing that I wasn't expecting...it's actually weird to not see her eye drift out.  

We see the dr tomorrow morning at 10:15 for C's post op check up.  Fingers crossed he thinks she looks as good as we do! :) 

We have a big week coming up...Jackson and Charlie Claire turn TWO (we celebrated their birthday yesterday - pics to come!) and start SCHOOL on Thursday! 

Not bad for 48 hours post op! 

Eye Surgery

Our girl is a trooper! She did so amazingly well today.  

First...Charlie Claire's surgery was scheduled for 12:30 which meant no food after midnight and no clear liquids after 8:30.  This was a first for us since with her other surgeries she was scheduled first thing in the morning.  While Jackson ate breakfast with daddy this morning C and I went on a nice walk and she really didn't seem phased.  Had the roles been reversed and Jackson was the one who wasn't allowed to eat the morning probably would have gone a lot differently! :)

CHKD was nothing short of awesome today.  From the nurse who checked us in being super pleasant, the nurse who had to get all of Charlie Claire's stats and vitals (35in and 23lbs!) was super helpful and patient considering Charlie wanted none of that lady touching her. Our pre-op nurse was so full of helpful info and so great with Charlie Claire.  Surgery was right on time at 12:30 and by 1:30 I was back in the PACU with her.  

C did great after surgery except she did not want ANYTHING to do with the IV, the pulse-ox on her toe, the blood pressure cuff, etc.  Once the AWESOME PACU nurse removed all of those items C grabbed her cup snuggled up on my lap and drank her juice.  The biggest issue was actually getting her earrings back in...its a lot more difficult then one would think! Miss Lauren rocked the house with assisting with the earrings and somehow finding one that fell on the floor...she is my hero! 

We are super grateful that today's surgery went so smoothly.  We are thankful for the wonderful team at CHKD for taking such good care of our girl and we are praying for a speedy recovery.  Thank you all for the love, support, prayers, emails, texts, calls, etc.  We appreciate them all! :)

xoxo,

waiting for surgery!