Race

Regan and I (Addison stayed home with a babysitter) went to cheer Matt on in a race that he ran in yesterday. He and his friend, Karl, have run in it for the last three years. This year Karl's son, Conner, ran in the 1 mile "fun" run. He was the second kid to complete it and 1st in his age division. I'm not sure if he will run next year, because I heard him telling his sister that she might not want to run it next year because while he was running he felt like his chest was going to explode. Regan had fun running around with Conner's sister Catherine. Between the face paint residue and the snowball, I think she might have gotten the dirtiest she has ever gotten.

Surgeon Visit

I took Addison today to the surgeon for a follow up visit. He said that her pallet is fully healed and that it looks good. He wants me to take her to see the pediatric dentist when she is a year and she will see him again in a year from now. They want to moniter her teeth and her speech pattern. Sometimes they have to go in again and lengthen the pallet if her speech is to nasally. She is saying mama and making other baby talking noises and she sounds normal to me, so I don't anticipate another surgery.

Backyard Pool Fun

Regan had a blast playing in the backyard in her kiddie pool. Although, I think it probably took longer to blow up than the time she actually spent playing in it.

Regan's 3 Year Well Visit

Regan was such a big girl for her three year well visit. She went by herself with the nurse to be weighed. And then she layed on the table while the doctor examined her while I sat in the chair across the room. And she didn't cry for her shot. She even tee-teed into a cup. Which when I have tried in the past to get her to do that it has been total drama. It must be the princess sticker that she gets at the end of the visit. She lets them know that she is ready for her sticker.

Here are her measurements:

Height: 38 in. (79%)
Weight: 31 1/2 lbs. (64%)
Head Circ.: 19 3/4 in.

Her new teacher also came to visit us today to meet Regan on her own territory. I wasn't sure how it was going to go, because Regan has not had a nap in two days and we had a big morning with the doctor's visit. She didn't want to let her take her picture at first, but she eventually gave in. And then she wanted the teacher to take a picture of her stuffed animal, her hand.... I had to step in and cut her off. The teacher asked her if she was excited to start school and she gave the very honest answer of no. But she did hug the teacher when she left and wanted to walk her out, which I took as a good sign. The teacher is very young, sweet and seems to be the creative type. I think she and Regan are going to get along fine. However, she did already give ME homework. I have to make two family pages which I am very nervous about as I am so not creative. I've already called my neighbor to help me.

Addison Sitting

Today after Addison's nap I sat her up and she actually balanced herself for a minute. I think within a few weeks she will be sitting up. However, her favorite thing to do right now is blow rasberries.

The Funniest Thing Regan Has Said Lately

We went out to lunch just Matt, I and the girls while we were in Florida. Sometimes Regan will randomly talk about things that happened in the past. Her favorite thing to bring up is when Addison was born and Nana and Granny brought her to the hospital. So, this time I told her that she was born in Mandeville where Quinn lives. And then I said....and you know what...Mommy was born right here in Florida. So she says to me in an incredulous voice....Right here at the eating place?

Regan's teacher is coming to our house to meet her on Monday. I am a little sad, because I can't believe that she is starting big girl school. In two short years she will be in kindergarten. It is so true that they grow up so fast!!!

Our former nanny came to visit today. She is in town to visit her family one last time before school starts. I think she really misses my girls. I'm not sure that Addison quite remembered her, but Regan was THRILLED to see her. She was bouncing off the walls. She picked up right where she left off wanting her to play tea party with her and play in her tent. She even told Jennifer that she was going to visit her.

Not Chicken Pox

We had a little scare where we thought that Regan had Chicken Pox. They immunize against them now, so if they get them it is a mild case. I took her to the doctor and he said it was just an infection from the sand and water irritating her skin. He had a fancy name for it, but of course that went in one ear and out the other. I was so happy that it was not chicken pox that I must have said to the doctor five times....I am so happy it isn't chicken pox!

Florida Trip

We ended up going to stay at Aunt Carla's for our vacation. I think it actually worked out better this way as far as sleeping goes. And we were glad to be able to spend time with them. We are grateful for the hospitality.

Possibly Not My Daughter

Okay, I know she is mine because I vividly remember giving birth to her. However, today I questioned it a little bit. We were discussing what we were going to do for fun today and several ideas were given. Among them going to Target to get some things that I had forgotten to get earlier, going to the mall to get Regan new Crocs because her toes are practically hanging out of the ones that she has now and going to the pet store. So, we decided to go to the pet store and one other place. Well, to Regan going to Target means getting to see the Care Bears and Princesses. Not buying, looking. So, we asked her if she wanted to go to the mall and get new shoes or go to Target and she picked Target!! I feel like I don't even know her. : )

America's Incredible Pizza Company

We went with some friend's to America's Incredible Pizza Company today. It is a new place that has opened here in Lafayette, and it is kind of like a big Chuck E. Cheese. It was very chaotic. Partly because it is new and partly because it is summer and the big kids are out of school. Addison didn't have her nap, so she was a little fussy. So, I held her most of the time and it wasn't easy holding Addison, pushing the stroller and keeping track of Regan. I think Regan liked it, and the games are very cheap to play. However, they had a big claw game that had big care bears that she did not understand why she couldn't go in the big box and get one. They also had little plastic care bears as prizes that cost 60 tickets a piece. I thought that was a little steep, but I thought it would take her mind off of the big care bears that were impossible to get. So, I played skee ball while holding Addison to try and get enough tickets. It wasn't going well not only because I was playing one handed but also because Regan was playing with me and kept throwing the ball over hand like a baseball and sometimes it would go on the other side. I was just waiting for her to accidently hit someone with a ball. Thankfully our friend Chapin turned us onto a "lottery" game which was totally random. He initially won us enough tickets to get cheer bear (the one all the way to the left). The people at the counter wanted me to tell them what color we wanted. I was like...uh uh sister, we know all of the names and I need to be able to tell her which ones you have so that she can pick. Well, of course Regan wanted more than one so after lunch we went back and played the lottery game again and after a couple of tries I hit the Jackpot!! I won 455 tickets and I was able to get her one of each with 40 tickets left over. And then we went home and I think I will send her with Matt next time. It was way to stressful for me.

Jello Jigglers

Regan and I played with Jello Jigglers yesterday. It was harder than I thought it would be to get the cookie cutter to cut through the jello, but she had fun. She wanted to do it again today, but I hadn't made any jello.

Sticker Project

Regan got Tinker Bell Sticker's as a party favor at Kate's birthday. And she used them to entertain herself while I did the dishes today.

Cinderella at Kate's Birthday

Regan's friend Kate had her fourth birthday party this weekend and Cinderella came to play with the girls. She was a big hit! She painted crowns on the girls faces and played games. The girls were entertained the whole time! Of course, the girls wanted to dress up as princesses too. Thank goodness Kate and Avery both take danceing. There were barely enough costumes. Regan told us that Sleeping Beauty was coming next year. I am not sure if Kate told her that, or if she came up with that on her own. She now wants to go to Disney World more than ever. We asked her what she wanted to do for fun yesterday and she said...ummm, maybe go to Cinderella's Castle.

You know it is a good party when Regan falls asleep without Elmo.

Addison Seven Months

Addison Enjoying Her Bouncy Chair and Conversations with Regan

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2607532729510038041&hl=en

Addison's First Bow

I don't know why I have never put a bow in Addison's hair, since she has always had hair. Maybe because she never went very many places. In any case here is a picture of her with her first bow.

Addison's Vegetables

Addison seems to like her vegetables. She didn't like her squash (the first one we tried) right away, but did like it eventually. Matt thought it was funny that I would start her on the vegetable that I like least. We have since moved on to carrots and she liked them right away. A lot of times she eats the whole jar. She should really start to fatten up soon. We are hoping, anyway.

Salmonella Update

We are cancelling our trip to Florida. We have learned that salmonella stay's in the system for 6 mos, and it is unsafe for Regan to swim in swimming pools. So, rather than have to deal with the drama of her not being able to go in the swimming pool....we have decided to stay home. We are currently trying to think of a replacement get away that will not involve swimming in a pool. So far Addison and I have managed to stay Salmonella free, and I hope to keep it that way. Matt has not been so lucky.

In other news. Addison has finally learned to roll over. I no longer think it is an accident. For the past week she has been rolling over on her tummy to sleep, and she wakes up in the morning and is mad because she can't get back to her back. I figured she would eventually learn, and as long as she wasn't waking up in the middle of the night it was fine. So, then she started pushing herself so far up on her arms that she would sort of topple over. But today she rolled over the traditional way. However, she bumped her head on the hardwood floor in the process (carpet is so much better for babies). So, I don't know how quickly she will want to do that again. If she is in the mood tomorrow, I will try to get video. I will also try to get a picture of her eating her vegetables...which she started a week ago. A combination of her being the second child and being tied up with this whole salmonella thing has put me behind. But stay tuned....I will try to get new pictures up soon.

Salmonela

They think Regan has Salmonela. It has not been a fun few days, but I think we are through the worst of it. She at least has been pretty understanding about not being able to have milk. I know she wants it, but I blame it all on Dr. Baumbouree and she has accepted it so far. She seems to be getting better, so hopefully we will be able to give her milk again soon. She hasn't eaten well in a few days and has lost some weight, but ate her whole waffle this morning (which she never does) and some corn. She slept pretty much all day yesterday. She layed on the couch all day and then took a four hour nap, but is fighting her nap today. Hopefully we will be back to normal by tomorrow.

New Orleans Visit

We went to New Orleans this past weekend to attend our friends welcoming party for her kids that she is trying to adopt through the foster care system. We stayed a few days to go to a Zepher's game with Phil's family. We were supposed to see fire works, but Regan didn't make it that long. It was a nice visit. We were able to see some friend's that we haven't seen in a while and Regan got to spend time with her cousin's.

Addison's First Cereal

Addison had her first cereal today. She wasn't to sure about it, and I think that more ended up on her than in her. But I think we got most of it down.

Fairies

This week is our babysitter's last week. So sad! Her sister nannies two little girls Regan and Addison's ages, and the one that is Regan's age goes to kindermusic with us. So, since it is Jennifer's last week her sister brought the girls over for a playdate. I told her she could bring them over even after Jennifer moves, but Jennifer told her that she couldn't. I think she is going to miss my girl's, and we are going to miss her.

At one point the girls were both in fairy costumes, but I missed it. However, they were really cute with the bubbles. They spilled the spillable bubbles (as I knew they would) and they are trying to pour the spill proof bubbles into the spillable bubbles. For some reason they like the spillable bubbles better.

Addison Cleft Repair - Update 2

We went to see the surgeon today. After being up with Addison for 2 hours two nights ago I was really hoping that he would say we were through the recovery period. The nurse said it is always harder on the parents than it is on the baby. I feel a little whiney, because we have been really lucky with all of this that she only needed one surgery. However, I am a person that needs her sleep. I do not function well without it. And Addison does not sleep well with the arm bands on. I don't think I would sleep well either if I couldn't move my arms. Anyway, the surgeon said that her mouth looks good and that some of the stiches have started to dissolve. He said that on Thursday we can start giving her a bottle. Only two more days!!!! I will be counting down the hours.

Princess Regan

Regan is really into princesses right now. She wore her cinderella costume down to our neighbor's last week and she wore her Sleeping Beauty costume for a good part of the day today. We went out to dinner last night at the local diner and she wanted to wear her Sleeping Beauty costume and crown to the restaurant, but we drew the line at the crown.

Addison Cleft Repair - Update

Three days down and seven to go on the recovery. Addison is doing really well. She still doesn't enjoy the syringe feeding (we don't think she ever will), but we have discovered that she does best if we put her in her bouncy chair, stop it from bouncing, shoot some milk in her mouth and let her bounce and swallow. She loves to bounce. She still got aggravated towards the end, but she got a lot down. She also does pretty well if I sing to her while Matt shoots it in her mouth. We have also taped her arm bands to her suit and it is keeping her from being able to get out of them. I guess her future as a magician is over before it started.

Sue left today and Matt goes back to work tomorrow, so from her on out it will be just me and Ms. Jennifer. We were very grateful to have Sue come stay with us and help with Regan. This morning I tried to convince Matt that he could work from home these next two weeks, but he didn't agree with me. But now that we are getting better at the feedings, I think we will be okay.

I took a picture of Addison smiling. Regan, not one to let her sister have all of the spotlight, wanted to be in the picture. I think she got a little more than she bargained for.

Addison's Cleft Repair

As many of you know, all went well with the surgery. They started at about 7:30am and she was in her room by 9:30am. She slept most of the day yesterday and got up three times to eat last night. Not bad. She still doesn't like the syringe feeding. But we are able to get food down her. We feel like we are back in the infancy stages..... getting up several times a night and we are excited if we can get her to take an ounce. The really hard part is getting her to keep her bands on her arms, so that she won't put her fingers in her mouth. We woke up twice last night to find her right one off. I have now nicknamed her Houdini. She was pretty fussy all day yesterday...the few times that she was awake. But she seems to be getting back to her normal smiley self. If we can just get her to eat and keep her arm bands on.....

Addison 6 mos.

Today was a rough day. We went for Addison's 6 month well visit, and she got her immunizations. The nurse measured her height and head circumferance and weighed her. Her measurements were/are:

Height: 26 1/2 (70%)

Weight: 15 lbs. 11 oz. (45%)

Head Circ.: 18 in (99%)

Well, when the doctor came in to look her over he wanted to check her head again. I asked him if it looked smaller, and he said no bigger. So, he measured again and got 17 3/4 which is 97% . That is the same percentile she was in for her head at her last well visit. At first he said that we would keep an eye on it. I wasn't overly concerned, because Regan has a big head. But even when you are not overly concerned as a mother you still are concerned. Or at least I am. Then he said because she has a cleft....let's go ahead and get a catscan just to be on the safe side. Which at this point, I am all about being on the safe side. So, we went to get the catscan...which of course was an ordeal. Addison was not having being confined like that. They wanted her to be asleep, which she wasn't going for either. Finally she went to sleep and they were able to get a good read. And this is why I love my pediatrician. The tech told me the results would be ready around 3:30pm. At 3:30pm I was considering whether it was to soon to call my pediatrician's office to find out if they had the results when the phone rang and it was them. So, all is well. They said that the brain looked good. I would give you all of the scientific information, but words like that do not stick in my brain. The pediatrician cleared her for surgery and now we just have to go to the hospital on Monday.-

Pre-op Appointment

We had Addison's Pre-op Appointment today with the surgeon. We were there forever, but it looks like everything is a go. I have to do pre-admit tomorrow. Her 6 month well visit on Thursday, where the pediatrician will clear her. And then her surgery on Monday. They said that typically the babies don't like drinking from the tube at first, but they get hungry and then do fine. They said the worst will probably be the first couple of days. I can't believe we are almost there.

Regan's Swim Lessons

Regan has swim lessons this week. I took her for her first day yesterday. She did a lot better than I thought she would. Jennifer had to take her today as I was at Addison's pre-op appointment. I think she was a little more wary today, but Jennifer said that once she got in and was distracted by the toys that she didn't do to badly. I am thinking about putting her in swim lessons year round.

Mike and Chris's Visit

Mike and Chris came to visit to see the girls. Regan really took to them....especially Mike. They brought her two baby princess dolls, which she was very excited about. I think they are her new favorite toys. We had a lot of fun. And I think they really enjoyed Lafayette.

Regan's Artwork

Regan has been drawing things that actually look like what she says that they are. Here is a picture of a face and an octopus that she drew.

Addison Laughing

Addison has been giving us some belly laughs lately. We shot this when she was tired and hungry, so by the end she had had enough. Also, pay no attention to me calling her by the wrong name. It is a family trait and happens often. Poor Addison is going to think her name is Re-Addison.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1311491256887949572&hl=en