Family Pictures

We found a break in our crappy weather a few weeks ago, and took advantage of it by going out to update our family pictures (we needed some that weren't in front of the Christmas Tree). I'll give you fair warning, this post is picture heavy!

Thanks to Alexis Merritt (alexismerrittphotography.com) for the pictures.

New Crafty Home

So, my crafty projects have a new home! Me and two of my friends have gotten together and made a place where we can share our projects (cause we always seem to have one). I hope you'll come check us out:

http://supercreativelikethat.blogspot.com/

I'll still be posting here too, and may even offer some sneak peeks of my projects over there. Not to mention all of the usual family stuff and my crazy ramblings.

Anyway, on a side note - I hit 400 posts this last week. Wow! That sure went fast. I started this blog almost 3 years ago, but it sure doesn't feel like it's been that long. Thanks so much to you guys who still pop by every so often to see what we're up to. I love my bloggy friends!

Sunday Afternoon

We raced to the mailbox this afternoon, and he raced a little too fast. Forehead met cement, poor kid. After some Tylenol he wanted to ice his knee, he fell asleep this way. I wish I could say that this is a first for him (meaning the road-rash), this poor kid seems to trip over his own feet more than anyone I know though.

Her favorite place to read...

Look What the Tax Return Fairy Brought Me!

Yeah, I pretty much totally and completely love it. It plays beautifully (even if it's player doesn't ; )) It's in tune (something my other piano was not), and all the keys work (so very cool! Another feature my old piano did not posses.)


I even love the shiny black finish (it wasn't my first choice but it's what fit in the budget). I'm just really grateful for my big bottle of ammonia-free Windex to help me battle the fingerprints.

Happy Birthday Sister!

How is it that My baby girl went from this:
To This:
It's official, we have a two-year-old in the house again!

Now that, ladies and gentlemen, is how to eat a girl scout cookie. (she ate off all of the chocolate and peanut butter - the good stuff - and left the dry cookie behind)

The Living Room

So, the house is starting to come together, slowly (a lot slower than I am used to going). We finally picked a paint color and painted the living room (or really the living part of the great room) a couple of weeks ago. The kitchen is next, but picking a paint color (a good brick red, that doesn't come out looking magenta) is proving harder to do than I thought. Hopefully that will come soon. Until then:

Before:









After:

Update

22 hours later(from my last post), it's all said and done. My Girlie was such a champ. After checking into the hospital this morning at an unearthly hour, we went into the surgery prep room where she sat pretty contentedly and watched TV while all of the nurses came in to comment on how cute she is, and how good she was being. The surgery was fast, I knew it would be - but I still hated the waiting part (even if it was only 10 minutes).

As was predicted, she did not enjoy coming out of the anesthesia. After speaking with the doctor right after the surgery, I was escorted to the recovery room and I could hear her screaming from behind a set of doors and down a hallway. She was completely inconsolable for about 10 minutes, but eventually calmed down and got to eat a Popsicle for breakfast (she thought that was pretty cool).

So even though we haven't had a problem with infections, the fluid in her ears was very thick and was definitely having an effect on her hearing. Her Doctor reassured me that we did the right thing.

and on a side note...Have I mentioned that we really like this ENT, I've been super impressed with him. We've seen probably at least 5 different ENTs over the last two years, and I'm very happy that this is the one that stuck. I would recommend him, and our audiologist, in a heartbeat. (Just in case anyone is ever looking ; ) ).

Anyway, by the time she went to bed Sister was mostly back to normal. We have a week of using drops twice a day (that I can already tell is not going to be very fun), and she can start wearing her hearing aid again in a couple of days. We go back to the Dr. in a month for a check and a hearing test, and until then, hopefully things can start to get back to normal (well, as normal as things ever are around here. There always seems to be something.)

Ear Stuff

Baby Girl is having surgery in the morning (it's 10:45 as I'm writing this, I really should be in bed). Our check-in time is at 6:20. (yep, That's AM) The rational part of me knows that they were being kind when they did this - the little guys always get to go first. The not rational part of me is thinking "Are you kidding me!". I have to get myself, and the girlie ready and out the door by 5:45 (just in case there is traffic on the way into Seattle). Wish me luck!

It's not a big deal surgery. She is getting ear tubes. We haven't really had a problem with infections, but she has been retaining fluid behind her eardrums for about a month now. In a "normal" (hearing) child they would give her a few more months, or infections before they would do anything. Fluid causes a conductive (temporary) hearing loss though, so in a kid with a permanent HL, they tend to be a bit more aggressive, just so that we can preserve the hearing that she has.

I know it's not a big deal, yet I'm not looking forward to another morning spent at the hospital-we've been there too much the last couple of weeks leading up to this, and I'm way not looking forward to having her under anesthesia (Sister isn't a nice "drunk"-she's had to be put under before, and she is mean and super angry as she is coming out of it).

My sister and I were complaining to each other the other day (something we are apt to do quite frequently). Her little guy is about the same age, and just got his second set of tubes. She said to me: "I am so sick of ear problems", and all I could reply was "Me Too!!!". Who would have thought that we would be having such a strange conversation. Go figure...