Checkups for Ella and Anna...

Ella had her post-op check-up on Wednesday. She is healing perfectly and the doctor was pleased with her progress. Yeah! We are pleased as well - no more snoring!

Anna had her 18-month check-up. She weighed 22lbs and was 32in tall, which translate to about 40%-50% in both areas - perfectly average. What isn't average is Anna's development. She says about 50 words where kids her age only "need" to be saying about 4-10. She runs, throws balls, climbs, and even catches a big ball. She is just wonderful and we are constantly amazed by her progress. She cried because she was tired and had 2 shots. :( However, a purple sucker fixed that problem quickly!

Puzzles Fun Dome!

We went with Katy, Ron, and Ayden to Puzzles Fun Dome last weekend. The girls had a blast and we were worn out after just a couple of hours sliding and jumping.

Gymnastics!!

Ella loves her gymnastics class at Becca's Flip Town. She has been going since about November 2008 and has recently moved from the Parent/Tot class to the Big Girl Class (3-4 year olds). These pictures are of her and her teacher, Miss Jenn, doing flips and working the balance beam.

Anna has been her usual crazy and happy self since the ice storm and Ella's surgery. Since Ella was pretty much out of commission, Stella and Anna had a great time playing together, hiding, and getting into trouble! It is good to know at least someone was happy these past 7 days!

Ella had a tonsillectomy/adenoidectomy on Thursday, January 29. She was upset when they took her away - the silly juice did not work (versed?) at all. When she woke up, the nurse came to get us, and I heard her crying for Mommy as soon as we entered the recovery area. She was disoriented, crying, and bleeding. Chuck warned me not to cry when I saw her, and I struggled, but succeeded in keeping my composure. She drank some juice, ate a popsicle, and we were sent on our way.


On our way home, Ella fell asleep. For the first time in 3 years, she didn't snore...
Ella's recovery has been rough. She felt great the first day and ate, drank, and played her heart out. Days 2-4, weren't so great. She ran a fever from 100ish-102ish for a few days. She was barely concious and would only wake up so I could make her drink and take her medicine. I knew if I just let her sleep, she would get dehydrated quickly, so I woke her up every 15-30 minutes to drink. Meanwhile, our power was out and this whole recovery process was at Minnie's.
She finally perked up a little on Day 5, and we are now on Day 6 after surgery. The delivery of balloons and a teddy bear from Hawaii helped, but she is still just kind of laying around. She felt well enough to play a little yesterday and today thanks to Nana's great idea to have a tea party. We are still on the road to recovery, but she is on the upswing now, I think.

Oh yeah, her breath smells like when a dog eats something dead and then comes to breathe it all over you. And she hasn't pooped since last Wednesday. Don't worry, I've called the doctor no less than 3 times to ask about every little thing and we are doing all the right stuff for her. ;)

The silver lining to all this ice mess (other than becoming closer to Bethany, Zac, Stella, and Minnie) is that it has allowed me to stay home with Ella longer than I originally planned, which is what she (and I) needed.

More updates to come.

Ice Storm 2009!!

About 4:00am on Wednesday, January 28, 2009, we lost power. We stuck it out for most of the day, hoping power would come back on. At about 3:00pm, we decided to go stay with Mamaw Minnie (Chuck's mom) because we were just too cold. Our good friends Bethany, Zac, and Stella also lost power and had nowhere else to go, so they came, too. Every hotel in town was booked, along with every hotel in every surrounding county. Thankfully, Minnie didn't lose power, so we were all able to have a warm place to stay. The Pearsall commune lasted for 7 days (6 nights)...

On the first night, the girls had a great time! It was like a slumber party!

Thanks Minnie for keeping us warm and our bellies full!