the martin family

chd awareness week

2012-02-10T08:43:00.003-06:00

I am a little late posting this, but it is CHD awareness week :). I added Anniston's story to the "Faces of CHD" board on Pinterest. You can check it out for several inspiring and touching stories.

A quote from the Children's Heart Foundation website:

"Most people are unaware that Congenital Heart Defects (CHDs) are the most common birth defect in America, affecting approximately one in one hundred, or 40,000 newborns each year. CHDs are responsible for one third of all birth defect-related deaths and sadly 20 percent of children who make it through birth will not survive past their first birthday. Although a child is born every 15 minutes with a CHD, research continues to be grossly under-funded in America. Of every dollar the government spends on medical funding, only a fraction of a penny is directed toward congenital heart defect research."

We are so blessed with our healthy heart girl :).

(Baby C has RSV, so you can say a prayer for her...doing well. Thank you!)

just in case you didn't know...

2012-02-02T20:23:00.004-06:00

I do NOT have it all together!! Apparently, from the comments on the last post, I must appear that I do....SO not the case!! I know you were being kind, so thank you, but please know that pictures are usually taken from an angle to where the pile of toys is not showing :).

I so. very. much. appreciate when other people are honest about their struggles and about the fact that they are not perfect because it makes me feel better that I am not alone. SO.... here is a little more about us:

*There are MANY mornings that we wake up like this. Sorry, Anniston.

*I am very tired much of the time. Mornings are harder for me than they should be.

*I have skipped washing my hair more often than I am proud to admit since little Charlotte arrived.

*You may or may not be able to see the floor in Anniston's closet right now. It's her new favorite place to play...

*I battle the guilty feeling that I am doing all of my "jobs" halfway sometimes...a wise woman reminded me the other day that I just HAVE to let it go, so I am working on that.

*Was about to clean off the counter the other night when I realized I should take a picture first for you guys...

*Note the baby...in just a shirt.

*Poor Charlotte too often wears her pajamas to Anniston's therapy in the mornings. With pants :). Or, it may be a gown. But, I like gowns...they are comfy and sweet.

*My baseboards haven't been sufficiently cleaned since we moved in a year ago.

*I used to be exhausted with just Anniston, feeling like I could not get anything accomplished. Now, if I just have one of them for a little bit, it seems so easy, and I feel like I can get so much done ha. Funny how perspective changes. (And, for all of you who have one, I still think it was very hard then, too. I guess you are putting your whole self into the role either way, so it can always be overwhelming...if we let it be.) (And, those of you who have three or more children, you are probably laughing at me right about now.)

* I am behind on painting. Anything "extra" to do happens at night. Or doesn't happen.

* I am sure I will keep thinking of more things to add...

*We may not be perfect, but we are just trying to soak up these fleeting days. Anniston was "reading" to Charlotte here...special memory I want to always cherish...for many reasons.

I have been reminded more often than I can count lately of the fact that guilt needs to be laid down, and joy needs to be picked up every day...no matter how many things I did NOT get checked off of my list for the hundredth day in a row.

I feel so blessed with our family. Just wanted you to know that LOTS of things are on the back burner right now and that myself and my house are dirty... The end.

christmas!

2012-01-24T21:20:00.006-06:00

Here I am finally posting Christmas! The days are going by so fast! Loving it...tired alot of the time but really trying to soak it all up!! I can only imagine when Charlotte is mobile! ha (And, speaking of being mobile, Anniston is doing SO well in that area! Will update soon!)

Ok, so Christmas was wonderful this year. To be honest, I guess I had unreasonable expectations of myself, thinking that I could handle seeing our traditions to fruition as always: buying special gifts, fun outings, wrapping, decorating like usual, making Christmas treats, etc...all of the things that are fun but can be stressful, too. Add in a one to two month old and, well, it proved to be too much because I was just really tired the month of December :).

We did have fun, though, and it was SO special getting to explain the True meaning of Christmas to Anniston and feeling like she is in the beginning stages of getting to KNOW Jesus. I just wish I had taken more time to reflect...

When it was time to "pack up Christmas", I was about to put a book about Bethlehem in the tupperware container housing other holiday items when I felt a little tug saying "this story is not just for this time of the year." I just could not put the book away...I know it is a simple truth that most believers get, but it just hit me more than ever in that moment that these little girls are meant to hear this truth, not only of Christ's birth, but also of His life, death, and resurrection ALL year long from US. What a responsibility. What an honor.

Well, here is our Christmas!

Little People manger scene...Anniston loves.

Had fun wrapping and using scraps...

Made treats for neighbors.

And delivered...she loved having a "job" :).

Charlotte wearing an outfit that Anniston wore her first Christmas at 6 months...Charlotte is 2 months here!

We received some adorable outfits as gifts or found them on major sale... This super cute shirt was made by a sweet friend of Janjan's, and Charlotte has one, too!

Christmas Eve was spent with Stan's side of the family. We had a fun family day!

Digging into her Santa bag!

Charlotte was cozy with Pops...

Anniston got her very first bicycle! This trike has been great for her balance and coordination. I am looking forward to getting her to pedal more soon...will be so good for loosening up her muscles!

Now we're cozy with Grammy...

Christmas Eve night!

Next, we stayed the night with my parents and woke up at their house! This was our first time to wake up there with kids, and it was fun!

Our pictures did not turn out very great, and many of these are from our phones...will have to do better next year :). Anyway, this picture was kind of funny to me because at least it is showing the excitement/hurry that occurred, ha.

This is what she was going after! Her new little piano! It has its own stool and everything. I am not sure if I have mentioned this before, but Anniston and Stan have a special bond playing the piano. (The big one, ha.) She will sit next to him and strike the keys alongside her daddy...you can tell she feels like such a big girl doing what he does. She also hits the keys with her right hand some, so it is great for that reason, too. She loves it :).

Next, she opened her gift from GG and Grandpa: a dollhouse!!

With GG opening all of the boxes containing the kitchen, bathroom, people, etc...she LOVES her house!! ...especially the daddy...she drags him around everywhere :).

And, this is the house all put together at our house. Well, we were in the process of decorating it :).

Our only family photo. Stan had just opened his hat that I gave him (LA Tech hat!), and we weren't really thinking when we were taking the picture that he was completely "polo-ed" out ha. That is not all he wears, promise.

My mom gave my dad the best gift! He is an A&M Aggie, and for some reason, he never received his yearbook from his senior year...Well, my mom found it online! I need to sit down and look at it. I'm sure he was a stud...

Oh, and this was Charlotte's gift! I finally broke down and bought a carseat cover for her. It was time to frill things up a bit :).

So cozy.

That's all for now!

precious

2012-01-05T20:58:00.008-06:00

Charlotte is 10 weeks old, and this is a video of her from the other day :).

This little girl is just the sweetest...she melts my heart, and I want to soak up every moment! It seems every day that I notice her doing something new, and I feel like I am going to forget some of these sweet moments if I do not document them.

A few notes about Charlotte since birth:

* The first two weeks at home were probably the hardest even though she really has been a pretty easy baby all along. She was just really hungry and fighting sleep a good bit.

* The first two weeks at home, she only had two volumes: completely quiet and sweet or extremely loud and red-faced, ha. She has since found a light whine that I am okay with...if left to whine long, though, it can reach the super loud volume as I am sure is understood :).

* Now, she pretty much only cries when sleepy or hungry, as I am sure is understood as well :).

* She came home sleeping about 3 to 4 hours at night and has been sleeping 10 to 11 hours the last week (yippee).

* From the beginning, she has been super alert. (New to me since Anniston slept more than her during the day.) We had to return to the hospital for a weight check a couple of days after being discharged, and the nurse was amazed at her looking around so wide-eyed since most few day old babies are asleep when she sees them.

* Such a strong neck from the beginning. Rolled over at 6 wks...considered it a fluke. Now, she has been rolling since 8 wks.

* She could probably smile and "talk" during her entire waketime. LOVES to be talked to.

* Has had some reflux and has been on Zantac since 3 wks. Since adding Zantac, she seems to be falling asleep more easily.

* She has been a very eager and efficient eater from the start...such a blessing.

* At her well visit last Thursday (9 wks), she weighed 11 lb, 2.5 oz (50%), was 22 3/4 inches long (70%)...cannot recall head circumference, but I know it was 50%. Anniston was born in June and Charlotte in October, and Charlotte can fit into most of the clothes that Anniston was wearing her first winter at 6-7 months old (size 3-6 months).

* Had trouble with her 2 month immunizations...legs swelled and turned very red...she was inconsolable and crying out in pain like I have never heard. I was ready to take her to the emergency room, but Stan, the level-headed one, calmed us down. (I feel so bad about this because I think it was my fault, but I am going to share so that this hopefully will not happen to anyone else... After her shots, we came straight home, and since she was asleep, I let her finish her nap in the living room still in her carseat. Well, apparently with her diaper being snug and her legs raised for probably a couple of hours, the vaccine must have pooled in her leg...NOT fun. After letting her stretch, loosening her diaper, and giving her Tylenol, she calmed down and swelling disappeared.)

* I know people say this all the time: that they never knew they could love another baby as much as their first, blah blah blah, but now I know the saying to be true. My heart is full...

christmas fun!

2011-12-23T22:43:00.010-06:00

First up: Christmas tree farm! This is a tradition now with my parents, and it is alot of fun!

Anniston seriously loves her Uncle Matt :).

Me with my brother...

Charlotte was 3 1/2 weeks old here, I think...sweet baby.

Next: Gingerbread party!

Some friends down the street invited us and some other neighbor friends over to decorate gingerbread houses. Anniston LOVED it. It was sweet to watch her quietly observe the other children and then place her pieces of candy on her house. I only helped her with the frosting and with unwrapping the candies...she put every piece on her house. Anniston was SO into this lil project and was the last one to leave the table. SUCH a cute party.

The front...

And, the back :)... It will be neat to see how her houses change throughout the years!

Merry Christmas!!!

owl costume + semi-instructions

2011-12-18T21:06:00.005-06:00

I have had some people ask me lately for DIY instructions for Anniston's owl costume from last year, so I am going to try to explain as best I can without remaking it to show you ha. I just do not have the time to do that right now!

So basically, it was totally a fluke that this costume even turned out...seriously. Here is what I did:

Materials:

Several rectangles of felt from the craft store for feathers and flower, etc on hat. I chose a color palette including four colors: pink, cream, tan, and burgundy. (**It has been over a year since I made this, so forgive me for not remembering how many pieces of felt I bought!)

One large piece of cream felt from the fabric section of craft store (for the cape and hat).

Needle and thread or maybe hot glue (?) for attaching feathers.

Buttons for eyes.

Ribbon to tie the cape.

Pink turtleneck and pants from Walmart.

And, we were blessed to have the cutest Ugg boots from my husband's grandmother. Love them!

Directions:

For the cape, I put the large piece of felt around our little girl's neck and just eye-balled to cut a cape the length of her arms...

Cut LOTS of feathers in various colors.

I glued the feathers to the cape with fabric/craft glue I think, but I would actually recommend sewing the feathers on so that they stay better...or I think I remember hearing that hot glue likes felt, so maybe that would work better. Start attaching the feathers by making a row on the bottom of the cape (with the tip of the feathers from that row hanging over the edge) and continue making rows of feathers as you move up the cape until you reach the top. Cut off excess at the top to make a clean edge.

Sew ribbon onto cape so that it can be tied.

Okay, I really don't know how the hat turned out even remotely cute or how it fit her the next morning. I don't think I even measured her...just prayed it would fit! But for the hat, I know that I cut two pieces of the cream felt in the shape you see in the picture. I sewed them together and flipped inside out.

Cut flower, eyes, nose, and eyelashes out of felt and attach to hat with glue or sew.

Sew buttons for middle of eyes.

***Sorry that this is not a very precise, clear explanation and that I do not have a pattern or anything. If anyone has a question, let me know :). If you asked me for directions, thank you for liking our little girl's costume, and happy crafting! :)

okay, I'm back :)

2011-12-15T22:56:00.003-06:00

Thank you for indulging me with my little break :). I have been trying to get adjusted to life with two while soaking them both up as much as possible. I will attempt to do better updating from now on, though!

We are all doing very well! I am mainly just going to share pictures today, but I hope to catch us up at least to the current month, ha.

Sweet Charlotte the day we were coming home from the hospital.

Family pic before leaving.

This little girl loves her sister. She seriously gives her sugar ALL the time. It keeps me on my toes because although Anniston knows to be gentle, and is for the most part, we still have times when she just wants to dive on Charlotte and kiss her MANY times in a row. She knows we think it's cute, too, so I guess that only encourages her to love on Charlotte more.

It has been love from the start. I absolutely love the way she looks at Charlotte... In the beginning, Anniston ALWAYS wanted to hold her, but now she is more content with looking and smooching.

In the car headed home from the hospital.

First bath! (aka: quick wipe-down)

Did not love it so much...does now, though :).

Anniston's costume this year. I almost just let her be the little owl again from last year since I was full of baby at the time of decision, but we found a cute lil strawberry costume that fit the bill for a busy end of the year.

It was so difficult to get a good picture of her because all she wanted to do was walk from me to Stan and back again...thankful for that fact!

Janjan and Pops visiting...we were thankful to have SO much wonderful help the first few weeks. My mom came and helped a TON, too, but for some reason, I am not seeing a picture :(. Thank you everyone for your help!

Oh, and our wonderful neighbors arranged for dinner to be brought to us every other night for the first few weeks, too. Such a blessing.

She is really so sweet. I do have to brag on Charlotte being such a great sleeper: from four to five hours a night when we first arrived home to now sleeping six to eight. THANKFUL.

My dad's first time holding Charlotte :). (*Remember that he had a cold when she was born :(...) I love how they both have the same expression in this picture!

My brother holding her for the first time...

And then my grandmother's turn :).

It's official: everyone loves her! These pictures are from her being just a few days old to a few weeks. She is now seven weeks old and is growing like a weed! Will put up a more recent picture asap.

I am pretty tired, and I kind of feel like I do not know what I am typing...ha.

More to come very soon. Mainly Christmas fun!

more from the big day!

2011-10-28T17:45:00.008-05:00

Here are some (many!) pictures, mainly from Wednesday, beginning with a family pic before leaving for the hospital! Mixture of camera and phone pics...

Waiting room fun!

Grandpa and GG waiting by the door Charlotte was about to come through with Stan. I was able to watch all of this on a tv in the operating room...so neat.

Charlotte showed off her strong lungs right off the bat.

As soon as I talked to her right here, she stopped crying...pretty neat :).

And she's here! Meeting the fam for the first time :). I love how Anniston is looking at Stan...

With his girls...I love these pictures of them...

SO sad when daddy and the baby went into the nursery :(... Kind of makes me laugh...

Big girl!

With my wonderful doctor!

With GG! (My dad had a cold so couldn't hold her :(...will have to share that picture when the time comes :).

With my friend, Chloe, who brought the sweet birthday cookie cake for Charlotte!

Loving Pops!

Now Janjan!

Big Sis played and played!

With Aunt Meg!

This is what Anniston does when we ask her to "Praise Jesus!" ha.

Sleepy girl...LOVE having another girl with great cheeks :).

From yesterday...wide awake!

Sorry, not sure why I had to write commentary under almost every picture when it is pretty evident what you are looking at in these :).

We are doing great! I CANNOT believe how awesome I feel this time. I thought it was great last time, but seriously, this is such a blessing. Going home tomorrow!

it's a baby!!!

2011-10-26T17:00:00.007-05:00

Charlotte Adeline is here!!!

7 lb, 15 oz

20.5 inches long

born at 12:13pm!

She is beautiful with chubby cheeks like her sister, and, not like her sister, she has lots of dark hair!! Love her!!

Everything went SO smoothly, and she is the picture of health! Thank you so much for your prayers!! They were felt and answered!

I have lots of other pictures that I will share asap!

randoms via the day before :)

2011-10-25T15:32:00.018-05:00

I cannot believe tomorrow is the day! I just wanted to document what we have been up to these last few days as a family of three and to share more prego stuff for my memory!

So, it kind of feels like we are about to be first time parents to a brand newborn baby...does that phrasing make sense? Stan and I have been talking about how we didn't really fully take care of Anniston for the first month. I know that happens to a lot of people, so maybe some of you have been there, too, if your baby didn't come home right away? The nurses took care of her, for sure and especially at night, so we pretty well got some good sleep (minus waking to pump every few hours but no big deal...tmi?) Anniston even came home from the hospital on a schedule, so that was a plus, too! Don't get me wrong, I am so so so glad that this should be different with a completely healthy baby and that we don't have to sit anxiously by the phone at night hoping that the nurse won't call (wouldn't trade that for the world!)...it just all feels very new still! Pray we will know what to do! ha

Oh, and not to mention the delivery! It is so different anticipating the delivery this time. I don't think I have ever shared many details of how Anniston got here, and it is because it was kind of not the best time (could have been much worse though, so still thankful), and I didn't want to scare anyone away since what happened to me is not very common. I will just share one part because it is the main aspect that seems so strange/exciting to me right now. When I was in labor, my epidural only worked on half of my body (really not fun, especially with all the fun pitocin...), so when I had to go in for the section, they could not get me numb all the way and had to put me to sleep without Stan in the room. It was SO weird not seeing my baby come out of me! I had always anticipated that and never thought of any other option that would prevent me from at least seeing her. She kind of didn't feel like she was mine when I saw her a few hours later, but that is a whole other post ha. I was just SO thankful she was okay, so none of that mattered at all at the time. ANYWAY, I am excited to see Charlotte this time! So many new things!

And, after my pre-op appointment at the hospital today, I am a teeny bit nervous, so you can pray for that, too :).

Okay, I have to document this because these have probably been my biggest craving. Yes you heard me...craving. Stan makes fun of me all the time because I think I could just eat the whole bottle in one sitting. And, no I have not done that! Pretty sure that's not advisable. Anyway, I do chew a few, ahem, a day. Listen, I just never knew they had Wintergreen flavor! I thought they were always just those nasty, chalky fruity kind, but these are SO good. And, I guess I need my calcium too, so plusses all around!

Saturday, we had a fun day just the three of us. We needed to pick up a few last minute things at the grocery store, and our new store has grocery carts for the kids! Anniston LOVED pushing it, and for a little while, Stan pushed her in it and won all kinds of daddy points from the other ladies in the store :). Oh, and then he took her to the playground without me that afternoon and won even more points. He's doing gooood :).

Like mother like daughter...notice here that she is going after my tums :).

That morning, we also went to the farmer's market to pick up a few things and took a few quick pictures of her with the pumpkins!

She kept looking at Stan :).

Almost fell off the pumpkin prop...

Sweet smile, sweet girl. I must point out that she has just been the sweetest little girl lately. Not that she wasn't sweet before, but I think she is just growing up. Maybe she knows something is changing? Although she is nice to everyone else, she does seem to show me lots of extra love lately, which I will gladly accept and soak up :). She actually just jumped all over my stomach trying to give me love a few minutes ago, so pray that she gently loves me (and Charlotte) over the next few weeks, ha.

Okay, I will try to post pictures asap tomorrow afternoon! Thank you so much for praying for us!

***OH, also, Anniston has been doing SO much better walking the last week!! I know it is because of you guys praying! Thank you!!

progress, part 2: OT and speech

2011-10-22T13:54:00.005-05:00

I am sharing this picture not only because of the season but also because Anniston's OT actually made her this dress! Isn't that so sweet?? Her OT has been so kind and very relatable/understanding with me...totally priceless with a therapist. She has even cried when telling me how much she sees in Anniston and how she knows she will be just fine. Love her. She asked me a couple of weeks ago if she could sew Anniston a fall dress, and I said sure! To which she replied: "Ok, I already took her measurements last week" ha. Too nice.

Well, in trying to be positive, I will just say that Anniston's right arm was pretty affected by the stroke, but it is definitely getting better! On one hand, I could almost say that I haven't seen a ton of progress, but on the other: if we sit back and look at where she has come from, all of these baby steps really are huge. There is a good bit of neglect when it comes to her right arm/hand...she doesn't hold a book or a ball with both hands, but when we are reading a book, we can say "turn the page with your right hand", and she will do it :). We lift the page, and she turns it with her fist...the movement is slow, and you can tell she is thinking so hard about it while she does it, but this is for sure an improvement. She will stand at the piano, playing away with her left hand, and when we say "play with your right hand", she will lift it up and bang the keys.

For a while, we did constraint therapy at home (where we tie down her good arm...I know, seems aweful), but now that she is older, it is a bit harder, so we try to present things to her on her right side to show her that it would be "easier" to use the arm that is closer. I try to sit to her right at restaurants, and we have always positioned her carseat (whether rear-facing or forward) to where the window she looks out of is to her right to help prevent any favoring with looking to the left. Her eyes look equally in both directions (you would never know how severe the stroke was by looking at her face...such a praise), but her arm is the main form of neglect with her right side. I know as she gets older and sees the importance of using it, there will be much improvement.

She wears this little soft thumb splint on her right hand most of the time when she is awake...mainly at home and at therapy. I think she had just spilled applesauce on it in the pic if you were wondering :). This splint has really done wonders with helping her hand to be relaxed while holding her thumb out. She had another thumb-loop splint before this that was great, too, but she learned how to take it off :).

The hard splint from last year was great, but it did not last very long because she was to wear it at night, and it began to interrupt her sleep :(...

All in all, her right arm is getting better! I think I have mentioned this before, but the return of movement after an injury like this usually starts at the shoulder and moves down to the elbow and then to the fingers. We have to resist the urge to focus on her fingers because that can be discouraging, but if we look at all that she is doing with her arm as a whole (pulling up, crawling, bringing it to mid-line more), we can see so many improvements!

*****

Okay, on to speech. Hmmm...where to begin. Basically, since the stroke affected the left side of Anniston's brain (where speech is), it appears that some of her expressive language (talking) has been impaired. The huge praise is that her receptive language (comprehension...what she understands) is testing within the normal range! I know that is such a praise. Yes, it can be hard sometimes when I focus on her not talking well, and yes, there are names for the disorder, but we are choosing to be positive and praise God for how far she has come. We are choosing to believe that He is healing her and that we will see more fruit of that healing eventually...we have already seen so much! Such a blessing, too, that she is so young and that her brain is so plastic.

Basically, Anniston is verbal...she tries to say things and grunts some (not preferable), using a few consonants and vowels. She understands SO much, so considering that fact, her temperament is VERY good seeing that she does not seem to get too frustrated when we cannot understand what she is trying to tell us. (Don't get me wrong, we have our moments though.) She will try to mimic us, but it doesn't usually sound like what we are saying. She uses a few spontaneous words that we can pretty well decipher ("out", "up", "on"). She might repeat "mama" or "dada", but she has not intentionally called us "mama" or "dada". There are many animal sounds that she will say/try to say, and really usually she will at least attempt most words if we ask her...just not so much when we don't prompt her. It seems she knows what she wants to say, but getting it from her brain to her mouth is hard. Didn't even know there was such a thing before all of this.

Sometimes it overwhelms me thinking about the future. School. Reading. Writing. BUT, we just have to take it one day at a time and realize that she is God's child, and He has done and will do so much through her.

Sometimes I get frustrated when other people say things like "oh, speech will come", and then they usually try to relate by saying that their child didn't talk much until they were two or three. I understand and really am grateful for people trying to reach out, but part of me wants to be like: "no, you really don't get it." (And, I totally would be that person if not for going through this myself, so I really do understand where those comments come from.) Oh, and then there was this time that I was calling to talk to someone about getting swimming lessons for Anniston, and the lady thought it would make me feel better by saying that they have a 15 year old girl taking lessons who had a stroke as an infant and says one to two word phrases...it was all I could do to make it through the rest of that conversation. There are also some stories of children doing so much better after similar strokes. I have to work really hard at not comparing because it really does NO good, and above everything, I KNOW that God is doing some big stuff in her! (And, like I said in the last post, it is NOT the MOST important thing. He is. And, my goodness, she is ALIVE and so beautiful and growing and learning new things every day. Such a blessing!)

We just changed speech therapists and have seen SO much more improvement. This is all gradually getting better, and her therapist is very hopeful, seeing how smart Anniston is and how motivated she is. Her therapist also believes that once Anniston masters more of these gross motor hurdles (when she is walking better), the speech will come more quickly.

Oh, and Anniston does have other ways of communicating. She uses several signs still and we also have incorporated the use of pictures some, too. We use visual cues to prompt her, and we are working on strengthening some of her facial muscles...also trying to get her to keep her tongue in her mouth more. We use bubbles and whistles at home to try to get her to blow and just recognize/use her lips more. We read tons of books, point at pictures, try to get her to initiate verbalizations, work on our vocabulary words, use flash cards, etc. All of this is helping, and we appreciate your prayers!

Like I said, she is doing SO well. I just want to remember all of this so that we can have a reference to look back on when she is doing even more! Love you so much and appreciated your encouraging words on the last post more than you know!

*****

PS: Charlotte is coming Wednesday! Yikes! Or, I guess it could be before! Yikes!

I still have fall decorations, nursery pics, and all other kinds of random things to share, so maybe I can cram it all in before she comes. OR maybe I will find some time after! :)

progress, part 1: PT

2011-10-14T16:13:00.011-05:00

Anniston's progress, that is...it has been a little bit heavy on me lately...maybe having to do with pregnancy and what not, but it is pretty typical for me to have "moments" about every 6 months or so. It's okay, though, because those "moments" always bring me back to reality that we have such a healthy, precious little girl who is such a miracle and gift from God.

Let's see...I think I will just focus on PT and OT for this post because speech is probably heavier on my heart and might take a separate post :).

I never thought I would have a 28 month old who is still struggling to walk. It kind of breaks my heart sometimes. I know it is not the most important thing, but I'm just ready for that to be her primary mode of mobility. It's hard work. For all of us but especially for her. You might remember that Anniston took her first steps at 21 months when we were at IMOT. Well, she has pretty much been taking steps since then, and her walking and endurance have improved, but she still has some fear and weakness that we battle. But, we KNOW God is working in her and that the fear is subsiding while her strength is increasing. So thankful!

I told her PT the other day that it's just hard sometimes seeing that yes, there is progress, but my goodness, it just feels so slow. She was sweet to say that with a child NOT in her shoes who just has a delay with walking, it seems so fast when they start walking and things just escalate from there, but for a child like Anniston who has some paralysis on one side, ANY progress is SO huge, even if it seems slow. I am trying to be thankful :). She really is doing so very well, and this is not a "health" thing, so wow, what a blessing in itself!

She just got this new brace. Now she has an AFO instead of the SMO that we started out with a year ago. (Still wearing an SMO on her left foot though.) Basically, an SMO is more for ankle support, correcting the turning-in of the foot, and an AFO will do the same but will also keep her heel on the ground (she has had pretty tight heel cords that we have really had to work at stretching since she began walking, which is due to more tone on her right side because of the stroke; thus she walks flat on her left/good foot and up on her right toes...this makes her more unsteady and more likely to fall...which praise the Lord, He is watching over her and protecting her.) Imagine walking flat on your left foot and up on your right toes at the same time...you would be off balance, most likely, and you might be a little afraid you were going to fall. Now, imagine you are two :). She is pretty careful, which I am grateful for, but this can also be a struggle.

Stan and I were talking the other night about how any little setback with her sometimes means months before she is back where she needs to be. Let me clarify. For example, the braces: Anniston had just started pulling up to standing last year right before we got her first set of braces. Immediately after receiving her new orthotics, she stopped pulling up, and it took MONTHS before we could get her to do it again. Her feet were bigger with them on, and everything was just clunky...maybe that was why, I don't know. We would try to go back barefoot to get her to pull up, but it just wasn't happening. Now, we just had her casted for AFO's. I called the end of July to set up the appointment. They could not see her until the end of August. Once we got in, she had to get her foot casted so that the brace is made especially for her. We made an appointment for "2 weeks later" which turned into a month later because insurance had not approved and the brace cannot be made until then. And, now that we have the braces, they were hurting her, so we had to get them adjusted, which set us back another few weeks, and we go back on November 7th to hopefully do one last adjustment and then cast her LEFT foot for her other brace (doing it at a separate time because we needed to make sure she needs another SMO instead of switching to AFO with left foot too) which would probably take another month to get...much less the adjusting part.

I'm sorry....that sounded like I was really upset and complaining, but I truly am not...I just wanted to show how some of these things (which will in the end be good things) wind up seemingly prolonging her progress...and can be frustrating. Oh, and the AFO hurts her foot at times to where she is laying down on the ground because she cannot bear to put weight on it. I know this is because the brace is doing what it is supposed to be doing (helping to flatten her foot), but it still feels like: where is my little girl who was taking so many steps just a few weeks ago?? Okay, I'm done with the vent, and I kind of wish I wouldn't have written all of that ha.

I have had my moments of feeling guilty, but God is teaching me that those thoughts are not of Him. I felt like maybe we were doing something wrong or not working with her enough. I have felt guilty going to the grocery store after picking her up from MDO because I really needed to be at home with her and her feet on the ground. I have felt guilty not getting my shower before she is awake because I could be using that time to work with her. I have even felt guilty pulling her in her wagon outside of all things, not to mention the opposite end of the spectrum: feeling guilty for not letting her just be a kid more. ...I'm really in a VERY good place right now, but I just wanted to share some of the feelings that I have had over the last couple of years from time to time...

I am in a Bible study right now called "No Other Gods" by Kelly Minter. I went into it thinking that I didn't really have another god or that maybe it was technology or something?, but on the first night of our study, it hit me: my god was Anniston's success. I think many parents can relate. I want Anniston to do so well, and the fact that we have to work harder than some (not all by any means) makes it almost consume me that much more sometimes, I think. It is hard not to compare milestones at times or want your child to be "the best". I have pushed her so hard at times to achieve certain things, and then it hits me: why am I doing this? Really, why? In eternity, what does this matter? Don't get me wrong, I believe wholeheartedly in giving everything your best for the glory of the Lord, but I just think in light of eternity, whether or not my child could stack a certain number of blocks at so many months or could clap or sing or say her ABC's by a certain point does NOT matter! It finally hit me (sometimes it takes me a while:)) that I would so much rather her love the Lord and be loving and kind to others than to achieve anything that this world merits. I am not saying that I still don't struggle with these worldly feelings, but I am just saying that I am trying to make HIM number one instead of Anniston's success.

"But seek first the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added unto you." Luke 12:31 God spoke this verse to my heart a couple of months ago, and it has changed everything for me. None of the above milestones are bad. It is okay for me to desire those things for Anniston, but when they become bigger to me than HIM, and when those thoughts consume me, it is completely wrong. I cannot tell you how much this scripture has meant to me and how much I have seen God do in Anniston as I focus on Him. I am so not perfect, and I still have my moments, but I do see that as I look at Him more, she is taken care of and progressing more and more, even at a quicker rate. He is her Heavenly Father. She is His child foremost, and it is not all on me or Stan. What a relief.

She is seriously the most precious little girl ever, and I do not know what we did to deserve having her as our child...I am just so in love.

Okay, OT might have to be a separate post, too :).

*****

Wow, just realized that it was two years ago today that we brought Anniston home from the hospital after her stroke...my mind just hasn't acknowledged what day it is lately, ha. He has brought her SO far since then. She couldn't even look to the right, much less straight ahead on October 14, 2009, but now she gives me the sweetest love with those same blue eyes. SO thankful.

favorite new fall recipes

2011-10-06T10:34:00.011-05:00

I have a couple of fall recipes to share! My friend, Kristen, is inspiring me...these are for you, girl!

This pasta salad was labeled a "harvest salad" in the September issue of Southern Living Magazine, so of course that caught my eye :)...anything resembling fall catches my eye, by the way. Just a tid-bit. Well, this pasta salad really hit the spot with me, and I cannot stop thinking about it! It definitely needs to be eaten within the first couple of days after being made because the dressing can become pretty strong after that. It is SO good...you need to try :). Oh, and even though it says to use half of the box of bow tie pasta, don't let that fool you...this makes a ton! Don't make it just for yourself...or do. Yes, do.

{photo and recipe credit}

Broccoli, Grape, and Pasta Salad

1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 (16-oz.) package farfalle (bow-tie) pasta
1 pound fresh broccoli
1 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup diced red onion
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups seedless red grapes, halved
8 cooked bacon slices, crumbled

Preheat oven to 350°. Bake pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 5 to 7 minutes or until lightly toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through.
Prepare pasta according to package directions.
Cut broccoli florets from stems, and separate florets into small pieces using tip of a paring knife. Peel away tough outer layer of stems, and finely chop stems.
Whisk together mayonnaise and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl; add broccoli, hot cooked pasta, and grapes. Stir to coat. Cover and chill 3 hours. Stir bacon and pecans into salad just before serving...can be done ahead of time, though.
*****

Okay, the next recipe (from allrecipes.com) I have made a couple of times now to pass out and for company, and they have been pretty popular. They are SO soft. I am a big pumpkin flavor fan, so if you're not, these may not be the cookies for you...but if so, bake on!

{photo and recipe credit}

Iced Pumpkin Cookies

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cups white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For drizzle:
2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream together 1/2 cup of butter and sugars. Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla...beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients. You can immediately drop spoonfuls onto cookie sheet, but I like to refrigerate the dough for at least an hour or so (or even overnight)...just cleaner that way. Drop on cookie sheet and flatten slightly.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Cool cookies then drizzle glaze with fork.

To make glaze: combine the last four ingredients well. Add milk as needed to achieve drizzling consistency. Makes 3 dozen. Enjoy!

*****

Also, I went to the doctor this week and have not progressed at all yet...odd because it was not at all that way with Anniston by this point, but I guess these girls are proving to be different already! 36 weeks today :).

little sis

2011-09-22T19:45:00.006-05:00

We saw baby Charlotte this week! On a sonogram :). She looks beautiful, is big and healthy, and although she is pretty crammed, she has plenty of amniotic fluid, for which we are very thankful. My doctor actually was thinking my uterus was measuring slightly small, but when we did the ultrasound, it showed that Charlotte was measuring 5lb 8 oz!! That is crazy to me that she could be that big already! I am 34 weeks today, by the way... Well, I asked my doctor if the weight is ever very far off on a sonogram (because that just sounded so big!, and somehow I haven't gained more than I did with Anniston), and he said it can be off up to 20%...that's alot...like a pound at this point. Oh well, I am just SO very grateful to have another confirmation of a healthy baby, and it really just warmed my heart to think that she is doing so well! And could even be big!

She looks JUST like Anniston's sonogram pics to me. I know they're all fuzzy and generally look similar, but that profile with the chubby cheeks and pouty lips is all big sis.

OH, and we set the date for my section on October 26. I have a feeling it will change once they start checking how far I am progressing, because when I went in with Anniston at 37.5 weeks for the induction, I was 3cm 80% and was starting to have some regular contractions. I know it was a different situation though with a different baby, so we'll see!

Like every other pregnant woman, I get asked a lot "how are you feeling?", so I will just answer right here! :) I am feeling great. I have had some Braxton Hicks lately that I don't remember feeling this often with Anniston...not painful, just tight every now and then. And, I have had round ligament pain in my right lower abdomen usually if I stand up too quickly...not very often and really not bad. It is getting a bit harder to get up and down with Anniston, and I am having to rest a little bit more (nap when she naps). But other than that, I feel pretty energetic and refreshed, especially knowing that the start of fall is right around the corner: *think 4:05am tomorrow!!!

I think that is all of the Charlotte updates for now!

first day!

2011-09-12T22:09:00.005-05:00

Just wanted to document Anniston's first day of "school" last Tuesday. :) It was a very cool start to the week, so we were able to pretend that it was fall and wear our long sleeves. She would NOT look at the camera on this day. I made the mistake of telling her that we were "going to see her friends" before I pulled out the camera, and she was just so ready...bag in hand.

I really do think she likes going, and I know it's only two days a week, but I still had a little trouble the first day. Nothing major, and I really wasn't worried about her; it was more of a guilty feeling. I think more of the guilt came from me knowing that her teachers probably aren't making her stand like we would be doing at home or working with her doing our exercises/homework from therapy. BUT, I know the benefits will outweigh those things for just a few hours a week because she is getting some much needed interaction with other children and even with other adults which will, prayerfully, boost her development.

SO, to distract myself from those feelings and to make it a fun thing, I focussed on her cute "gear" and thinking of lunch ideas :).

Here is her cute mouse lunch bag and her backpack. How clever is the cheese zipper on the mouse bag? :)

And here was her lunch. Peanut butter sandwich with veggie sticks, cheese, prunes, and applesauce...yes, our girl can eat. Actually, she has been a bit picky lately (where did this come from?), so I just packed as much as I could fit so she would get enough, ha.

Speaking of her being picky, I have decided to take the Babywise Mom's approach, and I am making sure to prepare her things that I know she likes (or asks for) for breakfast and lunch while being sure to give her what we are eating for supper, making sure there is at least one thing on the plate that I know she likes...with no compromises (not preparing her something completely different after she refuses...she will not starve herself, believe me). This way, I can keep introducing/re-introducing foods. She seems to be doing alot better with this approach. And, I am not going crazy trying to become the short-order cook that I swore I would never be...but was becoming! She was refusing things that she should like, though, so I really think it was more of an acting out thing...I'm learning.

Whew, that was a tangent... all in all, I think Mother's Day Out is going well, and I am thankful that she has the sweetest teachers! And, I will admit that it has been nice for me to run errands by my pregnant myself without needing to lift a toddler :).

catching up and a God story

2011-09-08T13:02:00.004-05:00

Bad blogger, yes I am. I feel like all I have done the last few weeks is paint. A friend of mine asked me to display some of my pieces in her new store which is opening tomorrow, and I have completed nine fairly large canvases for her. I will share more details and pictures soon...I feel blessed to have this opportunity :).

So needless to say, poor Charlotte's room has been on the back-burner. It is in order for today and this weekend though...sweet girl, I love you.

Anniston started MDO this week! She is liking it I think. I'm liking it...I think :).

****

Now that I am half-way caught up, I have a story that i have been MEANING to tell you for FOREVER. Really, it is embarrassing how long I have withheld this tale.

Let me see if I remember everything correctly (Beth Ann, let me know if I have missed something or written something wrong!)...

When I was pregnant with Anniston, this sweet little family a couple of states away was expecting a little girl as well, and their due date was near ours. WELL, they were planning to name their little girl Anniston Claire also! Completely separate from us...had never had any kind of contact with us and came up with the same name at the same time. CRAZY to me because I had A: never heard of the name Anniston before as a first name and B: had obviously never heard of the name with the same middle name that we had already chosen...Claire.

How we found each other: Beth Ann (Anniston Claire's mom), found this cute store on Etsy that sold personalized tea sets, and she ordered one for the little baby she was expecting. One night, they were trying to find a picture of the tea set online, so her husband just decided to google something like "Anniston Claire tea set" (I am probably butchering this). When the results popped up on Google, he immediately noticed that my mom's blog came up as one of the first hits asking people to fast and pray for our Anniston Claire!

Their family was moved by our story and knew that God wanted them to pray for our Anniston as they expected their sweet Anniston. They are an AMAZING, Godly family. How neat is that?! They asked their friends and family to pray, and they really partnered with us on their knees for our little girl. Through my mom's blog, they found mine, and they kept up with our story until Anniston was born...

GUESS WHAT??

ON THE SAME DAY!!!

They were born on the EXACT same day with the EXACT same name. And, I even think the time was almost the same? And maybe something else? I might need to be reminded, Beth Ann, if you are reading this! ha

We have remained friends and in contact from the beginning, and my mom is even super close to Beth Ann's mom now!

Immediately after they found us, Beth Ann knew she needed to send us a tea set, too, so we have one of our own! A custom Anniston Claire set to remind us of our wonderful, new friends! (tried to find the store on Etsy for a link, but can't find it:( ) Isn't it adorable?:

Speaking of adorable, drumroll.....here is their Anniston Claire with her tea set at her second birthday party!:

SO sweet! Okay, she is just so so beautiful. I HOPE to meet them someday! These little girls will have the BEST tea party, I am sure :).

And, here is Anniston with her mom, Beth Ann! Isn't she beautiful, too?!

I feel so incredibly blessed and humbled to be able to share this story that could only have happened because of God. Their consistent prayers for us have meant more than they could ever know... we would not be where we are today without everyone's faithful prayers.

I mean, that's a pretty neat story, right? Same name and same birthday. And, maybe even the same something else that I cannot remember, ha. Jesus, you are so good and personal... Just another confirmation that He knows each of our names and every detail about us all.

29 weeks!

2011-08-18T15:38:00.004-05:00

Okay, so this picture was actually taken Sunday at 28.5 weeks :). Officially in the third trimester for a week now!

I already feel this guilt concerning Charlotte since I have not done an adequate job of documenting this pregnancy or just things about her in general...I know I shouldn't feel that way, but I do want to do better!

We already think she is such a sweet girl :). She is very active inside me, but I don't think her jabs are quite as strong as Anniston's were at this point. Don't get me wrong, Anniston is VERY sweet, but she is also VERY strong (more on that later). Charlotte is active when I am resting, as I guess most babies are, and I enjoy watching my stomach move around...lately 10pm has been a pretty "awake" time for her :).

I have felt great this pregnancy! I had a little more queasiness than I did with Anniston during the first trimester, but I never actually "got sick", so I know to be very grateful for that. I was tired the first several weeks and craved fruit and sour candy. Although I have gained weight steadily (those lbs just keep piling on!), I am gaining at exactly the same rate as I did with Anniston, so I am also grateful for that not being too different.

My body being different has not affected me too much...I do notice it more now when getting up off of the floor after playing with Anniston, but honestly I really feel good and like I can do most things. OH, but leg cramps have been a little more frequent this go-around...trying to load up on potassium and fluids. And, I had some heartburn pretty bad a few days ago, but then again, eating spicy food and chocolate chip cookies probably didn't help :).

I have been working on Charlotte's nursery and am excited! We are keeping Anniston in her crib for a while longer (for many reasons), so we bought a new crib for Charlotte. It was SO reasonable, and I LOVE it! I have been through all of Anniston's baby clothes and just need to wash them for Charlotte. OH, and I found a cute dresser on craigslist that I am going to paint.

Well, that is all of the Charlotte news that I can think of right now. We are so excited to meet you, sweet girl!

growing up!

2011-08-10T16:17:00.008-05:00

These pictures are from after church last week. I have been meaning to bring up the fact that Anniston just started going to the church nursery!!! Finally!! This past Sunday was her third time to go alone :). I know I have mentioned this a couple of times, but it has been a while, I think...Anniston has supposedly had some levels associated with her immune system that were a little low since birth, so her doctor (specifically her immunologist) has placed pretty strict orders on her since that time to not be around very large groups of people, specifically children carrying their children germs :). She also has never had a live vaccine (Might not ever, but this is not a big deal since it is only a couple of vaccines, and she is basically vaccinated since everyone else is...make sense? She has had all of the other vaccinations, though...don't worry!) This immune "issue" is something that bloodwork shows she is growing out of, so we are very thankful for that fact!

These restrictions were VERY firm until she was one, but the last year we have pretty much lived life as normal, taking her anywhere and not worrying about having to sit in the corner of a restaurant or trying to get somewhere late so as to limit the number of people around her/touching her. (Although, I am still a little crazy about wiping things down.) The main restriction her doctor gave us was no church nursery or daycare. Not that big of a deal, but it was really getting difficult sitting in a service with a curious toddler! So...we would often skip or one of us would sit out with her in a special little playroom. (I know not many people are in a situation like this, but I now have a heart to look for them. If you know anyone in your church who cannot put their child in the nursery for a time, please offer to watch their child one Sunday during church...it will seriously bless them. We had some sweet friends and family do that a couple of times for us, and I will never forget it.)

So anyway, now she is allowed go!

You know how a lot of children have separation issues, and they don't want to leave their parents? Well, although Anniston has been a bit of a mama's girl lately (totally hate it :)), she has been LUNGING out of our arms to play with the kids in her room. It makes me so glad...and kind of sad that she hasn't had much of that interaction sooner.

Funny: her second week to go to the nursery, we were walking her to her room, and she passed another room that was not hers (the baby room). She got pretty upset because we had to pass up the room that I guess she thought was hers, and she was crying when we arrived at her actual door. I know the workers must have thought, "oh no, this little girl is going to have trouble coming in here", but NO...Anniston was falling out of our arms to play with her sweet friends. I asked her, "do you want to go inside and play with your friends?", and she immediately stopped crying and emphatically nodded her head yes (this is a signature Anniston-move lately...large nods :)). She did not skip a beat once inside. Oh, and I think she eats all of their goldfish :).

So then, when we go and pick her up, most of the boys and girls are standing at the door, waiting eagerly for their parents. Maybe once she gets to know the drill, she will be doing the same, but what was Anniston doing?? Playing, playing, playing. She doesn't even get very excited when she sees us. It is SO fun in there. We saw her talking on the "phone" with one of her little friends in the room one week, and it made our hearts so glad.

I love that she is learning from being around other children, and I love that Stan and I can have that hour together learning and worshipping...feeling like an actual couple. It has been good for us all :).

*Another note is that her immunologist also gave her the go-ahead to start a mother's morning out program for two days a week this fall. (Still couldn't be in a facility that also operated a daycare, so a little bit of a restriction there...not a big deal.) This is something that her therapists have been bringing up more lately, as it will help her with her development/progress to watch and imitate other children. I'm excited about it but also kind of sad... It has always mostly just been me and her during the weekdays, but she is growing up! I always viewed mother's day out as something that would be so great for me if we ever decided to do it, but I am more looking forward to how helpful it will be for her.

Have I mentioned how healthy Anniston is and has really always been??? Sometimes it seems crazy that we even go to some of these doctors because I just want to be like: "Look at her. She is fine. Please don't draw her blood and make her scream." So thankful for her health.

Well, what was going to be a short update turned into a long one! Oops. Hope you are having a great week!

**Oh, and just a neat God-thing about the nursery: The preschool minister told me last Sunday that of Anniston's four (I think) teachers, one is a surgeon, one is an occupational therapist, and one is a NICU nurse. How cool is that? You cannot tell me that He is not a personal God :).

two things about me right now:

2011-08-02T16:37:00.008-05:00

#1. I have had a MAJOR case of fall fever...it started at least a month ago, but I thought I would wait until August to share :). I don't think this has anything to do with me being pregnant in this crazy heat. It's just the way I am, but it started super early this year. I joined Pinterest about a month ago, and half of my pins are for fall and Christmas...

#2. I have had a MAJOR sweet tooth lately. There may or may not have been an incident involving generic fudge striped cookies yesterday. I confessed to Stan, and he was pretty appalled. Like, mouth hanging open appalled. I'd like to think that I have had my pregnancy "moment" and that now I can move on. Maybe? Surely.

Speaking of sweet tooth and fall (you will hopefully understand the fall part in a second), we made these Cinnamon Roll Pulls last Saturday for breakfast:

{photo credit}

I was going to type out the recipe, but I figure you can just click on the link above, k? It was very good...definitely too much for our little family, but I can see it being served on a cool fall Saturday morning to company. I like the rustic presentation, and it is SO easy. The only change I would make would be to cut the cinnamon/sugar mixture maybe even in half. The recipe seemed to call for a little much, but maybe our loaf of bread was extra small or something, not sure. Just do it to taste, though. Also, I would make the butter and cinnamon/sugar mixtures the night before to save time the next morning. It's really fun to make if you decide to indulge!

(And, it is DEFINITELY an indulgence. NOT so much health food. Sorry!)

starfish birthday party

2011-07-22T20:42:00.005-05:00

Here are the pictures, finally, from Anniston's starfish birthday party last month. She LOVES stars, so that was the inspiration for the party. Crazy that she is TWO! Most things are homemade/I already had.

(*Oh, and do note that when I put the little "m" on some of my pictures, it's just because of the up-close nature of the certain subject of the pic...not because I think the quality of my images is anything special...because I know it's not. BUT, the sweet subject sure is! :)

Invitations. With personal stuff blurred out.

The entrance.

Desserts!

These cupcakes were AMAZING. I did decide to order cupcakes this year, and I am so glad I did...for time and taste's sake :).

With Aunt Meg.

With GG. My dad really was here, but I don't have a picture of him :(... Since my mom was taking pictures during the party, I will blame her, ha.

Sweet tea in mason jars...well, sweet tea eventually was in them :). I thought "star" fruit sliced on the rim would be cute but soon found out that they were not in season (couldn't find at store), so we went for oranges instead. I'm thinking a whole orange slice maybe could be cut to look like a star if a little of the rind is left on? Not sure.

Grilled cheese cut into stars.

The little shovels in the food were fun.

Friends playing with our new kitchen from grandparents :).

Coloring with friends.

Pictures of Anniston at the beach the last three summers.

Pops grilled hot dogs.

Grammy...Stan's beautiful grandmother.

With Janjan and Pops.

Fruit salad.

Party favors: playdough with fish shaped cookie cutter and sand toy for molding dough.

Opening gifts in her birthday chair from grandparents.

This is how she was the whole time opening gifts from her sweet friends...tired, laying back, not really interested :).

She received some really fantastic books! A great gift!

Sweet love.

The guys played bag-o and stayed longer than anyone else...impressive.

Friends at sand and water table.

Birthday girl.

She is a joy :).

Love you, sweet girl!

strong, noble woman

2011-07-12T22:01:00.004-05:00

My grandmother. I have wanted to write about her for a long while now. I have wanted to share my love for her and to document the blissful moments spent outside in the Texas heat, swimming and riding horses all day long with cousins (amazing cousins), but to compose something that truly conveys my feelings for her and the rest of my family while encapsulating every sweet memory in my mind would be, well, next to impossible. That is why I haven't mentioned much about her until now...too hard to find the words.

I loved my grandmother, just as I love my grandmother who is still with us.

This woman was unlike any other...I smile and almost want to laugh past the lump in my throat at the thought of her. She was strong. As you can see, she was beautiful. My grandmother was tough and gentle, hard working and kind. She gave like no other. You could often find her working in her garden, sitting in her kitchen peeling peaches from the trees out back, sewing a lap quilt for people in hospice, cracking pecans while watching Alan Jackson on GAC with those wretched holes in his jeans. "Why would anyone have holes in their jeans?"

She walked every morning up and down the hills of none other than the Hill Country, walked laps in the pool every evening, and did exercises in her bed every night. If a scorpion was found anywhere near her and my grandfather's abode, the forceps were removed from her purse, and the insect was taken care of...by her...with my cousins and I screaming in the background. Will spare you the details but will just say: she was tough. She would stop on the side of the road for us to pick up empty beer cans because it was cleaning her clean state and because she could get five cents a pop in return.

She was great.

I can almost taste her tuna fish sandwiches with tiny chopped up pecans and apples inside. Mmm...dressing and chocolate chip cookies and taco salad and beef stew...snickers in the refrigerator and butterscotch candies in the same tupperware as the cookies. I miss her.

She worked until her fingers and her back were bent, she loved with her deeds and her heart, and I am more than honored to name our next little girl after such an incredible, strong, beautiful woman. My grandmother. Charlotte.

Some of her friends called her "Lottie" for short (which we also love), so that is an option, too :). But for now, we are wanting to stay with Charlotte.

Adeline was her sweet, sweet sister's name. My great Aunt Adeline.

Charlotte means "strong woman", and Adeline means "noble". Very fitting if you knew these two.

So there you have it!

Charlotte, I pray you have a determination and love for others that your Great Grandmother, Charlotte, possessed. Most of all, I pray that you have her devoted love for Jesus Christ.

*****

Just as a bonus: here is a picture of my grandparents and their children :), my aunt and uncles that I miss so much. My dad is the little one on the bottom row, right :). Such a cool kid.

celebrations

2011-07-10T20:33:00.003-05:00

The last couple of weeks have included a few celebrations: our fifth anniversary, Stan's birthday, and healthy babies :).

I cannot believe that it has already been five years! I won't say too much or be too sappy, but I just want to say that I am so proud to be Stan's wife, and I would not take back the highs and lows of the last five years for anything. We have grown in the Lord and in our relationship like I did not know was possible, and I am so very thankful. So to him: a very happy anniversary and birthday :)...love you.

And to fifty more :).

PS: How young do we look? Oh my.

another heart healthy confirmation!

2011-07-06T13:55:00.016-05:00

Our sweet girl had her cardiology appointment this morning, and it was WONDERFUL! The last time Anniston had a visit with her heart doctor was exactly a year ago, so we were thrilled and relieved to hear that we can wait another whole year before going back!

These days, doctor visits can be a difficult feat. Not only is Anniston two, but she has had several check-ups lately that seem to have fallen around the same time (it has been a crazy two months of visits), and she has definitely "wised-up" to the process. Her bottom lip usually begins quivering as soon as she sees the scale for her weight...not a good way to start off. Well, today we had so many prayers around us, and the visit could NOT have gone better! She was a little nervous/hesitant at first but did great. The nurses were amazing and even let me put the blood pressure cuffs and the pulse oximeter (tells the oxygen saturation in her blood) on her. Stan even hooked up all of the EKG leads that you see in the picture above.

This is the Echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart), and I should have known that she would do well during this part because she loves a "TV".

(I know I'm talking like this was our first cardiology visit, but in so many ways it felt like it now that she is older. And, the fact that she doesn't have a paci this year to insert is another big factor...)

SUCH a blessing to have a happy, calm little girl for this appointment so that they could get everything they needed. And, what an even GREATER blessing that her aorta was SUPER wide (which we knew it had to be because she is growing like a WEED) and that we did not really have much to discuss other than "see you next year"!

We were not very anxious before this visit. I know that God places an extra measure of peace in our souls that carries us through, and we were very assured, as I just mentioned, that she is fine because she is growing so well. (Just had the growth spurt of the century, actually.) A blessing.

I will say that I was a little emotional-feeling at the hospital before her visit (remember, I don't cry in front of people :)). It was not because of worry...just remembering things from the past that took place there...and seeing other parents and just having a heavy heart for them...because we have a bond...even though they don't know us.

SO thankful. Thank you, Jesus, for more wonderful news.

*****

Just another side note for my memory: When we went to the cardiologist last week to look at the new baby, Stan said it was like we were walking into a dream, and it SO was. We had to park at the other end of the hospital, so we had to walk alot farther. We travelled through places we had been before: near where Anniston was born and the NICU, where she was when she had her heart cath, and by the PICU which is where she was cared for after her stroke.

There were very few people around, but it seemed like the only people we were walking past were those who have been with us at some point. We walked past the head of the NICU, her blood doctor, the cardiologist's nurse...

One nurse actually stopped to talk to us because she remembered us from when Anniston was in the PICU. It took me a second to realize that she, Jennifer, was our amazing nurse during those tough days; she was such a kind, assuring, gracious person. I am so thankful we had her then, and I am also thankful to have run into her now. The first thing she said when she saw Anniston was how good her eyes looked. It kind of took us back because we don't ever even think about her eyes. Even her neurologist mentioned her eyes looking good at her appointment last month, and I guess I kind of shrugged it off because they have never mentioned them before (well, not since her stroke when they said there was no way of knowing if she would be able to track or not...which I guess I had forgotten). Well, apparently the fact that Anniston tracks so well with her eyes is a big deal considering her specific injury.

I can actually remember getting home with our four month old little girl who would not even look to her right, and we would lean down toward her right ear (so that hopefully she would look in that direction) and tell her that she was healed in the name of Jesus. Then, we would lean back and look into her eyes, praying that she could scan the room for us. It took a couple of days, but she did begin looking to the right. Some of that hinderance was because of the swelling in her brain that was still going down, but I now know that God was taking care of something else. I know He placed Jennifer in our path last week to remind us that there are so many blessings that we take for granted every day...He has spared us from so much and has healed our little girl.

yay

2011-07-06T13:45:00.006-05:00

Oh my goodness...I am posting on my NEW computer, and it is SO fast! I really do not want to complain about my last one because I am just so glad that I even had one, but it was getting to be super duper slow. I had it for about five years, which the hubs informed me is ancient in computer years apparently? Plus, it didn't have much memory to begin with. Well, we have been talking about getting one and trying them out, and lo and behold, Stan came home from lunch today knowing that it should show up on our doorstep while he was here, and it did!! (THANK YOU, Stan! I love you!) I am so excited. Maybe now since it won't take three hours to do one simple post, I can actually update more...and email people back more...

good news

2011-06-29T12:38:00.004-05:00

Our new little girl (who has a name that I will share soon!) had her heart looked at VERY closely yesterday by Anniston's wonderful, amazing cardiologist, and it is PERFECT! The doctor actually said the pictures of her heart were textbook worthy :). "Beautiful. Her aorta doesn't just look good; it looks beautiful," she said.

I can remember at every echo/ultrasound with Anniston, they would look so intently for her aortic arch, hoping that maybe they would see a glimpse of it. We would squint our eyes, trying to see that connection. Little did I know how easily it would appear in a heart healthy baby, as it did yesterday. It was big and wide and "beautiful." All the other valves, arteries, vessels, blood flow in the cord, chambers, everything else looked perfect, too. I feel very confident now saying that we have two heart healthy babies :). Just wanted to share :)...we are so very blessed.

the beach this year :)

2011-06-26T16:30:00.002-05:00

Actually two months ago, but who's counting?...

We had the BEST time! Relaxing by the beach, relaxing by the pool, painting pottery, riding bikes everywhere, enjoying the farmer's market, pretty much inhaling the food, soaking up time with family, eating key lime pie on a stick while watching those in better shape than us attempt to surf in the rough, beautiful water...that about sums up what we did!

neurology appointment

2011-06-08T20:39:00.004-05:00

It was great! These days, Anniston's neurology appointments are pretty uneventful (which I am VERY grateful for)...no seizures to talk about, and she is doing well, so I was really feeling pretty indifferent about the appointment. The only thing that I was slightly dreading was telling them how far she still (I feel) has to go motor and speech-wise.

We did pray, as we always do before these appointments, that we would be encouraged even though it really was just a simple check-up. Well, we were encouraged :). Her doctors were literally shaking their heads in disbelief that she could be doing so well after the stroke she had. They said it would be devastating for an adult to have her stroke, and I know they said these things at her last appointment, but I guess it has taken some time to sink in. When she had her stroke at four months old, we were in such a state of shock and just did not realize the extent of the trauma even though we had seen the pictures of her brain. It's hard to talk about, but basically half of it was gone.

Let me tell you, God is restoring her. She is learning and growing so well. I cannot tell you the comprehension that this little girl has. She knows everything going on around her, and I feel like I could teach her just about ANYTHING at this point even though she is not exactly talking much.

Anniston has this "grin" (eyes closed, toothy/cheesy grin) that she does that we always laugh at, and you can tell that she knows she is cute :). She even will do it when we tell her to "grin". Well, the other day, I was telling her not to do something that she knows she should not do (tossing items from my bathroom drawer into the shower), and she just looked at me and gave me that "grin". It was all I could do not to laugh. She is already trying to use her cuteness to get out of trouble, so I am pretty sure she is doing just fine :).

Yesterday at the appointment, the Resident who saw her at this visit and at our last one in December said that he could tell a MAJOR improvement since then...if I didn't know that he has an incredible memory, I might wonder if he was just saying that, but he seriously remembers crazy details about his patients. He and the main neurologist were so very encouraging. They said we were doing a great job with her, which may sound like a silly thing to take comfort from, but it really does mean alot. I always feel like I could do more for her, no matter how much we may do.

I haven't mentioned this, but Anniston has had some trouble walking again. The muscles in her right leg have been tight from a growth spurt, and she has been afraid of falling again. The doctor said her leg did not feel too bad but did mention botox shots if we were interested when she is older (to loosen the muscle). We have heard different reviews on them, but apparently it is pretty common with neuromuscular issues. Not a big deal, I guess. We are very convicted, though, to have faith and to keep believing for her restoration. I was reading I Corinthians 12 the night before this appointment, and God just reminded me of His power and of how He intended the body of believers to live. It would be selfish for us to think that we could do any of this without Him or that it was our "work" that did anything...it is only Him. I just pray that we would look to Christ and trust in Him...that Anniston's life would bring Him glory.

My thoughts/concerns about her speech were put at ease as well. They once again encouraged me with the fact that her comprehension is wonderful. The left side of her brain (where speech is) was affected by the stroke, but the fact that pathways for language are obviously being made, they said was a very good sign that the rest would come...it just could be a little more difficult. That's fine. We serve a big God, and this is itty bitty for Him...and itty bitty compared to what some are going through.

We are very grateful.

Thanks for listening to my long spill if you are still reading :).

well...

2011-06-03T21:05:00.003-05:00

The majority of our assumptions were....

WRONG!

we are having a...

GIRL!!!!

We are so excited and feel so very blessed and thankful. The most important part of our sonogram was that our sweet girl looks very healthy, and her heart looks great. We go to the cardiologist for a more in-depth look the end of the month but are very hopeful, believing that all looks good.

She was so sweet during her show...sucking her thumb like Anniston did during the same sonogram, doing flips, and touching her fingers to her cheeks. Speaking of cheeks, they looked full like her big sis's, and she seems to have those same sweet pretty lips.

Thank you for your wonderful love and prayers! We have some healthy little girls.

the big TWO!!!

2011-06-02T19:39:00.003-05:00

Happy Happy Birthday, sweet girl!! So crazy that you could be two...we are all beyond thankful for you and your miracle life more than you could possibly know. You are doing so many fun things and are growing and learning like crazy...more on that soon! Love you, little girl!!!

We have had a jam-packed, busy, fun day. Before we went to OT, we:

Started with pancakes and eventually peaches...sad that I forgot to put them on her special birthday plate :(...but she didn't mind at all :).

I will say I couldn't believe the "two" came out looking anything like a "two".

After breakfast, Anniston saw her brand new pink kitchen from Stan's parents and grandparents. How cute is it?! Perfect for her big girl room soon. She loved it!!

Then she sat in her new pink adirondack chair from my parents. So adorable!! Will go on our back porch by the grown-up chairs!

After OT, we went to lunch. "Cheese."

In her new, spiffy sunglasses...she seriously LOVES them.

GG's in town! Yay!

We picked up a cupcake after lunch. A hit as well. After nap and some play time, we went to a nearby playground...she was sad to go to sleep :(. Sorry for the short sentences. My mind is struggling at the moment. All in all, it was a FUN day, and I will add playground pictures to this post later if my super-slow computer will cooperate! Again, Happy Birthday Anniston!!! So thankful for the last two years!

On another note: we go to the doctor tomorrow to find out what we are having!!! Any guesses? We have no idea! Will let you know asap.

coming up!

2011-05-22T21:43:00.012-05:00

Our little girl is almost two! This picture was taken with my phone on our way to the beach (a trip that I promise to document soon!), and I thought it was cute :).

We're going to have a small, cheap birthday party in our tiny backyard, and since I have tons of burlap and orange construction paper, her party will involve those items :). To follow are some pictures that have inspired me so far:

Anniston LOVES stars...twinkle twinkle, looking at the stars, pointing at stars always, watching her projector on her ceiling which has stars AS it plays twinkle twinkle. SO, we are improvising and having STARfish everywhere.

{photo credit}

I am in love with these orange paper straws.

{photo credit}

And, we already had some white paper lanterns.

{photo credit}

Thought this was cute. May have to make it look more kid-like, but I love it.

{photo credit}

Orange+burlap...perfect.

So I definitely already had an ice cream-themed party planned (just on paper) for Anniston, and I felt pretty good about it, but after a while, as Stan so knowingly recited to me: I had already had that party in my head and had to move on to something else. Blame it on nesting?

(Oh, and thanks you guys for your sweet comments wanting to see my paintings...I am actually working on a website (ahh) right now, and will let you know when it is up so you can see pictures.)

family time!

2011-05-11T21:28:00.000-05:00

So, yes, I do realize how behind I am...blame it on new baby, a wonderful vacation, and lots of painting. Will expand on these subjects soon. We have had some wonderful time with family lately, and I wanted to document a couple of special occasions: Stan's cousin's wedding and our Easter here at home.

Stan's amazing grandparents pictured above...love them so much.

Of course we loove Janjan and Pops, too :).

We went to a really great Easter sunrise service this year...low key and by a lake...very nice! It was actually my b-day too :), so we went for brunch to celebrate afterward. I am ALL about breakfast food, so it was the best day! Not to mention spending time with my wonderful family and reflecting on the True meaning of the day.

Loving time with GG and Grandpa, too :).

These two have a special bond...I think the pictures speak for themselves...

"I thought this egg-hunting thing was supposed to be hard??"

The end!

today a toddler

2011-04-20T21:15:00.004-05:00

Anniston took twenty-four steps tonight!!! Woohoo!!

Let me back up for my memory: After her intensive therapy, it took us about a week for her to take steps for us at home. I think she really needed rest and was also maybe wanting to practice a little bit of obstinance :). Well, we finally found our groove with what was working for her, and she started taking two to three steps at a time for us about two weeks ago. I remember her right hamstring being pretty tight (causing her to stand on her right toes and to be off balance), and then it seemed that all of a sudden several people had her on their hearts to pray, and I cannot tell you how loose her hamstring became at that point. For about the last week up until today, her record of independent steps was 6 to 8 steps at a time. I have been noticing a big change in her balance and weight shifting in her right side, and today at therapy, it seemed like she just wanted to almost run! All that to say, tonight when Stan came home, she started taking off!

I feel so thankful and so blessed. Thankful for the IMOT program and thankful for all of her therapists...obviously thankful for more than that, but I will stop there. I know this is not a life or death issue, but it still has been something that I have had to often give to God. Sometimes it seemed like it was just never going to happen, but I truly am thankful that this, along with other hurdles, has helped me to attempt to put things into a perspective other than the worldly one I am often inclined to heed.

Anniston is the most precious little girl, and I cannot tell you how much we have been enjoying her. God has given us so much more than we ever could have asked for in her, and I love her with a wonderful, nearly painful ache in my heart. I am beyond grateful for her sweet spirit and for the way that she loves others. As a friend in a similar situation told me recently, we are so blessed to have our babies stay babies longer than most. So true. Well, Anniston is officially almost two and completely a toddler as of today. No more my baby, but boy am I overjoyed to have this grown up little person, little girl, in front of me.

Okay, I'm finished being sappy.

We did not get a video of the MANY steps of the day, but I do have this one from last week when my mom was visiting. Thank you, mom, for all of your help :). Love you.

And, thank you sweet people for the prayers :).

the details

2011-04-06T21:08:00.005-05:00

First of all, thank you all for your sweet comments and well wishes. I feel SO VERY blessed to have such dear friends and prayer partners in all of you :).

Second of all, I can't believe we're in this place in life again! We feel more than blessed and are very excited. (And slightly surprised in the beginning :)). Let's see, I will be 10 weeks tomorrow! My due date is November 3rd, but I guess the actual birth should be the end of October since I had a section with Anniston. Hmm...I feel pretty well. I have been a bit queasier (sp?) than with Anniston, but it hasn't been bad. If I eat, I feel good, so I eat all day :). I have been very surprised that most of my symptoms have appeared much earlier than with Anniston...like, I kind of feel like I did at 20 weeks with her. For example, the dreams have been crazy, as well as the hot flashes and slight insomnia. And dad, I keep forgetting to tell you that I have been making your breakfast burritos in the mornings and sometimes for dinner...I guess I need my protein :).

We saw a sweet little baby with a sweet little heartbeat at our doctor's appointment last week. My doctor said we will have our next ultrasound at 18-20 weeks and will also have a fetal echo (ultrasound of the heart) around the same time with Anniston's cardiologist. We honestly have SO much peace.

Well, I guess that's about it for tonight! Love to all!

surprise!

2011-03-30T06:30:00.000-05:00

going to be a:.....

big sister!

she has no idea :)

imot!

2011-03-27T20:40:00.008-05:00

Well, for the last three weeks, Anniston and I have been in Louisiana for her to participate in an intensive form of therapy called IMOT! I will try to explain, but you can also read more about it here.

IMOT stands for Intensive Model of Therapy, and basically for us, it was a three week course (four hours a day) consisting of both physical and occupational therapies. Anniston is customed to having three hours total every week of therapy, so going from three to twenty hours a week was a BIG deal! As you can see, during portions of her therapy, she wore a suit over her clothes called a neurosuit. The suit put pressure on Anniston's body to allow her to have more body awareness while creating new pathways in her brain to use her right side. Pretty cool. This extra input gives her recovery since her stroke a nice, big "boost".

This is Karl, Anniston's PT. He is amazing and helped her more than I can say. Despite the fact that he is wonderful with children (Anniston cried alot...was tired and so exhausted...and, he was so good at calming her down), Karl also has such a heart for God and believes in His power to heal and to work through this program. We were able to take part in a group prayer time at the clinic every morning! So awesome. Melanie Massey-Groves, the owner of the clinic, was also her PT for a few days! She is in the picture below, but that's the only one I have with her :(. She did a post on her super cool blog about our IMOT session. She is wonderful, too!

I am being too lazy tonight to remember how to remove these underlines :).

Overall, the PT portion was awesome. Anniston is shifting her weight better, and as you saw in my last post, she even took a few steps on her own! Please be praying for her confidence. Because she is walking at an older age, she is much more aware of the consequences of falling, so we are struggling to get many more steps out of her. Believing they are coming soon, though! Also in PT, she was able to crawl up stairs, go from sitting to standing, and stand independently for several seconds. SO much stronger! The main issue was her balance/alignment, and this therapy definitely helped with those issues.

The OT portion was wonderful, too. This is Patchez, Anniston's OT. She is so very sweet! One of the biggest benefits we have seen from this intensive therapy is the extra movement in Anniston's right arm. We barely have to give her a command, and she will move that arm...even if she is out of her high chair and very focussed on another task...big time for her. Also, Anniston's developmental age was tested in OT the first and last days, and she gained several months in just a few weeks!! She is pretty much caught up now...such a blessing!! Just so I'll remember: her right shoulder is also much more relaxed, and she is keeping her right arm at mid-line more.

They restricted her left arm often while trying to encourage use of her right arm. (The blue stuff on her arm is tape...it is helping to keep her hand open.)

Anniston LOVED the swing. It was so relaxing for her (which was needed sometimes!), and it helped the therapists to stretch her without much of a fight :).

Another plus to this therapy is that since the brain is stimulated SO much, her speech has improved as well! Anniston is definitely much more intentional with her verbalizations, and is for sure more vocal. We still might not be able to understand much, but I know it is coming!

This is a special picture to us because it is of our friend Sam and his sister. Sam went through IMOT at the same time as Anniston, and he is just the most amazing, handsome little boy I think I have ever met!

Well, that is all for now. I will share her IMOT party pictures (from her last day) soon. SO thankful for the boost that this therapy gave Anniston, and SO thankful as well to be home!

Oh, and here is a sideways video of her taking a couple of steps at therapy :).

If any of you from MMPT are reading this, we are more than thankful for you and feel so incredibly blessed to have been a part of this program!

a first :)

2011-03-16T16:09:00.001-05:00

Anniston took her first steps ON HER OWN today!!! Hopefully I will have a video soon.

We are so very proud of her...

recent trip to playground

2011-03-11T08:41:00.006-06:00

Anniston L-O-V-E-S going to the playground to swing, so lately we have been taking her down on our bikes for some "family fun". She seriously gets so excited when we drive by the park and then gets equally just as upset if we keep riding past that enticing place of play. These are just a few pictures from a recent trip to said fun place.

*And yes, I am going to start adding a watermark to our pictures for extra security reasons on the blog. I have been meaning to do it for a while and finally got around to making the time. All pictures are © the martinfamilytimes blog and may not be used without permission!

She's not really too sure about sand as you may see by her curled up nose.

As you will see in the next picture, she just started to crawl on hands and knees a few weeks ago (was only doing an army crawl before), which is so exciting! I honestly just thought she would skip this step and go straight to walking since she was not wanting to use her right arm much (until now!). Her pt said this will be SO good for that arm. Actually, there are ALOT of exciting things going on with her development/therapy that I will be sharing soon, but for now, we would appreciate your prayers that she would be strong and able to withstand some hard work right now that will pay off shortly!

Was so sad to leave :(...

*Just saw the news about Japan and Hawaii...seriously pray for these people, as I'm sure you are. Really pray.

using her right arm more!

2011-02-28T21:38:00.004-06:00

Okay, some of you must have started praying extra-hard for Anniston since one of my recent posts about her right arm. I don't want to underestimate what she has been doing with it up until now, because I know that it is wonderful that she has used it to crawl for a while now and more recently has utilized it when pulling up. But, when it comes to other everyday activities, she hasn't used it purposefully. She doesn't use it to hold a book, to hold a toy, to clap (she will hit it with her left hand when I ask her to clap, though), etc. The only other times that she has used it somewhat knowingly is when we have held down her left arm or used an air splint in therapy to hold down her good arm. I also used to put two floaties on her left arm at home so that she would be more likely to use her right arm during those blocks of time...usually just a few minutes. Now that she is older, though, she has wised up to the air splints/floaties, so that method is not quite as effective as it was a few months ago. It has just been difficult for her to get away from favoring her left arm when she doesn't yet understand the benefits of using both.

Anyway, all of this is to preface the fact that she has finally learned to recognize her right arm/hand when asked! I can say "use your right arm/hand", and she uses it! Most of the time :). It especially works when I ask her in her high chair, so I recorded a couple of instances from today. Pardon our post-wagon-ride hairdo in the latter video.

Oh, and pardon the enthusiasm in my voice :).

Wasn't that awesome?!

I realize that this is something pretty superficial...she is healthy, and that is all that really matters, but I know that God is watching over her, and these are extra blessings that we are going to give Him the glory for in her life.

The other day, I guess I was struggling with some things (having to do with her speech...superficial, too), and Stan said "all I know is she's thirty years old, and she's a warrior for God." I love that he said that. When I was pregnant with her, God specifically impressed upon Stan that Anniston would be a warrior for the Lord, and that promise has carried us often.

So thankful for your prayers as always :). And, thankful to you, God, for your faithfulness!

leading up to v-day

2011-02-24T15:11:00.009-06:00

I could usually pretty much care less about Valentine's Day, but for some reason I was excited about delving into the holiday with Anniston this year...I guess because now that she is older, we can enjoy all things pink and food-related even more, as you will see. Yes, almost everything Valentines-ey that we did involved food, and I'm just now realizing it as I upload the pictures...hmm.

What did we do??...

We dressed the part every day of the week from pj's to regular clothes.

(fyi: we were not driving in this pic :)) She is wearing her cute "love" shirt that you can't see, but I just wanted to add anyway because I love watching her sleep. Mainly for the eyelashes...

We decorated our table.

And put out some pink flowers. (Yes, that white background is snow outside!)

A street near where we live.

Loved watching the snow.

Enjoyed heart-shaped pancakes with daddy in honor of the snow...

And, ate/drank/inhaled heart-shaped marshmallows in honor of the snow.

Had some sweet lil friends over to decorate cookies.

And enjoyed heart-shaped pasta for lunch on the actual V-day...(thanks, mom!)

No more heart-shaped food for a while, promise. We did have fun, though!

chd awareness week...and other stuff

2011-02-08T12:51:00.006-06:00

It's CHD Awareness Week again. You can click the link above for more information about the most common birth defect, affecting nearly 2 million families in the United States.

We are among the group of people who were blessed to bring their heart baby home, but not all heart parents can say that. I am forever grateful for our wonderful ultrasound tech who found Anniston's heart defect before birth because not all heart parents are blessed in that manner either. We received such great care, but there is definitely more that can be done in the realm of awareness and research to the benefit of so many families, since congenital heart defects are also the number one cause of birth defect related deaths. Thanks for checking it out.

****

Also, to add to my last post, things are great! I never even knew to ask for such sweet neighbors, but we HAVE them! The Bible study was awesome, and now I know so many sweet gals on our block! We were invited to two Super Bowl parties on our street but couldn't go because some other neighbors came to our house! Of course they haven't replaced our awesome friends in H-Burg, but this has just been such a perk that I didn't even know to pray for...I mean, I knew we would make friends at the church we eventually chose, but to have such a community around us on our street is wonderful.

Also, I usually sound pretty chipper on here I think, and I just feel like I need to note that I had a few off/sad days last week so you'll know that I do struggle. Sometimes I let unreasonable fears about Anniston's health creep in or I struggle with comparing her to other kids (she's catching up quickly and is pretty much on track cognitively...it's the walking, talking and right hand that are a challenge) and feeling weary along the way when results from therapy aren't immediate. It's silly, really, because she is SO healthy and beautiful and smart and is progressing very well considering...but like I said...I need to be honest. It's kind of strange but makes sense...usually after I write praises on this blog or speak them to people, I get attacked by the enemy with fears/worries/pride for a day or two until I realize that I just need to surrender those thoughts to the Lord. I know the devil doesn't want God to get any credit and that's why I get attacked, but I'm not fighting alone, so he just better watch out. That was last week, and I'm good now. God is telling me to be thankful because holy cow: we are blessed!

Next up: how much I've gotten into Valentine's Day with Anniston this week :).

blessings

2011-01-25T12:57:00.004-06:00

Things are going well with us...still getting settled, still sinking into our new place, new town, but things are starting to fit pretty nicely. There have been some little blessings/God-things lately that I just wanted to share.

My arm is doing VERY well. I went to the doctor this morning, and he said it looks perfect on the x-ray. I still am going to physical therapy, but much of my motion is coming back! It hurts like heck going to therapy, but it helps. I did not realize at all how much your elbow will lock up after an injury and being immobile for a few weeks. Crazy! Biggest accomplishment as of late: I was able to put my hair in a ponytail that looks half-way decent! I do need to say right now a HUGE thank you to our sweet family for helping out with Anniston over the weeks when I was not allowed to lift her. I cannot tell you how thankful I am for you!

Anniston is doing VERY well. I am getting a lump in my throat right now just thinking about how much she is learning and growing. God is so good. My mom just came for a visit after not seeing Anniston for only two weeks, and I feel like she had so many new tricks to show her! She is still OH SO CLOSE to walking. Her right leg is pretty much the same as her left since the stroke, and there is maybe only a slight difference there which is such a blessing. Still working on her shifting her weight/balancing because of this, but it's coming. She does love to walk with assistance and push behind toys! She was evaluated for OT here last week, and she did so well. She still doesn't use her right fingers voluntarily at all, but there are so many praises with her right arm. We've been told that the return of movement works its way down from the shoulder to the hand, so I shouldn't get too focused on the hand because that will only lead to discouragement. The MAJOR praise is that her right arm doesn't have much abnormal tone at all. Meaning: it is very relaxed, and she doesn't draw it up in a very tight manner. She uses it to pull up now, too, so that is a BIG praise! Any recognition of that arm/hand is awesome.

During the evaluation with the OT, Anniston's abilities with her left hand were mainly what was tested for developmental purposes. I haven't gotten the results, but I know she did well. There are still some fine motor things that we need to work on like scribbling, but she did AWESOME for the test. Obviously, OT is needed for her right hand, but if it were just for her left, she might not have qualified. She was pretty borderline, I think. That's a big praise, too.

She has really been trying to talk more and will try to repeat what I say. It doesn't really sound like the words, but I am just glad she is trying. She will say "daddy" and roar like a lion :). She has a WIDE "vocabulary" though and understands SO much. She will point to things that I ask her and will follow many of my commands. She just started to help me clean up her toys which is fun. She can brush her teeth and hair, and she can feed herself with the spoon, but I'm just still scared to let go of the end of the thing. My chest is getting tight right now just thinking about any mess being made.

A few friends from college have been in town recently and stopped by to visit! Refreshing to spend time with old friends!

We went to another church Sunday and really liked it. They are BIG into outreach in the community (including inner-city schools) and caring for children in orphanages in Africa. It touched me to see their heart to pray for these children and that several people in the church have been led to adopt from that very orphanage. They are being a "father to the fatherless", and it is beautiful. I am sure we will keep visiting around, but they did leave a good impression.

Something that I am VERY excited about is that two of my neighbors (the only two that I know! ha) each separately invited me to a women's bible study for our section of the neighborhood that starts tonight! When I got the first text about it, I was just overcome with thankfulness...it was like God was saying: "I was here before you were, and I was preparing this place for your family. Don't stop trusting. I'm always ahead of you."

We are blessed.

christmas pictures!

2011-01-16T21:36:00.003-06:00

How many pictures can one post hold?? I'm not sure, but I think this is pushing it! This plethora of pictures from Christmas actually, somewhat ashamedly, begins on Thanksgiving Day...but Christmas officially starts after the Thanksgiving meal, right?? I'm thinking so.

Had so much fun on the swing set with sweet cousins Kaylee and Dylan!

Apparently, it's tradition now to shoot my mom's pumpkins when it's time to get ready for Christmas, ha.

Mrs. Pam made this adorable hat for Anniston! We love it!!

Okay, all vanity is lost with this picture, but I just thought Anniston was too cute laughing.

We had matching pj's!

This cracked me up. I can't even remember what Christmas goodie we were making, but Anniston got so excited when the microwave went off! She knew something tasty was coming!

Group pic with Stan's side of the family. Sweet baby Finn is in the middle...wish I had gotten a close-up of him...SO cute!

Christmas morning!! Stan's parents' house first. We had our matching pj's on, but because of an accident (that NEVER happens), we changed...but I like these too!

Happy girl. We gave her a wagon for Christmas, but she was more interested in the puffs inside.

Sad girl because she was taken away from her puffs. Little did she know she was being taken to the high chair for breakfast! The girl loves her food...

Thank you, Janjan, for giving me food...

I love her sweet baby face.

Now to my parents' house!:

Playing with Uncle Matt!

Excited to see Grandmary and GG.

Reading the Christmas story before opening gifts.

Grandmary with her pretty stocking :).

Yet again, vanity is lost...splinted arm and all.

Happy again in the puff mobile. The End!

before and after:

2011-01-11T10:22:00.004-06:00

A girl's gotta hold on :)...