Mamaw's Visit

My mom came down for six days to visit Little Buddy and Little Sweetie (and the rest of us too, of course)!  We had a great week and my only regret is that I didn't take more pictures, but we were too busy just being together.  My mom was a big help around the house and with watching the kids (especially when I had some surprise dental work come up).

Mamaw with Little Buddy.  Sorry I didn't get one with you, Little Sweetie!

Thanks Mom.  I love you.  

LSM

Little Sweetie's Momma

Initial Results

Praise God!  Little Sweetie's initial urine results were normal for MPS!  Once we have Big Brother's specific type, she will be blood tested for that to confirm, but right now we have real hope that she is spared!  

We're so happy for this news, but it's still tempered by Little Buddy's diagnosis.  How can you rejoice that one child will live when the other has been sentenced with a terminal condition?  We're trying to navigate our new reality and it's still so hard.  Please keep us in your prayers.

Good night, 

LSM

Little Sweetie's Momma

March 19

Someone is 17 months-old today!  How did that happen?!

     

Showing off how big she is at her My Gym class!

It's been another big month with our little girl.  Lots of ups and downs as our family navigates the new journey we have set upon.  Little Buddy's diagnosis has affected all of us and we still live in fear as we wait for Little Sweetie's results, but all we can do right now is celebrate each wonderful moment we have with our beautiful babies.  And right now that means basking in the glow of Little Sweetie's growing up.  

     

Proud of herself for stealing tea out of Momma's Jason's cup.  Maybe she'll start drinking tea since she refuses all other beverages!

     

     

Silly girl in her stars zippity.  We're going to have to make a lovie or something out of these so that she learns she can wear other things to sleep in...like real pjs!

     

     

Because right now all she thinks real pjs are for is exploring cool things like washing machines.  Not for any actual sleeping.

     

     

     

Remind me why I buy toys?  Plastic bags (she was supervised!) and poster boards work great as wing flappers and tap dancing floors, and bouncing on a ball while wearing a headband is great fun!

We've also spent a lot of time just enjoying being together as a family.  We took trips to the rodeo and the zoo.  Lots of fun was had by all!

     

Shopping for boots (and horses!) before the rodeo!

     

Tractor time at the rodeo!

First pony ride at the rodeo!

Just taking it all in!  They really loved watching the rodeo events!

Enjoying Daddy's birthday by celebrating at the zoo!

     

Happy girl at the zoo!

Sleepy girl after a day of fun!

Height and Weight 

Little Sweetie has gained a wee bit and weighed in at 23 lbs!

Personality

Just a happy, crazy, fun girl!  Loves adventure, but still a little nervous starting out in big groups.  Very daring, but a little dramatic right now (especially over the fair distribution of toys between her and Big Brother)!

     

I was holding her and walked passed the oven.  She grabbed the oven and started to climb!

Developmental Milestones

Well, now that we know about Big Brother's situation, we don't know what to expect in terms of development milestones.  Little Sweetie has different interests than Little Buddy did.  We don't know now if their differences are developmental-related or personality-related...or if we need to start looking for delays in her.  Life is so different now, but we're trying to stay in the moment.  So let's celebrate Little Sweetie and leave the worrying for another day.

Let's see, what's new this month?  Well, firstly, she is VERY interested in trying to put clothes on.  She's going to be dressing herself before we know it!  Though her outfit choices may be questionable!

Trying to rock the shorts over jeans look.  Nailed it.

     

Still working on finding BOTH leg holes...

     

     

Sunglasses and tons of hair bows.  She definitely has her own style!

Pottying is still going pretty well for a 17 month-old.  She's sometimes indicating that she wants to try or that her diaper is wet.  She gets excited if she goes on the potty and gets a warm fuzzy!

Here I go, Momma!

She's also such a big girl eating now!  Though she sometimes gets a bit confused...

     

Eating her Wheaties with a utensil...even if it is a fork, and she's demanding to drink from a big girl up...even if it means she's really stealing her brother's.

She's also expanded her amount of words.  She says Momma, Dada, Brother, Dog, Cat, Stinky, Cheese, Bow and she uses the signs for Water, More, Please, Eat, and Berry pretty regularly.  And she's still very emphatic in her head nods and verbal squeals for "yes" and "no!"  She knows what she wants!

Fun Tidbits

Little Sweetie is obsessed with Batman.  It's a little hilarious.  Daddy has a Batman bowl that he uses for breakfast and she gets so excited.  She always picks out Batman in Little Buddy's Lego sets too.  And, she finally fits in brother's hand-me-down Batman pajamas.  That's what really kicked her obsession into high gear...when she wears the Batman pj shirt (under her stars of course) she freaks out when I try to change her into real clothes in the morning.  So, we took a little trip to Target and (although I HATE that I had to buy it in the "boy" section) she is now the proud owner of her own shirt for daily wear!  Cape included, naturally.  

     

Batgirl!

Obviously, our minds are in difficult places right now, but we're trying to stay positive and trying to just be present.  Tomorrow is never guaranteed for anyone; you really do just have to appreciate every second you have.

Good night, 

LSM

Little Sweetie's Momma