weekend with friends

Last weekend, we had friends come and visit that mommy went to vet school with.  The house survived 6 adults and 6 kids!  It was a lot of fun. We went hiking to the Cascades on Saturday and then we rode the Candy Cane express in Roanoke.  This is a train with two Cabooses that go about 2 miles down the track and then comes back.  All the kids got to sit up in the brakeman's tower of the caboose. The Transportation Museum in Roanoke will certainly see us again!

PJ's and Playdoh

New Hello Kitty pj's and Playdoh to start our morning off!

Post Thanksgiving

The girls are doing great.  We got to visit with Greg's dad's side of the family over Thanksgiving.  The girls had a good time playing with the other kids that came.  The trip up and back was uneventful but it seems whether we're going to Cinci or DC, the trip will take all day.  We will go out this week and get our tree for Christmas and everyone is looking forward to putting it up and decorating for the holidays.

The girls were helping with the pigs one day and we decided to go swinging on our gate.

Emma is settling in well back at our house.  She occasionally has some belly pains but we're not sure what that is.  She appears to be doing well; no swelling, bruising, etc.  She was pulling the wagon with Gretta in it yesterday with no problems.  The doctor has told us to let Emma direct her recovery and that she has no restrictions so we're just supporting her now with occasional children's Tylenol as she needs.   Gretta celebrated her 2 year birthday yesterday but seemed to have a rather delicate day emotion wise.  Today, she is having a much better day though we've been inside all morning due to the rain.  We'll go grocery shopping after naps and that always seems to put the girls in a good mood!

October 2012 Cincinnati visit

Checked in at Ronald McDonald House in Cincinnati.  Emma had her surgeries today and did well.  We hope to only have to go back in October of next year but will start appointments in 6 months in case we need them.  All is good so far.  She still has same problems but is continuing to grow in height and weight.  She did have bilateral inguinal hernias and those were repaired with no problems.  We are recovering in our room at Ronald McDonald house and watching some Elmo's world with Gretta.  Tomorrow we'll have an easy morning maybe in arts and craft room or the library and then to a museum.

Sleep overs

Emma is doing a "sleep-over" with mommy and Gretta.  Daddy got to share mommy's pillow after I took the picture.  We read a story or two and then it's done.  You can see Sophia on the bed enjoying her sleep over also.

Emma and Gretta getting loaded up in the cat carrier.  It was pretty heavy (without Gretta) but Emma was able to pull it around the room with some effort.  Good sled pull efforts by her!

Go fly a kite

We know it's been a long time since our last post.  I won't catch you up all in one post but wanted to start out with a picture.  We got the girls a kite and Emma was learning how to fly it.  Gretta likes running through the streamers but I couldn't get a good photo of her and Emma together.  I'll ask Mommy to post some more photos with a sampling from the last few months.

Emma and mommy got to go for a quick walk around the field today.  Emma was really excited at first but then quickly grew tired of the ride and instead, we went to the little park in our stroller while mommy rode snowy pony beside us.

Emma's "barn"

Emma received this little pony that she can draw on from Nana. She rides it which is really walking with it between her legs. At night, she takes off the halter and saddle and hangs them up on the knobs of this sewing table. The table is the barn of course.

My oh my, what needs catching up??? I'm more than a little disappointed in this website and the inability to load videos any more... I must investigate... we have some great videos to post! Things have been going well overall here, Gretta is becoming more and more like a little person every day- she is starting to babble more and will say up, mama, dada, Emma, and sometimes I think she says help or cup, but they sound an awful lot like up... plus "up" is her favorite word! She has recently really been taken with reading books, often times she holds them upside down, but that doesn't seem to bother her yet. She loves to point to pictures and have someone tell her what it is- she will point and say "issssss" for each one, over and over, I think she might be trying to say "this?" Whatever it is, it's cute... she will crawl up in a lap with a book and go through it very intently. She's still working on those same 4 premolars that have been coming in for what seems like 5 or 6 weeks now... and it looks like her canine teeth aren't far behind, but they're still hiding in there. We have been letting her "brush" her teeth with a little nubby silicone chewer and infant toothpaste on it for a long time now, and just recently got her her very own official toothbrush. She is excited about it for the first 2-3 seconds, and then it seems the switch is flipped and she becomes VERY intolerant!!! She can be a stubborn little beast when she wants to! Trying to keep it pleasant and positive, trying to stop before that upset starts... but it's not easy! I remember it being tough with Emma Kate for a long time... argh! Gretta has also started attempting summersaults recently and is quite good at it, if you think a summersault goes off to one side instead of straight over... lol Emma Kate has recently perfected her own summersault and often times will try to guide/coach Gretta on how to do it. Gretta has also recently discovered the joy of throwing things... argh. The one big snow that we got this year (maybe 6-8 inches?) was not at all enjoyable for the "Bah" (Gretta's nickname, since she used to say it for everything!). We tried to go out together and she freaked out a little when put in the snow. She was very content to stand in the barn, right at the edge of the snow, and watch Emma Kate running around in the driveway and acting crazy in the snow! I was disappointed that I couldn't take them out on the sled like I did last time we got just an inch or two of snow- they really enjoyed that. Gretta continues to sleep through the night the majority of nights, but a handful of times a month she will be restless/talking/moaning/crying for up to 2 1/2 hours for no apparent reason! She will quiet down when we talk to her, but then it all just starts up again a couple minutes later... still have to figure that one out- it is just so random, can't figure out the source of the problem! Emma Kate is sleeping better most nights, but still wakes up anywhere from 1-5 times a night... usually 2 or 3. I think we've still only had 3 nights in the last year that she slept all the way through the night, I was hoping that once it had happened a couple times it would stick, but she still "loses" her pillow or covers, or can't find Kitty or Cow and needs help. At least *most* nights she's coherent enough to call for help instead of crying, and it's fairly easy to take care of what she needs and she settles right back down. Fortunately she seems to make many fewer trips to the bathroom at night than previously, which is great... Emma Kate has learned her ABC's a few weeks back, and she LOVES to sing them very enthusiastically! One of her new favorite toys is an ABC puzzle that she just totally delights in completing, and now Gretta loves playing with it too, she can match up the pieces where they are supposed to go and with a little help the pieces go in right! Only downside is that more often than not, one or more pieces has temporarily disappeared in and amongst the mess of toys all over the house... :) Both girls have totally loved the little table and chairs, I think they get a kick out of it being smaller sized, especially for them. Emma Kate immediately "claimed" her chair and can tell the difference between the two very readily. The first few days it was here, she would *ahem* gently force Gretta to sit in her chair, then Emma Kate would sit, then a few seconds later, Emma Kate would pick up drinks, put them up somewhere, put one chair up on top of the cat scratching post, the other chair on the sofa, move the table a couple feet, then set it back up with the chairs and drinks... then Gretta has to sit down, and the process begins again... she did it over and over until the table was halfway across the next room! It was hilarious! Emma Kate has also, in recent weeks, taken to caring for Gretta a lot. Not only does she pick out outfits for her in the morning and get her toothbrush ready after breakfast, but she has also been washing her in the tub! She has learned to be very gentle where she used to be very forceful and rough, and is much kinder with it now. Gretta gets a kick out of it and will stand up and sit down when Emma Kate asks her to, depending on where she is washing. The most recent favorite outdoor activity, other than visiting the "baby Christmas trees" and putting rocks under them, is to pack up the bike trailer, have Gretta get in it, and then Emma Kate proceeds to pull the trailer to a string of various "beaches" around the yard... first the "little beach" by the barn, then the "big beach" by the old shed, then the "underwater ocean beach" by the kiwi plants, then the "blueberry beach" by, you guessed it, the blueberry patch" then the "tree beach" in the back orchard, the "apple beach" under the apple tree, and the "baby Christmas tree beach" by the baby trees! She occasionally will add a new one, but it seems these are her favorites! She will stop at each one, open up the trailer so Gretta can get out, open up the back, unpack 2 little beach chairs and an armful of sand toys, sit in the chair briefly, try to encourage Gretta to sit, and then it's time to pack up and move on shortly after that. This girl likes her routines and repetition! The other thing that Emma Kate is big on right now is telling stories. She will either ask one of us to tell a story or she will announce that she is going to tell one, and they are pretty much exclusively about either Gretta or herself! Sometimes they are very short and she enthusiastically says "THE END!" And other times they are very long and involved and require a little bit of acting-out to convey the story... it is really cute, she loves it!

A few weeks ago, if you'd have asked me, I would have told you Emma Kate was doing a tiny bit better health-wise than she was in October. Seems like we have coasted through the bulk of the winter with no big issues, and everyone has remained healthy. Unfortunately in the last week or so, we have noticed her breathing effort become more pronounced, and when she is running around like crazy, she definitely makes more effort and noise than she did previously. She is still getting her nebulized steroid twice a day, which hopefully is helping matters, and there was a chance that Greg had contracted a cold last week, but it was all very mild, and there has been no sign of it in any of us girls so far. Greg and I both were popping Coldeeze like candy... I don't know if she just has a little inflammation in her airway, or if something has changed inside. Right now it is definitely not slowing her down noticeably, she is crazy as ever, and she's not having any oxygenation issues, for sure, but it is quite unsettling to be slipping back on the progress we had made. I can think back on that feeling of "we're home-free" that we had last spring and through the summer, and it just feels so gone now... I hate to think of traveling to Cincinnati while it's still winter and flu restrictions are in effect, but I suppose we will do what we have to do. We were advised to consider a recheck scoping in 4-6 months, and we're currently right around 4 1/2 months. We had hoped to make it to 6 months when the weather would be better for traveling and there would be less risk for illness, but I suppose we can't control everything. I still need to contact her doctor and get his input on it, but I suspect as long as she is "tolerating" it, without any passing out or blue lips, I would be surprised if they would encourage any interference. I suppose we will see.

Everything at the farm is going fairly well, Snowy pony just recovered from a stubborn hoof abscess (thank goodness!), her new buddy Fuzz has settled in well and they are enjoying each other's company greatly. Pony is especially happy because having Fuzz here meant she got turned out in the big pasture with him- she is immensely happy to be out of her little paddock! I don't know how long she will be able to be out as the grass starts coming in more, but I'm glad she has at least gotten a good break from her diet field... :) We have two beef steers now as well, and they are getting along with everyone very well, although one has been very mopey since his arrival. We have suspected a few sources of problems, but he will look good one day and then lay down much of the next. I was relieved to see him looking good and bright this evening and munching on hay happily- hopefully he has turned the corner and will be a perkier little guy from here on! Greg has dubbed them "Sausalito" and "Stromboli" despite my cautions on getting attached to them. They are much more docile than the ones we have had for the last two years, which is a relief, they are much easier to work with than the others! We have lost another hen recently, after probably the coldest and windiest day and night of the entire winter. She was a big, stout, healthy looking bird, and we don't know what brought her down... but we're still getting about 4 eggs a day from the remaining 6 ladies, and we are still awaiting the first egg from the little silkie hen... I bet it will be a cute little one! :)

I'm finally getting to walk around on my foot again, after 2 weeks in some sort of a cast I was put into an aircast boot for another 2 weeks of being non-weight bearing on it. I was entirely grateful for the hands-free crutch that we rented, but it was sort of a necessary evil- it was wonderful to have my hands free to do things, and to be able to cook and carry things, but it was not the most comfortable thing for my ol' knee, and honestly it was still quite limiting... Thankfully I was able to take breaks from it when Greg was home, and stretch my leg out straight a bit. Just 3 days ago I hit the 4 week mark from surgery and finally got to start walking in the boot- it is a hugely welcome thing, but man that boot is restrictive!! I have to go about as slow walking in the boot as I did on the peg-leg crutch... and I swear it encourages my knee to hyperextend, so I have to be cautious walking around, especially on uneven ground. Possibly the worst thing about it is how stinky it gets!!! I have to wear it 23 hours a day, and they did not provide extra pads to use while cleaning/drying these, so I am at a bit of a loss... I finally recognize my foot again, the swelling is nearly gone except right around my ankle bone, and I am able to do some tiny stretches up and down when the boot is off. I am totally amazed at how much my calf has shrunk in just 4 weeks, I would post a picture to compare the two, but I don't think I want my legs portrayed online... :) My next appointment with the surgeon is on March 12th, and I will supposedly be released from the boot at the end of March. Can't come soon enough... :)

Now for a few pictures...

Yes, the "panties on the head" trend did continue for at least a couple days... :)

The very first official snow of 2012, we got an inch or two... Gretta was less than thrilled.

I guess this was her first snow that she was aware of!! What IS that stuff?!?!

Meanwhile, Emma Kate delighted in making tracks all over the yard

And there was just enough snow to allow the sled to glide around- the girls both LOVED it!

One day Emma Kate had a great idea of going through one of my drawers... she pulled out every single bra I own, and they were piled up around both girls' necks, like they were jewelry or something! Clearly someone helped her put one on, and she got a kick out of it- we won't say who helped her... (Daddy) :)

So Daddy bought a bag of nuts in shells a while back, and so the nut cracker thing has been in use a bit. Emma Kate discovered these little loops on her pants, and decided all on her own that the nut cracker needed to be kept there in case she found a nut somewhere that needed cracking... she was so proud of herself!

Gretta showing off a little leg... can't wait until it's warmer!!! Crazy little Bah,

Oh no, wait, it's the sweet little precious Bah! How very innocent she looks! :)

Nothing better than when the two girls play together nicely... when that happens it's like all is right with the world... :)

Gretta is learning body parts pretty well, and is showing off where her belly is!

I get a kick out of how much of a squatter Gretta is...

The new man on the farm, Fuzz, saying hello to pone pone

They are best buds and frequently nap within several feet of each other

Daddy discovered that the tiller wouldn't start, and Emma Kate was trying all kinds of things to fix it- here she is attempting repair with windshield washing fluid... one of many attempts to get it running again

Gretta and one of her favorite books... upside down... :)

Trying to get the girls showing off their matchy-matchy valentines day outfits... next to impossible to get a picture with both girls smiling!!!

Emma Kate LOVED playing fetch with the aerobie!

And lastly, I had to put this one in- Emma Kate got her hands on the camera again and took a bunch of pictures. Her photography skills have improved a great deal, and I was especially fond of this one... you can see her toes at the bottom, trying to get a picture of Gretta's near-plumber's crack!! haha!

Dinner with Friends

We had dinner with our neighbors and their two little ones. Emma and Solola had dinner at the little table and the three adults (one daddy was at work) sat at the table. It was chaotic but a first for us. Our children slept through the night. We'll see how the other children did later today. We got some video of Emma and Solola playing and giggling pretty hard but have a hard time with Blogspot and posting videos. Let's see what happens.

Emma and daddy went out to go sledding. Peter the cat was sitting on our sled and just hung out for the ride. He made it about halfway down our hill before bailing out but then followed us around the rest of the afternoon while we made snow kittens, snow chickens, and snowmen.

quick update

It's been awhile but here is a quick update. Everyone is doing well. Robyn had ankle surgery and has been our little pirate for a few weeks but gets to start walking again in a week. The girls are both healthy and that is great. Gretta had her doctor check up today and she is doing well. More to follow...

Well, since it is coming up on "mid-January" and we've started to finally dismantle the tree, I thought it might be a good time to update the blog... :) We had a wonderful holiday season, the girls absolutely enjoyed just about every minute of Christmas, although I can't say they really cared too much about New Year's, (at this age I suppose they're following their parents' lack of really caring too much about that one...) but for sure they have enjoyed having that tree up! We put it in our new bedroom this year, since we spend so much time in there, playing on the comfy carpet... and I will say that I personally LOVED having the tree in there with it's colorful lights on! Even if it was top-heavy with ornaments... :)

We had a visit from Mimi and PopPop shortly before Christmas, and we managed to get the girls dressed in the little outfits we had intended to use for holiday visiting (before we had to start the "isolation" time due to Emma Kate's airway not being ideal), and we let them each open 2 gifts so we could get pictures. A few came out really cute, especially if you can get past Emma Kate's wonky legs bending all over the place in most of them! That girl has rubber band legs for sure! They both enjoyed opening the presents and got several very nice gifts! We do wish we could have visited more but we are holding out hope that next year will be more "normal" for us all.

Gretta has perfected her walking by now and never really needs any assistance, except when walking in the field where the ground is fairly uneven- she rarely crawls any more unless she is playing! She has started making several different sounds in the last few weeks, and she is clearly saying "up" now, and seems to apply it correctly- either wanting up on the sofa/the bed, or wanting to be carried. She also clearly says "uh-oh" at appropriate times. She is also doing little hand motions that indicate twinkle twinkle little star, and it makes her so happy to hear it sung when she makes the motions! She has really taken to carrying around dolls, clutching them against her shoulder, and I think she tries to imitate a bit of what Emma Kate does with her dolls. Gretta has developed into quite a good little helper, just like her big sister- they still love to do the laundry (if we aren't able to get to the laundry before nap or bedtime, Emma Kate will say very firmly that mommy and daddy are NOT to do the laundry until she is awake!), and we've had nice enough weather lately that the girls both have enjoyed putting laundry out on the line to dry as well as taking it down and folding it. Gretta has also followed right along Emma Kate with the dishwasher- it's a bit of an obsession for both girls now. If the dishes are clean, you'd better look out because both girls will attack it, ready to put it all away! (the glasses require help of course...) Gretta can *almost* reach the silverware drawer, so she will carry an item over to it, open the drawer, and reach up as high as she can, trying to drop it over inside the drawer- this of course does require help as well, but not for much longer!! :) Gretta also seems to have started "cleaning" things using a small blanket or towel, today she was cleaning my leg with a napkin... it's pretty darn cute. I still can't tell for sure what her hair wants to do- when it is dry it seems pretty darn stick straight, but when it is wet, the hair at her neck will curl up into little tendrils! When we wash her hair, it will stay curly at the back when it dries, but laying her down to get her dressed for bed usually undoes it and it's nearly straight again by morning. I don't know what to make of it! She is growing some significant teeth too- her first premolars are slowly working their way in, and the other day I thought I saw the beginnings of a couple of canines starting, but it may have been my imagination... She is finally starting to listen/understand when we tell her not to do something- well, really this only applies to the cat litter and the hot wood stove- she will motion to them and make this sort of little growling sound similar to what we say repetitively, either "owie owie" or "yucky yucky" in reference to these two things, so I think there is finally a little understanding. Of course we're not taking chances with the wood stove, but it's been a good while since she last went "digging for treasures" in the cat box... :)

Emma Kate is still holding her own, and also continues to be very helpful, she has really taken to feeding and brushing Snowy, and has been a tremendous help in picking up manure! :) We are continuing to do her "vapors" twice a day, and we're still working on her speaking... she's still a bit difficult to understand and there are several sounds she has trouble making, but she seems to be making progress at least. The two girls have their moments of course, but the most precious thing is when they snuggle or hug or give "kisses" to each other- it is so sweet.

Greg had to work Christmas day, so we had our Christmas morning on Saturday, then on Sunday, I took a bad step out our back door (stupid me) and apparently tore something in my ankle. I have since been suffering with a subluxating peroneal tendon, which is not overtly painful like a sprain would be, but the tendon slips out of place and goes over the outside of my ankle in certain situations- it is excruciating when it happens. I've found a way to stabilize things and I can walk nearly normally with it all strapped down, but without any external pressure it is very difficult to walk without having it slip. I've seen two doctors regarding the issue and am waiting on the results of an MRI to help decide whether to go with conservative therapy and hope it all scars back down, or to go ahead and do surgery and nearly guarantee a good outcome after a somewhat lengthy lay-up. It's very frustrating, and I could shoot myself for allowing it to happen, but what's done is done I suppose. Hopefully we'll know soon what direction to go in- I want to be up to full capacity when the nice weather comes around again in the spring!!! Of course it had to happen shortly after starting to get back into riding as well, since I now am completely unable to hold my foot in the stirrup without the tendon slipping, regardless of how well I have it strapped up. I've continued to ride a bit but have to go with my foot out of the stirrup... I'm perfectly comfortable as long as that darned tendon stays put!

Anyhow, here are some pictures from the last month or so, with more to come!

Here are several pictures of the girls in their Christmas outfits, opening a few presents

The new hats were such a hit, we had to get changed and go outside so we could use them! Emma Kate loved her kitty hat and was especially excited about a new set of mittens!

Gretta liked her hat but preferred to look at it, she's quite the little smurfer when it comes to taking things off... but eventually she forgot it was on her head and I like to think she appreciated having a warm head and hands! :)

Christmas morning (well...er... Christmas Eve morning actually) the girls had a great time opening gifts... well, maybe I should say Emma Kate had a great time opening everyone's gifts! :) One of the biggest hits of all was this giant ball dispenser, the girls have had so much fun with that thing, although I should have noted how many balls were in it initially... we seem to have many fewer in it nowadays...

Emma Kate trying out Daddy's new mug- I promise it is not yet filled with coffee here!

Gretta checking out her stocking stuffers

Emma Kate doing the same

Gretta trying out a new flavor of Pediasure- yes, it was in their stockings... :)

Cowgirl Gretta attempting to tame the wild bucking flannel sheets :) She's on top of just about everything that height these days

Going after a stray ball... one of many! :)

"I promise I am not eating the chalk, just the markers!"

One of our two best gifts ever!

Gretta lovin' up on her new mini pillow pet

Learning how to make prank phone calls... look at Gretta's hair here- seriously, what's up with that?!?! It needs to decide whether it's going to be straight or curly so I can stop guessing which way it will go... Emma Kate went through a phase for about a week or two where she wore her hippo backpack around the clock... even for meals and potty breaks... she had stuffed some random "important" stuff in there, most of it things to take care of her babydolls... Dora maybe??

Modeling her hippo backpack and new sweater

Gretta just being silly Gretta :)

A day at the little park with new hats and new matchy matchy puffy vests!

Emma Kate is especially tickled by pockets in her coats- they come in so handy to keep hands warm! :)

Gretta in her well-planned, perfectly-coordinated outfit :) I'll give you three guesses who picks out her outfits every day...

Dirty face Emma Kate, we were playing with the camera after dinner one night, and she started flinging her head around- I was amazed at how long her hair would stretch out so........

I took pictures of it! She thought it was hilarious.

Apparently I've been wearing my panties wrong all these years???

They also make a very meaningful decoration for the Christmas tree...

Pretty stylish if you ask me, plenty of designs to choose from to match your outfit for the day

Dressed up as butterfly ballerinas, you can probably guess whose idea this was...

Peekaboo little butterfly!

Emma Kate was getting a big kick out of wearing my air cast (which didn't do squat for me anyway, so I stopped wearing it...) and she was clunking around the room in it... I went to get a picture and suddenly this half-naked baby streaked through the picture! It was a good evening full of screams, squeals, running around like crazy, and laughing... good times! :)

Getting ready to go for a wagon ride with "puppy." Notice the unzipped vest on Gretta- she has become quite fascinated with zippers lately and refuses to leave anything zipped up for more than 10 seconds...

"Shopping" in the pantry- these girls enjoyed this for hours... "buying" groceries (including scanning them across the baby gate with a little "beep"), putting them into various bags and laundry baskets, toting them around a bit, and sometimes making their way back to the pantry. The pantry will never be the same again, and I am relieved that we have a child-lock on the pantry door... :) So much fun to be had though!

Gretta gets a big kick out of Daddy's hat- she loves to put it on, strut around with a big grin, take it off, then starting all over again, such fun! :)