Cookies, Reindeer Food and Friends, oh my!

We were so excited to have Gwyn and Lorelei come over to have a Christmas Party.  The kids had been talking about it for a couple of weeks because I wasn't so smart and told them about it! ;-)  Next time, wait a bit longer perhaps! ;-)

We started out with decorating cookies!  Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures while the actual decorating was happening but I think it's safe to say that Gwyn and I were both SHOCKED at how long they stuck with it.  We were fully expecting one or two cookies a kid then Gwyn and I finishing up...but we finally had to claim a couple of cookies for us to decorate! :-)

Here's the finished products though!

Next up was Christmas shaped pizzas but, ummm, yep, forgot to take pictures of those so moving along to making Magic Reindeer food......the idea was to mix oatmeal, colored sugar and sprinkles for the reindeers to eat then add glitter which would give them power to keep flying.  They kids may have thought I was a little weird but they did have fun making it!

It was such a fun day!  Can't wait to have another reason to whoop it up together!

Sometimes I wonder about this child.....

Jason said this morning that maybe I have some explaining to do because somehow she is a morning person!...and the only one in our house that is.

And she likes, no, LOVE snow!  

That alone raises some questions...at least until you look at her little, itty, bitty nose...then we know she's ours! ;-)

A big day!

 Yesterday was the Christmas program at church.  Dylan was sick and couldn't participate this year which was a bummer because he was so excited about being in it.

 Eva was soooooo excited because it was her first one.  She couldn't wait to wear her dress and she was VERY excited that I put a curl in her bangs!  First one ever and she was just giddy!!

Kira surprised us this year and agreed to be an angel in the program.  She was nervous when we got there but fortunately a few of her friends were also angels so that helped.  These girls have been in the same Sunday School class as Kira since she was 3 and they really do care about Kira.  There were making her laugh and giggle...nerves were quickly forgotten!

I was helping with my 4 year old Sunday School class...you know "herding" them to the front of the church, making sure fingers weren't their noses, and that there was no "flashing" going on and was excited to see Kira standing in the front.  She was so excited about being there!

And then it happened.  That moment that you suddenly realize is GOING to happen and there is NOTHING you can do to stop it...we've all been there, right.  Eva was on my lap in the front pew, I looked over at my row of kiddos and back up to Kira only to realize that something was right.  In that amount of time, I also realized that she was going to pass out....and that there was NOTHING I could to 1) stop it and 2) get there in time to catch her.  It was like slow-motion but it was also happening fast.  By the time I threw, I mean, got Eva off my lap and got up front to Kira, she had passed out, falling down a step onto the floor.  :-(  She came to pretty quickly but was upset.  I was trying to help her walk out of the church and quickly realized that carrying her was a better option.

Once she calmed down, she had a cookie and drank some water...but she was so, so sad that she couldn't finish the program.  I have to say that my.heart.broke. for her.  I honestly had a moment thinking, "Really?  Why Kira?"  And if I'm going to be 110% honest, I still feel that way.  I had a good cry last night and am getting a little teary-eyed thinking about it now.

For Kira, I am trying hard to just focus on the positive...how proud of her we are that she was an angel because for Kira, that was a big step and progress for a kiddo who used to not be able to set foot in the church and certainly not be in the front of the church.  I am proud of her and I hope that she will continue to be able to try new things like this....she was really all smiles!

And really, our family just has to keep things exciting, right? ;-)

I am trying really hard.....

To just be in the moment during this holiday season.

Kira turns TEN in a month and there's something about having her hit "double digits" that is really making me realize how quickly the kids are growing up.  I mean, really, TEN!?!?!

The holiday season gets so crazy and so busy...this year it feels like that even more to me.  It's all good but it just feels busy and I have found myself saying "no" to some invitations and activities to just be at home.  The kids are loving the holiday season this year.  They are all old enough to get it and remember past years.....they are filled with excitement.

The weekend before Thanksgiving we put up the tree....Thanksgiving was REALLY late this year after all. ;-)  They could not wait to decorate and hear about each ornament as it went up in the tree.  It was fun to hear them remembering the stories that go along with some of them this year.  I loved hearing Kira and Dylan share the stories and memories with Eva.  She was an eager listener for sure.

Last weekend the kids got to start their Advent calendars on Sunday and they cannot wait each morning to open up the door on theirs to see what is waiting. (And it's been a great motivator to get up and moving since they know they can't open them until they have everything done and ready for school!)  We also made many, many ornaments for our Christmas tree and made other decorations for around the house.....cross-eyed Santa and all.

This weekend started off with the Snowflake Ball at K and D's school....a success for ALL THREE kids which was wonderful.  We decorated a gingerbread house, finished some ornaments and Kira make several other Christmas crafts.  Their excitement was through the roof when we did the gingerbread house.  Something so little but they loved every minute and again, talked about past years we've done them.

I am trying so hard to just be in the moment.  Enjoying my kids excitement.  Enjoying the time we are spending together.  I find myself looking forward to next weekend and thinking about the activities that are coming up.....all 3 kids are excited to take part in the Christmas Program at church.  Kira shocked me with her excitement about being angel.  (Believe me when I say, I will be one teary-eyed mama watching all 3 kids participate.)  We have plans to decorate cookies for Santa, make "magic reindeer food" and just enjoy the holiday season.  We're spending it in Madison this year since  Dylan's surgery is the 26th.  (nothing major)

I find myself just wanting to be at home with the kids during this season.  I know that these days will all too soon pass so for now, I am going to cherish every.single.moment.

(I have so many posts floating around in my head and so many things that I can't wait to post about but for now those posts will wait.....)

What.a.day!

Eva woke up so, so excited about going on her first field trip EVER today.  She somehow managed to miss all the field trips last year...go figure.

She was excited beyond words to get on the big yellow school bus!....she giggled all the way to the bus from her classroom!

Once we got to Eplegaarden, Eva was dragging me out of the bus and couldn't wait to get moving!!

As we started up the VERY BIG HILL (as Eva called it), we had to stop and see the billy goats.  They were right by the fence and more than happy for some visitors.  Eva was bummed that we didn't get to see the horse but he's rarely around.

And then the moment that she had been talking about ALL morning....picking an apple and eating it RIGHT off the tree.  She could not wait and cracked me up as she walked down the row looking just the right apple to pick and eat.  She found it took a few bites before picking yet another apple to put in the bag to share at school.  Right after we did this, things got, well, interesting.

I looked down at Eva and realized that she had, yep, HIVES.  I bent down to take a closer look and realized that they were all around her lips, her hands and her neck.  I was STUNNED as I looked.  It was about that time that I realized she looked a little blue around her lips too.  I moved out to get in better light and told a teacher what was going on and started down that "very big hill" for a couple of reasons....1) I didn't want to give her the Epi-Pen in front of all her friends....I knew that she was going to get very upset and I didn't want them to have to see us to it.  and 2)  My 'Mommy Radar' was going off that this might be a big deal and we may need to call 911 so I wanted to get closer to the entrance.

'Mommy Radar' was right.....I got about halfway down the hill and realized that she was wheezing and yes, I needed to give her an Epi-Pen.  Fortunately there was a picnic table where I could sit her down and hold her leg....once she realized what I was going to do, I'm sure everyone heard her.  I called to one of her teachers who thankfully heard and came down the hill.....911 was called and we finished getting to the entrance.  Fortunately the Epi-Pen worked and she looked and made it clear her airway was WIDE open. :-)

Amazing how when you are at an apple orchard, in the country, how long it feels like it takes for an ambulance to get there.  Eva was not nearly as impressed with the ambulance ride as she was the school bus ride.

She made it the ER without any other problems but once we got there, things definitely got worse before they got better.  As the Epi-Pen wore off, she started getting a lot of hives again and her face started swelling quite a bit.  They gave her a dose of Benadryl (I had tried at the apple orchard but she spit it out...stinker).  They also ordered Prednisone.  Between the two of them she started to look a little better.

She had eaten a couple of purple popsicles but then her eyes started swelling again and she started running a temp.  The ER drs didn't think the temp was from the anaphylaxis BUT since then I have talked to other parents who have been through this and their kiddos have also had a temp during a reaction too.  Who knows....but she seems better now.

We were there for about 3 hours which is typical for a reaction like this.  She was pretty hyper tonight from all the meds and will be on Prednisone for the next 5 days which will likely get interesting.  

So we really have no idea what happened today!  I feel like it's pretty unlikely she developed an allergy to apples...she eats something "apple" almost every day but per her allergists nurse, she will not have any until we either hear from the doctor or see him.  There are so many possibilities of what may have happened but it's very likely we will never know for sure.   I just know that I hope we don't have to do this again....ever. (Yes Mom, my head may be in the sand a bit right now!)  That was scary.  It was scary for Eva and it was scary for me.

So, unfortunately, our day did not turn out how we had planned.  Eva and I will be spending a quiet day at home tomorrow....no school she we need to watch for secondary reactions since she did ingest whatever caused the reaction.

I've said it before and I'll likely say it again.....

I HATE FOOD ALLERGIES!  HATE THEM!

But I sure to love this little girl!!

She's so stinking happy!

Kira is so stinking happy to be done with casts and boots!  Yesterday was her first day of school with her shoes/inserts and things went well...no red marks that stuck around and she said that other than her legs and feet feeling tired, she was feeling good.  I expected that she would be tired though!

I realized yesterday, after she was over-the-moon with excitement, that she has NEVER been able to put her everyday shoes on by herself.  Water shoes and snow boots, yes but never her tennis shoes because of the big, clunky braces.  Well, yesterday, she got her shoes on by herself and the holler that came out of her mouth is something I will not soon forget.

Then this morning, it got even better....she TIED one of her shoes!  It was loose but she did it...I had NO idea that she knew how to do that!  Again, it's never been something we've worked on because her laces were always so short that it was tough for us to do it at times.  Talk about a surprise for all of us!

She's walking around the house with her walker and is able to go up the wheelchair ramp outside without it too.  She will continue to use her walker at school for the obvious reasons.......lots of kids! ;-) With her balance, it wouldn't take more than a nudge to knock her over.

She's a happy girl!

141 day...yes, I said, 141 days!

As of today it's been 141 days since Kira's surgery.

141!

One hundred forty-one!!

When I added the numbers up to see how many days it had been I couldn't believe that it was 141.  I actually re-added it to make sure that it was right.  But yep, 141 is the number.

That's CRAZY.  In some ways it seems like less than that  and in other ways it seems like so, so, so many more days.

I wish with all my heart that I could say that now we're "done" but that's just not even close to the case. Kira has a long way to go.  She had to learn how to walk in her walking casts, then in her boots and now she has to learn to walk without those supports and that's not going happen over night for sure.  Jason and I have been able to her trying to walk like she did before her surgery...knees in, etc.  She has to learn to walk with her "new feet" now. 

She only has a couple of weeks left of school which means that she will only have a few sessions left with her school PT and OT......we lucked out and found a place that she can continue PT over the summer.  And she is excited that she will get to do PT with Miss Heidi who was Eva's PT with Birth-3.

Here's my girl this morning......waiting to see Scott and get her inserts for her shoes.

And here she is, on the way out, with wearing shoes for the 1st time in 141 days (as she told Scott!)

I would be lying if there wasn't a part of me that was felt a little disappointed today when she stood up without her inserts and shoes on so that her inserts could be adjusted........she still pronates.  She still pronates more than I expected or was hoping for.....but I kept on smiling for Miss Kira.  She is so happy!

I'm trying to tell myself not "judge" yet....it's literally been a couple of hours but when it wasn't what I was expecting to see, it did take a little of the excitement and joy out of it for me.  BUT I also know that before her surgery, wearing inserts like she is not would have never, ever, ever been an option.

Now we're ready to get her up and moving more and more........