Poppy Cows and Granny...another great visit!

This past weekend Shane went out of town and I was fortunate enough to have my parents come up.  The girls got to have another great visit with Poppy Cows and Granny!  They were spoiled and love on!   The weather was nice so we had a few outings and overall just had a fabulous weekend!  Thanks for all your help Mom and Dad!

(Notice their outfits...pointing blame on the other..I think I have a lot of years of that!)

"Take me out to the ballgame...take me out with the crowd..."

"Take me out to the ball game, take me out with the crowd.

Buy me some peanuts and cracker jack, I don't care if I never get back,

Let me root, root, root for the home team, if they don't win it's a shame.

For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out, at the old ball game."

Spring is here!!  I love it for so many reasons... fresh cut grass smell, colorful flowers, patio weather, and of course BASEBALL!! 

Ashlee and Brooke went to their 2nd baseball game last weekend.  They enjoyed the great weather and cheering on their cousin Will.  Will loves the girls and was happy to see he had 2 of his biggest fans at the ballpark..although I think they snoozed through most of the innings! 

Here's to more nice days and baseball to come!

"Sweet Home Argyle, Texas...." (fingers and toes crossed!)

Shane and I have found a great house and lot in Argyle!  We have signed a contract and all has been accepted.  We are in the process of doing the inspections, etc and keeping all our fingers/toes crossed that we don't uncover anything major and there are no hiccups!  If all goes well we close 4/30!!   The drive to work will be a little longer...but we are SO excited to possibly have a relaxing place to come home to and plenty of room for the girls to run and play!

The lot is a little over 5 acres and has TONS of trees (my requirement) and a pond that is over 1 acre (Shane is in love!).  There is a nice barn/workshop and a fenced in area for the dogs.  The house is not our dream home and I wish there were a few things different (i.e. extra bedroom, taller ceiling in den, etc)...but we decide that it would suffice and that the lot and the price was too good to pass up.   It's a modest 3 / 2 house built in 1991.  We have a few upgrades that we want to do before we move in (like replacing the large mauve colored jet tub in the master bath and the "fruit" tile backsplash in the kitchen!).  However, it's not a lot that we have to do and we thankfully have some connections to help get some remodeling done.

Keep us in your thoughts that we will have a new place to call home!  It's a big bite for us...but we are excited.  Of course...now we have a ton of work to do to get our current home ready to sell...but we are doing a little every day and hopefully can put on the market in the next 2 weeks. 

Am I crazy to be returning to work from maternity leave, trying to get a house ready to show/sell, getting stuff ready to move and trying to juggle the girls?  Hey...I guess now is as good as a time if any right! 

Pictures of HOPEFULLY our future home....

Lunch with the girls! 1st Official Restaurant Outing

The girls have been a lot of places (grocery store, target, church, mall, my office, ball field, etc).  However, I have not ever officially taken them out to eat in a restaurant yet.  Not that I have been scared to..just that the opportunity had not yet presented itself until today!  We met our good friend Amber out for lunch at Cheesecake Factory!  YUMMY!  An invitationg that we (or Mom) could not pass us.  The girls were great..and slept during the entire outing!  We had a great time catching up with Amber and it was nice to get out of the house.   The girls (and Mom) ALWAYS enjoy an outing when weather and temperment permit!

Thanks Amber for meeting us for lunch!  Let's do it again soon!!

Spring is here...and we are growing like WEEDS!

Today we had our 2 month check-up.  Everything checked out fine and we are growing like weeds.  We did not like the shots too much...but the screaming was short-lived.  I thought it would be hard on Mom...(Dad did not go) but to be honest after all we have been through with Ashlee's feet...shots were a piece of cake!

Growth update: 

Ashlee weighs 10lb 6oz and is 20 3/4" 
(this weight includes casts...she was 9lb 4oz in hospital a week ago)

Brooke weighs 9lb 5oz and is 21 3/4"




Girls are healthy and growing like crazy.  Brooke (knock on wood) appears to still be our healthy one with no issues.  Ashlee is still very gassy and bloated most of the time.  I think that is what bothers her more than her casts and harness.  I am hoping in 4 weeks when she can kick and move better, that her digestion gets better.  In the meantime it is quite frustrating for Shane and I...as we feel so sorry for her as she screams and we know there is not much we can do to help the poor girl.


I just had to include this picture of Ashlee's eyelashes!  They are so long and precious.

Allstar Ashlee!!

I am happy to report that Ashlee made it through her tenotomy with flying colors!!  The doctor was very pleased with the surgery and how well it went and we were SO happy that she tolerated the anesthetics so well.  The recovery nurse told us that she came out of the O.R. sucking her pacifier with determination.  That's our little girl that LOVES to eat! 

We stayed the evening in the hosital so that they could monitor her heart, lungs and respiratory conditions just in case there was any effects from being put under so young.  Luckily there were not any and she was our strong little angel. 

It was a long day and night.  Ashlee seemed to be doing great pain-wise, so we turned down the offer for pain medicine afterwards and stuck to tylenol.  Did not want to give her anything to slow down her gastrointestinal system anymore than it already works since the poor thing is always gassy and can't kick her legs much.   Last night she would wake up and be VERY upset because she was so hungry.  Then she would only "snack"...as she would go to sleep after 2 ozs and an army of beating drums could not wake her.  Needless to say..an hour later she'd be back up screaming.  Finally about 3am she ate a full and hearty 6 oz!  She was back in business and has been ever since. 

Below are a few pictures to document the event and show how strong and great she was!

Her legs without casts prior to surgery.  To show that they are no longer turned in.

In the Recovery Room...check out my pink casts. 

In our own room. She was wanting her paci, bear and Mommy and Daddy to hold her. 

Waiting very patiently for discharge! 

HAPPY GIRL!!  Getting ready to go home and see Sissy and the Puppies! 

Thanks to everyone for the continued prayers and thoughts during this time!  We have a check up in one week with the Orthopedic.  She will continue to wear her hip harness and these casts for 4 weeks and then NO MORE CASTS!  Of course..then the fun begins with the boots and bars..but at least we'll on to something new. 

It's a perfect day for brunch on the patio!

I went out in the backyard to let the dogs out this morning and saw that we were blessed with another beautiful morning.  It was about time for the girls 9-10am feeding and they have been a little fussy.  They seem to love it outside, so I moved their bouncy chairs out on the back porch and brunch on the patio it was!!  Mornings like this before jobs and kids might have meant mimosas and fruit ... or maybe bloody marys and migas...but this morning it was milk and milk! 

They girls seemed to enjoy it...as did the dogs!  I was somehow able to multi-task while feeding and burping and get in a few tennis ball throws!  

Today is bath day...so the grass that somehow appeared on Ashlee's head looking like green hair sprouting and the kisses from Gus that Brooke got..were no worries at all! 

Today we are also celebrating.  Ashlee goes in for surgery tomorrow..so last day to have her feet turned out!!  They will still be in casts for 4 more weeks..but they will be straight!  She has also "graduated" to size 1 diapers!  Brooke is celebrating too...as she managed to get her "red dog" paci (the wubba nub) back into her mouth all by herself!!  While it was not a perfect delivery...it made it!

Enjoy this awesome day and take any reason to celebrate! 



Enjoy the day! 

A recap of our trip to Smiley! -- All Smiles!!!

The 1st road trip was a success!!  They girls were great travelers for the 5 hour car ride and did pretty good sleeping their 1st night away from home!  

I had to stop and take a picture of our ride..as I felt like Sanford and Son.  We had 2 kids, 2 dogs and boat in tow.  Plus ALL the supplies that are needed. 

One of our favorite things to do on the Farm is to sit on the Front Porch and enjoy the Fresh Air!  (Usually we have drink in hand...coffee for sunrise and adult beverage for sunset!)  They girls enjoyed the porch and fresh air! 

Even Jake enjoys the porch!

The girls got to meet and bond with their Great Grandmother (aka - "Gigi").  They LOVED Gigi and Gigi really enjoyed them.  She held them until her arms were sore and she was too weak to hold them anymore!  She has "magic" touch as she was always successful at making them sleep and smile!  Below is Brooke sleeping (when she was supposed to be eating) and Ashlee smiling at Gigi's stories.

The girls got to meet Uncle Glen and their Great Aunt Liz.  I do not have any pictures (on my Mom's camera)..but I know that they all enjoyed bonding and playing!!   

The girls also took their 1st trip to Church.  They were very quiet and thankfully slept during the service and Gigi LOVED having them their for "show and tell."  You have to understand..the FUMC in Smiley, TX averages about 20-30 in attendance and the average age is probably 80! 

Overall the weekend was a success. I even went with Shane fishing on Choke Canyon Lake on Saturday and got to take a nice break!  He caught about 20 bass, one being 9 lbs...which was the biggest I had seen.  I did not catch ANY fish..not one!  But..I must say it was still a nice trip.  I took a nap on the boat and enjoyed the beautiful day that we were blessed with and an afternoon of no crying, feeding or diapers! 

We are now trying our best to "un-spoil" the girls from all the holding they received...but it has yet to be successful!!  I had to add the pictures below that I took today ... it's been a fun one!  Back to reality!!

Wubba Nubs...

We got these cute gifts and I wasn't sure if the girls were going to take to them.  They are called Wubba Nubs...basically they are the "soothie" pacifiers with stuffed animals attached.   The girls had never had a "soothie" paci...but they don't seem to be picky about that sort of things.  From the pictures below you can see the Brooke really has taken to them....Ashlee is indifferent.  We have red dog and green frog....Brooke has latched on to both!

It's funny how they are now really starting to "hold" things and how they find comfort in it.  Of course anything that quiets them and puts that at peace is great with Mom and Dad.  We have found they like to hug pretty much anything...from their Wubba Nubs, to security blanket/bears, to even burp cloths when you are trying to burp them! 

Here's to peaceful nights and hoping that you hold on to and wrap your arms around whatever makes each of you happy!

The weather is beautiful....it's time for a Road Trip!!!

I love "spring" time weather and have really enjoyed seeing the warmer temperatures and sunny (well somewhat sunny) days lately.  It has given us the opportunity to get the girls out of the house..and they LOVE it!  We have been on several walk/stroller rides.  We even took them to their 1st sporting event....they got to go watch their cousin Will play baseball over the weekend.  Of course they slept the entire time...but we secretly know that they enjoyed it.

The girls had another 1st this week.....baths in their "infant" tub!  I know...they are 7 weeks and I had yet to submerge them..but it took Ashlee 5 weeks to lose her umbilical and those freakin' casts = sponge baths only.  I did not feel compelled to let Brooke have all the fun before Ashlee!  Well..today was Wednesday...which means the cast came off this morning and Ashlee had time to stretch her legs (as much as she could with her hip harness) and Mom had opportunity to give her a good scrubbing!  They did not seem to be bothered by the new bath technique..and I think they both rather enjoyed it.  Below are pictures of the clean girls...I'll save you the naked butt pictures! 

Ashlee

Brooke

Tomorrow we leave to go to Smiley, TX to see Grandma and Grandpa (my parents) and to meet GiGi (Great Gramma...MY Gramma) for the first time!  Another 1st for the girls...an official road trip!  Gigi is SUPER excited to meet the girls and we are very anxious to get out of the city for a few days and get some good country air.  However, I will tell you I have spent ever spare moment (which is not many now days) trying to pack for the dogs, the girls and myself.  Whew...it's a lot to pack for a long weekend road trip!!   I have a feeling we might look like Sanford and Son driving down I-35 in Shane's truck tomorrow.

Here's to a great weekend of family, fun, fresh air and more "firsts" I am sure!

Ashlee Update....she is setting some new infant "style" trends!!

If you were to ask Ashlee and she could speak..she would tell you that gauze and velcro are the new trend in fashion this spring and that white is the hot shade to wear!

Club Feet Status: 
Her feet are looking AWESOME!!  She has responded to the casting very well and this should be her last week..however we are doing one additional week to prolong surgery so we can travel to South Texas to see family.   Below are some pictures from week 1 and week 4 to show improvement. This is week 4...and they originally told us it might take 8 weeks.   

Her surgery (tenotomy)  is slated for Thursday 3/18.  It is a minor surgery and usually out-patient prcedure, but since she is so young, they will perform it at the hospital and keep her over night to monitor and make sure all is well and no effects from the anaesthetics.  We are not happy that she has to go under for the surgery...but we know it has to be done.  At least we will be at the hospital and closely monitored.

                                                               

While seeing the orthopedic for her feet, he also had concern for her hips.  They felt a tad loose early on..so suggested at 6 weeks we go get an ultrasound done.  Hence the newest discovery.......Hip Dysplasia.

Hip Dysplasia Update:

 With this newest discovery revealed on Monday, we had to wait until Ashlee's weekly orthopedic appt on Wednesday to talk to the doctor and understand the results and next steps.  Her left hip is excellent, it is her right hip that has the dysplasia.  However, the doctor has told us it is VERY mild and I personally think it would have gone undetected had we not already been seeing an orthopedic.  On a scale of 1-10 he said it was a 1.5...so very mild indeed.  Most mild hip dysplasia issues in infants are corrected within 3 months by wearing a special harness/brace (the Wheaton Harness).  Great...another device for the poor girl to sport.  I asked what would happen if we left it untreated since it was so mild.  Of course she would probably be fine as a child...but there was a chance for her to have early arthritis or a need for a  hip replacement by time she was 30-50.  Since the treatment was non-invasive and I could not live with the guilt of her possibly feeling like hell and hurting when she was my age, we decided to pursue, welcoming into our wardrobe the Wheaton Harness......

As you can see...Ashlee is sleeping...so it really has not impacted her that much and it has not even been 24 hrs and she has seemed to have adjusted fine!  I think because she was already so restricted with her casts...that it was not that big of a change for her.  It seems to be harder on Daddy and Mommy than Ashlee.  Clothing is a new challenge....all those cute outfits are going to have to be worn by Brooke.  Diapers are also a challenge..but I think we have it figured out. 

She will wear this new harness for 6 weeks...as long as she has her casts.  (2 more weeks temporary casts and 4 weeks cast after surgery).  Then we will go get another ultrasound to see results.  Unfortunately...regardless of progress..that will be the end of our Hip Dysplasia correcting process...as she will not be able to wear this harness with her club foot brace...and that is more critical.  Doctors are hoping 6 weeks is all we will need to correct this hip issue...since it is so mild.

Thanks to everyone for their thoughts and prayers.  It's going to be a tough 6 weeks with continued casting and this new hip issue...tougher on Shane and I than Ashlee probably...but we know we are still very blessed that this is all fixable and that we are able to correct these issues at such a young age.  She won't remember any of it and it's won't impact her ability to develop.  We know she will be running before we know it!!  Shane is convinced she will be a softball and soccer player...if she is I think she is prepped to play catcher and goalie..as she will be used to all the "equipment!" 

I'll leave you with 2 pictures from this morning..so you can see she is still such a sweet and happy baby girl!!