The Little Trooper

What a week! Anna Lee's surgery went very well on Wednesday. Thank you all for your prayers, calls, emails, etc. Anna Lee has been quite the little trooper through everything. At the hospital on Wednesday, she did a great job. She particularly didn't like having to wear the hospital bracelet or getting her blood pressure taken with the cuff around her arm. She said we needed to take it off because it was "too small" as it constricted around her arm. :0) Jim and I were both very thankful for the "Goofy Juice" she received before surgery. We had to wait a little longer than planned in the playroom before taking her back, so Anna Lee was getting a little anxious....and hungry and thirsty. She hadn't been allowed to have anything that morning, and they didn't take her back until after noon. Once she got the Goofy Juice, though, things were much easier. She was quite funny. We left her being wheeled into surgery with a big grin on her face and waving saying, "Bye, Mommy!" (with slurred speech).

Waking up from the anesthesia was kind of hard, but she did a great job. We got to sit and rock her in the recovery room for almost an hour while they monitored her. They had told us to be prepared to stay overnight, but she did such a great job, we got to bring her home that night. We were so glad!

The rest of the week has been a little tough at times, but she has done a great job. You can tell she really hurts, mainly when she wakes up from sleeping. She has not wanted to talk or swallow at those times, but her medicines have really been helping...as have the Disney princess "surprises" she has gotten along the way. She has had several fun visitors come by, and that has seemed to lift her spirits. My mom has been such a great help this week, and has even slept by her in bed each night to make sure she was ok. We have all had our yearly fill of Disney movies in the past several days!

One of the main things I was a little surprised by was the change in her voice. I knew it would help later on with her speech (which was one of the reasons we did the surgery), but I didn't realize the drastic change that would immediately happen in her voice. I have been reassured that the change is only temporary, so it has helped me (as the speech pathologist mom) see it as a little funny and cute instead of stressful and worrisome. Her voice is now higher, squeekier, and MUCH more nasal. She is just not used to so much air being able to come through her nose! She sounds a little like Alvin and the Chipmunks at times. We are loving it! Here is a quick sample of her telling about her surgery.

So Long Tonsils

If you have a minute, say a quick prayer for Anna Lee tomorrow. We visited the ENT a couple of weeks ago, and for many reasons (including the fact that she snores louder than most grown men), it was decided that it is finally time for her to have her tonsils and adenoids removed. So tomorrow is the day. I don't think she has any clue what is coming, as much as we have tried to prepare her for the experience. She knows that she will get to wear a special gown (she asked if it would have princesses on it), and that she will get to drink some "Goofy Juice," as they call it, to make her feel better. (She thinks this "Goofy" refers to the Goofy we watch on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.) We have told her that her throat will hurt later and that she will get to eat popsicles and watch movies this week. Anna Lee is having her surgery in Medical City Hospital instead of a surgery center like they normally would do it in, since she is so young. They have told us to be prepared for her to have to spend the night in the hospital. This will be a little tricky, since I am still up in the middle of the night feeding our other child. My mom is going to help us take care of J.D. during the day (and part of the night) tomorrow.

So say a little prayer for Anna Lee tomorrow if you think about it...and for us too. Even though it is a very common and apparently easy surgery, it still makes us nervous to think about our little one going into the operating room.

A Little Obsession

I don't know if I have ever known a child that loved princesses more than Anna Lee. She is truly obsessed...in every sense of the word. She would be so happy if she could actually be a Disney princess herself. Several months back, some of our friends at church, the Stevens, were cleaning out their little girls' closets. They were so sweet and brought Anna Lee a bunch of toys that they weren't using anymore. Included in this set of toys was a set of Barbie-type dolls, all dressed as the Disney princesses. Anna Lee has had the MOST fun with them! After a few weeks, I started taking pictures of the princesses around our house. I find them in the funniest places! They travel as a group, and they are always set up in a way that they are participating in some sort of activity. It has made us laugh so hard. So here is a collection of the princesses' "trips" around the house...

A donut picnic

(Please excuse the immodesty of some of the princesses...I haven't figured out yet why some of them were not fully clothed here)

Taking a nap/Having a snack in the highchair....they had a hard time all fitting.

Looks quite uncomfortable.

Listening to a story from Anna Lee...a princess story (about themselves)

Apparently taking a nap under the dresser. Maybe it was too bright in her room.

Taking a nap in Anna Lee's bed.

Notice the doll that got the extra little pillow. It is Sleeping Beauty. She is Anna Lee's favorite.

In time out. Not sure what they did (as a group) to get put here.

Playing in Anna Lee's house.

Ariel is accompanying J.D. in the kitchen....with a plate of pretend food....

just in case J.D. (or Ariel) got hungry.

Eating dinner at the table with us. They provided riveting conversation.

So there you have it. The princesses' travels around our house.

Who knows where we will find them next. I'm just hoping they never need to use the bathroom...

Good Ole San Antone

A couple of weeks ago, we went to San Antonio for Anna Lee to go to VBS at Oak Hills. They had a special week for the 2 and 3 year olds, and Anna Lee loved it! Thank you Mrs. Selma and Mrs. Sarah for all of your hard work!

We had a great time while we were there, and both of the kids got plenty of lovin' from Mom-Mom and Grandad.

(Notice the princess crown and high heels...always.)

All Grown Up

Well, it was about time....Anna Lee finally got her first haircut. It made me a little sad and happy all at the same time. Sad that she is truly no longer a baby, and happy that she finally has enough hair to need a cut! Most kids get their haircut for the first time before they are a year old. Not our sweet Anna Lee. At a year, her hair looked like this: Not much to work with.

So after 2 and a half years, the time had finally come to visit the beauty shop. We spent a lot of time that morning (notice the crazy morning hair) talking about how the lady at the shop was going to cut her hair, but she was the ONLY one allowed to cut her hair with scissors. Since this was a new experience for a 2 year old, I could only imagine the excitement she would have had "re-creating" the event at home.



Anna Lee did a great job, and loved that they let her watch a Disney movie during it. Here are a few pictures.

What a Week!

Last week was so crazy! Like all of the weeks since J.D. was born, we were busy, busy, busy. To begin, J.D. had his Baby Dedication at church. It was so sweet and special. Jim's parents and my parents came in for the occasion, and it was special to have our families there with us. Our preacher, John, said some really sweet words over J.D. and our family, and then one of our favorite people, Brant, said a wonderful prayer of blessing over him. We are so thankful for our church home, and for the people we have in our life who want to help us raise our kids to love God.

It was neat to get to have J.D.'s Baby Dedication/Blessing on Father's Day. We had a fun lunch with our families, and Anna Lee got to give her presents to her Pops and Grandad. We ended up not getting picture of Grandad's homemade stepping stone, but she was very proud of it and the hat she gave Pops.

I can't talk about Father's Day without saying a few words about Jim. (He got his presents later in the week.) He is absolutely, 100% the most wonderful daddy I can imagine. He does so much to love on and take care of all of us. We couldn't ask for a better Daddy around here!

Some father/son bonding while watching sports...

Five minutes later...

After the weekend of family, we loaded up and headed to Waco. We spend a few days there with Jim's parents and sister, and all four of Anna Lee's cousins. It was a zoo...but a really fun zoo! We did a lot of swimming, eating, playing, and movie watching. The kids even went to VBS together in the evenings.

After we got home from Waco, we unloaded, washed clothes, and then headed out again for my grandmother's family reunion in Abilene. It was my grandmother's first time to get to meet J.D.

It was really fun to get to be with my cousin Catherine and Aunt Donna too. They were so sweet and loved on our kids all weekend.

Kasey's boyfriend, Justin, came to the reunion with us too. We love that guy!

So we are finally at home...for a few days at least. It is good to be home and everyone agrees...even our happy baby!