Self feeding, Bug collecting, stacking, and the toilet.

Great combo huh?
I am completely blown away in all the changes Lily has made this week! It's like her little personality is growing by leaps and bounds! Yesterday, she started blowing kisses, not ordinary kisses the kind that the "muah" noise is over exaggerated and completely adorable! She is fascinated with the trash can, hamper and toilet. I watched her throw her sippy cup in the toilet yesterday.... I was not able to get it from her fast enough. I have a feeling we will be cup shopping real soon. ;)

We are still cloth diapering her, (still LOVE it!) and I use pocket diapers.... sometimes I wash the inserts separately b/c I throw a tiny amount of bleach in. (I know you are not supposed to do this but.... we have well water and it is helpful on occasion) So... the diaper shells were in the dryer (expecting rain or they would have been on the line) and the inserts were clean and dry in the clothes basket. I watched Lily carry about 20 inserts into the living room and pile them on her pink lawn chair along with a few other items.....

Here are some photos of her yesterday... YES... all this was yesterday! :D

CT scan and Neurosurgeon visit.......

We were scheduled for a routine CT and visit with Lil's Neurosurgeon this afternoon. We had a very eventful morning. After her morning nap (yes... she is still a two nap a day kind of girl) she decided that she was going to throw her socks in the kitchen trash can. Then knock over the trash can..... I find wads of toilet paper in the hamper...and hair bows in the toilet!! She is SOOOOOO funny!

Her CT scan was scheduled during her afternoon nap time so I was prepared for her to be a little irritable. I also knew that she'd be more aware of her surroundings than a year ago and I decided to take a couple of her comfort items.... her Binky, and her bear. We try to keep these items in her crib. I would like to discourage her bringing them everywhere we go.... her older sister had a pillow that went with us everywhere until it was misplaced when she was 3. Oh... the heartbreak! After a couple of days things got much better and of course we found it and decided NOT to reintroduce them. :) Anyway.... my prediction was correct... she was not very happy about the CT scan at all... Broke my heart to see her get that worked up. The tech was super quick though so that was good. We went upstairs to see her Dr. The office staff was in awe about what a big girl she is now. As soon as we walked back her Dr asked "Is she normal?" I said... well.... we think so. :D We discussed her recent evaluation with early intervention and he was very pleased. He asked "how many words does she have?" That is such a hard question to answer because that list grows and changes daily. She is becoming a little parrot and is repeating almost anything we ask her too. He was pleased. We reviewed her scans and he commented on the fact that her ventricles are still very large and the area of the cyst is the same as it was a year ago... this is good.

He also said that if we travel the importance of taking copies of her scans (on disk) because she has the reservoir and it can appear to look like a shunt from the outside and if they order a CT her ventricles are so large that they may say that she has hydrocephalus and will want to check her "shunt." Of course we know that she doesn't have a shunt. He went on to say that she will probably have very large ventricles for the rest of her life and the importance of telling her and futures doctors this. So, we don't have to return until next May! He also said that he may just leave the reservoir in for the time being or indefinitely. At this point he doesn't to disrupt anything going on in there... if it isn't broken dont fix it type of thing. We are 100% ok with that. :)

Well... It is way past my bedtime.... Night all!

Lily was 17 months old yesterday.......

A few pics of Lily "helping" mommy with the laundry.

I can hardly believe it! I was going to pop in and post last night however, she refused to go to bed.... It was almost 9pm before she was finally settled in her bed. She ended up crying it out. I HATE doing that but, nothing was making her happy and she does need to learn to self sooth to a degree.

She is practically running all over the house... she keeps us busy all day.. (I think that I may have lost a couple of pounds.. lol not that I mind!!) She loves anything that has to do with the outdoors. The other day we had a thunderstorm and she was absolutely thrilled!!! I think it was the first moment that she noticed that it was raining.. and it's different from when the sun is shining. She has also been looking at some of our framed photos and picking out her "momma, dadda, and sissy." A few nights ago we were getting her ready for bed and her and I were sitting in the rocking chair in her room... I was about to read the book that she picks every night.... and well she "shot a bunny" (also known as a little toot..hehe) and I could have sworn she said "excuse me." Well... she has done in multiple times now. Tonight she said "never"..... I can hardly believe all the things that she repeats! We love it! She is also doing very well using her utensils when eating.

She has been banging her head a little when she is tired, frustrated, or over stimulated. From what I have read this is completely normal toddler behavior. Well, in the last two days she has acquired two bruises on her forehead... one from being angry with me and slamming her head into the side of her crib and then tonight we bought her this little lawn chair... she was carrying it around our living room and tripped and it smacked her in the forehead.... (Poor baby)... So, wouldn't you know she goes tomorrow to see her Neurosurgeon and also for her routine CT scan. We are also supposed to discuss her next surgery... the removal of the reservoir. .....

So, I will return tomorrow and update about her appointment.

Testing out the sand....

and giving it a little taste test too!

Please keep Cayman and her family in your prayers!

Our Nature Girl

Lily LOVES to be outside..... She LOVES to gather rocks, flowers, pine cones, gum balls, and empty cat food containers........... hehehe

We are all alive!

Gosh... I have been really "rotten" about updating lately. Our oldest daughter who will be 17 in June had been challenging us with "HER" independence a lot lately. She was involved in a auto accident as a passenger that she should not have lived through and walked away with fairly minor injuries. We are very Blessed! This occurred one week after Easter and the day after Lily started walking! See.... a lot has happened and I have failed to record it the way that I wanted to, :( This saddens me because those thoughts and moments will be lost forever. :/

We had a lovely Easter, the weather was unseasonably warm. We were able to put Lily in a onsie on the deck while she colored her own eggs. She loved it! (I will post photos later)

Early Intervention came out twice for Lillians annual review. The first time they came out, she was not yet walking. So, her gross and fine motor skills were marked at 12 months. The second visit a speech therapist came out and got her to walk!!! She has not stopped since! LOL While she was here she placed at 20 months for her communication skills! She was using 3 word patterns! She was very impressed with her "skills!" We are estatic!!!

Here is a video clip of Lily chasing her "dada."



Between both girls, we have been extremely busy! I will return SOON with many pictures and etc. Oh... and Lily goes for her next CT scan and follow up with her Neurosurgeon the end of this month.