Summer Days

Last summer we enjoyed time with our friends the Hatch family at the pool. We were lucky enough to be invited to do it again. We had a lot of fun.

Audrey posing with Elysse. Elysse didn't get any pool time, yet.

Audrey scamming snacks - even though she had lunch before we went!

Nathan, Drew and Nick enjoying the pool.

Audrey offering Nick his own snacks, what a nice girl.

Robert Lake Park

My adventurous friend Amelia finds the best places around to do outdoor fun things. She told us about Robert Lake Park in Montreat, NC. It is a good 30 minute drive from our house but it is definitely worth it. This is the best park I have been to. There are three different play areas, each area having an age group in mind. The draw is the stream that runs through the park at several different places. Kids of all ages enjoy playing in the water there!

Sleeping Baby

What kind of mom would I be if I didn't post some pictures of the funny sleeping positions we have seen so far.

She is a great sleeper during the day but moans and grunts all night. We think that it may have something to do with the dark and she much prefers the bottles during the day to the nursing at night. I will probably decide to pump all of the time so that I can get more sleep at night - win, win.

Eyes

Okay, I am sure everyone is wondering why we haven't been posting pictures of our newest little girl. Well, she is hardly ever awake! This picture was taken moments after getting her dressed for church. Her eyes were only open until she was placed in the car seat and then they didn't open again for quite some time. I am sure there will be more awake moments to come...

Father's Day Weekend

We were very busy this weekend and so grateful we were able to all be together as a family!

Elysse's due date was Saturday, glad she made it ahead of time. We had a VanWinkle Law Firm picnic at 11 a.m. at Claxton Farms. There was so much to do as there was a band playing music, a dance floor, face painting, two bounce houses, balloon animals, water guns, really yummy food, etc. The kids had a great time. There were even a few animals for them to look at - llamas, ponies and cows. Nathan took a little walk around a pond. Audrey went off on her own for awhile (she was looking for mommy) and started talking with many of the other people that work at the firm. Daddy found her as she was deciding to have a blue ladybug painted on her face - good thing they weren't doing real tattoos, he may have been too late.

We left the Firm picnic and headed to the church picnic. The kids met up with their best friends and had a wonderful time. We had a rented pavilion, a grill and a playground set. It was extremely hot and we were blessed with a 5 minute rain shower that cooled things down a bit. The adult guys played catch and another game called boccie ball. The kids were so hot that they preferred water to the soda in the cooler.

Today we were all able to attend church together. Last week Audrey stayed home with Grandma Beadle - it felt horrible to be at church without her. This week was so much better. Next week she will be going back to Nursery class for the first time in over eight months. She is excited and her Nursery leader is even more excited. All in all, I think it was a great Father's Day weekend.

Celebration

Audrey wanted to celebrate the end of chemo with a Nemo cake, fruit snacks and Junior Mints. So, we gave her a little party and she was so excited!

I wanted to do something special just the two of us. After reading my friend Emily's blog and seeing that she and her daughters did manicures and pedicures, I had an idea. We went for our first pedicure together. After arriving home in the garage she also wanted to jump in the driver's seat and do a little driving.

Mommy and Me. We experienced our first pedicure together. Audrey chose a light blue nail polish and I chose pink. Audrey was able to sit between my legs and get her feet in the foot bath - then came the polish. She also had her finger nails done. By the time we made it home her finger nails weren't in the best of shape and today she hardly has any polish at all.

While we were in the nail spa Audrey made friends with everyone around us and even asked and remembered names. Then she proudly declared, "everyone likes me."

Elysse's Room

Elysse's room is finished. Ryan and I painted the room a few months ago. My mom made the curtains by taking apart a duvet cover. My friend Lauren and I made the polka dot wall. Grandma Beadle bought the chair with Elysse's name.

I am hoping she will love this bedroom for a long time. When designing/decorating it I wanted to be sure that the style and the things I put in the room could last for several years without needing to be redecorated.

Miss Mommy

When I was a little girl (well and maybe still) both of my brothers use to call me Miss Mommy - generally because I thought I knew what was best for everyone and tried to run the show, or the entire household...

Well, it looks as if Audrey may be joining me in my ranks as young Miss Mommy.

I left for Target one evening after pumping. Apparently I left the bottle I had just pumped on the kitchen counter - I went to Target for milk storage bags so I guess I thought I would take care of it when I came home. When I walked into the house and noticed Elysse in a new outfit I asked if she had a blowout but was informed the following....

Nathan was laughing and Ryan immediately knew it had something to do with Elysse. He walked over to the bassinet where Elysse was sleeping to see Audrey dumping the freshly pumped milk (without a cover) on her baby sister's head. Since then Audrey has been informed that the milk must have a top on and she is only permitted to help with feeding Elysse!

Made It

Okay I am sure everyone was waiting for an update and yesterday totally got away from me. Some good friends of mine offered to have Nathan join playgroup today and Audrey is taking an early nap! It is wonderful. So I am sitting here with time to use the computer.

We were able to get through the weekend fever free! At our clinic appointment we were told that Audrey's white blood count is fairly high but not high enough to come off the daily shot to help boost the count. She will be able to get off the shot on Wednesday. We go in for chemo on Thursday (this one is not suppose to drop the white blood count) and she will likely need to have a blood transfusion again. Getting a transfusion isn't a big deal it just takes a long time.

We gave Audrey the option of having a little party to celebrate ending chemo or a date with just mom and dad. She choose the party. I guess I should have explained she could have cake either way!

If everything goes well over the next week we think Audrey will be able to join normal life again in July - she can't wait to go back to nursery at church! And gymnastics in the fall.

Quarantine

Audrey had a clinic visit yesterday. We learned that she currently does not have a white blood count, which was expected. The past two hospitalized chemo treatments she spiked a fever on this day, the Thursday after. I asked the doctor in desperation if there was anything we could possibly do to keep her from getting a fever - because fever means hospitalization.

Essentially he said that if a fever is going to happen it just will. But there are neutropenic precautions (precautions for those without their own defense system) we should take. Don't go anywhere and do not allow anyone in the house. Also keep everything as sterile as possible, including Audrey. She is to take a couple of showers each day.

It is difficult to be under "quarantine" but the kids actually don't mind it. For right now, Nathan thinks staying home and not going anywhere is the best thing ever. So I will take advantage of his positive attitude and run with it. I believe that if we can stay fever free by the end of the weekend we are fairly safe. Audrey has another clinic appointment on Monday to check her blood counts.

Please keep us in your prayers.

Pictures

I was thinking about teasing everyone and just typing a long post without pictures but lets face it, everyone wants pictures so here they are.

Elysse may very well end up being our Indian Princess as she has a head full of thick dark hair and seems to have a dark complexion.

While Ryan and Audrey were at a clinic visit I decided I needed to take a shower so I asked Nathan to babysit Elysse on the bed. When I went in the bathroom Elysse was laying in the middle of the bed and Nathan was just sitting beside her. When I came out all of the pillows were spread around like a fortress. Nathan said he was protecting her from the Velociraptors.