Avery update

Well, we went to the Dr. today to try to find out what is wrong w/ Avery's foot or feet, but unfortunately we did not really get a definitive answer. The Dr. did not see anything that led him to believe she still had glass in her feet, so he suggested that maybe she had jammed one of her joints and had fluid on it and then the pain was radiating down into her ankles and feet. He said that is a common injury in kids this age. He did a thorough exam of both feet and legs and there was no particular spot that she screamed or jumped about, although she did cry when he first started touching her feet. But I think that was more just because she didn't want him to examine her b/c she thought it might hurt. She could not tell him which foot hurt or point to a particular spot. The one thing he did say was that at this age, children like to run and play too much for this just to be a behavioral thing. He said just to be sympathetic and roll with it for a week, then to bring her back if it was still hurting and he would possibly order an MRI. So, I guess we just have to let her take it easy and encourage her to at least try walking again. This afternoon she actually stood up on her bed and started doing seat drops like she learned at gymnastics last week-- I was shocked! I normally don't allow her to jump on the bed, but I was all for it today! After a few minutes of this, she was standing up and she let out a little yell and dropped down to her knees again. She was favoring left foot, just like when she hurt it last Wednesday. Unfortunately she did not try walking again the rest of the night. So maybe there is something wrong w/ it that we just cannot detect. Hopefully it will heal with a few days of rest, or if it's a piece of glass down in there, it will eventually work its way to the surface-- sooner rather than later!

Father's Day

Downtown Ft Worth- outside Riscky's BBQ

Daddy's girls

To celebrate Father's Day yesterday, my parents came to church with us. Then we all met up with my sister and her husband at Riscky's BBQ in downtown Fort Worth so the guys could take advantage of their all-you-can-eat ribs. Everyone came over to our house afterward to open cards and presents and to share some of the banana pudding that Scott requested I make. Avery really enjoyed helping Scott and my Dad open their cards. Unfortuntely, I don't think it was an ideal Father's Day for Scott. As you can see in the pic above, Avery is sitting rather than standing. Well, there is a reason. As you may have read in a previous post, when Scott was in Guatemala, she pushed on the glass door of our entertainment center and it shattered, leaving her with a minor cut on her foot and one little sliver of glass that I removed. Well, she was fine for about a week, and then this past Wednesday she was playing in the living room over by the entertainment center and all of a sudden I hear this scream. So I go over there are she's holding her foot up saying she thought she stepped on glass. Despite the fact that we have checked her feet several times with a flashlight and cannot find anything wrong, she has complained on and off since then about them hurting, although the pain seems to switch feet and she can't tell you a particaulr spot that hurts. Worst of all, she also randomly decides she doesn't want to walk. She had one of these "moments" on Saturday afternoon and has refused to walk ever since (minus a little walking in her classroom at church-hmmm. ..). As you can imagine, it is quite upsetting and even infuriating to see your 16 month old walking around everywhere and your 3 yr. old crawling when there doesn't appear to be anything physically wrong! No cuts, scrapes, visible glass slivers, swelling, redness, bruising, nada! She has been crawling everywhere becasue of this and has even gone so far as to sit in the stroller the whole time tonight at the park while Scott and I played with Kendall. It seemed a little cruel, but we thought it might encourage her to at least TRY to get out and walk. No luck! She just whined for us to come keep her company and to carry her over to the swings. After dealing w/ this for almost 3 days straight and trying to convince her with natural consequences that she should at least try to walk, we are heading to the doctor tomorrow to find out once and for all if there is something physically wrong that is causing this madness. She promised tonight that if the Dr. said nothing was wrong, then she would try to walk again, so hopefully we will have an end to this one way or another. Now that everyone probably thinks my child is completely nuts, prayers would be greatly appreciated! It makes me sad to see her doing this and missing out on the life of the healthy, active 3 yr old that she is!

giving Poppi his cards and present

helping Poppi open his cards

Avery was more than willing to help Scott open his presents

Week Without Daddy- Part Two

Scott is back safe and sound at home now, but here is a recap of part two of our "Week Without Daddy". It was perhaps more eventful than part one, just maybe not as many fun events. Wednesday my Mom took the day off work to spend it with us. Just as we're getting ready to leave the house to go over to Southlake Town Center to eat lunch and shop, Avery pushes the glass door on our entertainment center the wrong way and it shatters. Luckily, she only had one minor cut on her foot, but it was a HUGE mess and I was so glad my Mom was here to help. If she hadn't been, I would've had to gate the girls out of the living room and probably listen to Kendall cry for like 30 minutes while I cleaned up the mess. We finally got over to Southlake, but then Avery starts complaining about her stomach hurting and says she wants to go home. My mom and I managed to eat our food in between Avery's 5 or 6 mostly unsuccessful trips to the bathroom and one episode of almost throwing up in my plate, so then we decided to forget the shopping and just come back to the house. Avery fell asleep on the way back, but Kendall screamed almost the whole way (like 20 minutes) as she was exhausted and just wanted her bed (she has just given up her AM nap). Avery ran a little fever that afternoon through Thurs morning and complained a little about her stomach hurting, but she never had any other symptoms. Just a little virus I guess. Then Wednesday night we had some really bad thunderstorms. We didn't have any damage, but the power went out for awhile. Plus, the storms lasted until 3 or 4 in the morning and all the thunder and lightning made it hard for me to sleep. Wow, what a day! Thursday Avery was still feeling a little sickly, so I cancelled the free trial gymnastics class she was going to do and we spent the day around the house. After a 3 hr nap, she felt much better and was able to enjoy Mimi and Poppi coming over for dinner and a little playtime while I went and ran an errand or two. Friday she was back to normal, so we headed to the zoo w/ some church friends. It was hot and rather crowded, but we had a good time and it was nice to get out of the house for a long stretch. Saturday we mostly hung out around the house. Kendall napped for 3 hrs and Avery napped for 2 1/2, which was a God-send since we were picking Scott up at the airport at 8:15 (past their bedtimes). At dinner time, I took them over to Chick-Fil-A and then we killed a little time reading and playing trains at Barnes and Noble since Scott's flight ended up being about 30 minutes delayed. He arrived safe and sound at about 8:45 and the girls we so excited to see him. We had a fun, eventful week, but I am sooo glad to have my wonderful husband and helper back! When the mission team leader told me at the airport that Scott was "a jewel" I knew exactly what he meant!

Avery's "sick" position Thursday morning (she did not move off the couch)

Kendall kept getting this picture down and pointing at Scott saying "that's Daddy"

I drug out some rarely-played-with toys like the nativity set to keep Avery entertained on the couch (She's obviously feeling a little better here)

I don't know if you can see all the stickers on her shirt, but Kendall kept herself busy for awhile with the princess stickers

having a snack and reading books after she woke up from her nap

Avery built a castle when she woke up

The Fort Worth Zoo

feeding the parakeets

Week Without Daddy- Part One

Scott left this past Saturday for a week-long medical missions trip to Guatemala, so the girls and I have been trying to stay busy doing some fun, out-of-the-ordinary things. We stayed very busy this weekend spending some time with my family. On Saturday morning, we went out to the stable where my sister keeps her horse. My sister had this great idea to get some washable paints and let the girls help her paint Kola like a war pony. Kendall was a little nervous about getting so close to Kola and only painted a few brushstrokes, but Avery had a good time painting w/ the brushes and doing her hand prints. She was a little disappointed that she didn't get to ride this time, but she still had lots of fun painting Kola and seeing the other horses. Kendall kept plopping herself down on the dirt road to play w/ the rocks, but I had to watch her because the horses all seemed very curious about her and kept coming up really close to smell her or something. After the painting, we all headed over to Babe's in Roanoke for fried chicken and all the trimmings-Yum! On Sunday, my parents were kind enough to come over to Ft Worth for church and then to take us out to lunch. The girls and I then went over to Coppell for the rest of the day. The girls had a great time swimming and sliding in the backyard, and then we had grilled bratwurst and strawberries and ice cream for dinner out under my parent's arbor. It was a fun day!

here we are out at the stable w/ my sister and Kola

Avery put several hand prints on Kola

painting with the brushes

Kendall did a little painting too w/ my help

peeking at Poppi through the gate

playing in the rocks
the finished product-- you can't tell, but Amy braided Kola's mane too

swimming at Mimi and Poppi's house

look at that bikini girl!

this was before Avery dumped all the bath toys into the pool and then got crazy sliding

When Avery and I were lying on the couch resting and watching a movie, my Mom brought up the fact that last time she saw us cuddling together there was when Avery was 2 months old and Scott was on a mission trip to Nicaragua--kinda funny. My parents had taken some pictures at that time of Avery and I napping on the couch, so I had to include one.

Monday was not quite as exciting as the weekend since had to go get groceries in the morning, but I tried to make it more fun than usual by taking them to Kroger where they have the carts with the car in front for the kids to "drive". And then after nap the girls swam in their princess pool in the backyard, so it was still a fun day. Best of all, they got a call from Daddy right before bed. Avery is really missing him. On Saturday night (the first day he had been gone) when we were coming home from eating dinner, she asked, "Is Daddy STILL not going to be home?" I feel sorry for her:( She realy looks forward to her Daddy time in the evenings. Today we went to McDonald's for lunch. Ronald McDonald himself was there, but both the girls were scared of him--Avery just a little and Kendall a lot. She started crying when he got too close. Actually, I don't balme them as he was a big guy with a loud voice and I almost jumped myself when I saw him. We went to a McDonald's with an enormous Playplace, so the girls had fun playing after we ate. Right now they are BOTH napping (ah. . . bliss!), but I told Avery that we would go out again late this afternoon or tonight to do something else fun. I'm thinking some ice cream at Braums or Marble Slab sounds pretty good:) We already had McDonald's, so I figure we might as well add some more calories to it and call it a "food day" like we used to have at school when I was doing speech pathology. Stay tuned for more "Week Without Daddy" adventures. . .

Branson trip

We took a vacation with my parents over Memorial Day weekend to Branson, Missouri, and had an awesome time! The girls and I left last Wednesday afternoon with my parents and then spent the night in Ft. Smith, Arkansas. We drove the last leg of the trip Thurs. morning and arrived in Branson around 1:00. After naps, we headed down to a really nice shopping and restaurant area just below our hotel called Branson Landing. After some shopping, we had dinner at Macaroni Grill on the patio overlooking the lake. Then we ran over to the fountains to catch one of the shows where the fountains "dance" to the music. They have a big fountain show with lights and everything later at night, but my kids have to go to bed too early for that-- maybe next time :) After a little walk up and down the pier and playing at the playground by Joe's Crab Shack, we headed in for the night.

Avery and "Mimi" checking out her new princess jewelry box from the Disney store
"Poppi" and Kendall
shopping at Branson Landing
Kendall drove the ice cream truck and Avery took orders

taking a break from jumping on the bed to play with the new princess jewelry

After Kendall's AM nap Friday, we drove over to Silver Dollar City (amusement park) and spent a few hours riding the kiddie rides, watching the craftsman in the shops, and listening to some musical performances. We also ate off tin plates and cups in a "cave" as Avery called it. It was a restaurant that was set up to look like a mine. That night we went to a local pizza place for dinner and I took Avery swimming. Scott flew in to Springfield that night, and then made the one hour drive over to Branson and got in about 11:00. Saturday morning Scott took Avery back to Silver Dollar City to ride some more rides while Kendall took a nap and my parents went to the Amish store. Scott even convinced Avery to ride the big swinging boat, although she didn't like it too much! She preferred the teacups, elephants, swings and little roller coaster. The rest of us joined them later for some more rides, lunch, and music. After naps that afternoon, Scott and I took Avery to see the Noah Musical. They had some live animals and many convincing animatronic ones, plus a 40 ft. high ark, so it was a pretty impressive show. After meeting my parents and Kendall for dinner, they took the girls back to the hotel and Scott and I went to the Pierce Arrow show, which was a variety show with singing and comedy. It was a good show and we had a really great time on our little Branson date.

family pic at Silver Dollar City

Avery and Scott rode the pirate ships 4 or 5 times I think

the teacups were one of her favorites

We left midmorning on Sunday and headed for Tulsa to spend the night. We went straight to the Oklahoma Aquarium when we got there, which the girls really liked. I think their favorite part was running around in the shark tunnel, especially after being in the car all day. After dinner at Red Robin and a good night's sleep (the girls actually slept until 8:00!), we headed back home to Ft. Worth. Whew! We had a great time, but it was action packed and we are definitely glad to have our own beds back to help us catch up on some sleep!

The Oklahoma Aquarium in Tulsa

sister love!

Princess Party!

Yesterday morning I took Avery to a princess birthday party for one of the little girls in her class at school. It was at a neat little place over in Colleyville called Antz in Your Pantz. It was similar to a lot of the children's museums in that it had lots of little rooms, each with a different theme and activity such as a pretend market, sand room, vet's office, fire station, art room, puppet theater, and dress up room w/ a stage. The girls all got to choose a princess dress and crown to wear, and they got to have their hair done and some makeup applied. It's kind of hard to see in the pictures since they were taken with my phone, but they did Avery's hair in this fancy looking pull-through ponytail that she was really proud of. Along with the usual birthday activities (cake, presents, etc), the girls had free run of the place and all the activities. Avery really enjoyed the vet's office and dancing/running around on the stage. At the end of the party, there was a surprise visit from Snow White! The girls just ate it up! They all ran and hugged her and then sat mesmerized in a circle around her as they took turns getting their faces painted. It was really cute and I think the adults had as much fun as the girls did just watching all their precious little faces!

15 months

It's difficult to believe how quickly my little "Ken" is growing up. She turned 15 months this past Monday! I took her for her check up today and she was 21 lbs (25%ile) and 30 3/4 in (75%ile). She is walking all over the place now, trying her best to keep up with the rest of us. Her vocabulary is growing steadily and now includes about 20-25 words (Mama, Daddy, Josie, bye-bye, uh-oh, go, hi, ball, fish, Bible, hop, Amen, all done/all gone, uh-huh, shoes, juice, up, there, this, again, baby, doggy, peek-a-boo,cheese). Her articulation is not the best though and I would probably have to interpret some of her words for other people. Lately she is trying to imitate new words more and does pretty good sometimes, so I'm hoping her vocabulary will really start to expand in the next month or two. She loves looking at books, playing w/ her babies, play-dough, play food and dishes, playing in the sand, and any kind of riding toy or outside activity. Kendall has also picked up on Avery's recent fascination with Disney princesses, and has her own favorite princess songs. Anytime she hears "Once Upon a Dream" from Sleeping Beauty or "A Whole New World" from Aladdin she "sings" along and then says "ga,ga, ga" (again) until you play it again. She has also become quite fond of going places. Anytime I say the word "go", she drops what she's doing, starts saying bye-bye and waving, and makes a bee-line for the door. Probably one of the best changes in her is that she is becoming MUCH less clingy. In fact, she has about done a 180, because now she just walks right up to people sometimes and starts smiling at them and "talking". Before separation anxiety hit at around 6 or 7 months, she was so friendly and just smiled and played with anyone, but I seriously doubted that she would ever be that way again. Today at the Dr's office she did not fuss or cry for one second when I laid her down to get measured, or when the nurse picked her up and took her over to the scale. We have had several visits where I have had to lay her down on the scale instead of sitting her up because she would scream and try to leap off into my arms! She was all smiles while the Dr. was examining her and And when she left, Kendall actually walked over to the door, pointed, and started whimpering like "I want her to come back!" (Or maybe she just wanted to go out the door too) Crazy! She is still sleeping great at night (7:30 or 8 until 7:00 or 7;30), even during a recent period of getting 5 new teeth-ouch! (2 laterals and 3 molars- the 4th is on it's way). She still takes 2 naps a day most of the time (about 1 to 1 1/2 hrs each), although she has a random day every now and then when she won't hardly nap at all! Makes absolutely no sense to me--but we just roll with it! Some of my biggest struggles with Kendall (besides her being so busy and feisty) are her picky eating and her ongoing battle w/ reflux. Good news is, the Dr. increased her dose of Zantac today (doubled it in fact), and gave us a referral to a pediatric gastroenterologist. I'm sure I'll have more to report on that because we will probably have to do some "fun" tests to figure out why she is still spitting up and having lots of gurguly, wet burps. The Dr. also said that it was probably OK to give her peanut butter, so I'm hoping that she'll like it so we can squeeze a little more protein into her diet (She only eats pepperoni on pizza and chicken nuggets). If anyone has any bright ideas for picky eaters, especially for feeding them vegetables (she doesn't eat ANY), I'm all ears!

dancing with Avery to princess music

toddling around with her "lovey"-- a MUST for sleeping and car rides

taking care of her baby

"Look at me! I'm having chicken nuggets--again!"

Mother's Day

Hope all my readers had a wonderful Mother's Day yesterday! We basically celebrated it all weekend! For my Mom's present, I decided that I would take the girls and make a surprise visit to her work. She is so proud of her granddaughters and she never gets to show them off (at least in person) since her work is about an hour's drive from where we live. So my Dad arranged it all with my Mom's supervisor early in the week, and then the girls, my Dad, and I headed over to the Cooper Clinic Friday afternoon. We surprised my Mom with flowers and then walked around the clinic so she could show off the girls to the doctors and everyone she works with. Then we headed out to the duck pond there on the grounds and let the girls feed the ducks. It was a very fun afternoon (minus the 1 1/2 hr drive home in rush hour traffic!) and I think my Mom was very surprised and thrilled that we came.

Surprise Mimi!feeding the ducks

we even got to see baby ducks, but they weren't too interested in the bread

Saturday afternoon my family had an early Mother's Day lunch at my parents house. My brother-in-law smoked a pork roast that was out-of-this-world good! We hung around there for awhile and then headed over to drop Avery off at Scott's brother's house for a sleepover with her cousins. For her birthday, they had given her a bucketful of Chuck E. Cheese tokens with a note attached saying she could come have a sleepover with her cousins. At this point, I don't have any pictures of the sleepover, but it sounded like she had a great time. The Mother's Day festivities continued Sunday as we went to church in Coppell where my parents and Scott's brother's family all go so we could pick up Avery. We had lunch at Mi Cocina all together, and then headed back home to take naps. Late in the afternoon, Scott and I took the girls to Bear Creek Park and then to grab some dinner and ice cream at Jason's Deil. It was a busy but fun Mother's Day weekend!

My mom (Mimi), Avery,me, Kendall and my sister Amy

a family photo

an attempt at a Mother-daughter picture

Kendall snuggled up to aunt Amy

Mimi and Avery had some special time reading her princess book and playing with earrings

Avery and Kendall helped Poppi put food in the birdfeeder