Here's to a good start in 2011!

OK, so I haven't been the best at keeping this blog, but at least here's the first post of the new year.

Kaitlyn is enjoying 2nd grade. Her teacher is a little more difficult than last year, but she's keeping up. She played soccer with the Walker rec league this past fall for the first time. She really enjoyed it, so she is now playing indoor soccer for the winter season. She is growing up so fast. She cares for Makenzie when Liz is out of the room or away for the moment.

Sydney is a little bored in Kindergarten. She is too smart for her own britches. She likes to see her friends and play on the playground, but of the academics are too easy for her. We have Mommy school when she is home on her off days. She enjoys that and of course our 'tea time'! I'm glad I have one on one time with her right now. I know I'm going to miss it next year. Sydney played soccer this past fall also, her second season. She is also playing indoor soccer this winter. She absolutely LOVES soccer!

Makenzie is enjoying her school finally! It took 6 weeks for her to get used to the routine. She rides the bus to and from school and mommy does not go with her. She cried everyday until week 7. Mommy cried for at least the first 2 weeks. It was very hard to see her get on the bus by herself and let her go. She has an aide on the bus that only watches after her, so that makes me feel comfortable about her going. She likes circle time and our swimming sessions! We are going swimming once a month at the Developmental school on the other side of town.

Ken is still working at Herman Miller and Liz is still a stay at home mom. We are doing ok. We try to get through everyday trying to care for all the girls and try to give them some kind of enjoyment. Some days are harder than others, but it helps to have the girls and sports.

Here's our Christmas pictures we sent out on our Christmas card...

Summer has begun!

Here we are in June and my last post was in the winter sometime. I was working at Meijer for a while doing some cake decorating and now I am doing it on my own as a business. Please let me know if anyone is interested in a cake of any kind...

Anyway, Makenzie continues to remain the same. We have 'taken a break' from feeding therapy. She had about 6 week 'cold' that wouldn't go away. She is still having vomiting issues, but a little less frequent. They were everyday 1-2 times a day from mid-April until the end of May. They are only happening every other/few days. We have changed formulas to a more protein based toddler formula. I am in constant contact with the neuro-developmental clinic in town. This is the place we visit every 6 months for a thorough exam of her cognitive, physical and nutritional overview. We usually meet with all varieties of doctors/nurses, ie nurse practioner, neuro doctor (specialist), nutritionist, physical therapist, occupational therapist and sometimes the social worker. They also have a speech path there too, but we haven't come that far yet.

Here is a picture of Makenzie on her specialized bike.
Sorry, off on a tangent, but we did see the pediatric ophthamologist (eye dr) again in May. He did say her vision is improving still, but slowly. One eye is definitely better than the other (can't remember the numbers now and haven't received his report yet). He showed us the letter E on the chart on how big she is seeing things and one was about half the size of the other. Her eyes are still working one at a time, not together like most of ours do. No need for surgery at this point, and the patching didn't seem to work for her, so we have stopped for now. He doesn't need to see her for a whole year. We think he is waiting for her to improve neurologically (aren't we all).


Sydney was in her first organized sport this spring: soccer.
Sydney will be starting Kindergarten in the fall at the 'new' elementary (same as Kaitlyn's school). They have made some changes to the school district here in Kenowa Hills and are closing Kaitlyn's current elementary, Walker Station, so they will be attending Central Elementary in the fall. Same distance from our house, just in a different direction. She is SO ready to start school, even though she will be 4 turning 5 in Oct. She is reading books now for over a year now and has discovered fluency. She is really sounding out words like you wouldn't believe. We check the 'easy reader books' out all the time and she is reading those mini books very well. We have flash cards for pre-K, Kindergarten and 1st grade and she has mastered the pre-K and almost all the Kindergarten words. It will be fun to see her attend Kindergarten in the fall. She will be going 2 full days and every other Friday.

Kaitlyn playing softball this year with the girls league...
Kaitlyn has completed the 1st grade and will be in 2nd grade at Central Elementary. She has done very well with her writing, reading and math this year. She had straight 1s (similar to As) last quarter and are expecting no less this last quarter. She is SO excited about learning about money and become a real reader this year. It's been fun watching her grow as a person and learning SO much this year. I was fortunate to volunteer with reading every other week this year and have noticed how the kids have changed as readers. Amazing the confidence they have.


Ken is still employed with Herman Miller in the IT dept. We have both taking up farming this year (just a garden really), but it's been fun already. We planted mid-May and we have already harvested lettuce and radishes. We have zucchini and cherry tomatoes on the vines already and are waiting for the many peppers and green beans to blossom.

Everyday is a new day for us, hoping we can get through and have a few smiles. We are enjoying the warm weather and hope to have many more this summer. Our small pool is still functioning and hope to for a few more years. The girls are getting big, so we'll see.

Looking forward to our vacation to NC to visit Daryl and family in early July (and hopefully Rene and family on the way home in KY).

Trying to keep up with this, so email me if you don't see a post in a while.

Take care.

Florida gifts for Kaitlyn's birthday

Thank you to the Zientek's and Grandma Greer for all the great gifts for Kaitlyn's birthday. In these pictures you will see the girls helping (and playing) with Makenzie as she opens her's. By the way, Saundra, Makenzie LOVES her yellow duck that quacks and Grandma's fishy that sings songs.

The dresses were a hit for Easter.... AND every Sunday we go to church. I can't get them to wear anything else.

Thank you, thank you...

So much has happened...

OK, so I'm not real good at keeping up the blog, but I am keeping up with my life as a stay at home mom. It has it's ups and downs, but we're making it work somehow...

MAKENZIE...
We did see the pediatric opthamologist (eye dr) the end of Jan and he gave us a good report. Her vision is obviously improving with her focusing farther and clearer. It has made her world a little easier to live in. She is less fussy with her eye sight improving. He said her vision is the equivalent to a one year old, but still has the nystagmous (jerkiness) and her eyes do not align. The alignment may take time or may need a surgery down the line, we will see.

Since her vision is improving there is not as much fussiness. She is aging too, which helps. She is more manageable as far as her mood, so let's hope this area keeps improving too.

She still needs work in head control, sitting, standing and walking, but we are working on all of these things. The playgroup we go to at her school really push us to help her try to do things on her own. We are even working on kneeing (which isn't easy for the spotter, let me tell you). We support her to sit by herself in front or on the side of us. She doesn't like it too much, only if Elmo or Sid the Scientist is on (PBS). She does like walking in the walker sometimes. She does this at school AND at her PT (physical therapy) appts.

She is still going to feeding therapy. Not much improvements, minor, but nothing outstanding. She only tolerates a few tastes at a time. She doesn't like much in her mouth as far as food or tastes go. She can only have real thick substances like baby food, pudding or yogurt.

Not alot of improvement only in the vision area at this point. They are telling me she is getting stronger in her trunk, so I hope she starts to have more head control and other things.

KAITLYN
Kaitlyn LOVES the first grade. Her teacher is really nice and really cares for all the kids. She is getting all 1s (highest mark)!!! She had a hard time with math in the beginning of the year, but is working right along now and her reading is getting SO much better. She is reading so fluently now! It's amazing what a year can do.

SYDNEY
Sydney LOVES her preschool class. She goes 3 mornings a week and absolutely LOVES going. She is a little ahead of her class. The teacher told us at the beginning of the year she would be ready for Kindergarten next year, so the two girls will probably go to the same school next year. We have yet to hear when Kindergarten round up is, but hopefully in April.

They are making some changes in our school district and will be closing Walker Station Elementary where Kaitlyn currently attends. They will be going to the 'Intermediate School' (which will be renamed to an elementary next year) which is the same distance from our house, just in the opposite direction.

That's all for now. Let me know if you want to hear about a specific event next time and I will try to include that in my next post.

Here's a few pictures at Christmas...





Happy Valentine's Day!

School Starts...

(Sorry this was supposed to be posted in early Sept)
The first day of 1st grade went VERY well. Kaitlyn was real excited when she got on the bus and even more when she returned home. She couldn't stop talking about her day. I like that they only have 1/2 day for the first day, so they ease into it. She will get her last nap for a while today (first day of school).



Sydney was VERY excited as well. She went to school with Mommy the first day. It was 1/2 the time also.








As for Makenzie... she is doing about the same. The fussiness is starting to subside FINALLY! Did I write that in my last blog? Anyway, we went to see the Developmental Clinic in Mid-Aug. It wasn't as comprehensive as in April. The doctor said she thinks she will stand with some assistance. That was about the only good news. She will continue to be fed via G-tube and we will be changing the food when she turns one. It will still be liquid, but prescription instead of formula. She will probably not walk or talk :( so we keep trying to hold a little hope she will find some enjoyment in life. She LOVES her little room that the school system has provided. It's like she's playing with a friend. I will try and post a picture. For those of you that have seen it, we have a new and taller one. It's working wonderfully. She still doesn't have total head control, which is very hard. I have tried to think of a way to put her in a sling to carry her around, but at 18.5 lbs and being a 'floppy baby', it's very hard to come up with a way we will both be happy. All the advice I have gotten on that subject, they have just suggested I put her in the stroller. I have sat her up in the stroller more often, so she's not always laying down. It's just hard to think of new ideas of the everyday routine.




I am starting a class!! Cake decorating! At least it will be time for myself and time for the kids with their dad, one on one. I have two birthdays to prepare for soon, so I thought this would be good.

Thanks for keeping us in your thoughts. Until next time...

Summer is flying by!

We were able to get away a few times in July/Aug. Some good times, some not. Went to Traverse City/Ludington in hotels and not too bad, other than the bad weather. We did well at the Great Wolf Lodge since it was more of a resort where there was everything we needed under one roof with Meijer nearby. When we went to Ludington, we lost some of our ammenities and encountered bad weather (just cold for the beach and we were really looking forward to some beach time).

Camping at Otsego Lake near Gaylord, was not the best. The weather SUCKED! Ken and I were split up alot during the trip taking turns in the camper alot with Makenzie. We are done camping for a very long time. Change in weather is not a good thing. Thanks to my Aunt Sharon for the space heater. We wouldn't have stayed without it.

Early July we saw the eye doctor about Makenzie. We saw the VERY specialized doctor this time and to our surprise, he said her vision was improving! Here are some pretty amazing numbers, but instead of 20/2400 and 20/2700, her vision is now 20/400 and 20/700. Kind of crazy, but getting better. The jerkiness (nystagniod) is decreasing, but both eyes still turn in on their own. He said this will get better with time (hopefully).

As for Kaitlyn and Sydney, they have having a good summer. Nice to relax and not live the busy life (at least not every day). Our neighbor has been watching the girls while I take Makenzie to therapy each week, which has been a HUGE help. Thanks, Christine! She has taken them to the library, played cards and even the Wii! Kaitlyn is nervous about going to first grade. Different teacher, different kids and ALL DAY, EVERY DAY. Lots of changes, but the same school (Walker Station). Sydney will be in preschool again this year at Zinser. She is NOT nervous (at least not yet), but she knows she has the same teacher. We go for orientation for both of them in two weeks. It will help to get them out of the house and learning on a regular basis again. We have Mommy school at home at least 2-3 times a week. We do workbooks, work on numbers, sing ABCs, etc to keep their minds working. I think we're going to work on money with Kaitlyn before school starts.

As far as Ken and I, we are hanging in. Living day to day. Keeping up with the housework isn't always easy, but the girls are starting to help out! We created a chore list and some are optional and some are mandatory everyday. They are doing quite well for the first few days. They are actually pretty excited about getting stickers and working toward a prize. We'll see how long it lasts. Sorry, tangent...

Ken is still with Herman Miller, working hard on a project. They approved his new project a few weeks ago, so he's pretty happy about it. The downfall is he might have to travel in the fall :( We'll see how much. I might be calling for help if he is overnight for more than two nights. We'll see how the daily routine goes.

Went to the beach with my sister, Kele, and my dad last week. Here's a pic... (Millenium Park, great place for kids!)





Leave me a comment on what you want to hear about or if I'm covering everything. Sometimes I lost my concentration throughout my posting. Just sometimes...

Two months of ups and downs...

We had SO many appointments with SO many specialists in March and April, it was just CRAZY! It was good the girls were in school then. It's a whole different story now that it's summertime...

Things are going well for Kaitlyn and Sydney. They love our little 3ft pool in the backyard and all the sun God is finally providing us with after such a LONG winter. Makenzie is pretty much maintaining where she has been for a while. She is still take a drop of baby food about every min. She did take about 1/2 oz of baby food at feeding therapy a few weeks ago. She did well in PT today with a sub Physical therapist. She really worked her on the exercise ball today, gave me a few ideas to do at home to get her muscles working and rolling over.

We did however have a visit to the Developmental Clinic attached to Spectrum Health in mid-April. The appt seemed to be going to well for the first 2 hours until they asked us if we had any questions. We asked if she would ever walk one day.... they're response was.. I don't think so. Would she ever talk... I don't think so. That was a VERY hard day. We kept our distance from alot of people for a while and that's why I haven't posted in a while. The news was just too hard to handle for a while. Ken and I are coming to acceptance with the facts and trying to keep the emotions on low. It's very hard to be on the emotional roller coaster for so long. We are just going to keep doing what we're doing everyday and wait until she's between 2-3 years old to see where she's at. They say we will have a better idea at that age.

Makenzie is 9 months old and still being fed by G-tube. She doesn't sit up on her own and is still having issues with head control. We're working on rolling over, sitting up and standing (on occasion). I work with her everyday with various therapies. My day is full with three kids, meals, workbooks and all the demands at ages 6, 3.5 and 9 months. Ken is being very supportive with everything and is a good sounding board when I need it. He is still holding strong at Herman Miller with every other Friday off.

We are planning a vacation here in a few weeks to Traverse city and Ludington. It will be nice to get away from the house for a while. I hope Makenzie does ok.

I will try to have pictures next time. Posting kind of late, but I promised by the end of June and I only have a few hours left.

Until next time...