Laughing Munchkin Trifecta

Everybody is doing so incredibly well these past 2 weeks. I have never seen Raegan happier or smile more than she is now! Easton is laughing and smiling and moving all over the place. He is back to blowing kisses and laughing when you blow them back. Megan is happier than ever too, she laughs so much! She has me wondering what the joke is, I hope it's not on me!
 I have made Raegan some glasses out of Bendaroos since I couldn't find anything that would really work well with her face and that she didn't complain and constantly try to take off. So I popped the lens out of her glasses and wound Bendaroos around them and she wears them all day! Her personality has changed so much and she doesn't complain nearly as much during therapy, incredible! Downside is I have to tape them to her face to get them to stay so she looks pretty silly but she doesn't seem to mind at all, the only thing she seems to care about is that she can finally see without being uncomfortably distracted. They are a good temporary fix until I can find a more permanent solution.
 Easton finds is hillarious to sqirm all over the place lately. I am not sure if he has a destination in mind or if he just enjoys the moving but it sure is fun to watch him, and even funnier when I pull him back to where he began so he can start all over again, he seems to find this very amusing.
 Megan is still spitting enough to supply a small country with enough water to keep them out of drough for at least a good year. It's just too bad I can't bottle it and sell it as some sort of "fountain of youth" thing. Megan sure gets her giggles blowing bubbles, and the bigger the better. We go through so many bibs and cloth diapers a day. But she seems to enjoy it so much, her way of playing I guess.
 Raegan in staying by herself and finding ways to entertain herself so much more lately since I fixed her glasses too. It is awesome! I can surround her with toys and she is actually making decisions now on which ones she wants and even tries to reach for them! Doing this always brings her so much joy and she rewards me with her lovely giggles and two-toothed grin. I could just melt!

 I do believe this is the longest we have gone in the winter time without anybody having the sniffles, knock on wood! It has been a great time to catch up on some much needed rest and housework. And with Raegan and Easton thinking that 1 in the morning is the ideal time to play with Mom, I can use all the catch up sleep I can get!

Easton's smiles

I have been hesitating to write this post as I am not sure what I am going to say, Easton did very well for his surgery and even better on his recovery. That is the simple part, well it seems simple anyway but it isn't. I have been dreading this surgery for months, it has been postponed twice due to Easton's health. I cried the day I made the appointment, I hated doing it, knowing it could mean the death of my child. But I have learned to do what must be done, somehow, I keep doing it. I even had my good friend Wendy there with me at the hospital in case things went bad. Best case scenario was that Easton would be out of the hospital in 2 or 3 days tops, I could live with that, I had done it 5 times before. Only once did he get so sick he was in the hospital for a week and it took me 2 months of nursing him back to health at home before he fully recovered. We opted out on doing his hernia surgery because the doctor just didn't think he stood a good enough chance of making it through the surgery. They did have a hard time intubating him, and extubating him, but other than that, he reacted and recovered much the same as a "normal" child would. The moments leading up to him being released from the hospital "early", which it wasn't really, seem very surreal to me, almost as if I was dreaming, much the same way I felt when I first had him and realized what his life might be like because of his condition. I fainted the first time I saw him, passed right out, first time anything like that had ever happened to me. I felt like that again on the way home from the hospital after this surgery, watching him sleeping, he was so beautiful at that moment, I thought I was going to faint again just from the pure beauty of the moment. I don't know why this surgery went so well when we were all planning on it not. Funny the curve balls life can throw at you sometimes. Just when you think you got it all figured out, Whammo! I got Easton home and he made it through the night with no problems, the next day I did pass out from pure exhaustion. I didn't realize how completely worn out I was not only physically but mentally and emotionally as well. The surgery was over, my precious son was still alive, he was home safe with me, and life was good again. I am so grateful for everybody's prayers and smiles. The support and comments I got from everybody was far more than I had ever dreamed of, it was fabulous. My faith was renewed in people, and in strangers, once again. Everybody is well once again, and life is back to normal, so to speak, my normal anyway. I am saddened by the loss of one of our precious rhizokids, Fred. He passed away the day after Easton's surgery, a sweet victory and a bitter loss all in the same week for our little group, God bless us.

Smiles for Easton

Easton's surgery date is fast approaching. I find myself becoming anxious at times for something which I know is ultimately out of my control. As a Mom I worry for my child, I know the risks. With this I feel powerless. So I ask myself, what can I control? I can control my attitude. I can control my thoughts. Energy flows where attentions goes.... I can also control how I react to this. Do I waste my energy with worry? Do I fret and lose sleep at night? I have done those things in the past, and I find they have not helped! Not one darn bit. So this time, this time I think I will try a different path. As a teacher of mine tried to teach the class one day, if you keep falling in the same hole, on the same path, time after time, maybe you should either go around the hole, or try a different path! So the path I have decided to take this time is the path of happiness. Am I crazy for choosing this road? How can I be happy about an upcoming event such as a surgery on my child? This is truly madness is it not? The craziness I am finding is in the unknown, and the worry I have given something that doesn't exist. So this time I choose happiness. So I had an idea. The one thing my little Easton is really known for is his wonderful smile. He can light up over just about anything. And when he gives you that smile....all of your troubles seem to fade away if only for a moment, you are lost in the beauty of that smile. How can I take this smile, this wonderful gift of his and share it with the world? That would make Easton happy, I know it would! So I ask all of you this, on the day of his surgery, on Monday the 31st of January, 2011 could you think of Easton and make someone smile today? It could be anybody, a random stranger on the street, to your own child, even yourself! And maybe you could even share what you did with me, on this blog or on my facebook page if you are a friend. I know it would make me feel better, so much positive smile energy how could it not, right!? Thank You for following me down this new path, this path I call happiness, I am enjoying the moment and I am so very grateful for all of my many blessings, in which I count you, my friends, at the top of that list!

Raegan's progress...

Went to the doctor and he took my weight and measurements as usual. I am getting bigger! I weigh 9 pounds and 5 ounces, they make me get all the way nakey so they know every ounce of weight is mine. The doctor said I am over 2 feet now! That is huge right?! I am almost as big as my big sissy Megan. I am doing very well with my splints. I try to be so patient as my Mommy puts them on but I still usually cry until she is done. I like the butterflies on them but Mommy is covering them up with pants now so I can't really see them. I am spending more time on my tummy and not complaining about it so much, it is actually kinda fun! I can turn my head all the way to the side on both sides now and not complain about it so I am very proud of myself about that one, I am even trying really hard to pick my head up when I am on my tummy, which is very difficult for me but I am getting better at it the more I practice. Mommy had to take me to the hospital too yesterday so they could take my stool sample my Mommy took and do some tests on it to see if they can figure out how to help me. I have been in the best mood this past week. I have been smiling and laughing at everybody. I got a new vision therapist yesterday and I ususally take a few weeks before I will be nice and warm up to strangers when they are trying to do something with me but I decided to give her a break. We had a lot of fun playing and getting to know each other, she has cool toys she lets me touch and I even get to choose which one I want to play with.....I am in control! It is about time they figured out that I know what I want! I really like the color orange lately so my Mommy bought me a big squishy orange ball that is so much fun to play with, it feels really cool too. My Mommy found a bunch of cool toys for me from an office store....why would grown guys want to play with toys like this....they are supposed to be stress relievers my Mom tells me.....but what the heck is stress?? Oh well, I have a hard time understanding big people sometimes. There is this funky goopy stuff that she keeps sticking my hand in, I don't know if I really like it but it is interesting and really makes me concentrate on what my fingers are feeling. I am really loving exploring with my hands now, I love different textures and so my Mommy gives me lots of different toys with lots of different textures to keep me happy, so far so good Mom! Now if I can just keep my older brothers and sisters from always wanting to play with them! I keep hearing a strange word...sharing, I don't like it. I don't know maybe I can work on that...... :)

Meggie Moo

My tummy is doing a bit better. Not perfect but hey, I'll take what I can get! I am able to eat more and that makes me happy. I haven't thrown up for almost 2 weeks so that is good. I know how much my Mommy doesn't like it, I don't like it either. My Mommy put my hair in two little pig tails the other day, I really liked it. She usuallly only puts in one, but she decided to go crazy and do two, whoa! I had a nice Christmas and New Year. We got to stay up late, Mommy fell asleep. She is either old or tired I'm not sure which. Easton and I were going to stick her hand in a bowl of water but Raegan talked us out of it, she is such a party pooper. So we just put whipped cream in her hand instead but wouldn't you know it, Hannah ate it before she woke up, geesh! I did feel bad for Mommy, she rang in the new year in pain, but it can only get better from there right! So we decided to let her sleep and just shaved Daddy bald instead....hahahahaha. (that didn't take us long) I tell you, if I could move around better my parents would have their hands FULL trying to keep up with me! I keep them busy enough as it is I guess. It has been so COLD lately, my Mom hasn't let me go outside at all. I miss my sunshiney! I want to go to the mountains and have a picnic. Uh oh...here comes my Mom, I don't want her to see me on the computer so I'd better get! Love ya :)

Bum Bum Woes...

This is Raegan, my Mommy is sleeping so I thought I would blog a little. hahaha. I have been having a hard time with my digestive system, it makes me uncomfortable so I cry a lot, unless my Mommy is holding me, then I am just kinda squirmy. I have been keeping the diaper companies in business this last week. Mommy would just a soon let me go nakey, I don't much like it though. Daddy got me some probiotics to help me, I hope they work fast. I have been doing a lot of work with my legs, I can push up with them so well! I love to do it too, it feels cool and makes me laugh and my Mommy can tell I am really proud of myself, I am working really hard! I have a bad habit of checking out and falling asleep with my therapists, but boy have they been doing a good job, when I wake up I feel so good! They said they want to start working on my elbows next, oh boy! I was in an excellent mood yesterday and was just giggling so much, I had the family giggling with me and I'm not sure what we were even laughing about. I got to eat this new food called "dean bip" it is soooo good! I couldn't eat the chips with it, even though I have 2 teeth now! (well, 1 and 1/2 anyway). My sister's birthday is coming up, Hannah is going to be 8. She said I can go to her birthday party at the bowling alley too! I hope nobody mistakes me for a bowling ball, I do love to roll up like a pill bug. I hope I can get this darn tube out of my nose soon. I am trying my best to eat like my Mommy says I need to but it is hard, I get tired sometimes and I don't want to finish. But I'm stubborn so I know it is just a matter of time :) Thanks for reading my blog and have an AWESOME day!

Yes, I have no bananas....

hahaha I'm a little giddy, Easton is off oxygen. He is sleeping at the moment so I am going to write his entry for him. He is doing so well, it is a nice relief. I worry so much every time he gets sick, as all mother's do with their children, I'm no different in that way. It is nice not to hear the constant hum of the concentrator going. I am grateful for it but I am more grateful when I don't have to use it. His humor is back, although it never really left him this time. He managed to keep a smile on his face all through this past month, I couldn't have. He is such a trooper, my tough little man. He is still needing a little suctioning but nothing major. Thank you for all of your prayers and well wishes I know your positive energy really made a difference! Now he just has to stay better for 2 weeks and the surgery is on. I'm not to excited about that either, but it must be done. Raegan is crying for me so I'd better cut this entry off and say thanks again for your intrest in my angel's lives!