A Whole New Head

After just two months of wearing her helmet for 23 hours a day, our Mallorie "graduated!" I am glad that we made the decision to place a helmet, despite the numerous headbutts to my face, sore collar bones, and inconvenience during a clothes change. I am grateful for her sweet temperament and tolerance of the apparatus during those months; she was a trooper! She made it out of the helmet just as the temperatures in Boise were soaring to the 104s. Whew!

July 2013

Her final head scan revealed an overall symmetry of 0.93...the goal is to get these little guys in the 0.9- range. She started the whole ordeal at 0.89; many babies are more in the 0.82 range when they begin their time in a cranial molding helmet. One study I read stated that since the 1992-93 decision by the pediatrician specialists to place babies on their backs to sleep (combined with the increasing busy-ness of parents and increased time in bouncy chairs and carseats) as many as 45% of babies have a noticeable head-shape abnormality. Wow!

This is the image that is created during the laser head scan - which, by the way, Mallorie did NOT tolerate well. The minute we placed her on her back in the scanner, the tears started to flow and the wailing commenced. We got the final scan by showing her a video on my phone of Morgan singing...luckily the scan only requires two seconds of absolute stillness. Turns out that can be hard to achieve in an unhappy infant!

The red line is from her first scan in April...the blue line where she ended in June. The orthotic technician was impressed with the speed with which her head changed. Most babies are in the helmet for 3-6 months or longer. The people at Sawtooth Orthotics were great!

From my point of view, the only downfall to not wearing the helmet in a busy little person learning to negotiate her environment is the lack of head protection when head meets underside of chair or table.

Where, Oh Where?

Where has the time gone??

I have a good idea - lost in the daily grind of keeping up with a three-year-old, caring for a blossoming and now-mobile nine-month-old, laundry, new church calling in the Primary Presidency (seriously, two hour meetings each week plus lesson prep), cleaning, reading books, pushing swings, running, cooking, sleeping, and did I mention cleaning? Oh, plus the occasional half day as a veterinarian and blood draws for our canine blood bank. =)

Since the last posting, here are some of the highlights and I'll add photos at the end for those of you who just want the visual re-cap since March:

• Re-started training for my half marathon. Turns out I can't build miles very quickly without getting either sick or injured....bonus that Mallorie is finally sleeping through the night!
• Mallorie and I met my mom in Phoenix for a few days while I attended a veterinary conference. Tons of fun for Mom and Mallorie and I got the chance to play student again and catch up with an old high school classmate. Wished we could have stayed longer!
• Easter fun! Morgan loved the egg hunt with her cousins, Mallorie did not enjoy her bite of mashed potato. For the dinner, we brought the biggest bowl of mashed potatoes I've ever beheld! And no, we did not consume them all.
• New adventure - Mallorie's cone shaped head (gift from the birthing process) was not resolving as quickly as we had hoped with conservative therapy. Thus the decision to place her in a cranial molding helmet. After the first two days, she doesn't mind at all! I, however, missing snuggling her little head and don't enjoy getting my collar bone grated every time she wants to bury into my shoulder. In a few weeks, they will check progress and see how much longer she needs to wear it. I should do a separate posting on things learned from this experience.
• Morgan started a tumbling class and loves it! Forward rolls, jumps on multiple tramps, balance beam walks, and bars. It's been neat to watch her confidence increase in her abilities to do things as well as be comfortable in a new environment with difference people.
• An awesome visit from my Mom and Mark! Hiking, book reading, playing, eating, and laughing. To end the visit, our huge willow tree in the back yard blew over and with the help of Mark and Steve, we got the yard cleared and tree off the house. Blessing - only one shingle was mildly displaced on the roof and now our yard appears to much bigger! Plus we have a space for the trampoline that my friend offered us. =)
• Finally, a Memorial weekend of moving 13,000 pounds of rock from the driveway to landscape the dirt under the remaining trees in the back. Chadwick designed, ordered, and hauled the rock to create a beautiful space! We also have a firepit for s'mores!! The weekend ended with a family bbq at our place. Love my in-laws!

There are, of course, funny anecdotes from daily life that I can't find time to document. Morgan is becoming quite stubborn, loves to show off her jumping/coloring/singing skills, and is so beautiful! She helps me to be a better mom. Mallorie is inch-worming her way all over the house and is rocking her older sister's world as she reaches into her toy baskets, chews coloring books, and steals stuffed animals. A very content little person, she is starting to pull up on the furniture. That girl has a set of lungs which she uses to express opinions and sing.

Chadwick started a new job with Intermountain Pet Hospital at the beginning of March and after the usual period of transition, has settled in and is loving his job. He has a fantastic team of people who help him complete his work and a clinic that is very well-run. We moved our blood bank there in April and has proved to be a good move for our little business.

 

And of course, Darwin continues to keep us entertained. No comment from Cleo. =)

On My Bucket List

The year Chadwick and I got married, I started to train for a half marathon. I even made it up to running 10 consecutive miles (and was slightly concerned that at the end of that adventure my toes felt numb), which was by far the longest I've ever run at one time. We got married, which messed up my training schedule, it got back on track, then we got the announcement that a good friend from vet school was getting married and having his wedding receiption on the morning of my race. The reception was in Lava Hot Springs at his parent's ranch....and my race plans happily went out the window.

The goal of running a half marathon is still on my bucket list, and 2013 is the year.

Step 1: Decide to run 13.1 miles and cross the finish line. No time limits, on my hands and knees counts as finishing.
Step 2: Purchase a jogger stroller so my girlies can join me on this adventure.

For Christmas, my parents helped with this second step and we took her out for a spin. The stroller travels smoothly, but it's depressing how out of shape I feel while pushing the thing. Bonus for the longer runs, Chadwick can help push! He is planning on running a half in September.

Step 3: Find a race - looks like the Rush Creek Stampede at the end of October in Cambridge, ID

Now to start the real training.....wish me luck.

Happy Happy Birthday, Morgan Dear!

...happy days will come to you all year.

I can't believe that our precious little girl is THREE! The time has gone by so quickly. She amazes me daily with her smile and enthusiasm. She makes up songs to sing, loves to show off her new "moves," adores her baby sister, and has been teaching me about the kind of person and mother I would like to be when I grow up.

After a morning spent playing at a friend's house, we had a girls lunch out at Wendy's - she adores chicken nuggets - then got the chance to play at Uncle James's house. The day wasn't supposed to be so jam-packed, but that's what happens when life gets involved. Dinner was here at the house, chicken and rice casserole, and then off to the Grandparents Hunt house for cake and ice cream.

Yes, I made a Hello Kitty cake and with the help of a friend got it frosted. It turned out to be a delightful cake! Betty Crocker outdid herself on the cake mix; for some reason it was amazing.

Presents included a Cinderella accessory kit complete with tiara, shoes, earrings, necklace and handbag; a Polly Pocket doll, a green John Deere tractor and trailer, Thomas the Train set, and some much-needed clothing.

The morning after her birthday, she woke up and asked, "Mom? Am I still three?"

Valentine's Fun

Valentine's week was a busy one for us! Morgan helped me make sugar cookie dough Sunday afternoon and we made the cookies Monday for FHE - there was a ridiculous amount of flour utilized by our little helper, and when it was getting late I offered to finish rolling and cutting cookies another day. Chadwick looked at me like I was slightly crazy and replied that he'd rather not have to clean up the mess again. Good point. The cookies were amazing!

Wish I could say the same for the frosting...it didn't occur to me that cream cheese frosting would taste, well, like cream cheese. My friend Mandie asked, "Is there any other way to eat sugar cookies than with cream cheese frosting?" I sure hope so, because I don't like cream cheese! Now I'm on a quest to find a frosting recipe I like.....

Tuesday Morgan was invited to a party where there were TEN 3- and 4-year-olds at the house - they did a craft, ate a snack (heart shaped Jello), played, and exchanged Valentine's. A total success and I was exhausted watching all the energy. Kudos to Lisa for being willing to host such a party in her household!

Wednesday afternoon found us at Mandie's house for a princess tea party - all the little girls dressed up in their princess dresses, ate fancy snacks, and drank juice from plastic champagne glasses. Morgan played really well with the other girls that afternoon, for which I was grateful. She hasn't yet mastered the art of playing "with" other people; she's better at playing "around" them. The moms had a chance to chat and get out of the house so it was a win-win!

Traditionally, Chadwick and I haven't done much for each other for V-Day, and this year was no exception. A nice dinner with a candle on the table, cookies for dessert, and I made a cute card for Morgan. I'm getting ideas on things to do for the girlies for this love holdiay. Gotta love friends and Pinterest for that!! And yes, I was able to make a heart shape in Morgan's hair. Super proud of myself for that one. =)






With that out of the way, Morgan started talking more frequently about her upcoming birthday. We started practicing the number three.....

Sledding!

 

Last weekend we packed up the kitchen, most of the closet, and the dog and drove north to the Hunts' cabin in Garden Valley. Nancy, Steve, the girls and I went up Friday mid-afternoon to get the fire started and were joined that evening by Chadwick, James and family, and friends Andy, Saramarie and their little girl, Adele. As cold as it's been, we figured the road conditions would be perfect for the runner sleds. Morgan and I got some good runs in Friday afternoon....then it started raining.

Sadly, it rained most of the day Saturday and turned the roads to slush. The crew were able to hike up the hill and get some sledding done despite the drizzle. And Darwin made a great sled dog! He pulled Morgan all over the place! We drank hot chocolate, talked, played, and came home that evening. We hit snow coming home and it dropped another 3 inches last night...better luck next time!

 

 A perfect quick getaway.

Post-Christmas Posting

With the addition of a second little person to my family, I find myself playing catch-up most of the time! Catch up on reading, blogging, cleaning, emails....is there an end??

We spent a busy, wonderful Christmas in Albuquerque with my family. My brother, Sean and his wife were there for the holiday as well and we were joined by the Alaskans on the 26th. They have a four month old boy we were excited to meet, Kade. It was a riot to see him next to my little Mallorie; Kade is currently 27 inches and 20 pounds...Mallorie is 25 inches and weighs in just over 14 pounds! It was great to be able to spend time with everyone, though we were missing my third brother, Stuart, who was unable to join us from Ohio.

On the 27th, we were fortunate to celebrate my grandparents 60th wedding anniversary!! My mom planned for months to get us all together for a family picture (the last one we got was at their 50th anniversary...) and threw a lovely family party in their honor.

They have been through many happy and sad times in those sixty years and it's inspiring to celebrate milestones such as these, especially when I hear of so many marriages not lasting more than a few years. Poor Morgan had the biggest meltdown I've ever seen that afternoon, after the pictures, resulting from having several crazy busy days prior to the party. Chadwick had to head back to Boise that afternoon, and when I returned from the airport I found Mallorie having a similar episode! She's really starting being wary of people she doesn't know, and didn't like seeing my Mom's face when she woke up from her nap. Needless to say, everyone treaded lightly around her when she was waking from naps. =) The girls and I were able to stay with my parents for a total of two weeks which was wonderful. We ate, laughed, played, read stories, ate some more, saw a Broadway musical, and enjoyed the time together as a family. It was hard to leave.

My brother, David and his son Kade

It was a Hello Kitty Christmas this year, note the slippers

Kade, Morgan, Mallorie

My mom used to sit in this chair as a child

Four generations!

Since our return to Boise, we have been trying to stay warm! I don't think it's been above 25 degrees in like 2 weeks! However, the snow hasn't melted yet which is fun. Chadwick hooked Darwin up to the sled last weekend and he pulled Morgan all over the neighborhood. Might as well harness that energy for good use!! Steve gave us an old horse halter that might work as a harness...we're going to test it out this weekend sledding at the cabin.

Morgan continues to make me laugh and keep me on my toes. Mallorie refuses to get on a sleeping schedule at night but is a happy little person and loves her big sister. She laughs easily which melts my heart. I'm still trying to get used to having two kiddos at home full time. And Cleo is mad at the world for making it too cold to play outside.