Not much happening around here...

...and I'm not complaining! Summer vacation officially started last week and we've been enjoying it so far. I will say though, the first full day of us all being home together, I thought I was ready for school to restart. The girls weren't getting along and it was just havoc around here. It's going to start picking up next week. Katie and Maddie are both in tennis camp all week, we're off the week after that, then another week of camp (volleyball)...then VACATION! We're meeting my sister in Alabama, then driving to Panama City, FL for 5 days. Then, we're driving back to Oklahoma for another week. I haven't taken more than one week off at a time since I either had a really sick child or was on maternity leave! Wow...2 weeks...I'm so excited! And to be able to spend it with my sister!!!! We'll have a blast! The girls have no idea about the Florida part....this is going to be a surprise so hopefully when I tell them, I can capture some pics and post them.


On another happy note...I am so excited that Ellie's xray's have been sent to Dr. Mackenzie for his review. Colleen Ditro is so awesome!!! She literally answered a email I sent to her on the same day. To boot, it was Mother's Day on the first day I wrote to her! Isn't that great!?!

My Playschool Graduate

This past Tuesday, Ellie graduated from PLAYSCHOOL. Yes, you heard right...Playschool. I had mixed feelings about attending a graduation from Playschool, but of course I went and cheered on my littlest gal! This is my beef with playschool graduation. Aren't there enough graduations the way it is nowadays? I mean, when I went to school, we had a Nursery School graduation and HS graduation...and for those that continued their education, a college graduation. I can literally count with 2 hands how many graduations Ellie will go thru from now until the end of her college career....6! Isn't that crazy? I just think that by the time she's all done, will a graduation actually mean anything to her? Ok...I'm off my soapbox. Back to her fun-filled day.

It was so cute seeing her and all of her classmates singing their songs, all full of cuteness and giggles and laughter! It was basically just an adorable program without mortar boards and gowns. Ellie will now move on to the 3 day class next school year which will be Preschool. Here are some pictures from Ellie's big day. She did remind me of Cindy Brady a few times with the deer in the headlights look. None the less, my baby girl did a fabulous job and I'm so darn proud of her!!

♥♥♥I LOVE YOU, ELLIE♥♥♥

Everyone getting in their places...this took some time with 17 4 yr olds!

Ellie stating her name in the microphone, "Ellie Grace Sims" Great Job, Sweetie!

Singing a Christmas song with snowman props..."5 Little Snowmen"

Getting her Certificate of Completion from her favorite teacher, Miss Megan

My 3 favorite girls in the whole, wide world!!! Katie, Ellie and Maddie!


I'm so proud of all of the hardwork my 3 girls put in during this school year. They are so ready for Summer Break which will officially kick off on Wednesday after school. Great school year, Girls!!! Now, lets all sing together, "Schools...out...for...SUMMER!"

Pneumonia, Parent's Appreciation and Fires

This wk started off with a bang. I dropped off Ellie at the sitters house on Monday morning and she was fine, other than her having a typical Monday morning grumpy attitude (yes, it even affects our kids). 2 hrs later, I receive a call than Ellie was running a fever so my Mom gratuitously went and picked her up until I could cut out of work early. By the time I picked her up, this poor little girl was SICK. Temperature was up to almost 104 and she was breathing at 60 breaths/min. That is FAST. (Yes, I realize that when you have a fever, it affects your heart rate and breathing rate). But, she was listless, pale and at times, was turning cyanotic (blue) around her lips. It was VERY scary and I'm not sure how I remained calm now that I look back. Needless to say, to make a long story short, it was determined that she had RML/RLL bacterial pneumonia. I know this is all related to the MRI intubation she had nearly 2 wks ago. Ever since, she had developed this weird sounding cough and in the back of my mind, I KNEW this was going to turn into something. At least she is better now...she still has the cough which will more than likely take a while to rid itself. She's on antibiotics and is almost back to her normal, funny self.

Friday, Maddie's 2nd grade class had a Parent's Appreciation Program. It was so cute. They sang several songs, gave each parent various projects they had worked on this Spring, then presented a slide show of each kid's answer to this question: "Why do you love your mom and dad?" The answers were adorable!!! Maddie's response was that she loved her dad and myself "because we take her shopping at the mall"---yep, typical girl response. But it was heartfelt and genuine. I am so proud of her. She has struggled at times this year but she has tried her hardest, which is the only thing I ask of her. Here are a few pictures I took at the program.

Friday night, a local family completely lost their home to a fire caused by a lightening strike. It's so sad to think that within literally minutes, you can lose every possession you have. Luckily, all of them escaped without injury and they saved their pets as well. Their home was near my Mom's house so we were able to see it and it was completely devastating. Well, this was the perfect opportunity to bring up Fire Safety with Ellie. After going over what to do in a fire countess times, I thought I had it drilled into her head what to do--go outside to our "meeting spot" until Mommy or Daddy say otherwise. May I also add that we told her over and over again to not worry about anything except getting herself out safely. Upon quizzing her about her recent Fire Safety 101 course, I asked her what she should do if we found a fire in the house. Her response, "Stop, drop and rollover, then go get my favorite toy and go to the meeting spot." Guess we have some more teaching to do, huh....

Boy am I behind.....

I wish I knew the trick for time management. I can't believe it's been 2 wks since my last post. I guess I have a few good excuses....Ellie's MRI, my sister's visit, my birthday.... So, what am I so upset about?


I'm sure many of you read this on FB but I know I have a few friends who follow me that haven't heard Ellie's MRI results. So....we got some good news, I guess. Dr. Lubicky read Ellie's MRI and said her neck looks "good." However, knowing me (and should this really be a surprise to anybody???), this isn't good enough. After shouting out to my POLP moms, I got an email address to Dr. Mackenzie's nurse, Colleen, and just sent her an email. I am hoping Dr. Mackenzie (the Delaware ortho go-to doc) will look at all of Ellie's xray's and give me HIS clinical opinion. Once he gives me the nod that everything looks "good," then I will sigh some relief. But until then, I remain uncertain on the recent findings. Call me utterly pessimistic. I will say....public kudos to Dr. Lubicky who ordered the MRI in the first place. Before the actual MRI took place, I had the staff so freaked out about Ellie's unstable neck that they called Dr. Lubicky and he came down and positioned Ellie's neck himself for the film (because they were too afraid, I believe). I am still a little shocked but glad he did. So...what's next for Ellie....I have no idea, except for the constant love that's given to her by me and her daddy, her sisters, her Grandma's and Grandpa's, her Aunts and Uncles and Cousins....and everyone who knows her. Here are a few pics from the MRI day. I didn't get any afterwards because she was in NO mood for pictures. I can respect that.


Ellie after getting her hospital attire on. Suprise...way too long!!!!!!

Ellie getting wheeled down to for the MRI. No fear--Rudolph is in hand!

My sister's visit was great!!! We had a fabulous time with each other like we always do. We chilled on my birthday---we had lunch with my Dad, went boutique shopping with my Mom where I found myself a cute pair of Brighton sunglasses (another birthday present to me, from me), came home, watched the Derby and had a few Tecates with lime, then went out for Mexican. When we came home, we had birthday cake with 1 candle. HA! So much for my South Beach Diet this wkend.... Who cares! I had an awesome birthday and am so glad I got to spend it with Traci and the rest of my family. I can't wait for my vacay to her place in July....definately more Tecates will be consumed.

Ok...now I'm signing off to enjoy my Mother's Day. I hope everyone has a fantastic day!!!

Busy week ahead of us

I've dreaded this coming week for awhile now, but there is a silver lining at the end. This is the week of Ellie's neck MRI. It was determined by the Riley Children's Hospital MRI staff that Ellie needs to be put under general anesthesia due to her being a heavy/loud breather. It's scheduled for Wednesday, but we won't know the time of the actual test until Tuesday afternoon. This sucks since Riley is 2 hrs away from us. I'm a planner and like to know times, dates, etc. This will be the first time she's been put all the way under so that does scare me a bit. Hopefully, we will get her results promptly so we can know what's next in her future.

The next day, Ellie has to make yet another trip to the Dentist. She has another 'spot' on one of her back teeth (forgive me for not knowing which tooth. Frankly, the Dentist and the mouth/teeth creep me out). This will be her third sealant put on. According to Dr. Weir, Ellie has very thin enamel on her teeth and on some of her teeth, the enamel isn't even touching. These two things alone has hopefully caused her 'spots.' It'll be interested to see how her permanent teeth will fair. Hopefully, their enamel will be thicker.


Now, for the silver lining to the wk. My sister, Traci, is coming in on Friday for the weekend! My girls absolutely ADORE Aunt Traci. What a great birthday present to me...a visit from my awesome big sis!!! What more can a girl want...a new iPhone(a gift from me to me), a visit from her best friend...life is good!

Regional Wrap-Up

This past weekend, we headed up to Grand Rapids, Michigan for the District 5 LPA Spring Regional. We left immediately after school on Thursday and drove to Auburn, IN for the night. Ellie scoped out a Super 8 that she wanted to stay in rather than the brand new Hampton Chris had reserved. For some reason, Ellie thinks that Super 8 is THE hotel of all hotels...like it's the Taj Mahal or something. Silly girl! We got up early the next morning and headed to Grand Rapids. Chris went on a fishing expedition when we arrived so it was just the girls and I for Friday. We hung by the pool and was able to meet up with Mandy and Andrea.

Later on that evening, we went to the Mingle and was able to meet up with Cat and Owen. Let me tell you...Owen is one busy dude. He is cute as a button!! Andrea soon joined in and she was dancing the night away. I tried to get a pic with all the blogging mama's kids, but that is nearly an impossible task!

The next morning, the kids were off to the Children's Room so we could attend the Parents Meeting. It was very informative and I learned some things from other parents. The bad thing was that this was the beginning of my deteriorating voice. For some strange reason, laryngitis hit me hard on Saturday, deeming it nearly impossible for me to speak. Now, my kids loved it! But for me...I was wanting to talk, talk, talk to all these other parents but I just couldn't. It was really, really upsetting, not to mention frustrating. I guess this just means that I'll have to go to the next Regional, huh. Sounds good to me!

Saturday afternoon, we went to the Frederick Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park. What an amazing place! It is beautiful!!! We walked thru this huge exhibit that featured more than 6,000 tropical butterflies all fluttering about. It was spectacular!






That evening, we went to dinner with the Ehle's and had a great time at Longhorn Steakhouse. The food was yummy but the camaraderie what was made it so much fun. You know your kids are getting older when they turn their noses up to the Kiddie Menu, which is exactly what Katie did. Instead, she opted for a 1/2 rack of Baby Backs...and she ate all except 1! Thank goodness (for my pocketbook) that Maddie still opts to be a kid. Ellie could probably eat off the kid's menu for years.

After dinner, we headed to the Dance. We had a great time, but I, at this point, had NO VOICE AT ALL. What a bummer. We did get a photo opp with the other Bloggers in District 5 that were there. That was a lot of fun, too. There was a lot of dancing, a lot of drinking, and most of all...a lot of laughs.




From Left: Sarah, me, Cat, Mandy, Reenea', and Amy. Kneeling down is Tonya.

We left early the next morning just because of the long drive we had ahead of us. It took us only 7 hrs to get home and we were all completely exhausted by the time we hit the driveway. But, it was so worth it and I'd do it again in a heartbeat...these are important events for me to get Ellie involved in. I'm so glad to have finally met some of the ladies I've been 'talking' to for quite some time now. I felt like I already knew many of them, even though we had never met fact to face. I can't wait to meet more friends in October!

No MRI tomorrow....

For all of you on FB--hang tight please, but for those others out there, here's the recap. Ellie was originally scheduled for her neck MRI tomorrow (4.13). BUT, thanks to the stupid *bleep* *bleep* pre-op nurse (forgive me fellow pre-op nurses at BH) at Riley, they cannot proceed with Ellie's MRI tomorrow. They now think the MRI needs to be done under general anesthesia so they couldn't accommodate us tomorrow...damn!! Apparently, now we can't get in until mid-May unless a cancellation pops up. For a test that was to be done as soon as we could get it done, mid-May seems quite far off to me. Not a very good patient satisfier in my not-so-humble opinion. Maybe I'm being pissy, IDK. It just makes me a nervous wreck that I was told how life-changing our lives could be if, God forbid, something happens to Ellie's neck (i.e paralysis from the neck down). She is just more fragile than most of us, including other LP's. Should I just put her on a leash or tie her to a chair? Seriously...think about how it would make you feel if you were told that your child is at an increased risk for major paralysis (like Christopher Reeves)? It scares the hell out of me. I just pray we can get her in sooner than mid-May. Sorry for the sober post. I know the next one will be better....it'll have the recap from the District 5 LPA Spring Regionals!!!

And the 1st prize goes to......

ELLIE for finding the 1st prize egg!!!! I was able to get out of work early on Saturday and meet my Mom at the Elementary School for the Annual Easter Egg Hunt. She was generous enough to take them for me (thanks, Mom for everything you do!) The turn out was HUGE, probably because it was one of the most beautiful day's we've had in a while. All the girls were placed with their age grps and they were all in different areas of the playground. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to be in 3 places at once, so I wasn't able to capture Katie and Maddie hunting. I stuck around and watched Ellie...and watch her find the 1st prize egg!!!! I was so proud of her! She was definitely walking around the rest of the afternoon with a skip in her step...lol. Katie and Maddie didn't win a thing :( but they had fun anyhow. I was able to get a few pics of the girls with the Easter Bunny. So, it looks like a I have a celebrity in my house....Ellie even gets her picture in the paper! Hey...it's those little things that count!

Let me tell you about this 'bunny.' I am convinced that this 'bunny' had been nursing a serious hangover. Was it really too much to ask that the Easter Bunny be lively and energetic...really? And he didn't even hop around anywhere...the horror! Ellie was scared to death and would only pose if she was farthest away from him...and I can say that I don't blame her. This was a milestone in my house because I've never had any of my kids get their pics taken with Santa or anyone dressed in freakish costumes. It completely creeps me out and I guess my kids inherited that from me. Yeah!

Oh, and one last shot. I bought this must have shirt at Target a few wks ago. Ellie wanted to show it off yesterday. Isn't it awesome? PERFECTION COMES IN SMALL PACKAGES
Love it!

Post # 2---Ellie's MD appt

I'm going to copy and paste most of what I wrote on Facebook so if you've already read that, bear with me. I really, really, really appreciate all of the prayers and phone calls from everyone. It means more to me than you all know!! One of the big issues with Ellie's SEDc is that it can cause the neck to be "loose" which is where we are with her right now. She is at an increased risk for having paralysis due to the nature of the loose vertebrae in the cervical area. With that said, she is on many restrictions physically (which is rather hard for a VERY active 4 yr old). The only way to fix this looseness is for her to have a cervical spinal fusion which is one of the most delicate surgeries and poses many risks. In order for the surgeons to find out the degree of increased flexibility and how much movement she has in her neck, she will have to undergo an MRI of her neck which is scheduled in a few wks. Dr. Lubicky seemed very concerned but thankfully, doesn't think she has any spinal cord damage at this point. She passed all of the neuro tests so he is confident things are OK so far. Thank God! I pray her path continues this way...but if not, we'll cross that bridge when we get there. She is a fighter and she gets it honest. God Love Her!!!

The next day after the appt, we headed to the Indianapolis Children's Museum...GREAT PLACE!! Ellie had a ball!! I am definitely going back this summer except taking Katie and Maddie, too (they were at their dad's all wk so they weren't able come). Ellie's favorite parts were the Carousel and the Dinosaur exhibit...yeah, you heard me right, the dinosaurs. Wow...talk about surprised!! She was completely mesmerized by the sounds, the fantastic lighting, the huge displays of the different dinos (I'm doing you all a favor here by not trying to spell the kinds we saw...b/c frankly, I don't even remember!) and the feeling that you were completely in the middle of the Land of the Lost (I loved that show and can't wait for the movie to come out--although I kept looking for the Sleestacks and never saw them). Anyway, it was a great way to end our short journey up north and take my mind off the inevitable.


As always, there is always something being fixed, built or worked on in Indy and the Children's Museum was no exception

For some reason, Ellie was fascinated with the sand...like she'd ever played in it before!

Ellie's blue boat she constructed herself. She was so proud of it. Ahoy, Mate!!!

Ellie's favorite place to be....on the Carousel!! She LOVES these things!!!!
Apparently, Ellie has a deep love for dinosaurs, which was a news flash for us!!
And the Princess FINALLY takes a break...and awaits for her Knight in Shining Armour! I don't think she'll be waiting long!
I think Ellie was terrified of this lego dragon...she has a nervous smile.
And away we go!!! Who knows the destination with Ellie in the drivers seat!
My Lil Hoosier!! (this is the name of the doghouse which didn't show up very well)
Waiting...and waiting...and waiting for the train to go by....unfortunately, it only went by one time and there was like thousands of them everywhere!

Post #1---LPA Swimming Party!

Sunday was our local LPA Chapter 24 swimming party in Plainfield and we all had such a great time! It was nice to catch up with a few familiar faces and chat with some new members. The girls had a blast, especially Ellie. That child is a fish in the water and has absolutely NO FEAR of it. This makes my job as mommy a nervous wreck when she is anywhere near water. Have I ever mentioned that when she was 2 1/2 yrs old, she jumped into Lake Tenkiller when we were boating with my sister and her family! Yes, she had a life vest on, but have you ever tried fitting a LP snuggly into a vest when she is the size of an infant? Makes it kinda rough! Thank goodness someone was right there with Ellie and she was just fine. But, my heart was racing...and continued to at the Plainfield Indoor Swimming Park. She frolicked, jumped, splashed, dove, floated and squirted nearly everyone she was around. It was really cute! I am definitely, without a doubt, putting her in private swimming lessons this year. Who knows...maybe she'll be the next Eleanor Simmonds!

Katie, Hannah, Emma, Ellie, Maddie, Renee, Emily and Lindsey.


Ellie splashing in the sprinklers!


Floating on her back...I'm telling you...this girl LOVES the water!




Katie, Ellie and Maddie...one of the few times they are ALL smiling!! :)

District 5 Spring Regional...Here We Come!

I'm so excited to say, we have decided to go to Grand Rapids, Michigan for the '09 District 5 LPA Spring Regional in mid-April!! I wish I could say we were also going to the National Convention in NYC (I ♥ NY), but this is as good as it's gonna get this year. I'm so excited to get to meet more LP families, not only for Ellie's sake, but for my own self as well. I'm also hoping to see some familiar faces, too. I can't wait!!! I'll be taking tons of pictures and I'll post them as soon as I can.

I've also decided to head up to the Lil Hoosiers (Chap 24) get together next wk. The girls will have an absolute blast, I'm sure! The meeting/party will be at a indoor water park which is sure to be a hit for ALL the kiddos. It's a 2 hr drive, but it'll be so worth it. This really is the least I can do for Ellie....get her to as many LP functions as possible. Be sure to check back for pictures, b/c I'll be posting next wk. On a bummer of a note, we aren't going anywhere for Spring Break this year (insert BIG SAD FACE). Katie and Maddie are going to spend the wk with their dad so it will definately be quiet(er) next wk.

OH...I almost forgot! We are taking Ellie to see the ortho surgeon on Wednesday (Dr Lubicky) to hear him give his 2 cents. If you remember from an earlier posting...I don't have lots of love for the guy. But, I will hear him out. NO way will I allow him to operate on her when the time comes, but I will hopefully be able to lean on him for some post-op care. So...stay tuned! Looks like I'll have lots to share soon! Wish us luck!!!! ☺

Say it isn't so!!! AI rant...

OK....it's no big secret that I am a huge Adam Lambert fan on Idol. I loved him from the moment I first saw him during the LA audtions for AI. I think he's a great singer, is a HOTTIE, and very talented ( he was Fiero's understudy in Wicked in LA). He really is the triple threat this year. That's totally cool. So, here I am, googling Adam just to find some more out about him.....and bam....the pictures are surfacing everywhere. Gay Adam Lambert photos...other headlines reading, "Will gay Adam Lambert photos hurt his Idol chances?" Crap!!! Now, before you start thinking of me as a homophobe (which I am not), I am still a fan...and huge fan. This dude has talent, there is no question about that. I'm just questioning his sexual orientation. I was hoping (and still am) that they are fake pictures....but then I found the videos. Yep....one youtube video even has him saying something about kissing a girl was not his particular preference. Oh well....a girl can still dream, can't she. He is just so darn cute...those bedroom eyes are to die for. I'm still rootin for him....but more like in the way I would for Freddie Mercury.

The trials of raising a tween

I know I have a LOT to look forward to with raising my girls....mood swings, menstrual cycles, boys, prom dresses, etc....ALL X 3. I... can...hardly...wait. I know that I won't experience anything that any other typical mom of a 10 yr old hasn't. Well, I HOPE not, anyway.

I knew that Katie, my oldest, had not been invited to a birthday/sleepover of a so-called friend. Katie is the one who told me earlier in the wk, and quite honestly, she didn't seem all that upset. I was but not her (so I thought). Yesterday as I was picking Katie and Maddie up from school, there was the birthday clan...yep, all 15 or so of them (including boys) all huddled around jumping, acting giddy and silly like any excited 10 yr old would be. Seriously, there was like 15+ kids!!!! I was so surprised ... but even MORE upset for Katie. It literally broke my heart. There the birthday clan was, smeared right in front of us for all to see who was going (and who wasn't). As we got in the van to go home, I was mad, sad, pissed, livid, but HEARTBROKEN and crushed for her. I tried to talk to her about it...and then the faucet was turned on. The tears came rolling down her sweet face, and then they came down mine. I just don't understand how a child is left out of a huge party when so many were invited--not to mention Katie and this little girl are friends. They play with each other almost everyday at recess. Granted, I don't know this family very well, so hopefully it was a mere overlooked error on their part for accidentally forgetting an invite. I know that happens. But, whatever the case, my little girl was hurt.

I know this will be the beginning of many heartaches to come, and I don't think she needs to be invited to every party ever held in Paoli. I'm not that kind of Mom or person. But, when it's a friend---come on. Where's the love??? I try to learn as I go, and this experience has been no exception. Either try to invite everyone, or don't make such a big huge display of the event for the world to see. Maybe I'm PMS'ing. I don 't know...but it really hit a nerve, and tugged on those heart-strings.

Ellie's 4th Birthday Pics....FINALLY!!!

I'm usually not much of a procrastinator, but I will admit to being a huge piddler. I LOVE to piddle. And, I must admit that I got it honest (right, Mom?). I've been dying to share these pics of Ellie's 4th birthday for the last few wks but couldn't locate the USB cable to my camera for downloading. Well, Katie cleans up my desk and ALAS!! There it was! (Thanks, Katie!!!!) So, apparently, not only do I piddle, but I'm not a very good house cleaner-upper. Mary Poppins, I need your help!

OK, about Ellie's birthday. We actually celebrated it on Valentines Day (talk about the best Valentines present I've ever received 4 yrs ago!!!) so that our family could all make it. It was a Princess theme, of course, and Ellie had a wonderful time. I'll let the pics speak for themselves. Enjoy!











I need to explain the Pop-Tart picture. I am known to wrap presents in boxes other than what the gift actually comes in. OR, I search my home until I find whatever box will work. The Pop-Tart box was the perfect size for Ellie's suprise. Bless her little heart....she was so excited to receive her favorite kind of Cookie Pop Tarts!!! She kept saying..."My favorite Pop-Tarts!" over and over again. It was so sweet! As she was putting it down to get to her next gift, I had to nudge her to see what was in the Pop-Tart box. SO, she was perfectly content to get PopTarts for her birthday. Had I known this, I could've saved myself some money (wink, wink). The child never ceases to amaze me! Oh, by the way, it was a Webkinz in the box.

Birthday Eve Blues....

It's so hard to believe that tomorrow, Ellie,my baby girl, will turn 4 yrs old. I have been so emotional about it today, more so than I ever was with Katie or Maddie. I'd say tomorrow, I'll be even more of a basket case. God only knows how I'll be on Saturday when we will celebrate it with family!!! Are my emotions running rampant because she is my youngest? Maybe. Or could it be that I'm just hormonal right now? Good possibility. But you know why I think I really am sad? Because Ellie is getting older, plain and simple. We're getting closer and closer to the time when she will be attending Elementary School....she will no longer be under my wing, so to speak. I want to protect her from life's bullies. I don't want her to know about the meanies in this world, and I'm sure we'll run into many mainly b/c of her dwarfism. I want her to stay how she is right now. She's my little 'bee,' my lil stinker, my kissing machine, my lil scholar, my everything!! She makes my heart swell with 100% love. But, this is just me being selfish. I want her to grow into the awesome lil lady that she one day will become. She is going to change this world in a larger than life way...THIS I have known from her infancy. She may be little, but her personality is gigantic! I wish she could understand how proud of her I am, but that will come soon enough. How ironic I am wishing this when I don't even want her to turn 4! HA

OK, I need to straighten up and quit acting like a baby...wipe away my tears and face the fact that I can't stop the inevitable. I'm just having a mommy moment, or two.....or three......

Snowed in...literally!

The view out the front ... nearly a foot of snow!

Getting ready to hit the hills for some sledding!

Even our dog, Sohpie, had fun!

I guess I got what I wanted...to be snowed in for a few days. It's actually been fun with the girls, even though we've had some vomiting, crampy tummies, and oh, did I mention arguements? I really am starting to get cabin fever and I am afraid I can't even get out of my driveway! We've made the most out of it so far, with sledding, playing in the snow, playing Old Maid, hide and seek and countless other games the girls have made up. And, Ellie learned how to dial Grandma's phone number...poor Grandma. I have no idea how many times Ellie has called but I know it's been a LOT!

Chris has been OOT all wk and thinks he is going to try and catch a flight home tonight...Good Luck! Thankfully, we've only lost power a few times yesterday unlike some of my friends in the Louisville, KY area. I'm going to post some pictures of the snow and ice. It's been absolutely beautiful, to say the least.

No news really isn't good news, is it?

Well, I was looking forward to hearing what Dr. Lubicky(pediatric Ortho Surgeon) had to say regarding Ellie's C-Spine. Unfortunately, the appt had to be cancelled as he was in surgery. We are rescheduled for next month so we'll see what happens then...I guess... I really don't want him to even assess Ellie, b/c frankly, I don't care for the guy. BUT, if she goes elsewhere for the surgery (which is what I'm banking on), she will need a ortho surgeon who is close in proximity that would/could follow up on her. This is the sole reason I wanted to get her up to see the surgeon in Indiana. The best in the field of pediatric ortho and who has tons of experience with dwarfism is in Delaware (Dr Mackenzie). I'd rather her see the best in the field!!! Am I asking for too much???? Even if it requires lots of money, I still feel this is what is best for my baby. Her daddy doesn't agree....and this is what sucks. Not that he doesn't want what is best for her--he is an engineer...need I say more?



Here is the deal: her neck (Cervical spine C1 and C2) is a bit "loose" and she will more than likely require a Cervical fusion in the future. Kids with SEDc usually have had their 1st fusion by the time they are 4, or so this is what I've been told. It scares the hell out of me! But, I am my child's advocate so I will do what needs to be done for her. If this requires me taking her to the best surgeon that is hundreds of miles away, then I will....and I am planning on it!! This is causing major disharmony in my marriage, unfortunately. Talk about stress.....

I just gotta share this...

Ellie decided that she was sick of her hair and took matters into her own hands....LITERALLY! This actually happened this past summer (7/08), but I was browsing around and decided to share it. Needless to say, after her 'masterpiece' was discovered (she really didn't think I would notice), I had to rush her up to my hairdresser in Bloomington for a quick fix. The video does not do justice to show how much she wacked...because it was a LOT! Her scalp was even showing!!! At least it was on the back of her head and Michelle (my awesome hairdresser) was able to give her a cute bob cut. This was actually the first time this has happened to me...not too bad seeing that Ellie is the youngest of 3!

Just call me the Computer Guru...

Ok, so I'm feeling a little good right now...I've FINALLY, I think, figured out how to give this blog a face-lift. I'm not sure how happy I am with it right now, but it sure is a start. It beats the boring blah pink.

Now, I think I am about ready to signoff, possibly have a glass of wine or a bloody mary or something 'fun' and go root for the Steelers! I'm counting on a win to make my spirits lifted before this coming wk. I've dreaded it for a while now.....and maybe not for the most obvious reasons....

Good News!

Well, good news for now....Ellie had her first opthamologist appt a few days ago and her eyes are good right now. She has a little bit of near-sightedness but nothing to warrant any eyeglasses yet. And, her retina and all looks great so far. She was such a trooper thru the whole exam. Never once cried and followed every direction given to her by Dr. Jones. I am so darn proud of her...she makes my heart swell every second of every day! She NEVER ceases to amaze me! Next wk, she goes to see the ortho surgeon to evaluate her neck. I hope it goes well, and I will keep you posted. It will be a long day at Riley Children's Hospital in Indy.

Top: The gals in my family: Cousin Jaylin, Cousin Kelsi, Ellie, My Mom, Katie, My sister, Traci, my Aunt LuAnn, me and Maddie.

Bottom: Random shot of Ellie, worn out from too much wishing (she really is asleep!)