Thursday, April 30, 2015

A Garden for the Girls

If you grow up on a farm, you should have a garden, right?  When we were planning on briniging the girls home we felt that there was no way we'd have the time or the energy to plant a garden.  Sam and I let almost all of the the beds become part of the yard, cleaned our garden tools off and put them away.
Well, I misjudged these sweet little people!  I'm putting their time and energy into a little garden that's all their own!  It already has leeks and rosemary growing in it, but the girls have been growing plants from seeds since March.


The little garden plot was overgrown with weeds so we (me) pulled what we could and loaded it into the girls' little green wheelbarrow.


The girls did great helping to pick up all of the pulled weeds.  C pushed the wheelbarrow to the chicken pen all by herself!  When we first brought them home, neither Charlotte nor Flora Lin could push it without a good bit of help from us.  Now they both can push in anywhere with a full load!


Even FL pushed it around and filled it with bricks for fun (with a cast on!).


Once the big weeds were pulled and fed to the chickens, I tilled the rest and let the girls help me.


C couldn't believe that I was letting her play in dirt and get dirty.  She kept brushing her feet off!


She was very hesitant to put her feet in at all.


I had to get in it and show her all the fun that can be had in a squishy pile of dirt!


After some encouragement and reassurance that being dirty was ok, she eased in...


FL surprised me and enjoyed it fully with no hesitation!


They played in it for a long time...


I can't say it was good clean fun, but it was fun!


They even made some wedding cake for Aunt Mere!


Finally, finally those little piggies got good and dirty!


It was a great day and I found out I have two eager little gardeners that are fantastic helpers. 


Isn't that how the feet of a farm girl should look?  

We will update you as our garden and our little ones grow!

Monday, April 20, 2015

Happy Birthday, Flora Lin!


Happy birthday, Flora Lin!  
It wasn't exactly the party we had planned for you, but with all that had gone on, it was just what you needed!
The day started off on a good note with a few presents in the morning - trucks and tractors!




Both girls were thrilled, but especially the birthday girl!


She also recieved a big bag of blocks that work with her tractor and dump truck.


However, both girls were feeling under the weather (with C running a fever and being willing to rest on the couch), so we changed into pajamas and called off the rest of the festivities planned for the evening.


Pajamas just make things better!
One of FL's favorite presents was a pink toy cart to keep under her bed.  She had the happiest, sweetest smile when I rolled it out and told her that it was hers!  C has one, and FL couldn't be more pleased to FINALLY have one of her own!!!


After naptime, the girls seemed a little more refreshed.  I couldn't imagine letting Flora Lin's special day go by without doing something, so I quickly made a cake and put together some decorations.


The girls are always up for taste testing!


They really do get along well - sweet sharing here.


Yellow was the theme, of course.


As is tradition around here, the birthday girl gets to lick the beater!


Since we didn't have any guests coming, I let the girls have a cupcake or two whe they were still warm out of the oven. : )


They're so fun!


Yup, they liked them... A lot!


Happy 3rd birthday, sweet girl!


So excited to be three and have her own candles!


Chocolate pudding and cupcakes - that's our girl!
She enjoyed the special attention, the gifts, the food and her little family.  Really and truly, just having a quiet celebration with us was all she needed.  No anxiety, nervousness or over stimulation - just the three people who love her the most.


My phone and iPad ran out of picture space, but don't worry, we caught it all on the good camera! : ). Happy birthday, sweet girl.  We love you so!

Sunday, April 19, 2015

: ( My Poor Lin Lin

Last Tuesday night, my sweet girl and I had an accident at home.  And I knew she wasn't ok in my heart, but gave her medicine, bed rest and lots and lots of TLC.  On Wednesday morning after her speech therapy, I knew I had to trust my gut and take her to the doctor.


The pediatrician felt she probably had a bad sprain in her left knee or ankle since there was no visible swelling or bruising, but sent us on to the imaging center just to be sure.  I was hopeful since Flora Lin was laughing and singing at the top of her lungs at breakfast that morning.


FL was just happy because she was being carried everywhere and given the promise of crackers at some point (which had previously been withheld due to her palate surgery).


When you have two little girls this age, you take lots of trips to the potty.  FL was thrilled to sit on the changing table while waiting her turn!


She was just so very happy!

And after a visit to the imaging center, we got the news that her left tibia was fractured...   Oh, my poor girl!   I can't tell you how awful I felt...   I had to put them in the car with the air on and just let it out for a little bit where they couldn't see me.


On to orthopedics with my two little troopers for a cast.


She chose purple for the color because, "Mama favorite!" 

 I pretty much vowed then and there to give her whatever she wanted.  That afternoon she was the proud owner of a new scooter, several new dresses, chocolate pudding, cookies...  You get the picture.


And let me tell you something you already knew...  This girl is amazing!  She is scooting, riding, playing, laughing, singing, talking, hopping, spinning, crawling, standing and almost walking!


And she and her smile live up to every bit of her middle name - Joy.

And, yes, she's still getting everything she wants.  : )


Thursday, April 16, 2015

CT Scan and Results for Charlotte

On Monday, we had C's big CT scan appointment.  She was a little nervous, but we were able to get her excited about being the only one to get her picture taken as well as eating special bread (her favorite) afterward.


C picked a friend to bring with her - to my surprise, it was my old doll, Lisa!  She picked it because it was mine when I was a little girl. : ). It made my heart happy to see my old friend loved by my own little girl.
The girls were well behaved.  It's nice to have people smiling at your children wherever you go.  : ). They are both little Sunshines!


And they are both so good with each other and for each other.


The gentleman who ran the CT machine LOVED Charlotte.  And thankfully, C was calm and didn't falter for a moment.  Thank you for praying for her.
The CT tech kept saying that she was so cute and sweet.  When he placed the little pillows around her head to steady it, she let out a clear, precious little, "Fank you!"  He melted then and there!  He was so enamored with her that he let her push the buttons to run the machine.   He also quickly scooped her up when she was done, which surprised C and I!   On a positive note, it was the first time she looked distressed about a stranger touching her and tried to come to me and get my attention.  She didn't want to be held by a stranger!  This is huge in the area of attachment - something we've really been working hard on!


I was so proud of her - no tears!   I promised her bread (her favorite treat) after the CT scan.  We stopped at a local coffee shop and the girls devoured a sausage and cheese biscuit and an orange and pecan scone.


They really, really wanted more...


And so did their mama...


C lobbied hard for the brightly colored sugar cookies.  FL wanted chocolate... Or everything, really.


But we just enjoyed the treats we had.


And I promised them new backpacks and a short visit with friends.  They were thrilled with their backpacks!  A yellow one for Flora Lin and a light pink one for Charlotte!


Later in the week, we recieved the results of the scan.
The spot affected in C's brain is on the right side and so very, very, very small that some might debate that it is even there!  This is fantastic news!
However, I feel like this puts us back at the beginning again.  The neurologist called it a malformation, not a stroke.  I spoke with the assistant, not the actual doctor, so it was a bit frustrating because she couldn't answer all of my questions.  We don't go back until October, but are advised to continue doing easy for her left side.   Maybe I shouldn't be pressing the issue so much, but the physical therapist felt we might want to see an orthopedic doctor about C's spine.
How hard should I push?  How much should I put my child through?  Am I doing too much?  Not enough?  Should I continue to push therapy?  Specialists?  Should I let it all go?   She functions well... But should I settle?   I am her advocate...  the only person in this world that is fighting for her.


I am so thankful so little of my daughter's brain is affected, but I have this feeling that there's more to this.  That feeling just won't go away.  So I'll pray and press on.  Joyfully, though.  It is a privilege to be able to fight for such precious little people.  

I'm so thankful for your support and prayers for my family and my children.  Keep them coming and we'll keep you posted.