Family

TheraSuit Week 2 {Cliff Update}

July 22, 2012 2 Comments

This week Cliff did AWESOME!
He never fails to amaze us!
He has been working really hard with his canes.
Also, Lisa did not put the lower half of the suit on him much this week because he is doing so well without it and it’s time to start “weaning” him off the suit since next week is his last week!

(See his scars from the PERCS surgery he had in May?!)

Here Cliff is working hard in Spider.
The bungees give him a little support and balance, but Cliff is really doing all the work!

I am still amazed to see a 4 year old work so hard and push himself to the max!
He never gives up!

His core is getting much stronger and he is standing up taller this week!
This week Cliff stood for 8 seconds without ANY support or braces on!!!!
We are sooooo proud of him!

Cliff is working hard on learning to shift his weight.
See that tongue sticking out?!
That means “THIS IS HARD!”
But he still pushes through!
(oh yea… and he is standing in spider ALL BY HIMSELF and shifting his weight!!!)

This is the pulley system used to strengthen and isolate certain muscles.
Cliff really likes “doing his exercises!”

This week the firemen came to share fire safety tips with the wonderful children at The Therapy Place.
Cliff was thrilled when they let him spray the fire hose!

This little boy is the hardest working individual I have ever met.
We are so so So proud of him.

Despite all the everyday struggles Cliff faces, he always has a smile on his face.

Words cannot express how much we love him!
He shows us on a daily basis what REAL hard work is!

My heart melts when I see the connection Cliff and Lisa have with each other!
It really is amazing and we are so blessed to have her work with Cliff!

Here is a video of Cliff walking with is canes ALL BY HIMSELF at the end of a three hour session last Thursday!
This video was taken at the end of him walking a LONG distance with his canes!
This video is tough to watch, but it really shows how hard Cliff works despite exhaustion and how determined he is to walk independently!

Even with all of the hard work, they still manage to have fun and lots of laughs:

But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.

2 Chronicles 15:7

*A HUGE thank you to the Therapy Place TheraSuit Facebook Page for allowing me to snake pictures of Cliff this week!

Filed Under: Faith, Family, Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy, The Boy, TheraSuit

Baby Update {35 weeks}

July 21, 2012 4 Comments

I cannot believe I am 36 weeks pregnant today!
That means NINE months pregnant.
I swear we just found out yesterday that Hollis was going to join our family…
where HAS the time gone?!

This week I have been feeling a lot of pressure… sometimes to the point where I can’t even stand up or walk because it hurts so bad.
On Tuesday, Dr. Keeton checked me and told me I was 1 cm dilated with my cerclage in.
She said we would recheck on Friday and see if it needs to come out then or next week.

(sorry for the bad pics… the were all taken on my phone)

{35 weeks 3 days}

Harper MAY be warming up to the idea of Hollis…
just a teeny bit.
She has been playing baby a lot lately and she has finally agreed that I can nurse Hollis!
(Harper is strangely possessive of my “nursery nees” even though she has not nursed in 16 months…)

{35 weeks 3 days}

Everyone that knew me when I was pregnant with Cliff and Harper cannot believe how big my belly is this time around!
Seriously, it is HUGE for me!

{35 weeks 4 days}

This week Hollis passed the BPP with flying colors!
YAY!

{35 weeks 3 days}

And she also passed the NST!
I am so proud of her “good” behavior this week!

{35 weeks 6 days}

Dr. Keeton checked me again today and I am still 1 cm dilated and there was no change since Tuesday!
So, the cerclage will stay in until next week!
YAY!

{35 weeks 6 days}

This week Hollis would not let us see her face…
surprise, surprise…
but we were able to see other things:
(sorry these are are horrible quality… I forgot my DVD this week and so I took phone pictures of the ultrasound pictures…)

Here is Hollis’s ear!

{35 weeks 3 days}

And her foot!

She really liked showing off her feet… So here is another foot picture:

Hollis’s hair seems to have grown even longer!
Yay for bows!

{35 weeks 3 days}

We were able to see her adorable profile in 2D this week!

{35 weeks 3 days}

Here are Hollis’s STATS at 35 weeks 3 days:
Weight: about 6 pounds
Tummy: measured 35 weeks (46%)
Head: measured 37 weeks (95.3%)
Leg: measured 35 weeks 4 days (41.4%)
Her overall size in the 66% and measuring 36 weeks.

We are so thankful that Hollis is doing so well!
Ross and I are praying that she will stay put for a few more weeks!
I can’t wait to meet her, but I know that the longer she stays in my belly, the better!
Thank you all for your prayers and support throughout this pregnancy!

Filed Under: baby, Family, Pregnancy

Cliff {Therasuit Week 1}

July 17, 2012 12 Comments

Cliff started an intense therapy called TheraSuit at The Therapy Place last week.
We are so blessed to have these resources just minutes from our house!
Cliff will get to work one on one with Lisa, who is highly trained in the TheraSuit method, for 3 hours a day, 5 days a week for 3 weeks.

The TheraSuit Method is used to encourage proper gross motor patterns and isolate certain movements.
It also strengthens the muscle groups responsible for specific movements.

The main goals of TheraSuit are the improvement of range of motion, increased muscle strength and joint flexibility, as well as overall improvement of Cliff’s functional skills.

I pop in during the last 30 minutes a few days a week to snap pictures and take video of Cliff’s hard work!

Every step these feet take is truly a miracle.

Cliff is so determined.
His strength and endurance will forever amaze us!

When his tongue sticks out,
you know he means business.

Cliff works extremely hard the entire three hour session.

Even when extreme fatigue takes over, he pushes through.
It amazes me that a four year old has this much drive and fortitude.

Cliff is already getting stronger!
He is now able to use his canes without his braces!
In fact, we are going to put his big braces (Turbo’s) up
and go back to his little braces (DAFO #4’s)!

Despite being completely worn out at the end of each day, Cliff’s spirits are high!
He is still silly and the every moment with him is like being at the best party in the world!
Yea, he is amazing!

At the end of the day, Cliff has to walk to the star and touch it!

The pride written all over his face when he is finished with an intense day of TheraSuit is priceless.

Here Cliff is walking to the star at the end of the session last week:
(make sure to pay close attention to his last 4 steps)

Cliff took 4 steps with his canes ALL BY HIMSELF!!!
We are so so SO proud of Cliff and his hard work!
Words cannot express how blessed we are to have him in our lives.
He is our miracle and our daily reminder of God’s good work!

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

James 1:2-4

Filed Under: Faith, Family, Special Needs, The Boy, TheraSuit

Baby Update {34 weeks}

July 14, 2012 5 Comments

I seriously cannot believe that I am 35 weeks pregnant today!
This pregnancy has FLOWN by!
Baby Hollis will be here in about 3 weeks… at the latest!
WOW!

This week I am feeling much better (physically) but I am mentally exhausted which means that my poor littles have a tired, stressed, grouchy Mama…
I am REALLY trying to have patience with them and remind myself not to take my exhaustion out on them, but sometimes I find myself snapping at them before I even have time to think!
Stupid hormones…

This week Hollis passed the BPP (ultrasound) PERFECTLY within 10 minutes!
Of course, this was the highlight of the week!

{34 weeks 3 days}

My bestie, Jill and I went on a girly date, with our baby girl bumps and had
the BEST time EVER!
It was so nice to sit and chat over a fabulous meal
without being interrupted every 3 seconds!
Then we went to a movie and Jill was shocked to see that you can SEE Hollis move…
even in the DARK! Ha!

{34 weeks 3 days}

My belly is officially the biggest it has ever been!

{34 weeks 5 days}

And I am so thankful!

{34 weeks 6 days}

I was so nervous about the NST this week…

…thankfully with a little rolling on my side, then on my back again,
Hollis passed!

This week we weren’t able to get a good picture of Hollis’s face because she had it smashed against the placenta (ewww…. I hate that word…)!

But, her heart rate was perfect, which is most important!

And we were able to get a picture of her cute toes!
My second toe is longer than my big toe and it looks like Hollis’s is too!

We are so thankful that Hollis stayed put another week and are praying she will stay put for at least three more weeks!

Be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead!
I Peter 1:6

Filed Under: baby, Family, Pregnancy

Baby Update {32 & 33 weeks}

July 8, 2012 15 Comments

(WARNING: This is for sure the LONGEST baby update EVER…)

I am 34 weeks today!
Yay!

{34 weeks}

We are so so so SO thankful that Hollis is still growing in my belly where she belongs!
We are praying she will stay put for another 4 weeks or so!

{32 weeks 2 days}

My belly is seriously the size it was when Harper was born at 37 weeks…
(Ross is having a LOT of fun with this fact… ha!)
I am so thankful that Hollis is growing and is healthy, but my back is KILLING me, I do not sleep and my belly feels like it will split open if I take in a full breath of air (not to mention eat a meal)… then there is the humid summertime southern heat and the fact that every time I bend down to pick something up off the floor I have a major contraction!
Combine all of these “issues” with raging hormones and I am a WHOLE lot of fun these days!
(Wanna come hang out with me?! LOL!)

{32 weeks 4 days}

I am now going to see Doctor Keeton twice a week.
I get BPPs (Biophysical Profiles) and NSTs (Non Stress Tests) to make sure Hollis is doing well and being in my belly is a safe environment for her.
At 32 weeks, Hollis passed the BPP (ultrasound test) with a perfect score of 8/8!
Then a few days later, she did not pass the NST… so I went in for ANOTHER BPP and thankfully she passed!

The highlight of the past few weeks was when I discovered I could still manage to squeeze into one of my size small dresses!
(Yes, this made me jump up and down, squealing like a school girl!)

{33 weeks}

Now that the time for Hollis to arrive is seriously close,
I am making crazy, unnecessary things for her like this big bow hat…

Poor Ross is struggling with his pregnancy symptoms too…
His heartburn, sciatica and weight gain are relentless!
POOR THING!
(Yea, RIGHT…)
Then one night I was on the laptop and when I looked over Ross’s shoulder I saw he was lacing a shoe lace through the little holes in Harper’s shovel.
I asked “Babe, what ARE you doing?!”
He responded “Cross stitching!”
…and I fell onto the floor then just about went into labor!
Even Mr-all-things-manly Ross is “crafting!”
(WHAT is happening to my Hubby?!)

At 33 weeks, I had another BPP (it was SUPER early in the morning hence the face…) and was thrilled when Hollis received another 8/8!
I also received two doses of Celestone Shots to help boost Hollis’s lung development just in case she arrives early!

My super sweet and dear friend McKeever monogrammed a bunch of lovies and goodies for Hollis!
She sent me this picture of one of the lovies and it made everything soooo real since Cliff and Harper both sleep with their Angel Dear lovies every night!
Thank you McKeever for the goodies and making Hollis’s lovies so special!
I am so blessed to have you as a friend!

Then came…
Happy 4th of July!

{33 weeks 4 days}

And the next morning I was back at Dr. Keeton’s office for a NST…

Hollis failed the NST again,
so I went back to see Dee Dee (the BEST ultrasound tech EVER) who scanned Hollis for about 45 minutes. Hollis would not practice her breathing despite me rolling on my side and Dee Dee “buzzing” my belly… so she did not pass the BPP.
Her combined score for the NST and BPP was a 6/10…

They decided I needed to grab some lunch and then have another NST…

…thankfully, this time Hollis passed (sort of) and we were cleared to go home!
YAY!
(No worries… I go back to the doctor in a few days for another BPP)

Now that we have had two weeks of Hollis not “preforming” her best,
I am CRAZY creating everything I can think of to keep myself busy and somewhat sane.
Ross has been wonderful with supporting my crafting craze because he knows this is how I channel my anxiety…
(This is not even half of it!… maybe I HAVE already lost it!)

Here are some ultrasound pictures from the past few weeks!
(I had 4 ultrasounds in 2 weeks)

Hollis has a head FULL of hair which is perfect because I have about 100 bows waiting for her to wear them!

{32 weeks 2 days}

She is so big now that sometimes only one body part is visible on the screen…
like her ear!

{33 weeks 5 days}

Dee Dee was able to capture Hollis grabbing her foot with her hand!
(The video is soooooo neat!)

We were FINALLY able to get some decent 3D shots of Hollis last week!

Here is a silly face!

I can’t wait to feel this sweet hand wrap around my finger!

Seeing Hollis will NEVER get old!
I just love being able to see her so often and literally watching her grow from 4 weeks all the way until she is born!

God is so good!
We are so thankful for everyday Hollis stays in my belly!
Thank you all for your prayers and sweet messages!

Oh yea,
and if you actually made it to the end of this post…
YOU ROCK!
(and I love you!)

Filed Under: baby, Family, Pregnancy

Little Moments {Big Memories}

July 5, 2012 2 Comments

Lately, our days seem to be filled with little precious moments and when I remember the days that have passed by, big memories flash through my mind.

Cliff and Harper seem to relish in these little moments already and I smile knowing that when they look back on these little moments, they will have big memories too.

Sometimes jumping on a crazy fast speed boat is just what your soul needs at the moment.

And even through my stomach dropped when Ross and Cliff eagerly hopped aboard this boat that goes way too fast and turns so fast the boat disappears behind the wall of the water it creates, I smiled knowing that this experience is one Cliff will never forget.

Seeing the smiles on their faces when they safely returned to me and Harper was totally worth holding my breath for the entire 5 minute ride.
This is daddy/son bonding at it’s finest.

Memories aren’t just for the littles.
Ross and I also enjoy taking tiny moments and turning them into big memories with each other.
Little moments that we will never forget.
Moments that in 30 years from now will be the topic of a “remember when” conversation.

Exploring the world from a different point of view.
Little moment – BIG memory.

The excitement Harper felt when she was surrounded by countless fish is sure to be a moment she will always remember.

Staring at the moon is it’s full glory.
This was a moment that will forever be engrained in my soul.

Creating memories with family is so important.
(We are so blessed that our littles have sweet cousins!)

The little moments of this summer will for sure come together to create some wonderful memories for our family in the years to come.

The little moments often come together to create big memories.
Life is so good.

Filed Under: Family, Inspiration, The Boy, The Girl

Baby Update {31 weeks}

June 23, 2012 1 Comment

I am 32 weeks today…
That means I am 8 MONTHS PREGNANT…
and THAT means Hollis will be here in 5-6 weeks (if not before then)…
and that means I am kinda FREAKING out…
But super excited too!

Besides irregular (but pretty strong) contractions and my back REALLY hurting I am feeling wonderful and really enjoying this pregnancy!

{31 weeks 2 days – this is when Cliff was born.}

My cousin is am amazing photographer, who owns JK Photography , did my maternity photo shoot at the beach! If you want to see even more of Jen’s FABULOUS work, make sure to like JK Photography on Facebook too!
I am soooo excited to show you a sneak peek:

{31 weeks}

My sweet friend Kara from Mine for the Making sent Hollis and I a few goodies from her fabulous shop! Seriously you have to check out all of the goodies Kara creates!

{Thank you Kara! XOXO!}

Oh yea, if you have a handmade shop or a blog,
I need YOUR help for when Hollis arrives in early August!
If you are interested, you can find more information here:

This week I had another ultrasound (surprised?!…) and Hollis is doing just fine!
She would not let us see her face this week, but that’s ok because I have another ultrasound on Monday and there are like a million more are already scheduled until she is born, so we will have PLENTY of chances to get some fun pictures of her!

Here is a picture of Hollis’s ear:

The fuzzy white stuff is HAIR! Apparently she has a BUNCH of hair which is perfect because I have at least 100 bows for her to wear!
Yay!

Hollis weighs 4 pounds 5 ounces!
Overall she is in the 65th percentile!
Well, except for her head circumference…
that measured 34 weeks 5 days which put her head size in the 97th percentile…
Ummm… not too sure how I feel about that! Ha!

We are so so so SO thankful that Hollis is growing and is healthy!

For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

Psalm 139:13-14

Filed Under: baby, Family, Pregnancy

{The Beach}

June 19, 2012 5 Comments

The beach is our happy place.
Where we love to spend our summers.
Growing up, summer meant playing in the sand, riding the boat out in the ocean, feeling the burn of salty water mixed with sunscreen on my sun kissed cheeks, spending days and days with cousins and being surrounded by family.
Ross and I feel so blessed that our littles can spend a good bit of their summers at the beach.
After all, it is our happy place.

They are comfortable on the beach.

Occasionally a big wave will come and Harper runs to me and yells
“hold you hand Mama!”
And of course I secretly love those big waves because they mean that I get to hold her hand.

Don’t even get me started on these cute, squishy, sandy cheeks.

Our days on the beach are filled with squeals of delight, laughter and pure happiness.

This year, The Boy is convinced he can surf.
Ross and I could sit there and watch him “surf” all day!
He is so stinkin’ awesome, if I do say so myself.

Sometimes we take walks on the beach where we spend time chatting with the littles,
asking them questions, listening to what life is like through their eyes.
They see the magic that this world has to offer and their sweet, innocence makes my heart melt.

Happy.

Freedom.

Late afternoons are spent on the boat.

On the boat, Cliff is in his element.
Asking Ross a ton of questions.
He is a little captain in training.

The best part is when we have friends with us.
Ross is able to sit in the back of the boat and enjoy our family.

This is our happy place.

Smiles fill our faces.

Being together.
Soaking up every second.
This is what life is about.

Exploring the inlet is always so much fun.
And so beautiful.

Then the moment we have waited for is here.
Sunset.
So stunning it takes your breath away no matter how many times you have seen it.

Ross and I laugh when we ride across the inlet to the restaurants and the littles scream and point to the “real” pirate ship!
No matter how many times we drive past it, Cliff always reassures Harper that our boat goes WAY faster than that pirate ship and those pirates will NEVER be about to catch us!

Taking the boat to dinner is always a fun treat.
It’s different and exciting to pull up to the dock in front of the restaurant!

At the beach,
we are all high on life.

Life is so precious and there is something about being here that always reminds us to be thankful for every second we have together.

The beach,
our happy place.

Where is your happy place?!

Filed Under: Family, Life, Seasons, The Boy, The Girl

Friday Phone Dump {Instagram}

June 15, 2012 3 Comments

We spent this week at the beach, which is the perfect way to spend my birthday week!
Yes, it was an awesome week and today is my birthday!
Here is a peek into our week through Instagram photos: