Go Vikings!

Some friends of ours came to Minnesota so that we could all go to the Vikings Game together. The Vikings won and the day was very fun! Before we left, dad let the princess try on his hat. She is not one for things on her head so we got a picture really quick! No, she did not go to the game with us. She stayed at home with one of her favorite babysitters and had a great day too!

Santa

The first time the baby has seen Santa and she wasn't quite sure who he was. The first picture was ok, the second picture was a little iffy and then she started to cry. One of her daycare friends was there so I asked her to sit down and my little angel started to cry even more. It is still cute. We also got her Christmas dress in the mail, it is so adorable and then the shoes didn't arrive.......What is a girl to do without a cute pair of shoes to finish the outfit!

Laser Treatment

Baby "D" had her first laser treatment on her leg on Friday. She did great. I must say that her dad and I didn't do so great. It was really painful to see that mask on her face and see her fall asleep like that. My husband said that he just couldn't get the image of her little eyes looking at him saying, "Why are you doing this to me dad?". When it was done we saw the nurse walking down the hallway with her and he said that she was a little honey. Well we all know that to be true! :) Anyway, she cried a little bit when she saw us but then once we got in the car to go home, she fell asleep and by the time we got home she was starving so we ate lunch and she was ready to crawl around. It hasn't seemed to stop or slow her a bit. We have to go back in 6-8 weeks to check the results. They didn't laser the entire leg so next time the treatment could look worse. We just keep praying and saying that this is going to help her as she grows into a young woman and hopefully she won't remember too much of the pain!

Climbing the Stairs

Not only was Thanksgiving a time to be thankful for our family it is also a time for learning! Baby "D" mastered crawling up the stairs at grandma and grandpa's house over the weekend. She was so proud of herself. I am not sure if 9month olds are normally doing this now, but I like to think that she is exceptionally smart for her age! I forgot to the tell daycare that she can do this.....I sure hope that her daycare provider doesn't turn around and see her half way up the stairs! :)

Here she is on Thanksgiving day. As you can see, she doesn't have much hair but I just couldn't resist putting a bow in her hair.

THANKSGIVING

What a wonderful Thanksgiving day. Being home with my parents is so relaxing and wonderful. My mom (grandma) made a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner and the baby had her first Thanksgiving meal. I think she really liked the turkey because she just kept eating and eating. She also ate mashed potatoes and stuffing and green bean casserole. After cleaning up, she and I went for a walk. The weather is a little brisk but I am very thankful that we were able to get outside.

Two weeks ago we went to get family pictures taken. I have uploaded one of the baby. She is 9 months old. SOON we will be having a 1 yr old birthday party. I think I might cry and celebrate all at the same time.

Confirmation

We went to the Mayo on Friday and received a confirmation on our diagnosis. The doctor was very calming and reassuring that what we are dealing with is very minimal compared to many other children. It was very sad to see all the pictures of babies who had more severe cases of K-T.
Other than that, things are about the same in our house. We are really looking forward to going to grandma and grandpa's for Thanksgiving.
I am also thinking about Christmas and decorations. I know that baby "D" will be in to everything so we might have to put the tree downstairs this year. When I dropped her off at daycare this morning, the babysitter said that she has two trees and one is downstairs! I sure hope that "D" can keep from crawling and pulling on it :)

Weather

The weather outside is gorgeous and I can't wait to get off work and go enjoy it with the baby! She loves to be outside. Our dog also loves to go for walks so tonight will be perfect! Last night baby "D" took her car "thing" that stands up and pushed it forward. Of course since it was moving forward so was she otherwise she was going to go face forward on to the floor. It was amazing to watch her walking or rather trying to walk with this device. I then stood behind and gently pushed the car forward a little at a time so that she could keep up. We walked back and forth around the living room several times. So then I tried to have her stand on her own without holding on to anything and she stood for about 2 seconds becoming so unstable that she fell over. I think that she might be walking before she is 1. Then LOOK OUT!!!
I am still amazed by her everyday and no matter if I have a bad day at work or things just aren't going in my direction, I can look at her and everything is better. She is a blessing!

The diagnosis is Klippel Trenaunay Syndrome

Ok SCARY!!!!!! I can hardly believe that my beautiful angel has a syndrome. And it seems to be one that has a vast array of levels. The doctor did say that based on a scale of 1-10 hers is probably a 1 or 2 so that is good news. Here is the really wierd thing.....I am back teaching in the mornings because we had to release a teacher from her position (long story that I will get to another time) anyway, the woman that is teaching in the afternoon, her grandson has the same diagnosis. Her daughter called me tonight and told me about a support group and gave me her phone number and some other very helpful advice. The one thing she did say is that Mayo and a clinic in Boston are the only two hospitals that work with this syndrome so I guess it is good that I live in Minnesota.
I must say that this is all a little overwhelming at the moment but hopefully as we all learn more and get more educated, things will not seem as overwhelming.

Halloween

Well it is the baby "D"'s first Halloween and I must say she looked awfully cute. I will upload a picture on Monday. Although the whole costume didn't last long, she was cute none the less. She really liked it when people came to the door. She would just smile from ear to ear.
Only the oldest boy came this weekend and as we speak he is down stairs with his girlfriend, who I have to take home in 15 minutes. It really is different having a baby and a 15 year old in the house at the same time!!!! I worry about the baby and then I REALLY worry about him. But I know that is is respectful and responsible and that is all that matters. I think that his dad and I have built an open relationship with him and hopefully that will help carry us through these awkward teenage years. I just can't imagine going through this with a girl. As my mom has said several times, she can hardly wait until the baby is a teenager because what comes around goes around!!

WOW.......

It has been a couple of days since I last posted a comment because things at work have been crazy. Unfortunately, we had to relieve a teacher of her duties and I am now back in the classroom in the mornings. I was really nervous at first and now I now I like to say, "I still have it!"

As for the family, baby "D" has officially learned to crawl on her hands and knees. It is so fun to watch her. Now of course, she gets around a little quicker than before. We are also excited for the first Halloween. She is going to be a duck. In the above picture you can see that she is wearing some Halloween clothes from her Grandma D. The boys are also coming this weekend so I am sure Halloween will be filled with all kinds of excitement!!!

Birth Mark

I took the baby to the dermatologist yesterday to have the birthmark on her leg checked out. The mark runs from her butt to her foot. The doctor said it was a vascular birthmark and close to the surface and that is why it changes colors. She is sending us to a specialist to works with children and vascular birth marks. Then the options will probably be laser treatment. I am scare and nervous for my daughter and at the same time so grateful that we went to see someone. Now, we will just pray that it isn't that serious or won't be serious as she grows up!

It happened already......

I went to pick up "D" from the babysitter last night and she cried when I was getting her ready to go home. My heart was broken. I knew this would happen. Actually, I was hoping that it would happen because then I would know that she loves daycare. I just didn't realize that it would happen at such a young age. On the flip side, I love our daycare provider and now I know that she does too.

Outside

Yesterday the weather was a little chilly so we bundled up before we went outside. "D" loves being outside. It is amazing to watch her in her walker. She zooms all over the driveway. She also enjoys chasing our dog around the driveway. The dog on the other hand, I think would rather be left alone!

Classroom Managment

As the Dean of Students, I have the wonderful opportunity to share information regarding classroom managment techniques with our new teachers. Chris Biffle and his crew are the best. I will put the link on the blog. The techniques he teaches are useful in any classroom from Kindergarten through college.

Fell Down The Steps

Being a teacher in Minnesota definitely has it's advantages! We had 2 days off this past week and it was awesome. Since my parents live in South Dakota, we decided to go for a visit. Baby "D" went down for a nap and I went upstairs to find a fan. She loves the "white noise"! As I was walking back down the wood stairs, in my trouser socks, I slipped. My feet went completely out from underneath me and I landed on the edge of one of the stairs. It was a loud boom and all I could think about was the fact that I hoped I didn't wake up the baby because I couldn't move. Then needless to say, I turned around and saw that I broke the step. I couldn't believe that I had just broke the wood step. I got up and immediately was sore. My dad gave me some ibuprofen and an ice pack. The next morning I was black and blue and today, I am black, blue, green , and yellow. I am so thankful that I wasn't holding the baby! Other than this event, being home was very relaxing and I sure wish we lived closer. Maybe some day!

Influenza shots

I just took my daughter for her "booster" influenza shot. The clinic I normally go to is out of shots but I found one that had a couple of baby doses left. WHEW! At least she is vaccinated for the flu that is supposed to arrive in December-January. I am starting to wonder if the H1N1 vaccines are ever going to arrive. There are more and more kids sick at school. It seems like the H1N1 flu will have spread before the vaccine ever has the chance of being administered.

You know my daughter is so tough, that she didn't even cry. She gets to spend two days a week with her dad instead of going to daycare, so he was off to eat lunch with her and hang out. It is so awesome that "D" can be with her dad instead of daycare. Don't get me wrong, we love our daycare provider and "D" loves her too. It is just really nice to be able to have a parent with her for part of the time!

FAMILY

Here are my boys. They are all very handsome. As you can see they LOVE the Vikings.
They each have their own little quirks that makes them each unique and loveable.
Sometimes, when I think about my family I have to remind myself to thank GOD for all of my blessings. Even though these four may drive me nuts, I love them all and can't imagine my life without them.