Sleepover

A few weeks ago, Kaylee's BFF Erin came for a sleepover.  After a full afternoon of playing then our neighborhood fall festival, they finally passed out like this (shortly after 10, so earlier than I'd expected!)

Dobby Hat, part 2

These pictures are from this morning after getting Dobby back from the laundry - when she tried to add a book hat (that kept falling off) & then let me wear her Dobby hat.

Dobby Hat, part 1

Ella likes to put her blanky Dobby on her head & calls it her "Dobby hat." Many times when I go to get her from her nap, she's sitting up in bed wearing her Dobby hat. These pictures are from yesterday after nap - when she also added a Lambie hat on top, then threw in a squishy face for good measure.

Kaylee's hearing aid

Yesterday Kaylee got her hearing aid. Jamie took her for the fitting appointment and said once it was in she commented, "there are people talking out there," of people outside in the hallway-apparently she couldn't make that out before. She wore it to gymnastics class last night & today (until she left for a swimming/sleepover party) and said she does hear better with it in, but it hurts her ear. She also said there were times she forgot it was in, so I think she just needs time to get used to wearing it. These are the pictures she wanted me to take and post on Facebook!

Another night, another peek

This kid. We go through the whole bedtime routine & just as I'm trying to put her in bed she frantically points to the curtains saying, "peek! Peek!" So not only hiding in the curtains, but me taking pictures and her running over to laugh at herself in each one has also become part of the routine it seems. *note to self: start bedtime earlier*

More peek!

Ella's thing before bed now is to hide & peek out from behind her curtains. Tonight I was taking pictures & she'd run over after each hide & peek to see the picture of herself, laugh at it then run back & repeat the cycle.

Peekaboo!

Ella loves to play peekaboo in her curtains. (Also, this is her favorite necklace that I mentioned before.)

Curls!

Ella is currently working on a curly mullet. I do recall Kaylee's curls starting out much the same way, so Ella could have some ringlets in a year or two like her big sister!

Ella - Dobby update

Since my post a couple weeks ago, Ella has been calling her blankies Dobby and Lambie instead of both being Dobby.  She also has been wanting to tote them around more and more.  Poor Dobby gets chewed on some and is already starting to fray in a couple corners -- and of course I don't know what brand the blanket is or where to get another, so she'll just have to deal with a ripped up Dobby!

Kaylee - ear update

Kaylee's CT scan was this past Tuesday and this morning we met with the ENT again to review and discuss the results.  In a nutshell, her CT scan was to show if Kaylee's conductive hearing loss is from an extra flap of skin in her ear or due to a bone not working/moving correctly.  There's no skin flap and it was determined that it has to be the bone.  The ENT can do surgery on it or Kaylee can get a hearing aid.  There is no advantage or disadvantage to having the surgery now v. later - it would likely be a one time surgery where they'd go in and repair or replace the (teeny tiny) bone and it would correct her hearing forever.  There is also a very small chance that the surgery would work, but the repair/replacement would not work forever and they'd have to redo the surgery.  There is also a 1% chance that she'd completely lose hearing in that ear forever.  1 little percent, but 1 percent.  For now we decided to go the hearing aid route (she actually seems to really want one) and will let her decide when/if she wants to have the surgery.  Thank you for your continued prayers for Kaylee and for all of us.  :)

Catching up - again

ELLA:
Ella is talking up a storm and in the past couple weeks has been putting 2 words together. e.g. she'll look in a mirror and say, "see Ella" or she'll say, "more jump" or "more three" (since I say, "one, two, three!" when I help her jump), and a couple times 3 words - "more grapes bowl" ("moe guh bow") - she does love her food in bowls.  I was trying to keep track of her words for a while, but there are so many new ones on a nearly daily basis it seems that I just can't keep up anymore!  Of course they are mostly unintelligible to anyone not around her consistently, but she's trying.  :)

She LOVES wearing shoes and one specific necklace (that Kaylee got from a classmate in March).

She calls her 2 favorite blankies Dobby (sometimes Dobby and Lambie, but mostly Dobby and Dobby). She calls Kaylee "tsss tsss" - just sticks out her tongue and makes two weird noises like that. ???

When I put Ella down for her nap today, she was fine but started crying and calling me a couple minutes after I left her room. I went in to check on her and she flipped out and wouldn't lay down unless she had her purse full of bugs to cuddle with (it was on her floor and she was pointing at it screaming "bugs! bugs!"). As soon as I gave it to her she cuddled with that and her two Dobbies and went right to sleep. The bugs are real insects encased in a hard clear block. Ella calls them bugs and beetles (aka "buuu" & "beebuuw").


ANDY:
The other day Andy picked up something he thought was heavy and said, "Look, Mommy! I'm the strongest one ever yet!" Apparently there might be a stronger one in the future, but for now it's him.

At the pool a few weeks ago we were all in the kiddie pool as it was warmer than the big pool.  The adults started spraying water guns at each other and at the kids.  Andy did not like that!  He climbed out of the pool and headed toward the big pool.  I asked where he was going and he replied, "I'm going to the big pool where there are NO grown ups!"

When he plays hide and seek he says, "ready for not, here I come!"

Instead of Hey Diddle Diddle he says, "Hey Little Diddle."

There are some things he says correctly now that he didn't before, including toilet paper (was roller paper) and potato (was potabo), though he still goes back and forth on which he says.  Earlier this week we bought a stand up toilet paper holder for his bathroom and he was so excited about it he keeps talking about it.  One time he said roller paper then looked at me and said, "I know I can say toilet paper I just still like to call it roller paper sometimes."  Haha, he makes me laugh!


KAYLEE:
Kaylee has been back and forth with ear doctors and audiologists again. Tuesday she saw a new audiologist-Dr. Riski (well, one she hadn't seen since she was a baby) who recommended a hearing aid but said she wanted to talk to another specialist. Dr. Riski called back today after meeting in person to discuss Kaylee's hearing with the other doctor and said it sounds like there could be a way to correct her hearing loss via surgery. She has an appointment with the new doctor on Monday morning; I'll try to remember to update after that!

Kaylee just finished the last of her camps for the summer!  She did a week-long VBS the first week of June, last week was Safety Town - a camp where they learn about things like Stranger Danger, water safety, fire safety, neighborhood safety, bus safety, car safety, etc.  She did this camp last year and I thought it was excellent and would be beneficial to repeat it; it's for ages 4-6 so she can't do it past this summer.  I plan to sign Andy up for it next year, though!  This week she did a 4-day camp at her gymnastics location.  For a few hours in the morning they did a Disney Dance Camp then had lunch then did a cartwheel, round-off & trampoline camp for a couple hours in the afternoon.  She's also still taking gymnastics once a week, so I think getting in some extra practice during the afternoon part this week could help her in those areas; she's actually gotten much better at cartwheels lately and loves to practice at home (or anywhere).

Ella owie

When Ella gets hurt these days she says "ow!" & says she got an "owie." Tonight she got a fat lip owie. :(

February Snow

Here are some photos of the second snow we got this year, in early February. Ella was a bit under the weather, so she stayed in, and Andy didn't want to go out in the cold so he was only out for about 5 minutes to check out Kaylee's snowman. He did go out a bit later once the snow was melting - it's apparently more fun to splash in the puddles the runoff makes than play in the freezing snow.

Kaylee turns SIX!

In lieu of a big birthday party, Kaylee chose to take one friend (her BFF Erin) with her while she got her ears pierced and then to the American Girl Bistro for lunch and the AG store for some shopping. The plan was to get her doll's hair done at the AG doll hair salon, but when I told her the line to wait to make an appointment for that (they only take in-person appointments the day of!) was 30 minutes and then we'd still have to wait until after our lunch (so at least 2-3 hours) until the appointment, she decided to get an outfit instead (a pre-arranged deal). So we shopped until I dropped (I think they'd have gone on!!), then they changed their doll's outfits and played around in the mall until our lunch time. They had a great time then it was back to our house for cupcakes and more playing.

Kaylee did great with the ear piercing! She chose aquamarine studs (her birthstone, though she just picked it because she liked the color). They pierced one ear at a time and while she did ask (after having the first pierced) if she could wait a minute before they pierced the second (sorry, nope, just have to get it over with), she only slightly flinched when each was done and didn't cry at all. She said they were a little sore for a few hours, but by bed she said all the pain was gone.