Things are still GREAT!!

Well..it's been awhile since this has been updated. It's been very busy...but it's all good. This summer, we spent some time down in Maryland/DC area for a conference that Pilar went to with some teachers from her school. It was a great time!

Then, we returned to NH...and Abbie's surgery was the following week. She did awesome!! Surgery on Friday, home on Sunday night, and couch bound for 3 days...and then, like a light switch...she was up! Really...not much complaining...other than the left over stickies from the tape holding the cath to her leg and the epidural to her back. Anytime mommy tries to take it off...the tears come and, "no tape" comes out of her mouth.

Now...we're just playing our hearts out! Trying to jam pack as much fun in as we can, before Pilar goes back to work! Andrew...well, he's decided to be a big boy all of a sudden. Rolled over and sitting up on his own, all in the same week! Thinks his sister is the funniest thing around...tonight, as we were going up the stairs to put Abbie to bed (yes, that is a bed, no more crib as of last week!)...he was watching her take each step...and CRACKED UP!!! Have no clue what was funny, but he and Abbie were busting a gut with each other.

Now, Abbie and the potty training...I think we missed our window...it's just been so busy. She definitely wants to do it...for example, yesterday, we changed her diaper, and 5 minutes later, it's off, she's holding it and informing Josh that she pooped. As he came in to check on her, she so nicely held out the diaper and peed on the hardwood. Ahhhh...Abigail. We love you!

Here are some pictures and hopefully a video....enjoy!!!

Things are GREAT!!

It has been a while since we have posted anything, becuase we are just having so much FUN!!! The weather is getting nicer, which means we LIVE OUTSIDE these days! Abbie keeps us running from swing to slide to sandbox, and Andrew is such a good sport about it. No complaining, just happy to be with his "Big Sista" (as Abbie would say). Andrew continues to thrive. He's got to be at least 11 pounds now...we're starting to put him in his 3-6 month clothes! He even started sleeping better at night! He goes about 7-8 hours now!!! Yea!!! Recent pictures are posted below! ENJOY!!

Another Day at Children's Hosptial - only this one was planned!

Hey all.

Thanks for your prayers today. We are home from Children's Hosptial at Dartmouth after a long but productive day. Abbie did awesome with the sedation. Watching her ‘fall to sleep’ was sort of overwhelming for me (they administered the sedatives while in my arms), but she did great with it – ensuring me that ‘I brave daddy.’ J The VCUG test confirmed that she continues to have grade 4 reflux in her left kidney – only now add to that - grade 2/3 reflux in her right kidney. The doctor seemed to indicate that the reflux on the right side was probably present on the last VCUG, but because of a 20% false negative rate, it did not appear.

Basically what this means is that because there has not been much progress to speak of in the past year, it is unlikely that she will grow out of the condition. Thus, she is now a surgical candidate. We feel good about this determination. Certainly no one desires for their child to endure all that surgery involves, but we have a great deal of confidence in our surgeon and the procedure. Abbie will most likely be scheduled for the surgery in July. Since school will be out of session, this timeframe will allow Pilar the flexibility to be home with her in the days that follow the surgery. We are told that the she will have about a two night hospital stay and approximately a one week recovery at home. If you know Ron and Amy Richards, their daughter Becca had the same procedure and we’ve had the joy and comfort of watching her heal. It has helped us know what to expect and feel a certain confidence about everything.

So that’s the latest on Abbie. Now on to Andrew. He also had a VCUG today to rule out any hereditary traces of reflux. His test came back perfectly normal – no kidney reflux to speak of! SWEET! Finally a victory for our little man!

Thanks again for all of your prayers. We are tired tonight, but hopeful!

Happy Easter

It's been a beautiful Easter...we hope you all enjoyed this wonderful day as much as we did. It was quite for us...just the four of us. We were able to go on an Easter walk...the sun was shining, but it was chilly! All is well and we continue to stay healthy and grow! This week is a big week for our family. We have some big appointments up at Dartmouth Hitchock in Lebanon. Abbie and Andrew have VCUGs scheduled. Abbie's will most likely tell us if and when she will need surgery. Andrew's will tell us if he has the same condition as Abbie. We're praying he was spared...he's been through enough! We'll let you know how it goes. Enjoy the pictures...posted below.