This Week

It seems like I only take pictures of Indie these days, but that's definitely not the case.  The problem is I can only photograph my other girls when they're in the mood or I'm sneaky.  Apparently, I wasn't sneaky enough with Eden this week, I'll have to fix that.  

This is Cora's throne, she was pretty proud of it and asked for a picture.  You bet!  

Milan got some new glasses this week!  We had an eye appointment with an AMAZING optometrist who explained everything to Milan in kid-friendly terms.  She picked out these pink frames and has been sporting her classes ever since.   

Grandma Kat treated the girls to some new books from the school fliers.  Each girl deliberated, selected 2 books, then patiently waited for them to arrive.  Milan has been flying through her chapter books, Eden and I have been reading her My Little Pony chapter books together, and I have read Cora's books over and over.  Cora has been especially excited about this glittery poster and her Barbie Tooth Pouch.  Cora has a while before the tooth fairy visits, but that doesn't stop her from asking.

We have had beautiful 50 degree weather all weekend so we were outside every chance we had. We've explored the zoo, washed the car, played in the melting snow, and walked around the neighborhood several times.  Family walks are my favorite!  I get to spend time with Dave, watch the girls sprint around, then hold their hands when they're worn out.  

Indie {7 Weeks}

Just look at that cute little face!  When I was pregnant, I used to ask Dave if our baby girl would look like she had Down syndrome.  Dave would say, "Yes she will and you will love her because she's your daughter."  He was so right, she does look like she has Down Syndrome and I love her so much.  She looks like Indie and she is beautiful.

More exciting medical stuff this week.  After failing 3 hearing screenings on her right ear, we had a sleeping ABR at Children's Hospital.  I was nervous about the actual test, the potential results, and intimidated by Children's Hospital.  It turns out that Children's Hospital is actually bright, cheery, and full of friendly people (imagine that! ha ha)  Indie fell asleep almost immediately after me feeding her (which was the plan) and stayed asleep for the entire test (while I snuggled her in my arms and rocked in the rocking chair.)  The audiologist found mild hearing loss with lower tones in her right ear, but then found fluid in the same ear, which is likely causing the problem.  The next step is getting tubes to absolve the fluid. I am nervous about anesthesia and surgery (even if it is a minor routine surgery) for my baby girl, but grateful that this is a treatable issue.  

We also met with Indie's therapy team this week.  They presented her therapy plan with her primary provider, the Preschool Teacher, coming to our home 2 times a month.  I was disappointed because I really wanted Indie to have consistent interaction with a Physical Therapist or Occupational Therapist. A lot of other DS moms have warned me that it's difficult to get their kids services in different districts throughout Omaha so I was prepared to battle on Indie's behalf.  I started my soapbox about how a Physical Therapist would be better suited to help Indie achieve her milestones over the next couple of years and they said, "sure."  Well, that was easy peasy!  I am so glad that we chose to live in Bellevue!  We are close to all the medical resources in Omaha and BPS offers a great Early Intervention team.  

And now, for some more cute pictures of our little lady!  This picture is the perfect reminder for me: keep calm, stop worrying, and everything will be great.   

 We have to roll up all her pants for her short little legs, so cute!

Barbies

 I did a post on American Girl Dolls so why not do a bit about Barbies?  They seem to be a pretty big part of our lives after all.  We have a 3 story Barbie house downstairs in the playroom, which was recently decorated with every embellishment from the craft supplies, but Barbies don't play there very often.  Instead, Barbies ride along in the car, play in the bathtub, ride in bicycle baskets, and splash in the water during the summer.  The other day, Cora was playing quietly in the kitchen then I saw this creative set-up.  

100th Day

Today was the 100th day of school and Miss Evans sent me these cute pictures of Eden.  She makes an adorable old lady!  

Grandma Kat's Visit

Grandma Kat visited and spoiled the girls with attention.  She played endless games, spent hours teaching Milan to sew Barbie Clothes, and straightened each girl's hair, which is no small task.  Indie had one more person loving her and fulfilling her needs too and was extra spoiled with some cute new outfits.  

 We decided it was time to bust out this play mat from my baby shower.  Indie and Grandma Kat spent a lot of time laying here, checking out the bright colors, and listening to the music.  Miss Indie was just too sleepy this time haha.

Eden, then Cora, then Dave got sick with a cold.  Dave thinks his sickness had something to do with Cora blowing in his face.  Hmm, weird.  But, sure looks like they had fun being sickies together. Hopefully we don't send grandma home with a cold!

 We ended her visit with lunch at Spaghetti Works.  We don't eat out very often as a family and the girls thought it was extra special because they got to order their own humongous dessert!  

Indie {6 weeks}

Indie kicked off her sixth week by sleeping until 7:20 am.  It was definitely a good reason to celebrate and take a couple of pictures of this cutie.  Ahhhh, sleep!

Our new routine

Since Indie has joined our family, we have switched up our normal routine a bit.  In an ideal morning, Indie wakes up at 6:30 to eat.  The girls wake up at 7 and we spend our morning eating breakfast, getting dressed, making up beds, doing hair, and bundling up for the freezing temperatures on our walk to school.  Milan has been an amazing help with Cora's warm weather gear!  I have been putting Indie and her big poofy snow suit in a front carrier then putting Dave's jacket on top of all of us.  She seems pretty cozy and usually falls or stays asleep.  Cora, Indie, and I get back from drop off and do a quick clean-up, maybe work out together, we both get dressed, Cora maybe watches a show.  Some days we hang out at home in the mornings and some days we do our normal fun activities like the ECC or Mudpies.  Cora has been content playing at home and has been very patient about Indie's needs.  After I drop Cora at preschool, Indie and I head back home.  I would like to say that I am super productive with my 3 hours, but I just love snuggling Indie too much!  Then Indie and I bundle up for school pick-up, but she is usually fussy about sitting in her car seat during this time.  We head home dinner, homework, after school activities on some days, and creative pretend play on the other days. After bedtime, I usually head down stairs for more snuggle time.  Each day seems to fly by, but I love this busy season of our lives.  

Indie {5 weeks}

Indie's 5th week was pretty dang eventful:

She has slept a full 8 hours for a couple of nights.  It has been so blissful getting her to sleep at 9 and waking up at 5.  

She outgrew her newborn clothes, which was pretty sad for me.  She is too long for her newborn sleepers and most of her outfits are too tight, but 3 month clothes are still too big.  Our solution has been hanging out in big comfy sleepers for a little while.  

We had our therapy initiation with the coordinator, physical therapist, and preschool teacher.  They asked me to prioritize my concerns then we set goals for head control and speech.  Everyone seemed great and I am looking forward to working with them for the next couple of years.  

We have been doing consistent tummy time so Indie has become a proficient little roller.  I tried to get a picture of tummy time, but she rolled right over so here you go.  

American Girl Dolls

These girls sure love American Girl dolls and I love listening to them play make-believe games for hours.  

Milan got Mary for Christmas when she was 5 years old.  6 days later, they released Saige as the 2013 doll of the year and Milan instantly fell in love with her.  She has dark red hair, blue eyes, freckles and a love of art and horses.  Milan loved her so much, she diligently saved up her own money from birthdays, tooth fairy visits, lemonade sales, and chores until she had $120.  Since it took Milan 2 years to save up the right amount of money, I couldn't find a retired Saige for less than $300.  I was very proud of Milan and willing to cover the difference, but we lucked out!  We were chit chatting with a friend and her teenage daughter and learned that she happened to have a Saige doll that she never played with.  I offered her $120 and she was excited to sell so it was a win-win!  Saige has been a big hit at our house ever since!  

This was a big year for Eden because she got an American Girl gift card from Grandma and Grandpa Scott for Christmas!  After Milan's experience, we waited until January 1st to see the new doll of the year before deciding on the perfect doll to buy.  Eden picked out Mary Ellen with red hair, blue eyes and an adorable 1950's outfit and story. 

Luckily for these ladies, they have their own real life doll to play with :).