Out With The Old In With New!

A few days ago I wrote about The Calendar. Today I write about something even "bigger." Today our amazing medical equipment coordinator/respiratory therapist came to our home and took away the Savina, the ventilator that is the reason I was ever able to come home that first time and grow to be the Marvelous Michelle that I am today. But as is the way with the medical world, things are constantly changing and getting better. As amazing and wonderful it was, this ventilator was never meant for home use and well, it was truly built for the hospital. It weighs approximately 53 lbs and the back-up batteries weigh practically that same amount themselves (Daddy's back is singing songs of joy right now). It was rather finicky and well you had to be rather careful or it might just get so angry it would burst into flames, literally, but that will have to wait for a Flashback Friday from my Mommy.

Along with the ventilator our big blue cart that it resided on had to leave. We lovingly named it the "The Blue Whale" due to its gargantuan size. So now we bid you farewell trusty Savina and Blue Whale. You have served us well and we will always remember you!

Now for the new and improved ventilator.

This is the Liberty 100. Liberty . . . I like the sound of that. To me and my family it is just that, it is Liberating. This new little thing weighs a whole whopping 11 lbs (even wimpo Mommy can lift and carry this sucker around.) It has little tiny Lithium Ion batteries that are extremely light and hold a lot of power. Plus there is this fancy schmancy option of having an SD card inside that records oodles and oodles of data that my doctors and therapist can use to see how I am doing. Here is to progress and awesome new changes.

Last Minute Vacation

A little while ago I was supposed to have ear tubes placed. Oh the joy of having yet another surgery was too much for me to handle. At the last minute, surgery was canceled. Disappointment filled my little soul. So to cheer me up, my parents took me and my trusty sidekick on a mini-adventure. (Ryker truly was disappointed because Grandma was supposed to come watch him while I was at the hospital have such fun times.) So over the river (actually we did go over a river) and through the woods (we passed a mailbox with the name wood on in it, hope that counts) to grandmother's house we went. It started with eating sushi by a moonlit fire, yummy sushi. The next day began with my Mom going into cardiac arrest after a tarantula attacked her my grandpa's bathroom. I don't think Daddy has laughed that hard ever. Then we had a picnic that afternoon, and my parents finally remembered they had packed the camera.

Ryker's first expereince crawling on grass. Good thing it was rather plush since Grandma decided to fertilize this year and added "just a bit extra" to the distributor. Hehehe.

Giving Mommy "The Look" for making him crawl while she took his picture.
Enjoying some family time on this granchild's dream of swingset.

Just being my natural cute self.

YUCKY!!! P.D.A. is so not acceptable. We are going to have to discuss this obscene behavior with them.

I am not quite sure what they are doing, but when you get my mom and her sister together . . . well . . . you are seeing for yourself.

I have decided that I was a rancher in a previous life, riding horses comes natural to me.

My two boys. If you wanted to know the reason I smile so much, it is because of these two goof balls. Mommy and I wouldn't know what to do without them.

We went on walk through some beautiful botanical gardens near my grandparents house and . . .

uhm . . . there was a little accident. Oh Tino what will we ever do with you , sigh.My Grandma and me. Nothing is more Heavenly than a grandma.

Our grandparents and us. Notice how I am NOT smiling. Well after picture 316, I just couldn't do it anymore. My mom has a serious problem with taking way too many pictures.

Ryker and Grandpa just hanging. I think they have a special bond since their Birthdays are so close.

The next we spent with our other Grandma and Grandpa. Of course my parents again forgot the they had packed the camera. Honestly if their heads were not securely attached they would never remember them. It a was a fabulous, but way too short of a trip. We love our Grandparents and can't wait to see them again.

Just Helping Out

I may be the sidekick, but by golly, I take that title serious. Lately I have been watching my sister do alot of helping around the house, and I have decided to try and do my part too. I am not the most coordinated yet, so folding clothes is quite a good option. And I am not the tallest, so putting things aways is a little difficult. But I have found something perfect for me. Pulling out the dishwasher rack for Michelle and Mommy so they can get the dishes out to put away. It is small job, but it is my job and I will do it with pride.

The Calendar

So when my Mommy and Daddy found out they were having their first baby over 3 and a half years ago, Mommy went out and bought this dry erase calendar. It was perfect to write their work schedule down on, when Daddy had clinicals, the all important baby appointments, and especially how many weeks old I was. It became very important to them during those eight months because they very early on started having to juggle weekly appointments with mutiple speicalists and different tests and that side section was constantly being filled up with special instructions for all those specialists and tests. You may be looking at that calendar right now and think that is just last month, it was last month . . . 3 years ago. Mommy finally made a big step for herself and erased that month off the calendar. It was a month that completed changed Daddy and Mommy's existence, everything they knew about life and this world was turned up side down and inside out. It was an end to one existence, and the beginning of something new. It was if she saw that calendar as her connecting point to the two separate lives she has now lived and if she were to erase the writing she would erase her connection. But she has finally realized that they really aren't that separate, that they are the same wonderful life and that it only keeps getting better. Good bye August 2006 Calendar.

Picture Time!

A few weeks ago, our used-to-be across the street, absolutely amazing, and very very very missed neighbor took some fabulous family photos (betcha can't say that five times fast, hehehe). My mom has some serious amazing luck in finding great photographers to do our family pictures. Last year we had my super amazing aunt, this year our wonderful neighbor, but there was her wedding photographer, but we don't bring that up, it doesn't lead to kind loving thoughts. I have to say though, that the photographers jobs are pretty easy when they have super cute models like my brother and I to work with. So be forewarned, there quite a few pictures to follow, but like I said when the pictures include me and my trusty sidekick, well the results are just too darn cute to keep to ourselves.

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You Miss Angie! These pictures definitely let our cuteness shine. Well if any of you would like to see more of her amazing work just click on Angie Dodds Photography. Now to just get Mommy to print some of these gorgeous pictures and put them up in frames.

Birthday Celebrations!!!

I love this month so very much. Birthday Celebrations just keep popping up.

I started a few weeks before my actual Birthday when my very amazing, and wonderful, and completely knowledgeable about what little girls want, nurse brought me this ginormous box full of treasures. It was absolutely fabulous, sigh. I am telling you, this woman truly knows what every little girl really wants and needs.

Below are the treasures. And the Light Up Vanity Carry Case, WOW!The day before my Birthday, we had the party with all our friends. As soon as Daddy got home I got to open the first present. Clothes, glorious clothes.

Here are of the traditional festivities of the party, and Daddy must really love me because he got me a "Barbie Castle." I love my Daddy.

This year, I truly discovered the joy of ripping into the paper and extracting those presents. There are few things that bring as much joy as ripping wrapping paper to shreds.

I started my real Birthday off by playing with all my presents. New Play Doh, Barbie, and Barbie Castle, and we hadn't even had the Family Party yet. Plus I had Mommy sing Happy Birthday to me 7563 times during the day, give or take a few.

I of course had to have my hair done in an style appropriate for a Birthday Girl.
Then when Daddy got home, we commenced with more ripping of wrapper paper to discover more treasures.
Then Daddy pulled out this bigger present and it had FANCY written all over it.

BARBIE!!!

All in all, I have decided there are some major perks to turning 3.

Birthday Preparation

Soon, very soon, the most important day of the year will be here . . . MY BIRTHDAY!!! There might people out there that don't quite agree with me (ahem, Ryker), but they are not writing this post. I have been working with Mommy and Daddy to prepare. It is tough work getting those two motivated to do anything, but I know how to get things going. The other day Mommy and I began the all important making of the Birthday Cake. Well, Daddy wanted Mommy and I to try something new, and we decided to try Cupcake Pops. Well here is some documentation of our attempt of this new sweet yumyum.

I volunteered for the all important job of licking up the mess of mixing the cake batter. It is a messy job, but I gladly took it into my hands to take care of it.

It was finger-licking good.What is a girl to do, chocolate cake batter, sinful.
But a bit messy.
But don't you worry, I took care of that.

Birthdays are ever so wonderful.

The end result of all our hard work . . .

Cupcake Pops!!!

(A little sidenote, Mommy tried this once before, but it ended in disaster. But that is a another story for another day.)

OO, AAH, Smarty Pants

Do you all remember back in May when we talked about how Daddy graduated from his Master's program? Well, today has been a day that we have been anticipating both excitedly and extremely nervously. Today Daddy went and took the all important "Certification Test" (imagine me saying that in a really deep, scary, echoing type voice). He has been studying like mad. Day and night we have had to listen to CDs talking all about some really weird stuff. Do you know what the most helpful diagnostic test to perform during acute gouty arthritis is? Well if you were thinking analysis of joint aspirate, you were so right. We have also gone through book after book of practice questions. Ryker and I are now quizzing each other on things like the American Heart Association's recommended agent for endocarditis prophylaxis in patients allergic to penicillin. But the most important part about of all this is . . .

HE PASSED!!!

Yep, once again our Daddy has proved He is one Super Smarty Pants. I guess that means he can sign his name Daddy, FNP-c, Super Smarty Pants. (Oh and that the picture above was taken seconds after walking in the house, yep we are sooo proud of him!)