Home Sweet Home...

We are all settled in our new home and we are loving it. It isn't anything fabulous, but we feel so blessed to able to live in such a great home! We are absolutely loving it!!!
Here is the family room...

And the kitchen...
We love how open it is...

More of the family room...
Our little office. It is tiny, cute, and we love it!
Drake's room

He loves the balls on his walls:)

Laynie's room/Our room 3 nights a week!

We sleep in here when Holly (Laynie's nurse) comes 3 nights a week. Her room will look much cuter when her crib is in here. Someday she will get to sleep in her own room!!!

Our room/ Laynie's room

Laynie's corner :)

And of course I can't post without pictures of these cute kiddos.

They have both been sick, but they are starting to feel better now!
Love those pigtails!

Surgery...

Laynie had surgery on Thursday, July 21st. She was scheduled to get her soft palate repaired, a broncoscopy, and to up-size her trach. She was the first one of the morning and they took her back at 8:00. The hardest part is definitely handing her off to the anesthesiologist, knowing that the next time you see her she is going to be so miserable! The surgery lasted about 2 1/2 hours and everything went really well!!! Dr. Morales (the plastic surgeon) fixed her soft palate and when he came out to talk to us after he was done he said that he fixed her choanal atresia as well. He said he had a great view of it and so he just did it. We were very happy that he repaired it, because that means one less surgery in the future. She does have to wear nasal stents again for about 4-6 weeks. She doesn't like them at all and they look so uncomfortable. He wasn't able to fix all of her soft palate in this surgery. He said it was too wide and it will need another surgery in 1 year. Dr. Park (the ENT) put in a larger trach and also put in new ear tubes because her's had fallen out. We can't hear all of her sounds that she used to make because her trach is bigger and not as much air can fit around it and reach her vocal cords. I loved her noises, but as she grows we will start to hear them again! It was really nice to get so much done under one anesthesia. She was extremely miserable the rest of the day, but I don't blame her. She is such an amazing little girl and one tough cookie! The next day she had a MRI of her ears and some hearing tests done while under anesthesia again. We got to watch them put her under and it was kind of cool, but kind of sad too. We don't know the results of the MRI yet but we do know about her hearing. They said that they don't think she has auditory neuropathy (which they told us she had in the past). She has profound hearing loss in both ears, which is considered deaf. She doesn't have any hearing in her left ear and she responded to very low and very high pitches at a really loud level in her right ear. We are waiting on the MRI to see if she can even have hearing aides or a cochlear implant. There are a lot of problems with the anatomy of her inner ears so we don't know if she will benefit from hearing devices. She did so well and has recovered like a champion. We are so proud of her! Including the 3 surgeries that she just had, she is now at a total of 9 surgeries and 6 times being under anesthesia. What a rockstar she is!!! Drake stayed with Mamma Maureen and Papa. He had such a great time! Thank you so much for watching him!
Getting all ready with her adorable hospital gown.
Love her!!!
The night of her surgery she even managed to give me a half-smile!!!
We love you Laynie!

Just because...

They are just so cute!!!

Him & Her

This picture is so magnificent to me!!! I seriously have dreamt of my kids riding together in this and going for bike rides before Laynie was even born. I didn't think Laynie would be able to ride in it this year, but I tried it out and she did great! Drake was a little hesitant about being that close to her because she was grabbing and scratching him so much! Moments like these make me so happy and proud to be their mom!
As we were leaving Walmart today, Drake saw an empty wheelchair (it was part of a donation display). He said, "That's Laynie's chair." I said, "That's not Laynie's chair, she doesn't have a wheelchair." He kept on saying, "Laynie's chair" as we left. I wanted to see what he said and I asked, "Do you think Laynie will ride in a wheelchair someday?" He said, "Yes!" I was kind of shocked about our conversation. It actually made me cry. It was sweet and sad at the same time. It is sweet that he realizes Laynie is a little different and that it's ok if she has to ride in a wheelchair someday. But of course, it was one of those sad moments as a mother to think that there is a possibility that my daughter might ride in a wheelchair.
I honestly don't think she will need a wheelchair, and if she does then I am perfectly fine with it. Sometimes I am amazed about how smart Drake is. I think he understands so much more than I give him credit for!
These two little people amaze me everyday.

This week

Our sprinkler system got started this week! Trevor, his dad, and Jordan worked very hard one night pulling all the pipe, but they still have a lot more work to do before we have that luscious green grass that I have been dreaming about! It is not a fun job, so we really appreciate the help Jordan and Dale:)
Hard at work!
Drake was in heaven being outside in the dirt all night. He was trying to throw dirt on me here...He was so dirty!

Laynie even got to go outside and enjoy some fresh air. She loves it outside, especially when the wind blows on her face!

Laynie got the try the Johnny Jump-Up. She liked it. I run out of ideas on what to do with her. If I am not holding her then she is in her activity center or laying on her back somewhere. I like to keep her off of her back as much as I can just to help her get stronger. I think she is getting bored and I have no other ideas! She is going to be so happy when she can sit all by herself!

Trevor participated in The Great Race for Education on Friday. It is a fundraiser that EITC has and it is a big race. He was super excited and in it to win it. His team was his two brothers, Jordan and Blake, his high school track coach Stephanie and him. If anyone knows Trevor than you know that he is extremely competitive. They did really well. They came in 2nd for the race. After that, they had challenges and they were eliminated, but they did really well in the race! They got an award for the Most Cutthroat Team. Trev was proud to win that award!

I got to go too! I was at the home base with the rest of the team trying to help them solve the clues! It was a really fun time!

Laynie got to go swimming for the very first time! She LOVED it. Her legs were kicking 100 miles per hour and she was squaking up a storm! We just have to be extremely careful with her so no water gets up by her neck!

11 months old

I seriously can't believe that Laynie will be ONE in a month. This past year has been quite the adventure for her and all of us. She is continuing to do well and be happy. She learned a new trick this week. She is now rolling over (sort of). She can't quite get her arms out from under her, but she does make it all the way to her tummy. It is so exciting watching her learn new things. I have so much excitement built up because I have been waiting and waiting for her to learn new skills like this.
Some of the hardest parts about our situation have been the little things. It is still hard to hear a baby cry for me. It almost makes me cry every time, because I haven't been able to hear Laynie cry since she was 2 months old. Watching a baby eat is also hard for me. She is unable to eat and we have a terrible memory of when she was eating. Seeing a baby that is half her age sit in a grocery cart is also a little hard. She can't sit and I can't bring her to the store with me. I know it sounds weird because most mom's would love to go shopping on their own, but I would do anything to be able to take both of my kids out on my own and actually be able to handle them by myself! Some days I just sit and dream about being able to pick Laynie up and run without any tubes, machines, etc... That is my biggest dream right now! She is getting surgery next week and my mind and heart are so heavy about it. She has had a really nice break from surgery (since February) and I am not ready for her to have another one.
Laynie is 11 months old and she still lets me hold her like a baby and snuggle her as much as I want. I absolutely LOVE it. Babies grow up way too fast, but I feel lucky because Laynie is letting me enjoy our extra snuggle time that most babies her age won't allow! She seriously is a rock star in my book! Happy 11 months Laynie! You are soooooo special!!!

Summer playing...

We love summer!

This kid LOVES to run and he is so FAST! This doesn't come in handy while we are at the grocery store!
Playing with cousins

Cutie pie!

We love summer BBQ's

My grandma, my mom, me, and Laynie

We went to the school the other day so Drake could slide. He loves it.

He tells me every day that he wants to go to school and ride a school bus. I tell him he needs to stay home with mom a little longer because I would be so sad if he went to school already!

Why can't summer last all year long?

Our FOURTH of July!

The Fourth of July really is one of my favorite Holidays. It is definitely next in line after Christmas! We went to the parade then had a family BBQ/pool party at the Petersen's. Unfortunately, we didn't get to go see the best fireworks show west of the Mississippi! We were sad we missed out, but we had a very tired boy and a little girl that needed to be home on her humidifier. Maybe next year we will be able to go again! Our family at the parade.

WE love the USA!!!

Me and my sister Breanne

Trevor and his brothers... Blake, Trevor, Jordan, and Devin

We had a great day relaxing, swimming, and eating of course!

Laynie with her Papa

We are so grateful to live in this wonderful country!!!

I think she likes him...

Drake agreed to hold Laynie, and it totally made her day!!!

She is such a happy girl. I never would have guessed that she would be so happy because for so long she was so miserable. I feel so lucky to have such wonderful kids! They both make me want to pull my hair out, and they both make me feel so much joy every single day! I am one lucky mamma!

Laynie is doing really well right now. She is scheduled for another surgery this month :( Overall, this will be her 7th surgery! She is getting her soft palate repaired, getting a broncoscopy and a larger trach put in, and an eye exam. Then the next day she is getting a MRI and some hearing tests done under anesthesia. I am anxious to find out more about her hearing and what we can do to help her. Her vomitting is still a major concern. We still can't seem to figure out why she is vomitting so much! Her 24 hour Holter Monitor test and her EEG both came back normal!!! So overall she is doing well besides the GI issues. She has an appointment with the GI doctors at Primary's, but not until the end of August. Her personality is getting bigger and cuter by the day!

We are all moved in and now we need to get our yard in, because we have one bored 2 year old little boy that wants to be able to play outside again! (hint. hint. Trevor)