December

December started off great.  Adilene started preschool the 1st of the month. She goes 3 days a week and has a hard time at drop off but after about 10 minutes in the class she is busy having fun.  Fred is living and working in Columbus this month and so we took a trip down to go visit him after about a week of him being gone.  Fred is living in a hotel so we got to go swimming and then went to a mall with a kids play place.  We ended the night with dinner at the hotel and then I had to drive home so the kids could go to school the next day.  We got to do some fun Christmas things and I took the kids to drive around and look at lights several times but we saved the really awesome houses when Fred was home. 

We made a second trip up to see Fred on a weekend so we could spend the night. We took the kids to the children's museum and they had a blast. Blaiden still talks about all the things we got to do and asks when can we go back.

The week before Christmas the kids were off school and so we did crafts, went to the movies, baked cookies, and delivered gifts to our friends.  Two days before Christmas Adilene got a fever and so I had to take her to the hospital.  Fred was still working in Columbus and so I had to take Blaiden with me. I was so worried that we would have to spend Christmas in the hospital again. Fred was on call and as soon as he got off on Christmas Eve morning he came and picked up Blaiden.  Adilene and I got the good news a little later that day that after getting another dose of antibiotics we could go home. 

Christmas was so fun and the kids had a great day.  Adilene wasn't feeling 100% but she still had fun opening and playing with all her toys.  Blaiden was so excited for the day and he loved everything he got.  He played all day longs and declared it the best day ever!

New Year's Eve day Adilene got another fever and we were back in the hospital.  It was about an exact repeat of the week before.  Fred was on call again and he didn't get any sleep the night before so after he drove the 2 hours back home I just told him to take a nap and I would keep Blaiden up at the hospital and we would be home later that night.  It was and interesting end to the year.

Adilene Turns 3

3 Years Old

My Appearance:  I now weigh 26 pounds and am 34 inches tall. I am wearing 2T clothes and in a size 4 shoe.  My hair is starting to come back in and is now about 1-2 inches long.  Mom keeps trying to bows in but it is still too short.   I am getting thinner in my legs but my arms still have a little baby fat.  I also still have my round belly.  It must be cute because mom and dad always tickle me there.  My feet are so small that mom has a hard time finding shoes that work for me.  I wish I had more shoes because they are my favorite things to wear.

Milestones:  This has been a huge year in my life.  Right after I turned two I got sick.  I didn’t feel good for a very long time but once I started feeling good I had to relearn tons of things:  sitting, standing, walking, sign language, and a ton of other things.  Therapists were telling me it would take about 3 months to learn everything again but I did it all in 7 weeks, everyone was so impressed with me.  I know about 25-30 signs but I only use 10-15 regularly.  I also can answer yes or no questions by saying yes or shaking my head no. 

Daily Routine:  I like to wake up before 7 and the first thing I want is to eat breakfast.  Once I eat then I go right to playing.  I eat lunch around 11:30 and go take a nap after that.  The afternoon is filled with play time and then I go to bed about 7:30.  Some of my favorite things to play with are a shopping cart that I push around all over the house, playing in my room or in Blaiden’s room, and building blocks. I still love books and I am starting to really like stuffed animals and baby dolls. 

Special Events:  This past year has been a little wild and I have done things that I never thought I would have to do.  I have spent so many nights in the hospital.  I have made some great new friends while I was there and surprisingly they were mostly boys.  I have become so brave that going to the hospital doesn’t even scare me anymore, the nurses and doctors are so nice and they all love me.  I also seem to get presents on most of my visits.  I have gone to a few zoo’s with my family that I hadn’t been to before and I love looking at the animals.  I also got to go to Disney World for the first time!  This was my favorite thing we did this year and I loved seeing all the characters.  They were all so nice and gave me hugs.  I even got to do a dance with Jessi from toy story.  I can’t wait to go again. 

November

November was such a fun month and we got to see a lot of my family.  At the first of the month we planned Adilene's birthday party.  This year was Frozen themed for our sweet little 3 year old.  We had a great time and one of the best parts was that my parents were here to celebrate.  This year was also super special to me because we haven't been able to have a party and get together with all our friends in about a year.  I love that the first time we got to do this we were all there to celebrate our special little girl!

While my parents were here the Cowboys were playing the Browns in Cleveland.  Blaiden and I took them to the game and we had a great time.  It was the first game Blaiden went to that he remembers and it was also my mom's and I first time to see the Cowboys play.  It was a great game and the stadium was at least 50% Cowboy fans so it was so fun to be a part of it.  My mom also wanted to take a few pictures with the kids so we went out to a lake.  While I was taking some pictures of my parents Adilene was looking at the water.  When I went over there she had taken both of her shoes off and threw then in the muddy water.  My dad was able to use a stick and get them out but she hasn't worn them since because they stink even after washing them. 

Adilene graduated from her therapy program that she was in at 3 so we spent the rest of the month trying to get her use to her new therapists and the preschool since she will also be starting school at the first of December. 

The kids and I also took a little trip to Columbus to meet up with my older brother, Thad.  We went out to lunch together and then went bowling.  The kids loved bowling.  I was surprised at how much Adilene loved it.  She had a hard time waiting her turn.  We ended the day by doing a little shopping at an outdoor mall. Blaiden had a blast with him and really loves spending time with him.  We only got to spend about 6 hours together but it was so nice to see him and we can't wait until he comes out here again. 

Special Announcement

This is what Fred had to say about our surprise...

#1 is the superhero that protects us all, he is crazy but he is loving and he watches over everyone like a big brother should. #2 is our angel, so tough and so strong, she makes us laugh everyday and lives life with a smile. #3 will be here in June. Another girl for Blaiden to protect and Adilene's best friend and probably just more trouble for us!!!

October

It is sad that I am so far behind on the blog that I have to look back thought my photos to see what happened this month. 

It looks like all of our adventure in Florida last month took a toll on Adilene.  She had a big drop in all her numbers and needed a few blood transfusions.  She couldn't leave the house most of the month but Fred has some time off so it helped out a lot.  Blaiden had a school field trip to the fire station and He really loved it.  He also helped me make goodies for his class party.

We spent a lot of the month trying to get him to decide on a costume for Halloween.  He finally settled on a Power Ranger.  We gave Adilene a lot of options and she choose Elsa from Frozen.  Adilene no longer sits still for pictures.  Every picture I have of her is blurry.  We also had a good time going to pick out our pumpkins this year.  I tried to grow them in the garden again this year but we got 0 pumpkins this year. 

Adilene's numbers all came up just before Halloween and so it worked out perfect to go to a few parties.  The kids had a great time.  Halloween in our neighborhood happens the Sunday before Halloween.  We were happy we had already been to an indoor party because it was a cold a rainy day and we didn't stay out long.  Blaiden always enjoys passing out the candy more then walking around because he gets to see all the costumes. 

Adilene is always blurry...  I am afraid that we are going to go years without good pictures of her because she never stops moving!

September

I have pictures from our trip to Disney but I can't seem to figure out the folder they are in.  When Fred is around I'll ask him what it going on then add some pictures.

We did a few things in September but the BIG thing that happened was our trip to Disney World!  We will start with that since that seemed to be the main thing that happened in the month even though we were only gone for a week.

Fred had a conference in Florida and the timing was going to work out that Adilene could go on her first trip since she was diagnosed.  We got it cleared with her doctors and started planning our trip to the happiest place on earth.  We only had 4 days there before Fred had to be at his conference but they were the best 4 days. 

Fred was on another trip and so we picked him at the airport and drove through the night.  We got to our hotel around noon the next day and explored the resort, went to Disney Springs, and ended the night with swimming.  Our room was amazing, it was Lion King themed, had 3 different sleeping spaces, 2 bathrooms, and a kitchen area. 

Our first full day we went to Animal kingdom.  One of our friends sister works in a show there and so we got VIP seats and Blaiden even got to be in part of the show!  We got to ride a ton of rides and Adilene had a good day even if she did get a little hot.  Blaiden rode the biggest roller coaster there, Everest, with me.  He said it was to scary and would not ride it again with Fred and he was actually scared of most rides after that, I guess he is a little to young for that kind of ride. The kids got to meet Mickey and Minnie and they loved it.  We were a little worried that Adilene would be afraid but it was her favorite part of trip, Blaiden loved it. We took a little break for naptime and then went right back to enjoy more of the park. We had a great time and to end the night we watched the tree of life. 

The next day we started our day with a breakfast at Mickey's Café.  We had a great breakfast and the kids got to see Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Pluto.  Adilene would get so excited she would just yell and wave her hands it was the cutest thing.  Blaiden was just bouncing up and down with excitement and could hardly wait our turn with the characters.  Then we went to Magic Kingdom.  We had a great time and met a lot of princesses.  We enjoyed a lot of shows and rides and Adilene loved going on all of the rides.  It was the perfect day because there wasn't a ton of people and we never had to wait that long for rides.  We were headed back to our room for naptime and there was a parade and dance party going on.  Adilene ran out into the middle and had a little party with Jesse from Toy Story. After nap we headed back to the park, it was a pretty hot day and Adilene was having a hard time with the heat so Fred and I took turns taking Blaiden on rides and being indoors with Adilene.  We ended the night eating dinner on the grass in front of the castle and then watched the fireworks and light show.  It was so much fun and one of the best parts of the trip. 

Day 3 we went to Epcot.  Again we had the perfect day, although I think it was Adilene's least favorite day.  We started the day off by meeting Anna and Elsa!! The kids loved this part but I was a little surprised that Adilene wasn't as excited as she was to meet Mickey and Minnie.  She liked the dress up characters a little more then the real ones.  Blaiden acted so shy which is out of character for him but he was loving every second of it.  The crowds were so small because the Food and Wine Festival started the next day so it was perfect for us.  We let Blaiden run around wild and didn't have to make him hold our hands constantly. He loved the freedom.  We decided to skip naptime and keep playing in the park. We ended our day there with the Frozen ride and the kids loved it!  It was a great day.

Day 4 was our last day and it was only a half a day so we decided to head back to Magic Kingdom.  We fit in some areas that we missed our first time.  Blaiden got to go on some bigger rides while Adilene special treat was eating a nice cold slushy.  We explored more and then it was time to head out.  We were so sad to leave but we promised the kids we would be back!  I can not wait until we go back, I have already started planning...

The next 4 days of our trip Fred was in class all day long and so the kids and I spent a lot of time at the pool, driving around and finding things to do and places to eat.  Fred found a Crayola place so I took the kids there one afternoon and we had a great time, minus the 10 minutes I lost Blaiden.  He is so brave he just does his own thing, I was freaking out and it ended with me yelling his name.  He had moved on from where I told him to play and was coloring me a picture.  It's hard to be mad when the first thing he says is "I made this for you mom."  We enjoyed the rest of the place together and had a great time.  Blaiden also says he wants to go back there. 

Then it was time to come home.  Fred drove most of the way home and we had to drive all night.  We got home about 3 in the morning and then we had to be at the hospital the next morning with Adilene for chemo but we wouldn't have changed it.  It was our best family trip so far!

This month Fred also remodeled our bathroom.  He did a ton of work and the majority of it was done in the first weekend of the month.  After we got home from our trip we finished up the rest and I love the way it turned out.  Fred has become quite the handyman.