Updates

We are moving! We feel very blessed to have found a home for rent within my sister's ward boundaries and Anna's school boundaries as well. It is just right for what we need right now until we feel ready to buy something. So we will be making the move in a few days.

We got a new car! Okay it is actually a used 2004 Nissan Quest. But man, it feels new. =) We are loving having our own wheels again. Anna and Eryn are loving the DVD player in it.

Lily and I attended our first Spina Bifida Clinic appointment a few weeks ago. It was wonderful. The way it works is that all of the families arrive around the same time in the morning. Then each family is placed in a room down a long hall. The doctors then roam the halls going in and out of each room all morning long. This way families can see multiple specialists all in one visit and doctors can communicate with eachother easily about each patient. We arrived a little early, so we were one of the first few to arrive. As I sat in the waiting room filling out paperwork I was very impressed. Family after family arrived, filling up the waiting room. Each child with spina bifida displayed different degrees of capability. Some were still babies being carried or pushed in a stroller. Others were walking with no aid whatsoever. Others had walking devices or wheelchairs. All were surrounded by loving parents. There was a very sweet feeling in that room and I just felt blessed to be there.

The doctors were so positive and capable. The main information we got dealing with Lily is that she will be needing some bladder studies in a few months to better understand what kind of function she has there. Until then we will still be cathing her every four hours (which we have gotten much better at doing). They think she will need surgery on her clubbed feet between nine months to a year old. Other than that we have some people coming to the house to start working on physical therapy in the next month.

My friend Daylynne came with me to the clinic as moral support. She and I went to school together in Hawaii and lived down the street from each other. Our families are very close. In fact when I found out about Lily, she was one of the first people I thought of. This is because she is the only person I knew with spina bifida. Anyway, she is taking the opportunity to help me as much as she can and I feel very blessed by her love and positive support. It was great to have her imput and company.

Jojo showed his big brotherness when he sat still for his first haircut at a local barbership. Everyone is commenting on how much older he looks. When we say, "Handsome," he hand combs the right side of his hair.

Eryn's 1st Day of Preschool

Eryn has never been more excited. This morning was her first day of Preschool. She is just thrilled to finally be going to school like her big sister.

Christmas

Here are my sister's boys and Anna and Eryn on Christmas Eve. Anna could not sleep hardly all night on Christmas Eve. She was so excited. So by the time she allowed herself to sleep she was so exhausted, we had to wake her up.

It was so great to be home with Lily for Christmas Eve and Christmas. She seemed very relaxed and comfortable to finally be out of the hospital. Here she is in her swing sleeping while the rest of us were pigging out on our big Christmas Eve dinner. =)

The day before we could bring Lily home Santa dropped in for a visit. I was told that this was the real Santa from the Macy's in New York. He was very cute and jingled his jingle bells all over the hospital.

My sister Becca came for Christmas and spent a full day of sitting at the hospital with me. She made for great company. In this picture Becca is holding Lily very carefully with pillows on her lap and her hands placed away from the stitches going up Lily's back. We couldn't put any pressure on her back until just recently when her stitches were removed. She was also kept in the hospital an extra day or two to make sure she was taking in enough oxygen. That's why she has the little round sticker on her face holding on the oxygen tube.

Over all it was a very memorable christmas where presents meant nothing to me and family meant everything. Right now we are just settling back in to a routine and anticipating more doctor visits. We are also in the process of getting into a rental home and buying a car. Thank goodness Joel is on the job or I would be a mess. =)