Appointment Updates x3

Camden had his 3 year old well check yesterday and Adalynn had her weight checked with our pediatrician, Dr. Baker. I also returned to the eye doctor this week, to check on the progress of my uveitis.

Camden is doing very well. He is still so much smaller than Broderick was at this age and weighs in at 32 lbs. He is 38 inches tall-both put him right around the 50th percentile. He was a little upset about getting a shot, but did well and didn't fight the nurse at all. He was more excited getting a bandage and a sucker and getting out of the doctor's office in order to go to a birthday party at Pump It Up (an inflatable party place). We made it to the party 1 1/2 hours late and he didn't get to jump very long, but he didn't mind at all. He is such as easy going little boy!

Adalynn is also gaining well. She gained 27 ounces in about 30 days, which is exactly what she should be doing. It puts her at 9 pounds 4 ounces. We can definitely tell she is getting bigger. She is beginning to get rolls on her thighs and her cheeks have filled out tremendously. She is such a good baby. No offense to Broderick and Camden, but she's definitely got them beat! She sleeps so well at night (only waking up once and then going right back to sleep). She also sleeps a lot later than the boys in the mornings (until 8:30/9:00). She rarely fusses and usually it is only because she is wet/dirty, cold/hot, hungry, or gassy.

My uveitis is still flaring up and I am still on the dilating drops and steroids. The dilating drops are miserable. I can't see squat and they give me headaches as my eyes are working hard to try to focus. I do have an appointment with my regular doctor next week. He is going to do some blood work. There is a possibility of having an underlying medical condition that is causing the uveitis. He wants me to start seeing an opthamologist instead of an optometrist, as well as have the blood work done. Uveitis itself is a pretty serious condition that can cause blindness and some of the other conditions (like Lupus-are a little frightening). I will keep you posted as to what happens next.

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Go, Diego, Go--Camden turns 3

Camden woke up this morning wanting to know if it was time for his party. He couldn't wait for the "families" to get here so he could have his cupcake party. Not a birthday party, but a cupcake party. We spent the morning decorating the Baby Jaguar and Diego cupcakes. They were a little time consuming, but turned out very nicely. Camden was so excited when the first guests arrived. Heather and Jesse came with Heather's dad and her sister. Her dad and sister were visiting from Indiana and celebrating Heather's birthday with her (which is today...HAPPY BIRTHDAY HEATHER). Our friends, the Durkees, and the Taddas were also able to celebrate this special day with us.

After a hot dog dinner (Camden's request), we played "Put the Spot on Baby Jaguar", ate the adorable cupcakes, and opened presents. Camden loved all of his Diego presents and wanted to share them with the person who got them for him. He didn't quite understand that they were for him. Heather and Jesse are opening a savings account for him and will do the same for Broderick and Adalynn. This is one present that I am sure Camden will enjoy in 15 years when he goes to college.

All in all, it was a simple, but fun day. We can't believe that Camden is already 3 years old. Wow-time really flies!

Tubes, Extra Eyes, Teeth, Birthdays, Smiles, Milk Coming Out of Ears, and Peckers Wearing Underwear as Helmets

Yes, I know a very interesting title. Hopefully it got your attention though. Starting at the beginning....



TUBES/EXTRA EYES-Broderick successfully underwent surgery on Wednesday morning. He had tubes put in both ears for the second time (the first being when we was just over a year). We arrived at the hospital bright and early (6:15 a.m.). A huge thanks goes to Autumn for waking up super early to come and stay with Camden and Adalynn for us! They gave Broderick some medicine at about 6:45 to help relax him. Boy did it! He was hilarious. He was slurring his speech and smiling the entire time. He couldn't even sit up by himself or remember his sister's name. The nurse came to get him around 7:05 to take him back for his scheduled 7:15 surgery. 45 minutes later John and I were still sitting in the waiting room and getting very worried. They told us it would only take 15 minutes and he would be done. The nurse had come into the waiting room and gotten several other parents, but not us. Finally at 7:55, she came and got us. She said Broderick took FOREVER to wake up from the anesthia. When we went back to the recovery area he was still very out of it. He first wanted to know if it was time to get his tubes. We answered this question at least 3 times. He also was seeing double vision and told me that I needed to put away my extra eyes. He would lean forward and look at me and say "gone" -meaning the extra eyes, and then lean back and say "they're back, put them away". John and I laughed so hard! He finally began to be more with it and we were out of the hospital by 8:30. He was back to his normal self and he and Camden were rough-housing/playing before lunch time.






TEETH/BIRTHDAYS-Camden got to go to the dentist for the first time ever on Thursday. It was also his 3rd birthday! He was so excited about getting a new toothbrush at the dentist and talked about it all week. He loved getting his package in the mail from Mamaw and Papa and immediately put on his new monster truck shirt. We went out to dinner at a Japanese Steakhouse (his choice) on Thursday night and we will celebrate with a "Go, Diego, Go' party on Sunday with friends.

MILK COMING OUT OF EARS-Pumping is going very well and I am already developing quite a little freezer stash. We are beginning to wonder where to put it all. 400+ ounces is a lot and that is only in 5 weeks. Camden likes to help me and loves being read to while I pump. He will even ask "is it time yet?". Here is a picture of Camden helping me gather my pump parts. John asked him where the parts go and Camden responded with here-placing both horns onto his ears!

SMILES-This one is quite simple....Adalynn is smiling for real now-not just the sleepy baby smiles, but real ones. We love her "wide smile" as they call it in the cleft world. Did you know that 1 child in every 700 live births is cleft affected?

PECKERS WEARING UNDERWEAR AS HELMETS-The boys love their hockey sticks that daddy got them at a Thrasher's Game last year. They often play hockey in the kitchen with a stuffed puck. Last night they were playing hockey against each other. Camden had the bright idea to wear his underwear as a hockey helmet. Broderick quickly followed suit. Both boys then went upstairs and returned with socks on their feet (to help them skate) and on their hands (as gloves). Broderick then announced that Camden's team was the "Peckerliers" and his team was the "Peckers". They were too cute.

On a side note, my uveitis has flared up again. I am on a steriod eye drop as well as a dilating drop to help with the pain. I have a follow-up appointment next week to see if the drops are working. I will probably call my regular doctor and check with him about getting some bloodwork done to see if there are any underlying causes for the uveitis.

We apologize to anyone who read this post looking for something other than what was written. Plain and simple life at the Frye house, nothing more, nothing less!!!

In My Daughter's Eyes

In my daughter's eyes,

I am a hero.

I am strong and wise,

And I know no fear.

But the truth is plain to see:

She was sent to rescue me,

I see who I wanna be,

in my daughter's eyes.

In my daughter's eyes,

everyone is equal,

Darkness turns to light,

And the world is at peace.

This miracle God gave to me,

Gives me strength when I am weak.

I find reason to believe,

in my daughter's eyes.

And when she wraps her hand around my finger,

Oh, it puts a smile in my heart.

Everything becomes a little clearer.

I realize what life is all about.

It's hangin' on when your heart has had enough;

It's givin' more when you feel like givin' up.

I've seen the light:

it's in my daughter's eyes.

In my daughter's eyes,

I can see the future.

A reflection of who I am,

And what will be.

And though she'll grow

and, some day, leave:

Maybe raise a family,

When I'm gone,

I hope you'll see,

How happy she made me,

For I'll be there, in my daughter's eyes.

song by Martina McBride

Getting Bigger Each Day

Adalynn is growing up sooo fast! I remember how anxious I was for Broderick to grow up. I wanted him to get bigger and do more each day. Now, with Adalynn I can't believe how fast it is flying and how I want her to stay little. She is a very strong little lady and has been holding her head up on her own for weeks. On Sunday evening, she decided that one easy way to get out of tummy time is to just get off of your tummy. SHE ROLLED OVER!!! John and I couldn't believe it. She did it again on Monday evening--so it is real and not just a fluke.

She also seems to have gained a lot of weight. Her newborn clothes are barely fitting and her 0-3 months are finally fitting great. We haven't even attempted anything bigger than that, but hopefully she will be there soon. She has way too many adorable summer dresses in the larger sizes. Her weight will be checked next week with her regular pediatrician-a suggestion from the cleft team at Scottish Rite. Her regular 2 month check-up is mid-August. She will get her first set of shots then.

Attempting to Go...and Failing

Well, we attempted our first major outing that required us to be somewhere by a certain time(besides doctor's appointments and such) and we failed. Allison, a friend, got married on Saturday just outside of Rome, GA-a 2+ hour drive. We were doing really good, we all got up early (8ish) on Saturday morning, I cut all 3 of the boys hair, ironed all of the clothes, John went to the office, and then grabbed lunch at McDonalds. We planned on leaving around 12:30 (the wedding was at 3).

Well, we walked/ran out of the house at 12:55. We remembered everything major...kids, changes of clothes, diaper bag, breastpump, bottles, etc. We did realize before we got to the end of our road that we forgot the camera, but we knew we were running too late to turn back. We get onto GA 316 and then I realize that I am not certain that I turned my straightening iron off. I finally (after debating it for several minutes) said something to John about it. He immediately did a u-turn and headed back home.

He ran back inside and checked-of course, it was unplugged! This gave him time to grab the camera and semi-clean up the mess the dog made (in the 10 minutes we were gone, he had gotten onto the kitchen table and knocked off the drinks leftover from lunch). Well, finally at 1:04 we were on the road for the second time.

The boys quickly fell asleep and the rest of the ride was uneventful (besides sitting in traffic through Atlanta too many times to count). We made it to the church-late but we made it!

We decided to head on in and attempt to sneak in. Yes, I know sneak into an already in progress wedding with 3 kids, impossible, but we were going to do it. Well, Camden had to go the bathroom and luckily there was one right when we walked into the church. I went ahead and took him in and John, Broderick and Adalynn waited in the foyer. Just as Camden and I are walking out of the bathroom, they are applauding and opening the sanctuary doors. Allison and Michael were married and we missed the whole thing. We were priveleged to be the first ones to greet them as husband and wife since we were waiting in the foyer as they came out.

We said congratulations and then headed to the reception. It was probably for the best anyways, kids can be kids at a reception and noise isn't an issue. We ate, celebrated with Allison and Michael, and then headed back to Athens.

Camden and Broderick split a frozen Coke on the way home and Camden had to go the bathroom 4 times, but finally, we made it. The boys were exhausted, as were John and I, and we all crashed. Adalynn, of course, did fantastic and looked beautiful in her white dress. John and I decided that we would let her break the "fashion don't" and wear white to someone else's wedding.