First day of Kendall-garten!

After Meet the Teacher, Kendall started to seem a little more nervous about the first day of school. We prayed that she would be excited and brave and would love it. The night before school, we read a poem that Ms. Woodward had given her when we met her. It was about being a little nervous and excited about school and not being able to sleep. She said to sprinkle the confetti she gave her under her pillow and it would help her sleep. :)

Kendall woke up so excited about school! It really helped me to see her so happy and ready to go. No time for tears! She got dressed, ate breakfast, and then we took her picture.

She had put a baby doll in her backpack several days before when she was getting everything ready. Right before we walked out the door, she unzipped her backpack, took the baby out, and slipped her baby bear in that she sleeps with every night. NOW she was ready to go!

 It started pouring right as we parked. Michelle came to the house to stay with the little girls so Randy and I could both take Kendall. We were so thankful for her!

 She brought this plant to give to her teacher. :)

She was all happy and ready to go until we walked into the cafeteria. There were a lot of students in there and she all of the sudden got very overwhelmed and grabbed onto our hands. We found her class, and they were lining up to get ready to head to the class. We walked with her.

Once we got to the door of her class, Ms. Woodward gave them some instructions and then let them go find their names on the tables. The secretary was there to help and she is our friend's mother in law. She told Kendall that she would walk her in and Kendall grabbed her hand and let her! She didn't even look back! We were thankful we didn't go in with her and have to make an exit - I think that would have been harder. She didn't have any tears and she was so brave, even though her face looked like she was feeling pretty scared. She went right to her nametag and sat and started working a puzzle. Randy and I peeked in and took a few pictures, but she never saw us and she did fine!

 

 And I didn't even cry! The night before I had a little melt-down when I was putting her to bed. She was all tucked in and ready to go to sleep, but after a few minutes she came out and told me she couldn't fall asleep. I went in and rocked her and then put her back in bed. She started asking me questions about school, like what she would do if she needed to go to the bathroom, and who would eat lunch with her. She asked me if I would come eat lunch with her, and I told her I couldn't until a few days into school, after they learned how to eat lunch in the cafeteria. I told her Ms. Woodward would probably be eating lunch with her though, and then she said, "but what if I want to hug you? You won't be there for me to hug you!" Oh my heart! I said something about asking Ms. Woodward for a hug when she wanted one, and that she was going to be having so much fun that she wouldn't even think about it, and then I walked out and lost it! I was glad I didn't cry in front of her, but she made me so sad. The hardest part for me about her going to Kindergarten is just that she won't be with me all day, and that she will spend the majority of her day under someone else's influence. I feel like five years has not been that long for her to spend all of her time with me! Anyway - night before was hard, but I held it together the morning of. :)
It rained all day Monday, so the little girls and I just stayed home and played all day. Plus, we were trying to figure out our new schedule with Kendall being at school, so we had lunch earlier than normal, put Calli down for her nap early, and then had to leave about 2:40 to go get Kendall. Cooper and Calli played together so well all day! It was fun to have some time with just them.

 

And then it was time to pick her up! Randy met me and all four of us went to get her. We couldn't wait to talk to her! Her class was one of the first ones out.

She was all smiles after school! And Ms. Woodward said she did great - no tears! Her friend from church, Alivia, is in her class. So thankful for good friends!

 Gigi had sent Kendall $5 for a treat after her first day of school, so we all went to Chick fil A for some ice cream!

 Loved this note from her teacher in her folder! I thought it was so sweet of her to write a personal note just about Kendall - I remember how hectic the first day of school is for a teacher!

 We are so proud of our happy, brave girl! She's had a great week so far and has had lots to tell us about each day. We are so excited about Kindergarten! 

 

Kendall's Meet the Teacher

Last Thursday was Kendall's Meet the Teacher! She was so excited to go, but once we got there and saw all the crowds of people, she got pretty overwhelmed. We had to weave through a long line to turn in paperwork and then we were given her teacher's name and were able to go to her room! Here she is with her pass to her class. She was not in a picture-taking mood.

 

Her teacher's name is Ms Woodward and she is so sweet! Kendall was very apprehensive when we walked in the classroom, and she wanted us with her the whole time. Ms Woodward asked her how she spells her name and if she could tell her her birthday. Kendall held on to her hair like this the whole time.

After she visited for a little bit, she was able to go explore the classroom. She and Cooper went to the reading center. Looking around the room helped her relax a little.

 We took a picture with Ms. Woodward before we left. Sweet Kendall - still very nervous.

Right before we left, I noticed these nametags and saw that hers was pink and purple. That made her give us the first real smile of the day!

After this, for the first time all summer, she started telling us she was nervous about starting school on Monday. We had lots of conversations about it all weekend and then finally the first day of school was today!

Calli's Palate Surgery

Calli's surgery to close her palate was last Thursday, August 15th. Exactly three months post lip surgery and 4 months after we brought her home.

Our doctor told us to expect this recovery to be much harder. To expect a 3-4 night hospital stay, and that she would be "puny" for about two weeks post surgery. We have been so impressed with how well Calli has done with everything so far, that I think we didn't really believe him. Turns out he was right. We have had a rough week.

Thursday morning we had to be at the hospital at 6:00. Granny came down to LJ on Wednesday, so she was home with the big girls so Randy and I could take Calli. We had a couple of hours in pre-op before they took her back for surgery at 8.

Surgery took about 3 hours, just like Dr. T told us it would. Gigi and Peeps came down and sat with us during surgery, which helped pass the time. I have started sewing Calli's stocking, so that helped keep my hands busy, too! Our ENT put tubes in her ears first, and drained a lot of fluid. It is very common for children with clefts to need tubes because fluid builds up. She'll probably have several sets of tubes over the course of her childhood. It was great to just be able to do it while she was already under for palate surgery. Dr. Roy came out and told us that he was able to place the tubes, that it went fine, but that he drained a ton of fluid and she has "unusually small ear canals." At 11:30, Dr. T came out and said everything went well! Then we had to wait to be told we could go back and see her in recovery - that was the hardest part for me! Knowing she was waking up but hadn't been taken to recovery yet - we just wanted to be with her. I think it was only about 15 minutes until they took us back, but that was the longest wait of the morning.
Here she is with Randy in recovery. She was sleeping much more this time than the previous two procedures. The sweet nurse took her quilt and baby back with her for surgery and when we came in to recovery, we saw that baby even had a bandage. So cute! They put the no-nos on her arms again, just to keep her from sticking her hands in her mouth. We took them off at some point in recovery and never had to put them on her again - thankfully.

Feeding her some juice with a syringe. Sweet baby was so thirsty and I lost count of how many syringes of juice we gave her - more than a dozen.

Her drool was very bloody, so we kept blankets or towels on us most of the first day. After about two hours in recovery, they moved us up to our room and Gigi and Peeps met us up there. She just wanted to sleep/lay on me, and I was so happy to just let her!

 Thursday was just a long day of letting her sleep on and off, and trying to keep her comfortable. She had morphine every hour or so most of that day, and she was on some other kind of pain killer as well. She drank some the first day, but I don't think she ate much. This is how we slept that night - her on my chest and Randy on the couch next to us. We were up every hour or so, but she was at least able to rest some.

Friday morning started around 5:30, so by 8 or so we were ready to get out of the room. There was a very fun play room on our floor, so we carried her down there and played for awhile. Anything to keep her distracted!

She grabbed her cup shortly after surgery and would not let it go the rest of the time we were in the hospital. In fact, she is still sleeping with it at night. So now we have baby, cup, quilt, and a little puppy the girls brought her when they came with Granny. It's a full bed.

The ipad helped keep her distracted, as well. Her face swelled a lot, and it changed a lot throughout the first couple of days. She would lay on one side and then sit up and her face would be swollen a different way. We were glad when the swelling started to go down.

 We had several visitors that helped pass the time so well! Gigi and Peeps stayed all day Thursday, Kathy and Mary came to see us Thursday evening, Lindsey came Friday morning, Mary and Nathan came and brought us dinner Friday night, and Michelle and Kaitlin came and brought us Sprinkles cupcakes Friday night. But the most exciting visitors for Calli were her big sisters. Granny brought them on Friday and she got excited for the first time our whole visit when those sweet girls walked in! They brought her some balloons, flowers, and a baby puppy, but she was mostly just excited to see them. Kendall and Coop were so sweet, hugging on her and talking so gently to her. Lindsey had brought some markers and coloring sheets, so the girls loved coloring those together. We all went and ate lunch in the cafeteria, and then when we came back, Calli fell asleep on Granny. She was enjoying having her Granny hold her, which gave me a little break - up until then I had been holding her the whole time.

 Friday night went much better than Thursday night, and by Saturday morning at 7, the doctor had come in to tell us we could go home! It took awhile to get our prescriptions ready, so we left around 11 and were home by noon! Granny and Papas had cleaned the whole house, went to the grocery store for us, and picked up lunch and dinner. They took the girls to swim while we napped with Calli, and we were so thankful for all their help!

Mary and Kathy even organized meals for us for this week after surgery! I didn't think we would need it, but her recovery has been so hard and she has just wanted to be held all the time that it has been so great to not worry about food. Kathy and Jerry Peters came over Sunday afternoon with a LARGE ice chest full of Bluebell, popsicles, and chocolate syrup! So fun! We've had meals from the Hundls, Erskines, Picks, Mitts, Hendersons, Whiteheads, Coopers, and Watsons. I can't even say how thankful we have been!!

So our week has been spent at home, in our pajamas, just being lazy and taking care of Calli. She has been waking up three to four times a night and has been on pain meds every three hours. Today (Friday) has been the best day yet and we're hopeful she is getting better! Kendall and Cooper have been such big helpers - mostly by being easy so I could focus on Calli. They've gotten a little extra tv time this week, more time on the computer, and had a lot of time just playing together. They've been great. Calli and I have been rocking, walking, trying to eat some, and just sitting together. I've been so thankful for the way she has let me love on her and comfort her - I think I'll post about that later.

She's eaten a few bites of mashed potatoes, some yogurt, green beans, lots of ice cream, and even some cereal! She's so tough and brave - and maybe starving - that even though it hurts after just a couple of bites, she keeps trying new things! We're amazed at her.

Some days she's just needed to ride in the carrier and stay close. And I'm ok with that! BTW - she has her puppy and her cup somewhere in there. It never leaves her these days! 0

 This week has been hard, but we are so impressed with Calli and amazed at her bravery. It must be so strange to have a roof of her mouth when she's never had anything up there before, to breathe a different way, and to have the amount of pain that she has had. But she has been so awesome, has let us love on her, and has just been great! We're so thankful! Thank you for your prayers for her!

Oh - yesterday was our post-op appointment with Dr. T and he said everything looks like it should! He said to expect her behavior to be like this for about another week. She is collecting food in the roof of her mouth, which looks bad to us, but he said that is to be expected and isn't a problem as long as she is drinking. He said she is very impressive and very beautiful. We knew that! We'll go back and see him in 6 weeks! 

Kindergarten Date

Last night we were able to have a special date with Kendall! Michelle came over and stayed with the little girls while we took Kendall out for a couple of hours. We wanted to spend some time alone with her before Kindergarten starts, and since that's 2 weeks from yesterday and Calli's surgery is Thursday, we decided we needed to go ahead and do it!

First we went shopping and got her new tennis shoes and a new dress to wear on the first day of school. Then we went to have her favorite food for dinner - pancakes! She was so excited and even when we were shopping, she kept saying, "When are we going to go eat pancakes?" The girl loves pancakes.

When we were at dinner, we gave her a card we made for her that we plan on framing or displaying somehow in her room. I read The Circlemaker sometime before Kendall's 5th birthday and had the idea from that book to pray some very specific things for the girls. Randy and I started talking and praying about 5 words that we wanted to pray for Kendall - things that we see in her or want to bring out in her. We finally agreed on this list, and decided we wanted to give it to her before she started school.

We told her the words, talked about each one, and talked a lot about what we want for her in Kindergarten. We asked her what she was most excited about, if she felt nervous at all, and just had a sweet little conversation about her going to school. It's still hard to believe it's really happening! We know she will love it and that she will have so much fun. We're so proud of her and are thankful to get to watch her continue to grow and have new adventures!

 

Rainy Day Fun!

We haven't had much rain lately, but we did have one day last week where it rained a little in the morning! Kendall said, "Mom, I have been wanting and wanting to go play in my playhouse in the rain - can I go?" I wasn't sure how to say no to that, so since we were just spending some time at home that morning, I told her she could. She put her rain coat and boots on and took her stegosaurus and headed out to the playhouse! She didn't want to do a lot out there - I think she just thought it would be fun to be in her little house in the rain. :) Love it!

So of course once Cooper realized what she was doing, she asked if she could go too. They both still had their pajamas on.  

 One last picture before I let them get to their playing! Cooper makes this face in almost every picture she knows we're taking. Randy's convinced she's going to be making this face in her senior pictures.

They played just for about 20 or 30 minutes before they were ready to come in. It was so much fun to watch them get so excited. I'm loving days like this!

Just Can't Get Enough

This is our little surfer girl! She played with a boogie board of Debbie's when we were at the beach one weekend and decided she loved surfing, so Debbie bought her her own board! What surfing means to her is going out to about her waist-deep in the water, laying on her stomach, and letting us and the waves carry her back up the sand. She wants to do it over and over again! One time when we were "surfing," she said, "I just can't get enough!" So sweet!

 

 And, as much seaweed as we've had all summer, this trip to the beach was clear, the tide was out a little, and it was perfect! The two little girls loved playing right where the water hit. I just love watching them! I told Calli to turn around and she smiled right when she saw I was going to take a picture. She's just learning and changing so much these days!

Love our beach days and love this surfer girl!

Kendall the Artist

Kendall is always creating art. Always. Several pieces every day. She loves it. And so do we! The other day she drew this picture of Molly sliding down her ramp that we (still) have next to our bed. She said "She is having so much fun sliding down her ramp!" She asked us if she could put it on the wall next to Molly's bed. So here's the picture, the placement, and the artist.

That's just about all I have to say about this picture. ;)

First Sunday in the New Building!

 July 28th was our first Sunday to worship in our new church building! Everyone has worked so hard for a long time to get ready for this Sunday, so we were all very excited. Parking and traffic was crazy, but we had a lot of new families come and check out BPF, so that was super awesome. We had to take a family picture on such a big day ;) Notice Cooper's rain boots - those are her shoes of choice lately. I love it.

Even though the girls had the same teachers and same friends in their classes, and we had been up to the building before Sunday to check out their new classrooms, they all three still had a pretty hard time going to their classes. I had a sweet friend who will be a Senior in HS this year meet me and help me get the girls to their classes, and she was such a big help. Three is a lot to manage, with Cooper and Calli being so little and all three of them being super clingy! We've had two more Sundays since then and they have gotten better each time! So thankful!

Kevin, Jan, Alden, Christian, Greg, Jeff and Jen drove over from Galveston to come to the first Sunday in the new building. Auggie took the girls walking around the campus after church was over and took their pictures several places. This is at the back of the property, looking out towards the small pond. The girls love to talk about the "underwater otter" that lives in there.

And this is the new Clubhouse where the preschool-age children go to hear the story, pray and sing songs. Both Kendall and Cooper love going to the Clubhouse each week.

Our preschool director, Erin Martin, asked Kendall if she would draw a picture to hang in the Clubhouse. She felt pretty honored to do that, and she drew a colorful peacock. Here it is! I love how proud she is.  

We're loving being in the new building and we're so thankful for it!