Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho, It's back to work I go...

Well, even though I filled in on Tuesday evening, I really feel like tomorrow (Friday) is my first "official" day back to work.  It is the first day I have to get up to my alarm clock since the day I left for the hospital (oh, except on baptism day too), it is the first day I have to get the girls ready and get them to daycare before work.  That should be interesting!  I am both looking forward to it and dreading it.  I am ready for more of a routine, I am ready to see my co-workers and feel productive!  I am sad because we are finally getting into a good routine at home.  Kara definitely recognizes and is excited to see me, so I am sad to be leaving her with daycare.  And today as I was rocking her for her nap, I was sad to think that I won't be doing that for the next 3 days.  I am sad to be leaving Allison more again too.  We have had a really good summer.  But I don't worry about her as much at daycare, I know she likes it and has fun.  She already has a routine there (although this is the first time in 3 months that she has to go so early again!  This will take some getting used to by everyone!:).  In the long run, I know it will be good and we will all figure it out and get into a new routine.  But I also know these first few weeks are going to be hard and I will probably cry.

Oh, and Sat. is Jesse and my anniversary.  6 years!  He will be spending his first ENTIRE day with the kids and I will be working ALL DAY LONG.  Happy Anniversary to us.

3 Months - We've come a long way baby!

Yes, we have!  We all - Jesse, myself, Allison, and Kara survived colic.  And we are now blessed with a very happy, smiley and "talkative" 3 month old.  And I think (almost afraid to say it though) we are getting there with sleeping!!!  Why does all this have to happen RIGHT before I go back to work?  Now I just want to stay home with her and Allison!!  (Ok, I am still slightly looking forward to getting back to work).  Miss Kara has been going to bed at 7:30 and sleeping until 6:30 to 7:30 a.m.!  She does still get up once or twice, but I have stopped stressing about it.  She eats and goes back to bed good.  Last night she was up at 11 and then not until 5 and both times was about 15 min.  The girls are spending their first day together at daycare today.  Lucky me, a day to myself before I officially go back to work!!  I did end up going in extra last evening though, they called and caught me at a weak moment and Jesse was home from work already and knowing the kids were going to daycare today I knew I could take an uninterupted nap today, so I agreed.  So, I was more than happy to get up with my baby at 5 a.m.  Speaking of nap...I better get to it.  I have big plans for today and it is slipping away fast!

Valleyfair!

Last Friday I got to take Allison to Valleyfair with Grandma Nancy and Jesse's sister and her family, and Jesse's aunt Mary Jo who was visiting from Montanna!  We also had a friend of MJ's and her daughter, and Kelly and Bella join us.  ANYWAY, I probably wouldn't have thought about taking Allison yet, I felt she was probably a little young and didn't know how she would do on the rides and stuff...well, she LOVED it.  She is such a dare devil!  I couldn't believe how much she loved the rides.  She even got to go on the Octopus ride with me and she went on the scrambler with her Aunt Mandy.  She just shrieked, laughed and giggled the whole time.  She was sooo good.  I was so proud of her.  She did fall asleep on Grandma Nancy for about an hour on the lazy river in the water park!  I couldn't believe it.  But that power nap and the excitement of the day kept her awake almost the whole ride home! 

Miss Kara spent her first day at daycare.  Rhonda's daughter, Hannah, actually watched Kara since Rhonda had 2 other babies that day.  And they had to take Kara with to an appt. that Hannah had.  Kara did great!  They said she was very good!  I was so happy! 

Laser Treatment

Kara had her V-Beam Laser Treatment today at Gillette Children's in St. Paul.  It went very well (the facility is beautiful, BTW).  Except...the ride there AND back.  Kara had to be NPO from 8:30 until her procedure at 1:30 (We had to be there at 12).  I thought it wouldn't be too bad, we would feed her and then leave by 9 and she would sleep at least most of the way.  Well, she woke up by Hutch!!!  Ugh.  And proceded to cry the rest of the way there, falling asleep only just as we were in downtown St. Paul!  And then on the way home we had fed her and I thought she would still be a little sleepy from the anesthesia, well started out good, she fell asleep.  We were leaving the cities at 3:30/4 and the traffic was starting to build so it was a little slow going and then we were STARVING, we hadn't eaten since breakfast so we decided to go through a drive through in Albertville...she woke up.  We tried stopping in Monticello to feed her more and get her out of her carseat for a bit.  Didn't help.  She finally fell back to sleep about Paynsville.  Made for some rough car rides!!!

Anyway, as far as the treatment went, she did great.  We won't know if or how well it worked for a while.  Right now her hemangioma looks about the same.  Maybe even a little swollen (from all the crying or the treatment today I am not sure :)!  We go back to see the Dr. (Dr.Wood) in a month to evaluate things.  We are to call and be seen sooner if it is getting bigger.  He said it would be a success if it is smaller or even the same size since hemangiomas grow the first year of a baby's life.  And it has gotten bigger as far as the swelling goes.  So I really hope it works.  Our options are another laser treatment and/or treating it with the propranolol yet.  So. we'll see what happens.  And they do usually shrink and even sometimes disappear after the first 8-12 months of life.  So many unknowns!!!  So all the prayers are much appreciated and if you would continue to remember us every now and then, I would really appreciate it!!  Thank you everyone for your support and words of encouragement. 

And once again...I have no pics.  Jesse and I took some on our phones, however we are old school and don't have internet on our phones yet.  I am holding out yet.  And I did bring our small camera (I had enough stuff to bring and remember without also trying to bring the cannon!) BUT as luck would have it, battery was COMPLETELY dead.  And it is a rechargeable one, so we couldn't even get some batteries from them (they offered!).  Poor kiddo was so cute. 

Sisterly Love

Today when Kara was fussing, Allison was sooo sweet to her.  First she tried to give her her paci, then she gave her a toy and then a blankee.  Unfortunately none of these things did the trick.  I just can't believe how sweet Allison is to her sister.  It just melts my heart!!!  So proud!

2 Months~

So, I missed the 1 month photo, but here is her 2 month pic...a little late (just in posting, I did take it the week she turned 2 months!).  Love, love those cheekers!!