Bring on the Flowers

A friend of mine showed me how to make cute hair clips and head bands with ribbon and fake flowers. So yesterday, I set my mind to the task and here are the results:

This headband's flower is made pulling the wire from the ribbon and thus gathering the ribbon and then sewing it to keep it all together to make a beautiful delicate flower.

I glued the flower on this clip but first I took the flower apart and sewed a button in the center.

I did the same with this flower except I put it on a headband.


And here is another button-center flower.

This flower I took apart and glued the layers together and put a rhinestone in the middle of each.

Here is another ribbon flower in green.

I also bought some peony flowers that looked really cute on the headband.

I couldn't leave out my baby in her cute rabbit ears.

Happy "Evan Lysacek Day"

Well, today in Naperville it is "Evan Lysacek Day." Evan Lysacek is the American, Olympic gold medal winner for men's figure skating from this year's olympics. Apparently, he is from Naperville. So all of Naperville has become obsessed with the boy including our own little Abby. Evan attended Abby's elementary school when he was young. He is making an appearance there today in front of all the students. He will talk about his favorite book and winning the gold medal.

Abby couldn't be more excited. Yesterday, she was sitting on the toilet singing her heart out with a song she made up about Evan Lysacek. She has been so excited for weeks now about him. We have watched his gold medal skate several times on the internet.

Unfortunately, they have banned parents from coming to the assembly to see Evan because there isn't enough room. I wish I could go see him too. I could go after school where the mayor is presenting him with a key to the city but Abby and Sammy have an Easter egg hunt. Oh well...

Anyway, today I have gotten two calls from the school nurse saying that Abby is complaining that she doesn't feel well. The nurse checked her for a fever and she has none. Her throat looks fine too. She says she has been coughing. She complained of this yesterday as well so we kept her home in the morning so she could be well enough to see Evan Lysacek today. When I asked her on the phone what she wanted me to do, she said she didn't know because she wanted to see Evan Lysacek. But then she called back again saying she was not feeling well but still did not want to come home. The nurse again confirmed that she seemed fine and had no fever. So she is going to tough it out, all in the name of seeing Mr. Evan Lysacek. What a sacrifice! Maybe she is just nervous...

Below is an article about Evan Lysacek making an appearance at the high school near our house:


Naperville Welcomes Home Golden Boy Evan Lysacek


NAPERVILLE, Ill. (CBS) -- Naperville's Golden Boy is celebrating a homecoming. It's "Evan Lysacek Day" in Naperville.

Long before his glory days, he was a student at Nequa Valley High School. Six years after graduating, he returned Friday to receive a "Distinguished Alumni Award."

As CBS 2's Susan Carlson reports, it wasn't quite a gold medal, but you wouldn't know it from the reaction of students.

Lysacek returned to his alma mater with a new rock star status. In the gym at Nequa Valley High School, the gold medal winner was greeted with thunderous applause and students in awe.

"This is crazy," said student Matt Rabe. "It's like before a big football game. I love it!"

"I mean, Evan Lysacek, he's a gold medal winner!" said student Stacey Franco. "He went to our school. We just can't believe it!"

Lysacek told the students to go after their dreams, the type of encouragement he said he was grateful to get from his teachers when he was a student there.

"It's such an honor to be back here," said Lysacek. "It definitely takes me back to when I was leading my double life, trying to be a normal student as much as I could, and train as an elite athlete. This is a day to celebrate, but it's also a day to say thank you to those who have backed me in this community."

The festivities gave Lysacek a little break from training for the "Stars on Ice" show that he's currently preparing for, and his "Dancing with the Stars" partner was with him on stage.

The private pep rally was just the beginning in a series of homecoming honors.

"Isn't he a great looking guy? And he still loves Naperville," said Naperville Mayor George Pradel. He unveiled a street sign, renaming a parkway after the golden boy.

Lysacek will also be presented with a key to the city after another rally later this afternoon.

"First, I'm going to find out exactly what it unlocks because I'm not sure," Lysacek said. "A big safe, maybe. That's what I'm guessing."

No Luck

Well, four weeks have passed and the harness has done little to nothing so we are on to the next step. Alexandra will most likely have surgery in April and then an almost full body cast for 12 weeks (three months)! The cast goes on both legs from her ankles up to the nipple line on her chest. I am still trying to wrap my head around the whole thing....

Here are some pictures from the past month or so.

Here is little Alexandra, harness-free for the month of March!

After the first day or two, the harness did not seem to phase her. She was as happy as can be.

Sammy was "Star of the Day" not long ago and I think it was the greatest day of her life! She wore her crown all day.

We made a poster of pictures of Sammy for her special day.

Sammy made Abraham Lincoln at preschool. I asked her who Abraham Lincoln was and what he did. She replied, "that he put papers in his hat."

Abby and Sammy were being especially good friends one day and wanted me to take their picture.

Abby has become quite the writer and reader. She writes letters to each of us several times a week. When we went into her school's open house, her teacher even showed us a letter Abby wrote to her during her free time at school. She always begins her letters, "I love you. You are the best..." The above is actually one of the shorter letters she has written. It says, "Dear Family, I love you family. You are the best. Mrs. Smith (her teacher at school) teaches me a lot. And she sometimes puts an excellent (on her papers). Love Abby"

Alex started on solids this past month and can't seem to get enough. She is already eating three meals a day and loving everything.

For Valentine's Day, Abby and Sammy gave Daddy a heart attack on his office door. They were very sneaky putting it up so he wouldn't hear them. He was so surprised. We also made heart sugar cookies with lots of frosting and sprinkles to give him as well. Grandma was also here for a visit over Valentine's day and the girls loved spending time with her having puppet shows and doing flannel board stories.


Thanks for reading!

Alexandra's Harness

I took Alexandra to her four month check-up last week and the paediatrician found her right hip to be a bit stiff. She told me it was probably nothing but that I should take her to an orthopaedic doctor just to be safe. I took her this past Monday. I thought it would be quick. However, the doctor came in and moved her leg for about two seconds and immediately diagnosed her with hip dysplasia or a dislocated hip. She then had a series of ultra-sounds done which confirmed the prognosis. She has congenital hip dislocation – where the hip is frankly dislocated, but reducible (I assume that means fixable).



Basically she has developmental problems in her hip which is often present at birth. However, they did not catch it at birth and are only realizing it now. The incidence of hip dysplasia is 4 per 1000 births. It occurs more frequently in girls, breech babies and first-borns (she is a girl but she was neither breech nor the first-born). It also tends to run in families (Neither Abby or Sammy had this problem and Abby was my first-born and breech). If left untreated the long-term consequences are very serious, including a shorter leg and a pronounced limp, with premature onset of arthritis and hip pain.


As a result, the doctor told me she has to wear a harness (or brace) to hold the hip in a reduced position to allow the head of the femur (the ball) to mold the acetabulum (the cup or socket). She has to wear the harness 24/7 for the next two weeks. If there is improvement, she will wear it for another two weeks (four weeks total and possibly longer). If there is no improvement, she will have to have surgery. I was completely shocked at this discovery and quite upset. I did not expect it at all. I felt this massive weight descend on me. I was a mess. They fitted her with the harness that day as well and I took her home. I can’t put any clothes on her, just a onsie and zip-up sleep sacks. Her diaper is difficult to change because you have to squeeze it in through her thigh and belly and the straps get in the way as well. She is difficult to hold and more difficult to settle at night. She also does not fit in the carseat as well.


However despite it all, she really has handled it well. I on the other hand, was a basket-case all day long on Monday. I was completely stressed and upset about it. When night came, I was even more upset, stressed and overwhelmed wondering how she would sleep at all. I was so upset that Charles forced me to sleep in the guest room and took care of her all night. He only came to get me when she was ready to feed at 5am. I basically got a full night’s sleep and have felt much better about the whole situation ever since. She has done well and improves each day to the point where she doesn’t seem very phased by it. I took the harness off for the first time on Thursday to give her a bath and her right leg just stayed in the upright 90 degree angle. She also slept better Wednesday night than she has ever – going to bed at 7pm and not waking until 5am. I am so glad that the doctors caught this now. I just hope that this harness can do the trick and she will not have to have surgery.

Here is my poor baby with her legs in the position she will be in for the next two to four weeks or longer - who knows!

This is from the packaging for the harness. As the doctor was taking out the harness and showing it to me for the first time (and my stress levels were increasing by the second), he pointed out that this baby looks quite happy in it....

January

The following pictures are all out of order but I can't be bothered to take the time to arrange them all. It just takes too long. Sorry! They are all from the month of January.

Abby shows off her new kinky-do in her Belle dress. This do is the result of her reggae-do the day before. (scroll down for picture of reggae-do)

Abby's reggae-do. She loved her braids and even wore them to school the next day. It only took me about an HOUR to do it. I am not sure how often she will have this hair style...

Alexandra's FIRST bubble-do

The sign above reads: "Breakfast at the palace. Waffles at the palace. Happy Birthday Cinderella." I still can't get enough of the way Abby spells. It is so cute. I absolutely refuse to correct her "S" too. I love that it is backwards.

I think Alexandra is so happy in her bumbo seat because I got early Valentine Day roses.

This is an adorable picture Sammy drew of Ammon, the sheep and the cut-off arms from the Book of Mormon. (the sheep is at the bottom)

Sammy can now write her own name and is very proud of it! She has one of the best teachers - Miss Abigail - who diligently and patiently works with her on all her letters. It is a very good school, I would highly recommend it.

Clowning around with Aunt Cindy. Abby and Sammy couldn't get enough of Aunt Cindy. They had lots of movie parties, dance parties and early morning cuddles when Auntie Pat and Cindy were in town. Cindy was wildly popular.

Auntie Pat holds little Alexandra. She and Cindy are the first people in the family to meet her.

Abby learned about Martin Luther King Jr. one day at school and became obsessed. That day she asked to go to the library and get some books about him. How could I turn her down? So on Martin Luther King Day we made a paper chain representing all of the different skin color of people in the world. We also made black and white cookies (famous in NY), read books about him and colored some pictures. Abby said to me that "Martin Luther was a good man. He made it so little black children could go to school with little white children."

Here is what Abby made at school for MLK day.

Every morning during Auntie Pat and Cousin Cindy's visit, Abby would put messages on the board for them to read. It was a sad day when Pat and Cindy had to leave.

Another message for Auntie Pat and Cousin Cindy!

We were so privileged to have a visit from Auntie Pat and cousin Cindy. It was so fun to have them at our house. We had lots of good food, ate out at some great restaurants and just enjoyed each other. We celebrated Auntie Pat's birthday with a giant cake, lots of decorations, a hawaiian lei made by Abby and Sammy and a fantastic sign wishing her a happy birthday.

Abby and Sammy worked very hard on the sign for Auntie Pat's birthday. We secretly decorated the house, made her lei and got everything ready to surprise Auntie Pat when she woke up from her nap.

The lady of the day!

Daddy somehow managed to get under Alex's playmat and get some good kicks in with her.

The girls!

My big three month old girl!

Another drawing from Artist Sammy

....and here is the Artiste herself, hard at work!

Two sisters squeeze into a chair together for a cuddle

Here is our little artist again in her ballet/princess gear hard at work.

Thanks for viewing our pictures. The month of January was a good one for us. Thanks to Pat and Cindy for making it extra special and so much fun!