CAT Scan, Christmas, and Bubble Baths

On December 21st Chloe had her CAT Scan. She did great, especially for not eating for over 12 hours. We got to the Children's Hospital and got her checked it. She was it such a good mood, happy as could be. 

They called us back and explained to us how it would work. We checked all her vitals and then got her changed into a little hospital gown. Still as happy as ever.

Then they took her back to give her the anesthesia. It took about 20 minutes and once we got back to see her she was already waking up, which was the saddest part. She was so out of it,  she was crying and didn't have the strength to hold up her head. 

We got the results back and found out she does need to get the bump on her neck removed (we suspected they would have to), however, they want to wait until she is at least a year old unless any problems arise before then. We will go back in when she is about 11 months old and figure out a game plan for the surgery. 

For Christmas we spent time at both Scott's and my parents house. Chloe was hilarious. She only wanted to play with the ribbons and could care less about her presents. 

I forgot to read her the Night Before Christmas on Christmas Eve, so instead I read it to her on Christmas Day. It was a tradition my mom always had with us growing up and one I was to have with my children as well. 

The following days, Chloe found the joy of playing with boxes. She would push it around, crawl inside, and pull herself on top (all on her own).

She got lots of bath toys for Christmas, because bath time is probably one of her favorites. It is so much fun to see her splash and enjoy the water. We decided to try a bubble bath for the first time last night and it was definitely a good idea. She loved it. 

On the GO!

Chloe has been trying to crawl so much lately, but she has only been able to move a step or two before falling on her belly. Well, on Tuesday afternoon she took off across the room for the first time. She hasn't stopped moving since. She is constantly in our Christmas tree and playing in the presents. She wants to play with the other little boy I watch, but he is not quite 4 months old yet and she gets a little to rough (swinging her hands and grabbing him). So, it has definitely been a game of chase and I am sure it will only get harder before it gets easier. She is a blast though so I guess it is worth it. 

Just a little update: as you may have heard me mention before, she was born with a "gill". Basically when babies are developing, they have little "gills" that help form body parts and then they seal up before birth. With Chloe, one of hers on her neck didn't seal up. When this happens it is very common for the "gill" to get infected because there is a small airway. Chloe has been lucky and hasn't had an infection, however, tomorrow she will be getting a CAT Scan to see how deep it goes and if it will cause damage. Then we will find out if she needs to have it surgically removed or not. Most likely, because there is always a chance of infection, she will need to have it removed. I know she will do great with it, but it makes me a little sad because I know in order for her to get the CAT Scan, she has to be under an anesthetic. I know she will be fine though.  

A Bit of Comfort

With the horrible tragedy that took place on Friday in Connecticut I have had a really hard time. I have had nightmares and a really hard time sleeping and getting it off my mind. On Friday I shared tears with family members and a big, long hug (that still didn't quite feel long enough) with my dad. That night we snuggled our daughter a bit more than usual and I had a hard time saying goodnight to her.

This tragic event has touched many lives. My prayers go to the families and friends of all those directly affected. I pray that they find comfort and peace in such a hard time. I pray that they may allow Christ by there side, and help them to heal.

A friend of mine shared this, and I found a lot of comfort in it. I wanted to share in hopes that it might bring some comfort to others as well.


twas' 11 days before Christmas, around 9:38
when 20 beautiful children stormed through heaven's gate.
their smiles were contagious, their laughter filled the air.
they could hardly believe all the beauty they saw there.
they were filled wit

h such joy, they didn't know what to say.
they remembered nothing of what had happened earlier that day.
"where are we?" asked a little girl, as quiet as a mouse.
"this is heaven." declared a small boy. "we're spending Christmas at God's house."
when what to their wondering eyes did appear,
but Jesus, their savior, the children gathered near.
He looked at them and smiled, and they smiled just the same.
then He opened His arms and He called them by name.
and in that moment was joy, that only heaven can bring
those children all flew into the arms of their King
and as they lingered in the warmth of His embrace,
one small girl turned and looked at Jesus' face.
and as if He could read all the questions she had
He gently whispered to her, "I'll take care of mom and dad."
then He looked down on earth, the world far below
He saw all of the hurt, the sorrow, and woe
then He closed His eyes and He outstretched His hand,
"Let My power and presence re-enter this land!"
"may this country be delivered from the hands of fools"
"I'm taking back my nation. I'm taking back my schools!"
then He and the children stood up without a sound.
"come now my children, let me show you around."
excitement filled the space, some skipped and some ran.
all displaying enthusiasm that only a small child can.
and i heard Him proclaim as He walked out of sight,
"in the midst of this darkness, I AM STILL THE LIGHT."

Written by Cameo Smith, Mt. Wolf, PA

Christmas Pictures

Sorry it is so many pictures, but they were all just too cute!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

All I want for Christmas is...

MY TWO FRONT TEETH! 

Chloe finally has both her bottom front teeth coming in. I can't decide if I am excited about it or not. Although I know it is so good because it shows she is growing at a good pace, I am so not enjoying the bitting. She was chewing on Scott's finger the other night, and his nail has teeth marks in it. 

I really am excited about it. I love seeing the little ways she changes every single day. It is just so sad to see her in pain as they break through her gums. And to make it even worse, the second bottom one came at the same time she had a stomach bug. She was feeling so miserable.

Over this Thanksgiving break, we had a stomach bug pass throughout a lot of our family. Chloe got sick on Thanksgiving - throwing up, diarrhea, fever. They over the weekend, Scott and I got sick too. 

Thank goodness we are all finally feeling a little normal again and are able to get back to our regular schedule. 

We got our Christmas decorations up and have been listening to Christmas music. Chloe LOVES the lights. As we strung the lights on our tree she kept trying to crawl (or launch herself) to the lights and played with them. I had to keep pulling them away and keeping them out of her mouth. Once we were done, we had an extra strand of lights and decided to take some pictures.

Piles of Leaves

Yesterday we went to visit Grandma and help her clean up the leaves covering the yard. It was a beautiful day.

Chloe got to play in a big pile of leaves for the first time. It was pretty cute. 

She kept trying to eat them, but don't worry none actually got in her mouth. I did get a picture of her getting pretty close to being successful though. 

All in all, it was a good day.

Chloe's First Halloween

This Halloween was so exciting because it was Chloe's first one. She might not have been able to trick-or-treat, but that doesn't mean she couldn't dress up and still have fun. 

One Friday the 19th, Scott and I volunteered at Scream Scram, which is a charity event for the Boys and Girls Club. It was a 5k run walk and the entire event was Halloween themed. There were costume contests and everyone who participated in the event was dressed up in fun costumes. 

We dressed up too and before leaving we got a picture with the tooth fairy from Delta Dental. 

Then, on the Friday before Halloween, the 26th, our ward had a Halloween party. There were costume contests, a chili cook off, pie contests, and most importantly Trunk-or-treat. We got there, all dressed up. Scott was Severus Snape and I was Tonks from Harry Potter (sorry we don't have a picture), and Chloe was her pumpkin again. We decked out the car (it was really all Scott).

It is a little hard to see, but it had fire lanterns, a cauldron (with a green potion aka dry ice and a green glow stick) and a spell book. And of course we can't forget the candy. It was a fun night. We all went home tired, especially Chloe. 

On Halloween, once Scott got home from work, we got Chloe all dressed up and went to Grandma and Grandpa's.

 She had a few little presents waiting, since she couldn't enjoy all the candy this year. They got her a toy cell phone and Aunt Kelsey had an adorable hat and bow for her. 

She loved opening her gifts, or rather, playing with the tissue paper. 

Afterwards, we went to Grammy and Poppa's to say a quick hello, and enjoy a grape lollipop. She loved it.

It was a fun Halloween. I can't wait until next year when we can actually bring her trick or treating. 

please ignore the orange around her lips, she had carrots and mama might not have done the best job cleaning her up. Oops!