Fresh Start!

We are finally moved in and are loving our new smaller home! It was quite the process to move from a home probably triple the size of this house. But we love it! Noelle can get around the home with ease and doesn't have to be trapped in one room because of oxygen tubing. She can now pretty much roam the house with the concentrator in the middle of the house. One level living is where its at!! I LOVE IT! I can't believe we hesitated to do this! Our old house actually goes up for auction at the courthouse today. I'm happy to be done with it all. Our bankruptcy was officially closed this past week as well. It is a great feeling to have a fresh start financially.

Andon is doing great in school and is starting to read! He amazed me last night when he spelled out that he was ready for his B-A-T-H! He is really sounding out letters and sounds. His education at Dynamic Life has been amazing. I love them. We are considering keeping him there for private kindergarten because they have been truly a blessing for Andon. April 12th is kindergarten registration at the public school he would go to...so we need to make a decision soon. His school had a family night recently and he got up with his class and sang. I couldn't be any more of a proud mama! My boy is growing up before my eyes. I tried to sign him up for T-ball...but I was too late! :( Who knew T-ball signups occured in late January.

It's been a bit of a crazy winter here. Poor Andon was the first to get sick. He had a high fever and tested positive for the flu. It was a rough two weeks for the poor kiddo. Of course, he shared. Noelle was diagnosed with the flu and RSV and admitted to Fairfax for 6 days. I haven't seen her that sick in quite some time. She just slept all day and woke up and cried when people messed with her. 6 days for RSV/flu is not that bad I guess! :)

Basically, Noelle has been sick on and off all winter. Her lungs of course have taken a bit of a hit. Noelle's main pulmonologist (Dr. Fields) and I have been discussing getting a second opinion for a while now. We had started to consult with Nationwide Children's Hospital in Ohio. They have a great BPD (Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia-which is the chronic lung disease that she has) program. To make a long story short, we asked to come up there for an actual evaluation (per Dr. Fields request) and they stated that she had aged out of the program and they were not going to be able to help us. With that, we decided that if we were going to travel to get a second opinion...we were going to go to the best. Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) has the #1 Pulmonary rating in the country. So, we are in the process of trying to get in there soon. I'm not sure what the process is or how long we'll be up there...but I'm ready to go! There must be another reason for her rollercoaster lungs. One day she'll have a great day...the next day, she'll be working so hard and wheezing. It makes no sense.

The great news is....Noelle is progressing in every other way!!! She is really starting to babble and try to put words together. She can form the words with her mouth...but can't quite get them out. It's getting a lot better though. I would say her favorite words are, "NO!" "Mama," "Dada," and "BroBro," which is what she calls Andon. She is walking confidently and trying to jump (which is hysterical to watch!). I have an app on my iPod that has helped her tremedously and she can now identify her shapes and colors. She loves to play hide and seek with her brother! She covers her eyes and attempts to count (I say "one" and she says "dah", I say "two" and she says "dah", and so on and so forth). She loves to listen to music on my iPod...she LOVES to dance and shake her booty! She still has quite the strong personality. She now stomps her foot, throws fits and does other appropriate 2 year old actions. Noelle even went into her room and slammed the door in my face one day when she was mad. It wasn't funny at the time but I can't help but laugh when I think about it now. She acts like she owns the pulmonology office and gets highly offended if people pass her by without saying hi. She walks right back to her room and waves to everyone on the way. She is really a sassy girl. Noelle has always known what she wants...I don't think that will ever change.

I know God has a plan for our family and I put a lot of faith in that. It's not easy to raise a kid with special needs. She makes it fun a lot of times...thank God for her great personality!! She really can go with the flow much better than any kid I know. Sometimes much better than me...

Hope everyone is doing well. Noelle just layed down on the floor and is signing that she's tired. Better go put her down.

xoxo,

Stacie