Even Stuart Thinks She's Pretty Cute

I wrote this entry in December but didn't ever post it--I noticed today it was still a draft.

Happy uh, er, Spring?

Going Backwards

We've missed blogging some big events over the last 6 months. Alison and Stuart turned four in September. We had a party and a dinner. Later that week, I called Ryan from Sam's Club crying over my hot dog because I realized that the combination of all the tiniest things that had bothered me about Alison in days before was something serious. We went home and celebrated the first day of Fall at the Falliday Kickoff Party. I had been crying most of the day but intuition told me there probably wasn't a simple answer and I wanted to have a normal evening together as a family and eat with friends before we began what was then unknown. Ryan and I made arrangements for Stuart to stay at the party and then sleep the night and took Alison to the emergency room. That was the last day of normal as we knew it.

Over the next week, they tested and poked Alison until they were able to tell us she had two chronic autoimmune diseases, the combination extremely rare in children, Myasthenia Gravis and Hypothyroidism. Our journey adjusting to a new normal began. I remember when her doctors told us that daily medication every 4 hours, blood product infusions at the hospital, and managing an altered immune system would become normal and I thought. YOU. SURELY. MUST. BE. INSANE.

It has been over 6 months now. I feel like we've been half breathing for a while, waiting for the other shoe to drop, and yet here we are. We have a new baby. Alison started dance classes. Stuart and Alison turned 4 and a half. They both learned how to skip. Stuart goes to gymnastics. Christmas came. Easter came. We planted tulips and they even bloomed.

Alison also takes medication every day, many times a day. She is admitted every month to Primary Children's Medical Center for therapy and has her own pediatric neurologist and pediatric endocrinologist. And miraculously life has become normal--most of the time. (I'm not sure it will ever seem normal explaining to her why her body isn't like Stuart's and that it won't ever be, watching a four year old try to be brave getting IV's placed, or comforting her when she falls or struggles. And when my amniotic fluid sprouted a leak during Alison's 8 hour infusion at PCH the day before my due date signaling the onset of labor--normal was most certainly not how I was classifying the situation.)

Going through pictures of their party 6 months ago I remembered that the first symptoms I noticed were during those celebrations. Alison wasn't exuberant. She had lost her typical facial expressions and she had a difficult time blowing out her candles. We had a combined Princess/Pirate party with their friends, complete with treasure hunts, swabbing the deck, a plank that extended from a boat over crocodile infested waters, princess games and many wee friends and family. My friend Rachel helped me even though we were both horribly nauseous being in the depths of the first trimester woes. One of our revelers lost her lunch at the kid party and Rachel and I were both completely crippled trying to clean it up, comfort our wee friend, and suppress the inner puke ourselves. I don't know if I ever properly thanked her for her help--I was pretty busy vowing to never throw another party ever ever again. Besides missing a lot of blogging opportunities, I have a lot of thanking to catch up on from the last 6 months. We've been so blessed by the generosity and love and service from others.

(Katie and Hank, you made the birthday post. Look how small George is!)

Baby Liza Can't Handle Her Drink

One of my favorite things in the nursery is the pint-sized rocking chair. When we moved the big rocking chair up and put the furniture in the room, Alison dragged her rocking chair from downstairs and set it in the room. It stayed there for 4 months while we waited for Eliza. Now, Stuart and Alison accompany me when I'm nursing. They recognize (and quite appreciate) that they suddenly have a captive audience every 3 hours or so during the day. Stuart came up yesterday, plopped in the chair, started rocking and said, "Mom. I have to talk to you about something." Over the next 10 minutes he proceeded to tell me the plot-line of a dinosaur movie Ryan had brought home and watched with Stu and Ali. This morning Alison was showing off all her dance moves while we listened to pandora radio.

Dancing Queen

Alison has been taking a creative dance class this year. She loves going, telling me about what she learned, and dancing around the house. For convenience, we've scheduled her hospital admittance for IVIg therapy on Thursdays after dance class because PCH is across the street and my girlfriend can take Stuart for the day. The last time we were doing her IVIg she said, "Mothder. Dance days are my favorite days of the week and I don't want to come for my medicine on dance days ever again because it ruins my favorite day." She has a point and we rescheduled at Primary Children's for Wednesdays. Now that it is getting warm enough, she's taken to dancing outside on the lawn where there is more room.

Speaking of PCH and IVIg, the last time we were there we brought Stuart. They were both in the hospital bed awaiting Alison's IV start. The nurse came in and was talking to Stuart.

Nurse: What is your name?

Stuart: Stuart

Nurse: How old are you?

Stuart: I'm four.

Nurse: Oh. You are four too. Are you twins?

Stuart: Yeah. We hatch-ed on the same day.

Eliza Claire

We have a baby and a name. She is so sweet and we're loving her so much. It is hard to believe that she will be one week old tomorrow morning.Her cord fell off today. I was happy because she can now wear more of her diapers but sad because this time around I know how fast she really will grow. I'll blink and she'll be four.

Never was a baby more loved than our Stellaluna. Stuart and Alison insist that is her "first name" because that was the name they started calling her first.

Throughout this pregnancy I told the kids the new baby would come when the tulips bloomed. In September, when we extended our tulip beds and were planting, it gave them some reference on how long it would take to make a baby. On the way to the hospital, at 5 in the morning, I walked around my tulip beds to find the first 3-4 had turned red and were ready for a baby to be born.

There can not be a better time of year to have a baby. The weather is gorgeous and the kids love being outside. They spent Sunday afternoon caring for the flowers by handwatering each tulip... with peri bottles. (psttt... Easter suit and dress)I don't remember too much of Alison and Stuart as newborns. I wish I had 100 times as many pictures as I do of them--especially the things I remember loving and don't have pictures of, like how their little knees looked like they belonged on elephants. This time around I'm trying harder to take the pictures but I know there is going to be plenty I miss because it is just too short. She has a furry back. Her hair curls when it is wet. Her feet are long and skinny. Her hair goes down her cheeks into her face. Her eyes are deep blue. She loves to have her hands right by her face all the time. Her ears look like they may have been drafted by an elf and her nose was flat. Her features are starting to unfold more each day. We really like her.

Baby Sister

April 16th, 2010

11:13 am

7 lbs 6 oz

Happy Easter

Last year the Easter bunny left a gift and a bigger treat in their baskets indoors and hid the rest of the candy is in eggs around the yard. The kids were so excited to do it again this year that a tradition was started. They ran outside first thing this morning, before they even found their Easter baskets, to see if the bunny left eggs out. Guess what, she did! It was a chilly morning at daybreak for the Easter bunny but the kids had so much fun on their hunt.

We watched conference and ate a lot of junk. Emily was staying with us and created this masterpiece during the last session.
Grandma and Grandpa P fed us all turkey dinner and we decorated Alison and Stuart to match afterwards.

Tonight, while I was rubbing Alison's back and saying goodnight she said, "Mothder, when's Christmas?" I said, "Not for a long time Alison. We have to have spring, summer, and fall first honey." With the most dissapointed voice she said, "Oh. But I just love special days."

And I feel the same way. Nothing is better than remembering Christ, spending time with our families, and celebrating life.

Happy Easter!