Veggie Tales

Last week we were given tickets to a local VeggieTales performance. Mike was unable to attend but I knew that the kids would both love it and I didn't want to miss the opportunity just beacuse Mike wouldn't be there. I decided that I could handle taking the kids to the concert by myself but I knew I'd need some moral support so I asked a friend and her son to join us. Our entire day was structured around attending the 7pm concert....late naps, early dinner, etc. We got to the concert and I decided to put Olivia in the stroller and have Peter walk with me. We met up with my friend and her adorable son,
J', and got our seats. Olivia stayed in the stroller and had the best view since she could see straight down the asile to the stage. Olivia started giggling the moment the lights dimmed and the concert started. She LOVED it! I wish I'd gotten better pictures of her but whenever I'd take her picture the flash would distract her from the concert so I just gave up and let her enjoy it.



Peter and 'J' had a blast! 'J' is about 6 months older than Peter, but they look so much alike!






Seriously, they could be brothers! They really are too cute for their own good! They shared snacks with eachother very nicely and I know that there are plenty of playdates in our future!





Towards the end of the concert Peter and 'J' were getting a little sleepy.



Rather than risk having to carry two very tired little boys all the way back to the car we decided to head out a few minutes early and miss the traffic. I'm rediculously pround that I was able to take both kids out by myself so that we could share this experience! I know it'll get easier as Peter gets older but right now it's a challenge just to leave the house!



If you're not familiar with VeggieTales here's a link to a video of one of our favorites!

Organizational Day

A couple of weeks ago Mike's unit here at Ft. Bragg had an Organizational Day for the families. Olivia had school but Peter had a blast and we were able to learn a little more about what Mike does everyday!



They had one of their M777 155 Howitzer Guns on display. Peter was quite confident that he knew exactly what to do!







Mike's unit now is the ONLY Airborne 155 MM Battalion in the world. They throw these guns out of the plane and then they jump out of the plane after.



Later on in the day they shot several rounds from this big gun but it was so loud! I was too busy trying to protect Peter from permanent hearing damage that I wasn't able to take pictures of that excitement.

Mike showed Peter how to work the MK19 Grenade launcher.



I got to shoot an M4 rifle.



Mike took Peter for a ride in his Humvee.







All in all it was a fun day. It was interesting to learn more about what Mike does.

11/5/10 and 11/6/10 Thankful for.....

November 5, 2010--I am thankful for new friends and VeggieTales and I am glad I got to enjoy both tonight!

November 6, 2010--I am thankful for Saturday Breakfast at our house and kids all snug and warm in footie pj's. I love how they're interacting with eachother!

 

18 month Post-Transplant Clinic Visit

We headed to Duke this past week for an 18 month post-transplant exam. Olivia continues to do well medically and they drew labs to test her immune function. We won't have results for about a week but we're hoping that they show that Olivia's immune function is strong enough to allow us to begin immunizing her. During Olivia's transplant her immune system was completely wiped out so she needs to get all of her immunizations again, from the beginning (this is the case for all people who have bone marrow or stem cell transplants). Olivia does have an ear infection, again. I suspect that the ear infection that Olivia had at the beginning of October never cleared up completely. They did get a sample from Olivia's ear and did a culture on the ear wax. It turns out that there is some bacteria growing in her ear and it's gram-positive and the antibiotic that we were using back in October was not as effective in fighting gram-positive bacteria so we've switched antibiotics. Hopefully this one will work better. Running this extra step is a simple enough process but it takes time and money and it's something that would never have been done at our "home" hospital. It is always such a pleasure to go to Duke. We've come to really appreciate that they treat us as partners in Olivia's medical care. I know that there are plenty of excellent doctors and nurses at our local hospital here at Ft. Bragg however the expertise and experience of the doctors and nurses at Duke on the PBMT Team at outstanding. I spend so much time and energy advocating for Olivia it is so nice to be able to go to an appointment where I know that they have the knowledge and expertise to help Olivia without me having to advocate for her!


I desperately tried to get a picture of the two of them together but I didn't have the nice camera and it was impossible to get both of them looking at me at the same time!





Now the best news of the day. Olivia has been playing independently and appropriately with toys more and more often. I was so excited to snap these pictures of her playing with a toy car while we were waiting. I know it's just a simple thing but it makes me so happy to see her playing purposefully and having fun!