Graham's First day of Preschool

Holy cow! I can't believe he's old enough to be in preschool! It's the 3s program, 3 mornings a week, at Lake Norman Baptist preschool, same as Eve went last year. We have really come to love the place and the staff, it made me have zero worries and concerns when his time came to start school. 

He didn't have any concerns. He was so excited! On the walk from the car he said "Mom, you're going slowed down, I have school!" So I had to rush as fast as he did.
Everyone who met his eyes got a big "I'm Graham, I'm 3, I have a pack pack (backpack)!" With an enormous grin showcasing his perfect dimples. He rocked it. And I cried in the parking lot after I dropped him off. 

He had the best first day. After I picked him up, I asked him how his day was, and he put his hands on my cheeks, and said "Mom, you're my best friend." followed with a kiss. He's the cutest and sweetest little thing. He's going to be just fine. Good job buddy, I'm sure you made everyone melt in there. 

Paw Patrol

Paw Patrol is this little girl's life line. She loves her puppies! She begs to take them everywhere, and that is the only show she will watch. Nothing else keeps her attention. I took her to Graham's preschool open house, and she didn't make a sound. She's wearing her Paw Patrol shirt, and watching the show with a little pup next to her (not in the picture.) 

Labor Day weekend visit with Auntie April

Auntie came to visit! I kept it a secret from the kids, and she surprised them when she came to the door. It was so awesome to see them jump up and down squealing in excitement to see her.

The weather wasn't awesome, but we made the most of it. We shopped, she took the kids to see Minions the movie, and just spent quality time together. It was just the pick me up we needed, April has impeccable timing. It was a great visit, but that also yields very sad goodbyes. 

Final Pool Day

Break ups are hard. And our relationship with the pool runs deep. But alas, we must say goodbye until next year. I don't know why the close the pool so early, it is swimming weather (at least for us) for another month or two! But by labor day pools shut down. 

Bed head

I wish I slept that well, to warrant that kind of bed head.

Unicorn

I may have spotted my unicorn. All 3 of them, playing the same thing. No one is fighting, no one is left out, and everyone laughing. My heart could burst. Amidst all the doctors offices drama, Eve is as happy as ever, she's awesome.

Break my Heart

My biggest concern was when Eve came home from school, and immediately ran upstairs to change. I Could sense something was wrong, so I asked, "Did your clothes get dirty? why did you change?"

She replied looking at the floor, "no, that shirt makes me look fat."

I feel like I could hear my heart shatter. How could she possibly feel like that? We make a note of never using that word in the house ever, i mean never. If she ever asked "Why do you and dad go to the gym?" We respond with things like "We want to keep our bodies healthy so we can be your parents for a really long time." Never anything but health discussed. 

But somehow, the bloating has made her realize the she looks a little different than the rest. I don't think kids at this age are trying to be mean, but when one asked Eve if there is a baby in her belly, that made her (and us) sad. She's too young for this. She's very mature and intuitive, I've always said shes 5 going on 15. But this is too much.  

We had some good talks about body image, and how God makes us all differently, but we are all perfect the way he made us. We tried on all her clothes and kept everything that makes her feel "awesome", and discarded the ones that don't.

I've been heartbroken about this whole situation, about her health, and how it's affecting her on the inside. The mommy intuition is real, and I've known something is going on for a while. Hopefully we can find ourselves some answers. She is an amazing, brave, smart, and kind little girl, and nothing is going to change that. I'm going to do everything to make sure nothing breaks her spirit. 

Exams, x-rays, and lab work, Oh my!

Well, we went to recheck Eve's height and to check if there is any progress. She grew a little, but not enough to put her on any charts. So, more labs were ordered. I expressed my concerns, about her bloated tummy, thin hair, lack of energy, abnormal BMs etc. 

I also told the doctor that I had taken it upon myself to try out a limited gluten and dairy diet, and that it seemed to help, at least with the bloating.

So we discussed further the possibility of an intestinal absorption problem, possible celiacs, and some other possibilities. 

So he ordered more labs, xrays of her hands to check growth plates and a follow up. They all went very smoothly, Eve is such a champ.

Well, we did get some results. The hand xray indicated that the bones are all chronologically where they should be, which means there's no change of her just "being a late bloomer". And there's something else going on. Thankfully her thyroid is in great condition, which rules out and pituitary problems. Such a relief! I was so glad to hear that! No hormones, no human growth hormones needed, hallelujah! But, we still had no definitive answers. So we did a test, and sure enough her TTG was high. TTG is the antigen marker for Celiacs disease. It's an autoimmune disorder where her body releases antigens in reaction to gluten, resulting in damaging the intestinal walls. Her tests also revealed her being very deficient in crucial vitamins such as iron, vitamin D, and many others.

After meeting with the GI specialist, it was determined that she needs to go to the hospital for an Endoscope. This will confirm celiacs diagnosis, assess the damage and hopefully get us some answers. 

Ladies night

Ladies night. When you can't decide what to get off the "food truck" page of the menu, just order the whole menu. It was awesome, I'm loving getting acquainted with southern food.

The sting that keeps on stinging

About a week later, and it got infected. Once we got home from the beach, I knew something was wrong. The area was red, swollen, and hot. It may explain her poor mood over the previous weekend. 

Took her to see the doc, and by the time we got there monday the infection had spread. Anyway, Long story short, the doctor was worried the infection could have spread to the tendon sheath on the underside of her finger, and we needed the antibiotics to kick in stat. A lot of prayer, and a priesthood blessing mixed with antibiotics, and it seemed to improve just in the nick of time. We were blessed to not have to take her to urgent care for IV antibiotics. Phew! Anyway, all is well and looks like its back to normal.

Lonely Brother

Someone sure misses Eve when she's at school. Good thing he starts preschool next week, because all I hear is, "Awe mom, where's Eve?"

And he lights right up when I tell him its time to go pick her up.

Isle Of Palms Beach, Charleston SC

I got a call around 5:30 pm on friday. Braden said "I've got a quiet weekend, lets go to the beach!" So I cancelled my babysitter, and we packed up the car in 30 mins and headed for the beach. We found a hotel on the way, and headed out to Charleston, SC. 

I love his spontaneity and his willingness to keep things interesting. That's one of the many things I just love about him!

It was a great weekend. It had some ups and downs, Greta was in a foul mood for most of the weekend. She has zero fear, so she would run into the ocean and let the waves knock her right over! One of us would be there to pick her up, but she never seemed to let it bother her, getting smacked around by the waves. Anyway, we would eventually need a break, and we would take her out of the water, and she would throw a huge fit! She was quite whiny and just not acting herself. After a morning of beach time, we went back to the room to let the younger two have a quick snooze, before trying our luck at the pool. 

Well she was better after a little sleep, and the nice thing about the pool, is we can put her in a floatie and she doesn't need us to be little helicopters circling around her like she does in the ocean. 

And she loved her super crazy goggles. She kept bringing them to me saying "ga-goos" so she could wear her goggles. 

Trips away are always an adventure with little ones, but I'm so glad I get to go with Braden who is the most patient person, and such an amazing husband and daddy. We grabbed a bite saturday night, and spent sunday morning watching to clouds and rain from the window. But thats ok, it was a great time and a fun way to switch things up.

Plumcots

Plumcots. They were recommended by a nice guy that works at the grocery store. They are a plum and apricot hybrid. Huge hit! They were soooo good! 

The babies loved them, I just told them they were apples, and they dove right in.They have a small pit like an apricot, but a sweeter than a plum flavor. I highly recommend them, they also have green ones nicknamed "flavor grenade". They live up to the name. 

Edwards Grandparents Pictures

First day of Kindergarten for Eve (Aug 25, 2015)

First day of School, this is huge. Full day, public school. She's ready. I thought I was. Who was I kidding? She was really excited, she laid out her favorite outfit, she told me a few days ahead how she wanted her hair done, and couldn't wait to wear her new school shoes. 

She did so well on meet the teacher night, that really helped. The school does a "staggered start" so the first week of school they only have 5 kids per day, so they get the entire day to get to know the teacher and classroom.

I made her a little bracelet to help with first day jitters. But Eve was most excited for her "special time with daddy." Braden gets the chance to walk her to school every morning, and that is their time to chat and enjoy eachother. 

I had so many emotions, I was so worried for her. She's quite the serious, and also sensitive little lady. She's so mature, she doesn't connect easily with kids her age, and she isn't a huge fan of big crowds. When more than a few kids are over for a play date, Eve quietly slips away to have "her alone time". I'll find her in the guest room quietly drawing, and happy to do just that. Her version of fun is just a little different, and that's A-ok. But it was a little concerning for me, I was worried she would have a tough time in a big class. 

Well I had nothing to worry about. she did so well, and had such a good day! She had so much to tell me! Picking her up was so exciting for the babies, especially Graham, he rushed to her and gave her the hugest hug! We all missed her, but she loved it, and didn't miss us a bit. 

I survived another milestone, phew.