Edith's bad week

While we were picnicking on Father's Day, Daddy noticed what he thought was a seizure from Edith.  She was sitting on a blanket when she let out a scream of pain and then nodded her head several times over 3 minutes.  I wasn't too convinced it was real, but as Ben was diagnosed with Infantile Spasms as a 6 month old baby we thought we should go in and have her checked out.  We visited the pediatrician on Monday and were referred to the University for an EEG and a neurology appointment.  The test confirmed our fear and she was diagnosed with infantile spasms.  She was admitted overnight and started on 40 mg/day of prednisolone.  Wednesday she was sedated and had an MRI and we were finally sent home.  We were told if all of the tests come back negative that would be a good sign and if she follows in her dad's footsteps she should respond to treatment.

The hospital stay wasn't all bad--Edith got her first tooth while she was there!

Edith hated having the electrodes glued to her head but she was a good girl and fell asleep as soon as the lights went out and she could nurse.  They monitored her for one hour, some sleeping and some awake time.  There was a lot of glue stuck in her hair afterword.

Alena and Nora thought it was no fair that Edith got to visit Mommy's work between appointments.  She even got to meet some of my coworkers and was on her best behavior.

Edith was trying to tear out her iv so the nurse gave her a little velcro splint to cover it up.  She used it like a peg leg to work on her crawling.

Edith had to be sedated for the MRI.  She also disliked that quite a bit.  She hates to be restrained and will fight as hard as she can.  We couldn't be with her during the MRI but were there waiting with her for the hour it took her to wake up.  The nurse put a towel around her head to keep her warm.

Father's Day

 Daddy was lucky enough to play in a golf tournament with Grandpa Steve the previous three days, so they were a little golfed out and did not do their traditional Father's Day golf outing.  We wanted to take Daddy to the beach, so we packed up our swimsuits and a picnic lunch and met Grandpa Ed, Grandma Dee, Aunt Kristina, and Francis at Kent Park.  It was hot but felt good in the shade and felt good in the water I was told.  I didn't get in because Edith was in a very bad mood.  I tried to feed her under our beach umbrella but she could not be satisfied.  I took her to the air conditioned conservation center while the big girls spent a little more time swimming and building a sand castle.

After the beach, we went straight to Grandpa Jensen's to grill out.  It was a big day!

The girls were busy in the office constructing their Father's Day gifts on Saturday.  Alena made a picture of her golfing with Daddy and Nora made a fishing picture.  We also got him a storm trooper beach towel and the new Star Wars movie (which he had hinted about heavily.) 

 Edith slept through the gift opening but was in a good mood after waking up from her morning nap.

Visit from the Penninans

The Pennimans were in town for a week and we had plenty of time to play with them.  The kids are always sad when it is time to part ways and count down until the next visit!  We went to a splash pad one night and another day we went to The Children's Museum.  There is a lot to see there.  Edith finally had enough and would not stop screaming.  An employee suggested that she might be hungry.  Lots of people think they know how to stop Edith's crying.  Aunt Angela finally managed it by strolling around the food court with her.

Grumpy in a Bjorn, grumpy in a tree, grumpy on a piggy back eating Uncle T's hair.

Grandpa Ed took the oldest three out on the pond in his row boat.  The big girls spent the night with their cousins and had a great time!  Nora was so tired she fell asleep on the way back home at 5.

Rolling

While Daddy was out of town, Edith figured out how to roll from back to front.  She is really good at sitting and now has a way to move.  She loves working on moving but gets very frustrated at it.  She also sometimes rolls into trouble by bonking her head on the leg of the couch or getting wedge between a chair and an end table.  It does seem to improve her attitude to have some freedom.

Edith has now been sleeping in her carseat at night.  She normally takes a 2-3 hour nap in her carseat sometime in the afternoon (if we are lucky!)  She loves holding her blanket and has trouble falling asleep without it.  She was screaming the other night and I put the blanket over her.  She immediately stopped crying and just laid quietly on the floor for 10 minutes.  I needed a scream break!  The goal is to have her in bed by 9 pm but we frequently don't manage it.  She wakes up at 4 for a snack.  Sometimes she refuses to go back to sleep for an hour.  Then Daddy hangs out with her in the family room so I can get a little sleep.

When Edith is feeling grumpy, she usually will improve her attitude if we take her outside.  She loves putting her feet in the grass.  When she has trouble napping, I sometimes put her in her carseat and sit outside with her.  She will sit there quietly until her eyes get heavy and she goes to sleep.  It is pretty peaceful.

Daddy is on another trip!

Daddy had a trip to Pennsylvania for a trade show.  It was a two day trip but he extended it to visit our friends Dan and Jen who live in Maryland.  We haven't seen them since we lived in North Carolina so he said it was a lot of fun hanging out with them.

The girls and I didn't want to just sit around and wait for him to return.  Thursday we had tickets to the Kernels game.  Grandma Dee and Grandpa Ed were up for the day watching the girls while I was at work, and then they joined us at the Kernels game.  Edith started out happy for an inning but then was not happy!  I walked around the concourse with her in the Baby Bjorn for several innings and left the big girls with Grandma and Grandpa.  I could see them from where I was standing.  Nora was up and talking with Grandma the entire time.  The two of them even got on the big screen!  Edith and I left after awhile so we missed the fireworks.  The report is they were really good.  Nora said "pretty" at every firework.  She was so tired when she got home she started crying.  I layed with her to calm her down and she cried, "tomorrow is garbage day!"  I don't know if that is what had her so worried.

Peppy's at last

Several nights ago we were eating dinner when I heard the loud music of the ice cream truck.  The girls have never had ice cream from the truck because they never went down Forest Drive as it was too busy.  They didn't realize that it was the music of the ice cream truck for this reason until it was too late.  After it was back down the street, they stayed in the driveway for an hour waiting for its return.  Unfortunately, it did not come back.  They put a pile of coins by the front door just in case they heard the song again.  As luck would have it, the truck did come back!  They assumed the ice cream was in a cone, but still enjoyed it on a stick.  They were already in their pajamas for the night.

Palisades

Sunday the weather was sunny and mild so we drove out to Palisades.  Every time we visit the girls have a great time!  The girls found rocks, shells, and sticks and put them in a treasure pile.  We played in the sand on the river bank and made lakes, moats, and castles.  Nora put a stick for a flag on each castle.  Edith had a great time in the Baby Bjorn with Daddy.  I took her back to the van after ahile to get out of the sun and she wanted to drive!

We decided to head to Sutliff Bridge after Palisades.  We sat on a picnic table and ate fried food while looking at the river and people watching.  A teen riding a dirt bike was popping wheelies down the street.  The girls thought that was pretty cool.  Alena was scared to walk across the bridge so she rode on Daddy's back.

Edith was having such a great time on our trip that she didn't want to sleep at all.  We got home around two so Daddy could help move the Cahalan's into Grandma and Grandpa's house.  Edith fell asleep as soon as she started nursing and slept for hours!

Watching shows

I can't believe I am allowing it, but when I am busy I put the big girls in charge of Edith.  They couldn't resist turning a show on on the tablet and it looks like Edith was happy they did.  She wants to be with her sisters whenever she can.  Both of them like to help Edith stand up.  Nora and I were reading a book about snakes and there was a page that said a large snake could eat a child.  I asked her what she would do if a snake tried to eat Edith (OK, that seems like a strange question.) She said she would pick her up and run into the house.  It is good to have big sisters to look after you! 

 Nora was playing tug of war with Edith yesterday.  Edith was in her carseat in the family room holding her blanket.  Nora pulled on the other side of the blanket and Edith laughed.  They played that way for 10 minutes.  Everyone in the family is happy that the little one is interacting with us more and screaming less!  She even laid on the floor by herself for over 5 minutes without fussing.  That is very exciting news for us!

  This is the first day of summer vacation.  Daddy took the day off and took the big girls to Elmcrest to swim.  It is Lucie's birthday so the whole bunch was going.  Grandpa Steve is going to get his money's worth out of Elmcrest while he still can!

Summer is here!

Thursday was the last day of school for Alena.  For her last day she styled her hair in a "tri pony." There were three pony tails coming out in different directions on her head.  She said it was very popular with the kids in her class.  We went to Dairy Queen after school and saw a bunch of her classmates there. Edith was in the Bjorn and was squealing with happiness.  One of Alena's classmates came up to me and asked if it was Darth Edie.  That is the nickname given to her in an ongoing bedtime story by Daddy.  She kept trying to grab my hot fudge sundae, and when we got home I saw she had a fudge stain on her back.  She was wearing her blue one piece.  When she is wearing that outfit we call her the little mechanic because it reminds us of coveralls.  Such a cute little mechanic!

Alena has a great year and enjoyed being in Mrs. Stolba's first grade class.  She is getting much better at reading and is working hard in all of the subjects.  On her report card her teachers commented that she always does her best and is a good role model.  She made more friends this year.  Some of her favorites are Madelyn, Harper Pease, and Nathan (everyone likes Nathan, she said!)  She enjoyed walking home with Harper Decker two days a week this spring.  Nora, Daddy and I all came to Field Day to celebrate the last week of school.  There was a dj spinning tunes.  When the song "Seven Years Old" came on, all of the kids went crazy.  I am going crazy listening to that song!  The girls are always playing it on the tablet.

Daddy also took the girls golfing for the first time last week at the Squaw Creek putting green and driving range.  Alena thought it was fun so he immediately went to Play It Again Sports and bought her a used set of golf clubs.  

Nora and Daddy finally glued this big pot back together.  It blew over in a big storm several months ago and the shards had been laying in the gravel ever since.  It was in a lot of peices; fortunately, Nora is the puzzle master.