Friday, December 12, 2014

Jangle Gets Crazier

Our elf, Jangle, has certainly been a nut! We, yes we, are having so much fun with him!
 
Here's what he's been up to lately...
 
Day Seven:
Jangle loves his friends! He's become quite popular in the house. Can you find him?
 
 
 
Day Eight:
Jangle got a little silly string happy in the bathroom!
 

 

Day Nine:

All this mischief has worn this poor elf out! He needed a nap.

 
 

Day Ten:
Jangle overheard us talking about going to the Greenwood Christmas Parade on Sunday.
He was so excited, he decided to make his own parade!
 

 

Day Eleven:
We caught Jangle eating popcorn in Wells's bed and watching a movie!

Day Twelve:
Oh! Crazy Elf! Today we found him hanging upside down on the gymnastics bar.
 
 

Day Thirteen:
We walked into the kitchen to find beautiful snow
decorations that Jangle made!
(notice Jangle hiding in the chandelier)
 
 
 
Day Fourteen:
We walked into Jangle performing for the judges on The Voice!
He had TWO chairs turn around. Of course one was Santa!
He's always a fan!
 

 

Day Fifteen:
Emerson woke up and could not find Jangle anywhere! We thought he may had not come back from the North Pole. When we got in the car--there he was! Wrapped up in a blanket sitting beside her DVD player. He also brought her a Christmas movie to watch on the way to school!



What will he come up with next?!
 
 

 
 
 
 
 


Wednesday, December 3, 2014

#crazyelf

This November 2014, Emerson is 2 years and 7 months old. Wow! Time is FLYING by! So, 2 years and 7 months later, we decided it was sure time for the Elf to come and visit.  
 
I'm proud to introduce to you...
"Jangle"
 
He came flying in on Thanksgiving night, sometime after we read the book "Elf on the Shelf." He's a crazy 'ol elf. He gets caught in the silliest situations. Emerson has woken up each morning to go and hunt for Jangle and to see what situation he has gotten himself into.
 
Day One:
Jangle must have come through the window. We found a string tied to the window and draped across half of the kitchen. He ziplined in on candy canes and apparently got stuck half way down!
#crazyelf #janglealltheway 
 

 
Day Two:
On Day 2, we found Jangle in the middle of a
checkers game with some new friends.
#crazyelf #janglealltheway


Day Three:
On Day 3, Jangle got smart! He knew if he wanted to stick around a while, he would need to pitch in a little around the house. Instead of making 3 trips, he decided to tie all of the recycle together and take it out. Thanks Jangle!
#crazyelf #janglealltheway



Day Four:
On Day 4, we found Jangle riding bare back and
holding on to one of Wells's baseballs.
#crazyelf #janglealltheway
 
Day Five:
Day 5, that crazy elf was flying a kite in the house
and got stuck in the ceiling fan!
#crazyelf #janglealltheway


Day Six:
"I mustache for another."
#crazyelf #janglealltheway


...check back for more updates
on that crazy elf!
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 


Friday, November 9, 2012

The Fastest Six Months of My Life

Well, it has been entirely too long since I have even logged in to this blog, much less written in it.
I was going to let it just be about my pregnancy, but now I regret not continuing it throughout Emerson's first 6 months. There is no way that I can tell you everything, we'd be here forEVAH!

Emerson is 6 months old now and the most wonderful thing that has ever happened to me. Period.

I love this child so much that I find myself looking at her and tears come to my eyes because she is so very amazing. What on Earth did I do for God to bless me with the most wonderful gift? I have no idea, but I ask Him no questions, I am just thankful. I am worried that I love her so much that I will have a had time punishing her. That's bad, I need to get over that--fast!

Next Sunday, Danny and I are dedicating her to the church and I am SO excited!! We'll have lots of family and friends there to celebrate with us. I'll be sure to post pictures!

In just these past 6 (way too short) months, Emerson has grown into the most beautiful, smartest child. She is a wonderful baby.
  • She sleeps all night, every night...since she was probably a month old.
  • She smiles all the time.
  • She laughs constantly. She loves we we scare her, smile at her, laugh at her, dance....
  • She loves her big brother something crazy! No, really. He will be sitting on the couch, and scratch his head, and she starts laughing at him. She loves that boy, my goodness! 
  • She is seriously the smartest baby.
  • She will give you "high five."
  • She will get you kisses.
  • She can sit up on her own now
  • She LOVES food. Her favorites are sweet potatoes, squash, carrots, applesauce, peaches, bananas, oatmeal & fruit mixed together.
  • Not a fan of anything green, but I sneak it in often.
  • She can roll over and continue rolling.
  • She loves watching the Baby Network on TV.
  • She hates to be alone.
  • She still wears her Pavlov Harness every night.
  • She loves to touch and feel your face.
  • She has recently started banging her toys on her tray when in the high chair.
  • A few of her favorite things to play with is her frozen teething ring, my cell phone, TV remotes, her baby paper, her pacifier...
  • She simply cannot sleep well without her pink, breathable blanket. She covers her face with it to go to sleep. (Don't worry, it's "breathable")
  • She is very content, doesn't cry much.
  • She usually only cries when she is so tired she can't stand it and tries to fight sleep.
  • As of yesterday, at her Shriner's visit, she weighs 15lbs 2oz. She's itty bitty.
  • She is so close to saying "Mama" and "Dada"...sometimes we pretend that she actually says it! haha
  • She's spoiled. Rotten.
  • She stays with Danny mostly during the week because of his awesome Fireman work schedule and with my parents and Danny's parents when he has to work. So like I said, spoiled rotten!
  • She enjoys strolling outside.
  • She already wants to be independent.
I could go on for days, but that's the gist of what's going on these days.


6 Month Shriner's Check Up
 
 October 30, 2012--6 Months Old
 
 After a bath
 
 Visiting PoPo at Northside Middle School for lunch
 
 Emerson, the bookworm, Halloween 2012
 
 Halloween 2012 Neighborhood Parade & Hotdog Dinner
 
 Mominy feeding me oatmeal
 
 Cousin Ryan Gunter
 

 I lurv foood!

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Hip Dysplasia

As most of you know, Emerson was born with hip dysplasia in her left hip.

Hip dysplasia is the medical name used to describe a problem with formation of the hip joint in children. The location of the problem can be either the ball of the hip joint, the socket of the hip joint , or both.
What causes hip dysplasia?The exact cause of hip dysplasia is not easy to pin down, as there are thought to be several factors that contribute to developing this condition. Hip dysplasia occurs in about 0.4% of all births, and is most common in first born girls. Some known risk factors for a child to have hip dysplasia include:
  • A family history of hip dysplasia
  • Breech position in the womb
  • Hormonal loosening of the female ligaments
  • Etc.
In mild cases, the ligaments and other soft tissues around the hip joint are not tight, and they allow the thighbone (femur) to move around more than normal in the hip socket.

This is what our case is, mild.

How is hip dysplasia diagnosed?Diagnosis of hip dysplasia in the infant is based on the physical examination findings. Your doctor will feel for a "hip click" when performing special maneuvers of the hip joint. These maneuvers, called the Barlow and Ortolani tests, will cause a hip that is out of position to "click" as it moves in and out of the proper position.

If a hip click is felt, your doctor will usually obtain a hip ultrasound to assess the hip joint. An x-ray does not show the bones in a young baby until at least 6 months of age, and therefore a hip ultrasound is preferred. The hip ultrasound will show the doctor the position and shape of the hip joint. Instead of the normal ball-in-socket joint, the ultrasound may show the ball outside of the socket, and a poorly formed (shallow) socket. The hip ultrasound can also be used to determine how well the treatment is working.

This is how Emerson was diagnosed. Our pediatrician, Dr. Fuqua, came in and examined her each morning in the hospital. From the get-go she found the hip click. She called Dr. Timms in to reexamine her, he found the same thing. We left the hospital on a Thursday. That Friday we were sent to Shriner's Hospital for Children in Greenville, SC.
There, we saw a Pediatrician Orthopedic Surgeon. He (officially) diagnosed her with hip dysplasia. That day, she was fitted for and put in a Pavlik harness.

This is her, right after she was put in it.



What is the treatment of hip dysplasia?The treatment of hip dysplasia depends on the age of the child. The goal of treatment is to properly position the hip joint ("reduce" the hip). Once an adequate reduction is obtained, the doctor will hold the hip in that reduced position and allow the body to adapt to the new position. The younger the child, the better capacity to adapt the hip, and the better chance of full recovery. Over time, the body becomes less accommodating to repositioning of the hip joint. While treatment of hip dysplasia varies for each individual baby, this is what we are doing:
  • Birth to 6 months
    Generally in newborns, a hip dysplasia will reduce with the use of a special brace called a Pavlik harness. This brace holds the baby's hips in a position that keeps the joint reduced. Over time, the body adapts to the correct position, and the hip joint begins normal formation. About 90% of newborns with hip dysplasia treated in a Pavlik harness will recover fully. 
Each week to two weeks, we'll go to Greenville Memorial Hospital, get an ultrasound of her hips then walk over to Shriner's Hospital to see the specialists. I cannot say enough good about everyone that we have seen there. We are working with a doctor that is new to Shriner's. He is very hands-on. He does everything, the nurses do not. You usually don't see that. Lately, he's been walking over to Greenville Hospital to meet us in the ultrasound room to see for himself. Then he'll re-adjust her harness there. WE LOVE HIM!! Dr. Mendelow is his name and I recommend him to anyone!

In the past few weeks, he thought that the harness wasn't doing its job 100%. We talked about surgery. Thankfully he wanted to wait another week with her in the harness, then come back to reassess things.
After many prayers, we went back to find that it looks better! He gave her ANOTHER week. This time when we went back, he talked more in depth about doing surgery....unless she had made a huge change. Praise the Lord! Her hip looked wonderful! It was in the perfect position in the socket. So...no surgery at this time!!! We'll keep her in the harness another 6 weeks, for a total of 12 weeks.
I believe in prayer and it worked!!

We bathe around it, change her diaper around it, the harness does not come off for any reason, unless it is doctor ordered. She was put in the harness when she was 4 days old and thankfully I don't think she knows the difference. It doesn't bother her, it seems pretty comfortable.

We are so thankful to have these doctors, our family support and the good Lord on our side. Emerson is improving everyday and we are so proud of every big and little accomplishment she makes.



This was week 4 of wearing her harness. We were able to take it off at the hospital. She killed her sweet legs and we kissed her precious feet!
(Notice the big smile at the end...she's smiling at her big brother!)