Five Months

Last Friday, Cal turned FIVE months.  This little guy is growing insanely fast.  Every day is new and special.  I'm trying my best to savor each moment because time just moves faster and faster.

This past month our little guy has changed SO MUCH!  He's really packing on the lbs lately.  He's totally filling out six months clothes.  We'll be in nine months here pretty quickly.  He's definitely rolling all over the place, desperately trying to get his knees up under him to get in four point.  A little bit to go before he masters this, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't feeling a little unprepared to have a mobile child!  We've slowly been introducing foods and so far, he hates the first 1-3 bites, then can't eat the rest of it fast enough.  He's a wild man!  It's quite refreshing to have a kid who loves to eat!  I love watching him explore visually and with his hands.  He studies everything very intently and you can practically see his wheels spinning.  He's enjoying his exersaucer and Johnny Jump-Up.  In just the past week, he's learned how to "jump", basically just bouncing up and down but he seems pretty impressed by it.  Our Cal is all smiles and really hams it up for Mom.  He'll stare at you until you look at him, then give you a flirty toothless grin.  I find it totally irresistible!  What a sweet pea this one is!  

I realized this month just how much we missed in Elena's first year.  It's all so blurry.  I think that we were trying so hard to survive and come to terms with what happened that it's safe to say her first year was anything but enjoyable, for her and for us.  It was painful, confusing and almost unbearable at times.  Cal's first five months have been so refreshing to us.  He continues to show us what miracles these tiny little people are.  We relish in every smile, every roll, every bite (of food!) and all the exploring his tiny little hands are doing.  I'm so grateful for this perspective and appreciation of his development.  It makes life seem so much sweeter.

Just because Cal still amazes us simply with his ability to take a bottle, doesn't mean Elena is getting any less love or attention!  This sweet girl continues to make us all laugh every day.  She is doing so well right now, making us proud every day at school and at the Jackson Center.  I've been finding myself tearing up watching her, because I'm just so darn proud of her perseverance and ability to adapt herself into new situations.  Cal may impress us with his new skills but Elena steals our hearts with how hard she continues to work.

These two together though....

Chad said something the other day, that before Cal was here, we were so excited at the thought that Cal would be so good for Elena, pushing her to keep up with him.  But, I think we're more looking forward to how Elena will impact Cal, how she will shape the person he becomes.  THAT is what warms our hearts.  And THAT is what being a parent is all about.  It's about helping these little people become loving, compassionate, world-changing adults.  I pray for these little loves every day, that Elena would continue to be the spark and Cal would carry the torch to light up this world.  What a happy, happy five months it has been!

Picasso Part Two

You may remember Elena's priceless piece of art we were given at last years Jackson Center gala.  This past weekend, we helped the Jackson Center celebrate 10 years!  Of course, we were once again given Elena's latest artistic masterpiece.

The crew minus my Dad

Our sweet friends Rick & Jenny, who joined us again this year (with Elena photobombing from above!)

It was so wonderful to celebrate such a special organization.  We don't know what we would do without the love, support and care the JC provides our family.  It was great to have my parents, brother, cousins, aunt and uncle there to help support us.  We loved being able to share this special place with them!

A special thanks to Grandpa & Mimi for watching the kiddos this weekend! :)

Hello?!

Are you all still there?  I am!

It feels like forever since I've been able to blog and I'm sorry!  Honestly, I've been short on time lately (as if I'm ever NOT short on time) and the blog has taken a back seat to everything else.  Rest assured, we are doing really well.  Elena, Cal and I are settling into a great weekly groove.  We are on the go practically every day, but we're all handling things pretty well at the moment.  Now, I know that since I've said that, it's all subject to change at a moments notice :)

Elena continues to thrive at school.  Every day she starts laughing as soon as she gets off the bus, anxious to "tell" me all about her day at school.  It's the same with the Jackson Center.  The whole time she's there, I can hear her "talking" to her friends.

We've started her on a new medication this past week.  It is an oral medication that helps with her muscle tone.  We're trying it out in place of the Botox.  So far, she's had great results.  Though, it has a much more global effect that can make it difficult for her to hold up her head and trunk.  It's really quite difficult to explain how her muscle tone operates, but basically even though she seems really strong (I can't tell you how often people tell me how strong she is), her muscle strength is incredibly weak.  This medication is something similar to a muscle relaxer so when her muscles aren't in that neurologically "stiff" mode, they're like jelly.  The result is a floppy Elena (great for her hip!).  We have to play around with the dosage quite a bit to get the desired effects, but we're hopeful this can be a nice change to to the painful Botox injections every 3-4 months.

Speaking of her hip, cue the "wah wah wah".  We're facing another hip surgery, but we are so, so hopeful that this surgery may curb her problem awhile.  Nothing has been scheduled yet, but we will go ahead and ask you to start praying.  To remind you, Elena had surgery last October to help with her left hip dislocation, which is a result of her muscle tone (see above) and some weird brain stuff that doctors have yet to figure out.  Something like more than 50% of kids with cerebral palsy have hip dislocation...we're in that lucky 50%.  Anyway, I'll share more details with you when we actually have them, but go ahead and add Elena and that naggin' ole' left hip to your prayer list!

Cal is doing great....growing like a weed.  He's rolling all over the place.  We put him square in the middle of his blanket and the next thing we know, he's half way across the room, on his belly facing the opposite direction.  Movement is quite foreign to us around the Hinton house!  It's amazing to see him in action..I can only imagine what's to come!  He's as happy as can be, though he still loves to rock his famous "scowl".  It's a relief that we are now getting more toothless grins and giggles these days than his stare down!  We got his three month pictures done back in early August, and I'm just now getting around to showing you all, but they're pretty darn cute.  They capture his personality pretty well at that age.

Well, that's all of an update that I can muster right now!  I'm trying to wrangle both kids down for a nap, fingers crossed.  Thanks for hanging with us, continuing to follow and pray for our family.  It really means so much to us.  We still have our days and our struggles.  Knowing that we're still on prayer lists and that our Elena is still inspiring others, fill us up when we need filling.  We love you all!

Cal the "Scowl"

He smiles!!

 My favorite look ever!

4 Months

Well, we are comfortably settling into our new routine.  We are certainly busier than we were this time last year, but I'm definitely finding that managing two kiddies isn't as bad as I expected.  Don't get me wrong, they test me...sometimes daily, but it isn't the sheer chaos that I had mentally prepared myself for.  I actually feel so thankful that I get to spend my days with these two sweet little ones.  But they sure keep me on the go!

Elena is LOVING the new routine, though she is exhausted when bedtime rolls around.  She is doing so well in school three mornings a week, which gives Cal and me some quality time together. The remaining two days a week we are at the Jackson Center.  So no more "free days" to fill in with something "fun", but having busier days generally is better for all of us.

I just can't believe how quickly my babies are growing.  Elena has totally turned into a little girl over night.  She is such a sweet, little social butterfly.  I have no doubt if she could talk, that she would be getting notes from school saying she got in trouble for talking.  This isn't surprising, knowing she comes from a LONG line of Buchanan family "talkers".  :)

Cal turned four months old yesterday.  We are officially in uncharted territory.  Elena spent her four month birthday in a coma, on a ventilator in the Riley Hospital PICU.  I have been struggling a bit lately with those memories and the realization of just how little she was.  I'm not kidding when I say every.single.thing. Calvin does seriously amazes Chad and me.  Not because every parent thinks their child is the best at everything, but because we know how much effort it takes Elena to be able to do the very same thing.  Eye contact?  Amazing.  Grabbing things?  Unreal.  Rolling over?  Unimaginable.  Grabbing his feet?  Miraculous.  Every little thing from taking a bottle, to sucking his thumb, to recognizing me across the room blows my mind.  I take a bit of pride in the fact that Chad and I are able to appreciate these little things and know that watching a child develop typically is nothing short of divine.

For those reasons, Cal brings us so much joy and thankfulness, even to Elena.  It's obvious she loves her brother and his wet sloppy kisses.  She doesn't even mind him pulling her hair!  Cal still loves his "scowl".  He is full of smiles but still loves furrowing those little brows!  He has laughed at us a few times but he reallllllly makes you work hard.  His latest accomplishments include grabbing his feet, mastering the art of tummy time, rolling from his back to tummy, grabbing everything and putting it in his mouth.  He's a good sleeper and a good eater and really only grouchy when he is lacking one of those two.  He took his first swim the other day and seemed to like it.

The Hinton family continues to grow and change for the better.  As I've said many times, the future can seem so scary and so uncertain.  But God continues to shower us with His blessings and lift us up when we need lifting.  Life sure isn't easy but challenges make us stronger, give us better perspective and help make us more compassionate and understanding people.

Happy 4 Months little Cal...you bring us such joy!

Florida

As a finish to our summer, we jetted off to Florida a couple weeks ago with Chad's family to surprise his Grandparents with a family vacation.  We had a great house on Anna Maria Island and enjoyed a few days with family!

Both kids loved the beach, and I have to admit it wasn't too bad for Mom & Dad either! :)

Beach babes

 Beach Bum

The whole Marquand Crew!

School!

My baby went to school this week.  And to be honest, it was wayyyy harder on me than it was on her.  She did so well!  New people and new situations can be very scary for Elena, but there were no tears this week...such a BLESSING!

Elena even rode the bus yesterday morning.  She was a little nervous with all the new sounds getting onto the bus, but the driver said she did great!  It felt awfully grown up for me ...like seriously, how did I become old enough to have a kid getting on the bus?! :)

We are so, so happy with her school and her teacher.  It's been such a low stress transition for us and that is completely attributed to the wonderful people who have helped Elena graduate to preschool.  I've felt so at ease the last two days while she's been at school.  That's really tough for me, knowing that I've been present and participatory in every therapy and doctor appointment to this point.  As any parent, I have had so many worries about how she will do at school.  Will she be getting all the services she needs?  What will she be able to learn?  How will she grow?  How will the other kids treat her?  There's so much out of my control.  The morning of her first day, I whispered a hundred prayers that she wouldn't be scared, that she would be confident and happy.  I prayed that she would love school and it would help her reach her potential.  I want Elena to continue to make a difference and be a little light wherever she goes.

Yesterday her school note blessed my heart.  Her teacher said that Elena's classmates love to play next to her and that one little boy held her hand all morning.  It's hard to relinquish some of the control with our children, especially when their needs are as great as Elena's.  But, I know she's going to thrive at school and continue to let her sweet personality shine through.  School will give Elena her opportunity to grow and shine!

First day of School!

Waiting for the bus!

Five Years

Chad and I are celebrating our five year anniversary tomorrow.  FIVE YEARS has literally gone by in the blink of an eye.

We had such a fun wedding.  We were completely surrounded by everyone we loved, wide-eyed and ready to begin our life together.  It's funny looking back to how big of a deal that day is.  I mean it IS a big deal, making a commitment in front of everyone, but it's just a blip in time.  What really matters is everything that happens afterward.

Life happens after that happy day.  Bad things happen.  Good things happen.  Life has thrown so much at us in just five short years, and I never could have made it without him. I have to say that marrying Chad was the best decision I've ever made.  Being married to him is better than I ever could have imagined.  Our life isn't perfect by any means, but we have so much to be thankful for.
I'm one lucky little lady.

Happy Anniversary Chad.  I'm so thankful to spend another year with you, my love, my best friend, my partner.