Around Here

So it's been a couple weeks since we've said "hi." Oops. You know what that means though? Life has pretty much returned to normal. :) 

Aislinn is doing well. She is gaining weight well and so has been able to reduce the amount of pediasure she gets through the feeding tube (they cut out her overnight feedings). She needs to improve her oral food and liquid intake so we can get her completely off the feeding tube. The pediasure has certainly affected her palette, she is such a sweet tooth now! I really hope she can get back to normal feeding soon.

Last week's CT showed  a significant reduction in the size of her cyst. As in, it is now half the size it was before. This is not what we want and was pretty surprising to see. It seems that the shunt got programmed down by a magnet, which we try to avoid like the plague so I'm not sure when it happend (the shunt is controlled by magnets so we have to steer clear of them from now until forever...).  The adjusted programming caused too much drainage of the cyst. This allowed her brain tissue to separate off of the protective lining between the skull and the brain. There is a small ring of fluid now between the brain and the lining in a portion of her head. The doctor was not concerned and said that eventually her brain will grow into that space. Ooookaaay. Right? We are understandably concerned, but as long as Aislinn is doing well (no vomiting, lethargy, etc.) and our doctor is not concerned, we have to just trust that she is fine and move forward with each day.

If you don't mind, could you keep those two issues in your prayers? Thanks!

Our huge praises are that she getting so curious, wanting to explore, jabbering at us all the time and having lots of her own opinions.  These are the things she should be doing and we love it! Although I had forgotten how exhausting it is to be a human jungle gym every time I get on the floor. :)

Here is a collection of randomness (most photos are from my phone) over the past few weeks.

Kitty is glad to have his snuggle partner back. 

Ro spent a full 30 minutes (at least) coloring. This is unheard of and so wonderful! :)

We had a lot of color coordinating going on this particular day. :)

Celebrating my sister in law's graduation from nursing school with a day out on the lake.

ABC train puzzle. Ro was so proud of himself when we finished it. I was so proud of him for knowing over half of the letters!

Visiting with friends

Ais has gotten so curious. We love it. We brought out her basket of toys and she was in heaven.

Visiting dada at the office.

Sweetest sight. My guys fell asleep snuggling on our bed. Surprisingly Ro slept for 2 1/2 hours on our bed. He's been taking awesome naps lately.

Pimp My Ride toddler bike style.

Daddy of the Year candidate. :)

A little trip to the South Perry Farmer's Market.

Enjoying our market treasures.

He'll read a magazine as long as there is a boat in it. :)

Hanging outside.

Drumming with the birthday boy.

A HOT hot baby shower.

first drink out of a glass!

New (and first) bike helmet!

Crazy hot temperatures last week prompted us to get out the kiddie pool after dinner (it was too hot during the day!). I love how Aislinn so seriously took it all in. And also how huge Ronan is compared to the first time he used it!

seeing Ro jump in for the first time

Ais is safely out of the splash zone ;)

awesome running face

We just got back from a fantastic trip to Seattle for a wedding and a visit with family. It was a much-anticipated trip, we had a great time, and we are glad to be back home. Can't wait to share our photos with you, hopefully tomorrow. :)