Wow I can't believe it has been a month! Time just flies-I had to read over my last entry so I knew what to tell you all! Avalie is doing just great! Her g-tube site has healed beautifully and her new trach is doing great. We don't have another appointment with ENT until the spring-and hopefully by then we will be talking about taking the trach OUT! We now have her speaking valve and also speech therapy is working with Avalie. She can make little "ah" noises and if she laughs really loud or cries-you can hear it due to the pressure of air she is "pushing" out. The first time she cried-George and I and the girls were with our church small group testing out the speaking valve. Avalie got nervous having her speaking valve on in front of everyone and started to cry-and you could HEAR her cute little voice (she sounds like Emmie!)! Immediately the room was silent and before I knew it I was walking to her to pick her up just crying right along with her! Then everybody else in the room cried too! (Even the guys teared up alittle!) It was like hearing a newborn cry when they are first born! If we have another (a while from now-obviously!) I am bound and determined to hear them cry right after they are born, and see my little one first! With both Avalie and Emersyn-I didn't get to hear them cry (Avalie couldn't cry and with Emmie I was knocked out) and I didn't see either of them for hours (although all of my family did-which I am not upset about because I was just glad they were alive and that people were visiting them and hearing their Daddy's voice)! I didn't think much of it at the time but lately I was thinking about it and if God blesses us with another child a few years from now-I pray I get to hear that noise first and see my sweet babies face right away (along with George and the doctors of course!). Hearing Emmie cry sometimes really makes me long for that. I know that sounds corny-but I just love her little voice! Even if she is screaming because I swear she is saying "maaaaaaaa-maaaaaaaaaaa!" :) Anyway-back to Miss Avalie! She is slowly "finding her voice"-having her trach is as much a mental thing as it is physical-she hasn't ever NOT had it. But I have a feeling that once she finds her voice we are in for non-stop chatter! :) Avalie is now drinking juice and milk and sometimes water out of a sippy cup-so nice! First it was the bottle we couldn't break her of once she was old enough, then pediasure, then milk, and now we are just "normal". She definitely has her own timetable though-she does things when and how she wants-no matter what we do! So George and I just constantly expose her to things-like now a straw to learn how to suck and strengthen her mouth muscles-until she finally takes to it. But anyway-doing great and growing and walking and "toddling" everywhere! :) We have noticed though in the last few months (along with Ann our occupational therapist) that Avalie's eyes seem to cross and not exactly follow correctly. So, we took her to an eye doctor and sure enough-our sweetie needs glasses! She has strabismus in her right eye and astigmatism in both eyes and so she should be getting her glasses this Monday. They are pink and VERY bendable with lenses that can be run over by a lawn mower and still be intact-and they are oh so CUTE on her! We are also supposed to start patching her left eye 2 hours a day to make her right eye stronger and hopefully that will fix the strabismus (wandering of the eye) and eye muscles. If not she will need surgery. I am not sure how I am going to keep glasses on her-she isn't even 2 yet! Let alone patch her eye-but, the doctor reassures us that usually once they figure out they can see better with them on-you can't get them off their little face! So I'll post pictures soon! Speaking of pictures, I am not at a place where I can upload any right now-so please see our "links" under the picasa album and check out the lastest pictures of Avalie in her "ladybug" costume for halloween! In fact, our laptop harddrive CRASHED-and all of our pictures, and videos, and everythingof Avalie in the NICU is GONE. Except for what I uploaded to picasa, thank goodness. We tried everything short of spending LOTS of money to send the harddrive off to some sterile place where they take it apart and "hope" you can get your files back! So that, needless to say, is very frustrating!

Emmie is growing and getting funny just like her sister! She is smiling and cooing and talking. She is lots of fun and Avalie loves her. Now we are working on trying to get her to sleep through the night-she slept a whole 5 hours straight last night-I was shocked! I feel like I haven't slept in 2 years! :)

Anyway, sorry it took me so long to update-life is just busy and so by the time I get a minute all I want to do is nothing! I am back to work now part time in a different unit (PACU-post anesthesia care unit-meaning my face is the first you see waking up from surgery) working 2 12 hour days a week (no weekends or holidays except occasional call) and also working PRN (as needed) in my old unit-the Surgical ICU. I like both places and it is really nice to get to do both with alittle more control over my schedule and having it be easier with family life. I can't belive Thanksgiving is right around the corner-so much to be thankful for! Enjoy all of your families and of course the food and hopefully I can get some new pictures up soon! We will be heading home for a few days to visit our family and are looking forward to some time together over Thanksgiving. Even though George works from home-I feel like we never see each other when we are just relaxing-so we are looking forward to some "relaxation!" God Bless! <><