Cinderella's Ball, and Other Updates!

Cinderella's Ball
On February 7th, Sam and Taylor were able to attend Cinderella's Ball together at the park district. It was a double date with our friend Ross and his daughter Maya, and they met up with Jeff and Serena from our neighborhood as well. Sam was so happy to be able to go (my brother Eric was on standby just in case he wasn't feeling up to it!)! Sam said that the girls had a blast eating and putting balloons on a large vent and watching them stick. They got to meet Cinderella too! Apparently there was very little actual dancing, but they had a blast anyway! Sam did say that he witnessed Taylor walk up to a table and lick the frosting off of someone's cupcake... looks like we have to reinforce some table manners (and have a talk about germs, too!).

Getting ready for their date!

Meeting Cinderella!

So happy with her princess crown!

Taylor with her friends Maya and Serena (sorry Tonya, I stole your pic!)

Dancing queens!

Sam Update: 
Sam is completely off of pain medication, after almost 3 weeks of weaning and painful withdrawals. He will begin chemo on Friday, and he will head to Baltimore in March for a few nights for some check-ups and a minor surgery to remove the filter in his leg.

Maddy Update: 
Madelyn's last ultrasound showed no change in the size of her kidney. Her doctor has scheduled her surgery for April 9th. I will be bringing her in every couple of weeks for an ultrasound to monitor her kidney prior to the surgery.

Happy at daycare! (Sorry Erica, stole your pic too!)

Other Updates: 
I have gone back to work! The transition was tough, but I will say it is nice to have the distraction, and to be up and showered before noon! Now if we can only add about 5 more hours to the day, I'd be set... :)
Taylor has begun a behavior chart at home, as well as a chore chart, and a potty chart. We are trying to enforce rules a little bit more, as she has begun to challenge us a little bit more lately! We are STILL having trouble potty training her, which has been one of the most frustrating things! She has been in potty trained with #1 since before she was two, but she still waits until she has a pull-up on at night to go #2, which then keeps her awake longer and gives me twice as much work to do when putting her to bed.
We did have a very interesting night the other night though. My Aunt Maureen was babysitting for us, and when we came home, we realized that Taylor had pooped in her pants, dumped it in the master bathroom potty, wiped herself down with a towel, changed into new pants, and then went back to bed! There was very little mess, too, just a few spots on her bed and on the floor. I'm still dumbfounded as to how these events went down! So, I'm not sure if we can count that as making progress or not?!?

Overall, things are very hectic at home right now, but there is light at the end of the tunnel!

4 Months Old!

Madelyn is now 4 months old! She continues to be the most easy-going baby ever. She is sleeping very well, usually falling asleep around 8:30pm and sleeping until 7:30am, sometimes waking up at around 3:00am for a quick feeding. She tried cereal for the first time a couple of days ago, and she loves it! We've been giving it to her once a day, and plan to add a serving of oatmeal soon. She can roll from her tummy to her back, and is very close to rolling from her back to her tummy. She found her feet the other day, and she loves playing with them! She absolutely LOVES her sister - she lights up whenever she hears Taylor's voice, and smiles at whatever she does! Here is an update of her stats:

Height: 26 inches (96%)
Weight: 14 lb. 5 oz. (66%)
Head Circumference: 41.9 cm (76%)
Clothing size: 6 months
Diaper size: 2

Maddy likes...
Playing with her hands, putting her fingers in her mouth, grabbing mommy's hair, reaching for a toy, cooing and babbling, laughing at daddy when he "raps", tummy time, standing on someone's lap, sitting with assistance, watching and listening to her sister, rolling over, smiling at anyone who talks to her, sleeping, feeling new and different textures, "talking" to people, eating cereal, splashing in the bathtub, hearing music, listening to people singing, cuddling.

Maddy dislikes...
Sudden noises, being hungry, being overtired, scratching her face (which she does all of the time and doesn't realize what's happening), getting her nails trimmed.

Update on Maddy's kidney condition (hydronephrosis): 
We spoke with Maddy's urologist, Dr. Smith, the other day, and despite what he told me at last week's appointment, he still wants to try and wait until Maddy is 6 months old to do her surgery. I guess that, after 6 months, the chances are more likely that they will be able to do the procedure through her ureter, without making an incision. So Dr. Smith is going to schedule the surgery for early April, but will monitor her every 3 weeks until that point. If he feels that her condition gets worse quickly, he will intervene and do the surgery right away. So, MORE waiting! We are getting frustrated with the urgency, followed by the waiting, but we do trust that Dr. Smith is making the right decision for her.

She loved bundling up and going for a walk

Getting ready for her first solid food feeding!

Ready to eat!

Yum!

Taylor was a very helpful big sister and gave Maddy her first serving of rice cereal. She missed her mouth a couple of times, but did a great job overall!

Looking at her toys during tummy time!