Poor Orion.

I dropped Orion off at the vet this morning. He was scheduled to be neutered and to have his front claws removed.

Christina and I will pick him up tomorrow morning.

I feel bad, but it is for the best. I would hate to have Christina get scratched. She pets Orion nice most of the time. Sometimes though, she grabs and pulls his fur. Orion is very tolerant.

The girls are sleeping as I just came home. I hear Christina stirring. She must know I am home.

Not much new. Angela's birthday is coming up.

Christina is doing well. She tries so hard to do things. I wish I could make it all better.

Well, we made it home in one piece.

Christina's appointment went well. She had Botox in her calves and Phenol blocks in her thighs. Dr. Engel also checked Christina's eyes while she was under.

The nitty gritty update :
Christina's optic nerves did not develop entirely. They will not get worse or better. This, along with the brain processing, is what hinders her vision. We still will not know how much she sees until she can tell us.
The Phenol took effect right away. Christina's legs are no longer in a scissored position. They are a little spread out and she needs to learn to use those muscles all over.
The Botox will peak in about three weeks. I am confident it will help her as much this time as it did last time.

We were able to see Bonnie and Becky while we were at Childrens. We also ran into Dr. Perdue, Christina's first doc at Childrens.

The car ride there on Tuesday night did not go well. Christina had a different cry this time. It was more like she was scared. I felt so bad for her. Angela and I took turns holding her hand and that helped.

Christina and I had a chance to use the pool at the hotel on Wednesday after we were back to the hotel from the hospital. We also called Amber and Mark and had the chance to visit with them.

We stayed Wednesday night and came back on Thursday. With the time of the appointment and the Phenol being something new for Christina we felt it was better to stay another night.

The car ride home was typical. It was so good to be home.

On a very happy note, Christina is getting better with my putting her down for a nap. Today again, I was able to lay down with her in her bed and put her down for a nap. she is asleep all by her big girl self.

The weekend brings us to getting ready for another trip for Christina's appointments. Christina has her next round of Botox. We are also starting Phenol blocks.

I am a little concerned as always when we try something new. It is the next step to help Christina overcome the tone in her legs.

We talked with Dr. Tanaguchi about her arms and he is willing to start Botox there too. I am afraid that will be too much new for Christina. Angela agreed. We also asked her therapists, I wanted to be sure it was the right decision. We will plan on Christina getting Botox in her legs and arms on the next round.

Cheers, little firecracker!!!

I received a new iPod for Christmas. It is fun learning how to navigate and find the features.

To try my skill, I am posting with it. Typing on a screen is not easy. Maybe someday I will get used to it.

Christina is still sick. Or maybe I should say sick again. She can't seem to shake whatever is going around. Her preop is on the fifth. I hope she is ok for surgery on the seventh.

Enough said.

Cole came over tonight. Dave and Crystal had a concert to go to. Christina, Cole and I had a good time. It is interesting to watch Christina when another child is around.

We sang, played with toys, and had a snack. Christina and I taught Cole some signs. He catches on quickly.

Christina is sick today. She hasn't been feeling well for a few days.

One of the bottom molars poked through with an attitude. Christina had a flap of gum flopping over her tooth. The other molar on the bottom is so close. It has been swollen for awhile. The two on top are still taking there time.

I think the teething has put her in the path to getting a cold. She has a cough. It sounds very rough. It has progressively been getting worse. She has been clingy and whiny. I would imagine she has a headache too.

While Angela was out of the house getting her school work done, Christina and I wrapped a couple presents. She enjoyed playing with the paper.

It's Black Friday. Angela went shopping this morning and I am out for coffee this afternoon.

I am going through pictures to double check my organization. And, trying to make another slideshow for ALL the photos.

As I am going through the pictures of Christina it brings a tear to my eye. Really more like crying. She was so small. Looking back, I was a basket case. We all have come a long way. I am very lucky Christina is with us.

I included a photo to share. This was July 5, 2006. Christina is in her incubator at Children's Minneapolis.

Just a note to say...

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

I have a lot to be thankful for. You have come along way Christina. You too Angela. You also have come a long way.

Thanks you two for being you.