Finally back to normal

Micah had his metabolic appointment this past week. He has been going every 3 months. This was his one year anniversary of his diagnosis appointment. So he had an abdominal ultrasound along with his usual blood work. His doctors think he is looking great! His belly/liver is getting smaller. His blood work keeps looking a little bit better every time. He is finally just at the top of the normal range for his triglycerides! Praise God. The 'top of the normal range' means 100. Last year he was almost 800. His liver function levels are still slightly high but they are fine, I guess. He did have one test that was super high but the doctor didn't say anything about it and I guess isn't concerned. We are checking his ketones over night again to see if his corn starch dose needs to be adjusted or not, since he is growing! He is almost back to his normal growth curve. I think he is still a little shorter but the doctors said that he is back on track and normal. Since everything is looking so good, he does not need to go back for 6 months! Maelyn also does not need to go back for 6 months either, so assuming we have no emergencies or things come up, we will not be back to the hospital again until spring! Hallelujah! I love the hospital here, because they are so good, but I hate going so much. We were there just about every week for about 10 months. And now we get 6 months off! Ben was disappointed when I told him. He likes going (because the appointments are never for him), so he started to fake cough and tell me that he needs to go to the hospital. I said no way! All my babies are healthy and we are keeping it that way!

So, we are officially 'back to normal'. (With the exception of 2 am corn starch for Micah.) All three kids are healthy and appointment free, we are in a house that we are not leaving, I have a car that should not break down, and Tim's job is going well! I'm looking forward to normal stuff and trying to get back to a boring and uneventful life! For instance, we are starting solid foods with Maelyn so I've been working on making and freezing lots of baby food for her. We are also trying to get her rolling and sitting up since she will be 6 months old soon! Micah's starting to talk about using the potty and learning how to dress himself. We are talking about part time preschool for Ben. He is learning to write and spell already by himself! And I am psyched for the holidays. We are actually going to have Thanksgiving with friends. I'm planning for what to cook/bake for that (simple joys). The boys and I have already decorated the whole house for Christmas. We are planning on going to get a real Christmas tree this week. I've already overly Christmas shopped, and am excitedly planning for having family come to our home for Christmas! I'm just happy to have normal back, to feel secure in our lives, but I still hug my babies extra close everyday, and praise God for giving us this.

6 weeks post op

We finally made it to the 6 week post op mile stone. She is officially recovered! We can officially get back to normal, and treat her like a normal baby. We have sort of tested out solid foods, but she is not a fan. We have just started tummy time again, which she basically just lays there, no rolling or pushing up, but she's content. She has tried the jumper a couple times but doesn't really like it. She is starting to sit independently a little bit, which is amazing and exciting. For the last 2 weeks we've been easing into this normalcy. We've been trying to go out and having people over. We went to our churches Halloween festivities and I took the boys trick or treating on our street while Tim and Mae handed out candy at our house. We've had a few play dates. This past weekend we went to church and did child dedication for all three kiddos. I took the kids out of the house by myself for the first time since surgery. We went to Target. You would have thought we were at an amusement park, the boys had so much fun just being out. Micah's going, "ohhh look at all the colors!" and Ben is going, "and that's a Christmas tree, and that's a Christmas pillow, and that's a Christmas cup..." He is always excited for Christmas, so now that it is actually approaching, he's super excited. Now that Maelyn is healthy, we can all get excited and ready for the holidays. Tim and I have been looking forward to Christmas for a long time, knowing that if Maelyn made it, she would be fine by Christmas, and here we are, and it's not even Thanksgiving yet! We may have a Christmas tree up already, but I am still looking forward to Thanksgiving. This year, thanksgiving will just be our little family of 5, but we have so much to be thankful for, it might just be the best Thanksgiving yet. Now that Maelyn and Micah are doing so well, and stress is low, I've been able to really focus on all of our blessings and just praising God for answered prayer and for life. Just look at all of this life we have to be so thankful for.

Halloween night

The boys Christmas tree went up 11/1

Her pretty dedication dress

The first big snow fall!

I have no words for this one, just, love.