1st Trip to the Zoo

I recently purchased a zoo membership for our family. We decided to test it out for the first time a few weeks ago by meeting our friends Tricia and Jacob at the zoo. Allie was in heaven! She was so excited about all of the animals and all of the open space to run around. We ended up losing Tricia and Jacob because Allie did not want to wait for anyone. She wanted to see what animal was next and would run from exhibit to exhibit. The train was a favorite of hers as well. She waved and cheered everytime we saw the train and had a blast riding it. I have a feeling we'll be regulars at the zoo this year.

My Little Shamrock

In an effort to catch up, here are some pictures of Allie from St. Patrick's Day this year. The weather was beautiful and we spent the majority of the day playing outside. For some reason, Allie wanted to sit in her infant seat in the driveway and watch the other kids play.



I can't believe how big she's gotten! Just for comparison, here's her St. Patrick's Day picture from last year. They really do grow up too fast!

Diagnosis

I apologize for not updating for the past few weeks. We've had a lot going on and I wanted to make sure I was in the right frame of mind before posting anything here.

Two weeks ago Allie was diagnosed with Single Sutural Craniosynostosis of the Metopic variety (trigonocephaly) which means that the bones in her forehead fused too quickly. It has resulted in a vertical ridge on her forehead as well as a triangular shape to her head. We anticipated being told it was a minor cosmetic issue but the doctor instead suggested an intense cranial surgery to correct or prevent any problems with inter cranial pressure. I was alone at the office, the doctor was a total jerk, I was caught off guard with the recommendation and felt bullied.

After taking some time to digest it all, doing some research, talking it out and praying, we are feeling much more comfortable with our options (including some possible non-surgical options!) and that we are in a better place to make an educated decision. We are currently obtaining a second opinion from some well-respected craniofacial surgeons in Dallas and will make a final decision once we know more.

Regardless of which route we choose, I KNOW everything will be okay!

FISHES!!!!

Allie and I met our friends Tricia and Jacob at the aquarium recently. Allie was very excited to see the "fishes," as she calls them. We had a great time and got to see so much more since it wasn't nearly as crowded as last time.

Allie and Jacob had fun exploring together and it is so much fun to watch those two interact.

Her favorite display is the simulated shark tank in which they show a video of a shark dive. The shark bumps the cage and the floor shakes. A lot of kids seem to be afraid of the exhibit, but not Allie. She loves it! We must have gone through the exhibit about 10 times. That's my little daredevil for you. On the other hand, she is deathly afraid of the scuba divers who clean the various tanks. Go figure.

After the aquarium, we had a picnic snack on the Levee. The weather was gorgeous! It was so nice to spend some time outside with friends!

Feeding Herself

Allie has gotten pretty good with a spoon lately so I let her eat a yogurt by herself while I did some work in the living room. I returned to find this:

Maybe she isn't quite as good with the spoon as I had previously thought.

Picnic In the Park...errr, I Mean Driveway

We recently had a string of beautiful days here in Ohio. It was so nice to be able to play outside for awhile. I decided to have a picnic in the driveway so I packed up our lunch and headed outside. We took her doll stroller, her bike and about a bazillion other toys with us, but she seemed to like just wandering around the most (a true Daddy's girl). We had a great time! I can't wait to have more picnics outside as the summer approaches!

This is what happens when I put sunscreen on her very blond head.

Wishing Mom would quit taking pictures and take her for a ride in her car.

Blood

I didn't realize how long it's been since I've posted any new pictures. Looks like I've got some catching up to do!

At the beginning of March, we had a very bloody week. Allie was playing outside with the neighbor kids when she fell and smacked her mouth on the garage floor. Blood started pouring out of her mouth to the point that I couldn't even tell where it was coming from. I gave her a wet washcloth to suck on and eventually it stopped bleeding. I think the neighbor kids were horrified by the sight of all of that blood, but Allie bounced back quickly and started running around again.

A few days later, Allie was climbing (imagine that) on a wooden stool at Ma & Pa's house. Her foot slipped and she smacked her cheek and her chin on the stool on the way down. Once again, her mouth started bleeding as well as a small gash on her chin. She cried and cried but seemed to be okay after a few minutes. The cut on her chin looked pretty even and not terribly deep so we opted out of a trip to the emergency room. Afterall, we refer to this year as "No Hospital Bill 2010."

Hopefully that is the end of the blood for awhile.