It's that time again...

We met with ENT on Thursday to discuss the future of Kennedy's nose blockage and her ear tubes. I pretty much told them what I wanted and thankfully she was on the same page as me. We have decided to do the CA(choanal atresia) surgery and place tubes in both ears on March 20th. Kennedy already had a tube in her right ear but unfortunately it came out and now is just sitting in her ear canal. Her left ear has the deformity and has always had a very small canal that made it impossible to place a tube. After dealing with four ear infections in the last eight months I am ready to have her ears fixed. Luckily, the Dr. said that the left ear is now big enough to place a tube. WOO HOO!!!! We also decided to wait on having the eye Dr. come in and place a stent in her left tear duct (I will talk more about that later) until we return to the OR in about 6 weeks to have the stents removed from her nose. My biggest concern this time is the stents. I don't know if you guys remember from the last CA surgery but the stents only lasted about 3 days because they were causing breakdown of her nasal passages. This time the Dr. is placing them differently so hopefully they will not give Keni any issues.. fingers crossed...The only problem that I foresee in our future is cleaning and suctioning those stents. The thought right now of holding Keni down and cleaning them 3 times a day makes me cringe. She is going to hate it and that is putting it lightly. Keni is in the "don't touch me unless I ask" stage. The "you better not try to suction me lady I will smack it away" stage. "If I don't get my way I will buck like a big nasty bull" stage. So, please pray for me that I will make it through the next 180 suctions sessions I have to endure for the next few months.

Bumps and Bruises

Kennedy has been keeping us on our toes lately. Now that she is a little more mobile with rolling and stair climbing we are on full alert. Sometimes, unfortunately, we can't be to her side fast enough. On Thursday, Feb 21st, Keni and I were outside on the porch enjoying a little sun at grandma's house. Kennedy was in her gait trainer (a fancy walker) and I had put up a ladder sideways across an opening that leads down two steps to concrete. I have done this many times but I guess Keni has gotten a little stronger than I realized. She ran and push the ladder and it fell along with her down two steps onto the hard pavement. I was up as fast as I could but still was not able to save her from this horrible fall. I immediately took her the the local ER where they did a CT scan to make sure she didn't have any brain injuries. After a clear scan and a pep talk from the ER doctor that I wasn't a bad mom, we were released with a clean bill of health except for a huge knot and some scrapes. I never want to experience that again, but I know sadly that will probably NOT be it. I just kept looking at Kennedy and thinking "man I wish I could have been faster or could have had longer arms" :( I feel like Kennedy has been through so many surgeries and procedures in just her 20 months of life that most people (including myself) will not ever have to experience. I feel as if I could have prevented this. I can't control the things that she was born with that need to be fixed, but I feel like I could have stopped this fall so she didn't have to have experience the pain. Today, I am glad to report that Kennedy is back to her normal feisty, stubborn and happy self. Mom, however, is still a little traumatized :)

Location:Grandma and Grandpa house.

Growing up videos

In Motion.

Wow, If you would have told me a year ago some of the things Kennedy is doing today I might not have believed you. Don't get me wrong, I always have high hopes when it comes to the future of Kennedy but she really is surprising me with how fast she is catching on to things. I couldn't be happier with the progress she has made in the last six months. I can't wait to see what the next six months bring. Kennedy is now crawling up the stairs, cruising the furniture faster and has started to crawl (only a couple of steps and with her head down) she has not done it too much, but it shows me that she is on her way. I hope to get a video of that soon if she will let me. ~~ On the 28th of this month she is going to see ENT and hopefully they will give a better idea of when they plan to do her surgery to open her nasal passages. Will update everyone as soon as I know. I am posting some videos of my Little Miss so you guys can see how fast my baby is growing up.

New Year , New Goals

Hey guys! Kennedy really has been doing great lately. She has been eating one to two jars of food a day by mouth. Signing new words, it seems like everyday, but probably more like one new one a week. One of my goals for Keni last year was to be sitting unassisted for a period of time. She accomplished that so we are moving on to bigger and better things. I am hoping to have her more mobile this year. If that means crawling or maybe cruising the furniture by herself or, who knows, maybe walking! I don't care which, I am just wanting her to be more independent. People say "awww the baby stage is too short!" Well, this momma has had her share of the baby stage and she is ready to see it go bye-bye. So, we have a lot of practice and crying (such a stubborn girl!) ahead of us, but I think she will be doing at least one of those things by this Christmas. I want to thank everyone for the gifts they sent for my girls this year, they couldn't have been more blessed.

Cookies..... Mmmmmm...

These are some pictures of Kennedy decorating Christmas cookies for the first time. She really didn't care about the decorations much, all she wanted was to feel the red icing. She loved giving me a bite then her a lick. It was so fun and cute. Thanks to Aunt Tammy and Kyla for letting us join in on the fun.

It's been a while.....

Kennedy seems to growing up more and more everyday. She is playing more, signing more, and having more attitude! LOL. She is the light of my life and I really feel so lucky to have her. ~~~ Keni went to her very first dentist appt. last week were she told that Dr., "Up yours, you are not sticking your fingers in my mouth!" ;) ... But the Dr. thought Keni's mouth looked great and she was on track with teeth development so far. She had her first cleaning with a big girl tooth brush and she didn't mind that part to much. Kennedy has had a very light load of Dr. appts. lately (I never thought the day would come when I could write that!). Kennedy has a GI appt. later this month, but after that doesn't have one 'til FEBRUARY. WOO HOO! Keni also saw ENT which decided that her left ear is still too small to put a tube in. They also said that they will attempt to open her nasal passages next summer. Very Exciting ! ~~ Well the Kulas house is in full swing getting ready for Christmas. Momma here is doing most of her Christmas shopping online and loving it! Between grandma's , nana's and Tammy's (LOL) the girls will be set this year!!! I can't wait to see what Santa brings! I am hoping to get a video posted soon of Kennedy signing some words, it is so cute. I hope everyone near and far has a great Holiday season. We want to thank everyone that has shown their support either by sending good thoughts or taking time out of your busy lives to help us. Kennedy has come SO far since last Christmas and we could not have done it without the help and support of our friends and family.