Family Bingo

We attended a fun Family Night Bingo event last Friday. Lily had a great time hanging out with the big kids, warming up to them right away. It was a really nice evening, and we even won a prize!

Valentine Cookies

Lily and I made Valentine's Day cookies yesterday. She helped mix up the dough, and she helped decorate; she took a nap while I cut them out and baked them. Here are a bunch of pictures of Lily's version of cookie decorating... She managed to eat about two and a half cookies during this process (WAY more than she needed), and if you look closely you'll notice that she actually sticks the decorator icing into the cookies. Silly girl.

Thin Milk

The nurse in Pedi Pulmonary called to let me know what the doctors said about Lily's swallow study from last week. They are, of course, pleased with the results of the test. Since Lily has been doing well with thin water for almost a week already, they said we can try thin milk. I just mixed a batch of thickened milk with Carnation this morning, so when that is gone we'll try milk without Simply Thick (still using Carnation Instant Breakfast for calories).

I have such mixed emotions about this! I am so very, very proud of Lily's growth and development, and I'm thrilled that she's ready to give this a try. It's been a long road, and the past year has shown dramatic improvement in her health. This new milestone is something to celebrate. But the risks of drinking thin milk are scary. Aspirating water is manageable. Aspirating milk is really not a good deal - milk damages lung tissue, and Lily obviously doesn't need anymore damage - her lungs are truly still recovering from the NICU. The doctor said to proceed with caution, but to go ahead and try. You can bet that I'll be watching every sip she takes for the first few days!

The problem with Lily's aspiration (aside from the fact that she does it at all) is that she has always done it silently - she doesn't cough, gag, choke, or give you any other indication that it's happening. So our only real indicator of actual aspiration will be fever. What if she aspirates and I don't notice a low-grade fever and her lungs are damaged and she ends up on oxyen for the rest of her life?!? (Something that bad will not happen, I am being dramatic, but that's kinda how I'm feeling right now...)

Lily is ready to try this, and I'm really excited about it, but a little apprehensive too. Please pray that her lungs will be protected.

Children's Bible

We love the Read and Share Bible. Each story has its own two-page spread in the book, and they're short and sweet. The scripture the story comes from is listed for each story, and at the end of each story there's a question to spark discussion. Lily isn't quite old enough to voice responses to the questions, but we do talk about them. The stories take literally less than two minutes to read, so it's convenient and fits into a small child's attention span.
I spent a lot of time looking at children's Bibles before choosing this one. I like this one because the stories are simple enough for Lily right now, but thorough enough to last her a few years. Especially because of the discussion questions, I think this is a Bible a little kid can grow and learn with. So if you're looking for a Bible for your kids, this is a good one to check out!

My Plants

I never would have considered myself to have a green thumb, and really I still don't. But I've gotten a lot better about consistency with my routines in the past year or so, and that has miraculously translated into healthy, pretty plants! They make me think of my Grandpa Jim, so I'm so glad to have these plants.

This was the first one I got... To be honest I was a little nervous taking it home. It had been a long time since I'd had a plant, primarily because the last one didn't do so well. Nine months later, though, I think it's doing great!

I went to our local nursery and asked for something that would do well in my kitchen window. Apparently they chose a good one - it bloomed! I was just tickled pink when we noticed the little flower buds.

My newest plants are these two in front of the house. I'm afraid of gardening in a flower bed because of all the potential weeding, and flowers require more watering than I'm willing to do. But a couple more plants in big containers didn't seem too daunting. I picked out these burgundy planters and once again headed to Enchanted Forest to have them choose plants for me. This time he chose some kind of lily - funny, huh? I can't remember the exact name, but I think they look great. Dusty cut down one bush on each side of the front door to open up the front of the house a little more, and I love how it turned out. The front door is so much more inviting now, instead of guests feeling like the bushes were going to eat them. Hopefully the boxwoods will fill in on the ends; we'll see how it goes this spring.

Water

Last Friday was such a great day... We went to the wildlife park in the morning, Lily took a nice nap, and then we spent some time outside enjoying the beautiful weather. Lily wanted a drink of my water, and I almost told her no. I'm not quite used to her being able to drink thin liquids! But I gave her a drink, and she wanted more. I gave her another drink, and before I knew it she had stolen my water bottle and made herself comfy in a chair. We sat in the backyard soaking up the beautiful sunshine and laughing while Lily drank my water. One time she took a drink, set the bottle down, and said, "Yummy".... I felt so peaceful and content that afternoon - it felt as though all was well in the world. I think moments like that are meant to be savored.

Menu Plan Monday

Monday - Taco Potatoes
Tuesday - Grilled Pork Chops w/ Roasted Potatoes
Wednesday - Fetuccine Alfredo w/ Imitation Crab
Thursday - Frozen Pizza
Friday - family outing, no cooking at home
Saturday - Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore
Sunday - out to eat, no cooking at home

Also shopping for fresh fruit, breakfast and lunch foods, and snacks to have on hand (my list has specific items, not general categories like this); and I planned one extra meal that will probably be used for a weekend lunch: Meatballs with Mushroom Gravy. Still trying to use up those potatoes, since we didn't eat all the meals on last week's plan.

You can get lots of great ideas at OrgJunkie's Menu Plan Monday!