Lily's Spinal MRI

Lily putting on a happy face with her Dad after getting her IV. We used a lot of video games on my phone to keep her distracted. She is always begging to play on my phone, so she was torn between paying attention to this weird  sharp pain in her hand and taking advantage of playing on my phone before I changed my mind! 

Lily's IV with an appropriately chosen bumblebee wrap. And her trusty "Doggie in the Window, Ruff, Ruff". 

Just after getting sedated. 

Going into the MRI machine. She was there about an hour. 

Waking up. She was pretty out of it but we finally got her to "liven up" a bit by giving her some goldfish. I think she is deciding if she should eat this one or not. She was a trooper and did awesome.

We have an awesome pediatrician and the moment Lily's MRI scans popped up on her computer she called us. We had only been home just over an hour. I wasn't expecting results so quickly and was anticipating waiting a full day to hear. 

She delivered some good news. Lily's spine is normal and has no tumors or other defects. That is a huge relief. However, it still leaves other questions unanswered for which we are moving forward with other tests. Our next big step is to meet with a neurologist, but have to wait until May. In the meantime, in conjunction with our pediatrician, we are doing some other tests to see if we can gather more information for the neurologist and come up with a plan to help her out. 

I want to thank all of you for your prayers, thoughts, well wishes, phone calls and texts. It has been a roller coaster of a day (and week) and I am sorry that I could not answer all of your phone calls. It is great knowing that we have such a strong support group.  Thank you! 

Sam Turns One!

Sam turned one this week. I can't believe how fast this year has gone by! We moved into our new home just one week before he was born and it has flown by. So much has happened this year - too much to fit into one post - but I thought I would at least post a few pictures from the past year.

Our new garage and our first snow! Doug's new job is located in the double doors out back. He started his own business doing environmental consulting in August. We love the commute!

Oliver and Sam last summer. Love the blue eyes all our kids have from Doug!

Sam was Darth Vader for Halloween and we just happened to have a mini-light saber that he loves to carry around. It made the outfit perfect. 

Sam is a very happy baby. And very social. 

Lily, Sam and Gabe on our new front lawn. It's great to have a yard!

Doug, Gabe and Sam when he was only 1 month old. 

Doug and Oliver at the Park City Roller Coaster. Man that was fun! The boys were so excited after the ride that the ride worker gave us an extra pass to go again. The second time was just as fun. 

Sam only a few months old. You can see his personality coming through already. 

Sam in his blessing outfit. He is 2 months old here. 

Gabe, Sam and Oliver hanging out on our bed. 

This is a very common sight. Lily is always hugging Sam and carrying him around. She loves him with abundant passion. 

Lily isn't the only one who like to carry Sam around. Gabe loves it also. 

Gabe, Sam, Oliver and Lily. A rare moment when they are all together and no one is fighting or screaming. Glad the camera was handy!

Sam is a daddy's boy through-and-through. He uses me for food, then looks for Doug. Doug is already wrapped around his finger, sneaking him candy when I'm not looking. 

Lily policing our home with her homemade "chew gun" (because is says "chew, chew" when it shoots) and police man glasses. 

A hike we took last summer up Millcreek canyon. After two hours of intense uphill and walking, the boys wanted to keep going but we still had to make the return trip. It was super fun. 

Again, Sam's true personality showing through. 

Gabe and Lily. They have a love-hate relationship. He loves her by teasing her and seeing how often he can get her to scream. And she can dish it out to him also. 

Gabe and Oliver first day of kindergarten. 

Lily spinning. She loves spinning and the camera...and dancing...and food...and stickers...and Sam...and sneaking anything...and eating chapstick...and gives us a run for our money. What would we do if we had 2 girls!