What a difference a year makes

I'm sorry that I've been MIA lately but we have had a busy start to the summer. The boys go swimming just about every day at a friend's house down the street and are having a blast learning to swim and jump off the diving board. When we are not at home we are at the Pink Palace, Children's Museum, the mall playground or the library. I can not believe that Eli starts kindergarten this year that just breaks my heart. Noah is looking forward to the 1st grade and is ready to help Eli learn every thing there is to know about "his" school.

John is doing great running his own business. It is hard to believe that he has been on his own for 8 months now. Business is really picking up and he is loving being his own boss. Check out some of his work here and if you need anything built, remodeled or an attic finished out just give him a call.

I'm having a blast teaching Kindermusik out of my home. I have 6 kiddos including Julianna and I'm hoping for more this fall. Julianna is loving being a part of Kindermusik and dances around the room most of the time. If anyone is interested in a free preview and you live in Tipton or Shelby county just let me know.

Okay this post is becoming forever long but I needed to give y'all some updates. I will not wait so long between posts next time I promise. I have some pictures to post of our busy summer and Father's Day but I wanted to post Julianna's 1 year post-op pictures first.


Pray for us tomorrow as we travel to Nashville for her 1 year check up with Dr. Kelly.


1 year ago on June 26th we were handing over our daughter for a 5 hour Cranial Vault Reconstruction surgery to relieve the pressure from her brain. She was born with a condition called Craniosynostosis in which the plates in the skull fuse together prematurely. That was the hardest day of our life!! If you have not watched her cranio journey video montage just click on it on the right side of my blog.

Today she is a VERY BUSY 20 month old!!!! To mark her cranioversary with style she decided to throw my brand new Ipod Touch in the toilet. Nice huh?!?! I fetched it out as quickly as possible and was happy today when it turned on.

Julianna playing in the water at the Children's Museum Julianna and daddy at my cousin's wedding. By this point she was so tired and cranky. But once they turned on the music and she got some cake in her she danced it right out of her.

This is one of the many head shots we took of Julianna before surgery

Top view

Top view which is a better view to show off the uneven head shape

This is the right side of her skull. The breaks in the skull are supposed to be there for normal brain growth. They are called sutures and each one has a specific name. Julianna's Coronal Suture was closed solid on her left side.

Notice that there are not any open sutures on this side

Julianna and daddy right before surgery

Mommy and Julianna before surgery

I rocked her to sleep before they came to get her and she stayed alseep for them as they prepared her for surgery

My sweet girl and she still sleeps with that blanket and carries it around with her every where

The first time we saw her after surgery. Oh it still makes my stomach hurt every time I see these pictures

Definitely swollen but so pretty and round

This was the worst day for swelling. I cried when we walked in that morning and saw her.

She was trying to get comfortable. She wanted to lay on her tummy with her bottom in the air like normal, but they made her sleep in a baby carrier so she would be in an upright position.

I will never let daddy live this down. He got to hold her first, 2 days after surgery, because I was off doing our laundry. Not holding her for 2 days was horrible.

Mommy finally got the chance to hold her and rock her to sleep. I did not want to let her go.

Peek-a-boo baby girl. We have one eye open by the afternoon of the 3rd day.

There's my sweet girl. After she opened that one eye she was back to normal and wanted to get down and play.

Daddy and his girl napping

She hated all of those wires and kept making the machines go off and beep like crazy.

My favorite picture

Drinking a bottle for mommy before bedtime.

We are out of here!!!!

Going home after 5 days in the hospital