Cora's special day

Since Cora's class all have summer birthdays, her teacher assigned them all a "special day" so they can celebrate before the end of the school year. Cora has anxiously awaited her special day for weeks. It was this past Monday. She wanted tinkerbell plates and napkins, we made pink cupcakes with pink icing and princess sprinkles (blue icing for boys) and picked out a special dress for her special day! When we were about to leave for school she was so excited that without even telling me she took one of the tupperware containers of ICED cupcakes out of the fridge and put it in her backpack and wore it around. I went to the fridge and as I frantically searched for the other container she said, "don't worry mama, I put it in my backpack!"

So I after school when I asked her how her special day was she said, "great. there was one really funny part! I coughed out my candle!"

figures!

my kids are so weird!

Guess Who?

#1
#2

#3

Here's the latest addition of name the Garola baby. Take a stab at guessing who's who! We're at least counting on their grandparents to get them correct!

A 2 Cora Quote Day

Yesterday I thought these two things that came out of Cora's mouth were enlightening!
#1
Cora and I were sitting in the car in the parking lot of her school getting ready to go in.
Mama: Let's go in and use the potty and then we'll go to your classroom.
Cora: I don't have to go potty.
Mama: Yes, but let's try because I don't want you to have an accident and we forgot to try at home.
Cora: (emphatically as if I'm beginning to annoy her) I DO NOT HAVE TO GO POTTY!
Mama: (just as emphatically) We're going to try!
Cora: (With hands on hips and the attitude of a 15 year old who has just gotten her cell phone taken away!) You just don't know anything about my hiney!!!!

#2
Rob was playing Simon Says with the kids while I was in the kitchen listening. Rob kept saying things like "Simon says put your right hand in the air. Simon says put your left hand on your head." Cade mixed up his right and left a few times, but Cora kept getting them right. (pure luck, I'm sure!)
Rob: Do you see Cora in here? She's getting her left and right correct every time.
Mama: Wow, Cora how do you know your right and left so well.
Cora: (shrugs her shoulders as and puts her hands up as if to say "who knows") I just have magic in my body!

ok, cora!

Cora Update

Cora's fever lasted through the night on Thurday and by Friday morning had subsided. I spoke with one of her oncologists Friday morning and she mentioned that because of the cloudy spot to the left of her heart on the chest x-ray she wanted to follow up at clinic next week. We have an appointment on Wednesday. But, Cora seems to be feeling much better. She is coughing her head off hopefully getting rid so some of that gunk in her lungs. But she's also playing and dancing, so I'm guessing she feels good. Thanks to all of you who have called to check on her!

Oh What A Night!

Yesterday started like a normal Thursday. The kids off to school and me to the gym with Clara. We then went to a friend's house for lunch and got to see our sweet neighbors who are currently living in Uganda and that was very fun! Cora had chemo on Tuesday. Her counts were sky high and she is taking steroids, so she was acting what we call "weepy." Which to me just means wacky and sleepy from her chocolate medicine. She was also complaining of leg pain which is also a normal side effect of vincristine, but one she hasn't had for a few months. She and Cade have both been coughing some which I was attributing to the massive amounts of pollen accumulating all over the entire city! I had touched both Cade and Cora's heads like 1000 times that day because I always do that when they're runny nosed or coughing just because I'm a little crazy. Cora took a nap on the couch and woke up and cried for me to carry her to the bathroom because he legs hurt and she couldn't walk. I went over to pick her up and she was burning hot. I took her temp and it was 102 axillary. I always debate who to call peditrician or oncologist. Usually for normal flu or symptoms I go with the peditrician, but since she'd had chemo on Tuesday and I thought some of this may be medication related I went with the oncologist. A few kids around have had strep and I thought she may be getting it. The nurse said that the doctor had just left, but she'd call the on call doc. She did and told me to bring her to the ER right now. Of course this totally freaked me out because I was thinking, "they know something I don't know." Everything ran through my head from a terrible reaction to the chemo, failing kidneys from too much treatment, to relapse. Why am I so crazy? So I loaded the troops up, called daddy to meet us, and headed to the ER. Poor Cora felt awful, looked awful, and was so nervous and scared. Long story short...(well shorter) were were there for 4 hours, they checked everything and did a chest x-ray to find a tiny spot on her lung that looked like the beginnings of pneumonia. They also did a mono test and a few cultures that we won't know the results of until later. They gave her a dose of rocephin through her port along with an antibiotic to ensure to control this pneumonia thing. She ran fever all night but it seems to be ok this morning. We are hoping it's just a virus. I'm supposed to call clinic this morning to follow up with the oncologist. The good news is that her counts are high. I'm a little worried because at the beginning of treatment they explained to us that she will take Bactrim each weekend to prevent a specific type of pneumonia because that can be very dangerous to kids on chemo. So pneumonia freaks me out, but hopefully we caught it early and I'm all over it. I'm sure I'll call the doctor another 20 times before it's all said and done. So that's our crazy day that started out so normally. Please say a little prayer for our sweet girl. We'll keep you posted. Thanks to my sweet friends who are continually picking up my slack and putting up with my drama!

The Hiney Shake Dance

Cora's newest love is dancing. We've sorta slowed down on the dress up phase (i know, shocker!). And her new phase is much tidier and very cute! She carries her cd player from room to room and just continually performs. She adjusts her dance style to suit the music and I think this rump shaker dance is perfect for the "down on the farm" song! (remember to pause the music on the blog to get the full effect!)

Easter Recap

New SCPS ad in Coastal Family Magazine

I was in a dr.'s waiting room (imagine that) and stumbled upon this ad in the newest issue of Coastal Family Magazine. This is from a photo shoot done last April. Who wouldn't want to send their kid there after seeing this sweet face (and no I don't mean mine!)

Clara's 2 month update

A lot can happen in one month! Today I am two months old! I have changed so much! I now weigh 10 lbs. 1 ounce and have graduated up to the 38th percentile for my weight! We know my exact weight because we were at the doctor's office last Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Over the course of the last month mommy thought I was experiencing some colic or reflux. I cry almost every time I am put down and go on huge crying binges in the early evening sometimes to the point I'm pretty much inconsolable. The only places I will sleep is next to mommy or in the baby bjorn on the front of mommy. To make a long story short, Cade and Cora had cold symptoms and ear pain for over 7 days so mommy took us to the doctor on Thursday. We never dreamed the one who would be the sickest was me! My right ear is severely infected and the doc thinks it may have been that way for a couple of weeks. I haven't run fever, but it sure does hurt. The doc was pretty suprised because tiny infants don't ususally get ear infections. Momma hates giving us antibiotics, but we had no choice. I had to get a shot of rocephin on Thurs, and another one on Friday, and as of Saturday my ear had still shown no improvement. Dr. S thinks maybe it's viral, so we're waiting a week and then rechecking. Hopefully it will be better by then! In the mean time, mom and dad are much more sympathetic with my fussing knowing how bad my ear is.

Moving along to my progress... I can SMILE and sometimes even laugh a little. I have a huge smile and it's infectious and mom even thinks she got a glimpse of a dimple on my right cheek the other day. My favorite thing is baths. I love them, except the getting out part. I am definitely a mover and a shaker. Unless I am sleeping, I'm never still. I'm always wiggly and kicking my feet and waving my arms around. It makes it sorta tricky to hold me. I am beginning to reach for objects in front of me and even pull my pacifer out by accident sometimes. When I can find them, I'm much happier sucking my fingers anyway.

I am eating much better. I have learned to eat from a bottle without spitting all the milk out. Mom's still pumping the bottles like crazy. She's determined to give me a strong immune system, but from the looks of my ear, I'm not sure it's working.

I am growing and changing every day. Hopefully once we get this ear thing sorted out I'll be much happier.

Have a happy April!

Love, Clara

Cora's celebrity look alike

As daddy was channel surfing last night and passed by AMC, we realized Cora looks a little like Shirley Temple minus a few of the curls!