Good News!

Thank you again to everyone who helped us send up prayers! Easton's surgeon called us earlier in the evening. He looked over Easton's CT Scan and isn't too worried after all. He said that the dermoid cyst contains mostly fat, and is relatively small (he gave me the measurements, which mean nothing to me!). It is also relatively shallow - which is great news! Because of the results, he is waiting until May to remove the cyst. We will let everyone know the details of the surgery as it draws near - thank you again!

On a less exciting note, we found out that all three of the babies have ear infections - ick! Easton and Gianna each have an infection in their left ear, and Ellery has a double ear infection. They had come down with colds over the last few days. They seemed miserable by the time we came home from work today. Our pediatrician's office stayed open late to help get us in - thank goodness. All are on meds now and will hopefully be back to normal soon!
The only fun thing about going to the doctor's office between wellness check-ups is getting their new weights!
Ellery - 20 pounds 2 ounces
Gianna - 20 pounds 6.5 ounces
Easton - 19 pounds 6 ounces (he's gaining on the girls!)

Thank you!

Thank you to everyone who sent us messages via email, facebook, comments here and direct prayers to heaven!

From a procedural point, Easton's CT Scan went close to perfect. He was a trouper! I thought the 17 hours of not eating or drinking would be a killer, but he actually did really well. Once there, they couldn't get an IV in, so they had to resort to one in his foot (try #4) - but again, he recovered well. He was given a very small amount of Propofol (yep, same stuff MJ overdosed on) through the IV. It is a short-term general anesthesia. I was warned, but it was still slightly bizarre and unsettling to see his reaction to the drug. Once it was given, he went limp within 30 seconds. We were asked to step out of the room for the scan, which only took about 5 minutes from start to finish. His pulse-ox did go down during the procedure, so he was given some oxygen and recovered quickly. He 'slept' for about 10 minutes following the scan. He woke very hungry and ready to go! :)

I was happy he recovered so quickly! We were home before our usual 'home from work' time. We were able to take a long family walk and play at the park (What a beautiful day!!!).

The nurse thought that the surgeon should get back to us with the results by the end of the week - I certainly hope so! We will pass on the news as soon as we get it. Thank you again for all of your support!

Easton's Eye

Since last September, Easton has had a monthly visit to the pediatric opthomologist to keep an eye on, what they believe is, a dermoid cyst. If you look at the picture below (come on now, isn't he cute?!?!), you will notice a bump on the outer corner of his left eye. It feels like a BB under his skin. If you push on it, it will move slightly and is firm. It doesn't hurt him.
A dermoid cyst is caused when skin becomes trapped during fetal development. It has been explained to us that it usually happens where/when bones are 'fusing' together during fetal growth. It can happen to any baby, and has nothing to do with Easton being a preemie.

During each visit they have monitoring the 'cyst' for growth and change. We have been told from the very beginning that it would need to be removed, but they try and wait until babies turn one year old. Since he is now one we met with the surgeon last week. The surgeon did have some concerns. He said that dermoid cysts usually have resistance when pushed on, and Easton's seems to disappear when pushed and then comes right back to position. The surgeon didn't seem overly alarmed, but did order a CT Scan so that he knows exactly what he will be operating on. He thought it could possibly be large in depth, even though it is relatively small on the surface. He also mentioned a rare possibility of an optical tumor of sorts. No matter the outcome of the CT Scan, he did tell us that they 'cyst' needs to be removed "sooner, rather than later". We should know more soon after the scan.

We will be taking Easton for the CT Scan tomorrow afternoon (Tuesday). Please help us pray for the very best outcome - a very minimal dermoid cyst. Easton will need to be 'put out' for the scan, so please also pray that he has a good 'sleep' and comes out of it okay. Thank you!

Quin's 'Party'

We did not have a party for Quin's birthday. After a first birthday, I struggle with the idea of parties. To me, birthday parties equals kids. Once she begins school next year and meets more friends, maybe we will have a small party for her. Time will tell...

Instead, Jason and I took her to see a Playhouse Disney Live show that came to Grand Rapids this past weekend. It was perfect! Mickey was having a music 'party'. Quin thought for sure that the 'party' was for her birthday, and she got to spend it with some of her favorite characters. We had great seats - about 10 rows back, just off to the side.
She wasn't quite sure what to think. She sat quietly, trying to take everything in - the crowd, music, characters, singing, the little boy sitting behind us who was trying to make friends with her... She was adorable!

She warmed up after the first half - dancing and singing along! She seemed to have a great time!

We did have to laugh at her. When our nanny asked Monday morning about the show, all Quin wanted to tell her about was that we ate popcorn. What?!?! I don't know if she has ever had popcorn, so she was thrilled that we ate popcorn during the intermission. She has since remembered different parts - hopefully many memories were made!

3 Already?!?!

It seems like yesterday that I took the first two pictures!
Quin's 1st birthday
Quin's 2nd Birthday

I spent three days trying to get Quin to take her 3rd birthday picture. I think the terrible 3's settled the morning of her birthday :(

I finally captured this beaut :) Not bad, but not great - I will take it though!

Quin turned 3 years old last Friday, March 5. She has been through quite the ups and downs over the past year or so, but I have been so proud of how well she has adjusted. There are many things about her that haven't changed in the last year. I could probably cut and paste most of my post from her 2nd birthday :) I described her as: sassy, determined, tough, sticks up for herself and outspoken. Yep - still all of those things! She has many moments each day where she is flexing her ability to challenge what we say, and pushing the boundaries. She is also hilarious! I have loved this new stage of Imagination. She has many imaginary friends. I upset her by stepping on their 'food' this morning. She made me take all of her stuffed animals out of her bed last night because they were being 'too loud fighting over food and she couldn't fall asleep'. Before she went to bed tonight she arranged her animals/dolls on books to form a train, and told me that they were going to go for a ride in the morning - I am sure she will take them on quite the adventure.

I love the spice that she adds to our life! She loves her brother and sisters, and they adore her! I wish nothing but a lifetime of happiness for her!!! Happy {belated} birthday to our Amazing Quinners!!!

Her birthday is a perfect example of her letting her opinion be known. All week she had wanted tacos for her birthday. When Jason asked if she wanted to go with him to get her birthday dinner, she refused the tacos and stood her ground for 'french fries'. Now, I have somewhat prided myself on the fact that she has never wanted french fries - she loves fruit and has always chosen apples over fries. So I was a.)shocked that she was demanding them and b.) not quite sure how to react. We did give in, seeing that it was her birthday, but I don't plan on her demands being met with any such enthusiasm again! I hope this isn't a sign of her 3rd year of life.

We ended her birthday meal with a yummy ice cream cake that Jason picked up for her - YUM! What a dad!

What Have We Been Up To???

Time flies! It has been over two weeks since my last post. It seems so strange that time goes so fast, yet I wonder what in the world we did during that time.
Easton, Ellery and myself have been a little under the weather - not down and out, but not 100%. Icky noses and coughs - ugh! It really just slows us down. I am hoping that this is the worst of it and we only get better from here!

So... What have we been up to?!?! Well, two weekends ago Jason had a date day with Quin. They went to an afternoon Griffin's game (local hockey). It was a nice change for all six of us. Quin and Jason had a great day. Quin was happy to tell me about the game, but even more so, she was excited about what they ate! I have to give it to her - arena food is good! I also loved the time alone with the babies. It is rare that I spend time with just the three of them. I usually take Quin with me when I run errands, or I am home with all four kids. I LOVED seeing them interact with just each other - it was a great few hours.
This past weekend we made the trip to my sister's house. My mom, sister, Quin and brother all have birthdays within a few weeks of each other. Even before Quin was born, it was a great excuse to get together. It was close to a month since we had seen each other - and even more so since I had seen my adorable nephew Lincoln! He is getting so big :( It was nice to see everyone!
Gampa Gampa and Quin opening one of her presents.

And, drum roll please... Gianna is crawling!!! She is not a risk taker. I think she had been practicing when no one was looking because all of a sudden she just took off. She went from watching on the sidelines, to keeping up with Easton and Ellery in the fast lane. It is hilarious to see all three of them crawling together. When they are all going in the same direction, it looks like the final lap of a Nascar race. When they are going in opposite directions, it looks like a group of deer that have just been spooked. Makes me laugh every time. How do we do it, you might ask??? We love our gates! Sure do help keep the babes out of trouble :)

Here are a few pictures of our trouble makers. Easton loves to make everything into an obstacle course. Even when he has a direct, unobstructed course to what he wants, he will go under and over anything that is near (over the dogs and pillows, under chairs...). All three babies are pulling themselves up on everything too. So neat to see them turn into little people :)

Easton crawled into an empty basket today, just for the fun of it!

Thank you to our nanny for the above picture, as well as the following. I love that she takes pictures of what everyone is doing during the day. She made colored pasta for all four kids to play with. Quin was talking about all night!