12 years

This year we celebrated our anniversary in style! We spent the weekend at Nate and Tans cabin in Montana. Everyone went skiing on Valentines day...but Cait and I of course. Actually Cait had a really bad stomach virus just before we left that I was positive she'd got over...but on our way down it hit her hard again. So she actually spent the day sick in bed with my by her side worrying about her poor little kidney and what dehydration would do to it, while everyone else went skiing. Then for our anniversary we went to church, and hung out with some of Nate and Tan's friends. It was a pretty fun weekend. I just wish Cait was better. It was honestly kind of scary. But when we got home we had her urine tested and then talked it over with the nurse at her nephrologist office, and we're pretty sure she'll be ok. At least she's not puking anymore!

Anyway, it's been 12 years! Things are great! I love being married to this man. He's such a good father and a great friend to me. We get along so well and I can honestly say that I'm looking forward to what the next 12 years brings. I sure love him!

p.s. I think I'm owed a nice anniversary dinner...right??

Valentines Day PLUS 100 days of school

There is no greater holiday in a house full of girls than Valentines Day. Honestly. This kind of thing is what we live for around here. Craft supplies are bought well in advance, cards are cut, sparkled, glued and jewelled for weeks leading up to the big event. Hair styles are planned and executed. Hearts are giddy and bouncy with anticipation. This stuff is the best! The absolute best!

And then to add to the excitement, Hailey also got to celebrate her 100 days of school the SAME day by dressing up like a 100 year old lady. She pulled it off pretty well I'd say. When all was said and done, and the sparkles had been all swept and cleaned up, I'd say it was another successful Valentines day. How could it not be when you're a house full of girls!!

Rapunzel Rapunzel...you cut off your hair?

I can't believe I did it! I chopped their hair off!!! It was just getting so long and scraggly and hard to do. In the morning before I sent them off to school it was a huge elaborate cry fest as I brushed and did their hair. Every. Single. Day. I'd had it. So I convinced them to let me cut it. Paige actually wanted it really short, but I convinced her to let me just do a nice medium short/long. And it worked. Part of me is really sad because I just really do love long long hair and they loved it too. But this is just 100 times more manageable! I mean, it's still long by most standards...just not Rapunzel long anymore!

p.s. I'm not a hairdresser...and these cuts definitely needed some touching up after these pictures...basically I had another look at them the next day and tuned it up a bit!

More Nephrology and Urology updates

In December, just before Christmas we took Cait in for a renal ultrasound and then to see her Nephrologist. And then in January she saw her Urologist. Her Urologist is the surgeon, and from his point of view the last surgery was a huge success!! YAY!! We still follow up in a year just to make sure she doesn't have any blockages...but so far so good.

The nephrologist however confirmed what we suspected. She's basically down to one kidney. Her smaller kidney (previously 6th percentile) isn't even on the charts at all anymore. It hasn't grown at all since her last ultrasound. That one is a write off. As of right now she gets to keep that kidney. It might reabsorb into her body, it might hang out there and do nothing or it might cause some problems. If it causes problems then we'll have it removed. Her other kidney (previously 34th percentile) is now at the 40th percentile. So slight growth...but not at all what we need to see. This kidney needs to get itself up into the 80th 90th percentile to do the job of both kidneys. Will it get there? Maybe. Maybe not. But right now her kidney function is fine. She's growing and developing normally and we have no immediate concerns. We are still desperately hoping that one kidney can do it's thing and pick up the slack. But there's not much we can do at this point other than wait and see. So we'll go back to see her nephrologist in 6 months to a year and reassess then. This will be how she lives her life from here on out. Which is ok. She's tough.