Where does the time go?

Like we always say, time is flying and we wish we could slow things down! Evan will be three months old soon and is learning and changing every day.  We feel like we are new parents for the first time because our experience so far is so much different than with Piper. He is smiling, laughing, cooing, babbling, rolling and loves to stand! He may very well be the happiest baby I have ever been around. We feel so blessed that he is so mild mannered and such a joy to be around. Like I have mentioned before it is a little bittersweet to see him progress so quickly and he has already mastered things we have been working on with Piper for 2 years. We always try to avoid comparing Piper to other children and was easy to do when it was just her.  Watching how he learns does help me think of new ways to work with Piper so I take it as a great learning experience!
 

Many people have asked how we are holding up with two young children. Honestly, (knock on wood) it hasn't been that much harder. I know things will get a little harder when he is mobile but for now things are really good. Once I was fully recovered and back to my busy self it only took a few days to get used to taking care of both of them. Piper is still very high maintenance but Evan is such a good baby so it's not as hard as I expected. Piper hasn't paid much attention to her brother but we noticed yesterday that she becomes more whiny and needy when she hears him or knows he is in the room. Although we don't want her to be upset we are proud of her for knowing something is different! She understands more than we give her credit for.

Piper has experienced ups and downs in the past few months. She was doing really well on CBD oil until our last batch. We changed her dose and saw some bad seizures return. Since her medicine is plant based, every batch is a little different. The ratio for the last batch was different and we think that may be the cause of the changes in seizure activity. We are making changes and already seeing better control. We will be doing an overnight EEG on Monday to see if she has anything new going on.

The past few months have taught us more that we expected. Since Piper's diagnosis we have learned to handle stress, disappointment and heartache the best way we can. It seems like her condition has affected everyone around us and most people just are not able to handle the stress the way we do. It has taught Justin and I to continue to be positive and love each other even more. We do not let negativity weigh us down and chose to surround ourselves with positive situations. We thank the people who can provide that for us and our children. Even with the struggles we are so blessed and extremely happy. We are not saying it's easy but we have an amazing marriage and two beautiful children, how could we not be happy!

Moving to Colorado did something I expected, brought Justin and I even closer in our relationship. We really just rely on each other and trust each other so much. It was scary and a huge leap of faith but we are here and I know that is for a reason. We have found a church we really like and are hoping to get more involved soon. Its nice to get back to a normal routine and to start meeting people again. We are also very excited because we found a house we love and will be closing on it May 1! Living in an two bedroom apartment with two small children has been more than a challenge, especially when Justin works from home. I have been very creative finding places for the kids to nap (hallway, bathroom, closet!) I am lucky Evan is a "go with the flow" type personality because he really doesn't have a choice. I guess being born in Colorado has helped with his laid back personality.  

We have been looking for months for a house that is conducive to Piper's needs. It was hard to find a ranch style house but we finally did. We will have to make modifications like ramps and other things as she gets bigger but we are so happy we won't have to worry about carrying her up stairs. We are so excited to have more space and finally have seperate rooms for the kids! Right now Justin sleeps in the master bedroom with Piper and I sleep in the nursery/office with Evan. It's going to be amazing to sleep in the same room with my husband again!!! It's funny how kids change everything...


We thank you all for the continued support and love!