Everyone Loves a Skibness
The girls were feeling a little left out with everyone's first day of school photos so we decided to pretend they were going to school too.
ENJOY!!
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| Cecilia Hope, Isabelle Grace, Zoe Elizabeth |
Friday, November 6, 2015
Standing, Eye Balls and Weight Gain
Only in the Skibness Household ...
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| August 21, 2015 - Cecilia stands up |
Only in the Skibness Household would you hear discussion of bloody eye balls and strategy to most effectively gain weight along with a celebration for someone standing up!
She Did It!!
We took a trip to visit the farm up in Northern Minnesota for our cousin's wedding (she looked beautiful by the way), and upon our arrival, Cecilia decided to surprise us. After 25 months, after six hours in the car, Cecilia decided she was ready to stand up completely unassisted! Tears and celebration were immediate!
EYE BALLS
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| Momma & Zoe at her Pre-Op Appointment |
Zoe was scheduled for her fancy eye surgery on Wednesday, September 9, 2015, in Rochester. Grandma Jan made the journey with me on Tuesday, September 8 for Zoe's pre-op appointment with Dr. Brodsky.
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| Zoe Waiting for Surgery |
Then bright and early Wednesday morning, Adam and I packed the car, ready to potentially spend yet another night in Rochester, and grabbed one of our children, this time Zoe, to travel for yet another surgery.
We had been told to be prepared for Zoe to be black and blue with bloodied eyes for 4 - 6 weeks, which put us right up to my sister's wedding - EEK!! We met with the surgeons and anesthesiologists, again, and then settled in to wait.
Waiting this time was much more challenging this time for me. Something about the eyes really just makes me uneasy. I worried. The worst case scenario (other than death) would lead to Zoe being blind. Of course Dr Brodsky assured me that this was just a routine procedure but nothing seems to be routine in our world.
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| Zoe's Eyes Following Surgery |
Dr. Brodsky was going into work on Zoe's eyes - both of them. He would be tightening up two muscles on each eye to help Zoe see and track better. It is my understanding that very surgeons in the country will tackle this surgery like he did.
So I paced ...
Finally, we were told Dr. Brodsky was ready to meet with us. I was nervous (so was Adam but he won't admit it). Dr. Brodsky joined us and said Zoe was a rockstar. She did fabulous!! The only hiccup was she had been under for longer than they anticipated because he had been able to look at her retinas (remember one detached and we flew to Michigan), inspect her eyes for a status update on her glaucoma, and he performed a full eye exam while she was under.
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| Dragon Zoe & George Driving around Mayo |
Given all of that, along with Zoe's fragile lungs and her dislike for coming out of anesthesia, Dr. Brodsky felt more comfortable keeping her overnight for observation. Also, she could have her first follow up appointment the next morning to see if the muscles had slipped (if they slipped we would be going straight back into surgery).
So we settled in for another night at Hotel Mayo - They really should have a rewards program for us!
Fast forward, two days and Zoe looked fabulous!! The blood inside her eyes was almost gone leaving just a pink residue and Zoe was an active happy kid again.
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| September 10, 2015 - Zoe at her Post-Op Appointment |
Dr. Brodsky and his fellow, Dr. Nash, truly do care for Zoe. Each checked in on her multiple times and reached out to us following surgery to ensure she has been doing fabulously. We are truly very lucky to have such caring doctors.
We return to Rochester in November for her final surgical follow up. It is anticipated however that Zoe will need at least one more surgery of this nature to properly align her eyes.
Baby Got Back :)
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| Momma is proud of me! |
Cecilia is gaining weight!!
You have no idea how happy this makes Adam and I - we have been dealing with pessimists and negative nancies who simply refuse to believe Cecilia can survive in this world without her G-Tube. Well guess what - they are wrong!!
Cecilia had a follow up appointment with Dr. Haigh to monitor her weight post-surgical closure of her G-Tube site on September 30, 2015, and she gained weight!! Cecilia was up another 600 grams giving her a weight of 8.4 or 18 pounds, 8 ounces!!
We are so proud of our little peanut!
Friday, July 3, 2015
We Turned Two!!
Can you Believe it?!
Where do I even begin? The last two years have been the proverbial roller coaster. Our family, both biological and choice, have stood by us and endured just as much as we have - you watched Adam and I celebrate Madison's life and say good bye. You were cautiously optimistic as we announced we were carrying triplets and despite your own questions, you supported us. You held your breath as the girls (well Cecilia really) decided they were ready to enter the world a whopping 3.5 months early. And you prayed while Cecilia, Isabelle and Zoe all fought for life. Thank you.
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| July 1, 2014 - One Year of Age Zoe Elizabeth, Isabelle Grace, Cecilia Hope |
We are blessed to have three amazing two year olds (corrected only to 20.5 months). The girls have overcome more obstacles than most grey haireds face in an entire lifetime. They were fighting to survive before they entered this world. And I can say without any hesitation, it has all been completely worth it.
All the sleepless nights, agonizing terror and heartache, moments where we didn't know if we would find our own breath as they struggled for theirs ...
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| July 1, 2015 - Two Years of Age Zoe Elizabeth, Isabelle Grace, Cecilia Hope |
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| Cecilia Hope |
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| She LOVES to play! |
Fast forward and the girls are quite simply, for lack of a better word, amazing. Cecilia has overcome the most by far, but you would never know it. She's the happiest little person. Constantly with a smile, babbling away and showering you with love and hope and belief. There is no reason why Cecilia defied medical science or why she fought so hard to prove everyone wrong - but she did - over and over and over again. She is my hero.
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| What? Who me? Isabelle Grace |
Isabelle is still my favorite monster. She has the absolute best personality and will crack you up with her faces. She's also too smart for her own good and has discovered she can open doors and escape if she wants. We've recently started timeouts and she will go, head down, and stand in corner waiting for you to tell her she's been a good girl again. Once that happens, she will run to you and give you the biggest hug she's capable of - enough to absolutely melt your heart.
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| Such a character!! Zoe Elizabeth |
And then there's Zoe - trust me, Zoe will not let anyone forget her. She's a true character. Hugs and kisses, climbing and playing, feeding you hamburgers with grape jelly - she's definitely her own person. The most amazing thing is to see her want to help Cecilia walk and keep up with her and Isabelle. Zoe will come over and take Cecilia's other hand and attempt to help her walk, though we have to remind Zoe often that we need to go a tad bit slower.
The girls also completed their Bailey's Developmental Screenings and did a fabulous job. Zoe and Isabelle rocked the gross motor items while Cecilia was testing at almost 39 months for some of the cognitive portions. We still need to work on vocalizing (animal sounds for example) but the girls are doing so much better than anyone outside of our family believed possible.
Unfortunately not everything is perfect. Cecilia will undergo surgery later this month with the fabulous Dr. Ishitani. In late spring Cecilia decided she was sick of her G-Tube and pulled it out, unbeknownst to me until it was too late to put it back in (you really only have a 10-15 minute window to reinsert a pulled tube). After discussion with doctors (some of whom believed we were unrealistically optimistic), it was agreed Cecilia could attempt life without her G-tube.
Once again, Cecilia is proving people wrong and has gained over 700 grams in less than two months since the tube was removed. At her last weight check Cecilia topped the scales at 17 pounds!! This is a new record for her - fingers crossed she continues to gain and next week I can tell you she's up even further!!
Zoe also is being considered for surgery on her eyes. We will have an examination with Dr. Brodsky in Rochester to evaluate Zoe for surgery to help strengthen her eyes and confirm her retinas are still looking fabulous. More than likely, they will also bring in a pediatric glaucoma specialist as well to ensure Zoe's two types of glaucoma are behaving themselves.
We have such brave amazing girls - Adam and I are incredibly blessed. We will celebrate the girls at their first party on July 11! Watch for pictures to come!
We love you!
Adam, Daneille
Madison, Cecilia, Isabelle
Zoe & GUS
Thursday, May 21, 2015
SAVE THE DATE!!
We're Having a BIRTHDAY PARTY!!!
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| Someone's excited!! |
The girls turn two this year and to celebrate this momentous occasion we are having their very first birthday party.
Here are the current details:
Date: Saturday, July 11, 2015
Location: Our House (yes we may be crazy)
Time: TBD
Hotel: I'm still working on setting up a block of rooms.
Wish us luck and we hope to see you there!!
Friday, May 1, 2015
22 Months Old ~ Corrected to 18.5 Months
Our Crazy Wonderful Life
Have you ever stopped to wonder what your life would be like if you had made different choices? If the blessings in your life had never come? If everything good and bad had never happened to you?
I have. In fact, I do this quite often - and the answer is always the same. I wouldn't trade it - I wouldn't trade a moment. Adam and I joke we would have a lot more money and free time but we wouldn't have happiness. Our girls are truly the best pieces of us put together to make this world a better place. Madison, Cecilia, Isabelle and Zoe have made our world better. We are truly blessed.
Today the girls turn 22 months!! It is incredible to think back to where we were 22 months ago, or even two years ago when I was waddling around, big as a house (or three houses), praying the girls would stay inside and bake until term - little did I know what I wanted did not really matter. Life tends to just happen despite everything we do to control it, life just happens.
Our 22 month old wonders, have their own timeline, their own rule book, and their own ideas about how life goes - we are all simply passengers on their ride.
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| Cecilia Hope - I'm an innocent angel |
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| I'm trying to walk! |
Cecilia, the little trouble maker, continues to challenge doctor norms and does things as she sees fit. She is struggling to stand and walk on her own, but hopefully with some determination and the nice weather she will be able to get the hang of it. Until then, she will just have to walk with the assistance of a push toy or by cruising the furniture.
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| Isabelle Grace - Can you hear me? |
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| Pretty Izze |
Isabelle has started to help me around the house and loves to "clean up" with a washcloth - don't get me wrong, she's still my monster baby, but now she wants to help with the messes. She is generous and ridiculous smart. Her vocabulary is starting to grow and she has finally decided to vocalize her words and thoughts. We love listening to her.
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| Zoe Elizabeth ~ Let's Climb!! |
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| I like socks! |
Zoe is now battling Cecilia for the most demanding of the bunch. Her new favorite thing is to yell - no reason really, just yelling to herself yell. She is also living up to her name of monkey, climbing EVERYTHING in sight! If there is something to climb, she is up and conquering. It is quite entertaining to watch.
All of the girls LOVE to eat and have recently demanded a pre-breakfast meal of Cheetos (Little Cruchies) in the morning. They will split a can between them before heading down to eat their real breakfast of french toast, pancakes, breakfast meats, and fruit. They can certainly pack away the food. Fingers crossed Cecilia can start to pack on the pounds with her appetite!!
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| Our little bunnies Isabelle, Zoe, & Cecilia |
We love you all and wish nothing but wonderful moments on you - bad things will happen, you can't avoid them, but you can control how you respond and turn those moments in growing opportunities. Without sadness we could never truly appreciate the love and support around us. Thank you.
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