Virtual Learning 2020

 Well 2020 has definitely shaped up to be a little different than we planned! We welcomed our fourth child, Harper Kate, into our family in late June and are now starting at home virtual learning in early August.

Oy vey. The stress level was at an all time high for a bit, but we are definitely getting into the swing of things.

Last spring when we were forced to do at home learning due to COVID Raegan and I did all of her work at the kitchen table. She couldn't focus because the boys were running around and making a ton of noise. We knew if we had to do at home learning again in the fall we needed 2 things. Someone to watch the boys and Harper so I could focus solely on teaching Raegan and a new space for us to work.

Our house isn't that big so we decided her room was the best choice, but unfortunately the only place we had to do her work was the floor. So the hunt for a desk for her room began!

She got a bunkbed for her birthday so we had already started redoing her "big" girl room and we just continued it by getting rid of her dresser and putting all her clothes in the closet as well as getting a desk for her and I to do work at. The great thing is when she does go back to school she will now have a place to do any homework or just sit down and read or color. 

I couldn't love her desk more! I love that there are 2 sides to it so I can sit across from her and the shelving is amazing! I have all of her school supplies, computer, and her favorite books stored perfectly in these adorable bins from Target!

Her desk is now out of stock unfortunately, but there are still lots of other desk options on Wayfair. We love Wayfair for all our home needs. They are quick and cost efficient!

The chairs look like they are wood, but they are actually plastic! Easy to clean with a cloth or a magic eraser for anything a little more stubborn. They are out of stock in white, but lots of other cute colors!

Her room now looks so much more grown up than before. My little girl is growing up and so is her room!

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Raegan's 3rd Birthday

I know I am over a month over due blogging about Raegan's birthday. I knew I should have done it before Landon was born, but life go away from me, and it didn't happen.

Better late than never though, right?

We threw Raegan's 3rd birthday party when I was 36 weeks pregnant. Phew. It was interesting getting everything together, but it came together wonderfully!

The first good decision I made when planning her party was choosing to have it at Play Street Museum. First off, it wasn't at our house, they helped me unload and load up the car at the end of the party, and they kids were entertained the entire time. We took a break to sing Happy Birthday, but then they were right back to playing. They helped keep the food and drinks replenished and I really didn't have to think about anything. It was great! 

And did I mention it wasn't at our house? Yep. We partied, packed up, and came home to a house that wasn't a wreck from 15 toddlers. Glorious. Pregnant or not, I recommend this to any mom who wants an easy birthday party!

The party was a total hit and we all napped hard when we got home.

woolie ball garland c/o The Whimsical Woolies

rainbow garland c/o Ellenor Shop

bird cage// Hobby Lobby

large gold frame// Hobby Lobby

small gold frames// Target

aqua lantern/ Hobby Lobby

floral bouquet// Wayfair

vase// Hobby Lobby

pink ball confetti// Hobby Lobby

pinwheels// Hobby Lobby (no longer available)

unicorn// Target

unicorn's headband// Heart Strong Boutique

white cake stand// Hobby Lobby

gold glitter 3// Hobby Lobby

letter board// Hobby Lobby

donut hole holder// Target (no longer available)

cups, plates, utensils, straws// Party City

drink dispenser// Five and Below

gold "R"// Hobby Lobby

invite and unicorn prints c/o Jumping Jax Designs

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Raegan's Big Girl Room Reveal

We knew that when we got pregnant with our third that it would be time to transition Rae out of her crib and into a big girl bed so the baby could use her crib, which of course meant it was time to redecorate!

For me I would have kept Rae in her crib for as long as I could. She doesn't climb out and if she decides not to nap, she's confined and can't get into any trouble, but alas, baby #3 will be here in 12 weeks and it was time.

I have been dreaming of Raegan's big girl room since we moved last July. My pinterest board was filling up quickly and I couldn't wait to start! But since we decided to buy a fixer upper I knew it was WAY down the road.

In March once we were moved in and settled the decorating began and oh goodness did it turn out even better than I imagined!

We found her bed on Craigslist for $30. It was black so my dad sanded it down, primed, and painted it. It came out perfect! We just used pink spray paint (Berry Pink) from Home Depot.

So many of the decor items I DIYed. The blue candle lantern I glued a white flower on top of it. Same with the pink vase on the desk. I spray painted it and glued a flower on top. I loved the idea of butterflies on the bird cage so I sprayed paint those suckers too and hot glued them on!

I loved that I was able to keep her dresser from her nursery. Kyle and I bought it off Craigslist. He sanded and painted it pink. For the life of me I can't remember the paint name color though. The pulls were silver so I just spray painted them gold. Easy fix without buying a whole new set.

This little desk fit just perfectly under her window. I couldn't decide if I wanted a desk, vanity, or table with 2 chairs, but decided on the desk because she loves to create and draw. It has a little drawer for all her treasures and it can grow with her over the next few years.

 I just love the wallpaper in her room and I thought it would be fun to wrap the shelves in the wallpaper to give a rather drab white desk a little pop. If you ask me, it's the perfect little pop too.

 This lamp from Target is too fun. You can touch it anywhere to turn it on and off. So if I see the monitor flashing bright I know Rae is playing with her lamp when she should be napping.

I found this sweet little side table when we were still doing renovations on the house back in November, but I knew it would go perfectly so I bought it and kept it at my parents till we moved in. Boy was I right. It matched perfectly! Homegoods for the win!

 I knew when we moved Rae into a big girl bed that we would be using a Beddy's bedding set. It's so easy! She can help me zip it up on the sides each morning and put her pillows on. I love how low this bed is because she can easily climb into it and it's not very fall of a fall if she falls out during the night. Yes, still working on sleeping in our big girl bed. We will get there!

They are also having a buy one get one 50% off this week/weekend for Memorial Day. We have one for our bed too. They are just great.

bed // craigslist find (IKEA day bed)

bed paint color // Home Depot

dresser // craigslist find

wall paint color // Sherwin Williams Tide Water

dresser paint color // Sherwin Williams

desk c/o Wayfair

wallpaper // Anthropologie

bedding c/o Beddy's

turquoise and white pillows // Target

pink pillows c/o Wayfair (similar)

gold pillow c/o Wayfair

side table // Homegoods

gold lamp // Target

clock // Hobby Lobby

flower bouquet c/o Wayfair

turquoise lamp c/o Wayfair

birdcage // Hobby Lobby (similar)

butterflies // Hobby Lobby (spray painted gold)

gold R // Hobby Lobby

turquoise lantern c/o Wayfair

pink lantern c/o Wayfair

pencil holder // Target Dollar Spot (similar)

pink vase with flower // DIY (Hobby Lobby- similar)

turquoise lantern with flower // DIY (Hobby Lobby)

flower portrait // Hobby Lobby

dresser knobs // Hobby Lobby

dresser pulls // Hobby Lobby (spray painted gold)

monogram // Made For You Signs

Thank you Wayfair and Beddy's for collaborating with us on Raegan's room. It's turned out absolutely perfect!

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Surgery #2

So you may have remembered my update on our Rae back in January. Well I'm here to update you again all the business that is Raegan Phair.

So back in January we were needing to get a sleep study done so they could "prove" she still had sleep apnea and tonsils needed to come out. I spent so many afternoons during nap time trying to get a hold of anyone who could get us in for a sleep study before March. FINALLY we got the call that they could get us in, but it was last minute for that evening. We needed to get it done so we did. 10 weeks pregnant, still nursing Hudson, and just plain exhausted, Rae and I headed to the hospital for her sleep study.

Sleep studies are just stressful. She didn't fall asleep till almost 9:30pm and she struggled with being ok with all the stuff on her face and head.

She kept waking up because when she'd roll over she'd get tangled in the wires. Then if anything got unhooked the sleep study techs had to come in, wake her up, and re-hook it. We didn't sleep much. The study ends around 6:30am then we headed home. She went to school like it was a regular day.

Then we waited. And waited. I finally called after 4 weeks for our results and she did indeed have sleep apnea. Something we already knew, but it was done and results were finally in. We scheduled her tonsils and tubes for March 16.

During all of this I had been working with insurance to get her speech/feeding therapy covered for in home therapy. After having doctors send in documentation they approved her in home therapy. This was huge as I knew it would be tough getting her and Hudson out of the house 3 times a week.

We started therapy the week before surgery and decided that she would have speech therapy twice a week and feeding once a week. She loves her therapist and we are so grateful for that!

Surgery day was finally upon us and we were ready to get it done and over with. The waiting room had bene redone since her palate repair with table booths and TVs. It was nice while we waited to go back for pre-op.

The tubes are the easy part, but the tonsils we worried about. Her ENT explained that since her palate has been compromised by the cleft it's very weak and he didn't want to take too much of her adenoids and not leave any muscles to support the palate. Fortunately the surgery went perfect, the palate was supported, and we were ready to start recovery.

Rae struggled coming out of anesthesia. She was wheezing and her oxygen levels wouldn't stay up. They had to do a few breathing treatments and eventually her breathing went back to normal. Sitting in post-op was so hard. She just cried and cried. She was very agitated and nothing soothed her except me singing to her. She did finally eat some popsicle and we got a silly picture from her.

They finally got us into a room and she took a much needed nap.

When she woke up she was back to her old self. She wanted milk and to watch Goldie and Bear on the ipad.

The IV annoyed her and she was so happy to get it out the next day before we went home.

We spent the night in the hospital and went home the next day.

She really did great the whole weekend! We stayed on top of her advil/tylenol rotation and thought we were out of the woods.

Then Monday hit. And so did the stomach bug. She threw up in the afternoon (in the car, bleh!) and we thought maybe it was just the medicine upsetting her stomach, but by that evening, I was starting to feel sick, and at 9pm she started throwing up again with a fever. I called her pediatrician and the nurse line at the hospital. They said as long as she wasn't throwing up blood we just needed to keep her hydrated. So we did. Then around 1030pm, the bug hit me. I threw up all night. Rae slept in the bed with me and would only go to me. So she and I spent the night running back and forth between the bathroom and the bed. Fortunately Kyle's parents took Hudson the next day and we were able to rest. Kyle and Hudson never got it and it was a short lived bug.

After the bug left the house, Rae struggled with pain. She was up every 2-3 hours every night crying. It was like having a newborn all over again, but once day 10 hit, we finally got over the hill. She was doing so much better.

Her speech is improving and so is her eating. She is gaining weight like crazy and eating everything! We've even dropped her feeding therapy as her therapist things her "picky" eating is behavioral and not a texture disorder like we originally thought.

I am hoping that we are done with surgeries for awhile for Rae or any other Sanderson kid. 3 surgeries between Rae and Hudson in 3 years is enough for this mama.

4

Update on Raegan Phair

I've spent a lot of posts updating everyone on Hudson every month and it's time to an update on our sweet Raegan Phair.

She is 2.5 years old. How is she almost turning 3?! I just can't believe it. She's so independent and is so smart. She remembers EVERYTHING! No seriously. Something could have happened months ago (like mommy screaming when she saw a spider and then tried to kill it, but I failed and screamed some more) and she will talk about it when you mention spider and how scared mommy was. So just be careful what you say around her because she will remember!

Oh and watching her with Hudson just melts my heart. She gives him the sweetest hugs and they love to wrestle. Then the next second she's saying "No Bubba!" and running away with the toy he's trying to take from her. Hudson loves to go in and wake her up in the morning. I put him in her crib and he crawls on top of her and just loves on her. You'd think when she woke up she'd be cranky that he was in there, but she wraps her little arms around him, and hugs him right back. Be still my heart.

Alright, back to sweet Rae. As many of you know she was born with Pierre Robin Sequence. You can read more about what that is here. She had her cleft palate repaired when she was 9 months old. We see her surgical team once a year just to "check in" on her. This past November we went in for check up and lots of things came to our attention. I've noticed that her speech was falling behind. They sent us for a speech, feeding, and OT evaluation. After the evaluations, they concluded that she does in fact need speech and feeding therapy. She struggles with eating. It is a fight most of the time trying to get her to eat. Having a small jaw makes it tough for her to chew for long periods of time without getting tired. Her speech is behind because she she has mild hearing loss. Children with Pierre Robin are prone to ear infections and they are also have small ear canals which results in fluid sitting in the ear canals. They said it's like she's walking around with ear plugs in. She isn't hearing the way she needs to to be able to learn to speak correctly. 

They have recommended another set of tubes (hers have fallen out since they placed them at 9 months) and they also are recommending taking out her tonsils. The ENT said they are huge and attributing to her snoring and gasping at night. She had 2 sleep studies done when she was 3 and 4 months old that showed she had obstructive sleep apnea. (normal for a Pierre Robin child). They want to do another sleep study to show that she still has it and taking the tonsils is necessary.

So right now we are trying to get the sleep study scheduled (they can't fit us in until March 12 and that just won't do). Once that is done then we can schedule her tubes and tonsils. Another surgery. I'm sure it won't be her last. It's so hard for me sometimes because I look her and I don't see everything the doctors see. I see my sweet, precious baby girl. There's nothing wrong with her. She doesn't need surgery, but she does. She needs surgery. She needs therapy and will probably up into elementary school. I hate seeing her struggle with communicating. She knows exactly what she's trying to say, but when I don't understand her she gets frustrated. It breaks my heart.

But for now, I choose to be thankful. Thankful that her PRS (Pierre Robin Sequence) is not involved with another syndrome. Just a random happening. I'm thankful that she is thriving and just needs a little help in a few areas. Oh and we just got the news that insurance approved her therapy to be done in home! This is huge! Children who have therapy done in the home tend to do better because they are practicing all of these concepts in their home where they are comfortable. This also helps with Hudson as well because the only time they could fit us in twice a week was during his nap. So now he can nap while they do therapy in the play room.

Now if we can just get moved into our house, get the surgery done, then we can get started with therapy. That's not too much to ask right? Phew!

Now a photo dump of my sweet girl because I just can't get enough of her cheeks. Can you?

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