Will the real Slim Shady please stand up?

Had to share this pic from Missy. Jackson and his two buddies.* Aren't they the cutest?!?!

*Fauxhawks created by Missy.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

We want to wish all of our family and friends a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We're leaving for Montana on Friday morning, so we likely won't have chance to post between now and when we get back home on the 31st.

Unfortunately, the girls both have the stomach flu this week. We're hoping it all passes by the time we need to start driving in two days. We also have our fingers crossed that Michael and I somehow don't catch the bug. That doesn't usually work out the way we we'd like it to.

Here are just a couple of pictures from last week.

Laila and The Shirtless Wonders (Becks and Soph) playing Hungry Hungry Hippos.

Sophia helping Sasha take her first stroll in Mama's high heels.

Looks like we have another camera ham on our hands.

Yes, we're still in princess mode. This is not Sophia, it is Princess Luciana.

Pure joy. I love this one.

V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N

We had a great family vacation to Southern California last week. The girls LOVED Disneyland...well....we think they did anyway. It is really pretty funny what excited them - Sasha liked the drinking fountains, the birdies, and climbing on the benches. Ya know, things you can do FOR FREE at a city park or a shopping mall. Sophia looooooved the princesses. She wore her Belle princess everyday we went to either Disneyland or California Adventure...AND we had to call her Belle - no exceptions. She called Michael "Daddy, the prince" and me "Mama, the queen". We have no worries about her ability to use her imagination. Sasha liked seeing the Disney characters, too, but only if they kept their distance. If they invaded her bubble, she'd start shaking her head and saying "no, no, no, no, no, no."

I LOOOOOVED being back at Disneyland. It reminded me of all of the family vacations we took as a kid. Part of me can't believe my parents attempted a theme park with FOUR kids...we had a tough time with just 2!! It really was fun experiencing it as a parent, though, and I hope we can make it back there again in a few years.

San Diego was great, although it was pretty chilly there. At Sea World...once again, the birds proved to be the big hit. So much for Shamu...Sasha wanted to feed the pigeons and Soph wanted to catch a sea gull.

The girls traveled really well on the plane. At one point, I looked at Sasha and she had the laptop on her tray (watching an Elmo dvd), headphones on, a bag a chips in her lap and sippy in hand. A seasoned vet at air travel. Sophia slept through the whole flight home - mouth open and all.

We had a great great week, but it felt so nice to get back home to our beds and schedules. Now it's time to gear up for our Christmas road trip to Montana and South Dakota in a couple of weeks.

Enjoy the pics!!!!

3 lbs.

The subject of this post is the weight differential between Sasha and Sophia. Our sweet Sasha-ball weighs 26 pounds, and the little peanut Sophia is only 29 pounds. I wondered why I felt so "balanced" while carrying them at the same time...

Sophia should take caution because I'm afraid Sash is going to start holding her own. She is not chubby or soft...rather....she is built a bit like Brian Urlacher. We'll be posting their respective times for a 40 yd dash soon, so keep an eye out for that.

Family Feast

Happy Thanksgiving to you all! For the first time ever, we spent the holiday by ourselves...no traveling, no visitors. Sophia helped me put up and decorate our Christmas tree today, and she was so excited. "Mama, it is BEAUTIFUL!" I loved seeing her face light up after adding each ornament. When Sasha saw it, she said "WOOOOOOOOOOOOW!" These girls are really growing up. As much as we missed seeing our families, we managed to have a lot of fun today!

Practicing for #3

We had a cute little visitor staying with us last week...and the girls had a great time. Mostly because we broke out all of the baby gear -- who knew an infant carseat could provide hours of entertainment for a toddler and preschooler?! Little Jackson is soooooooo cute, and we loved having him here. I have a feeling Sasha is going to have a tough time when her little brother or sister arrives in a few short months. Every time I was holding or snuggling Jack, she would cry and make it clear she wanted me to put him down NOW. Funny at the time...won't be so funny in March.

THANKS FOR VISITING, JACK! Tell your mohawk 'hi'. Oh yeah, Missy was here, too....forgot.

Trick or Treat 2007

This is a bit late, but we hope you enjoy seeing our little goblins all decked out!!! (by the way, we didn't buy them ALL of those costumes...most of them are from the dress-up bin in the toy room).

Sophia's school picture

I think the photographer had her say "stinky monkey"....and it worked!!!!

This one is for you, Edie

After much harrassing from a certain sister of mine, I was finally able to post our pictures from the rest of October. You'll be happy that I cut down the batch from 160 to 57...however, I did not have it in me to do any fun captions this time. They are boring, straightforward and concise. Hopefully we'll have a new video up for you soon, too.

We had a great ultrasound this morning, and the baby looks good! Michael and I had to rush out of the appointment to make sure we could pick up Sophia from school on time, so we didn't have a chance to get a picture....but this might help you get a visual. Think: Skeletor with all of the grace of the ballerinas in Swan Lake. I kid...the baby is just as beautiful as our other two babies, and we are VERY excited to meet him...or her......

Happy November - stay warm!

So much for the "Boppies"

Well, unfortunately, the Rockies (or the "Boppies", as Sasha likes to call them) were swept by the Red Sox on Sunday. It actually comes as a blessing in disguise to me, because I was getting too tired to keep staying up until 11pm watching baseball night after night. I don't know how those east coasters do it 2 hrs later!

We had a crazy weekend....but thankfully, we only have Halloween to conquer this week. Speaking of Halloween, here is last year's spooooooky video.

Tognetti Halloween 2006

We'll have the 2007 version up and some pics to share sometime after tomorrow. Enjoy!!

Oh, our baby check-up went just fine. The four of us also managed to get our flu shots while we were there, and I think the girls did better than I did. Sophia didn't even cry, she just reached for her sucker and said "that kinda pinched."

October pictures are in...

Hello....here is a link to some new pics. We've been busy lately, and I haven't had a lot of time to post anything new and interesting. BUT....with Halloween right around the corner, we should have a new cute kid video up soon!

The pic above is of Sasha "tappin' the Rockies" in South Dakota this past weekend.

Things we do when we're bored....

STROLLER DERBY in the house!!! Good luck navigating around all of those chairs.

Sash, you better buckle up. It's gonna get bumpy.

In case of a water landing, this couch pillow can be used as a floatation device.

And.....off they go. Sasha, you are a brave one.

Best Wishes!

Uncle Nic and his wondeful girlfriend Erin are now engaged!!! I have ZERO details on when or where they are planning to get married.....apparently brothers don't talk about these kinds of details. :-) We're so happy for them!!

Update

Tonight on the the way home from the park, "Soph" informed Michael and me that she would like to be called "Sophia" again. Pretty soon she is going to ask for her name to be changed to a symbol that no one can pronounce.

ALSO, Sasha had her 4 month post-op check-up today with her neuro and plastic surgeons. Both of them were really pleased with her progress, and they were surprised at the symmetry her head has this early. We don't have to go back until next May for a 1 year check-up. Michael and I had a lot of memories of her operation rush back to us when we were walking through the hospital again today. We are so thankful it all went so smoothly.

Soph's homework

Sophia's homework for this week was to tell a story about her house. Here is what she came up with. Enjoy.

"My name is Soph, and I live in a house. My house looks like a caterpillar. It is green with a purple door. Inside the house I eat grapes and play with bears. I live with Mommy, Daddy and Sasha. Sasha takes naps in her purple room, and I take naps in my pink room. My favorite thing to do with Sasha is to dump out all the puzzles in the living room. I like to dance in my house and play with babies in the basement, too. Eating dinner is fun at my house because I like to eat food. I feel happy in my house."

By the way, she told her teacher today that she'd like her name to be "Soph" (rhymes with loaf) instead of "Sophia". We're hoping she grows out of this.

Picture time!

Here is a link to a new set of pics....there aren't many, but there are some keepers. Happy weekend!!!

Check up

Hello out there....
Today we had a 13 week baby check-up. Smidge's heartbeat was good and strong -- and for all you Old Wives' Tale people out there that believe the heart rate can tell you the sex of the baby, the rate was 160 bpm. Now keep in mind....Sophia's hb throughout the pregnancy was almost always about 150. She was well into the "girl range". Sasha on the other hand was cool, calm and collected, and she usually clocked in at 130 bpm -- the BOY range. SO, although for a time I was a believer in the heart rate theory, Sasha blew it.

On a sad note, Michael and both lost our season openers in fantasy football. I think I need to focus more on football and less on these kids. Thoughts?

New pictures to share...

Hello! I've finally uploaded the pictures from Sophia's birthday party last weekend. We had a great time ... Sophia was over the moon. Click here for a photo link.

Also, Sophia started school on Thursday. On the first day her teacher, Mrs. Smith, read a book ("The Kissing Hand") to the kids and the mommies and daddies about a little raccoon who is about to start school. The racoon's mommy gives him a kiss on his hand that he can keep with him while they are away. It is a sweet story. When she was done reading, she told all the kids to go give their mommy and/or daddy a kiss on their hand, so we woulnd't miss them too much. Sophia came up to me, kissed my hand and said "Mommy, you keep this all day. You'll be just fine." It was too sweet.

Sophia enjoyed her first two days of school, and Sasha enjoyed having her run of the house for the time she was away. Everybody wins.

Pictures are here.

Oh, and in case you missed the news....make sure you check out the post below.

Tognetti Movie Trailer

Turn on the sound and enjoy...

http://

Sophia's 3rd Birthday Party!!

Watch the new 3-year old blow the candle out on her cake (you're never too old to need good ol' Dad's help)! Turn up sound to let the pretty song set the mood.

http://

Weekend at last!

Well this week has been a long one for me....but I suppose that is good because I think from here on out we will have lots of weeks that just zoom by. Sophia starts preschool on Thursday! Can't believe it.... She will go 5 days a week for 2.5 hrs. Such a big girl!

We finished out pool season with a bang yesterday. I was apparently nominated to be "that mom" with "those kids" as Sasha threw the best (i.e., WORST) temper tantrum of her life...and while doing so, poor Sophia was stung by a bee! Luckily, some friends were there to help me out. Sasha eventually calmed down, and Sophia only had a few tears....and then she was off bragging about her war wound from the bee.

I was able to take some cute pictures today of the girls while we walked to the mailbox. They both had their strollers and babies. Until today, the girls shared a stroller between the two of them. We'd probably have about 5 fights a day over it...so hopefully now that we have two (Thanks, Aunt Mary), we'll limit the pushing and shoving a bit...but I'm sure they'll just find something else to not share.

FINALLY -- tonight Michael and Sophia are camping out in the backyard! Sophia could not have been more excited. She would not stop talking... "MOM, look at my pajamas. Do you have pajamas like this? They're pretty aren't they? I'm going to sleep in the backyard, Mom. With Daddy. Hey Mom, did you know I get to sleep in the backyard tonight? With Dad? I'm going to be three in 2 days. Do you like my jammies, Mom? Hey mom, why do we brush our teeth? I'm going to sleep in the backyard!!! IN A TENT!!!!! YAY!!! Can I have some ice cream?"

On that note. I'm off to enjoy a big king bed....all to myself tonight...hopefully. :-)

Happy Weekend!

Our new buddy is here!

Congratulations to Missy and Cas on their new little bundle, Jackson Paul, who was born this morning (August 9th). Click here to check their blog for updates and pictures.

Since it has been over 4 years since one of my sisters has had a baby (or in other words, since Laurie decided to stop having babies), I had forgotten how much fun it is to be a new aunt! We are SO excited for the new family of three. I'm sure Morgan is ecstatic that he is no longer the only boy grandkid on the Aberle side. He's been crossing his fingers for another boy since Hannah was born, I think. ;-)

Good work, guys - we can't wait to meet the little guy!

Hugs and kisses to all!

Sophia's Busy Day

On Saturday afternoon, I took Sophia and her buddy, Avarie, to see Dora and Boots at the mall near us. Sophia gave one of her signature "smiles" in the picture. It looks more like a snarl than a smile to me.

Later that night we had Avarie and her family over for dinner. While the four of us parents were downstairs enjoying a peaceful meal, Avarie's mom and I were commenting on how nice it was that the girls were playing so nicely and quietly in Sophia's room. Well...as it turns out...the "precious, little angels" were being so quiet because they were busy removing EVERY SINGLE ARTICLE of clothing from both Sophia's dresser and Sasha's dresser - socks, undies, shirts, pants, pj's, swimsuits, dresses on hangers, EVERYTHING. Their plan was to make Avarie a bed to take a nap in, while Sophia took a nap in her real bed. I must say, that as mad as I was at the huge mess, the girls get an "A+" for creativity.

Below are some new pictures of the Sophia and Sasha being dancing queens together. There is also one picture of them wearing their helmets around the house together....just for fun.

Not much else to report. We're still waiting on Baby "Doughnut" Schneller to pop into this world. Can't wait.

July pictures!

Here is a link to some new pics taken during July...hope you enjoy them! Oh, and if you missed the first set of Slip'n'Slide pics sent out by Edie earlier this month....please click here.

We're going to attempt to post some video pretty soon, too, as we've recently gotten some "good film" (as Michael would say).

Can't believe August starts tomorrow! A certain someone will be having her baby ANY DAY NOW! Go, Missy and Cas!

sweet things

Just a short story to share tonight. For the first time today Sophia and Sasha played babies together. They sat side by side, each equipped with a baby in one hand and a toy bottle in the other. Sasha kept putting the bottle in the babies' eyes and making a sound like she was eating. Sophia later started yelling at Sasha and me to "SHHHHHHHHHHHH!! THE BABY IS SLEEPING!" It really was cute.

The latest

We are back in Denver after a long trip to South Dakota (the girls and I) and Montana (Michael). We all had a great time seeing our family! Sophia and Sasha both braved the crowds and heat at Mt. Rushmore to see the 3rd of July Fireworks Extravaganza. I was a little skeptical about taking them both up, but it turned out to be a great time...popsicles, hotdogs, great music, a B1 Bomber flyover....can't beat that with a stick.

Michael had a nice trip, too. Apparently his index is ALMOST to single digits. I'm not sure exactly what that means, but I guess it is a good thing. The new golf clubs must be working. I actually squeezed in a round of golf with Edie while we were in SD. It was actually just 9 holes, but to me, 9 holes is a round. Edie plays my kind of golf -- unlimited mulligans, kick your ball out of the rough and any other tough spot, and MAYBE keep score. We had a blast.

Now we're back in Denver, and we've had a fun week at home. We've had a few summer birthday parties and some relaxing nights at home as a family. Sasha is all over the place -- walking, signing and blabbing. She has about 15-20 signs now, and she picks them up so easily! It is fun to watch. Sophia is fully potty trained - even at night. That is big relief and a big milestone we've been eager to reach!

This weekend is the 3rd Annual Moonlight for M&M, so we're heading back to South Dakota to take part in the festivities! Should be a great time, and we hope they make a ton of money to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Not much else to report...I think Michael and I are going to figure out how to get rid of a wasp's nest tonight. SCAAAAAAARYYYYYY!!!!!

Ciao!

Bump Update

Thought many of you would be interested in how Baby Doughnut is growing these days...he or she is set to make a debut in about a month!

In the picture, Missy is rockin' out to the unforgettable 80's ballad "Every Rose Has Its Thorn". No soothing Baby Einstein lullabies for this kid; just a little Guns n Roses, Skid Row and Motley Crue.

We can't wait to meet you, Baby Schneller.
xo

Happy 4th of July

Well, the year is already halfway over! Tomorrow the four of us are heading out of town - the girls and I will be visiting our family in South Dakota for the week, and Michael will be embarking on his 4th or 5th...or is it the 6th annual Insane Golf Tour through Montana. He and Uncle Nic will be playing something like 13 rounds of golf at about as many different courses in 7 days. Sophia, Sasha and I, on the other hand, will be playing no golf...however, we get to ride the 1880 Train in Hill City, SD with all of the cousins, Honey, Papa Joe and Mary. We also get to visit Mount Rushmore for the July 3rd celebration. My 10 year class reunion is happening while we're visiting, too. I'm excited to see all of my old classmates! The week should be really fun.

We've been having a great summer so far, and we hope everyone else is, too. Despite the Yankees going 0-3 against the Rox, we had a blast during my parents visit to Denver. Michael and I even snuck away for a night in the mountains at an awesome little resort called Gold Lake! We had a cute little cabin, spent some time in the hillside hot pools by the lake, played bocce ball and horse shoes, and just relaxed without the pitter patter of little feet. The time away was great - we hadn't been away together since before Sophia was born...

Last night Michael was doing his back exercises in the basement, and Sophia decided to join him with her own "equipment" - a baby blanket for yoga mat, and a small purple ball for her exercise ball....she did a great job doing all of the stretches, and I had a good laugh watching them together. The girls really love their daddy.



Sasha is a full-blown walker now. She decided to really start walking on Monday. We got some great video footage the other night of the two girls chasing each other around the kitchen island. They were both letting out the best belly laughs....it really is fun watching them play together. Makes a good argument for having more...but not yet. :-)

Happy 4th of July to you all!! HOOTIE HOO! (that is shout out to my good buddy Marita)

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to all you dads! I'd especially like to send love to not only Michael, but also Papa Jim, Papa Tony, Papa Joe and Papa Wendy! Big hugs to all of you.

We have been enjoying the beautiful HOT weather in Denver lately. The girls and I have become regulars at the pool, and they both love the water. It is 95 degrees here today, so we'll probably head there for bit this afternoon when the girls wake up from their naps. Michael is at the horse races today with some other dads from the neighborhood. Hopefully he'll come home with some winnings...Mama needs some new shoes.

Yesterday Michael and Sasha went out running errands together, and they came home with an early birthday present for Sophia - a new set of REAL golf clubs! Quite a step up from her old plastic Snoopy set! She is VERY excited about them...and Michael too. I think we'll head to the range tonight, so she can attempt to hit a couple of balls. We'll see how that goes!!! Pictured below is the Father/Daughter golf club arrangement...displayed by Sasha.

Hope everyone is enjoying the summer so far. We're excited for my mom, dad and Edie to be coming to town this week for the Yankees vs. Rockies games!!! GOOOOOOOO YANKEES!

xoxo

And....she's off!

Sasha started walking this week!! Although it isn't her preferred method of travel, she can do it...and she is actually pretty good at it. I think it will probably be another couple of weeks until she chooses to walk on her own, rather than crawling or cruising from one piece of furniture to the next.

This morning the four of us made a fun trip to the zoo. We got there just after opening, so it wasn't crowded, and many of the animals were out and about eating their breakfast. Sophia told us today that the buffalo are her favorite. That's a new and interesting choice...maybe because of her South Dakota and Montana roots???

We are hoping to make it to the pool this afternoon, although it is starting to get breezy and cool...and we all know what a big wuss I am.

Big week of birthdays -- Happy Birthday to Mary, Jerry, Papa Jim and Granny Cathie!

See ya'll soon!

Happy Birthday, Sasha Kay!

Yesterday, May 25th, was Sasha's first birthday. Nothing says Happy Birthday better than 4 shots in the legs. That's right....we scheduled Sasha's 12 month well-baby exam for yesterday. Even after being through this with Sophia, I still HATE it when they have to get shots. She took them like a champ, and we were able to go out for dinner afterwards to celebrate her being 1. Tonight we're going to let her dive into the birthday cake that Sophia baked for her. Kids birthdays are so much fun!

Not much else new to report. Daddy took Sophia to see Shrek the Third today. I think he might have been more excited about it than she was. I'm sure they are having fun...and I'm also sure Sophia is getting all of the treats an almost 3 yr. old could dream of.

We are laying low this weekend. My 10K is Monday morning, and that is only major event we have planned. We hope you all enjoy your long Memorial Day weekend, too. We wish we could have joined Madelaine & Co. in the Great Strides Walk this weekend in South Dakota. Hopefully someone will send me some pictures (hint, hint...Mary?? Edie?? Laurie??)

Love to you all.

Back in town

Hi everyone!!!
We are back home after a week in South Dakota!! What a fun trip...we were able to spend so much time with grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles and cousins! I know the girls had a blast. Sophia keeps asking if we're going to go back to South Dakota tomorrow. I don't think she realizes that doing that would require her to sit in her carseat for another 6 hrs.

Sasha had a great check-up with the neurosurgeon's clinic before we left. The Nurse Practioner is very happy with her progress and with the way her incision is healing. She told us that we need to wait a full year from the time of surgery until we will know what her head and face shape will be. Currently, her right eye is still a bit smaller than her left eye, and we asked the NP if that is permanent. She told us that since her right eye has had that shape for almost her full first year since birth, it won't just automatically take a "normal" shape immediately after surgery. Her head needs time to grow into the new space the surgery created. Some good advice she gave us is to take a picture of Sasha once a month and compare how her face is changing. Since we see her everyday, the changes will not be obvious to us. Comparing pictures taken one month apart will show us more significant changes.

While were in SD, Sasha learned a few things.... She learned how to say "papa" - "BA-BA"; how to sign dog and what a dog says (thanks to Dudley); she learned what a monkey says; and she also took a couple of steps. We're not sure if she'll actually walk soon....but she is doing all of the things a 1 year old should be doing!

Sophia is doing great, too. She hasn't stopped pushing her new baby (Baby Madelaine) and stroller around since we got home! She has also named Sasha's new baby "Baby Oven" and Missy's real baby "Shirt-Pants". For those who don't know, she named the baby at Grandma Cathie's house "Couchies". I used to think she might be a Mensa, but now I'm having second thoughts.....

OH, and special thanks to Grandma Sweetie, Papa Wendy, Grandma Honey, Papa Joe and Aunt Mary for making the special trip down to Denver after Edie's graduation!! It was fun having you here.

TGIF

This week has flown by!! The girls are both doing fantastic. Sasha has been a champ - she is sleeping great, babbling, chasing Sophia around like never before, and she is completely off all pain meds. Her head still has a bit of swelling; mostly around her right eye where they did most of the reconstuctive work. We have a check-up today with the the neurosurgery clinic to make sure her incision is doing well (it looks good to us) and to ask any post-op questions we have.

Sophia had her program at school this week. The kids sang all of the songs they have learned throughout the year. Sophia didn't really sing...she just kind of sat and stared at all of the parents watching. That is actually what most of the kids from her class did, so maybe it is an age thing?? Everytime she saw Michael in the crowd she would brighten up and point at him...I'm so glad he was able to come and watch.

CONGRATULATIONS to Edie on graduating from college!!! We're heading to Fort Collins tonight, and graduation is bright and early tomorrow morning. Nice work, Edie....

The picture above is of Sophia and her good buddy Aidan...playing doctor. I couldn't miss the photo op.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

Feeling refreshed

Surprisingly, Miss Sasha slept through the night last night! She woke up fussing a few times, but nothing lasted long enough for us to have to go in her room. I think we're all feeling pretty good today! The picture above was taken yesterday.

Sophia is doing well...although she had a bit of a grumpy wake up today. Probably because she skipped dinner last night. She kept saying she couldn't eat dinner because her tummy was full of cookies. Cute.

Home Sweet Home

Sasha is home! We were discharged from the hospital late this morning, and it feels so good to have everyone under one roof again. Sasha's swelling has really decreased, and today she is looking good. Her forehead is still puffy, and her head is a little "alien shaped"...but it will continue to improve each day. She has a black and blue eyelid on the right side, but otherwise no other bruising yet.

Sophia is happy to have her buddy back. We are keeping a very close eye on them together, a.) because Sasha is fearless and will try anything Sophia doeas, and b.) because Sophia likes to body slam her little sister on occasion. Michael and I are working on finding a good balance of protecting Sasha's head, but still allowing her to explore and be a kid.

Michael and I are off to bed soon. We're both in need of some shut-eye. Hospitals are like Vegas...time stands still and nobody sleeps.

Talk to you all soon! I'll post some pictures and send an ofoto link when I have a chance.

xoxo

Sasha Balboa

Hi!

First of all, we want to thank everyone for all of their thoughts, prayers and support before/during/after Sasha's surgery.

Sasha is doing fantastic; she is smiling and happy...and shouting orders in Russian.

For those who don't know, the operation lasted from 7:30 am Friday until about 12:30pm...a long 5 hours for us, to say the least. We were able to see Sasha in the recovery room at about 1pm, and she looked better than we expected. Her face and head had not yet started to swell at this point. Her incision is a wavy line that goes from ear to ear (like a headband), and it is held together by stitches that will dissolve (we have pictures if you'd like to see the incision, let me know).

Because of all of the lines, IVs, monitors, drains, and such that she had connected to her, we weren't able to hold her right away. She spent the first full day in the Pediatric ICU (PICU), where she had one-on-one nurse care. She slept a lot, and ate very little early on. I spent the night with her, while Michael went home to spend time with Sophia. At about 2am Saturday morning (18 hrs post-op), I woke up to Sasha sitting up in her crib saying "ba-ba-ba-ba-ba". It was the best sound ever....she sounded so happy.

Saturday, the swelling in Sasha's head and face worsened. Her left eye was completely closed, and her head and forehead were very puffy. Late Saturday afternoon, both eyes were completely swollen shut. It didn't seem to bother Sasha too much. I think she decided that since she couldn't open her eyes, she'd just sleep. She slept from noon Saturday until about 8pm that night. She proceeded to wake up, drink a bottle....throw up the entire bottle (on me), and then go back to sleep until about 2am again. At 2, she wanted to eat, talk and play. I was able to get her back to bed at 5 until 6:30. It was a long night for me, but the relief of her being ok is overshadowing the exhaustion.

Sasha is now only on oral Tylenol and Motrin for pain relief. As of late this morning, she can see out of a teeny tiny opening in her left eye(see picture above - taken this morning in the cafeteria). Being able to see helps her mood tremendously. She also saw Sophia for the first time today, and she changed from extremely fussy to happy and blowing raspberries. It is amazing what a strong bond these two have already...and it choked me up to see how quickly Sophia was able to make Sasha giggle.

Sasha is at 48 hours post-op right now, and we think that her swelling has peaked. Daddy is at the hospital with her, and I'm home with Sophia spending some much-needed time with her and time away from the hospital. We think Sasha will be discharged tomorrow. The doctors would like to see both eyes open, and they want to be sure she can tolerate her pain with over the counter medicine. So far so good.

We again want to thank everyone for their thoughts. Thanks also to Grandma Cathie and Papa Jim for coming down and taking such great care of Sophia. She had a blast.

On another note, Michael, the girls and I want to wish Madelaine a speedy recovery. Hugs and get well kisses are coming your way. We can't wait to see you all this weekend.

Love you all.