Collin's Miracle & 18 Month Pictures

Kids' fair with cousin Katrina, Grandma, and Grandpa. We found Chewbacca!

Our future pilot.

Helicopter!

We got the best surprise! The surgeon had told us that Collin didn't have the tendons to be able to move his pinkies on his own even though they are in the right place now. It was very sad news for Collin after his surgery as he so wanted to be able to lift them on his own. He randomly tried one day and we were all so surprised that he could do it!!!!! It was the absolute sweetest reaction I've ever seen! He just giggled with delight and pure joy as he showed me again and again! It made me cry with joy! Dave left his phone at home that day, so I had no way of getting a hold of him but we had to show Daddy! We quickly jumped in the car and drove to his work to see what we could do. I sent him an email hoping he would see it but he didn't get it. When we pulled in, I decided to try calling one of his coworkers that I had in my phone. As I was talking to her, I saw someone walk out the other door who looked like Dave, but they all wear the same shirts! He stared at our car and then started walking over. I got out of my car and it was him! He was running out with a coworker at the time to get a drink as they were having a rough morning. We got there at the perfect time to run into him and get to show him Collin's miracle!

Eva found an old hat of Anna's and had a great time playing dress up.

How funny! All four ended up in Daddy's lap playing.

More dress up fun. Two Cinderellas!!!

Collin had a rough couple of weeks after he got his casts and pins out. I caught him in the basement on this makeshift exam bed with both his sisters at different times playing Dr. Cornwall and patient, where they take turns pulling pins out of each other and various other medical procedures. Thankfully, this seemed to be the beginning of his emotional healing and each day seemed to get better and better and started acting like himself again.

Sweet Eva is getting big! At 18 months she started saying more words finally. She mostly just repeated what we said but does so with the sweetest little voice. She loves the independence as she finds herself being able to play all over the house and has loved going outside on nice days. 

Skyping with Katrina who is now in London. We miss her so!

We finally had a warm day and snuck out to Brown County to take Eva's 18 month pictures. It proved to be rather difficult as she doesn't sit or stand still for more than a second or two!

With her doting brothers.

Momma's girl!

Daddy love.

She spent most of her time finding sticks and pebbles to throw into the lake. She has become quite fond of finding rocks!

She's going to get me!

These sisters really, really love each other!

Jump!

Our four sweet kiddos!

She's off again!

Sweet Six Year Old Anna

Dave took the day off and we went to out to lunch and then saw the sing a long Frozen at the theater. We were going to try and go to the zoo, but it was coooolllld! Happy sixth birthday Anna!

Then we went to my parents' house because my sister and her family were leaving for London the next day. So we did presents down there and got some last hugs in.

So happy to have a two wheel scooter!!

Anna loves boots!

 Eva loves her big sister's shoes. She was so cute this day strutting around in just her diaper and Anna's boots!

Anna was so very excited for her first birthday sleepover party!

Eva wanted to get in on the pictures too!

We saved her big present for this day.

So happy to have her own keyboard. She likes music a lot and is wanting to learn an instrument.

She likes it!

And so do three other little people!

 We had the best time and made her cake together for the first time. She is getting so big! Anna is just as sweet as can be too. She really wanted a Frozen party but they were out of Frozen party supplies unless you wanted to pay someone a ridiculous amount of money for paper products on Amazon. When I told her this, she simply agreed to go to the party store and pick another theme. She went with Sophia the First and after the party told me, I think that was even more fun than Frozen would have been. I just love her heart! She amazes me almost daily with her patience, understanding, and kindness.

Houseful of girls! Party time!

"Happy birthday to you!"

Collin and their friend Lydia were so cute laying together during the movie and chit chatting! It was a great party!

We survived the month of casts! Yay! Go us! Here is brave Collin at the surgery center to get his casts off.

As hard as the surgery part was and having to live with the casts for so long, this was probably harder. He was beyond terrified of the pins. The days leading up to this he was asking if he could just keep his casts on forever because he didn't want them to take the pins out. He did great getting the casts off but lost it once he saw the pins (I tried desperately to get him to look away, but failed). They were so good with him. They wrapped his hands quickly so he wouldn't have to look at the pins while we waited for xrays. They got him a wheelchair so he wouldn't have to walk since he was so distraught and even tried distracting him with things like juice boxes when we had a wait in radiology. They left the bandages on for the xrays but it didn't matter, he cried the whole time and was so very scared. Then they took him to the room to see the doctor which is where he is below. He was sweet and smiled for a picture for me, but was so very upset. They put on a Jake for him to watch while we talked which helped some. But then it was finally time to take the pins out. He pleaded with them to give him pain medicine but they said no because it would have to be a shot. This was probably one of the hardest moments of my life as I had to hold his hand down while he cried and screamed and pleaded, "Help me Momma! Don't let them do it!" They took what looked like medical pliers and just pulled the pins out. They were big and it bled quite a bit and he was so very sad. He continued to struggle for about two weeks after this too. He was upset all the time and would cry anytime someone asked him about his hands. He seemed to really be struggling with what he had gone through and threw so many fits and seemed so frustrated. Thankfully, he eventually got through it and doesn't seem upset by it anymore and hopefully he won't need any further procedures!

We treated him to a trip to the museum center afterwards (Dave and the other kids came along but not into the surgery center.) He was really stiff at first and wouldn't even bend his arms. By the end of our time at the museum he was bending his arms and trying to use his hands a little but it wasn't until the end of the day/next day that he really started using his fingers much and took about a week for all the stiffness to wear off and be able to do everything for himself again.

He had two of these pins in each of his little hands (this is my hand).

The doctor let him take them home but suggested we super glue the container closed once we got home so no one could get them out as they are crazy sharp!

His xrays:  His hands are bent and curved in both because he was so scared we couldn't get him to hold them flat for the xrays. Thankfully they were good enough for the doctor to determine the pins could come out.

If you look in between the two bones you can see a small piece of cadaver bone that they placed in between the bones they separated so that the bones don't just grow back together and go back to the wrong place. The hand above (left) still has something wrong as a result of the birth deformity and he can't put his ring and middle fingers together on this hand now. We are going to watch it every six months or so and see if his bones will adjust as he grows which the doctor is hopeful of and we are prayerful for so that Collin won't need any other interventions. The hand below (right) was the one that had the worse deformity and now it looks great! So thankful!!