Little Lady Bugs!

We hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween! The girls (all five including Maxine) had a great day! They had a good time playing with their pumpkins and having treats! Yes, they did go trick-or-treating! But I do what to know who decided that Day Light Savings and Halloween be on the same night. Our original plan was to keep the girls up later to compensate for the time change. They were so tired and ready for bed the plan did not work out! So it should be an interesting morning (an hour late for them)!

Makaila checking to see if Hanna got any new teeth! No really, they are all constantly checking each other out now and touching each other. It is so cute to watch!


Maxine getting ready for Trick-or-Treating!



Makaila, Hannah, Samantha and Sandra being cute as a bug (a lady bug that is)!

Aww so sweet!

Yes, Mommy, Daddy and Maxine were part of the entourage!

Big changes all at once!

Makaila cuddling with Maxine. Maxine puts up with so much from the girls but loves all the extra love and attention!


Wadding pool in the Summer, ball pit in the Winter. The girls love climbing in and out and playing. It is not uncommon for Sandra to be completely covered. If she is ever missing I know where to look first.


The last four bottles in the Duggan household!


It is getting more and more difficult to get a picture of all four. They are always on the move and want to explore! (Hannah, Makaila, Sandra and Samantha)


It took dozens of tries to get this picture (Makaila, Hannah, Samantha and Sandra)

Warning, plug your ears, we have mayhem in our house! If you were hearing excessive loud screaming lately it is coming from the Duggan girls! We are no longer heating their milk, switched to whole milk and got rid of bottles. Yes, is big changes all at once for them but I’d rather do it all at once then drag it out for weeks. We used to give them their bottle and then their meal. We switched it up on them and feed them first prior to sippy cups which made a big difference. Now, 6 days into the big change the girls are doing really good. They have excepted the milk change and are doing better and better each day with the cups. I still have to help them (esp. at the table) by holding the cup up for them. I keep a cup of water on the floor and they race to it sometimes. It is so cute!

The girls had their 12 month appointment last week. The doctor is pleased with their growth. We got the go ahead on all foods, just be careful still on the foods that can choke them. For example, I still cut up their grapes. Saturday, was the first time ever, the six (seven if you include Maxine) of us had breakfast together and ate the same foods. It was a good feeling to have our first family meal! Now, they eat mostly what Josh and I eat except on salad night. The girls know that when I am preparing their meals I will sneak them treats if they are in the kitchen with me. They also love to have food off of our plates.

The girls are so funny! They make me laugh every day! Sandra loves music and dances all the time. Even if she hears a 10 second song on a toy that she likes the beat she will start dancing and clapping her hands. Samantha is starting to trust herself and let go of furniture and stand for a couple seconds. It is so cute watching her contemplate whether to let go or not. Makaila about a week and a half ago started to be able to get to sitting position by herself. Now she maneuvers a short distance by getting up and down from a sitting position to a laying down position. Hannah is a funny girl! She has gestures, looks, noises that just get me rolling. Hannah is such a love too. One minute she is making you laugh and the next she wants hugs and kisses!

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY!

Dearest Makaila, Hannah, Samantha and Sandra,

Happy Birthday to the most beautiful girls I have ever laid my eyes on. You four have come so far and have accomplished and reached milestones that far excedes Mommy and Daddy's expectations. We are so proud of you and love you more than we ever imagined possible. We can't wait to see your four happy smiley faces each morning and we sneak up into your room so we can get one more kiss or one more peak at your beautiful faces. We can't wait to see what the future brings!

Love,
Mommy and Daddy

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Guessng Game

Alright, time to play a game! You are to guess what the girls are going to be for Halloween! Hannah is wearing a hint! I will post the results on Halloween with a picture! Come on and guess by leaving a comment.

In regards to Makaila, she saw the ENT. According to x ray the size should be paltatable and he does not feel any lumps. Anyways, he did scope her in office. There is vocal cord irrtation and thickening. He said to stop reflux medicie and thinks that vocal cords will repair itself and her voice will get better in time. He does want a sedated C T Scan. It is not an emergency and they will call to schedule. With her being so young she has to be under general anesthetic. So we are still playing the waiting game.

Please Think of Makaila Tomorrow

On Friday, after further review of Makaila's xrays and report they believe it is either an abscess or a tumor in her neck. She does not have any symptoms of abscess, no fever and a good appetite. So her appointment for Friday was moved up to tomorrow. Even though this is a very busy week with several appointments and a birthday (or four) this weekend, I am glad it was changed. But on the other hand, very worried. I have been having a difficult time sleeping. I keep telling myself not to worry but it is not working. So please keep Makaila in your thoughts and prayers tomorrow.

4 American Girls

No this is not a late 4th of July picture. However, it is the first picture of all four sitting together. Not the first time just the first time I took a picture. The stars and stripes are because they are 4 American girls and proud of it. When we see a big sale we buy as much as we can in bigger sizes. These are from the after 4th of July sale. I can't pass up a good sale on clearance items. This last weekend I found shirts for $1.74 so I bought a bunch all the way up to size 6. It'll be awhile (several years) but I saved a ton of cash. After Valentines day I found jeans for 25 cents because they had hearts on them. For our family love and American pride is every day not just February 14th and July 4th!

Pain in my neck!

Makaila has had a stiff neck and head tilt for a couple months. She had physical therapy scheduled to help with her torticollis (stiff neck). But mother instinct kicked in. I have been concerned about her neck for a while now. We were told she had torticollis and not to worry. At home, we would position her in places so she had to turn her head to the left to help stretch the tight muscles. I brought her to the pediatrician (who hadn’t diagnosed or seen her about it yet) yesterday with my concerns. Our pedi knows by now that we do not call or go in very often and for small issues. The pedi thought that it was toricollis, vision issues or neck problems. Since we have an appointment for the eye doctor in a few weeks and physical therapy lined up she wanted x rays of Makaila’s neck.

I then brought her to the imaging place for her four x rays. I felt so bad for her. She had to have her head pulled, pushed, tugged and stretched for the x rays. But she was a strong and brave little girl. I was told the doctor would call in 1 to 2 days with results. Wouldn’t you know, that 1 to 2 hours later we got a call from the pedi. Fortunatley there is nothing wrong skeletally. But there seems to be soft tissue issues. The pedi said not to do PT on her neck and she wanted a sedated Cat Scan of her neck. We were referred to ENT (the same doctor that sees Samantha for her hearing loss). I am so glad that they are able to see Makaila next Friday.

Yes, next Friday is the day before her Birthday. But wouldn’t it be a great Birthday present for her to start to get this resolved and get her out of pain.