I haven't written in here in quite a while.  There has been lots happening in the Wright household.  Since the last time I wrote, Kayla has turned a year old.  Its just nuts to look back on this year with her and how fast it went by.  We had so much fun with our family and close friends celebrating her first birthday.  She LOVED the cake...a little too much I think.  It was hysterical to watch her eat it.  She had it all over her face, her hair, even up her nose.  She was in heaven.

Thanksgiving was a very eventful weekend for us.  We spent Thanksgiving Day with my side of the family.  My baby brother was up from Florida with his bride-to-be and this was the first time we all got to meet her.  She is awesome and such a perfect fit for my brother.  My other brother and his wife were up from southern VA and its always nice to get to spend time with them.  So my whole family was together this year.  Its so much fun...so much chaos...so much food.  On black Friday I got to go out shopping with my mom, sisters, sister-in-law and sister-in-law-to-be in Manassas.  We all had a great time and we all found some really great deals.  Then, in true Letsen women fashion, we had lunch at Olive Garden...it wouldn't be a Letsen girls outing without it.  Then on Saturday we were back in Rapp with my family to go and see a customer of my Dad's who does this amazing train set in his back yard...it was so cool.  We also went to the Peppermint Tree farm which is also a Letsen family tradition of many years, to cut down a tree for my parents home (and my sisters got one too for their homes).  Sunday we spent the day with the Wright family eating some Thanksgiving favorites and enjoying each others company...and of course, it wouldn't be a Sunday afternoon in the Wright home without a football game.

In the past couple weeks she has taken a few steps on her own.  Today she seems to be trying a lot more to walk.  Even getting up from the ground on her own.  Its so exciting.  I have been praying very diligently for my kids to walk.  Noah has been walking SO MUCH on his own.  He actually gets quite frustrated with his walker these days and much prefers to go it alone.  He doesn't even want to hold our hand.  What an absolute miracle.

We are definitely looking forward to Christmas being right around the corner.  This year we will spend Christmas Day with the Wright side of the family and head out to my side of the family that weekend.  We are very much looking forward to the New Year and all the hopes we have for a good year.  This year has been very challenging for us and we are praying for some rest, and newness in the new year.

Potty Training part 2

So Sunday ended being a HUGE fiasco. We thought after the day he had on Saturday he would do alright...maybe an accident here or there due to the distraction of traveling and playing with cousins...but we didn't think it would be as bad as it turned out to be.

The trip went great. We stopped twice along the way and we got to mom and dad's accident free. YAY Noah! We actually thought that would be worse than actually being there. Boy were we wrong. I don't think in all the times we took him to the potty there was a single time we went there without wet undies. Poor guy. He was too distracted and having too much fun to even consider going to the bathroom. How can you blame him though. He has had uninterrupted play for the past 4 years. He's never had to even consider the idea of going peepee in the toilet. By the end of this day though, Kevin and I were ready to throw in the towel and put him back in diapers. On the way home I was practically in tears because I just kept thinking about how Kevin had to go back to work on Tuesday and there was just no way my back could take that "heavy lifting" all day. I was in pain just from the few times I tried to help out. So we discussed some more options and the one that seemed to make the most sense was for Kevin to spend all day Monday (Labor Day) in the bathroom...literally...with Noah.

That he did! He set up a blanket, picnic style, on the floor and we put tons of books that Noah likes to read, games (candy land is his favorite right now), prizes for good potty time, and lots of snacks and juice/water. The night before we bought a doll at Walmart (for $9) that could drink a bottle and then go peepee. We heard this was a really good way to show the kids how to go on the potty themselves. I took Kayla and went out for a while. When I came back I heard lots of yelling going on and I couldn't quite tell if Noah was crying and upset or if they were playing. I found out later, they were playing candy land and Noah was screaming out what he was getting on his cards. SO CUTE!!! He was having so much fun and Kevin was doing such a great job of showing Noah how to go potty by making a game of it.

By about 4 in the afternoon, Kayla was down for a nap and I was on the computer, Kevin came out from the bathroom and said Noah had fallen asleep. I got very nervous, but Kevin seemed as cool as a cucumber. He said Noah so far had remained dry. Noah stayed asleep for about an hour or so and remained dry the whole time. Kevin put him on the potty right away when he woke up and he went a lot. SUCCESS!!! He was learning how to hold it for the potty. What an amazing feat!

Today I was a little nervous sending him off to school because he wouldn't go before he left. So I put a pull-up over his undies, just in case. This is the note I got home after school: Noah wouldn't go on the potty, but he remained dry all day. WOW. I am so shocked that he remained dry without ever even going to the bathroom while he was at school. I had a guy here from out gas company when Noah got home from school today. SO I wasn't able to take him right to the bathroom...but when I did, his pull-up was a bit full. Oh well, we'll just keep plugging away. He's remained dry since we took that pull up off. We have had one good trip to the bathroom so far.

SO AMAZING!!! I am so proud of him. I think this is really great considering we got a late start on the potty training business!! GO NOAH GO!!!

Magic Potty Day

Yesterday was a big milestone for Noah. Potty training! Up to this point he has shown absolutely no interest whatsoever to going peepee on the potty like a big boy. But we figured, at 4 years old, we just couldn't wait any longer for him to be "ready". They say that one of the biggest signs to look for is a child "asking" to go potty. Well, Noah just never did that. As a matter of fact, when we would ask him if he would like to try, he would begin to really fuss about it. Noah has gotten so big though, that I am really struggling to change his diaper anymore. So we felt it was time, plus with kindergarten right around the corner we need to get this under wraps.

The day yesterday went pretty well. We started off strong. We had a couple accidents through out the day, but we were trying to be very consistent about going every 10 minutes and just working our way up from there. He was all about the praises when he would go peepee on the potty and I even made a chart for him to mark his progress using NEMO stickers. I think he really liked that. He really wanted a DORY sticker, but those stickers are bigger/puffier so we thought we would save those for a big event (like poopoo). So we began to try and bribe him with a DORY sticker for that. We are also telling him, no downstairs (his play room) until he goes poopoo. We are nervous that he'll get down there and go in his pants because that is normally where he goes, because its private for him. I think towards the end of the day he was starting to understand that he needed to tell us when he needed to go, except that he was telling us just as he was beginning to go in his pants. I am sure we will get that part of it down before this long weekend is over. By the end of the day we were all very tired. LOTS of running back and forth to the potty yesterday, but I must say, we did feel successful. I think 4 accidents for a first day is pretty remarkable.

Today we are really going to try and push poopoo on the potty and we are starting out the day with 30 minute intervals. Also, today we are going out to visit my parents, so that puts a little more challenge in the training for us. But I know he can do this. We have already mapped out a couple places to stop and go potty.

We are so proud of our Noah!!! What a big boy!!!

Just got back from a long vacation...I think it was about 10 days altogether. We went down to Myrtle Beach. Great weather all week. A thunderstorm or two, but nothing that took an entire day in the sun away from us.

Kayla went through some big milestones while we were there. Not only did she cut ANOTHER tooth...her first front tooth on the top, but she also learned to crawl. My life is changing so quickly. She was into everything and all over the place.

Both kids were thoroughly entertained all week by their cousins. Kayla was doted on by all of them, while Noah was getting crazy with them. I think this beach trip really taught Noah how to interact with his sister. It is such a joy to me to see him finally acknowledging her.

Noah and Kayla both had a great time in the pool. We got Noah a blue tube to wear around his waist, he calls it the "blue sun" and he was able to float around the pool on his own without so much help from daddy and mommy (mostly daddy as I was tending to Kayla). Kayla had a baby floating device that was really great. Both our kids love being in the water.

We went to Broadway at the Beach a couple times for restaurants, but on the last day we were there we did some shopping and let Noah ride some rides.  Boy, did he ever have a great time.  He rode on a motorcycle ride that popped-a-wheelie during the ride (merry-go-round style).  But the one that gets 5 starts was the big trampoline thingy (have no clue what it was called).  He was beyond excited about it and once he got on...the look on his face was PRICELESS.  He actually got very mad at Daddy when it was time to take him off.  That is one we will remember forever and one I am sure he will go on each time we are there.  As a mom, to watch was a little terrifying...however, as happy as it made him all my fears melted away.

This week at home I have noticed Noah really watching after his sister and it really blesses my heart. He see's her picking up something or doing something she shouldn't be and he tells her no...almost like a warning to me to let me know she is in "danger". When she is napping he asks where she is...so cute. Its taken so long for him to even notice her and this is really just remarkable to me that he is doing this now. I think it took that time with his cousin's to see how they interact and react to each other and Kayla, for him to realize she is his sister and she needs him.

So now we are back to the old grind. Kevin went back to work yesterday and I felt super lonely without him. Its tough going that long having him right by my side, every day all day to him being gone all day again. I miss my babe!

Noah's Post-Op follow up

Yesterday we went to DC Children's to follow up with a CT Scan and with Dr. Myseros about Noah's progress since his shunt revision.  Dr. Myseros showed us the images from pre-op, post-op and then from yesterdays scan.  the results were unbelievable.  His ventricles were significantly smaller since his last scans.  Whats so amazing to me, is that Noah had been sick for so long and they kept ruling out his shunt because there was no change in his ventricles and the whole time, his ventricles were swollen and building up pressure, but they didn't notice the difference because they had been that way for so long.  Dr. Myseros wants to see him back in about 6 months for another CT Scan and follow up.

Noah is such a different child lately.  He's happy.  He's active and just a joy to be around.  We are so glad Noah isn't sick anymore.  What a blessing.

Jeremiah 29:11

A Wife of Noble Character

Proverbs 31 speaks of a Wife of Noble Character.  This is something I have studied off and on for many years.  This morning I am feeling the conviction to study it again.  I think my role as a wife in my own family is slightly lacking.  I have gotten completely caught up in my role as a mommy and in other roles that are less important than my roles in my own family and have somehow along the way, neglected my role as a wife. 

Being a wife is no small task.  It isn't about having that princess for a day wedding and then letting the husband take care of the rest.  God has given me a great calling in being a good wife to my husband.  My husband is an amazing man and together we have gone through a great deal in our marriage.  He deserves WAY better than what I have been giving him...as of late.  This has been heavy on my heart.  

So I am going to start by giving myself weekly challenges...although they may seem small to some and they may come easy to some...they are just things I would like to work on in my role as a wife and become second nature for me to do.  Practice makes perfect, right?!?!  These things may start out as tasks for me, but I would love for them to grow into things my husband looks forward to each day when he wakes up and when he returns from work and for them to become things I do without thinking about it, but just because I love him so much.  I want him to see how much I love him, not just hear it.

This week I would like to work on greeting my husband at the door as he gets home from work.  I want him to look forward to seeing my smiling face when he gets home and not have to worry about what he's going to be bombarded with upon coming home.  Like I said, although this may seem simple to some, it is something I (regrettably) don't always do.  I am ashamed to note how many times I have not had a pleasant greeting for him upon his return from a long day at work.  I don't want my husband to dread coming him.  I want him to look forward to it.  So after about a week or so, I want to update things I may notice through out the week as I do this.

So I haven't blogged in a while and I thought I might jot down some thoughts tonight since Kevin is running late getting home. Poor guy, he actually ran out of gas on 17. I feel so bad for him. So he is currently waiting for his friend Albert to get there with some gas for him. Albert is a good friend. Kevin didn't want me coming out all that way with the kids...although I would have done it, no questions asked. Its too hot to be stranded today.



I am currently watching Kayla as she scoots across the floor. She has been in the process (all day) of trying to crawl. It has been so awesome to watch. She's getting so close. I think that by the end of this weekend she will be getting along quite nicely.



Noah got his glasses this week and he looks absolutely adorable. Such a handsome little man and he is doing so good wearing them. I really thought we would be fighting with him on this, but he actually seems to really like them. He took them off today to lay down for a bit and I thought that would be it for the rest of the day...but he had them on when he came back upstairs. So proud of him.



I am going through a tough time this week. I have pretty much holed up in the house...other than a visit to my sister earlier in the week. My neighbor said some pretty "off" things to me this week and it really just crushed me. I spent a large part of the day crying about it and now I just don't even want to go outside and be around any of my neighbors. Really wondering what is being said behind my back...considering what was said to me on Monday.