Wee-Ballin'!!

Today Ella had her second "wee ball" game. Think tee ball for three year olds. It's a hoot. And I have to say it has me and Ronnie pretty excited. We both grew up playing sports. My entire childhood was basically spend playing softball. So getting up on Saturday mornings and piling into the car to go watch our child play ball is pretty fun!

So here is how wee ball works...they play with foam bats and tennis balls. Each child hits off the tee once each inning, and each hit is a homerun. While the kids run around the bases (believe me, it can take awhile: run the wrong direction, turn around, pause to walk awhile, run again, can I have a snack, woops wrong direction, turn around, stop to sniff some flowers, run some more, hey there's a bird, homerun!) the coach of the other teams rolls more balls into the field so each child has a ball to throw in. There are three innings, so the games are short, pefect for three year old attention spans.

Ella actually missed her first game because it was the day of Tara's wedding. The next Saturday we woke up to a monsoon, so that game was cancelled. So last week was the actual first game she was able to play in. We weren't sure how it would go. She seemed excited about wee ball, but you never know how she will react in the moment. She did great! They practice 20 minutes before each game. This gave her a chance to swing the bat a few times and figure out how to run around the bases (sort of). Before each game the kids repeat a pledge. I can't remember how it goes, but it's all about good sportsmanship. You get the idea. Then it was game time. Ella did really well! She hit the ball well and made huge progress running the bases from her first hit to her last. The first hit we basically had to guide her the entire way. By her last hit she ran fast around the bases by herself, and actually skipped over 2nd base but went back to touch it when she realized what she had done! Way to go! The funniest part was her fielding. When she would get a ball she would throw it back to the coach with this crazy wind up, underhand, fast pitch throw. We had never seen her do anything like that before, she had always thrown a ball the normal way, but for some reason she did this every single time. It was hilarious. When I tell people they usually say something about her being like Aunt Jamie...but Ella has never seen Jamie play softball or pitch! She was a baby Jamie's last softball season. I have no idea where this came from!

Today was her second game. She had the early game this morning and we actually had to wake her up to go. We literally put her in her clothes and put her in the car with a cup of water and a bag of cheerios. She did really well today. You could tell she hadn't been up long. Her patience in the field was definitely tried today, but she was tough and stayed out there. The team they played had more players than normal, so they spent more time in the field than they usually do. She did a good job throwing today, and after a little practice before the game she was back to throwing over handed again.

For the kids the best part of the games are the post-game snacks. We have a parent snack rotation for the games and the kids look forward to it throughout the game.  It's what I use to keep Ella going, "Bat two more times and then you can have your snack!" I should also mention that I really like Ella's coach. She does a great job with the kids. She tries to show them the right way to do things but keeps it at a three year old level. Here are some pictures and a video!

About to play in her first wee ball game!

Run Ella Run!

Ella up to bat!

Fielding

Here is a video of Ella's last at-bat today! Check out the practice swing before the real swing!



Kendall's 15 month checkup, Ella allergy update

There are still several events from June that I want to post about, but I thought I would go on and mention that today is Kendall's 15 month birthday, and talk about her checkup this morning.
We will go chronologically through the day. Before we headed to Kendall's checkup we took Ella for an allergy shot. She started getting shots in late-March, and I can't put into words what a difference they, along with her new medication, have already made. Compared to this time last year, she is a different kid. Last summer we spent very little time outside because her nose would pour constantly and her eyes would swell up, but I can't even remember the last time she had a reaction like that. Today she finished up her second vial...there are ten vials before we start "maintenance"...when we can start spacing out the injections a little more. Right now we are going at least once a week...usually twice a week. The more we do now, the sooner we can start maintenance and the sooner she will reap the full benefits. She's already improved so much that I'm hoping we can drop some of her medication soon - she is currently taking Claritin, Singulair and Nasonex daily.
Ella is so tough when it comes time to get a shot. The first few were rough, but once we got used to it, and once she saw several other tough kids get shots without crying, she stopped crying and took the shots like a champ. Ronnie took her for the first time a few weeks ago and he couldn't believe how brave she was. He got home and said, "She just sat there and took it...she never even flinched!" Today they called her name and she hopped into my lap and had her arms ready. The nurse always asks me to verify her birthday and vial number. When she asked her birthday, Ella pipped in "January 16th!" before I even had time to answer. Since it was the last dose of the vial, today was a pretty big dose, but she never flinched or squirmed or anything. We are so proud of her for being so brave!
After her allergy shots we took Kendall to see Dr. Bindner. Kendall was in a grumpy mood this morning. She is cutting her bottom molars and also has a cold, so she's been a little grumpy for the last couple of weeks, but this morning she was especially out of sorts. So today she wasn't too excited to have a nurse poking at her and measuring her. She weighed in at 23 lbs (50th%) and was 30.5 inches (50th%). Her big old melon head still came in at 97th%. :) When Dr. Bindner came in I asked about a couple of things that I was worried about. First, she took a pretty hard fall right on the middle of her forehead a few weeks ago. You can still feel the vertical knot going down her forehead. She said that was fine and would go away soon. Then I told her I was a little worried about Kendall's vocabulary. She isn't saying very many words, and usually doesn't say any words unless she is encouraged to do so...."Kendall, say 'bird' now Kendall, say 'Ella!'"  And the words that she does say, it's usually just the first sound of the word that she will make. After we talked about it Dr. Bindner assured me that her vocabulary is average for her age. I recently watched a video we have of Ella at this age, and she was talking so much more, that is what made me kind of worried. But, Ella had a very extensive vocabulary at a very young age, so it isn't really fair for me to compare them. Kendall does other things very well. She can identify a lot of body parts and she understands commands very well. One of my favorite things that she does is bring me the right book when I ask for a specific one.
Ella absolutely cracked me up during Kendall's checkup. When the nurse was getting all of Kendall's measurements and asking me questions about her progression, Ella kept trying to talk to the nurse. Then she asked Ella how old she was. Ella held up three fingers and said, "Three." Then she said, "When will you be four?" Ella matter-of-factly said, "At my next birthday." The nurse laughed and asked when that was and Ella told her January 16. After the nurse left Ella was pretending to write on a book and asked me questions about Kendall..." how old is she?...can she put her clothes on by herself?...can she ride a bike by herself?" It was quite funny listening to Nurse Ella's assessment!
Then, unfortunately it was time for shots. Today Kendall received the MMR and the Pentacel vaccines. Of course she wasn't quite as brave as Ella, so there was some screaming and there were some tears! But we survived and will anxiously await the next checkup. I'm sure the next 3 months will fly by as quickly as the last 3 did. Next checkup will be at 18 months in October!

Here is Kendall on the 4th of July :) Such a little sweetie pie!

Ronnie is DONE!

Ronnie’s residency is officially OVER. After 4 years of undergrad at Georgetown College, 4 years of Medical School at the University of Louisville, and 3 years of residency at the University of Louisville hospital, where he specialized in Emergency Medicine, he is finished! On Saturday, June 18 Ronnie’s residency program had a dinner for the graduating residents. It was held at Dr. Danzl’s house, one of the attendings who Ronnie often refers to as the smartest man he’s ever known. He has a beautiful home on a farm, with a dock over a huge pond. They had a delicious catered dinner and everyone chipped in and brought a huge assortment of appetizers and desserts.

Soon after we arrived Ella discovered some kids playing in a big sand pile by a slide near the pond. Soon her buddy Gary arrived. Gary’s mom is one of the graduating residents. They hadn’t seen each other since Ella’s birthday party in January but they were instant friends and had a blast playing together! Kendall also had a lot of fun…she always wants to do whatever the big kids are doing! I spent most of the evening chasing her as she ran around in circles!

When the residents were recognized they gave away a few awards, and Ronnie received the Pediatric Emergency Medicine award. I was so excited for him! He really enjoys working with children in the ER and throughout his residency he went back and forth about doing a fellowship in pediatrics. His gift was a set of very nice bookends with his name inscribed on them. After the awards each resident was recognized and received very nice gifts. One gift was a wine cooler from Louisville Stoneware – one side says “University of Louisville Emergency Medicine 2011” and the other side has the fleur de lis (which his part of Louisville’s seal). We aren’t wine drinkers, but it’s a very nice, decorative piece! The other gift is something Ronnie has been anticipating since his first year of residency. One of the ER attendings takes lots of pictures in the ER and puts together an amazing personalized book for each graduating resident. It contains lots of “action” shots of Ronnie at work in the ER, and is actually quite graphic! I have had so much fun looking through it. I always tell Ronnie that I wish I could see him at work, but obviously you can’t just go hang out in the U of L ER! This may be as close as I get! It’s a beautiful book and a fantastic keepsake. If you ever come to our house please ask to see this book!

When Ronnie was recognized and received his gifts, Ella walked up with Ronnie. Dr. Mallory, one of the attendings, said something about Ella being "the next Dr. Pridemore" and put her on the spot and showed off some of her medical knowledge. In front of everyone, she asked Ella what Daddy uses to check people's hearts. Ella immediately replied with, "a stethescope!" Then she asked her what her skin is called...Ella said, "Epidermis!" Then she asked what her fingers and toes are called..."Phalanges!" It was really funny and everyone got a kick out of her.

Later that night Dr. Danzl brought out one of his horses. Ella was so excited when she saw it! Dr. Danzl put her on the horse and she was so excited! I keep using the word excited…if you only had seen her you would understand! He kept moving his legs around because bugs were biting him, and every time Ella would say, “oooh he almost walked!” or “ooooooh he almost jumped!”

We had a great night and it was nice to spend time with the other residents and their families. It was also great to see Ronnie and the other residents recognized for their hard work. The girls absolutely had a blast. They were both asleep in the car long before we got home!

Ronnie has some time off before he starts his next job. In mid-July he will have his first shift at Clark Memorial Hospital in Jeffersonville. It’s been really nice to have him around! The girls have turned into “Daddy’s girls” and we’ve had a lot of fun doing things together! We are excited to get used to this, since he won’t be working nearly as often at his new job as he did in residency. It’s a wonderful new chapter in our lives and we are so happy and proud of Ronnie!

Ella & Gary playing on the hammock

Ronnie receiving the Pediatric Emergency Medicine Award

Ronnie getting his gifts and Ella getting quizzed!

Ella was so excited to sit on the horse!