For the Love of Ivey

Thanks guys! Emma won her concert tickets!

Knox wins the 'Most Likely to be a Cowboy' award Walker is the forever dare devil in boots (no matter the temperature) Sometimes I feel overwhelmingly guilty that the boys are not as privileged to have a blog too, one that people check to see their personal progress and accomplishments. I would love to say that Ivey is our only topic, but here in the real world she is not. Life is more complex than Ivey alone. You read small glimpses of our life here. What you read here is so infinitely small compared to things that really matter, even many of the accomplishments you read about Ivey. You see, the boys are no less than Ivey. They are what people dealing with special needs children call ‘normal’. Here in our home we know that Ivey has ‘special needs’ and we know that our sons are ‘normal’, but that is not how they are treated (to the best of our abilities). Unfortunately, Ivey does, at times, require special medical treatment. That does not in any way underscore that she is more...

Good news is flowing around here lately. If you haven't checked on Ashley recently, you need to now. Read the new entry into Ashley's Journal .

Ivey is a busy bee these days. Last week she visited her ocularist and now has her new conformers. It looks like she is sticking to schedule. All things keep on track, and little miss magic will have one more set of conformers and then…..her first set of prosthetics. So before I say this, keep in mind we have developed an odd since of humor these days. There are times we either laugh or cry. Ivey’s eyes have become a subject of laughing more than crying. So, the big debate right now is…..what color should Ivey’s eyes be? In the great big debate of babies and wondering what color their eyes will be; well, we get to choose. And since Knox and Walker do not have the same color of eyes, we can’t make up our minds. We still have a few months, so plenty of time to figure that one out. Also, Ivey has become a little trickster when it comes to her conformers. She pops them out constantly. Where I can hardly take them out without concentration, she pokes her index finger in there and out it com...

The Clean Baby-versus-The Green Stuff On your mark - Get Set - GO!!!! What is this stuff? (This is Ivey's SERIOUS look.) Uggghhhh . Come on momm Wait a minute..... Smells so good I think I will try it in my hair. What do mean I'll need a bath if I do this????? Seriously, I'm supposed to eat it? And not through my tube? Awe mom.... Okay, I'll try it. Whoo Hoo ! Looks like mom is right again. Good stuff. Can't let mom think she was right about eating 'The Green Stuff'... Clean Baby demolishes Green Stuff. The Happy Green Baby... The Happy Green Baby trying to get mommy and camera. Final score.... Well, it depends on your point-of-view. If you are looking for a low maintenance kind of baby....Green stuff won If you are looking for progress.....Baby won If you live in the Sirmans ' house........it's a TIE......Just another day at lunch. Just for fun This is from a birthday party this past weekend. Ivey's first official princess party-girls...

Ivey tends to be a terrible sleeper..........at night. Ivey is nocturnal and she doesn't really sleep during the day. So what does that make her? I guess we could chalk it up to several things. One she has to be suctioned, but that happens during the day. Or maybe, that she gets hot from her heated trach collar ( HTC ). Better yet, she has company all night long. Maybe it is because she doesn't see the sun rise or set. At one point, I blamed it on the LACK of NOISE during the night hours...remember the boys are asleep. I really don't think it is any of the above. Ivey is our party girl. We are doomed. Our 14 month old is starting a precedent that probably cannot be undone. She does not need or demand sleep. Some nights she kicks so hard in her crib that she wakes me. I just heard her making noise over her trach . If she had her passy on her trach , she would be partying it up in there...loudly. I will show you a picture of that little device later. Well good night all...

Nap time . Whereas the bi-laws of bringing a baby home are drilled into our heads through books like 'What to Expect When Expecting', we don't quite comply to those rules around here. Rules like 'keep all toys, blankets and pillows out of the infant/toddlers bed just do not apply. As you can see, there is a tube lying next to her that is connected to her suction machine. It is hard to see, but a tube is hooked into her tummy for feeding. She sleeps on a pillow so that she is on an incline. There are two reasons for that: 1. She still has reflux. 2. She has a trach . The teddy bear you see also has a distinct purpose. He h olds her a syringe that is connected to her G-tube for venting her tummy. And the topper of all toppers, Ivey has small hard thingys in her eyes that are small enough to swallow and lodge in her throat. What do books know anyways? P.S. The blanket stayed there temporarily. She loves for her face to be covered when she sleeps, so she wraps herself up...