Thursday, November 29, 2012

Surgery Day

Philip has been fighting the same ear infection since the end of May and I was finally able to get a referral to an ENT; so we made an appointment for the day before Halloween hoping we would see the ENT and be able to get tubes in Philip's ears.  Little did we know that he would be getting tubes and an adenoidectomy too.
The doctor too one look at a previous CT scan Philip had had and suggested that we have both procedures done at the same time.  He even suspected that Philip has/had sleep apnea - saying to us, "You probably notice he doesn't sleep well."  Biggest understatement of your carreer there doctor.

Because Halloween was the next day, the doctor had openings in his surgery schedule so we planned the surgery for the next day.  Happy Halloween.

His pre-op orders were no solid food after midnight and only clear liquid (water, apple juice or sprite) from midnight to 7:00 am and then nothing after that.  His surgery was slated for 10:00.  To say we were dreading what he would be like with no food, water or other beverage would be an understatement, we were terrified.  But he did great!  He had some apple juice at 6:30 and was a peach until his surgery.

When we checked in, they had us change him into his surgery clothes and then play with the same-day-surgery toys until it was his turn.  He was put under general anesthesia for the procedure and it only took about 30 minutes start to finish.  After surgery, his doctor came to talk to us about the procedure, saying things went very smooth and he was very happy we decided to do the adenoidectomy - he estimated that Philip's oxygen through his nose was blocked at least 90%; which is why he had been having such a hard time breathing, especially during the night.  Can you imagine only being able to get about 10% of air flow through your nose?  No wonder he wasn't sleeping.

When he woke up from the anesthesia, I was able to go back and hold him until they moved him to his post-op room.  He was totally out of it when he saw me and ended up tangling himself in all his cords while trying to crawl off the bed to me.  After we moved him, Phil was able to come back and hold him and from then on he only wanted Daddy.  He was discharged after being able to drink some apple juice and we were home just before noon.  He ended up sleeping for a few hours then was able to go trick or treating with us and managed the pain from surgery just fine.

He recovered very quickly and could have gone back to school the next day, but we decided to keep him home and away from germs for a few days.  The only down side was his stinky breath - a combination of the anesthesia and the adenoidectomy.  It was HORRIBLE for about 2 weeks.

Since his surgery, he has actually been sleeping better, has started talking more and been all around happier. We are so glad we were able to get it done and done quickly!

Just arriving at the hospital 

Pre-op play time








Post-Op



on the drive home

Pumpkin Picking

Waaaaay back in October we took Natalie, Philip and Kai on a trip to lunch and then to pick out some pumpkins.  Lunch was exciting - Natalie and Kai were very well behaved; but, Philip? Not so much.  The kids loved picking out their pumpkins and if Kai and Natalie has their way we would have purchased almost every pumpkin that was in the lot.  Every time they saw one it was their "favorite".  We made it out of there with a pumpkin or three for each kid - one big and a few small each. 












After picking out their pumpkins they played on the playground while I paid for and loaded the pumpkins in the car.  I think it is safe to say that they had just as much fun this time as they did last year.  The only thing missing was Darin and Melinda.





A few days after we picked the pumpkins we had Darin, Melinda & Kai over for dinner and pumpkin carving.  They brought the pizza, we brought the pumpkin carving kit and we all had fun.  Natalie decided on a pretty traditional face and Kai picked a design that was a little harder to complete.  Darin showed his pumpkin-carving-prowess and all the pumpkins were carved to perfection.






 

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Anniversary Trip

The weekend after going to Omaha with Natalie, Phil and I went to Seattle to celebrate our sixth wedding anniversary.  We left on a Saturday afternoon and came home Monday evening.  It was a quick two-night getaway that I wish had been longer.  It is amazing how you can convince your body that you don't miss or need quality sleep until you get two nights of it and it really hits you!

We spent Saturday wandering around the city, going to Pike Place Market and wandering up and down side streets.  That night we went to a little Italian restaurant for dinner and planned on staying for the burlesque show they were famous for, but after eating dinner and dessert and realizing we still had an hour to the 11:00 start time we decided to make it an early night and went back to the hotel instead.  We decided it is because we are either old or sleep deprived.

Sunday we went to the space needle and wandered around the city a little more.  That night we went to a french restaurant that was amazing!  Phil got a steak and I got a cheese, meat and pate platter with a big chunk of great baguette.  Heaven on a plate!

Monday we slept in, checked out of the hotel and walked around stopping in little restaurants for food and drinks along the way.  We went to the airport for our 4:00 flight and were home by 7:00 to kiss the very-happy-to-see-us kids!  Six years and two kids later we are still so much in love and I for one, can't imagine my life without my wonderful husband Phil.

On the train coming into town




Downtown Seattle


September Travel

Back in the middle of September, Natalie and I took a mother-daughter trip to visit my friend Ashley who lives in Omaha.  We had a blast and I for one would love to go back sooner rather than later; however, there winter isn't as friendly weather wise as the Fall, so we might need to wait for a bit.

We left on a Friday afternoon and after having a lot of time in the airport to grab a special drink and a happy meal for the plane we were the last to board - just before take off.  Amazing how exploring an airport I know so well can take as long as it did, I'm just happy we didn't miss the flight.  We got to Omaha around 5:00 and from the airport, Ashley took us to the kids school to pick them up, then to her house to drop our bags.  We went to dinner after that and to a local frozen yogurt/ice cream shop.  Once we got home everyone was beat and we went to bed.

Saturday we spent time running errands, having lunch at the park and exploring.  That night Ashley arranged to have a big dinner so I'd get to meet all her friends.  She is very good at making friends, so it was a full house and it was so much fun to put faces to all the names I'd heard so much about.  To top it all off, Ashley let me take a nap while she got everything ready for dinner!

The weather on Sunday wasn't the greatest.  We started the day off by joining some of her work friends at a party they were hosting after some had participated in a lung cancer walk/run.  After that we hit a local fair and art market then had lunch and enjoyed pizza dinner that night at home.

Monday the kids went to school and we joined them for lunch followed by us grabbing food for ourselves at a great neighborhood restaurant.  After lunch we got our toes painted and drove to the airport.  Quick weekend trip and we had so much fun!  We landed at 7:00 and were home by 7:45 in time to see my sweet boy before he reluctantly went to sleep.

On the plane in route


Lunch in the park




at the art festival


jump house





on the way to school for lunch


at lunch with Christian

Toe painting

On the plane to come home

Natalie took about 10 pictures of these people