Friday, August 30, 2013

Five on Friday! Reed’s Surgery

I have a lot of updating to do regarding Reed’s surgery and it turns out the events are pretty much in five categories, so, I’m linking up again for Five on Friday!

 

1. The Before

We called ACH first thing Tuesday morning, and around noon the nurse called back. We relayed the information about the infected cyst and that we thought it had abscessed again. She said the doctor would have to make the call about whether or not we could come. At that point we hadn’t heard from the surgery center yet. They called about 12:45 and as they were going through the questions they have to ask, I had to explain the situation to them. She said she would also have to tell the anesthesiologist because she might decide she wasn’t comfortable. The lady informed me that if the anesthesiologist wasn’t comfortable, she would call me back, and if our doctor didn’t want to proceed, then to call her back. If surgery happened, it was scheduled for 8:30 and we had to be there at 7:00.

Around 2:30, the nurse called me back and said that the doctor had been busy with appointments and left immediately for a meeting, so they had to talk to a resident. The resident said it was impossible to make a decision without seeing it, so we needed to come, with the understanding that while in pre-op, the doctor could decide not to do the surgery. This wouldn’t be a big deal if we’d lived right there, but being three hours away, this possibility was kind of crappy, but it’s what we had to do.

So we headed down Tuesday evening after work. We stayed with my dear friend Chenin and her husband. They are wonderful to always offer us a place to stay if we need to be in the LR area.

Sweet boy on our way to LR

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2. The Surgery

We arrived at the hospital and checked in right at 7:00. We waited for a while and then were called in to the admissions desk. We proceeded to answer the same questions as the day before, and it wasn’t the last time we’d answer them. Ha!

Reed watched a little Mickey Mouse while we waited and he was so happy. It hurt my heart wondering when we’d see that smile again.

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When we got called back, we had to answer questions again, and we told the nurse again about the situation and that we had to wait for the doctor’s decision. She brought in the anesthesiologist who said she would proceed as if the surgery would happen and that from her standpoint, there were no issues, but warned of the risk that it might not. She asked to see the cyst and kind of made a face and said she’d be surprised if the doctor did it.

Our doctor came in and he took a look at it and said “We’re getting that out today.” He said it wasn’t inflamed enough to postpone, and after the second infection, we just needed to get it out, which we completely agreed with. We signed papers, they gave him his first round of anesthesia which made him very calm, and then we walked with him to the OR doors and had to leave him.

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We sat down in the waiting room and the receptionist called our name at 8:57 to tell us they had just started.

3. Post-Op and Recovery

We’d been told surgery would last an hour to an hour and a half. We sat and the time passed pretty quickly. A little after 10:00 a nursing resident came out and told us they were finished and that everything had gone well. They then called us and told us to wait in a consultation room, which honestly, scared the death out of me. We’d seen numerous doctors come out to the waiting room and talk to waiting family members, so the fact that they put us in a room worried me.

The doctor came in and said he’d done really well. They removed the cyst, which he said looked like a classic thyroglossal duct cyst, as well as tissue and the piece of bone. He said there was a drain in there that would be removed the next day and explained about the stitches. He said they’d call us shortly to go back to post-op to see him.

We had been sitting down for approximately a minute when they called our name to head back to him. When we got to him, the nurse had him sitting up trying to get him to come to. She said that he had been asking for us. He really wasn’t with it though and finally wanted Zach to hold him.

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He kept coming in and out and didn’t want anything to drink or a popsicle. We stayed in post-op until about 11:15 when they moved us up to our room.

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Reed was pretty miserable most of the day. He would fall asleep and then wake up crying. He’d be restless for a bit and then would fall back asleep. He slept especially well after his first dose of Motrin. For some reason, he didn’t want me. He really only wanted Zach. I held him for about a two hour stretch of sleep but other than that, it was mostly Zach.

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He finally woke up and seemed coherent around 6:00 p.m. He was awake for an hour, and then crashed again. We tried off and on all day for him to drink and he just wouldn’t. He woke up around 10:00 and sat with me for a bit while we watched Toy Story.

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He slept fairly well despite the wake ups for vitals, medicines, etc.

The doctors came in around 6:30 to remove his drain. He did really well when they did that, and they said they’d write up discharge papers!

4. Coming Home

Our day shift nurse came in and said that we could go home as soon as Reed drank 4 oz. His breakfast had arrived shortly before that and he actually ate a sausage patty, which made him thirsty. He was about halfway done, but was turning away water. So, we ordered him another sausage patty. ha!! That did the trick!

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He drank his water and we were heading down to our car by 9:30 a.m. They sent a wagon for him, and he wouldn’t let the volunteer pull it, but wanted me to. I love this picture and how unsure he looks in his eyes.

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We waited a couple extra hours for his last dose of Motrin so he could have it right before our drive home and he went to sleep almost immediately.

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He was excited to be home and got many of his toys out. He had moments where he felt really good and moments where he felt really bad. We had to change his wrappings and he screamed through all of that – I think his incision hurts. He’s also still taking his antibiotics which he HATES. We were SO tired when we got home b/c sleeping in the hospital wasn’t comfortable for mom and dad!

5. What Now?

We have to keep him calm, or as calm as we possibly can, for the next week or so. He does have stitches as I mentioned and they will dissolve. We have to return to ACH on September 10 for our follow up appointment. When we visited with the doctor pre-op, he informed us that due to the continuous infections, Reed’s risk of the cyst coming back in increased. He said that if it comes back, it is typically in the 6-9 month time frame. If we make it to one year, he should be set and it won’t come back.

It’s been an exhausting, emotionally and physically draining week and I’m so thankful that we have this behind us. We thank everyone who has prayed for us and are so appreciative of everyone who has prayed for us during these days. Thank you for loving and caring for us and our son!!

Praise Jesus for letting us get this taken care of this week and for watching over us and Reed throughout this all!

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Birthday fun and Reed’s surgery

Another birthday come and gone! I’m THIRTY! ha! Doesn’t really feel much different! Here are a few picture highlights of my weekend!

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We celebrate birthdays at work, and milestone birthdays are celebrated especially big! I knew something would be coming, but lately, WHEN is the question. I thought I’d get there yesterday morning to a decorated office. I walked in and there was nothing. My friend/boss came in and said I owed her b/c she’d decided to save it all up for HER boss who has a milestone birthday in November. I thought, okay, but didn’t quite believe her because she loves to get people! She told there would be cake that afternoon.

Before I get to the surprise, I need to mention that Reed’s cyst got infected again over the weekend. I noticed it on Saturday morning and immediately called the doctor. We started him on an antibiotic, and are desperately praying he will be okay for surgery Wednesday. He must take his medicine three times a day and I knew that I couldn’t ask his teachers to give it to him b/c of how we have to wrestle him to get it in him. I planned on just running over there and giving it to him, but I left it at home. Knowing he couldn’t afford to miss a dose, I went home to get it (and his lunch which we also forgot this morning), and when I got back, they had done a quick decorating job and were waiting for me!!!! IMG_1434IMG_1437 IMG_1446

My boss loves to bake and made this adorable “30” cake for me. It was so good too!!!

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I think my FAVORITE thing though was these cups! My boss turned 40 earlier this year and her husband had a surprise party for her with a photo booth. We took a picture with all the people from work and I put on these crazy glasses and was being silly! I knew when these came back that this photo would resurface for my birthday! They printed it on a label and put them on these cups!!!!!! HILARIOUS!

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It was a fun day and I was so thankful I walked back into that b/c I had left Reed at school crying “mama, go home!” and I was so upset about him. I was fighting back tears and probably would have gone back to my desk and cried when I walked into the fun!

As for Reed, his cyst seems to have abscessed again. I’m not sure what this means for his surgery. We are waiting to hear from the surgeon’s office about our next steps. We covet any prayers for our sweet boy as we desperately need to get this cyst out of him. I will update when we know more.

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Thirty Things I've Learned in my Thirty Years

Today is my 30th birthday which hardly seems possible! In honor of that, here are 30 things I have learned in my 30 years!!

  1. I am capable of far more than I think.
  2. When I worry & can't see how something will work out, God ALWAYS shows up & shows me otherwise. ALWAYS!
  3. Sometimes life just isn't fair. It just isn't. Period. The end.
  4. It's necessary to laugh at yourself.
  5. Losing friendships doesn't get any easier as I get older.
  6. No matter what you do or how hard you try, some people just won't like you. And that's ok.
  7. Life is short, too short, and every day should be treated as a gift.
  8. Forget regret, or life is yours to miss. - Rent
  9. There will be people who are going to let you down.
  10. Honesty IS the best policy. If you aren't honest, you have to remember who you told what.
  11. In many disappointments, God has proven to me time and time again that His plans for me are far better than my plans for myself!
  12. Only you can decide your limits. In all areas of your life, make them and stick to them.
  13. When I make a fool of myself, my family will remind me of it for years and years to come!
  14. It's okay to tell people NO!
  15. Growing up we were always fighting, but as adults my siblings are some of my best friends.
  16. Even when you do the right thing, things may not always turn out in your favor.
  17. I am my own worst enemy.
  18. Trying new things can lead to something new you really love!
  19. "Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34
  20. Don't take yourself or life so seriously! Laughter is the best medicine.
  21. The only person who can make you unhappy is you. I cannot change people or situations. I can only change how I can react to them.
  22. Giving is far far greater than receiving.
  23. Sometimes it's okay to relax and be lazy.
  24. If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always gotten.
  25. Think before you speak.
  26. Be humble.
  27. It's okay to accept offers of help.
  28. My husband and our kids can make any bad day infinitely better.
  29. It's okay to make mistakes. They teach you something and give you the chance to grow.
  30. I am blessed more than words can say.

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Reed Funnies

These days, Reed is talking up a storm and he is SO funny. This is a for mommy post, meaning this is really for me so I can remember all these things when he’s grown!

  • Whenever he can’t find someone, he blames someone for taking it and says “Daddy take paci” or “A-yuh take night night”. It’s quite comical.
  • Whenever someone is gone and we ask where they went, he’ll usually say “they go bye-bye”. Then we’ll ask him where they went and he always says “al-mar” (wal-mart). Funny kid!

This video is actually a combo of both of these things!

  • He is excited about his new cousin Baby Caroline and I looooove the way he says her name!!

  • He says he “needs” something. “I need my mom.” “I need more cheese.”
  • I love it when i ask him something and he says “I think so mommy”.
  • He says please and thank you very well.
  • If someone is going to the bathroom, he says “I go potty” and will sit on the little potty. He also tells us he has poo-poo anytime he goes to the bathroom.
  • His favorite Mickey Mouse episode has a song that says bam-bam goes my hammer, so he calls his toy hammers his “bam-bams”.
  • He tells us he loves us and its the sweetest thing.
  • When he gets in trouble by one of us, he immediately “needs” his other parent

This age is definitely trying, but it’s also so fun. I love seeing him learn new things and I love that he is able to communicate so well with us!

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Catch up!

So, when we last left off, the kids had just started school. I put together this comparison of Ava from her first day the last three school years, and it’s crazy how much she has changed.

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We had a good weekend! The kids like it when we get to stay home in the morning and they can have a hot breakfast. Their favorite right now is eggs and cinnamon toast.

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We headed out to a local favorite Mexican place for dinner Saturday night. Reed practically drank a bowl of salsa and Ava was just happy to be out. I love that they are old enough to sit by each other at dinner (most of the time!). Ava took a pretty good pic of me and Zach too!

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I went to tuck Reed into bed that evening and he just had the biggest, sweetest smile on his face. Too bad he started screaming about 20 minutes late because he didn’t want to go to bed!

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Sunday I hosted a baby shower for our family to celebrate one of our new little additions, Caroline. My sweet SIL Leslie is due in October with her first baby so our family gathered to give them some goodies! Caroline’s middle name is Rose and it inspired this lovely rosette cake!

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I don’t want to share many details yet because I know Leslie will be sharing some on her blog. For now, the other photo I will share are these yummy cookies. These are the best cookies ever! Seriously. They are close to my mom and dad’s new house and that’s dangerous. I love them!!!

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After the shower, all the girl cousins went over to play at my grandma’s, and of course, Ava thought she had to go too. I went home and cleaned up and then took Reed back with me to get her so Zach could do some work. My grandma thinks anyone who walks through her door has to eat. Even though Reed had already had dinner, he ate some homemade applesauce. He also doesn’t let anyone feed him, but he sure let her feed him that!

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It’s already getting busy with lots of evening meetings for the beginning of the school year. Zach had one Monday night, and we both have one at the kids’ school tonight at different times. Let the school year begin!

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Zach’s band room got a makeover this summer and the kids and stopped by to see him and it on Monday before we went to school, so we stopped by before his Monday meeting to see it and to let the kids seem for a bit. Reed has decided the percussion instruments are pretty cool. At one point, he sat this mallet down, reached for a big sledgehammer type thing & said “I need bam-bam”. I’m pretty sure I know where that bam-bam was headed and we put a stop to it. 

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After dinner the other night, I let the kids split a leftover cookie from the shower. I’m pretty sure Reed was like a cookie monster! ha!

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One last picture for the memory books. Every morning, once we get past where the cars drive, I let go of hands and the kids run. Reed mimics EVERYTHING Ava does, so they both run down the corridor yelling “I win!” Love those two goof balls so much!

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And that pretty much catches you up on our week! Hope you’re having a good one!!!

Thursday, August 15, 2013

First Day(s) of School!

This week was back to school week for us!!

Reed’s first day back was August 12! He is in the Toddler Class at his school and it’s his last year in the childcare center. Next year he will be in the big school as a preschooler! How this has happened so fast, I have NO clue! Little dude wasn’t really in the mood for pictures so we got what we could!

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Sweet boy! He has had a hard time in the mornings because he has two new teachers but they’ve said he has had great days once he gets over the dropping off!

Ava’s (and Zach’s) first day of school was August 14!!

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When did my baby get so grown up? Seriously?

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I make Zach pose for a first day of school picture every year too, but I’ll just post the one of him with Ava and not the one of him by himself! Isn’t he a good man to oblige?! :)

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Ava had a great first day! She was excited to report that she got four stickers on her reward chart and only needs one more for a trip to the treasure box (which she loooooves!)! I got a text from her teacher about 2:00 with three pictures of Ava and she said Ava had a great day. I’m so very grateful for our school and the wonderful teachers who invest so much into my babies! I’m looking forward to a great year for our whole family!

 

 

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Reed’s first haircut!

With school starting this week, I had scheduled a hair cut for Ava, and decided it was time for Reed to get his first one also! So he had his first haircut on August 8! He has this crazy cowlick on the back of his head and part of it looked like a ponytail!IMG_1036 

It was definitely time for him to get a trim. Ava went first and she was totally fine with it as she’s had several. Reed was really clingy from the time we got there and I knew it wasn’t going to go smoothly.

He wouldn’t sit in the chair by himself so I had to hold him. And he still cried.

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Thankfully with the weird way things turned out, my sister was with us because she was watching the kids for us so she was able to take pictures! It was pretty traumatic. ha!

Thankfully he calmed down and she was able to finish. She said she has had some where they just couldn’t do it because they were screaming and thrashing so badly. I’m thankful he got his done. He looks sooooooo cute and so different with it shorter!

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Another milestone in the books!!! :)

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Bisquick Sausage Balls

In my tips for working moms post, I mentioned that I make and freeze sausage balls for the kids’ breakfasts. I had a couple requests via twitter for the recipe for them.

A few things about them:

1. It’s not my recipe. It uses Bisquick so it’s probably a Bisquick recipe originally. There are variations on it, but it works for me.

2. I really don’t like calling them sausage balls. I mean, they are, but I wish there was a less tacky sounding name. It’s funny when reed walks in the kitchen in the morning and says “my balls, mama!” haha!

Sausage Balls
2 cups Bisquick
1lb sausage (you can use any kind – turkey sausage, hot, mild, regular, whatever floats your boat)
1 – 1 1/2 cups of cheddar cheese (again whatever strikes you – mild, sharp, etc)
1/2 cup milk (not all recipes call for this, but I think without a little bit of liquid, they don’t do well)
Sprinkle of garlic salt (don’t have to do this but I like what it adds)

Like I said, there are SO many variations of this recipe. There’s one out there with cream cheese in it and while they were good, I didn’t think they were good enough for the extra added calories, personally.
I like to use my stand mixer to mix all the ingredients. Throw it all in the mixer, turn it on until it’s all well blended.

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Spray your baking pans with cooking spray. I also like to spray my cookie scoop that I use to portion it out because otherwise it’s a little work getting them out.

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I made a double batch this time and was able to make 82. Bake at 375 for about 18 minutes.   


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When they are finished, I just let them sit for a while and cool, then I put them in a Ziploc and freeze. We pull them out and heat them in the mornings and they are even good for on the go!

The Edwards Family

The Edwards Family
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