Momma Update…

Momma had another back surgery this week.  I’m at the hospital right now with her.  She’s on the 22nd floor of St. Luke’s in the medical center.  I have to brag on how friendly and helpful the staff is.  I was lost yesterday and a guy in scrubs stopped in his tracks and asked if he could help me.  Amy said the same thing happened to her.  They are just very nice here.

Momma had one of the top teaching surgeons who is also the head of the neurosurgical team perform the operation.  Her previous lower back fusion had come apart and was sitting on one of her nerves.  The surgeon before had used bone from the bone bank instead of metal rods.  The doctor was able to remove the old bone and insert the titanium rods.  He got the nerve that was badly impinged undone and told Daddy that should give her a lot of relief.  He said it was almost smushed flat.

Dr. Omeis also decided not to do anything to the other side.  The one side of the operation took 5 hours and the other side didn’t have impingements and he weighed the options of whether or not it was worth the risk to leave her under for so long.  He decided it was not.  Momma was a little upset to hear this but he was adamant that there was nothing pinched on that side and that the benefits didn’t outweigh the risk.  Daddy was completely good with the decision but Momma muled up on them.  She’s still a little upset about it.

The Physical Therapist came yesterday and they fitted her for a back brace.  She’ll be in it for a while.  They have her up walking around a little.  They are going to remove the catheter this evening so she’ll be getting up on her own then.  She was up this morning for the doctor’s visit and we brought Erin for about 30 minutes.  It seems to have wiped her out.  Everyone left and I’m here with her and she’s sleeping.

I’ll keep you updated as we know more.  Thanks for all the prayers!

Say Cheese….

We had another trip to the dentist for our check up.  Erin did great.

We moved to another dentist so I was a little nervous on how she would do.  The other practice just seemed so busy and chaotic.  There were kids everywhere and people walking all around.  It was so hectic it made Erin more nervous.

This was a calmer practice.  But… when I was talking to the hygienist she said they get super busy after school hours and that the best time to come is between 10:00 and 12:00.  Good to know.

The hardest part was getting Erin’s x-rays.  She kept moving around.  We finally got them and they showed one little spot that is going to turn into a cavity.  It’s a spot between 2 molars and isn’t a cavity yet.  It’s just a spot to watch.  The problem is that it’s impossible to get to it with her brush, and she’s 5 so how great is she really brushing?  She is so independent she won’t let me help her!

She was good when Dr. Andersen came in too but didn’t really want to have her picture taken with him.  He just laughed it off but it was pretty embarrassing.  She acted like a little toot!

Very pleased with her progress and her brushing.  Yay us! 

The Golden Gate…

We live in a small subdivision that has their own elementary.  For those of you who have never been to our house, it buts up to the driveway of the school.  Since Erin starts Kindergarten this year we needed a short cut to the school.  If you walk to the school without the gate it’s over 1/2 a mile.  So, Daddy and Pawpaw got to work.

It took 8 hours and 5 trips to Lowes but the Gate is in…

 

Time for Your Check-up…

We had our 5 year check up this week.

Erin has grown 3 inches over the year and gained 4 pounds.  She’s in the 88% percentile and I’m a little surprised.  She’s tall and mostly all legs so I figured she would be a little higher in the percentiles.

Dr. Elahee-White told us most kids at this age grow about 2 inches but Erin was an overachiever. 

She did great at this appointment.  She is super ticklish so a lot of the exam was a gigglefest. 

No shots this time.  She made me promise that she wouldn’t get a shot.  Luckily, the flue shot isn’t until October.  I can remember being petrified of shots too at her age.

Splash Day…

We had a Splash Day yesterday at one of The Woodlands parks.  It’s really cool.  They have a splash pad for the little ones and 2 water slides and a Lazy River.

I took off work while I still can before school starts.  We loaded up the fam and went.  We got there right when the gates opened at 10:00.  What I really liked is the number of Lifeguards they had on duty.  It was impressive because by the time we left the Day Camps had shown up and you could have walked across the pool on heads and never got your feet wet. 

It wasn’t crowded at all in the morning.  We packed a lunch and some snacks and the kids were in hog heaven.

Both of them are good swimmers now.  The pool is shallow enough that Erin had touch and William can too if the water is calm.  With all the splashing he had to keep bouncing to stay afloat. 

I think the kid’s slide was a hit.  You have to be 48 inches to ride the big slide and they aren’t there yet.  Erin loved the Lazy River too.  She refused to get in a float and swims ahead of you.  It’s work to keep up with her.  Nothing relaxing about the Lazy River when you’re with her.

We were there most of the day and I think we hit the sweet spot on leaving.  She was very tired and even admitted she had had a long day.  She didn’t resist when it was time to go!  That’s when you know they’re tired.