Now That It's August...Let's Catch Up On July

Nothing long winded of course...how about pictures and bullet points? Ok maybe no bullet points. I'm not that succinct. Ok...maybe a little long winded. Ya with me?

Here we go!

It was HOT all of July and we were outside ALL OF JULY. With no relieve from water because Grace still had her casts on. The girls became quite the sidewalk chalk artists. Grace even drew all of us - complete with fingers, pupils in the eyeballs and all sorts of details. Unfortunately, I didn't snap a pic before it was gone. 

Rainbow by Charlotte

Rainbow by Grace

The good thing about HOT weather and the occasional afternoon car ride, a certain young lady falls asleep HARD!! She missed almost the entire dinner at Great Grandma's house - even after being woken up and transported inside from the car. This is the only time she naps - HOT mornings followed by a car ride - and it is nice in the moment. But bedtime can be rough!

Dad - this is for you! I opened up the local paper a couple of weeks ago and saw all the team little photos and I was SHOCKED!! I would say that of the 10 teams photographed, every single team had a girl on it! In fact, there was one team that was ALL girls, and I would say the majority of the players throughout the league were girls!! And there were a ton of women coaches! How times have changed?!?! My dad wanted me to learn to play the game the right way and to be challenged. It was hard to understand at the time and I dreaded every second of it, but now, I understand and appreciate the years I was the only girl playing baseball in the little league. It does my heart good - and I'm sure my Dad's - to see so many girls engaged in athletics! Way to go girls!

Of course, a July posting can't be complete without mention of the puppies! They truly saved our summer. I don't know what I would have done without them! They are getting bigger by the second. In fact, the vet said she thought Stranger (below) was showing a mix of St. Bernard!! (GULP!!) They say a rescue dog is forever grateful - that they seem to "just know" how close they were to a terribly bad situation.  While we may have given them a forever home, those dogs gave Grace and Charlotte so much this summer. As a mom on the brink of potentially dark days with surgery, recovery, moving, etc - we are equally as grateful. Those little rascals have wiggled and bounded their way into my heart and I can't imagine a day without them. 

Finally, the BIG day! The casts came off last Friday and someone was excited!! Me!! She wouldn't sit still for a picture she was pretty amped. Believe it or not, she was more amped for the trip to the toy store than she was for the actual cast removal. Oh to be a kid!

Before

After

Her feet and legs were extremely sensitive. She wouldn't even let us wipe her legs with a warm towel and walking was out of the question. She was given boots to wear during the day and another pair to wear at night. In the picture below, we had just left the toy store (with a new doll!) and Charlotte wanted to go on the playground. This picture was a bit heartbreaking to me. Casts off, exhausted from an extremely long doctor's visit, and hot Seattle weather, she still couldn't join her little sister on the playground. On the other hand, Charlotte was a trooper ALL summer - she stuck by Grace's side - her little lackey - and during every appointment, was good as gold. She deserved a spin on the playground even if it meant big sis had to watch!

The good news? A few hours after the above picture was taken....Grace decided to stand!

We were beyond happy with such quick (painless) progress!

Once back from Seattle, it was time to get back to summer!! Swimming, swimming and more swimming!

Oh and showering! Grace's first post-cast shower was probably 35 minutes long! Not having ever had a cast, I can only imagine how good that must have felt!

While we can now swim and splash, the girls are still very much into being outside.

Particularly Charlotte.

Can I take a moment to mention that I LOVE having a garage!!! After years of burning hot car seats and scraping ice of the windshield, this is my new happy place!

I would have killed for this when the girls still regularly napped in the car!

In other news, the chicken run for the coop is nearly complete!

We let them explore it a bit yesterday. Tonight might be the big night! 

Throw in a bunch of unpacking and that my friends, has been our July!

Looking forward to soaking up the rest of summer! School starts for both girls in September and then we'll really get busy! At least I will be busy - chauffeuring!

Wouldn't have it any other way!

Recovery for Grace AND Charlotte

After Grace's surgery, we were visited by Court's brother's family.

Balloons (and chocolate) make everything better!

We have been amazed at how well Grace has done with her recovery. She has been so bubbly and happy. You know, preparing for surgery - especially surgery on your child - really weighs heavy on your heart. You worry. You hear horrible stories. You think about the what-ifs. And then you kiss them goodbye and they are wheeled into the operating room...everything in motion...but you. You are helpless. Dependent on whatever is to come. Dependent on the unknown.

You rarely think about the benefits of surgery. The reasons you are making this leap of faith and surrendering all control. Most likely because you don't want to jinx yourself. You don't want to assume an outcome and like my dad always says, "Hope for the best; prepare for the worst."

We were so worried about how she would feel waking up with casts. How she'd feel different from others. Her pain. Her immobility for six weeks. And while we are not out of the woods yet....we still have five and half weeks to go - Grace's overall happiness leads us to believe that this surgery has been a relief! A relief from being "different." A relief from being constantly challenged by gravity. A relief from "keeping up." It may have even relieved pain or exhaustion that would likely go hand-in-hand with walking on your toes - all day, everyday, for years, that we didn't know about or understand because how can a four year old explain pain when it is her "normal." Think about it! Try walking on your toes for five minutes and you'll know what I am talking about.

 "Like a rainbow after the rain, there's always a good thing after the pain." 

images

Regardless, we are beyond grateful that this experience has gone as well as it has and thankful that we took a leap of faith.

Changing the subject...Grace was given a chance to take some pictures with my phone...

I don't think Charlotte wears her emotions on her sleeve at all! hahah

Grace's recovery has been the hardest for Charlotte. Attention and gifts being showered on Grace. Her playmate unable to play. Getting in trouble anytime she gets too rough or gets too close to Grace's legs and big girl cups of liquid (around Grace) are out of the question.

In spite of all that, she has done a fantastic job of helping.

She jumps out of bed (about 30 times a night) to fetch whatever Grace needs to fall asleep. 

Charlotte, will you get me a new book? 

Charlotte, will you bring me that doll?

Charlotte, I dropped my blankie on the floor, will you get it for me?

Charlotte, without grimace or gripe, dutifully jumps at Grace's call. 

Two nights ago, I was listening to them in their room as Grace asked Charlotte to do a favor for the  umpteenth time.

Finally, Charlotte had had it and in a tone similar to one I use a lot and mimicking words I use a lot, Charlotte said, "Grace, this is the last time I am doing this for you. I'm tired and want to go to sleep!"

Made me laugh.

So glad they have each other. 

Last night, Charlotte dodged the bullet of being Grace's servant by falling asleep at six! She even skipped dinner in order to get some uninterrupted shut eye.

Like I said, I think that all this has been hardest on Charlotte!

Grace's Surgery

Tuesday - late afternoon - we made the drive to Seattle. Charlotte fell asleep within seconds of hitting the freeway and Grace silently watched her movie. I fell asleep too - luckily I wasn't driving! We rolled into the big city just in time to meet Molly for some dinner - at Ruth's Chris, of course! We had a great meal and if you haven't had Seven Falls wines yet I suggest giving them a try! (Your tastebuds and pocketbook will thank me!)

The next day was Grace's pre-op appointment! So after grabbing a quick bite to eat, we treated the girls to cupcakes and a spin on the playground at the University Village.

Hard to believe this will be Grace's last romp for a while. 

Regardless, the appointment time drew near so it was time to drop off Charlotte with Ellen - cousin June's nanny! June was asleep when we arrived and I could tell Charlotte was a bit a nervous but just a while later we got a picture from Ellen! These girls were having nothing but fun!!

Love that these girls love each other. 

So nice of her parents to let us borrow their nanny for a few hours!

Aside from a long, unexpected wait, the pre-op appointment went well. The doctors re-examined Grace. Talked to us about their plan. We met the resident and got our orders relating to food, clear liquids and check-in. Hard to believe that this was all in motion and really happening. 

For her big meal, Grace wanted pasta. So off to a big pasta dinner we went - after another visit to a playground. If cupcakes weren't enough, there was red velvet cake and ice cream for dessert! 

She went to bed with a very full tummy - hopefully full enough to get through a long morning. 

Grace was to check-in at 10 am. Solid food was cut off at 3 am - which sounds great - but in reality means no eating after dinner because a four year old doesn't stay up much past 8 or 9 pm. Clear liquids were cut off at 7am - which was good because she likes to sleep with water at her side. At 6 am, I woke up and started making her take a few more sips every 15 minutes or so. I also worked in a box of apple juice in that hour as well. I figured the water would help her stay hydrated and the apple juice might give her a little sugar to get through a meal-less morning. She complained about being hungry a few times, but when we reminded her that these were the doctors orders, she quieted without protest. 

Check-in went quickly and smoothly. The patient scheduled for surgery prior to Grace cancelled at the last minute which meant that the OR was prepped and ready to go! 

Bun-Bun got a bracelet too at check-in!

We met with several nurses who checked her vitals. She got another "bath" with some medicated wipes and changed into her hospital gown. The staff, doctors and nurses all loved Bun-Bun and I think that helped Grace breathe a little easier. Grace was cooperative at every step of the way but quiet. I will be forever grateful when the anesthesiologists asked if I would like to escort her back to the operating room. 

(This was actually the time I had been dreading the most. The surgery? Yes. The recovery? Yes. But the moment they wheeled her away weighed the heaviest. I knew it was the moment where she would crack...and in turn, I would crack. The moment when all the machines, masked faces and strangers would be too much for even our stoic Grace...and then she would be transferred to the operating room in tears...where nothing or no one could put her at ease. Of course, this would all make me... well you know.) 

So again, you can imagine my relief (and Grace's) when they offered to let me adorn a beautiful hat, booties, mask and one-piece scrub suit and walk with Grace to the OR. We were able to chat the whole way even though she was pretty quiet. Perhaps, seeing me in my get-up wasn't as comforting as it was for me being in the OR, holding her hands as she quietly drifted off to sleep. It helped. SO. MUCH.

She was scheduled to begin surgery at 11:15 and she was already well 'under'-way (pun intended) at 10:45. As I returned to Court in the prep room, a fire alarm went off and we nearly jumped out of our skin. Luckily, it was just a drill. 

Phew!

 The next hour and half we wandered around the hospital campus. We stepped outside to get some fresh air. Visited THE BEST Starbucks ever! It  is located within the hospital but this is how EVERY Starbucks should be. Clean. Friendly. Quiet. And the food? Beyond fresh!! The salads and sandwiches looked amazing. Seriously! Each and every pastry was warmed up and they weren't the typical pastries you find at a Starbucks. They were from some mystery bakery but that mystery bakery, if they played their cards right, could take over the world Starbucks. It was that good!

We hadn't eaten anything all morning either so we were pretty grateful when we finally peered into the bag of goodies Molly had sent with us to the hospital. She had offered to watch Charlotte for us on surgery day and that was a gift in itself. Then she sent us off with a care package of food, drinks and magazines. She even got Court a New York Times! So thoughtful. So good. So devoured!

 After our lunch, we had about another half hour or so to wait. We went down to the waiting room. Of course, the second Court disappeared, our beeper went off and we were summoned back to meet with the doctor. He was very happy with how everything went and he expected no problems. Great news! We waited for another hour in the waiting room before they finally allowed us back to see Grace. She had just woken up and had been given a purple popsicle. She was super groggy and didn't want the popsicle at all. She doesn't like popsicles even on a good day so I wasn't surprised she didn't want anything to do with them. 

So we just waited...for her to wake up; for her to try to drink something. 

She drank a little water.  

She was quiet. Coughed a lot - probably because of the intubation tube.

Eventually she went back to sleep.

Love the purple casts she chose!

 Even Bun-Bun got some casts.

 Meanwhile, this munchkin was livin' it up!

Donuts! Ice cream! Monorail! Pacific Science Center! Dinosaurs! Butterflies!

All thanks to Auntie Molly!

After getting Grace home and getting a little food in her, she perked right up!

That was nice to see. It was also nice to see Charlotte at her side. Helping. Laughing. Doing a great job of keeping Grace's mind occupied - even if it meant Grace was worried that Charlotte was taking her toys. {I didn't say Charlotte was sharing! hahah}

We weren't expecting such big smiles so soon after surgery. And we certainly weren't expecting this!

While Court was out picking up take-out for dinner (got to love the big city!) and I was assisting Charlotte in the bathroom, I came out to find Grace...playing!

She had scooted herself and was upright - kind of!

She tried taking a few steps but it hurt. 

She tried taking some assisted steps this morning - I was baring most of her weight - and that quickly ended. Then she has taken two accidental steps - long story - and that sent her into tears, tears, tears!

So it is definitely tender. They say she'll be up and walking in her casts just a couple of days after surgery - if not sooner - so I am a little worried that it appears that baring weight isn't getting any easier. But after a quick look at the clock, it has only been 24 hours since she was wheeled out of the OR and into the recovery room. So I am probably jumping the gun here on the worry. 

Luckily, we had views and movies - lots of movies - to keep us entertained!

  

Grateful, that we are on the other side of all this now. 

Thank you for all the texts, notes, emails and support from friends and family everywhere. 

So far, so good but we'll keep you posted! 

Getting the Most Out of Summer - Before It Starts/Ends

Technically, it's not even summer yet. You wouldn't know it though because we have been squeezing all the summer we can out of every day. Water slides, parks, pools, playing outside...I probably have more of a tan now than I have in five years! 

Charlotte finally worked up the courage to go down the little slide by herself and LOVED it!! I knew she would! So I took her down the BIG twisty slide - on my lap - but when she saw all the other kids going down by themselves, a fit of epic proportions ensued! She wanted nothing to do with me and everything to do with going down the slide by herself! She didn't understand that this was opening day at the local pool and it was PACKED! The lifeguards were in overdrive because it was insane and they were eager to blow their whistles. So no rule bending was going to be had - no matter how much she wanted to do the slide by herself; no matter how capable. While her mind may be that of dare devilish five year old, her body still measures as a two-year-old-just-three-months-shy-of-her-third-birthday and that equates to a no-go as a solo on the slide. Frankly, that was just unacceptable and pissed her off. 

Grace enjoyed the pool too and was able to do a solo trip down the big twisty slide but we won't be mentioning that in front of a certain two year old I know! ha!

We've been making the best of the great spring weather we've had so that we don't feel like we are missing it while Grace is recovering. I must say that she seems to be doing well with her upcoming surgery. We talk about it several times a day and she 'understands' the timeline and the process. She knows she will have casts and will wake up feeling "weird and maybe a little upset." I think her practice run with Grandpa REALLY helped. Even though she is able to regurgitate back to me all of details about her surgery, I know she has no idea what casts are, how they really feel and how miserable they will likely make her. (I've never had a cast...I've just heard horror stories - particularly about casts getting wet!) So it is had to expect how these next few weeks will go.

The good news is the new house doesn't have a pool and Court will have to make build a new sandbox so she won't have those temptations staring her in the face everyday! But we will have a surprise for the girls in just a few weeks...

The first half of the surprise came late last week, the other half comes toward the end of the month - hopefully! Any guesses?!?!?