Kylie's 9 mo. check-up

Even though she isn't quite 9 months old, I took Kylie in for her check-up. I wanted to get her in prior to the move and the search for a new doctor begins. She weighed in at 17 lbs. 4 oz (50%) and was 26 or 27 inches long?? (all I remember is it was the 50% also) :-)
Along with getting older comes new milestones and Kylie is in no shortage! She has been pulling up to her knees on everything she can get her hands on and many times going all the way up to her feet. We designated her our official supervisor when it comes to packing. She keeps a good eye on us, and enjoys playing around all the boxes. Of course, I get nervous that they will fall over on her, but it has yet to happen.

Things are just going so fast, and this Mommy isn't quite ready for that yet! It is fun though when I'm cooking in the kitchen and I can look to the living room and she is standing there watching me from behind our make-shift gate (an ironing board).

My only concern with the little tyke is her severe attachment to me. Don't get me wrong, I love the fact that for once, one of my children prefers me over Daddy :-), but it tends to get a bit ridiculous at times and I'm questioning how healthy it is. I don't want it to be too much of an adjustment for her when I go back to school. I'm a bit afraid of how she will do. Luckily, she knows my mom well, and I'm sure she'll be OK. It will definitely be quiet the adjustment for Mommy and Kylie :-)

A Week After Surgery

A short update on Heidi after her surgery a little over a week ago....
Overall, she was doing pretty well. I'm sure she was right on track with where she was supposed to be, but being the worrisome mom that I am, a couple things make me feel for her!
As far as her appetite goes, I don't think she has lost too much weight. She has been requesting lots of chocolate chip pancakes and cocoa wheats. And the only drink she is willing to touch is water. We've tried giving her popsicles, special pink ice cream, and all sorts of other treats, but to no avail. How are you supposed to spoil your little girl who just had surgery if she won't let you?
Getting Heidi to take her medicine has probably been the biggest hurdle of any when it comes to the procedure in general. She was fine taking her antibiotic. That was the medicine we all know and remember as the pink bubble gum medicine that you keep in the fridge -- otherwise known as amoxicillin. But, when it came to her pain meds, she took them once willingly, and then discovered she didn't like the taste and refused them completely for the rest of the night (the day we got home from the hospital). This picture is of a little girl in quite a bit of pain :-(

A friend gave me the idea to mix it with a little bit of Splenda to make it taste sweet, and sure enough, that worked. However, it only worked when she didn't realize she was actually taking her pain medicine. As long as she thought it was "the pink fridge one", she was willing. Oh, and she has to have her bottle of water right next to her when she takes it!
The boys came home 3 days after her surgery, and I think the biggest adjustment for Heidi was not getting all of Mommy's attention anymore (Grammy had to get back home also), as well as remembering to sit and play quietly. Watching the boys run around and play must have looked like fun, and so she thought she would try and join in. Quickly, Heidi was well aware of why the doctors and Mommy gave her strict instructions to just relax for a couple weeks after surgery. She got a nose bleed that lasted a good 30-45 minutes. Since then, she always listens if I tell her to sit down!
She seemed to be getting better as far as the pain goes. But, like clockwork, about a week after surgery, she regressed back to how she was the day we came home. The doctors told us to expect that, and for it to last about 3 days. No more sleeping through the night. She would wake up crying because she hurt so bad and actually ask for the medicine she hated so much! I felt so bad for her. About a day and a half after that started, she made the treck with her brothers to Gretna to stay with Grandma and Grandpa, and Aunt Katie until me and Dan can get done packing and go down there for the holidays. I was very hesitant to send her, for two reasons. Number one, I just wanted to be with her and able to take care of her, and number two, because I didn't want to burden Katie or Grandma with the stress of getting her to take her medicine, night wakings, etc... on top of taking care of the boys. But, needless to say, she made the trip, and all the reports I've gotten so far were all OK. I'm looking forward to being able to see her again, as well as the boys for that matter!
Heidi's school physical and 5 year check-up are scheduled for Tuesday next week (23rd), so we'll see exactly how she is doing then. Hopefully the doctor says that her scab has slughed away and she is able to engage in more activity and eat more foods again. I'm sure that would be a very good Christmas present for her. She always looks forward to playing with her cousins at Holiday get togethers :-)

Adenoid & Tonsillectomy

Well, today was the big day. Our arrival time this morning was scheduled for 9am. We ended up staying in a hotel last night in Sioux City so we wouldn't have to drive as far in the morning. Lucky for us we did, because it was snowing pretty bad when we got up, and it would have made for a really long drive! Heidi made the most of her time at the hotel by playing with her new Littlest Pet Shop toy that Grammy got her to play with during her recovery.

She got pretty excited this morning when she looked out the window of the hotel and saw all the snow, so she sat on the heating unit and window seal and watched it come down for a good 10 minutes or so.


Once we went back into the room, Heidi started asking lots of questions about what was going to happen. Everything went very fast though so she didn't really have too much time to think about it. She got some medicine to help her relax, and they wheeled her off in her bed. She took her cabbage patch doll ("Ballerina") with her so she could get her tonsills out too :-) It was pretty cute. A teddy bear that the doctor gave her also made the trip. This is just before they took her back...

About 15 minutes later the doctor was finished and talked to us while Heidi was still in the recovery room. She said that her tonsills were very large and that her adenoids were almost completely full of "gunk" (that's not the medical term, but I can't remember exactly what she said). Apparently, they had a bit of trouble getting the bleeding from her nose to cease, so she was in the recovery area a little longer than expected, but once she was back with us in her room, she was VERY tired. She slept all the anesthesia off, so she wasn't cranky or irritable at all. I was thrilled because every other little kid in there seemed to be the exact opposite!


Almost 2 hours later, she woke up and was ready for that popsicle that had been promised. She ate the entire thing and was incredibly willing to drink fluids.

So, after the IV had finished, they took it out and we were ready to head home. However, while we were waiting for that IV and while she was eating her popsicle, she was watching cartoons and making sure Daddy stayed out of her way so she could see :-)

And then she started to get bored while we had to keep waiting...

We stopped at McDonalds before picking up her medicine so she could get a chocolate shake, which she loved! It's sort of a tradition... Mommy did the same thing when she got her tonsills out.
All in all, she has come through like a trooper. Now that we are home, I can see some of the pain in her eyes, and especially when she coughs, she gets pretty worked up from it. I'm sure she'll have a pretty quick recovery though!

Medical Updates....

I took Heidi to the ENT doc on Tuesday this week and thank goodness she decided to take out Heidi's tonsils and adenoids. It didn't take her long after looking in Heidi's mouth to see the size of her tonsils to come to that decision... along with all her other symptoms. So, that is scheduled for Dec. 11th, a week from today. My mom will be in town so that Dan and I can both be there with her, and thank goodness for Joe and Jeanne who offered to take the boys to their house in Gretna from the day prior through the weekend. That should give me plenty of time to get a lot of packing done for our big move to Illinois, as well as baby Heidi a bit. She doesn't get all that much coddling anymore since she is the oldest and Mommy's helper most of the time. The doctor says children her age typically recover in 4-7 days, but it could take up to 2-3 weeks. For her sake, I hope its sooner so she is able to enjoy Christmas and all the festivities that come with it!

Drew had his 2 year check-up today. Forgive me! I realize he turned 2 three months ago, but we just now got around to taking him. Whether it is true or not, the doctor made us feel OK about it when she said that most parents who have that many kids eventually stop taking their children to well-baby appointments all together...! Anyways, my little boy is HUGE. He was 37 inches tall and 34 lbs (I can't remember exactly...) As far as his weight goes, he was in the 85th percentile for his age, but his height was off the charts. Perhaps this is what enabled him to climb out of his crib for the first time! He has definitely hit his "terrible twos" full steam ahead! He has far more energy and character than Zach or Heidi had at this age. It's a lot of fun most of the time, but it can present its challenges at other times too :-)

Later on this month, Heidi and Kylie have their 5 year and 9 month checkups, so we will be spending a lot of time at doctor's offices during December!

We're Moving!!!

It's finally time to announce it! We are moving to Illnois at the end of this month. We will be just outside of the St. Louis area, in Belleville, IL. My parents grew up there and have retired in the area, and my grandparents live there, along with my nephew and neice. We are very excited about the move and the opportunity it is bringing us.
I am going into an accelerated nursing program starting in the Fall, and Danny will continue his school at the University of Missouri at St. Louis. From the looks of it, he may be able to finish one semeseter sooner by transfering there than if he stayed at Wayne State College. We'll keep our fingers crossed :-) I will be attending Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville starting in January in order to finish up just a few pre-reqs prior to the nursing program. Once it is all said and done, I will have a Bachelors in Nursing to add to my resume. Needless to say, this has been a long time in waiting for me and I am very excited!
God Bless my mom and dad! We will be living in a house that they just bought and Danny and my Dad are going to "flip" it before we move in. It will be basically a brand new home... quite the change for us. Not only that, but they are letting us stay there free of charge as well. AND, my Mom has volunteered for "day care duty" while we are in school. That piece of mind for me was a big deal, because I don't have to worry about leaving them with a stranger, and my kids will be at home and with someone they love and trust.
Heidi is going to start Pre-school at a Catholic pre-school close to our new house and then will transfer into the public school in the Fall when she starts Kindergarten! She has already met her teacher and gone on a tour of the school. She is very excited to start school and loved everything about it. And, I'm excited to be able to take her school supply shopping :-) She starts the day before her birthday, on Jan. 5th. Danny and I will be able to take her for the first week since we don't start school until later on. I can't believe she is already in school. She is growing up so quickly!
We are going to miss everyone here in Nebraska, but it gives us comfort knowing that this is a temporary move to aid us in getting back into the Omaha area where we really want to reside. It is close to so much family and that is very important to us that our children grow up near all their family and know them well. I am very much looking forward to the opportunity though to be able to live near my family for a couple years as well!