Bribery, Coercion and Fear

Everything we've done this past few days has included a bit of bribery, coercion and today a healthy dose of fear.

One of our main issues is keeping Helen hydrated when she does not want to drink or swallow anything. No matter how sweet or novel the drink or food is. So we had to attach a stipulation to everything she did. Want to watch a movie? Drink this juice first, yes, all of it. Want to play with this toy? Eat this jello first, yes, all of it.

Today she got wise and danced around for quite some time. We had to bring out the big guns and add a bit of truthful fear factor. If you don't drink this, you'll have to go back to the hospital and get another drink for your hand (How the nurses so cleverly refer to an IV). This motivated her but surprisingly slowly too. We had to make a realistic looking phone call to the Dr. at one point. It's a shame that some people are only motivated by fear at times.

I'm hoping tomorrow will not be as much of a struggle. And yes we are managing her pain with meds every 4 hours so it was a bit of pain and her personality.

Breakfast of Champions

Helen had a yummy looking breakfast. She did not manage to eat much but with a bit of prodding she did finish her juice box. Fluids are the most important thing right now and that's what we've been pushing.

Helen had quite a spread at the hospital and luckily we prepared at home to have the same options. I probably overdid it a bit and we will have a LOT of pudding and jello left over. But I did not want to run out of suitable food for her.

I was a bit jealous when I read that twinkies are an acceptable food item for her. For some reason I've been craving twinkies and Poppy has pretty much made it clear he does not want me eating them. If only I had seen that list before her surgery, I would have stocked up for sure:)

Helen Surgery Follow Up

Helen was a trooper the day of her surgery. Actually, I think we all were. In solidarity with her, we abstained from eating until she was prepped to go for surgery. We were delayed and she did not go in until 4:30. Carys and I did not make it until 4:30 but we left to eat about 30 minutes before that because they told us it would be another hour.

Helen was a true champ. I think she was definitely distracted by her hospital gown and the patient advocate who stopped by to show her pictures of the sleeping room and give her bear a bubble gum flavored mask and stint for his arm. The highlight of her visit for both girls was the saline bag connected to IV tubing. They played with that for at least 30 minutes.

Finally, once she was in surgery, I believe it took less than 1 hour from start to finish. Then came the hard part, recovery.

Once she was in the recovery room, she was disoriented and did not want any water or popsicle the nurses were trying to give her. I showed up a little early and they let me in anyway. Helen cried for some time and they did give her a bit of morphine for the pain. Finally once I asked if she could snuggle in my lap, she was calmed and fell asleep. We were there about 45 minutes and when the nurses were assured she was not having any reaction to the anesthesia, she was wheeled to our curtain covered cubicle in the overnight surgical observation section.

We had very spartan accommodations and I know now why Children's is eager to rebuild next to Northwestern. They need some serious updating in their accommodations. But Helen did not care about that. She slept, fussed about the IV and cried about her throat. It was difficult to distract her from the pain but she did seem comforted if I held her. She took her oral meds well and during the night had a few sips of water a bite of yellow jello, a sip of grape juice, and a few licks of a grape popsicle. I think she was a bit disoriented through the night and did not fully understand where she was. Luckily, we packed her nighttime music on my IPOD and brought a travel speaker. It saved us from countless noises and random TV's being on and children crying. Basically we had a little bit of calm behind our little curtain for the night.

Morning was easier AFTER she had her IV taken out. She was highly agitated during that procedure. Vanilla pudding was the first thing that she ate more than a bite of but it was the chocolate pudding that allowed the nurse to release us once she ate the entire cup.

We are home and are settling into watching a few movies. Helen is on strong pain medication so she can eat more during this period of swelling. Once a few days have passed we'll be mixing in some regular tylenol.

We thank God our prayers were answered and Helen seems to have come through this and is on her way to recovering fully. We just have to watch her for any rambunctious play that could dislodge the scabs forming in her throat.

Surgery

Helen has surgery scheduled for tomorrow at 1:30. Please pray that her doctors perform at their best, the surgery goes well and she heals quickly.

Play Doh (or in this case just colored dough)

When Carys was Helen's age, she did not really care about play doh and especially if

I was not intently playing alongside.

I think because Helen can focus on this kind of project and Carys has someone to play with, they are in harmony for about 35-45 minutes before I have to intrude and judge who has too much of one color or instruct them that play doh does not belong on the windows but on the table.

We started to confine the play doh to the porch b/c as everyone knows or finds out, it makes one heck of a mess.

These pics are at the beginning of a session, note the colors have not been "blended" yet.

Home

Our house is smallish and cozyish. Looking back at our old furniture, we are grateful for the hand me downs from family and friends but we did not know how to make it ours. Since I'm staying home we sacrificed another giant loan payment for new furniture and work in the basement. While we may have set ourselves back a couple of years ridding ourselves of school loans, we finally are making our home feel like home.

The girls have a craft table in the basement now, so I still won't be thrilled when they decide to paint themselves instead of the paper. It's virtually kid proof and a fun space for all.

I'm sure you see more pics with the new furniture and basement but for now, I'm having fun digging up the old pics from this year.

Bunnies!

I know I'm probably going too far back but I wanted to share some pics and moments with you. The easter baskets were mainly craft material; stamps, paint, play doh, pens etc. There were a few Cadbury eggs for the chocolate enthusiasts in our house, which now equals ALL of us. Poppy shared his love of chocolate with the girls from the time they could chew. Carys has developed a respectable sweet tooth.

Bonding

I think of Carys and Helen as two little excited electrons sometimes. Running into each other with energy but finding a covalent bond when they settle down. These moments are not so rare but rarer to be captured on film. It's sweet to think they are sisters and hopefully will have a bond forever no matter what.

Poppy Play

It's always fun to watch Poppy and the girls play. It's so rambunctious, lots of loud noises and running around the house hiding. There's always someone on Poppy's back or climbing on his shoulders. It's vertical, horizontal, chaotic and usually ends up with someone having a minor boo boo.

The girls (and Poppy) LOVE it.

Party by the Pool

Helen had a backyard pool party again this year. Her birthday is a great intro to summertime!

A Belated Birthday

Carys had a wonderful 5th birthday celebration. She had another dance party and a small cupcake party with the family on the BIG day. Time passes so quickly...

2008: A Year Almost Complete

Not that I intended to go almost an entire year without posting but it seems to be the case. We've been busy as have all our friends, who work, have kids and have time to post. I've decided I waste too much time by chilling out when the kids are in bed. But I can't stop myself. With baby number three, I think I'm going to be in overdrive for what I estimate to be another 2-2.5 years. At least I am planning on "staying home" with this baby. However, as Cullen said, with the after school activities for the girls, the baby will be sleeping more in the car than in the house.