Operation Amanda 2012

March 26, 2012 will go down as a big day for Amanda. We checked into the hospital at 11 am and waited to be called.

One last picture!

They gave Amanda a bracelet and we read a book before we were called. Good news the surgeon was running ahead so they could take Amanda early. She was thrilled since she couldn't eat after midnight the night before and couldn't drink after 9 am.

We passed some more time taking silly pictures.

The brought us back for weight, height, and a blood pressure check and then the doctor came in and talked to us. He is soooo nice and soooo calm. I could never be a doctor! BTW- Amanda is now four feet tall! She has grown almost 6 inches in the past year. At this rate she will be taller than I am in no time!

She was nervous but trying to act like she wasn't. Poor thing.

Talking to the doctor!

We went into the pre-op room, all three of us which was nice! The child life specialist came in and talked to Amanda and used pictures. She talked to her about breathing into the mask and left it for her to practice. She was a sweetie!

Since only one of us was allowed in the operating room for one minute.....we gave her a choice and she chose me! Yay!!! She has wanted me a lot since she has been recovering which is what every girl wants when they are sick. Don't worry, there are lots of times she wants daddy so he is not left out. I am pretty sure she will want him when it comes to Algebra home work!

The anesthesiologist came in and talked to us too. I came close to crying when he said they would be placing a breathing tube down her throat and he would be breathing for her, but I quickly regained my composure so I wouldn't upset her but will admit it was a little hard......

She watched Scooby for a few minutes and practiced her breathing......she liked practicing.

 She said good bye to daddy and we wheeled her back to the Operating room.

This is when I got in trouble and the nurse told me not to take any more pictures. OPPS! Maybe a malpractice thing or two I don't know the reasoning but I quickly put the camera away! I got to talk to Amanda until she was out......it didn't take long but was hard to see but again, hubby was proud that I didn't cry! Once she was out I had to leave.

I went back to the pediatric waiting room and waited with hubby. I prayed for Amanda, and it seemed like just minutes passed......and the doctor was in and told us that she was doing well, would be going to recovery and we could see her soon. The nurses were waking her up. He did warn us that her tonsils were adult-sized which would make the recovery a little longer and harder, but otherwise it was going to be great!

We didn't take pics until we were ready to leave because seeing her in pain and so upset was not something we want a picture of. She was sooo brave! When she saw me coming back to her in the recovery room she cried, "Mommy" and I will admit that was the one time I cried seeing her in so much pain just broke my heart, but we got it together quickly hubby was proud and I surprised myself!

The nurse brought a present cart by and gave Amanda a book and pillow. It looked like someone has handmade the pillow which really makes us so grateful to those groups who do that. You never know how comforting a book or something like a pillow can be in a time of recovering from an operation.

Amanda asked to bring her baby M with her. This is the baby she would carry around from the time she was around 15 months til over 2. She still plays with her but doesn't carry her around anymore so when she asked to take her to the hospital I thought that was soooooooo sweet!

She was a little dizzy from all the meds. They gave her morphine three times before we left......they say it is is safe for kids, I sure hope so! The nurse taught us how to make special slushies. She ate two or three in the hospital.

Then we got her dressed, put her in a wheel chair and wheel her out. She was pretty excited prior to the operation about the wheel chair but at this moment she just want to go home and sleep. And so we did!

She was so brave and we are sooo proud of her. She didn't even wince when they took off the heart monitors and removed the IV. Such a great patient!

Daddy pulled the car around and home we went! Our prayer is that this surgery will cure all of her medical issues from the sleep apnea, croup, tummy troubles etc. We already can notice a difference with her breathing at night and know it will only get better with some time! She is loving the Popsicles, and ice cream, and so is her little sis. Every time Amanda has a Popsicle, Mia wants one also. I think she likes this way of life!

She asked me to take a picture of her and did this face........must be something she learned from mammaw while we were at the hospital.

I know she didn't learn this from mammaw or anyone from our family. I am afraid she just taught herself but needless to say, I won't be setting the milk carton down and walking away for a minute again!

Glad it was milk and not my diet coke because I need my diet coke! Who could ever be mad at a face like that?

Thanks to all of our family and friends who prayed for Amanda yesterday, we are so thankful to be loved and prayed for! Now we just pray for a speedy recovery........

Grumpy

We love to sing a song at our house.....The devil wants everybody Grumpy, the devil wants everybody sad. The devil wants everybody grumpy and he doesn't want anybody glad.

Amelia asked me, "Are you grumpy mommy?"

I said, "NO, I am not grumpy!"

Amelia said, "You are grumpy!"

She asked everybody in the family if they were grumpy! I am thankful no one was grumpy!

Things they said.........

Mommy-"I have some exciting news!"

Amanda-"Are you going to have another baby?"

Mommy- "No, some other exciting news!"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Driving home in the car we were unable to pull into our development due to a police officer directing us not to.
Mommy-"Oh great, there is a police officer so we have to go and make a U turn!"

Amanda-"I'm scared! The police are here!"

Amelia says, "You don't have to be scared Manda, God ALWAYS take care us!"

We had a similar conversation a while back and roles of the comforter and scared one were switched! I am thankful they are learning that God will always take care of us and providing me with a laugh or two while learning!

Manicures

 Amanda wanted me to play "spa" where she would paint my nails and then I paint hers.

 She loves to paint my nails and and does a pretty good job. Of course, it gets all over my fingers too but I try to not wash it off in order to not hurt her feelings since she tries so hard....She loves to give pedicures too which I love!

This day her sweet sis wanted to join in on the fun. I never ever allowed Amanda to have her nails painted at the age of 2 and 1/2 because she would bite her nails but since Amelia typically keeps her fingers out of her mouth.....I let her. We did take her shirt off in case something got spilt. We have learned the hard way that nail polish does not come out no matter how hard I try!

Amelia used the shell dryer to allow her nails to dry. I must say her attention span was nice and long for this activity and she was patient.

She loved the "spa soak" we did first.

She chose her color "pink" and held real still.

She loved the final product and would tell everyone wherever we went that her sister "Manda" painted her nails and show them!

A friend told me last week that I am a "girly girl" and honestly, I am glad I am a girl and if doing things like this make me a "girly girl" then I want both of my girls to be one too because it is fun and relaxing. Plus, right now these manicures are free, who can beat that?  I will caution other girly girls, when getting pedicures at any nail salon or spa...to make sure they have changed the filter after the last client because once those jets are turned on...all the bacteria/skin and anything else will come right out of the those jets and into your little pedicure bath! I had never thought of this until a friend who does nails at an expensive spa told me so. There was a special on TV about how a gal got a fungus that way and it ate part of her flesh away. I will never stick my feet into one of those jet pedicure tubs again. They have passed a law requiring the filter to be changed in between each client but due to cost I think it is doubtful they change them that often! (especially the cheaper salons) Just a little FYI and probably TMI but I want you to keep your hands and feet!

5 year anniversary!

It is still hard for me to believe.......but five years ago today March 17, 2007 the moving truck was moving our stuff and we moved into our new home. It was our first night in our new home! As excited as I was.........I do remember feeling torn since we started our married life and parenthood in our other home......and I wondered if this house, as much as I liked it......would ever be a "home and haven" with lots of happy memories......or just a house........

We started the process in June, 2006 just being curious, not serious lookers.......and then realizing this was actually an answer to our prayers. We had planned to move somewhere else in a few more years. We would have had more land, the three car garage hubby wanted, and a pool that I really wanted. We actually had planned a pool that we could swim year round in, which sounded exciting......but I just didn't want to move there.....but hubby really did, and it was his dream but I just didn't want to move that far out but wanted him to have his dream so I was conflicted.

 After talking to my bible study leader about it one day she said to just pray about it and so I did. Amazingly, God changed my hubby's mind and brought us here! He is soooo thankful now and soooo am I. We would never have any family time if we had moved there because hubby would be sitting in traffic.....and then he would be sooo grumpy and I am not sure how well I would have done with a grouchy hubby! I think I would be grouchy in return!!!!! Two grouches with very little family time would not make for a happy life!

 So I am thankful to God for working and a firm believer that God can change people, even their dreams, revealing a much better plan for us when we let Him control our lives, and allow Him to lead. He wants so much more for us than we could ever dare to dream! (OK, gotta stop, I am starting to sound like that preacher Osteen that I don't care for!) Yikes!

It seems goofy now, but we would visit our future home site every Sunday after going to church. Sometimes, we wouldn't get out of the car...but sometimes we did and we would pose for pictures. Looking back, I am surprised hubby would actually go for this! Anything for his sweet wife! ha ha

It was so much fun to see what they could accomplish in a week's time.

It was fun for Amanda to watch! We would tell Amanda where her room would be and she would just look! Ha, I am glad we didn't have neighbors yet or they would have thought we were nuts cause I know the construction crew thought we were.

Amanda wanted to get down and play in the dirt sometimes. I will never forget driving there one night to walk around the site and she lost her monkey. Hubby didn't want to go back because we weren't sure that was where it was but I insisted we go back because the monkey had a special meaning to me and Amanda too! Reluctantly we went back and I found the monkey in the dirt. We have that monkey five years later and he still sings, "Hey, hey we are the monkeys!" Who knew The Davy Jones Brady Bunch episode would be one of Amanda's favorites to watch and it all started with that monkey! I know Hubby is thrilled he went back for it!

 It is always a good thing to listen to your wife. (I think that is in the book of Proverbs!)

We would watch them build sometimes and Amanda was fascinated by it. After we moved in we would watch the bulldozers around us and loved it. It was our entertainment since our TV hadn't come yet.

They started in October and finished in late February.

We had to walk through for our pre-dry wall walk through to make sure we would know what was behind the walls....... we took a lot of pics thinking we would use them one day.

Such a cutie!

The closing! So excited!

Amanda's first visit inside with her baby that she carried EVERYWHERE! (Amelia has started carrying a baby to take Amanda to school but that is about the only place she wants to take her.)

It is weird to see it now without furniture and drapes.....I wish the wood still looked that nice though!!!!

Amelia was thrilled to show mammaw and pappaw the house inside. They kept her a lot while we were doing stuff, selling, meetings, closing etc. What a blessing to have them!

I loved how Amanda would climb the steps. It is funny now we don't even use these steps since they are so steep we gated them off until Amelia gets older. OK, and me too. These are the steps I fell down and sprained my ankle.

Amanda called all her friends over to come and play.

Now five years later.........God has given us smiley, who adds to the joy in our lives daily and although the carpet is no longer as white, and wood is not as shiny, paint may have chipped, I can tell you my fears have been eliminated and our House has become a Home! Not a perfect "home" but we are trying to do the best we can do with what God has given us under His constant grace!