Preschool!

We made it through our first full week of preschool...it was a huge success!

The twins are reunited with several of their friends who had moved over to the preschool room already. They are now the pack again - Payton, Parker, Kierra W., Kierra A., Elaina, and Owen.

They have been totally worn out in the evenings. They have had a blast manning their way through an obstacle course on a few days, they are making special art for the big art sale in a couple weeks, they are helping take care of their class frog (yep, it's real!), computer time, bigger and better art time and thrown in regular school library time. It's amazing. No kidding, I can already tell a difference.

Their new teachers are amazing. Their old teachers are still making small appearances. It's the best possible situation. They are having a great time and I could not ask for anything else!

Also in big news from last week...I'm crowning Payton as completely potty trained. HOO-RAY! Not one accident since she decided she was ready to stop with the pull-ups. She's waking up from naps dry. We're still using a pull-up at night just in case, but at least half the time she's waking up completely dry. So proud of her! Now if we could just get the little brother to get on board.

And speaking of Parker...he had his surgery follow-up. All is good. Everything looks fine. But...he just finished a round of antibiotics for a sinus infection. We also did steroids since somehow between surgery and sinus infection, or some combination of all these factors, he was getting pretty stridorous (squeaking when he was breating) again. He had me checking him out all the time in a mini panic. Now that the meds are done, he's good as new.

Parker New Years Update

I had taken New Years Eve off work to do fun stuff going on around town with the dynamic duo.After an appointment with the ENT 6 weeks ago, I found out this wasn't going to happen. Parker needed to have another procedure. Not only did I know this wasn't going to happen ahead of time...I had no idea how crazy the day would be.

Payton woke up at 2am that morning and refused to go back to sleep. She was sick and nailed herself, me, my hair, blankets, pillow, etc. One moment caused a huge mess. After getting her cleaned up, I had to take a shower at 2:30 am. The fridge broke around 4am with the water line for it spraying water on the kitchen counter and floor. Both kids were up at 4:30 am wanting to watch Chuggington. I had to stall Payton's requests for cereal because Parker wasn't allowed to have anything. When Parker and I went out to the car to head to the hospital, I discovered my car had been egged along with several others that were parked on the street. And the cup of coffee the hospital brought me upon arrival tasted like it had been sitting for 2 days.

Parker and I checked into Boys Town at 5:30 am so that he could have semi-permanent tubes placed in both ears. His others had fallen out and he was already having  problems and losing hearing. The ENT has also been watching several cysts in his airway behind his vocal chords for a while. They're from being on a ventilator for so long. He's been having some issues with his reactive airway so the doctor decided it was time for them to come out - by laser.

 Surgery went fine. Because of what they were doing with the airway and his normal self, he was put under pretty deep anesthesia. HE was in recovery quite a while before coming back to the room. Once the haze cleared a little we sat on the bed and played with balls and cars, the nurses brought him popsicles and Dr. Lusk let him look at pictures of planes on one of his several trips in the room to check on us. With a promise that I would call or go to the ER on the very off chance something weird happened above what I could manage at home, we got our discharge orders and were able to go home. I grabbed myself a special load of caffeine on the way home which didn't make much difference since I'd been up since 2am.

 A quiet night at home, take out to celebrate New Years and my birthday and everyone here was out pretty early. I settled into the recliner with some champagne, a piece of my lemon cake and one of my Christmas gifts.

Parker is doing just fine. He's been a little rough in the throat  this past week post-op but nothing major and is sounding better. We check in next week with the doctor and then will just be every few months after that to monitor things. It's been 3 procedures in 9 months, and 4 in just over a year, for the little man. Praying for a new year with fewer procedures and more good coffee.

Payton...sans tonsils and adenoids

Payton was able to have surgery on Monday. Things went well. We did not have to be admitted which was a huge blessing. New tubes in both ears, tonsils and adenoids gone and a scope all done. We follow up in 2 weeks with the doctor. No complications, just a slightly cranky girl, who thinks that I'm putting lady bugs in here ears when we have to do her ear drops now.

Before...

 After...

Payton surgery update

Payton and I were at Boys Town early Monday morning for her procedures. After being checked in, doing all the paperwork, signing all the consents (which is about as much paper as buying a house I think) there was a sudden change in plans. She had a low grade temp when the nurse was doing her assessment. She went to get the doctor, who came in and his first words were "bummer". Yep.

Dr. Lusk and the anesthesiologist checked her out. They're calling her with a sinus infection and junk on her ridiculously large tonsils. That combined with the fever and already compromised lungs which could pose a risk, it was a no go. They sent us home.

We're on 10 days of antibiotics trying to clear her up enough to get things taken care of. We're back on the surgical schedule for July 9th. If you were one of the people offering up prayers, good vibes, sparkles, fairy dust, good juju or whatver else you might have for her. Please pencil her in on your calendar for the 9th.

Tubes

After a very long night, I was with Payton bright and early at 5:30 Monday morning at Boys Town Hospital for her to get tubes in both ears and a scope done. She did great. In fact, the anesthesia worked backwards and has actually made her crazy ever since. If you notice, the clock behind her says 5:40. We were already in her room and changed into her XS hospital jammies. She's checking out the little socks they gave her to wear too.



 If you've ever driven by Boys Town and seen the little round windows all over the building, they are in the patient rooms and you can sit in them. They are just Payton's size.

Her nurse was great, she even remembered us from last year when we were there twice with Parker. We were home early in the day. Her only problem was that she wanted to know where Bubba (her name for Parker) was. Daddy had taken him to respite care so that we could make sure we had things with her taken care of. Not a problem, everything came out fine. Now, let's hope its a while before she gets any more anesthesia.

The ENT

June 1st, Parker had another follow-up with the ENT for his 1st ER visit and to checkon his tubes and airway. I didn't know that 4 weeks later we would be back there with Payton.

Miss Payton has spent the past 7 months with persistent fluid in her ears. Every time we end up with the pediatrician she's on the verge of another infection if it's not already there. After her follow-up from her ER trip, the ped agreed it was time for her to go. With a little sweet talking I was able to get her in in 10 days. I got a little squeeze from the doctor when he came in (we're buddies now). They did a hearing test which she passed, but there is still fluid in both and a brewing infection in the left. He agreed, it's her turn for tubes. He will also look and see how her adnoids look and whether they need to come out as well. He's going to also review her chart and see what he thinks about doing a scope while she's under. They found cysts on Parker's airway when they did it to him from being on the vent for a long time and he may double check she doesn't have the same thing.

Scheduling called within a couple hours and we're on for July 25th at Boys Town. If I can just keep her well until then. :)