Kind of Weird Around Here...

So far we are 1 week into Summer Break. Well, I guess it's really only a break for the twins, since M and my lives haven't changed much at all.

Before the end of the year I looked into all sort of summer care options for the twins and I was left with one discovery. There was no way I could pay for any of it. My budget is beyond tight and right now there just isn't any give. I started to panic...like freak out panic...and then my mom came to the rescue. This summer, the twins will be cared for by her. This is a wonderful result and deep down I am very grateful for the offer but one thing totally sucks. My parents live 45 minutes away. I now drive them Sunday night, and pick them up Friday evening. So this summer I will barely see my babies! Of course, they did great this week, I don't even think missing me at all. We will get through it and I just need to focus on what a horrible mess I would be in if this option wasn't available to me.

With the twins gone, of course M is attached at the hip to me. A few people have said with the twins gone..."the house will be so quiet"..."you'll have more time for school"..."you'll have so much time on your hands"...yah right. The twins were M's best friends. He played with them, slept with them, bugged them and went outside with them. Without them...it's me. I do enjoy the extra bonding time at times and it's been great to go out for a bit with one child, but life at home is much more difficult with just M vs all three.

I am trying very hard to get myself a social life of some sort. Be my own person instead of just being a 'mom' and a 'nurse'. It's been months since I did anything for me. Due to several reasons I have dropped out of every social group I belonged to and as a result I haven't left this house for something other than work or kid related activities in over half a year. That needs to change. So, this past week, also called Week One, I went out to a book club dinner and then another night went to a friends house for dinner. Now, I still had M both times, so it's not entirely 'me' time, but its a good step in the right direction. I also made some initial steps in another area of my life, which at this time I'm not going to get into ;o) Let's just see where it goes for now...

March 2013

March was a pretty quiet month. The twins ended up getting sick again and were out of school a week in addition to the week they had for Spring break. Our house, which is usually pretty healthy had a very tough winter and the twins missed a lot of school. I even got a call from the school social workers wanting to know what was up. Luckily, after the pneumonia/pink eye event, they finally seemed to be healthy again.

Here is a picture from Easter Morning

February 2013

Of course the big event in February is the twins birthday! S and K turned 7 this February!!  The day of their birthday stunk :0( S had a horrible ear infection with high fever and K had an ear infection which caused her ear drum to perforate. They were both pretty miserable but perked up for a bit for a little party at home. Luckily they felt much better by the time their big party came. They had a party at a bounce house with all their friends from school.

 All the medications the twins (and M had something too) needed to take for two weeks. It was a nightmare keeping up with all of it!

On their birthday. They both look a little ill, but they're troopers!

January 2013

January was a very busy month for our household. There were many changes, most of them good for all of us.

First, I officially took a full time position at work. I had actually put in my notice because I was needing to go full time, and being a floor nurse with 12h hours shifts wasn't going to cut it. When I told my boss of my plans, a position was created for me! I am mostly in administration/leadership now helping with scheduling, compliance, quality, payroll and finance. It keeps me busy and I do occasionally function as the unit charge nurse to keep me at the bedside.

Second, my time had come to move N out of my home. This was a perfect time since I was going full time and really couldn't provide the supervision she needed. After 7 years of her being in my home I was beyond ready to have her gone. Yes...I know that sounds horrible, but until you've been in my shoes, I don't want to hear your thoughts ;0) She moved out and in with my mom. This move alone has made many things so much easier on me,

Third, because I was now full time a nanny wasn't really cost efficient anymore, so the kids moved to a daycare setting. M started full time daycare. I was really worried but it has been such a GREAT thing for him. His speech has improved, he's learning so much and his social skills are coming along great. The twins are watched by a classmates mom in the afternoon. This has worked well since she does homework with all of them when they get home...which leaves me off the hook.

The twins started some after school activities. S wanted to play basketball and K wanted to cheer. The school offered both programs and they both really enjoyed themselves.

November 2012

Time to pose for Christmas Card photos!

October 2012

HALLOWEEN!

 

I know. I usually get really into Halloween with the match super cool costumes. I couldn't get excited this year so the kids just picked their own. Around this time was kind of the start of my introversion. I had a hard time getting excited about things, I felt tired all the time and I just didn't feel like doing anything social. More on that in a later post.

September 2012

Normally we have our trip to the cabin every July, but this year it had to be postponed until Labor Day. Here are some pics of the kids enjoying themselves at Grandpa and Pop-Pop'

s cabin.

August 2012

Big exciting event for August...first day of First Grade!!

Some Candid Shots

I was going through the computer looking for some recent pictures and to my dismay I have SUCKED at taking pics. I have no decent picture of M since Christmas!! So while the kids were playing today I took some pics :) Enjoy!

6 Year Stats

The twins had their 6 year check up today. They are both healthy and doing well. No identified problems and hopefully no reasons to go back for another year.

S:
50 pounds (73rd %) and 48.5" (93rd%)

K:
40 pounds (21st%) and 45.5" (55th%)

Both still skinny - thank goodness!

Happy Birthday!!!.....Part 3...or maybe even 4

Today was two special days. I celebrated my 30 something birthday and we had the twins birthday party!

The day started with my parents coming over with lunch and cake. We casually ate at home and really just hung out for a few hours - honestly a perfect way to spend the afternoon. In the evening it was time to celebrate S and K's 6th birthday with all our friends! I rented out a local roller rink and ordered pizza for dinner. About 30 kids were invited and about 28 were supposed to come.
Well, mother nature decided to be a pain in the ass. All winter we have had mild and above average temperatures. Yesterday, infact, it was warm enough to go out in short sleeves and play outside without feeling even a little cold. Today, it was 30 some degrees and by 5pm (the start of the party) heavy sleet was coming down. Unfortunately, some kids didn't come because of this. We still had a good showing, but it was very frustrating that the one day I had something really important plan...winter decides to show up :0/

Anyway, the party was very nice. One friend made some really cute birthday shirts and another one made an amazing cake. The kids all seemed to have fun and they got some cute gifts.

And I'll include and picture of our 'storm'. And just because Mother Nature needed to screw with me a little more...it was 60 degrees today and all the snow is gone. Grrrrrrr

Happy Birthday!!

Today my first babies turn six. I am in disbelief. I am in denial.

When they woke up each got hugs and kisses. I told them both Happy Birthday to my BIG kids and K responded with "I am the same size I was yesterday" They went off to school very excited that they could share their day with their friends. I went back to the school at 12:30p to help celebrate a little with pudding cups and drinks.
When they got home, two more presents had been left at the door from a special friend. S got a Kinex Dinosaur and K got a cotton candy maker. She has been asking for one for over a year (I couldn't find one last year for her birthday). We had just enough time to open these, and some clothes from mom - I know...boring! - before heading to dinner. They chose their favorite place to eat and after dinner we spurlged and went to Cold Stone for dessert.
It was a good day. Not too much activity, but a nice time spent together doing special family things.

Par-tay Number One

My parents came over today to celebrate the twins birthday. They just arrived home yesterday from Mexico - if your keeping track they were there 3 weeks!

The kids were not only excited to celebrate their birthday, but they had missed their grandma and pop-pop very much and couldn't wait to see them. Me...I was most excited about giving them their dog back ;0)
S received more Lego sets and some clothes. I have spent a lot of time impressing upon him the importance of keeping up with the Lego. They are not cheap and I have made it clear to S that he needs to start caring for his toys. I am hoping he 'listened' and I will see a change in him. I really think Lego is perfect for him, but I will not be wasting money on it.
K received some clothes and some My Little Pony stuff. The best gift?? A little girls bra. You should have seen the smile on her face when she opened the gift. At first, she saw Dora the Explorer on it and tossed it to the side. When my mom explained what it was, she was smitten. She has worn it all day, and has said she wants to wear it every day. Not sure what I'm going to do with that girl.

Let the Festivities Begin!

This weekend kicked off the week of Birthday/Valentines Celebrations. While I will make sure the twins don't expect this every year, it does seem like so far their birthday events seem to span more than just their special day. :0)

On Friday their school had a Valentine's Dance. It was held as a Fundraiser but was a cute idea. Parents had to stay and the dance was divided into two times. Earlier time for the younger students and a little later for the older ones. K was BEYOND excited to go to the dance. I'm not sure what she thought would happen but she was beside herself all week. Unfortunately that day the twins good friend misbehaved and couldn't come with us, but that only seemed to dampen the mood for a moment.

At first the twins were very quiet and shy, sticking mostly to the side walls of the gymnasium. Once a few other students from their classroom showed up, they really go into the fun. There wasn't so much dancing, but alot of running, spinning and conga lines. They really did have a good time and it was so cute to watch them.
This morning on the front porch was S and K's birthday gifts from our Texas family. K received a lip gloss kit and S received a Dinosaur Lego Set. It was a great thing to wake up to since the sick hit me hard and all I did today was sit in the chair. Wonderful timing for sure!

Time for Pictures

Today was our yearly Christmas Photos. This is a very stressful time for me. It always is. I worry so much about outfits, picture quality and children cooperation. I really don't know why I put myself through so much. I either need to stop getting professional pictures and just take some candids, or I need to learn to let go and realize that they will turn out the way they will turn out.

Picture I took on the way out the door :) I love the way S is sitting.

I tried a new photographer who I wasn't really impressed with. I have seen some of her work which was really good, but in retrospect it was always with one child. Not three. She seemed to be lost with three subjects and didn't seem to know what to do with M's energy. I still haven't seen them, so I hope I have a few good ones in the batch.

Because I wasn't overly confident in her getting a good shot, I took some when we got home too. They started okay, but by the end we were all stressed out and done. Thank god these are done for another year.

Yep M, that's how we all feel

Sorry for the Delay....

K did really well.

We didn't need to be at the hospital until 9:30a so I knew we would be later in the day. It seemed to take forever for them to call us back, and by the time they did, K was in tears because her leg hurt and she was hungry. It wasn't too long after we were in the back room that they gave her the 'happy medicine' and things settled down a little.

She was funny on the drugs. She always gets pretty loopy on the Versed. I was able to carry her to the back room and ay her on the table. I kissed her goodbye and went to the waiting room. She was in surgery for about 2 hours and then taken to her room. One thing I was not as happy with was her time in recovery. Last time they let me stay with her as she was waking up. I promised her the same this time, but they didn't let me back. The first time I saw her was when I met her in the hall, wheeling to her room.

Initially, like the last time, she wasn't very happy with how she felt. The IV in her hand and the weird sensation in her leg made her very unhappy. She ate an entire 6" sub as her surgery reward, a cup of ice cream and an entire bottle of soda. She really was hungry!

Just back from surgery and not very happy.
Feeling better after a meal. The bandage is her dressing. They were able to once again just make a small drill hole to access the tumor.
Able to go home!

We were discharged later that night. It took forever for them to process everything that needed processing, but I think we were home about 9pm. K woke up that night for pain meds about 3am which would have been about when the pain meds wore off.

She stayed home from school on Thursday and it was apparent very quickly that she was better...and bored. She took pain meds twice through the day and didn't know what to do with herself. By the end of the day she was begging to go back to school on Friday. By Friday morning I was convinced that she was fine and she did go to school. I think some thought I was crazy, but the kid was begging to go and there really wasn't a reason for her to stay home.

She did well at school the next day. By the end of the weekend she wasn't even needing medication anymore. Thank goodness for quick recoveries.

Just please...let this be it!!

Tomorrow is the Day!

Everyone who reads and/or follows this blog, please keep K in your thoughts. Tomorrow she will undergo her second RFA procedure to remove the tumor in her Right Tibia. We are hoping for a quick, complication free procedure. We are hoping for a similar recovery to last time, in which she was pain free within 48 hours. And we are hoping for a complete cure this time without recurrence.

Tonight K is anxious, but at the same time looking forward to the surgery. She understands that this is what will take away her pain. So while she is dreading, and will cry if you mention, the IV, she is excited to see her 'spot' gone and her post procedure reward - Subway.

Getting Rough

K has been progressively getting worse.

She healed fairly well from her concussion. We decided though, that since her limp was quite significant that she would no longer run, or participate in rough activity at school. She was unhappy with this, but I couldn't risk more serious injury.

Her pain though has continued to increase in severity. We had been getting away with medicating her right before school and when she got home (along with evening and night dosing). On Thursday, while at work, I received a call from the school saying that her pain was too severe to send her to the stop where walkers are picked up, and someone needed to come into the school to get her. Luckily Q was there and able to pick her up. I called the school to set up a mid day dosing but they required a bunch a paper work including a DOCTOR SIGNATURE!? I rushed to get all the stuff done before close of day Thursday, all while working.

On Friday I get another call from the school saying K is crying and won't eat lunch. I told them she had her meds, but I guess the paperwork from the doc never got faxed. Grrrr.. Again, Q to the rescue, runs over to the school and medicates her for pain. I was also working on Friday and again through multiple phone calls, I believe I got the paperwork sorted out. I will be checking on Monday though when I drop the kids off to make sure.

Only about 2 more weeks of this and I hope we can once again put this crap behind us.

Recurrence

Doctor's can be so freaking frustrating. This whole thing with K has driven me nuts. The Doctor who operated on her leg last year didn't want to take my calls because he doesn't do follow ups while K's regular pediatrician didn't want to take my calls because she needed to be seen by her specialist. After 3 days of back and forth, her regular ped finally saw us and then referred his assessment to the specialist who ordered a CT scan. Such a friggin mess for something that should have been very simple.

Today K finally got her CT scan and it confirmed what I was afraid of. The tumor has recurred. It's in the exact same spot. I don't know if it's bigger/smaller/similar to before, but it's there. Some more calling back and forth and finally got word that Dr Child's is pretty confident that we will do another RFA and attempt to remove the tumor again. Hopefully this time we will have success. While I really didn't want K to go through the more involved surgery, I also fear the RFA will fail again. In this case I decided that I would go with what the doctor suggested since I was torn on what was best. (see below for a quick description of each procedure)

Here is that bastard tumor! Seen in the lower bone segment

Radio Frequency Ablation. They basically drill a small hole into her bone and insert wire. The wire heats up to a very high temperature and 'burns' out the tumor. It's done under general anesthesia, but is generally outpatient. Last year she had the surgery in the morning and we went home that evening. It doesn't mess with the integrity of the bone, there is no incision (more of a puncture) and about 24 hours after surgery K was fine with no pain and no other recovery.

The other is more invasive. They will put her under general anesthesia and create an incision - not sure of the size but probably only an inch or two. They will actually cut into the bone and take the segment out which contains the tumor. Most of the time, it's like taking a cube of bone. Depending on the size, they may need to reinforce the area with screws or plates. They would then close her up and cast her. This would be a few day stay in the hospital. Since the bone strength has been compromised, she wouldn't be able to bear weight on it for a few weeks - so most likely a wheelchair for several weeks. Then once they remove the cast, she would then most likely need physical therapy for a few weeks.

Worried About K

It's been just over a year. Just over a year since I went through the difficult time of having K enduring test after test; finding a tumor in her bone; experiencing surgery. I was so pleased with her rapid improvement and our virtually 'immediate' cure.

Well I think it's back. For a few weeks K has been complaining of pain in that leg. I have ignored it for the most part because it was come and go and growing pains can be common during this time. I listened to her, but did not react. Well in the last week she has started to wake during the night crying in pain. For those who don't remember, this is the classic symptom for her bone tumor. I also think that today I noticed a slight limp.

I called her pediatrician on Monday but he wanted me to follow up with the surgeons at the children's hospital. I called them, but they felt like they usually only get the cases once a problem is found and that they don't do 'follow up'. A nurse coordinator was supposed to call me back today, but since it's now 10:45pm I don't think I'll get a call. I guess I need to call again tomorrow and see whats up.

I really don't want to start this again. I don't want to see K go through the pain and uncertainty of all this again, but more I am concerned for the next step. Last time we did conservative treatment which is usually very successful. The next step up was to take the chunk of bone from her leg which would result in non-weight bearing for a few weeks, casting and physical therapy...much more severe than our last experience.

I am worried. I don't want her to go through this again.