Friday, June 27, 2008

Doctor, Doctor

I was having a little trouble sleeping last night and my mind started to wander. I started thinking about all the appointments I needed to make over the summer for Lauren while school is out. After I started making the mental list, I was amazed how many places, specialists, and doctors are in her life. Here's what the list ended up being:

The people Lauren needs to see on a regular basis:

1) Pediatrician
2) Dentist
3) Audiologist
4) Orthopedic surgeon
5) Prosthetics specialist
6) Physical therapist
7) Occupational therapist
8) Speech therapist
9) Speech pathologist
10) Neurologist

As you can imagine, I get a little overwhelmed at the thought of keeping up with all the places she is supposed to go. Thankfully, some of these things are taken care of at school and not all of these need to happen over the summer. I just have a hard time keeping up with actually making the appointments and finding time to fit it all in. These are the times I am thankful for insurance.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Check Your Toys

Ty and I went out with our friends Stephanie and Josh last night to a place called Dave and Buster's. It's kind of like a Chuckie Cheese for adults only there is more than just pizza on the menu. We spent the night playing games and enjoying the kid-free time.

At most of the games, you got tickets that you could later turn in for prizes. Some games gave you a ton, some only gave you one or two. By the end of the night, Ty and I had over 1200 tickets. When we went to turn our tickets in, we weren't so impressed with our amount. We could get a plasma TV if we had 99,000 tickets. The other prizes were not so useful. I could have gotten a golf tool with cigar cutter, but I gave up cigars about a week ago. So I figured I would get Lauren something.

We found a little purse with feathers around the top and make-up inside. I thought it was fake make-up. I didn't check the toy.

Lauren got her gift this morning and opened it up right away. Fifteen mintues later, she was shiny and sticky from head to toe. The blush was a cream blush that ended up all over her face and down her legs. The lipstick was real and all four colors made it on and around her lips and cheeks. I think some even made it in her hair. The eye shadow was a powder and stuck nicely to all the cream on her body.

Moral of the story? Check your toys and don't make a rookie mistake like me. Better go, a paste has formed from mixing the shadow and the blush. I think she is stuck to the chair.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TYLER!!!! Sure glad you were born! I love you.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Reformed

I know that I make a lot of jokes about my husband being a girl. Today I am going to share something that might redeem him a little. It's about time he gets the testosterone credit he deserves.

Ty put aside his knowledge of fashion and fixed our car this past week. The battery in our car died. Since it is a British made car, getting a new one at the local Auto Zone was not an option. We weren't able to drive it to a dealership to get the proper battery. Ty had to take the old one out, go get the new one, and install it himself. Considering that the directions in the owner's manual was written in French, I would say that he did a great job.

By the time it was done there was grease on his shirt and a sense of accomplishment in the air. There is hope yet for my pink wearing, outfit picking, GQ reading, hubby.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Finally

It finally happened. I have waited for over a year for this day. There was a while that I thought it would never come.

I was sitting on the couch watching a show when Lauren stopped what she was doing and came over. For the next few minutes she proceeded to say every word in her vocabulary. Some were questions, but most were just comments that she says everyday. It was like she stored up a day's worth of talking and decided to let it all out in under two minutes.

Then the thought popped into my head that I knew was coming someday, "Is she ever going to stop talking?" I actually laughed after I heard myself say it. I've been waiting to say it because it means she is making great progress. Even though you can't un-ring this bell, I am happy that the day finally arrived.

Friday, June 13, 2008

Progress

You think you are doing a good job on your diet when all of a sudden something happens that makes you think that the progress you made was just a dream.

I was getting ice out of the freezer yesterday when out of nowhere, the alphabet song started playing. At first I thought I was going crazy. Then I realized that my stomach was pressing the button on a magnet that plays the ABC song. That's embarrassing. So much for feeling good about eating right.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Helmet Head

Recently, Lauren got a scooter from her grandparents. Along with the scooter, they gave her a helmet, knee pads, and elbow pads. Considering Lauren falls a lot (like me), it was a good addition.

After Lauren would finish playing with the scooter, she would keep the helmet on for a little while. I figured she just liked to feel safe long after the ride was over. Lately, however, the helmet has been going on and she never even touches the scooter. She just wears the helmet all day.

One day I came out of the room to find her with her pajama top, a pull-up, and her helmet on while sitting on the couch watching the Upside Down Show on the couch. Her hair wasn't even brushed and she hadn't even eaten breakfast, but the helmet was on. There were times I had to force her to take it off because she was running around the house with the helmet on sweating to death. She would just make laps around the house sweating with every step. She won't move an inch unless it was fastened under her chin with the strap.

Maybe she doesn't love the helmet. Maybe my house is just that dangerous for 3 year olds. Either way, it's a riot to watch.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

July 18

It's official. July 18th at 2:50, Lauren will have her surgery. Of course, I am a little nervous, but I know it is for the best. The only thing that concerns me more is that I have to keep food away from Lauren ALL day. The last time she is allowed to eat is 6:50 am. That's going to make for a long day.

Please keep her in your prayers that day. She had a really hard time waking up from the last time she was under anesthetics. I would really love it if everything went really smoothly. Thanks everyone!!!!

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Another Surgery

We went to Lauren's Orthopedic Surgeon to make sure everything was developing the way it should. It's just one of the many appointments we go to for preventative measures concerning the hemi-plagia. On our last visit, the doctor suggested an outpatient surgery that would help Lauren gain more movement with her foot allowing her to actually get her foot on the ground instead of walking on tip-toes. We mulled it over for a month and went back yesterday to talk more about it. We decided that it would be a good idea.

The doctor is going to lengthen her achillies tendon by making three little incisions at the ankle. He will then stretch her tendon and put her in a cast. As she heals, tendon will grow in the places that were cut, thereby, lengthening the tendon. There will be a week of recovery and 4 weeks in a cast. The actual surgery will take about 30 minutes.

There is a 5% chance that she will have to have this surgery again before age 10. Pretty good odds, I thought. There is also a little, to no chance that they will lengthen the tendon too much. With as tight as Lauren's foot is, there is really no way to lengthen too far.

There were a couple of other problems that the doctor noticed. He said that Lauren's tibia is still twisted. It happens to all babies when they are born, but naturally straighten as they develop. With the CP, Lauren's never fully straightened. He also said that her knee doesn't bend properly. He could graph a muscle from the front of her knee to the back to correct the problem. Both of those things are hours of surgery and very invasive. He wanted to try this first. He thinks that If we fix the walking, the other stuff might fix itself. I happen to agree with that idea.

We are waiting for the call back from the office to schedule our date. I'll keep you posted.