TTT: Season 3, Episode 15

- Hi, friends. Hope you're all doing well! We've had a good week, for the most part. I guess the only "big event" was a trip to the Shriner's Hospital on yesterday for Kolbe. He goes for a check-up annually, and as always, everything went really well. It's so special for us to see Dr. Blackwell. He changed the world for Kolbe and we're forever grateful for the wonderful job he did. He and all the rest of the team (ENT, speech therapist, nurses, etc) were all very impressed with our little man. Dr. Blackwell did mention a possible revision in the future. This would be a few years down the road as he starts to lose baby teeth and we get a clearer picture of what's going on with his gums and adult teeth. He seems to think there might be a tiny passage or hole somewhere along the cleft/gum line. I guess only time will tell, but for now we're happy with the positive report! As always, Kolbe was very brave and cooperative. He's a trooper!

- While we're on the medical side of things, I'll fill you in on an item on my agenda. I'm going under the knife a week from today to have my gallbladder removed. Unless you've been reading my posts for two years, you probably don't know about a bad gallbladder "event" I had back when I was pregnant with Grant. Around twenty-four weeks I suddenly had a lot of severe pain in my abdomen and it felt very similar to the pain I experienced hours before Kolbe was born, which ended up being major liver problems from HELLP syndrome. With the gallbladder, I was panicked, so we raced to the emergency room only to find out that it was my gallbladder and not my liver. The doctor chose not to operate at the time because it would have been impossible to do it laproscopically with the baby in there.  So I was supposed to do it about eight weeks after Grant's birth. But I put it off and put it off and put it off. Fast forward to two years later. The general surgeon who we selected to do the surgery has become friends with Mark just through seeing each other frequently at various hospitals and he always brings it up to Mark. Finally, he told Mark that gallstones don't "just go away" as I pretended to believe and that if I was to get pregnant again, the chances of having a flair up would increase and, just like the first time, he would not be able to do the surgery. He also had to drop the "I'm not sure why you would leave something there that could endanger your health and endanger your baby if you were to ever get pregnant again." Ok, ok! I get it! And to answer the "why nots," no, I'm absolutely not afraid of surgery (I've had plenty), anesthesia (plenty of that, too), or hospitals (a night alone? Sign me up!). I'm a cheapskate, people! I didn't want to do it because I knew I had a large deductible to meet and only wanted to do it in the same calendar year as having a baby so it would all be under one deductible. Professional. Cheap. Skate. But whatever. I'm finally just going to go ahead and do it. Deep down, I know it's still an issue, know I'm still having problems with it, and just have figured out ways to keep it under control. But it really is a ticking time bomb so let's just get it over with. So here's how you can help....prayers: Thursday, April 18th, 8:30am. I'm sure I'll put up a facebook status or something to remind you. :) And you can pray for my parents, too. They're taking on the three ring circus for the duration of the event! Thanks in advance!

- Tidbits, Treasures, and Tantrums:
- Spring soccer has been a bust so far. With two weeks off for spring break and a week off for Easter, it has just felt very random. Not to mention that all but one of our practices have gotten rained out. Not that the practices are my favorite part anyway, but still...we paid a lot for both boys to play and it's really been kind of a flop. The games are still fun but it's just not the same excitement as the fall. I think we're ready to try baseball instead!
- I know I'm asking a lot by adding on to the surgery prayer request, but if you've got a little extra room on your prayer agenda, stencil in the name "Kolbe," if you don't mind. Poor fella has just been going through a bit of a rough patch. That whole "entitlement attitude" that affects many-a-child has reached our little guy and he's had an attitude like no other. Mark and I have had to crack our lion tamer whips lately which has created quite a few tantrums, no dessert, going to bed hungry, going to bed early, etc. Like all kids and all situations, it's just a phase, and we'll be back to sweet Kolbe in no time. (Lord willing!)

Kolbe getting all set up for his annual Shriner's photo shoot...I think it would be interesting to see how his mouth has changed through the years!

My brave guy.

This pretty much sums up Grant.
(Poor guy had a diaper rash so we were letting him run nakie until the boys went outside and he just had to go too)

We had fun celebrating Pinkie's "39th" birthday! The boys loved the cake  balls we had for dessert and Pa made a wonderful steak dinner for everyone.

Rudy at bat with Pinkie on the mound and Kolbe behind the plate.

showing Pa their favorite scooter video on YouTube....they are fascinated with videos of guys doing scooter tricks!

Post bath-time a few nights ago, I took a few of my products from my shop out back to photograph them in natural light. Of course I had no shortage of photo bombers who wanted their pictures take too. And really, my products are pretty cute, but they're even cuter. :)

Smiley.

This face is SO Kolbe!

Always picking on Sir Puggy.

My brown-eyed Rudy beauty.