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.

TTT: Season 3, Episode 43

1. It's been a big, long, exhausting...but fun!...week. Last week I was fretting over our trip to Austin for my cousin Audry's wedding. Despite the usual dramatics and the "anything goes" mentality that accompanies traveling with young children, we had so much fun and came home completely spent. Back in August of 2009, Kolbe, at only twenty-one months old, was quite possibly the cutest ring bearer of all times at Uncle Brian and Aunt Cristi's wedding. But Rudy most definitely gave him a run for his money this past weekend. He was oh-so-adorable and did a great job at hanging in there for all of the events and pictures. He definitely enjoyed his special moment, though he was not a fan of the tux shoes. Apparently they don't make them in wide widths for little boys with Fred Flintstone feet. We somehow crammed Sixth Street (with babies!...for the rehearsal dinner), the Congress Street Bridge, several yummy restaurants, a trip to my childhood home, the Capitol, and the wedding all in to one weekend. And the Tech game too, of course. We definitely got our dance on as well. And I might just add that Audry was a stunning bride. Any function with our family is a blast and the wedding was no exception. So. much. fun!!!

Mr. Handsome.
There are many more pics to come from the wedding...this was just the best one I had on my phone!

2. After returning from Austin it was immediately back to the real world and the reality of Kolbe's impending tooth extraction. He knew it was on the horizon but kept trying to avoid the topic. Who am I kidding...I put it off for roughly a year because I didn't want to have to see him go through yet another something or other for his mouth. We knew it needed to be done; it was causing further damage to his front tooth. Poor guy. The night before, just like the night before school started, he cried and got all emotional but refused to admit that he was nervous about the dentist. Then he teared up again when we dropped Rudy and Grant at my parent's house and they wished him luck. Luckily, it was all done with sedation so he didn't have to feel or at least recognize what was going on. We got to sit together and watch a movie while the medicine took effect and then they took him back all by himself while "mom went to the bathroom." It only took about forty-five minutes to remove the tooth and do his two fillings. He was awake the whole time but calm. He came out and said, "Mom! Now that I know what it's like to get a tooth pulled, I won't ever be nervous any more!" Hopefully it won't have to happen again any time soon, kiddo. The dentist said it was pretty rough because of all of his scar tissue from his previous surgeries. I was worried about the pain he'd experience later in the day but she said that once the medicine wore off, he should be fine and not need anything else. Despite my skepticism, she was right. Took a long, peaceful nap and then right back to life as normal. Not a single mention of any mouth pain. Must just get worse when you're an adult 'cause I know my mouth was killing me after my cavities! Anyhow, he also got a visit from the Tooth Fairy last night which was oh, so special to him. (and me!) He had so many questions about the Tooth Fairy so we explained that she is one of the guardian angels that God sends to watch us while we sleep and when little boys or girls are extra special brave with their teeth, she leaves a little prize. She also left him a letter telling him how proud God, his mama and dada, and family and friends are of him for all he has gone through with his mouth. And boy, was she right! ;)

Sorry if these pics gross you out...we share partially just for our own family records/memories but also for anyone else who has to go through this or wonders about clefts. This is the "before" shot.

And here's after! Plus a good view of his lip and palate repair scars from roughly four years ago.

Brave little guy leaving the office.

3. Tidbits! (and more pictures)
- We are finally getting our fall "cool front" tomorrow. Highs in the seventies for the next week, thank goodness. Today it was ninety degrees. The boys and I went to the park and came home sweaty like it was June. I miss the four seasons.
- The holiday open house that I'm a vendor at is a week from tomorrow. Don't ask how many items I have ready to sell.
- My brother Pat is in town this week and next. He's awesome and we love him. And my grandma and Aunt Debbie are coming all the way from DC next weekend! I love family!
- I love football season too. Goooooo Tech!

I lived in Austin from the middle of kindergarten to the middle of 4th grade. This was my elementary school that I walked to each day!

And outside of our little house on Wing Road. Seven people lived in there. Must remember to pull this pic up every time I feel crammed for space! 

By the Congress Street Bridge. I love my little family!

Prior to dressing for wedding pictures, I gave Rudy a bath and wrapped him in a towel. He was cold, we had an hour to burn, and I knew it would be a long night so I put him under the hotel bed sheets and he slept like a little angel wrapped in his towel. So sweet!

Checking out a Christmas toy catalog with Pinkie. Hard to believe it's just two months from today!

Post soccer practice dip cone with Dada!

And while the boys were at soccer, Mama and Grant were working on the yard. That was until Grant threw a rock into an ant bed and then went and got it. *Mom Fail.*

Don't you love kiddie drawings!?! Kolbe disappeared tonight and came down stairs a few minutes later with this picture of a bat for us. He even wrote "BAT" on the back. I asked him how he knew how to spell it and he said, "Mom, it starts like 'Buh, buh, buh' so that's B. Then it's 'a, a, a,' so that's A. Then 'tuh, tuh, tuh' so that's T. Did I get it right!?!" The reading process is coming along! Oh, and Happy Halloween from Kolbe's little bat! And All Souls and All Saints Days, too!