Our Little Addict

Isabelle had surgery on Tuesday and it was a doozie. Very long story short, we always knew she would need to have her tonsils removed one day. The ENT told us in November that it was happening now. That was scheduled for March of this year so we could get through the holidays.

Fast forward to February when Isabelle had her regular dental check-up only to find out she had 4 cavities. We went to a pediatric dentist (thanks Erin for the referral!) who took x-rays and did more exploring, only to find out that Isabelle got hosed with Ed's dental heredity. Her teeth are like swiss cheese, they have deep grooves, air pockets, poor enamel, and something called ghost lesions. Basically she needed major dental surgery to protect her little baby teeth so they didn't fall out of her mouth and rot the roots before her adult teeth decided to show up.

So we told the Dentist about her ENT surgery and we found out they could do everything at once and it would actually make the dental portion easier. Otherwise, they would have had to do the work over 4 separate visits. Yowza!

So the 2 doctors coordinated schedules and we had the double surgery at the main hospital. It was scheduled at FIVE hours which had me freaked but it only took about 3 hours. Big happy surprise for us.

They sent us home with pain killers and an anti-nausea medicine to counteract the pain meds. The pain med was hydrocodone-acetaminophen. It has an addiction possibility. Of course, that's for long term usage. Not for our little girl who would only be on a short term dose.

Today is Friday, just 3 days after surgery. She has not been complaining of any pain so when she woke up this morning, I thought I'd wait to see how long she could go before she needed some pain meds. She had her breakfast and was totally fine. And then, in one moment of complete insanity, she turned into something of another world. She had a complete meltdown, crying about a broken toy we had to throw out a few weeks ago, about how much she missed her Daddy (who was just home with her for 2 days prior but had gone to work this day), how much she missed her (insert FAMILY-MEMBER here), how she had to take a nap because she couldn't stand up anymore.

I started to get a little scared because she was acting completely manic. She was lying down in her bedroom, still nursing the post-crying heavy-breathing phenomenon that little kids get. I quickly googled the drug name and found that if if quit too suddenly, it can absolutely cause withdrawal symptoms. Yet, it had only been THREE DAYS?!?! The w/d stuff was for the long-term users. But everything in my child this morning was complete withdrawal and it was scary.

I hate giving my kid drugs, I don't even like taking them myself. And now seeing THIS I really hated this stupid medication. But, I also was not going to risk her going crazy and getting hurt (she's still only 3-days post tonsillectomy and you cannot let the kids get too rambunctious b/c you don't want them to blow a scab and bleed, etc.). So for now, we're going to wean her off slowly. She was on a 1-teaspoon dose every 4 hours. Now she's getting 3/4 tsp every 12 hours. On Monday we'll go back to 1/2 teaspoon for a few days. And then hopefully we'll have our sweet little girl back.

Maybe we got a sneak peek at the teenage years. Not sure, but if they are anything like this morning, I don't think I'll survive them.

What the F?

It’s been a slow start this year. I started to blog for a Ravens fan site and so my January was busy with that. Then I went into depression mode post-playoff-loss and then we flew to Tampa on February 10th to have a nice long visit with Mom-Mom SuSu and Pop-Pop Bill. We’re still here until the 27th, 2.5 weeks escaping winter (even if it’s been a mild one thus far, we’re still missing a little wintry slop this weekend from what I hear).

Right before we left Maryland, my laptop crashed. Literally. I was putting it down on the table and it slipped at the last second, bumped the table and got physical damage in the hard drive. I sat in our corporate IT warehouse for 2 hours watching them try to recover my data with no luck. I had lost everything. And I hadn’t done a backup in a really long time (lesson learned!!!). I had started a few blog posts for WWOI that were mid-stream and now they are gone, so I have a blank slate for 2012 and will have to collect fresh ideas as they occur.

This story has already gained some traction since we’ve been telling it since we got here. My dad drove us to the airport last Friday night and on our way up 97, Isabelle was yammering in the backseat as always. Sometimes she’s talking to us, sometimes to her make-believe peeps, and sometimes she’s just uttering non-sense words. She thinks non-sense words are the best. It doesn’t require a reply from us, so I’m kind of a fan too.

So on our drive to the airport, it was non-sense that won out. Until she busted out a loud “Oh FAWK it”! Ummmm, what? My Dad and I started to laugh, sitting in the front seat. Ed explained very sternly that she is NOT to use that word, it’s a bad word, etc. She told Ed very matter-of-factly, “but, Mommy says it”. Yes, yes I do but if people would learn how the F to drive, I wouldn’t need to say the F’n word!!!

Our flight was uneventful, no cuss words busted out during the bumpy flight. When we arrived in Tampa, it was late, about 11:30pm. So the airport was a ghost town – lights dimmed, stores closed, restaurants dark, seats empty. As we walk from the tunnel into the airport, Isabelle stops. She puts her hands on her hips and looks around. She gets a serious demeanor and says, “Guys? What the HELL is going on here?”

I went into a brisk jog just to get enough ahead of her that she wouldn’t hear me busting out laughing. Ed took care of the discipline, again. Since we all now know, that she probably learned that one from Mommy too.

Ya Win Some, Ya Lose Some

2012 hasn't started out on such a good foot. I'm hoping it's just a January stumble and it will start to get better in the next few weeks. Since our last post on December 18th, a lot has happened around here, nothing of which I want to write about just yet until we have more information.

Fast forward to this week. The Ravens season just ended this past Sunday in the AFC Championship game against the New England Patriots. The game was in New England and we outplayed them on most fronts. After finally taking the lead, we lost the game in the final seconds on a 1-2 punch after Lee Evans dropped an extremely important touchdown pass after it got batted away by a defender. Then, our Kicker, Billy Cundiff, totally muffed a very easy 32-yard field goal by shanking it way left. Game over, Ravens go home. See ya next year.

It was bad enough to lose the game. But to lose like that, Ravens fans have been devastated for the past few days. The fog is starting to lift. Life will certainly go on. But it's been a dark and dreary three days if you bleed purple.

When Ed and I were complaining and moaning about the loss, Isabelle feigned sadness as well for a bit. Then she reminded us of a very important life lesson. This is one we started very early with her when we play our family favorites of Chutes & Ladders, Candy Land, Connect Four, or Uno.

In every game, there is a winner. And there is a loser. But you have to be a good sport when you lose, congratulate the winner, and hope you win next time.

I'm not quite at the point where I can congratulate the Patriots (baby steps here), nor will I be ready to watch the big show by next Sunday. But I've accepted the fact that the Ravens lost. It was nobody's fault but ours. And I'm not going to be a sore sport about it. Thanks for teaching me something new every day, baby girl.

Rapunzel, Rapunzel, Let Down Thy Golden Hair…

I found this place called “The Pumpkin Theatre” online a few weeks ago. As it turns out, they were showing “Rapunzel” in December. With “Tangled” fresh in our minds from those Disney folks, I thought it would be something fun for Isabelle. It was showing two weeks only. Last weekend, Uncle Don and Aunt Susan came to town but this weekend, we had only Christmas cooking and baking on our agenda. I had planned on doing that today (Saturday) but Ed had a lot of homework for his Grad class, and the Ravens don’t play until 8:20pm tomorrow night so I decided (on a whim) to take Isabelle up to see her first theatre play.

I had called the theatre this past week to find out if they still had tickets available and they did. There was no number to call this morning to check availability so I took a chance and, as it turns out, totally lucked out. The theatre was full! But we were able to buy tickets for $15 a seat at the door.

I was a little worried about whether or not she was “ready” for a theatre experience. Being quiet for an hour or 90 minutes (I wasn’t sure how long the show was going to be) is not Isabelle’s forte. We got there about 30 minutes before the play started. The tickets are “first come first served” as far as seats go. They have a few rows reserved for the members but we got the first row behind those, and we got the aisle. That way, we could make a fast escape if things got dicey.

We got to our seats with 15 minutes to spare. I asked Isabelle if she wanted to go to the lobby to get a special treat like a magic wand, or one of the other plastic goodies they were peddling in the lobby (for very reasonable prices, by the way!). She said she didn’t want anything. She was wide-eyed and bushy-tailed, waiting anxiously for the “real Rapunzel” to arrive.

When the lights dimmed, and the actors took the stage, she was focused and mesmerized. She sat still and kept her trap shut for the full hour that the play lasted. She did want to sit in my lap for about 3 minutes when the evil witch took the stage but she quickly pulled it together and went back to her own seat. At one point in the show, Rapunzel and her Prince Brian went up one aisle and came down ours. Rapunzel and Prince Brian walked right by our seats and I think Isabelle fell eternally in love with the theatre at that precise moment. I had to chuckle when I saw her staring at Rapunzel’s shoes. ‘Atta girl!

After the show, Isabelle did want that magic wand I had hinted at. For $3, it was a cute, fun accessory to take home from the show. They had a full table of goodies that were all under $10. There is no food or beverages so be sure to eat lunch before the 1pm show or plan a snack before the 3pm one.

The Pumpkin Theatre was a fantabulous experience. The show was amazing. The theatre is small, intimate, and wonderful for a first-time experience. If you live in Maryland, have small kids, and want to expose them to the wonderful world of theatre arts, get over to The Pumpkin Theatre at St. Timothy’s School on Greenspring Avenue in Stevenson, Maryland. You won’t be disappointed.

Another year, another surgery

Isabelle had her semi-annual ENT visit today (that's an ear-nose-throat doc). She still has one PE tube hanging in there good as gold. The other one fell out ages ago. She's had a few ear infections over the past year and she's still mouth breathing even on the daily allergy meds and nose spray. And her tonsils are still huge, probably bigger than 6 months ago. They haven't gotten an official "infection" yet but it's just a matter of time and they are so big that they have caused some swallowing issues with food which can be really dangerous.

So the ENT specialist has decided we can't wait any longer. They wanted to wait until she was five but they think it's wise to take care of it now. We're heading to Tampa in February so we're going to be scheduling her surgery in March. She needs one full week of recuperation time (minimum). And then she can return to school as soon as she can come off the pain medication (determined by her). She can't fly for at least one month so we're waiting until after our trip to get this done.

I'm hoping this is the end of her ENT woes and we are done with ear infections, swallowing issues, mouth breating, snoring, and trouble sleeping.

Overheard for Christmas in the WWOI

We just got home from Puerto Rico late Monday night, and have been in a constant state of SCRAMBLE ever since. We had to jump right back into the school and work routines. But we also have to get ready for Christmas! Ack!

We raced out Tuesday night in the pouring rain to buy our tree. We decorated it Wednesday night. Ed is volunteering at the homeless shelter at our church tonight (Thursday) so Isabelle and I are handling the rest of the decorations around the house. Tomorrow night is my night to volunteer so I'm leaving Ed and Iz a "to do" list a mile long.

Uncle Don & Aunt SuSu are visiting from Chicago Saturday through Monday. And we're cramming in a home Ravens game on Sunday. Busy! Last night, Ed was starting the lights on the tree. To get in the Christmasy mood, I need to have the holiday music on, the TV off, and cookies baking in the oven.

So, there I was in the kitchen, whipping up a batch of chocolate chip cookies while Isabelle was directing Ed on the light stringing activities in the living room. Some funny things overheard in the WWOI last night...

"Daddy...Mommy's bells are bigger than my bells...but you don't have any bells at all." (she was referring to the jingle bells on each of the stockings)

"Daddy, why does Elmo only have one ball? Oh no! Elmo's ball fell off! "


"Daddy, why is yours so short? Mine is so much bigger than yours." (what size is YOUR stocking?)

"What's this, Daddy?" (pointing to an ornament)
"It's a gazebo, where I got engaged to Mommy many years ago."
"Why did you get in a CAGE with Mommy?"

"Daddy, we really need to find Jesus." (I think we all do)

Happy Holidays everyone. May all of our Decembers be peaceful and bright.

Overheard in the WWOI

On the way to school today, a Jeep Wrangler passed us. Ed drives a Jeep Wrangler. I drive a Jeep Liberty. Both vehicles are in the Jeep family but Isabelle knows the difference in models and loves to point out other Wranglers and Liberties on the road "just like ours".

So this morning, the Wrangler passed, and she asked me, "Mommy, did you not wave at that other Jeep?"

I chuckled because she sees Ed do this all the time. Have you ever heard the phrase "it's a Jeep thing"? Yea, well, in case you aren't aware, people who drive Wranglers are in a weird little cult and they wave to each other on the road. Complete strangers, girls, guys, old peeps and young. If two Wranglers pass on the road, there's gonna be a double wave. (This really freaked me out the first time I drove Ed's Wrangler by myself because I didn't know it was a Jeep thing...but I digress.)

I tried to explain this Jeep thing to Iz by saying that only the people who drive Jeeps like Daddy's actually wave to each other. People who drive Mommy's type of Jeep don't wave.

She chewed on that for a minute and then asked, "does that mean Daddy is nice to people and you aren't?" (Ha ha, well most times I suppose that is true, yes.)

"Ummmmm..."

"Because waving to people is nice, right?"

"Yes, a wave is kind of like a smile from afar, so yes, waving to people is nice."

"Mommy, I'm going to wave to everybody for you, OK?"

"Thanks, kid, for gettin' my back."

In the Wonderful World of Iz, everyone smiles and waves to each other. And they live "happily efter after" too.