Ahh, the perils of being seventeen. She will live, we all have, but it doesn't make it any easier. We knew the day would come, and will also probably come again in her lifetime. I'm just glad she was able to come home and talk to Brian and I about it. And when she cried in my arms like she did the time she was three and slammed her finger in the door of her toy box, I wished a bright bandaid would make it all better. But she is a beautiful, smart, kind girl and she will survive (cue Gloria Gaynor music here). And we've got ACTs, SATs and college visits on the horizon right now to keep her mind busy. Doing our first college visit in December-KSU here we come! Speaking of college, she asked Ethan today if he was going away to college with her. I can't even fathom that day.
Our new house is all done, with a close date of next Thursday. So all of you great friends who have nothing to do next Thursday or Friday.....we have plenty of boxes to move. The big stuff is all being taken care of by the movers-so just the easy stuff. Oh, and pizza and beer on us!! My older kids are out of school next Friday too! How convenient!
We have grass!
And stair carpet!
And I love the painted vault in our master bedroom!
Our builder is using our house for the photos on his new virtual tour!
And how appropriate is it that I get to put my new house key on my new keychain in October??
That's right-it's October. It's breast cancer awareness month and I'm a survivor because of the early detection of a mammogram! Go get the girls squeezed, NOW!
My next cancer center check up is the first week of November and all digits crossed for continued good news.
Speaking of follow-ups, Parker saw the Ortho surgeon, and his clavicle is healing nicely. He was able to stop wearing his sling, start running in gym and conditioning for football, but no full contact yet. Another appointment Nov 8th will tell us when he can start lifting weights again! But, we had to get a CT scan of his abdomen and the results have us going to a general surgeon next week to see whether or not he has a hernia that needs surgery. Does it ever end?!?!
Good news-we got into one of the surgeons at Mercy I know and really like-Dr St. Peter.
I guess we will know next week how our Thanksgiving is going to be spent.
Tonight Parker had his fall choir concert, and it was so awesome! They sang some wonderful acapella numbers in Latin and German, a little Village People's 'YMCA', some Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody', and the composer of the high school alma mater was even present to hear our kids sing it! I loved choir in high school-anyone remember Soel Nylvester at NHS? And sweet Mrs Roberson at SHS?
Parker with my wonderful Dad and his big sis at the concert. Ethan was refusing to be in the picture on the grounds he was simply being a jackhole and his square mouth face would have ruined this pic...
I also got a call from Dr Kaine today about the bald kid's recent holter monitor results. And as Boston suspected, he is throwing some PVCs. Not too many, and mostly singles with a few couplets in there. No bradycardia though, and really, really normal heart rate the entire time! Woo-hoo! Dr Kaine is not concerned about the PVCs right now to do any pharmaceutical intervention, just feels we should do a holter monitor at least once a year from now on. In layman's terms-his heart is still doing some confused beat skipping, but not enough to worry about.
Ethan's PCA, Denise, returned today to help us out on his two days off school, and he loved seeing her. She is such a huge help to me too. Today she filmed him doing a new party trick....when we glove his right hand to keep it out of his mouth, he figured out how to remove the glove with his left hand.....hmmmm, Ethan.....Ms Mary is going to capitalize on this at school and I'm guessing some purposeful use of the left hand is what you will be working on next week! We got your number bald kid!!
We also made a trip to CMH North for the free flu shot for Ethan and Hailey-and I was dreading even going in there. And of course, I was honest on the 4 question form and checked the Yes box asking if Ethan has an egg allergy, and we got turned down. Even after I told them he's never ingested egg, it came up on an allergy panel, and he's had the flu shot every year since the allergy showed up and has had no problems. And it's always been at a Mercy facility!! I even told them who to call in Allergy and verify he's had the flu shot, or to call his Ped's nurse at the PCC. But, noooo, we were referred back to our pediatrician. Which really makes absolutely no sense to me. If he was going to have a reaction to a vaccine, wouldn't it be more prudent to be in an Urgent Care than in a Pediatrician's office? Especially considering the peds office is not on the CMH main campus anymore. Wouldn't they be more prepared for an allergic reaction than the place who couldn't even find a sat probe to check his O2 sat last time we were there, thank goodness we brought our own.....ahem. I resign. No more CMH North. Though I do need to start his Vital Stim feeding therapy back up, and the fabulous OT Ms Amy is the only one who does it. At CMH North. What if he aspirates or chokes? I guess if that happens, I will be calling KCFD to take him to the ER downtown?? Just truly frustrated knowing that sick season is soon upon us, and I can't use the facility 1.2 miles from my house.
Onto to a happier subject...my favorite holiday, Halloween is soon upon us and I have yet to figure out the bald kid's costume. I need to get on that tomorrow since we have my sister's Halloween party to attend tomorrow night! But I did come across another creepy hand in the hospital gift shop last weekend-for half price even!!
And even with the move coming up, I did do some Halloween decorating around the house-though not nearly as elaborate as years past.
And I'm almost done with my googly eye picture frame-maybe this weekend.....
Next post should be coming from the new house!!!
