Celebrating at the K's

We got to spend our Easter afternoon at our friends, the Kaneversky's, home. Several families from church came to hang out and share a great meal.
Here is Addie playing with their son Clayton.
Greg took a shot from the upper part of the yard of the group enjoying their meal
Greg and Chris were supervising the kids in the upper yard playing in the new sandbox. I thought this was such a cute picture of Grant- sitting in such a classic boy way.
Here McKenna, in her fancy Easter dress, plays in the sand with trucks. Can you tell she has brothers?

The Ressurection and Other Miracles

One of our favorite parts of spending Easter with the Kaneversky's was opening their set of "Ressurection Eggs" as a group. They have this set of 12 plastic eggs, and inside each is a little trinket that symbolizes one part of the story of Easter. So we each got an egg, and in turn, opened it and told the part of the story that our little trinket represented. (Greg and I had a little strip of leather, symbolizing the part where Jesus is whipped before hanging on the cross).


Here Erin Kaneversky, with son Clayton, explains hers.
Brooke's cousin Leslie was visiting from Illinois. She had a die (you know, one of two dice), signifying the soldiers casting lots for Christ's clothes.

Here our friend Archie Fukushima shows his (which now I can't remember)

And as the title stated, we saw other miracles on Easter as well. First, Addie was perky and sweet and downright happy most all day. Not only that, but she took a nap in a pack n play while we were at the Kaneversky's home. SHE NEVER DOES THAT! It was such a blessing! Here's a shot of her as we were waking her up.

Rest and Relief

Last night, Addie slept 12 hours straight. Greg and I slept for 9. It was marvelous.

We all needed some sleep SO badly. Not only did we awake feeling rested, but also RELIEVED. Because Addie slept well, which is a good indication that the antibiotic is working, we did not have to take her in for a Rocephin shot this morning!!!

THANK YOU to all of you who have been praying for us. We hope this is the beginning of some good reports to come.

How Did the Surgery Go?

Well, Addie's surgery went just fine. We checked into the surgery center at 7 am, and at 8 she was taken to the operating room. Letting her go was much easier than we thought, which was a relief, and the procedure only took 15 minutes.

If only the recovery had gone so smoothly! Addie awoke from the anisthetic very upset, which we had been warned about. We were assured that she would calm down soon, but as we took her home, got her settled, and morning turned to afternoon, we found ourselves with a very unhappy little girl. She cried a lot and would not calm down, even for the tactics of her highly trained parents (at this point, we've handled a lot of unhappy moments, but even we were stumped). She didn't want to be put down EVER, didn't have much of an appetite, and had bleeding coming from one ear. We knew to expect the bleeding, but the frantic behavior worried us.

Overnight we all managed to get a little over 3 hours of sleep. It was a LONG night (especially since poor Greg had to work from 5 - 11:30 pm). So back to see the ear doctor this morning we went!

He said that the ear that is bleeding has a raging infection (this is the same infection that prompted the Rocephin shots last week). He prescribed some antibiotic drops for it, and also some oral antibiotic, but warned that if tonight doesn't go better, we'll need to go back in for Rocephin shots. It was at this point that Niki, who had vowed there would be no crying at this appointment, shed a few tears anyway.

So we are hoping for some serious improvement tonight- but at this point we are not expecting it. That sounds so pathetic, I know, but we feel like we're doing the research for a new "worst-case-scenario" book.

As a side note- I am typing this entry with one hand while the other holds Addie on my lap. She just woke up from a nap and is happy as long as she is being held close. Now not so happy anmore, so off I go! We'll keep you all posted.

Luke Perry drives a Toyota?

The Hyatt Valencia has been the scene for several television shows, and at least 2 movies. Most recently, the upcoming HBO show "John from Cincinnati"is using the hotel for several of it's episodes. After I parked the car, I looked across the lot and saw Luke Perry (Beverly Hills 90210)approaching a truck. Well, I watched him open the passenger door, pull a couple of things out, and return to his trailer. So, it looks like he drives a Toyota Tundra, tan-ish in color with XM radio and GPS, if the antennas poking out of the roof mean anything.
-Greg

It should be noted that Greg saw Luke Perry a few weeks ago too, and I thought our reading public would enjoy knowing (as I did) that Luke is kinda on the wee side. Meaning, he comes up to Greg's chin, which would make him about 5'6". For this reason, Niki now likes to sing the old classic children's Sunday School song with some new words... "Luke Perry was a wee little man, a wee little man was he"
-Niki

Descanso Gardens

Yesterday we went to Descanso Gardens in Pasadena to enjoy a little horticultural refreshment.
This is a 160 acre garden that was originally owned by the owner of the LA Daily News, and was sold to the county in the 50's. It is now a beautiful, refreshing place to enjoy a Saturday afternoon in Spring!
We had such a great time!

Just inside the entrance.

Sometimes a posed picture is nice...

But a candid is somehow still better.

Descanso Gardens Pt.2

Here Greg and Addie enjoy a little snack on the "Main Lawn." We especially loved the Cherry Tree in the background in full bloom.
Addie thought that the water fountain was for washing hands. She was quite excited to try it.
Here our poor suburban daughter checks out the "real live grass!" Which, shockingly, wasn't even some of the rare foliage on display.
Again, real plants and dirt are fascinating if you live in a plastic world.

You People

We figured it would not be fun to you all to look at pictures of the flowers we saw, yet we were compelled to take pictures of them! So.... to keep you from boredom... we would like to dedicate these pictures to the people they remind us of. Without further adoo...

AMY- you are bright and cheery. This beautiful flower reminded us of you!


LINDA- this bright pink camelia reminds us of you. Why? Because it's bright pink!!!

RUTH- we would like to clarify that the big hideous koi in the "lake" (aka: collection of water slightly bigger than a puddle) is not what reminded us of you, but actually it was the turtle of course.

And this one's for you....
This big, beautiful camelia tree with a regal, deep red bloom reminds us of you... whoever you are. :) Just so no one feels left out here.

(Hey, Time Magazine named "you" their person of the year, so we figure we can get away with this too)

Lilacs!

Niki's favorite part of Descanso Gardens was the Lilac garden.
Standing in the middle of a grove of lilac bushes and taking a deep breath is one of the most wonderful experiences a person can have.

There were many varieties and colors. We really enjoyed strolling amidst the bushes and taking in some fresh air!


Here Addie educates me on the different spicies of lilacs.

The Train

Another highlight of the gardens was the train! Though we were dissapointed to find out that Addie isn't old enough yet to ride it, she still enojoyed watching it go by over and over again. We took a nice rest in a beautiful spot that the train cirlced, so Addie was entertained by watching it go past.




Look mom! There it goes!!!
With a reminder lesson on how to say train, Addie signed it everytime the train went past (she should be rubbing two fingers over two other fingers, but we knew what she meant).
Here she got an up-close view as the train went by. Addie served as the welcoming committee as the train pulled into the depot. She waved hello! to everyone.

When Addie turns 18 months old, we plan to go back and ride the train as a birthday celebration!

Rocephin

What in the world is Rocephin you ask? Well, if our lives were a novel, it would be the dominant character of the week. Sometimes it was the hero (as in: Rocephin will help us!!!), and sometimes it was the villan (As in: Oh no, more Rocephin!).

Rocephin is an antibiotic injection used to treat an infection that won't clear under normal antibiotics. We had to take Addie into the ped this week on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for shots of this stuff. Addie did very well actually. She of course hollered and screamed when getting the shot, but I think that was mostly from being held down against her will. She would cry hard for about 30 seconds and then be done. What a trooper!

I must explain, though of course it is just to brag on my great kid, that Rocephin is notorious around the doctor's office for being a very painful shot. I guess it really hurts. Each nurse that had to administer the shot would come into the exam room with a look of pitty and regret on her face. She would apologize to Addie, to me, then to Addie again. They have NEVER done this when Addie gets her vaccinations, so I knew something was different. And both nurses we had did this.

After the shot, Addie wasn't allowed to leave the doctor's office for 20 minutes, to monitor for any reactions to the shot. "What reactions?" I asked. Oh, a rash... or aniphylatic shock. "OK" I said, "we'll just wait here then." There is a special waiting area in the back hallway of our doctors office for just such an occassion. We would sit on the padded benches and watch a video while all the doctors and the nurses of the practice walked by on their way to treat other patients. So we saw almost everyone of our other family this week. They all know what that special waiting area is for so they would walk by and say "Oh no! Why are you here? Poor baby!" One doctor was confused about why we were there because Addie was sitting so calmly watching the video. When I said that yes, she had just had a shot of Rocephin, he couldn't believe she was so calm.

Sometimes I forget how tough Addie is, or how much pain she feels due to her reflux and ear infections. It's been awhile since I had bad heartburn or an ear infection, so I have to remind myself how intense that is. Usually I have to remind myself when she is acting out from pain or won't go to sleep and I'm frustrated. I also wonder what she will be like when she isn't in pain anymore (will that EVER happen?). Hopefully after her surgery next week, her reflux will have a chance to calm down (each infection irritates her reflux worse), and then we'll get a peek at what our healthy kid is like.

Answer to Prayer

Just posting a quick update about Addie's surgery to put tubes in her ears. We were able to get a cancellation appointment to have the procedure done sooner! So instead of April 18th, she will be having surgery on April 5th!!! (That is next Thursday). We are hopeful that with the shots this week, we can make it to next Thursday without another infection. Let's hope!

Black Monday

Greg named today Black Monday.... let me tell you why.

You read about Addie's doctor appointment this morning. Well, I was pretty exhausted after that. We managed to get through most of the afternoon uneventful, but then I guess the exhaustion caught up with me.

You see, we were outside playing, I was chatting with Brooke and Addie and Grant were playing near each other. Brooke had a cup of tea, and I thought to myself, that would be nice....
So I went in and put the kettle on.

And then I forgot it. Completely forgot it.

About 30-45 minutes later (NO I'M NOT KIDDING) I walked into our apartment and was greeted with thick smoke. After a moment of confusion, it dawned on me. Brooke watched Addie while I ran in to find my kettle disinegrating under the heat. The potholder I used to move the kettle off the burner scorched at the touch of the melting plastic.

THANK GOD that the kettle (or the house) did not catch fire, nor did I ruin the cooking range.

I did, however, melt the thermometer/timer that was nearby (the really nice Williams Sonoma probe thermometer that Greg found for $5 at a garage sale!!!!!) and burn one of my favorite potholders.















Now I must emphatically declare, as I said to Greg later, that I AM NOT this girl! This psycho-scattered-fried-burn-down-the-house-out-of-carelessness-cry-to-the-doctor girl!!! (yes, today I cried at the Pediatrician).

Just after this, and before Greg brought home McDonalds (and flowers) for dinner, I was also fielding phone calls from our pastor, sister Jessie, and later Addie's Gastrointerologist and ENT doctor!

Bless Greg's heart, coming home to a SMELLY house, not only did he bring home dinner and flowers, but he also cleaned up all the mess from the incineration episode. Here he is vacumming the ashes out from under the range top.



















Just so you aren't TOO worried for us, our evening did perk up. After dinner, Addie seemed to be feeling really good- so maybe that shot will do the trick! Greg and I also got to get out of the house tonight (thanks Kropfs for sitting for us!!!) and clear our heads a little. Whew! I think I am ready to face tomorrow, after all- what else could go wrong?

Still More Visits to the Doctor

After a LONG weekend of a miserable kid, Niki took Addie into the doctor this morning. Addie has had an ear infection for a week now and the doctor confirmed her suspicions this morning- the antiobiotic wasn't making it better. Addie now has a double infection and she had to get a shot of antibiotic this morning. The doctor said they rarely have to do it- only when everything else doesn't work. This was one of those cases. Did you know they even did that? I didn't! We have to go back on Wednesday for another shot. As far as we are concerned, those tubes can't come fast enough!

On a much nicer note, here is Addie sporting her Denver Broncos dress from Auntie Amy! Notice she is even accessorizing with a football! Enjoy Amy!
 
 

Can you hear me now?

A Washington Thing

If you were a child in Washington state, then you are very familiar with these sandals. If you were NOT, then let me explain. These are saltwater sandals. They are part of a healthy childhood.
 
Addie's feet are finally big enough for her first pair, and we were proud to put them on her.

Mean, Green, Cuteness Machine

 

Here is Addie a few days before St. Patrick's day, sportin' her best attempt to look like a frog.

Just An Update

I has been a little while since we posted an update, so here goes!
-Greg is good. His work hours were a little exhausting this week, but overall all is well.

-I (Niki) am good too! I taught a seminar on Nutrition to a small group of ladies from church last night. Since our church is right next door to Master's College, the seminar was held in the home ec department, my old stompin' grounds. It was good to be back in the department, and brought back a lot of memories of oral presentations and meal management labs. It was a nice opportunity to do something outside of the house- although tiring!

-Addie... well.... she has her 7th ear infection. I know, so pathetic. The doctors finally agree that the acid reflux is causing all the infections. That means that her stomach stuff is going up her esophogus and into her eustacian tubes. Then the fluid in her ears gets infected. Ikes.

So this week we saw ANOTHER specialist- a Ear Nose & Throat doctor. I talked to him yesterday and he says it's time for ear tubes. We scheduled her surgery for April 18th. Though it is a minor procedure that will (Lord willing) bring great relief, it was still so yucky to be scheduling my kiddo for surgery!

So yesterday I was on the phone with all three doctors- the ENT to confirm the tubes, the pediatrician, because her current antibiotic is giving her diahrea, and the gastrointerologist, who increased her dosage of tummy medicine because obviously that rotten reflux is still making problems.

Thankfully, the doctors are all good, and all talking to one another. Our dear Dr. Al (pediatrician of the year I say) is coordinating all the efforts. He is so sympathetic and encouraging. However, despite his telling me otherwise, I have now formed the opinion that this will all never end. Now stop- I know some of you are ready to post an encouraging comment assuring me it will all be a memory one day- but SAVE YOUR BREATH! I do not, and will not believe you. :) I have accepted my destiny as pediatric nurse to one and am good with it.

We will try to pull out the camera soon and take pictures of something, anything, to post soon. Bye!

Strummin'

Greg has had a hankering lately to get out his old guitar and brush up on his skills. It has turned into a favorite daddy-daughter activity.
 
Addie is enthralled. She will sit, fascinated, and watch every move Greg makes.
 
Then she'll dance a bit.
 
Greg also helps her use the pick to strum a little and she loves it. I can usually hear her screaming with excitement from the other room!