Robby's ears post op

Robby seen his ENT doctor this morning. After his packing was removed his voice level seemed to come down a bit. Poor kid has been screaming every word since he couldn't hear how loud he sounded. The doctor said that everything looked good and that his graph ( patch ) is staying in place well. Two more weeks until we go back. Looks like I may just get a week without a doctors appointment after all.

The closest she will ever get to driving my car

After Dinner out on Sunday, Mike and I decided to check out Target. The kids however opted to wait in the car and watch a DVD. After only fifteen minutes in the store we returned to Cindy relaxing in the drivers seat while listening to a CD

Tomorrow is senior picture Day

Since tomorrow is Senior picture day, we spent much of today picking out four outfits to wear. A formal gown... check , black dress pants and shirt... check, jeans with a sweater...check, and Capri pants with a monkey shirt... check. We then started packing shoes and socks. silver heels with nylons... check, Black flats with nylons... check, Hmmmmm something was missing. Shoes to wear with the Capri pants ??? Something casual and fun??? Something different ??? I got it !

Aren't these cute? We could not find Cindy's size in pre made cute flip flops so we bought a plain pair and a bag of water bomb balloons. I tied over one hundred and fifty balloons and here's is the finished product. They are loved by many who intend to copy them. I just hope that WalGreens has enough balloons to go around.

Three more weeks of a cast

Michael had another visit with his surgeon today. The visit started out hopeful when they removed his cast. He was smiling at the thought when he was reminded that he MAY need another put on depending on the X rays. Sure enough he was in need of another, however he did get the stitches and the pins out. It amazed me that they just grabbed the heads of the pins and pulled. No anesthetic or anything was used . Michael said that the two were not too bad but the third ( the longest ) hurt quite a bit. Now the doctor said that in three weeks at his next appointment this cast will definitely come off and be replaced with a walking boot. The boot will be used for a month .Then he will be able to learn to walk properly on the foot for a few weeks before we start all over again with the other foot.

Robby's ears are doing well

Thank you to all who prayed for Robby's surgical procedures. His ears are doing well now. His pain level is in check with only one regular strength Tylenol every six hours. The doctor took his tubes out, patched the perforations of his ear drum and did an exploratory exam while he was under anesthesia.

It turned out that the tubes were not doing their job and were actually causing infection. Once removed two granulomas were found ( one on each side ) and treated. We may need new tubes once healing has taken place but for right now things are looking good.

Here is Robby pre op. He has the remote for the TV on the wall in one hand ( Thank you Nurse Elaine) and his Game boy in the other
A surgical nurse comes to get Robby
Post op Robby is disoriented from the anesthesia and confused at why he can't hear .Nurse Jo takes care of things and comforts him with Popsicles

Mike took pictures of the packing in Robby's ears so Robby could see and comprehend why he couldn't hear

Cedar Point

Michael fit into the octopus after jumping to get in.
Robby rides the Panda on one of the carousels
Michael snaps a shot of us all crowded into the one seat in the cargo area of the train where we sat across ed from where his wheel chair was strapped in

Robby loves the bumper cars and is finally tall enough to ride by himself

Everyone seemed to have a good time.

Mom Perks

Why is it that we Mom's hate to see food wasted ? Even when it means eating what is left after your toddler has eaten all of the good parts. Thankfully my kids are beyond this age and I have not finished a slobbery piece of pizza with all the cheese gone in many years. However, even though my kids now only put on their plates what they eat, I am still eating things to avoid waste. For instance, this morning after Mike and the kids ate their freshly made omelets and were off to work and school I was feeling a bit hungry. I opened the fridge door and there were multiple Tupperware containers with left overs from dinners past. Unfortunately there is never left over steak, taco meat, grilled chicken, or anything else that I would feel lucky to have for breakfast, but today I was stared in the face by a couple tablespoons of cheesy scalloped potatoes, left over mashed potatoes, a tiny amount of nacho cheese, and a few other things that really didn't look appetizing. Hmmmmm I pondered for a second then I pulled out the scalloped potatoes and put them in the microwave. A little later in the day I was hungry again. I returned to the fridge where I debated. I could heat up a Pizza pocket from the freezer, after all ,all that was left over were mashed potatoes , nacho cheese and not much else. I knew what I had to do I mixed the two and ate lunch. I know that even though I feel a little nauseous and that all these carbs will add to my weight problem I am a better person for not letting good food go to waste.

Time flies

Just a few short weeks ago I remember wishing that summer would just get here. I had had it with North Eastern Ohio's winters and was ready to move on. Now I wonder where the time went. This past weekend I have finally gotten many of my favorite signs that winter is gone and summer is moving in. Now when I talk about signs of Summer most people think of flowers, or maybe the sounds of grass being mowed, or kids playing outside, or something like this. These things have been obvious here for quite a while but I have still been waiting. What are my signs you ask ? A couple of my signs were evident this last weekend. First The local comedy club has started advertising for their "laugh club" . This is a deal where you attend a comedy show at the end of May where you pay twenty dollars per person to get in instead of thirteen. Then you get tickets at this show to see any and all shows between June and August for free. Mike and I have been members of this club for four or five years now. It is so nice to be able to go out every weekend in the summer and know that all it is going to cost us is the price of a couple drinks . This takes care of Mom and Dad's entertainment for the summer but the poor kids need something too. Our answer to this is Cedar Fair amusement parks season passes. These passes are good at many amusement parks but we generally only visit the Ohio parks, Cedar Point and Geauga Lake. This year however Cedar Fair has purchased Kings Island in Mason, Ohio. Though this is a much smaller park than Cedar Point and a lot further of a drive than both other parks, we are looking forward to visiting it. Mike and I visited this park once on our First anniversary seventeen years ago. I personally don't remember much about it other than missing Cindy who was just a month old and was being spoiled by Nanny for the day . I remember that Since my pregnancy was comparable to nine months of the flu. Then it ended in a C-section with an epidural that went bad and caused me two days of leaking spinal fluid.This rendered me dizzy,nauseous,and unable to get out of bed without passing out and falling to the floor.Finally an anesthesiologist drew blood from my arm and injected it into my back so that it would coagulate over and stop the leak. Then came problem two when my healthy little girl was denied discharge from the hospital due to severe jaundice. Following this was my getting an infection ( product of the C section ) once I got home.After all of this Mike wanted to take me somewhere that I had never been ( that we could afford ) and we both loved Amusement parks so Kings Island it was ( so sorry for the pregnancy memories, they just poured out ). Since I don't remember much and the kids have never been there this trip should be fun.


Though Cedar Point opened a few weeks ago .With Mike working six days a week and our hectic lives we finally got there and bought our season passes yesterday. We almost went without Michael as he has now been in his cast five weeks and is starting to get sick of not being able to walk or do much of anything else. Michael had arranged to stay with Nanny and Pops since he figured that he wouldn't be able to ride anything and would have a terrible time . I however vetoed this arrangement as he needed to get his picture taken for his pass to be processed and I didn't want to have to wait in the long lines again when he was able to go. It all turned out well though. It seems that Cedar Point allows casts on many rides as long as they fit and since Michael is, for lack of a better word, petite he fit in most. I am sure that his doctor would cringe if he knew what all Michael rode with those pins sticking out of his foot and only protected by a thin fiberglass cast, but sometimes you just have to let a kid be a kid .


Now that our signs of Summer are here we are fed up with school and ready to be done. Too bad that due to a late start date they have to go into June. Oh well those few weeks will fly... After all, that is what time does !

Together Forever

I found this the other day when I was going through some old pictures. This was taken a year ago last October at Geauga Lake. I thought it was a cute idea going along the "Together Forever" theme but some were not thrilled with it ,beings that we are in caskets. To each their own. I like it and thought I would share !

Senior pictures

A few weeks ago on Prom night , while we were taking pictures, We somehow got on the subject of Senior pictures. ( Cindy and her date's sister are juniors and her date is a senior)Being only twenty years out of High School I remember Senior pictures well. I remember having them taken in August or September, having them taken in one dressy dressy outfit and one casual dressy outfit ( a dress and a sweater and dress pants)Most of all though I remember my Mom commenting on how expensive they were ( almost two hundred dollars ) Yes I remember Senior pictures, and I am prepared, Not to mention I have plenty of time !
As we discussed these pictures I was informed that if the pictures were not taken by June, they would not be in the year book. Oh My, a minor problem I though but OK I can roll with the punches. Cindy's date's sweet sister offered us her promo packet that she got from the studio who does their school's year book ( Cindy did not get one as she attends the career center ) Once I got home I looked inside the packet and found some great deals if I booked in May . I would get sixty free wallets as well as forty percent off my sitting fee. I called fist thing Monday morning and was in luck. One appointment remained in May.May 29th. was the day. I scheduled and was about to feel like I accomplished something when the lady on the phone asked which sitting package I wanted. OK , I thought for a second..... How about just the regular one .... The lady chuckled an annoyed chuckle and explained that there were various settings priced from seventy dollars to four hundred twenty five dollars. OK, I took a breath and asked what was included. Silly me thought that these included some pictures or something. The lady explained that the seventy dollar one was for one outfit and an indoor shoot with ten or less shots being taken. The four hundred one was for twelve outfits and sixty shots. OK now my head was spinning. I couldn't think if Cindy even had twelve outfits. My silence prompted the lady to offer to send me a packet and then I could read more and decide. She also offered to hold the appointment for a week until I did. Oh a packet I said I have one. I pulled it out and decided on the ELITE package at $125.00 for four outfits ( I think Cindy has at least four )and twenty poses including indoor and outdoor shots. Now I really felt good about myself. After all, I had accomplished something. This is when the lady asked for prepayment. Serious? I asked. She didn't seem to be the joking kind. OK I agreed to mail a check. Later when I mentioned this whole process to Mike, he was quite surprised ( OK he hasn't been in high school in a long twenty two years and is quite out of the loop!) He couldn't seem to get past the fact that for one hundred and twenty five dollars, all you got was someone taking pictures. No printed pictures, no CD where you could print your own, no three course dinner, nothing ! I explained that some people were paying four hundred and twenty five but he didn't get it. OK he said whatever we have to do. I offered that we could just get the year book shot for free there and go to Olan Mills or Sears for our pictures . Cindy would be humiliated giving these to her friends but we would save some money. Mike agreed, ( as Cindy's jaw hit the floor) that this was not an option and we moved on .
This was weeks ago and we had enough time to get ready but time is now slipping away. Now these pictures are barely a week away and we need to get outfits together and decide what poses we wish to request and more importantly brace ourselves for the final price tag. So far we have three outfits picked out and are moving along. My only fear is that once I see all of these twenty shots I will feel like I did when Cindy was a new born and want them all. Maybe I should talk to my local banker about a loan. I just may need it .

Mother's Day

My Mom spent early Mother's day with a stomach bug but was feeling a bit better by evening. Here she is with a Mother's day gift from my family

Here are my Mother's day gifts. Mike and the kids got me the two Precious Moments figurines of the boy and the girl both holding lilacs.( One of my favorite smelling flowers) The tulip vase was made by Robby in school . Of course it had to have a bunch of lilacs ( from Nanny's lilac bush) in it. The carnation is from the Knights of Columbus. They were given to all Moms at mass . In addition I was given several beautiful cards. Mike took some pictures as I read them ( and cried , and laughed, and smiled) I will check them out and maybe share a few in the future.

Unfortunately, schedule conflicts prevented us from giving Mike's mom her gift yesterday but I hope to get it to her soon and hopefully can get a picture of her to post too.

Also, on this Mother's day, I would like to wish some great people a Happy Mother's Day. One is my best Friend in High School, Lisa's, Mother. Thank you for all the times that you treated me as your own daughter and took me on many trips to Cedar Point, to concerts , and everywhere else.Thank you also for all the times that you welcomed me into your home to just hang out.. including those New Years eve parties, where you were sure to hug and kiss me on the cheek like you did your own children at midnight. I always felt loved there and for this and so many other things I Thank you.

To all those wonderful people that I have met at Support group( for those who have experienced the death of a child) and for Other Dear friends and every other Mother who's precious children now live with Jesus, Happy Mother's Day.

For all Mother's everywhere, Happy Mother's Day !

May the soul of Bradley E. Feezle and the souls of all the faithfully departed through the mercy of God rest in peace..Amen.

Bradley is an eighteen year old who attended my Alma matter and the career center where Cindy goes.He is a distant cousin .( My Grandfather and his great Grandfather were brothers) He died after falling from the back of a truck on Thursday. Please pray for his family. I can not even imagine their pain right now.

Another prayer request

Please pray for Robby. About two months ago he woke up one weekend morning in a pool of blood coming from his ear. With Robby's ear history I didn't think much of it but immediately put drops in. I called his ENT's emergency line but his doctor was not on call and the doctor on call said to just use the drops and call the office Monday morning. I did as directed but the ear kept bleeding and bleeding until I decided an afternoon ER visit was in order. At the ER they gave him Omnicef and sent us home. This did not help a bit except that on Sunday Robby's face was swollen quite large. We went back to ER where they switched his antibiotic and told us that the face swelling would go down in a week to ten days. On Monday we seen the doctor that we talked to on the phone .( ours was out ) He suctioned the ear and gave us stronger drops. Two weeks later we had an appointment for our doctor but seen this doctor once more while waiting for our appointment. The ears were looking better at this point and we started cutting drops back to only once a day. All was looking well until Wednesday night. when the ear started bleeding again. Since we had a Friday appointment I just used the drops and waited. When we seen the doctor on Friday he suggested that we take the tubes out and patch the perforations . He will also examine the ear while he is in there and see if anything else needs done. Since Robby has already totally lost hearing as a baby and surgically had it restored when he was two. Our fear is of course permanent hearing loss. Praise God his hearing is still on the low side of normal now and we pray that it only gets better.

Amazing

I picked Cindy up early at school last Friday ,so that she could get ready for prom. After her hair appointment, she had a voice message from a few friends telling her that their was a fire at the school. At first we figured that it was not that big of a deal but soon learnt that many fire departments were called in to help battle the blaze. Luckily nobody was hurt but at first the estimate of damage was over one million dollars. Later in the day a few students from the class where the fire was started told stories of someone spilling paint and the paint thinner bucket igniting when they tried to clean up the spill. These stories didn't make much sense to me as it would be extremely rare for paint thinner to spontaneously combust. Further more, these students went on to say that instead of smothering the fire in the bucket,or grabbing a fire extinguisher, one student picked up the bucket and dumped it in the sink, splashing flaming liquid all over the wall. This story amazed me but I would never have thought that anyone would set the school on fire and make up a story, or would they? It was also odd that after the fire was out and the students and staff were all home the fire department was called back. Hmmmm. Coincidence? Anyway, somewhere between the fire department's first and second trip there the damage went from one million to four million. Now the building is totally unusable and the students are being moved to another school twenty to thirty minutes further away. This is the least of some peoples problems though. Many hard working students lost portfolios containing years of work that they need in four months to enter college. Due to the week off while the school administrators figured out what to do, many students lost much needed hours of instruction needed for their state certifications, etc. Just a big mess but accidents happen, right? Maybe but now the vary thing that I questioned days ago is being questioned by investigators. Amazing, most students at this school are between sixteen and twenty and it looks like one or some had deliberately set this fire. Why? I ask myself. What could make someone decide to do this? It could have been so much worse, lives could have been lost ! Why I ask? I guess that everyone has an opinion, and I will spare you mine on what is wrong with today's society .This simply is not the time or the place ,but maybe we could all say a prayer for everyone involved. For the students who through no fault of their own are frustrated at their loss of hard work or set backs in certifications, for teachers who are wondering how they will finish the year without the equipment that they need to teach their labs. For teachers who may not even be qualified to teach now that the next school is in a different county. For everyone who is feeling the anxiety of this . More importantly, though we need to pray for those who are behind this . The Lord knows I have been angry in my thirty eight years but never angry enough to torch a school. And at such young ages, having that much anger, I can't imagine. Surely these people need prayer. Please pray for them all !

Prayer Request

Please pray for our friend Linda. Linda is the mother of Cindy's close friend Mike. Linda is having a tumor ( I believe Mike told Cindy it was malignant)removed from her kidney today at Cleveland clinic.

Follow up

Mike called last night to say that Linda is out of Surgery and doing well. Thank you for your prayers.

Cool toy

One of Michael's birthday gifts from Curt and Carla was a Amazon.com: Radica 20 Questions: Toys & Games . This is the coolest game. We spent hours trying to stump it and only succeeded a couple times. This would be a great, inexpensive game for use in the car on long drives , while waiting in the doctor's office, or other times that your child must be still. It would work from any age ,that can read the questions and push the yes , no, sometimes, or unknown button , up to adult. Michael is fourteen and loves it. Curt and Carla admitted that they have one of their own that they mess with and they are twenty seven.

One Cake, Two cake,.....

Because Michael's bone graphs are not doing quite as well as we would like, and because Michael refuses to drink milk, eat cheese ( other than an occasional string cheese, on pizza, or fried) , or consume any other dairy product besides ice cream ( No, a bowl of ice cream is not tolerable. It must be ice cream sandwiches, sundae cones, , DQ novelties, or the like) This http://momofthreewithcockers.blogspot.com/2007/05/happy-birthday-michael.html was not enough Ice cream cake for his fourteenth birthday, so we had to fix that .

Here are some pictures of cake number two. Actuality it is cake number three as one of his teachers made cheesecake ( another good dairy choice that he will eat) for the class on Friday in honor of Michael's Birthday. Not to be outdone, another teacher has promised a cake ( probably non dairy) today.Two more weeks until we get more X rays . Hopefully by then the graphs will catch up to where they need to be. In the meantime, I am trying to find creative ways to pump up the dairy in this diet. So far I have made beef stroganoff with extra extra sour cream, Put pizza rolls in his lunch, made fettuccine alfredo with extra sauce ( made with lots of heavy whipping cream)and whatever else I can think of. It is a good thing that Michael is so skinny .

Prom

Happy Birthday Michael !

I can't believe that you are already fourteen. I remember the morning that you were born, your first day of school, how you frustrated the kindergarten teacher by thanking her for the extra room when she moved you to your own table because you were misbehaving. I remember your first day of Karate how you worked so hard to keep up with the higher belts in the class. I remember so many times that you have made me proud, I even remember a few that you have frustrated me to no end. Through it all, I have always and will always love you and Thank God for you ! Happy Birthday son !

Michael asked for Taco Bell for his birthday dinner

Fourteen candles blown out
An Electronics set... Just what I wanted
( Notice that Dad isn't as thrilled )

Ducks roosting on my roof

Yes I said ducks. This morning as Cindy took the dogs for their five AM walk, she noticed a couple "Big birds " on our roof. As she got closer she realized that one of the birds had orange feet and a green head. They have been here all morning now. Maybe they got lost looking for the duck pond a couple blocks away .

Micheal Post op 2

Michael had his second post op doctor visit yesterday. The doctor did not take any new x rays to see how the bone graphs are coming along, but he did go ahead and remove the heavy plaster cast along with all the blood soaked bandages and replace them with clean dressings a light weight fiberglass cast. Michael did pretty well with the whole thing until he looked down and seen all of the pins sticking out of his foot. He soon recovered and was disappointed that dad had left his camera phone in the car. The doctor said that he will see him back in three weeks and they will probably do more X rays then, however it looks as though he will spend the full eight weeks in the cast and off the foot. Tough break since the local Amusement parks open a week from Saturday and he will have to wait until the cast comes off to ride anything.