So long to the Redwoods

Our last day in the Redwoods was nothing spectacular; wake up, clean the house and hit the road. 

The incredible carving of The Last Supper from a piece of Redwood; this was in the dining room of our awesome house

So long to our favorite trees

Last day of our trip and I finally got a pic with the Jedediah Smith State Park sign

A few hours into our long drive home and check out the trailer we met up with! GO BEAVS!

Real-life lesson

The theme during Natty's play therapy session yesterday was "Sometimes things don't go the way we want/the way we plan". I heard her counselor say it so many times during their 50 minutes together that I had to resist the urge to roll my eyes.

Yes. We understand. Sometimes (dare I so most of the time?) things don't go as planned.

WE.GET.IT.

Good news is I watch Natty's sessions from single-side glass so she can't see me. After all, a 4 year old is still learning life's little lessons and doesn't need her hardened and time-tested Mom ruining things for her. 

:)

After her session we walked out to the truck and wouldn't you know, things were not going as planned.

See, yesterday was one of those days where *everything* was scheduled, and in order to make things happen, I needed everything to go off without a hitch, without a mistake.

So let's go back a few hours, before counseling, before learning life's lessons.

During the month of January students at Ashley's school were encouraged to practice honesty (each month the school picks different character traits to focus on). Something happened during the month where Ashley had the opportunity to exhibit honesty, and it was noticed by staff, so she was going to be given a certificate at a school assembly. 

This was our 10 am to-do.

After watching Ash receive her award, it was off to a lunch date in Salem with Mom and Dad.

This was our 11:30 am to-do.

Natty had counseling at 1 and Ashley had physical therapy at 4, followed by ballet at 5:30.

I was desperate for things to go smoothly. I *needed* things to go the way *I* had them planned.

So back to the truck, just after Natty's play therapy....as I approached the truck I heard "the hiss". Before I even saw the tire, I knew it would be flat.

And flat it was.

And because I believe God was driving home the lesson of "Sometimes things don't go the way we want/the way we plan", I was without a spare tire (Darling Jake didn't put it back on after drag racing last summer...). Thankfully Jake purchased AAA earlier this month, but without a spare, they'd have to tow me.

Siiiiiigh.

Mom, Dad, Natty, Keely and I used our newly-found "free time" to take a little walk about while we waited for the truck and driver to arrive. He arrived, loaded up the truck and took us to the tire store where I learned the tire was not fixable (a 1/2'' gash on the wall of the tire). More waiting at the tire store meant Jake would need to not only get Ash from school, but also take her to physical therapy (did I mentioned my Excursion was also in the shop yesterday getting a new alarm/remote start installed?). I hated missing Ashley's PT appointment (her first since the cast came off), but there wasn't anything I could do about it. 

I bought a new tire and got it installed in time to drop Mom and Dad near their car downtown (taking them all the way to their car would have ate up valuable time - sorry guys!) and rush home to grab Ashley's ballet bag and meet her at the studio to get her ready to dance. I believe she was ready for class with 2 minutes to spare.

So...what did I learn? Well, I can say that Natty's counselor would be happy to hear I talked with her all day long about things not going as planned. We talked about how it's important to roll with it and work with the hand we're dealt.

I admit I stole a few lines from her counselor; things that are so much easier for me to say than actually do. 

But Natty's 4, so I can still get away with stuff like that.

And the next time I have one of those days where a few dozen things are scheduled......I will absolutely make sure I reschedule something. After all, I can see no reason why I need to continue to prove the "things don't always go as planned" theory.

Warms my heart to see her so proud of herself

Thankful we could come and see Ashley accept her award - Natty Kat was a bit miffed she wasn't allowed to sit with Tissy

Story-time at play therapy - here they are talking about feelings and how to express them

The fun that awaited us after Natty's appointment 

Nana doesn't care if she's stranded if it means hanging with 2 of her 3 girls

Tow truck to the rescue! 

Just about loaded up and ready to go

Thankful I could still make it to watch my favorite oldest blessing twirl, leap and plie' 
PS doesn't she look adorable in my scarf?

Natty-ism

Scene: Natty dealing out playing cards

Natty: Here, Mommy. I'll hand out the cards for the game and tell you the rules. It's a game and you're an adult, so you don't know how to have fun.

So long!!!

Today's the day Ash has been waiting on for nearly 6 weeks; CAST REMOVAL! There hasn't been too much the cast has kept her from, but a few times she had to stand by and watch. 

And you can guess how happy that made her.

No more stinky cast.

No more plastic sleeve during baths.
No more complaints of itching and discomfort.
So long cast!
Hello freedom!
Ash is a long way from being fully recovered. 
But she's closer now than when she woke up this morning.
You can imagine the pins and needles Jake and I were on as the cast came off. Not only were we anxious to see the scarring, but we were also nervous to see how well her hand would move (or not move). Last week when she got her new cast, I was amazed at how swollen her wrist still was. Today the swelling had gone done, however 30 minutes after the cast was off it started to puff up again. Ash did complain of discomfort but not much pain. I decided to put the sling on her for the rest of the day more as a precaution so 1. she's reminded that while her cast is off, her arm isn't 100% and 2. she doesn't overuse it and have a throbbing, aching, painful arm this evening. Not surprising she isn't able to bend her wrist or lift her thumb. Things are stiff and weak and Ash, always the optimist  says "That's okay, Mommy! Things will get better."
Ash goes back to the physical therapist on Thursday to work on strengthening her arm, elbow, wrist and hand. We're also contacting a pediatric plastic surgeon to start talks about fixing/correcting the scarring on her arm. Ash has whats called keloids; her scar tissue is extra thick caused by the scar tissue continuing to grow even after the wound has healed. The keloids, combined with the fact the surgeon wasn't, what we would call, precise and mindful in his stitching, has resulted in some marks that Ash shouldn't have to live with for the rest of her life. We aren't stupid; we know the colors will fade and that some of the tissues will break down, but there is some work that needs to happen to make things lay nicely and be pain-free.
At the very least, Ash deserves that.
Like I've said before, we're still a ways away from complete healing. The totaled Excursion is still being debated over with the insurance agent. Natty continues to see her counselor (Ash may start going as well). I continue to work through my demons, fears and upsets. Everyday brings another opportunity to heal and give thanks to God. I'm finally finding a place where I can tell the story of the accident without becoming too emotional. And while Natty and Ash still point out the exact place where the Excurs flipped on it's side, they are both healing and finding the good in that terrible day.

Headed in, hopefully for the good news that her accessory is coming off!

Midget was so excited to have MORE X-rays 

Loaded down with our lead jacket (me) and lap blanket (Ash), we're ready for any radiation they throw our way

Making faces while we wait on the tech to do her thang 

Daddy was supposed to be in this shot, but he was too busy being a Mister Poopy Pants to join in the photographic fun - his loss!

Being careful not to hit Ashley's jewels 

All smiles 

The long-awaited removal! 

Amazing how much healing has happened even since last week

There's still a great deal of old skin needing to come off, but would you look at the beautiful palm?!

That's 1 happy midget!

X-ray taken today (funny how her cast jewels also showed up on the slides!) - you can still see where the break was on the ulnar bone

So apparently that giant lump is to be expected - God created our bodies to heal themselves so it throws a bunch of new bone at a break. Over time the excess bone will wear down, shave away and basically disappear. You can feel the lump on the side of Ashley's arm. I was doing fine until I felt it and then the tears threatened to flow.

After a good washing and massage with extra creamy lotion, her wrist and fingers started to swell a bit so she went back to school in her sling and no outside recess (since all she's wanted to do for weeks and weeks is practice on the monkey bars)

She's little but she's loud - Keely's well baby-check

Today Keely survived her 16 month well baby-check. 
Because it was touch-and-go there for a while.
The first 2 years of a kiddos life seems to be spent in the docs office. Between well-baby checks and typical little person sickness, sometimes we spend just as much time in their waiting room as we do at home.
A joy of parenthood I suppose.
Today marked our 3rd trip (4th actual appointment) to the pedi's office in 5 days. And while it's nice that everyone knows you by name, it's a little alarming when the customer service gals have your children's birthdays and co-payment information memorized. 
That's a sign you're a 'regular'. 
And 'regulars' should be saved for greasy spoon cafes and coffee shops.
Period.
Because Keely's weight, or lack thereof, is always on our mind, I'm always anxious to strip her down and set her on the scale. Since she weighed in at 18# 13 oz at her 1 year appointment, I was *certain* she had broke the 20# mark.
And I was wrong.
Weighing in at 19# 13 oz, Keely has landed herself in the 5% for weight. 
Measuring 31'' long, she resides in the 49% for length. 
And with a head circumference of 17.5'', that puts her in the 9% (what's the big deal about head size anyhow? As longs as they don't look like a watermelon on a toothpick, I'm happy). 
And because I always enjoy the comparisons, here's Ash and Natty's stats at 16 months:
Ash: 26# 12 oz, 34''
Natty: 23# 2 oz, 32''
Yep. Those are some notable differences.
We talked at good length about Keely's size. I mentioned Jake joked this morning about me asking pedi about administering HGH (human growth hormone) to Keely. Good thing is pedi has a great sense of humor because instead of calling CPS on us, he said it wouldn't be necessary. 
Yet.
Development-wise Keely could do with 1 or 2 more words in her vocabulary. But let's face it. She's the youngest of 3 and has 2 willing sisters on the ready to speak on her behalf, so it's to be expected that she doesn't *need* to talk too much. Right now she says Dada, Mama and dog (dg). Everything else is "Da! Da! Da!" which, to our trained ears, sounds much different than when she says Dada. I think I've heard her attempt "night-night" before, but I'm not entirely certain.
It could just be wishful thinking.
Keely fits perfectly in size 3 diapers and has room in all of her size 12 months clothes. Size 4 shoes are pretty big, while 3's are nearly too tight. She's not quite as obsessed with her coat and mittens as she was a month ago, although she certainly still enjoys cruising in her jacket. 
I'm sad to share that she's a climber. Our bar stools have been put away for the time being; I'm just not ready to find her on the kitchen counter. Maybe if she weighed more and had more padding for her falls? But for now, they're put away. 
By far she's the best sleeper we've ever had. She's in bed by 7 pm and sleeps until close to 8 am. Nap time is an absolute must and happens between noon and 1:30/2. And up until she got sick last week, she's been our best eater, too. I'm hoping her appetite makes its way back soon. I miss the kiddo that downed an entire avocado, diced tomato and chicken. Lately her diets consisted of yogurt, oatmeal and shredded cheese. 
Not exactly conducive to packing on the LBs.
We love you, Keely! Even though you're spitting out your 1/2 chewed food, you're still a snot monster and you squeal when you don't get your way. Your hugs, smiles, kisses and that adorable way you plop yourself onto my foot when you want a ride easily makes up for it. I sure am enjoying this time with you, my teeny pocket person!

Waiting for pedi to arrive, she needed to have her coat on (even though she's totally nakie-nakie underneath)

How Natty Kat feels waiting at her sister's appointment

Love me some Spunk

Group selfie!

Still smiling

People commented the other day on those pictures of Keely when she was sick that she wasn't smiling. I guess people are used to seeing her smile and I suppose folks were surprised to see that she isn't always Smiley Q. After I looked back through the post and went through the pictures, I realized she looked more than just a little pathetic. So to make up for it, I had to share these adorable pictures of Miss Q all smiley and goofy looking as we bundled up to walk to the shop to visit Jake.

Still smiling 

Straight out of Munchkin Land

The hits keep rolling

So when I last wrote I was whining about having a sick Natty, Keely and self.

Little did I know then that it was only going to get worse.

Saturday was spent recovering. Keely was still feverish off and on and I was still tired. Ash and Natty spent their day playing outside, joining Jake at the shop and dragging just about every toy they own out. Things were going along just fine and then at 7:30 pm Ash looked at me with that OH MY WORD look and followed that up by throwing up all over the carpet.

Looks like the fun continues.

Per doctor's orders we waited 1 hour until we pumped her full of Zofran. In that 60 minutes she managed to throw up an impressive 5 times.

Now you see why we keep Zofran on hand.

She needed a second dose around 1:30 am, threw up one more time for good measure at 3 am, slept until after 7 and woke up with energy and an appetite.

Can't beat that!

Sunday was nothing to be excited about, which was absolutely welcome. 

I had been noticing Natty was coughing more and more and she was sounding more and more congested. She hadn't seem to fully recover since her cold on Christmas (croup on Christmas Eve), and we figured it was time she be seen. Ash already had an appointment on Monday to be seen for her hand, so I was hoping they'd let us piggy-back the two girls on one appointment.

Because our pediatrician is just that cool.

At the appointment today both girls were checked out. Natty was diagnosed with an ear infection and given a decent antibiotic to kill whatever crud has been hanging around for nearly a month. Ash had her hand checked, the one in the cast. I noticed on Saturday that fleshy chunks and bit of scab were working their way out of her cast. Her palm sustained some pretty intense injuries and I was nervous the day they removed the stitches and instantly cast it up. It just seemed they'd be creating a breeding ground for bacteria and infection.

Turns out I was correct. 

Our pedi took 1 look and immediately called the doc's office that cast her arm. He made arrangements for us to go directly to them and have a new cast put on Ashley's arm. The pedi also got Ash set on a round of antibiotics strong enough to kill any flesh-related infection. 

It's nice to know he's not taking any chances. I certainly am not.

Ash, Natty and I walked across the street to the hospital where Dr. Blake's office is. Jake showed up and took Natty just as Ash and I were called back. The nurse and PA (a gal Angie went to PA school with) came in, examined Ash and thought the same thing pedi did; that cast needs to come off and her wounds cleaned. 

There's no reason for me to even say it, but I will just the same: Ashley was so brave. I figured there would be some reluctance once she set eyes on the saw, but she squared her shoulders and said "Let's do this!".

She never shied. She never cried. She never worried.

Ashley was, and is, BRAVE.

This go around Ash picked red. She said, "I already have a pink one. No one can sign it if I get black, so I want red this time." She asked for camo (yes they have camo casts but no leopard print. What the?!) and when I said "No one can see it when they sign it" her response was "But Unlce Jeffy wears camo!"

Well if Uncle Jeffy does.....

Nana and Papa surprised her by showing up tonight, jewels and hot glue gun in hand. Her cast has already been properly glammed up and I can tell she's excited to show it off tomorrow at school. 

I'm so thankful our pediatrician is aggressive and didn't just brush it off. Even though it made for a hectic afternoon, and even though it came after 4 rounds of stomach flu, 1 round of pneumonia and another round of ear infection, I am thankful for good docs. I am thankful for good medicine. And I am thankful for strong children who are brave and continue to smile in the face of sickness and pain.

Warning....some of the pictures below are a bit nasty. Consider yourself warned. 

The reason we visited the doc; that and the smell

Just got word that she'd be getting a new cast

One last pic with her pretty in pink

Too much time on our hands can only mean 1 thing: silly faces!

The face of 6 year old bravery 

Nurse Patty explaining to Ash how the cast saw works

Nervous but refusing to show it

Nurse Patty was careful to not hit any of Ashley's jewels 

The cause of the smell
PS her fingers and wrist are really swollen. And that black on her wrist is bruising. I'm not sure why her thumb looks so jacked up, but it wasn't that bad in real life.

I'm actually surprised at how well it's healing

Removing all the dead stuff

*Shocked* at how well this is healing compared to the last time we saw it

All cleaned up; looking (and smelling!) so much better

Getting prepped for her new cast

Mama's job was to hold her weak thumb up and out of the way

Flashy red!

It's not camo...it's better!

Proud of her newest accessory 

Surprise! Nana and her hot glue showed up to properly decorate Midget's cast.

How excited is this Mama that Keely makes faces when she's in front of the camera?!

Bedtime, maybe?

Natty was the first to sign Ashley's cast (upper left) - check out all those jewels!! And yes, those black ones are supposed to be in the shape of Mickey Mouse!

The mark of Papa: a flamingo from KoP (King of Pink)