1st Day of 1st Grade

KK had a lot of naps, trying to recover from his procedure the day before, so I was concerned that he wasn't going to fall asleep the night before school.  But, right on his bedtime schedule, we started the bedtime routine and he fell asleep like a champ.

In the morning, he woke up super early, he was so excited for school.  I had to take a quick picture of jack-o-lantern smile.  Oh!  And the tooth fairy did come visit him and gave him $5. He was happy about that and she let him keep his tooth!

He wanted to look very nice so after breakfast he went into my bathroom and put on deodorant, sprayed "smell goods", and he started putting gel in his hair before I went in to check on him.  He is so funny!  deodorant, in 1st grade!  That just makes me laugh.  Once we were set to head out for the bus I made him wear a sweatshirt because it was a little chilly outside.

There are 3 other kids who wait at the bus stop with KK.  They are not morning people like KK, he wants to run around and play and they're still rubbing the sleepy's out of their eyes.

He has a new bus driver than the last 2 previous years.  I'm not sure how I feel about this one yet.  I LOVED his old one, she always talked to us when I would pick him up from school and the bus was parked in the parking lot.  I'm sure this one is great, but I'm just not sure yet.

KK seemed to love school, he's having a hard time adjusting to a full day.  He said he would rather be at home with me.  He's also mentioned that he misses dad during lunch time.  Mr H. usually comes home for lunch and him and KK will play a quick Wii Sports game and KK misses his time with him.  I'm glad that Mr H is so good to him, Mr H. is a great father!  I cannot say that enough times!

This is a quick shot of KK after school, while we were waiting for Nugget's appointment with the doctor.  More on that in another post.  I need a whole separate post for the latest on Nugget.

Nugget Update

Before I begin, I just want to caution those people who might think my details have too much information, so if you think you're one of those, please stop reading now.

Well, towards the end of pregnancy it gets pretty hard to do anything and you're very uncomfortable.  I don't sleep well and end up using the bathroom at least 3 times a night, but most of the time it's about every hour.  I'm in terrible pain all of the time because of my hips and pelvis.  My pubic bone is separated and when I move around at night I can feel the bones grind against each other and sometime it pops and cracks.  Have I mentioned that it's very painful!?  It hurts to stand, walk, sit, and lay.  There are no comfortable positions for me.  I just have to wait for the baby to come....

...and that's where we are right now, waiting for the baby to make its arrival.  I am 39 weeks right now and my due date is September 1st.  At my latest appointment last Thursday said I was still 70% effaced, 0 to +1 station, and 3 to 4 cm dilation.  Now most women are in labor at this point and end up going to the hospital, not me!  With KK, I was dilated to 3 for 3 weeks.  This is week #2 of being 3-4 cm dilated.  I'm curious as to what it will be on Thursday.

My body has had a lot of activity, a lot of cramping/contractions, but nothing regular.  Most of the activity happens in the evening and it stalls by morning.  I even lost my mucous plug, well, part of it on the 17th.  Mom thought for sure I was having the baby within 3 days...nope, the baby is still holding on.  The womb is comfortable and s/he doesn't want to come yet.  I am thinking that I will be pregnant for the rest of my life.

Mr H. has taken me up in the plane twice.  After the first trip, I came home with major contractions and spotting, but by morning it has stalled, but that morning was when I lost the aforementioned mucous plug.  The second trip was last night (Sunday) and I had contractions (nothing regular) but no spotting and by the morning everything had stalled.

I have been taking Evening Primrose oil, which is supposed to help move things along...I have a couple of friends who have taken this and within a couple of days they have started labor.  I've been taking this for a couple weeks with nothing happening.  It's a little frustrating.

I've also gotten pregnancy inducing massages...twice!  And nothing, some contractions but then they stall out by morning.

I guess the baby will come when s/he is ready but, it would be nice for him/her to hurry up.  I'm very uncomfortable and I can't wait to meet my baby

KK's 1st Surgery

Like I mentioned before in these posts, KK has horrible bloody noses and after a referral to the ENT, it was recommended that he have a cauterization done to the very large blood vessels.  Wednesday August 14th was the day it was to take place.  My dad and Mr H. took the day off so that they could be with him too.  Have I mentioned before how lucky I am to have great men in my life!?  Well, let me digress for a moment.  I am super grateful for the men in my life and the example they set for my son.  My hope is that he too, will one day be as great or greater than these men.  So the 4 of us headed to the local Children's hospital.  KK's surgery started at 9am, but we needed to be there 2 hours beforehand.  The waiting rooms were super small and could only hold 2 visitors, my dad stayed in the main waiting room while Mr H. and I could stay with KK.  At one time, I switched out with my dad so that Mr H. and him could give KK a Priesthood Blessing before the procedure.

We had talked to KK last night and explained what was going to happen (we did not mention an IV), that he was going to be given some medication to make him go to sleep but that he'll think he just closed his eyes for a second.  KK was excited about having medicine that would make him fall asleep and was eager to try it out.  BUT, me, on the other hand, I was super nervous and anxious.  I don't think I would have been so nervous if I were not in the medical field.  Let me digress again, once when I was observing a surgery, the patient in the room next to us was an 18 year old male who was getting his tonsils out (Routine, right!?  Small surgery right!? No problem, wrong!).  He went into cardiac arrest because of an adverse reaction to the anesthesia.  The doctors ended up opening his chest and defibrillating his heart.  Long story short, he made it, but I DO KNOW that there is a possibility of things going very wrong and that's why I was so nervous for KK.  I prayed for the doctors and nurses that everything would go smoothly for KK's surgery.

After the blessing, my dad came back out so that I could go back into the room with KK.  He had 2 nurses and they asked me the general questions they needed to, allergic to anything, past surgeries, born premature, etc?  They also asked if he had any loose teeth, which I thought was a little odd, but after thinking about it, it made complete sense...they didn't want them falling out during the surgery.  They took note of the "comfort items" KK wanted to bring with him...Monkey Chow and Dolphi, which are pictured below.

The PICU nurse who will be taking care of KK right after the surgery came in and explained to us that she will be with him and taking care of him until he is stable enough to come back to the room, which would be about 20 mins after the completion of the procedure.  When she was finished the anesthesiologist came in and explained things to KK and to Mr H. and I.  I asked about the IV, and she told me that they do it after he is "sleeping" so there is no anxiety/stress over getting that inserted when he is awake.  I thought that was a genius idea!  After meeting with her, the doctor came by and was very brief with us.  I had some questions for him such as how was the procedure done, liquid nitrogen and the cauterization tool is how he would perform it.

After we had met with everyone, KK was prescribed liquid Versed, which is used for anxiety and can make a person sleepy.  It only took about 10 mins for the effect to take place.  KK was saying he felt dizzy and kept moving around, he also ended up with hiccups.  He looked like a 6 year old drunk.  We did get a video, but it's on Mr H's phone.  Then, finally it was "go time" and he was wheeled away.  I thought it would be a good time to use the restroom, but the restroom was closed for cleaning so I just talked with my dad for a while until the restroom was open again...about 15 mins went by and it still wasn't open but I thought I should go back to KK's room to wait for the doctor, who was going to come by when he was finished with KK.  By the time I got back to the room, the doctor had already come by and talked with Mr H.  Oops, I didn't want to miss it, but Mr H. did a great job asking about recovery and if he needed to be careful during gym or when he could go back to soccer practice.  The doctor also told him that they removed his lower right lateral incisor and they kept it for him in a specimen cup to take home

I still needed to use the bathroom and we told the nurses that we would be out in the waiting room if they needed to find us.  I was able to finally use the bathroom and after about 15 mins the nurses came out to get us.  KK was already in the room.  He was OUT!  The nurses told me that they needed to make sure that he would wake up, but that wasn't going to happen.

It reminded me of this picture of when I was brought back to my recovery room after general anesthesia.  I don't remember this photo being taken or anything else that happened the day I had KK.

The anesthesiologist brought KK a white cherry slushy but he was so tired that he had a hard time drinking it and would suck it into his mouth but would forget to swallow.  He was sooo out of it.  Poor baby.  After a while we were given the "go ahead" to go home.  We were given a wheel chair so he could be transported that way.  The nurses were apprehensive of me lifting him because I'm so pregnant, but I do it at home too...a 55 pound boy is no big deal I suppose.  Mr H. had left to go get the SUV ready and pulled up to the building.

We dropped off my dad at home and Mr H. and I got something to eat at McDonalds.  KK was still out solid.  So we went home and Mr H. carried him inside and laid him on the couch where he just slept and drooled all over the pillow!  After we ate lunch Mr H. needed to go to work and a little while after he left KK woke up and I fed him some small crackers and juice.  He was so confused as to how he got home.  I told him his tooth was missing and this is his picture showing how happy he was to have another tooth gone.

The picture is kind of awkward, I know, but he was still VERY MUCH out of it.  We started watching a movie, but soon after it started he said he needed to throw up.  He was very nauseated.  So I just took care of him the best I could.  Cold wash cloth, sips of sprite, stroking his arm, and singing songs.  Eventually he fell asleep and I just kept everything quiet, I even laid down on the other end of the couch and fell asleep with him.  Until JM called and wanted to see how KK was doing, she said hat she had something for him...I asked her if she could wait an hour while he slept and settled his tummy, but she was adamant and came over.  Bringing him a sundae.  JEM and another kid she watches was with her and they were NOT quiet and ended up waking KK, but KK was glad to see JEM.

I think that (fingers crossed) IF KK ever needed another surgery, I don't think I will be nearly as anxious as this one.  I know how KK reacts to anesthesia and what I need to expect when he comes back, nausea and vomiting and being very sleepy.  I'm glad everything went well and that so far since the surgery, he's only had 1 very small (in comparison to before) bloody nose.  He has a follow up on the 29th.

One Last Hooray!

We wanted to do something special with KK before his first day of school, although, his school starts on the 14th, he will not be officially starting until the 15th (more on that later).  It seems like this summer has flown by and I wasn't able to do nearly as much as I wanted to with KK.  Here's a list of things we have done, in no particular order (so that I remember and that I feel like an accomplished mom)

Disney World
Putt-Putt Golf
Splash Pad (multiple times)
Magic Castle
Runway Fest
Fireworks
Tball
Flying
Sleep overs
Swimming at the Pool
KK and Mom date
Movies
and I'm sure there's more, but my brain isn't working.

KK LOVES bowling, he LOVES to play it on the Wii, but we don't go bowling very often, especially with me being pregnant right now because of my pelvis and how much it hurts ALL OF THE TIME!  Mr H. and KK usually play against each other on the Wii, this is a picture from a couple days ago, when KK dominated the game, naturally, he wanted a picture!  And yes, his Mii is a girl.  He actually has a TON of Mii's and you never know which one he'll pick to play with.  But anyway...

On the 13th we decided to take KK bowling.  He had no idea where we were going, he thought we were going to the movies...but he was pleasantly mistaken.  He lit up and got so excited.  We decided to have them place the bumpers up, which was good.  I did not fair so well during both games.  Mr H. won both...but I'm demanding a rematch after pregnancy.

 KK and his pink ball.  He had so much fun, I hope we can have family night again, very soon.

Goodbye 20's Hello 30's!

This was a special birthday for me this year, not only did I turn 30, but I was able to celebrate it with such wonderful friends who made me feel extra loved.  I have never been one to be very social or plan get-togethers but I am so lucky that I have friends who know how to bring me out of my shell.  I should mention, not only do my friends help me, but my husband has been instrumental in this as well.  He helped a couple of my friends surprise me with a "Welcome to the 30's" dinner/pedicure date on the 29th of July.  I thought Mr H. was taking me somewhere, but he arraigned to watch not only KK, but 3 other boys so this could happen!

I was surprised when Adrienne came to pick me up!  I had NO IDEA what we were about to do, Mr H. was so sneaky and quiet about this surprise.  We picked up another friend and headed to our local outdoor mall.  There was a concert going on and people all over the place, it was pretty packed but we ended up going to Brio for dinner and I had the Pasta Alla Vodka and it was THE BEST thing I have ever tried there.  Not only was the food good, but the conversation was great!  I love those 2 girls!

After dinner they treated me to a much needed pedicure!  I was very entertained with the guys who were doing our pedis.  They were really funny.  Telling all sorts of jokes and singing.  They were crazy...

And my feet really loved the massage.  They are so swollen and achy with this pregnancy.  The baby loved it when I got this done too because s/he was bouncing all around and going crazy.  I think I might have to get another one of these done before the baby arrives.  And after our pedis, we went back home.  I had such a fun time with my friends and it was definitely an awesome welcome to the 30's

Mr H. wanted to do something special for my 30th birthday so he called Adrienne (yes the same one that took me out earlier) about a month ago and asked her for any ideas.  She is the best party planner (she organized my bachelorette party!) and she has wonderful ideas on fun things to do around our area.  She suggested this Dinner Train in Cincinnati.  Mr H. made all of the arrangements for Saturday Aug 3 and invited her and her husband to come along with us.  I'm so glad that he did, they were great company and if the baby decided to make an early appearance that would've been fine too because Adrienne's husband is my OB.  Thankfully the baby decided to stay on the down-low.

When we got on the train, there was a little appetizer waiting for us until everyone showed up and the train started going.  The dinner was great, I ordered the salmon, it came with a baked potato and vegetables.  Mr H. had the prime rib, with baked potato and vegetables.  After the dinner the patrons were encouraged to get up and explore the other cars on the train, which we did!

This was the bar train, the train's side doors were open and you're able to see the view a little bit more.

Adrienne and I just relaxing in the car that had nice lounge chairs.  And after eating, then being able to sit in the relaxing chairs it was hard to not fall asleep.  I guess that's what really showed me that I'm getting older...I tire more easily...although it's probably because of the baby growing inside of me!  The dinner train was so much fun and lasted for about 3 hours, I would recommend it to anyone!

On my birthday, I had a really handsome guy kiss me awake before he had to go to work.  KK also kissed me and told me Happy Birthday, after I reminded him that he owed me something because it was my birthday!  The whole day was pretty low key.  I met with my doula for this birth.  We worked on relaxation techniques, things to do to prepare for the birth, and writing a birth plan.  It was very nice to do that, I am starting to feel more mentally prepared for this birth.  I see her again on Thursday.  At Speedway I was asked to take a 15 min survey and was given a $2 bill...it was pretty fast and I had time to take it, so I did.  KK also wanted me to stop by JoAnn Fabrics to pick up a few items for him.  He wants to make me something special for my birthday.  He started painting it tonight before bed, so I will be able to see it tomorrow.  My Home and Visiting teachers came by to drop off some yummy cupcakes and chat for a bit.  Later on in the day KK had tball practice and we ate at Five Guys.  It was such a low key day, which was good because it's been harder for me to do anything lately.

I know this has nothing to do with my birthday but I still wanted to make mention of this.  Last weekend Mr H. helped a family from our church.  They had someone dent their rental car's bumper and they opted out of the additional insurance and didn't want to put another claim on their insurance so they asked Mr H. if he might be able to help get the dent out.  He was able to fix it and the rental company didn't notice it when they returned the car and they showed their appreciation with some chocolate goodies, cash, and this beautiful flower arrangement.  The wife made this, this is one of her many talents.  And the flowers smell so good!  When I walk into our house I can smell them and I LOVE it!

  

I was Awarded...

Before I go on about this award, I need to give some background information.  My family has a history of nosebleeds but I've only had a couple in my lifetime.  I could probably count on my one hand how many I've had, like the time my brother, RP, and I fist fought and he got my nose, once in the bathtub, and once during a 6th grade class.  Well, I guess that I have passed on that nosebleeding gene to KK because this is something we've been struggling with for a while, remember this?  Within 3 weeks he's gone from an occasional nosebleed to 2-3 nosebleeds a day!  Sometimes they are so bad that it takes 10-12 mins to stop them.  He gets them in the middle of the night, he got one when he bent down to kiss me, he'll be playing with cars and get one.  He sleeps with a humidifier, I've put vasoline in his nose, and he now takes allergy medication with no avail.  He's seen his pediatrician and she recommended him going to an ENT.

Today was the ENT appt.  KK was VERY nervous, he was so quiet in the car and mad that I was bringing him to a different doctor than his usual peds doc.  But he lit up once he saw all of the toys.  I'm glad that I filled out the paperwork earlier because we only had to wait about 15 mins.  KK's nose was professionally picked by the doctor and he also showed me the blood vessels that is causing the nose bleeds.  KK definitely has tons of them, on both sides.  Through the conversation with the doctor he asked me when I was due, and I told him less than 4 weeks.  And so he checked with his nurse/assistant and opened a spot in his schedule for KK to get his nose cauterized because he didn't want to postpone too long because the baby will be here.  This will happen next Wednesday morning at our local Children's hospital.  

When I talked to Mr H. about it and mentioned that KK would be missing his first day of school, KK started crying uncontrollably while I was driving.  I couldn't do anything to help him.  He told me that I was the worst mom because I made him miss the first couple of days last year when we were in AZ and now he was going to miss the first day this year.  So he's not happy with me.  I'm so mean and horrible.  It's been hard to explain to him that it's alright and not that big of a deal, but he's not having it.  He told me only if we went bowling he would feel better....ha, he's a sly one!  

I'm nervous for him to be put under general anesthesia, he's never had to be before and I'm hoping that he doesn't have any problems with coming out of it.  I'm just a nervous mom right now so any good thoughts and prayers would be welcomed!