The Munchkin becomes the "Bionic Baby" - K gets tubes...

Age of Lady Kaitlyn:  1 year and 3 weeks

Family,

No more cutting bananas for this girl...

And a good Monday evening to you from the Queen City, where the Bull has just returned from calming a SCREAMING daughter in her crib.  Not sure what was going on tonight, but all now seems well (insert sigh of relief here).

So last week was a big one, as K took the next step in her evolution to fight off ear infections.  As you no doubt know by now K's had infections for the better part of 5 straight months, and truth be told we think it's just been one long infection.  Well, after the Peds said that she was hesitant to put her on another round of antibiotics and felt that she was definitely a candidate for tubes, we scheduled an appointment with the ENT.  And whilst this was the same building as last time, this was a different doctor - Dr. Lovejoy.  It wasn't completely different, however, as we kept it in the SEC (he is a Gamecock, whereas the fella who clipped her tongue tie was a Gator).

I mean seriously, who is EVER this happy
to be in a doctor's office?  LOVE this kid!

The appointment was on Wednesday, and the doctor was GREAT.  He gave K a tongue depressor coated in cherry, and K chewed on it for all it was worth.  She was great throughout his inspection, and he rather quickly gave us the diagnosis we'd been expecting - K's ears were still filled with fluid, and she was basically teetering between the "full of fluid" stage and the "ready to rupture" stage.  That then pushed us into the conversation of options, and the doctor said that he didn't really think the antibiotics by shot would help.  From his perspective, there were 2 options - wait, or go ahead with tubes.

Check out the side pony tail - work it, girl...

He was very personable and talked us through the pros, cons, possible side effects, and the specifics of the procedure (which is the most common procedure performed on children), answering all of our questions.  I will say that, whilst I thought both Jenny and I had already expected and accepted that tubes would be required, Jenny definitely seemed reluctant as we discussed the procedure and potential side effects.  That being said, she asked great questions and certainly helped us to make an informed decision, which was that we should move forward with tubes.  Between the lack of progress, the potential issues it was causing with hearing (and by extension speech), and the fact that it would be cheaper on her insurance (given the change about to take place), it definitely felt like the right move.  The shock, however, was when they scheduled us in for Friday!  Again, I was happy, as I wanted it done with (and the follow-up on JT's insurance as well :-)), but I could tell JT was a bit hesitant.  However, knowing that she's got another 6 weeks of daycare in front of her, we both knew it was the right move.

Friday was quite the whirlwind, as we were up at 5 AM and out the door at 5:35.  We had to have K admitted at 6 AM ahead of a 7:30 surgery, and we showed up at 5:56 (only cars on the road it felt like).  And whilst those 90 minutes were a bit rough for K (she was quite fidgety but never really complained or seemed too hungry), she was a trooper the entire time.  Also, the staff was AMAZING.

When we entered pre-op, they had a CUTE little gown for her and a baby bear.  We then proceeded to speak with SIX different nurses, the anesthesiologist, AND the doctor all before surgery.  As K would receive gas and go under, they explained that she would wake up fussy and need a bottle, but they did say that she would rally quickly.  They also warned us that she would be fussy because she was hearing things that she'd never heard before.  Lastly, they told us the surgery would be quick - they were NOT kidding.

It's Go Time, Mommy!

They came in and scooped her up at 7:35 (the anesthesiologist had her in a blanket), and just like that our daughter was taken down the hall and out of our site.  We then went into the waiting room, but no sooner had I used the bathroom and come back to my seat then the doctor came out and told us he was finished!  AMAZING!  The procedure was literally 5 minutes long.  K woke up shortly thereafter, and as expected she was quite fussy.  Between all the new sounds (there was a constant beeping from the monitor attached to her finger), her being hungry, and the anesthesia still in her system, you could tell that she was very uncomfortable.  We managed to get her settled, and she then proceeded to CRUSH 5 ounces of milk, after which time she was a bit better.  She was still a little off, but we got her home and let her take a nice 2 hour nap, which definitely helped.  We kept her out of daycare that day to ensure she got plenty of rest, and throughout the weekend we did notice that she was still more tired than normal.  However, her balance from the moment she woke up was GREAT, and I really do think she's hearing better.  YAY!

Opening the Easter basket from Granny Alice.

As for the rest of the week, K's new activity was (finally) learning how to splash in the bath!  Suddenly bath time has become quite fun, and she LOVES pounding the surface of the water for all it's worth.  I think that's a bit of the swimming lessons (which we had to miss) coming out of her - it is SO cute!

Our little lady before her 1 year photo shoot.

Also, K developed first a fear and then a love of my big red exercise ball.  Originally she was mesmerized by it, but when it suddenly started rolling at her one day she FREAKED.  For the next couple of days she wouldn't even go in the formal living room - she'd just stand there and stare at the ball (and point at it on occasion).  However, the other day Jenny pulled it out, sat on it, and started beating it like a drum.  Suddenly it didn't seem quite so intimidating, and K proceeded to crawl over and BASH THAT PUPPY, laughing and smiling all the way.  She still seems a bit timid at first (as she should - it's twice her size), but once mommy or daddy sit on it and bang on it, she starts laughing and instantly chimes in.  We did the Seminole War Chant today, and KJ - you'll be happy to know it was a BIG hit. :-)

The only other item of note was that we told daycare this week.  They were GREAT about it, and so many of them said how happy they were that we had the opportunity for Jenny to stay at home.  K's teachers were particularly wonderful, and the whole staff made a point to say how great K was, how they would miss her, and how she would be welcomed back at any point.  For my part, I am very glad we've got another 6 weeks with them, as they are a simply WONDERFUL group of people.  We have been truly blessed to have had them in our lives and as part of K's first year, and the foundation they've helped us to lay should make K's childhood and Jenny's time with her even better.  I can't WAIT to start that next chapter in our lives.

Parenting essentials.

As for the weekend, we had a blast, as Granddaddy came for a visit!  Aunt Pattie was playing softball down at Winthrop, and so dad and I drove down Saturday to see her and watch Radford in action (they won - I'm 2-0 when watching!).  We had a great visit to 201 Central with K, followed by a delicious lunch at Eastfield Grill, and we even got home from the game in time to watch some hoops.  All in all, a VERY successful Saturday!  K then had her 1 year pics with Faith on Sunday.  She was a bit fussy (we think tired, hungry, and cold), but she was a trooper, and we hope we've got some really good shots in there - fingers crossed!  We will be picking up her 6 month photos soon - can't wait to see those!

Okay, quite a week as you can tell, but we've put another one in the books.  Speak soon!

Love,

Sam and Jenny