Friday, May 25, 2012

Finally...

He finally got his orange cast! His really bright orange cast, that matches his fast shoes just perfectly!! Hopefully, he will only have to wear it for 3 weeks! The staff at Nemours could not get over how well behaved he was. We were so proud!
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Check out his pins: Photobucket

He turns the big 1 tomorrow. I am tearing up just writing that!!! Photobucket


Littlest man took 15 steps last night. Photobucket

When ya live up in the Tucky, you get to "U-Pick" as much as your little heart desires...Just in case you are wondering, we are literally a 12 minute drive to Baker. Baker is place that used to be considered road trip worthy. Cooler packing and restroom breaks just to make it there...And now, we go every weekend for fresh fruits and veggies! This time, we picked blackberries and peaches! Photobucket

Best man ever. Period.

Best man ever.  Period.  You just never really know what kind of Father your Husband will actually be when you marry him.  And I hit the jackpot with Todd!  He is, hands down, the most incredible, honest, loving, devoted Daddy to his boys and Husband to me.  We would simply be lost without him!

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Fun at the park: Photobucket


Enjoying evening kickball... Photobucket


One proud Daddy! Photobucket

Twins stick together!

So, I guess Brody and Wade really do EVERYTHING together....they always seem to find a way! We decided to keep Wade out of school for the 2 weeks that he wore a splint, for obvious reasons, and the B-man got really sick. It was horrible. He was home for a whole week, with extremely high fevers, lethargy and then conjunctivitis...The pic that shows his poor, red eyes, well, he looks cross-eyed...but you get the point! So glad he is all better!!

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Monday, May 14, 2012

Post Elbow Surgery Update:

Surgery was set for 11am on Friday. It was to be an open/closed reduction and percutaneous pinning to his humerus and his ulna. Basically, a young childs bones are not fully formed and do not show up completly on x-ray, so they have to insert dye, once he is in surgery, to really see where the breaks are located. Closed, means they are able to manipulate the bones and place pins where they are needed, splint and wrap the arm/elbow and send him to recovery. Open, well, means that they actually have to open the arm. We finally had luck on our side and his surgery was closed and deemed a success!! We go back next Monday to FINALLY get his orange cast...The Dr, said it may take 4 weeks to 3 months for his bones to heal, due to the severity of the breaks (3)and fluid remaining around his elbow.

The actual surgery day was WAY harder on Mommy and Daddy than the actual patient. He spent his time doing puzzles, reading books and watching movies, while Todd and I kept exchanging nervous glances in the background. But you know what? The time actually flew by. The hardest part was when all of the surgical team, Doctors, Anesthesiologist, Nurse Anesthetist, Nurses, etc were flooding his pre-op room, it became real. And he sensed it and started tensing up. They gave him a little cup of "happy juice"(Versed) to ease anxiety, that he immediately spit out and then really started freaking. I tried to get him to walk to the OR with me, but he started kicking and crying...Todd eventually told them to just take him, as he was not going to drink the happy juice or calm down at this point. Watching them gently take away your baby, and have him reaching and crying for you, will pull on your heart strings. Severely. Oh how I cried...But, within 2 minutes, one of the nurses came to tell us that he immediately settled down when they got into the ER, which I really do not believe...but I had to, to stay sane. So we waited...and within the promised hour, the Dr. came out to deliver the good news about the surgery remaining closed and that we would be called back to recovery shortly.


See those puzzles? Those are from Ms. Kim at school. See that HUGE Get Well Soon Banner?? That is from EVERYBODY at his school! That really made him feel so special...thank you so much CPS!!  And a huge thank you to Nana, who not only watched ALL of the boys a lot last week, but also cleaned our house, did all of our laundry and cooked homemade meals...I love you Momma!!  Also, notice that he is not in his hospital gown? He decided not to wear it and sported his boxers instead. That's my boy!
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The grizzly bear came out in him while he was waking up from surgery...he was thrashing, pinching, saying crazy things and inconsolable. The Nurse explained that this was common in Pediatric patients(that we got a small taste of when he had his tubes/adenoid surgery) and that he would slowly "come to" and we would have our boy back. And we did....except a VERY sleepy boy. We could not even put a t-shirt on him so he was discharged in shorts, without his shoes or a shirt on. Pretty funny...only a child!
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Now, the hard part will be keeping him calm until the hard cast next Monday. He has been such a trooper and I am so proud of him!!! Thank you everybody for the get well cards, gifts, emails and texts...it feels wonderful to be surrounded by the love and concern of our family and friends. And to think, this was "just" a broken bone. There were much younger kids there, with life threatening ailments. I really thank God each day for my healthy family and pray that we continue to remain that way!!

Todd is pointing to the word NO written on his left elbow...we happened to notice on one of the pre-op sheets that it said surgery on his left elbow.  Uhhh.  No...it is clearly his right!  So Todd grabbed the marker and wrote NO on his left elbow...Think they got the hint?  hehehe
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Happy Birthday Grammie! And Visit from Mimi!

While we were in the ER, Pop's, Grammie and Mimi were already in route from PCB to celebrate Grammie's 65th birthday! So when we arrived home, he had quite the audience to show off his broken wing...While we were at the hospital, Wade kept asking me to call Daddy, to tell him to wait for us to get home for Grammie's party. So sweet...So they waited for us and we celebrated the minute we walked in the door! Happy Birthday Grammie!!

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Mimi was able to stay with us through Monday morning...we had such a wonderful time, visiting with her!
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We already miss you Mimi...HURRY BACK!
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Pickles and High Fives!

Sweet boy is 2 weeks away from turning the big One Year Old!!!! He took 5 steps tonight, pretends to talk on the phone, loves pickles and his brothers, giggles constantly, gets into EVERYTHING...loves to chew on shoes, makes the biggest waves in the bath, dances to songs, gives high fives and has the loudest voice! Daddy describes him as relentless and joyful, loves to show off his skills and is extremely proud when we all clap for him. He points at everything and is constantly babbling...Our little baby will soon be a toddler!!

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Star Light Star bright,
The first star I see tonight,
I wish I may, I wish I might,
Have the wish I wish tonight...

Each night before bed, you can find these two wishing upon a star. (The eve before the broken elbow incident)


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Undies

So Brody "leaked" a little pee pee in his underwear the other day and I told him to go to his bedroom and get another pair and a new pair of shorts...2 minutes later...he snuck around the corner and was dying laughing...I just love my kids. Oh, so very much :)

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Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Unfortunately, Wade will be having surgery at Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola on Friday. The breaks are worse than we originally expected, literally right on his growth plate...so he will be having a pin inserted, his arm re-casted, and we will pray for a return of a full range of motion. I was blown away when the Dr. immediately said that he would be having surgery. I thought for sure, that we would get his orange cast and we would be on our way. I was wrong :( In the "casting room", the have a board where they keep a tally of where each break took place, ie. football, gymnastics, skateboarding, car accident, monkey bars, etc. There were about 30 different categories that they have up on that board and guess which one had the most tally marks underneath it?? The damn monkey bars. Our hearts ache for our little peanut...who will be in lots of pain after the surgery. He might even have to stay the night after his surgery, depending upon the level that the surgery will require. More pics of our little man that is about as calm, sweet and smiley as they come. Never shed a tear. Please keep the prayers a comin'!!


If you look closely at the horrible cell pic, you can see how swollen his elbow is after they removed the cast: Photobucket




A close up:

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Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Update!

Update: Wade has broken his elbow in 2 different places....literally right above the growth plate. Not exactly the best place to have a break :( Dr. Thackeray has referred us out to Nemours Children's Hospital in Pensacola to have a Pediatric Orthopedic Specialist review his x-rays and determine where to go from here. Definitely an orange cast coming his way............. Until we get into Nemours, we have to make sure that he remains extremely careful and does not re-injure the area. Tough for a 3 year old boy who loves to go. There is a chance for surgery, so we hope that his little body heals and that there will be NO SURGERY in his future. Nemours just called and we have an appointment set for 1pm tomorrow....please say prayers for our little patient, who is all smiles, by the way...


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Sweet boy!
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Monday, May 7, 2012

1st Broken bone(s)

Wade was hanging from the highest monkey bars at the park. And he slipped and hit the ground, hard. Todd scooped him up, belted him in the carseat and headed for home. He called me, only to discover that I was at Publix with Jack...so we agreed to meet at the ER, Todd take the groceries and Brody and Jack home, and I would go into the ER with sweet Wade. After a lot of waiting, watching videos on you tube, and an x-ray of his arm and elbow, the Nurse came in to deliver the news...She said that the ER was extremely busy and that we would not be able to see a Dr (????), but that one had "read" his x-rays and that he had broken his elbow in 2 different places. They casted his arm in a temporary hard cast, open on the top in case he continued to swell, wrapped it with a bandage and gave him a sling, and gave us instructions to meet with an Ortho. Doc on Monday. Sweet boy cried after it happened, on the way to the ER and for maybe 5 minutes while we were getting adjusted into our room, and then he was all smiles. He never cried, during the x-ray, the casting...nothing. He was so brave and I was incredibly proud of our big boy! He even talked about how is hospital bracelets made him a secret agent and that he was going to share with with Brody as soon as he got home! Both boys wore those bracelets proudly all day Saturday...melt my heart! So, since we have not even seen a Dr. yet...grrrrrrrr.....we are anxiously awaiting his appointment for tomorrow at 8:45a with Dr. Thackery. Wade hopes he will "get an orange cast", while we are praying for clean breaks, that require no surgery. Ahh, life with 3 boys...pretty sure this is the first of many visits to the ER!! Little guy was so worn out from the trauma of the situation, that he fell fast asleep: Photobucket

Nothing worse than seeing your child in pain: Photobucket

Our brave Wade! Photobucket

All immobilized and ready to leave! Photobucket

Your 1st broken bone(s)...May 5, 2012. You are 3 years and 9 months old... Photobucket

The boy is getting it...!!



 

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Jack turns 11 months old!


My baby. Jack Jack. Littlest man. The Jickers. He is almost ONE! And he took his very first steps two days ago. At the ripe old age of 11 months and 4 days old He just stood up and walked! Shocked all of us and took 3 steps! I believe we will have a full blown walker by his first birthday... He is so proud! Photobucket


And he's up! Photobucket


Look Ma, no hands! Photobucket

Happy 6th Anniversary to us!


We said 'I do' 6 years ago...and I love him more now than I ever have...A few pics from our honeymoon! Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket

And he is 4!


Caden Michael Harrell, born on April 29, 2008 (the same day as our wedding anniversary!!) just turned 4 years old. I cannot believe it. I still remember the day he was born... Photobucket

Our first nephew. And to think, we are about to meet our first niece...Ensley Anne, due on March 17th, but Allie thinks she will make her appearance earlier! Caden's 4th birthday was held at the Painted Pony...best place ever to have a 4 year old party! Animals to touch, hayrides, and horses to ride...it was wonderful!! Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket

Happy 4th Birthday sweet boy!

While Daddy is Away...

Mommy and the boys will play............Todd went to Omaha for the Home Instead Annual Convention, so that meant 4 days (and nights) of single Momma duties. I say this each and every time he goes out of town: You just do not realize how much we work as a team until one is gone. We normally "zone out" our duties. I bathe Jack while Todd cleans up dinner. Todd gets the boys dressed while I pack their backpacks. You get the idea. So when he is gone, I am getting 3 ready in the morning, all the while getting ready myself, loading up the boys,driving 30 minutes to take them to school, working HARD for 8 hours, picking up the boys, driving 30 minutes home, dinner, outside, baths, laundry, dishes, stories, fall into bed. Oh yeah, and the dogs need to be taken care of too :) I know, I am preaching to the choir, but the point is, we really miss Daddy when he is gone!! Welcome home Daddy! Photobucket

While he was gone, we spent many hours outside, enjoying sprinklers, new parks and popsicles: Photobucket

So cute how the little bit is trying his absolute hardest to keep up with his big bros: Photobucket


(The new blogger template has my spacing all out of whack and I cannot figure out how to fix it!!!)