A confession and a solution

I am not the most patient mom and little things sometimes drive me batty. One of those things is kids asking for drinks... All. Day. Long. ...and then having twenty dirty cups at the end of the day with occasional dirty foot prints on the counter. I know, it's petty and maybe even mean, but it's true. About a week ago, I came up with a plan. Every morning, whosever turn it is to make breakfast also fills up the water jug with fresh ice water and gets out cups for the day. When a friend comes over their cup is added to the counter and I never have to hear "I'm thirsty" again. I love it, the kids love it, David loves it, and I don't even care that it looks a little tacky.

2 weeks post-op

Yesterday, Robert got his stitches removed. Everything is looking great and he's feeling great. Maybe a little too great. Absolutely no strenuous activity or lifting anything heavier than his dinner plate were the instructions for the next two weeks. I decided to keep my mouth shut about the game of tag he played the night before. Oops.

My little tough guy

This little man is a stud. I just can't get over how tough he is. Last week he was in the PICU (pediatric intensive care unit) and though I don't think he really belonged there, he did a fine job of brightening up the place with his cheerful grin. The nurses loved to check in on him because, no matter how much pain he was in, he had a smile to offer. He was also good at melting hearts when a new doctor or nurse would come introduce themselves. They would usually say something along the lines of, "It's nice to meet you Robert." and he would, ever so politely, respond with a smile, a nod, and "it's nice to meet you too."

It has now been a week since his surgery and he is recovering very well. He is still in quite a bit of pain, but rarely complains. You can just see it in the guarded way he moves, or when he asks for help getting to a standing position, and other little things like that. He's a real trooper and we all love him to pieces.

These pictures are of his favorite nurses and his incision. (It is about the length of my pointer finger.) I know the picture quality has been lacking of late, but using the school's iPad makes blogging so much more convenient!

Update on Robert

This is Kiley's Dad posting for her.  Robert is out of surgery and it went very well.  The bone that had been removed during the previous tethered spine surgery had not grown back, so they only had to remove a little more bone.  There was one nerve that was very tight so they tested to see what it went to and then took care of it; the other nerves were loose as they should be.  The doctor was confident that the spinal fluid was sealed, so Robert doesn't have to stay flat on his back like last time.  It went so well, that if he is managing the pain well, he may be able to come home tomorrow!!! 

He was a trooper when they took him from Mom and Dad prior for the final preparation for surgery.  They wanted to give him something to help him relax, and he said he didn't need it.  Mom (Kiley) told them that he is an excellent patient - if he says he won't need it he'll be fine.  Afterwards they told her she was right -- he did great!

Captain Cuddles

After Robert's pre-op stuff on Friday we took him to Build a Bear. He dressed his bear in army fatigues and named him Captain Cuddles. On the way home he told me, "His name is Captain Cuddles because the Captain part is to protect me and the Cuddles part is to comfort me."

Masquerade Video

Stamps

At the masquerade the children received instruction from the Scarlet Pimpernel to create their own stamp/seal to represent themselves and what they stand for. We used erasers to make our stamps and then glued them into the ring base given to them by the Scarlet Pimpernel. The kids each designed their own and carved them out, with the exception of William. He told me what he wanted and I made it. They will use them to sign their artwork and anything else they do throughout the year.

Anna's is a mockingjay. She is a serious Hunger Games fan, but she chose it as her symbol because it represents freedom.

Alahna's is a shield with an oak tree for strength and choosing the right.

Robert's is a lion's paw for bravery.

William's is an "H" for Hufflepuff and also for Hans.

The picture does not do them justice because they really turned out neat looking.

Seven Years

I can hardly believe Robert is now seven years old. It seems just like yesterday that the nurses were laughing at us in the hospital because we wouldn't let that little bundle out of our sight. I'm sure they thought we were rather silly and overprotective, but he was our little angel with a golden glow and we just couldn't bear to be away from him. We have watched him grow from that sweet, quiet little bundle to a strong willed, determined, smart, and cheerful boy. We have also watched him grow in physical ways, and because of a tethered spinal cord, that growth has been a painful journey. This last year we have struggled with the decision to schedule another surgery to release the growing tension in his spinal cord, and after much consulting with both God and doctors we have decided that putting it off any longer would not be wise. So, September 11th he will have another surgery. We had scheduled this surgery A year and a half ago and cancelled it, so we are grateful to have been able to put it off as long as we did.

We are also grateful that we were able to celebrate his birthday with a trip to Legoland before surgery. It was actually a celebration of William's birthday as well. They both received tickets for their birthdays but broken arms, sick momma, and busy schedules kept us from going earlier in the summer for William. Once Robert is completely recovered from surgery we will find a day to use our other tickets. And once our computer is working again, I will get our legoland pictures processed and hopefully shared.