Packing and Pandora's Box....

This is always one of the worst parts of surgery. Not the fact that I have to do 8 bazillion loads of laundry to get everything ready to go, but the packing to disperse my children to other family member while I leave to go to the hospital with another child. Tonight I am finishing up laundry and my heart is breaking. I am packing bags and realizing that it is going to be a week before I see Fayeth again and 6 days before I see Lindsay and Hannah. As much as they drive me insane at times, I love them so much the fact that I won't be able to see them for so long is breaking my heart. Now top that off with stress, pms and worry...and DAMMIT I AM A JOY!!! :)

Also the concern that we are opening Pandora's box is scary. After Gabe's decompression we opened that nasty little proverbial box.... Just in case you were undecided...Pandora is a BITCH! A BIG OLD NASTY BITCH!! We had decompression, chemical meningitis, papilledema, dx PTC, sight flair up of chemical meningitis, drain trial, reaction to flu vaccine, Shunt placement, OR for an LP on Christmas Eve and back to the OR for an LP on his birthday, Shunt revision. That was from June 27, 2007-February 20, 2007. ACK!

Darren and I both got a gift for Father's Day.... We showed my mom and my sister and the looks on their face said it all.

Please just pray that this was a fluke thing and we are not traveling down this road....again....

Poor Darren....

Hannah: "Daddy how old are you?"

Daddy: "I am 37"

Hannah: "Oh NO! You are not a daddy anymore!!! You are a GRAMPA!!!!"

Daddy: "I love you too hun!"

Fayeth and My Mom...

Fayeth is so rotten to my mom. My mom use to think that Hannah was the thorn in her side....Then came Fayeth. Hannah argues with my mom, "Because it is fun!". Fayeth is just a shit and speaks her mind. A few funnies over the past week....

Gramma goes to kiss Fayeth "Bye".

Fayeth: "You have a butt on your nose"

Gramma: WHAT?

Fayeth: Gramma you have a butt on your nose.

Gramma: * Leans over and brushes her nose over Fayeth's face * Now I wiped my BUTT on your face.

Fayeth: But your butt is still on YOUR nose!

Gramma: I cannot make your family happy. When your mommy was pregnant with the twins your daddy said he did not care who they looked like as long as they did not have MY nose. My nose that was shaped like a ski slope. Then I get the end of my nose cut off to make him happy and now YOU tell me I have a butt on my nose!!!

*side note* My mom DID NOT have the end of her nose removed for cosmetic purposes, she had basal cell skin cancer.

On June 10th, Mom, Fayeth, Hannah and myself went to the U of C to donate blood. I could not donate blood because my blood pressure was too high however my mom was able to. The blood bank gave my mom a red silicone bracelet that says, "Give Blood". Since Gabe gave my mom one of his 3 purple silicone Chiari bracelets she said she would give him her red bracelet. (Gabe LOVES silicone bracelets) So the day after the twins came home from camping, my mom told Gabe at lunch that she had something for him. She gave him her red bracelet and he was thrilled.

Gabe: Gramma, thank you SO MUCH for donating blood for me and giving me this awesome bracelet.

Gramma: You are welcome Gabe. If they use my blood and you fall and skin your knee I am going to give your grief for wasting my blood ;)

Gabe: Oh Gramma you are so silly!

Fayeth: Gabe you are going to have OLD LADY BLOOD in you!!!

Gramma: Fayeth, you are such a brat

Fayeth: I know Gramma!!! I love you too!

And the total was.....

Excuse my messy table, however to put thing into perspective.... the pile on the table is 2212 soda tops. The grand total from the container (that was donated by a friend of ours who is a Southwest Airlines Flight attendant) was 9744 soda tops.

Tiffini-since you were the closest in the time frame send me your mailing address =). Pretty soon I will have another game. :)

In 8.5 hours I will be speaking to a group of new orientees to the medical center. This is the first time since being on the FAB that I have had to speak to the Nurses. Last year I was taped and it was played for Schwartz Rounds.

They ask that you bring pictures to make your stories more personal and to touch these new employees. So the last few days I have been looking thru pics, which is making this so much harder. I should not have done this. I am too emotional. I am very concerned about tomorrow. I am very concerned about surgery in a week. This journey...again....

Gabe 11 months old-Christmas Day. This was the pic that we saw his ridge. This photo was the start of his metopic craniosynostosis diagnosis.

Post op 19 hrs.

27 hours post op

6 days post op

3 weeks post op...

So.Very.Irritated....