The other day, after Bella's doctor visit, I let the boys ride the bus home since I was off from work. Cameron has never been able to do this, so he has been begging. That morning, I told him if we got home from Bella's appointment in time, I would call the school to let them know he could ride his bus home. Not long after he got to school, the office called to ask if Cameron was supposed to ride his bus today. She said, "Cameron came up to us first thing this morning and said that his mommy was going to send an email to his teacher, but he was worried because he has a substitute today and didn't know if she would get the message."
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We got all good news at Bella's doctor visit today. We saw her neurologist to review the results of her MRI they had done earlier this week. See my previous post here.
Her cord has not re-tethered (reattached) and the cyst in her spinal cord has not gotten any bigger and, in fact, shrunk by about 1mm. So you can see we were pretty stoked. Daddy didn't make it to the doctor. He had a stomach bug. I was a little nervous taking her out to C.H.K.D. by myself. But we did it and she, of course, was cute as a button. I could tell she was apprehensive on the way there. It was almost like she remembered the drive there earlier this week because as we were getting close to the hospital, she started saying, "I wann go Debbie house". Then, once the doctor called us back in his office, she wouldn't walk through the door (I had to carry her) and she had to sit in my lap most of the visit. She warmed up quickly once she figured out it was safe and even showed Dr. Dilustro her big dimples when we left. Read an article today that really hit home.
I can totally relate to the pressure us moms so often put on ourselves. The pressure to be a perfect mother, a perfect house wife. The idea of how our children should behave, how our house should look. I don't allow myself very much room for error. I am the hardest on myself, and I have an even tougher time forgiving myself. But I never really stopped to think about how this might affect my children and our relationship. While reading this article, it all sounded so familiar. And made me feel like a real (for lack of a better word) ass. I'm guilty of all of it. Bullying myself. And then taking it out on my children. I'm a yeller. And I totally speak (and yell) before I think. I just want so badly to be a good mom. For my children to remember their childhood with only warm and fuzzy memories. I want to be tough on them and have them respect me. But I don't want to rule them with an iron fist or have then remember me as always stressed out and angry. Call it my new year's resolution. It's never too late. "Because love is always a good place to start a new beginning." “Love is not something we give or get; it is something that we nurture and grow, a connection that can only be cultivated between two people when it exists within each one of them – we can only love others as much as we love ourselves.” –Brene Brown Bailey's is a sports pub in Newport News that we go to onceca year to watch a Michigan football game with other fans. We'd go more often but it's a hike.
We went again for the Ohio State game this year. We had a blast. It's the next best thing to watching a game in Ann Arbor. At Bella's 6 month checkup, the doctor noticed a small (very small) cyst or lump on her lower back right over her spine. He sent us for an MRI, and we later learned that Bella had what is known as a tethered spinal cord. It is congenital (meaning it developed in utero and she was born with it) and thankfully we (or Dr. Mink) found it when he did. Her cord was basically attached to a small cyst of fatty tissue outside of her spinal column. As she started to grow, and her cord tried to ascend, it would cause her cord to stretch resulting in permanent nerve damage and developmental problems, such as difficulty walking, numbness in her extremities, and loss of bladder & bowel control. Surgical repair of it had to be done soon. She had surgery when she was only 8 months old. It could not have gone better given the circumstances. Her neurosurgeon was able to detach the cord without any damage. She stayed in the hospital for 5 days. The doctor thought everything went very smoothly and anticipates that she will not have any long-term problems.
Today we had a follow-up MRI. Her surgery was in April 2012, and this is second MRI since her surgery (her third altogether). Because of her young age and because she would not be able to lie still for her pictures, she has to be sedated. The worst part is always the I.V. and the fasting. We were scheduled to arrive at 9:30 for her prep with her MRI scheduled for 11:00 a.m. She was not allowed any food and only clear liquids until 7:30. Nothing after that. Surprisingly, this was no problem. When she first woke up this morning, she asked for pop tarts right away. I was able to distract her by asking her to come get her makeup on like Mommy. During the car ride, she asked for a "gink" but quickly forgot she asked. She was very curious when we arrived at Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters. By the way, we are very lucky to have this hospital so close to us. I used to work there in the N.I.C.U. It's a great hospital (with great doctors and nurses) and we've always had great experiences there. It was cold and rainy today so Daddy dropped us off and parked. Here she is watching and waiting for Daddy in the lobby. Have you ever seen so many Legos?! I cleaned out Jackson's room in preparation for Christmas. Something I try to do every year. Throw out/give away old toys and make room for the new. I was shocked with the amount of Legos. It seemed not that long ago that the boys were obsessed with Ninjago. These were once part of (very expensive) Lego sets. If I can give anyone advice , this is a total waste of money. You (the parent) spend hours putting these complicated sets together. And the first time they play with them, they break. And then you end up with thousands of mixed up Legos that just accumulate and accumulate. And then you have this. And then, as you're cleaning up and deciding to get rid of this or that, they show up and, all of a sudden, they're like "we have Legos?!" And then I found these. The Pokemon craze. Couldn't bring myself to quite get rid of them yet. And just random pics of his room so I can remember that he was once a 9-year old sweet boy.
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November 2018
AuthorMy name is Kaci. I am a working mom of 3. Wife to Josh. Mom to Jackson, Cameron & Isabella. My life is dinner, homework, baseball, basketball, grocery lists, laundry, middle school, wine, video games, and schedules. I started this blog because I love taking pictures, and I needed a place to document our life. I wanted a place to write it all down, to remember little details so easily forgotten in the mad rush that is the life of a family of 5. Through my photos and words, I endeavor to capture our story. Categories
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