Surgery Pics

Tyler before surgery....with his new favorites! Pj's and his Moose that we'll just call "Mr. Moose" All ready to go. We've had the happy juice and gotten our cool head ware. Mr. Moose did too!

Surgery is all done. After some resting he was finally ready to eat his blue popsicle. It tasted great and he was done with it in seconds.

Tyler's surgery

Tyler made out very well with his 3rd surgery. He had new tubes placed, his frenulum cut and they scoped out his adenoids to check for re-growth. Our day started at 8am. He was happy-go-lucky walking into the hospital sporting his new fireman pj's and his new moose. Got to his room, the tv to himself and he was good. He weighed in at 40lbs and is 3ft.2" tall. I told him it was time to change into the gown and he wasn't interested. But he did it eventually and he looked cute might I add. As it got closer to his time they came in with his "happy juice" and OMG was he funny. By the time he went into surgery he looked like he had just came out of the bar. He was giving everybody 'the eyebrow' and it was hysterical. The doctor commented on it in our talk.

Dr. King removed his old tubes that had fallen out and replaced them with long term tubes. These should stay in for a couple of years and serve there purpose with the fluid. He had a lot of fluid. So much so that it had started to turn into a glue like substance and compress the ear drum. He had his adenoids scoped for re-growth. There was some that had grown back so that was removed. He also had his frenulum cut (piece of skin from the lip to the gums). Tyler's was very pronounced and has caused a nice space in his front teeth. This should allow his adult teeth to come in with nice spacing. He has his follow up on the 6th and a hearing test down the road.

After surgery he woke up NOT HAPPY! When I thought he was in pain and discomfort (which he was) was from surgery - I think it was because he didn't want that gown on. We put him back in his fireman jammies and life was good. Till he got sick! That's why you wear those hospital gowns but try telling a 4 year old that. They ended up giving him the anti-nausea medicine and within no time his coloring came back. He rested and watched TV. Got up and had to pee. Wanted that IV out like no tomorrow. Then he felt like a popsicle and devoured it down.

After he got home he was ready to go. I had to remind him that the doctor said no and that he had just had surgery. Kids really do bounce back quick!

Ortho Update

Cody and I ventured to Syracuse for another ortho check-up. Dr. Scott was very proud of his clean teeth and the fact that he worse his special t-shirt so he got 2 more raffle tickets and got to pick a prize from the "big" prize table. So that was a big deal!!!!

The appliance is doing it's job. He said he can almost clench down and hit teeth to teeth. Yeah. But...with good there is bad and we have a few issues to watch. His top right tooth has been worn down so much from the cross bite that he is now exposing nerve. I don't think a lot of nerve as Cody has not complained and I imagine he would. However, we had our last visit 4 weeks ago so all of this stuff has happened in that amount of time. So we need to watch it unless I call and say we have an issue. If the nerve becomes more exposed then they will need to pull it. He took a few new x-rays to send to Dr. Tatum. It appears that he is missing 2 top adult teeth. I was hoping for only one - at the site of the cleft where his gum was split as a baby. But both adult teeth - one on either side of his front teeth is missing. So down the road we will be talking options for adult teeth. Implants, teeth on a retainer, moving back teeth forward and re-shaping......

Then the most hard to swallow news was that he has a fistula. For those outside the craniofacial world - that is an opening in the palate. Right now his is like a pin-hole size. It's not huge as I could only see it as his head was tilted back with a bright light shining on it. Dr. Scott sprayed some air up there and it really bothered Cody as it was going right into his nasal cavity and tickled horribly. I was extremely sad to hear that news. We need to watch it to see if it gets bigger. Of course with the hole comes the possibility of speech issues and food/drink coming out of his nose. So we wait and see what we are up for.

I hate to admit it but I did have my little pity party in the car for like 5 minutes. I'm entitled right? I think so. I hate that at the age of 5 we have to think about "adult" teeth and the lack of them. I hate that his palate is opening back up. We've been so lucky that ours hasn't. I know that there are many kids that do and are much bigger - but this is my child, our situation and I only know that. Not to mention I am taking Tyler to the hospital tomorrow for another surgery and it just plain ole sucks! We see Dr. Scott back in 6 weeks.

A very funny story though.............as Dr. Scott had Cody in his chair he asked Cody how old he was? Cody said 5. Dr. Scott said "when will you turn 6"? Cody replied "on my next birthday"!!! We all laughed. Dr. Scott realized he walked into that.

ENT / Random Update

I took Tyler this afternoon for his last check-up before surgery. All looks good and we are set to go. There is still a lot of fluid on the right ear and the tube is out in the left ear although no visible fluid. So he will get long term tubes put in as this is his 3rd set, they will explore his adenoids for any re-growth and will cut the piece of skin coming from his upper lip to his top gum. Surgery is set for this coming Tuesday at 9:30...which kind of sucks as he can't eat or drink after midnight. He's my first kido to have surgery at this age - where we have to hand him over and walk away. My anxiety is already starting to kick in.

The boys are loving school - all 3 of them. Cody and Dylan are so challenged and are doing great. Writing their names and getting better and better. They did this in pre-school but you can see their "growth" in K. They are in the 100 book challenge and it should be a challenge to complete. Their goal is 100 books a semester. They bring home 4 books A NIGHT! So in my house that's 8. Right now the books appear to be very simple, ex: "Look at the Lizard, Look at the eye"....basic sight word sentence. So the books are super short. At this length, 8 books isn't a problem...if they get longer it will. Then the teachers want them to write the titles themselves....not mom's hand writing and if they kids can't get it we are to dot it out. At first I said "dot this".....I do this alone at night as Brett works. I work and am not home before 5. There is a lot to get down in a couple hours. But we will give it our all and make the best of it.

I thought about rather to blog this but it's just one of those things that I have to write. Cody might not be happy with me in 12 years but he'll get over it. :) So last night as I was getting them into the shower..he gets undressed and notices something black. He yells "mom I have something black on my leg"...now we are talking it's higher up on his thigh. So I yell back "what is it".........to which he says "MOM, I think I'm growing hair"......................O.M.G...................I lost it! How could you not. I assured him it wasn't hair but rather fuzz...Sure enough it came off in the shower. Phew!

We've got some clean teeth.....

Today was our 6 month cleaning for the boys. Cody got to go first. He had a couple x-rays done and then the normal cleaning. The dentist was very impressed with the palate expander. He has 2 loose teeth (bottom). Not much else really to report with him as he is seen monthly now by the orthodontist. Dylan went in next. He to had a couple x-rays taken and his normal cleaning. He has already lost his bottom 2 teeth and adult teeth are already in place. The teeth on each side of the front ones are loose. She said mostly because his bottom teeth are bigger and are crowding them. She noted that Dylan has an over bite (sigh, as Cody had an under bite). His 6 year molars on bottom are coming in. She said that at our next cleaning in April, they will take a panoramic xray and possibly refer us to an ortho. (double sigh). Really, 2 kids needing Ortho - dental insurance sucks! UGH! Not stressing yet - we'll cross that bridge when it comes. Tyler was last. He to got x-rays but then she found he didn't need them so he got to bring them home. He thought that was pretty cool. He got his teeth cleaned. He has a pice of skin that runs from his lip to his teeth cause a gap in them. Our ENT is going to cut this but I wanted to make sure the dentist thought it was necessary. It is! She said that if we don't get it cut now, his adult teeth will just bounce off from it and he'll have the same gap.

I was very happy though that we have stayed CAVITY FREE!!!! Yeah! They are good brushers - with a little push from mom!

Random Recent Pics

Tyler and Connor on the boys first day of soccer. Unfortunately, the season ended the day it started. The coach didn't show and come to find out ended up having surgery and is out for 4-6 weeks. He thought somebody might take over the league but so far we haven't heard. The boys are very bummed but looking forward to playing Basketball next month. My Cody Man.....He loves school - he has done fantastic with his appliance. I can see progress with his teeth already. And he super happy that he has a loose tooth. Tooth Fairy will be visiting sooner than later. He already knows what he wants to buy....a new Bakugan! Ahhh...Dylan......I mean look at this face. He is such my teddy bear. One minute he is so rough and gruff and the next minute he is a big cuddle bug. He loves school too. His teacher said he is a great joy in the classroom. My Mom turned 59......doesn't she look great? I think so...she is great. We would be so lost without her. Of course as we celebrated her bday we were missing 1.....baby Jack. I only wish they were closer and our kids could grow up with him like my 3 can with Tanya's 2. Long distance sucks! My 3 little soccer men! Yah, we don't own a "soccer" tshirt. Surprisingly sirens didn't go off when I bought soccer balls and shin guards. Of course I'm kidding. We just aren't a soccer family but if it ever turns out one of them want to play - we will become one! Anything for your kids right? My little Ty Ty's first day of pre-school. Isn't he cute??? He is back with the same teacher and a lot of the same friends this year. He loves it. You can't see his backpack but he has a really cool Batman backpack. Batman is his new favorite - just wait Halloween is coming and you'll see. I also love this picture of him and Brett.

Happy Birthday Mom

Today is my mom's birthday....her last birthday in her 5o's. Next year she turns the big 6-0. We celebrated yesterday with her. The boys helped make a cake...and they helped taste it (before it had frosting on it) and without me knowing about it. Thankfully the frosting covered it up. We all chipped in and got her a nice digital camera. I'll call her Ms. Digital! She honestly is the farthest thing from it. Her camera experience should be great and no doubt will cause us to have a couple laughs. :)

Kindergarten and pre-school are going great. The boys all love school. Especially Cody and Dylan who are so excited to be doing new things every day. They keep the kids busy. No naps for them. They come home very tired but look forward to the next day with excitement. Tyler is enjoying his year back with his class. Not all the kids came back but a few of his "favorites" and he is loving it. Last year was a more "coming out of his shell" type of year and this year he seems to get more out of it.

I've seem to take on another job....it's called Mom's Bus! On my lunch hour, I go and pick Tyler up and then head to another school to pick up C&D. I pull up in front of the house, honk my horn, my mom comes out and the boys unbuckle and out they go. It makes for a busy hour and one that is fine as long as there is no snow on the ground. The weather should make it interesting.

This week we only have one appointment and that is the dentist for a cleaning. Should go smoothly as they have all had this done before. Cody is excited to show that he has a loose tooth. He can't wait for the tooth fairy to come. Dylan has lost 2 so it's time for Cody to catch up.

We had signed the boys up for Soccer that was starting on Sat. We got to the indoor field, gathered with all the parents and waited. The coach never showed. Left kind of dis-appointed and figured something good must of happened. Well, I guess he had to have surgery on a disk and is out 4-6 weeks. So he's not coaching soccer and he's not sure if somebody else is going to pick up his spot. So kind of disappointed and frustrating as I spent money on balls and shin guards to only wear them for a 1/2 hour. Most all other leagues have started and since my boys have never played soccer before it might be hard to get on a team now. So we'll sit it out most likely. Which is a "smirky face" kind of way is fine as we know NOTHING about soccer and would love to see them play football! :) Everybody that knows my husband knows where I am going with that!

This past week also brought some bad news to our extended family. Brett's sister has been diagnosed with another brain tumor. She had one 6 years ago that they operated on and she had done well with recovery. However, the ugly thing reared it's head and she had surgery end of May. At that time though, she found out she was pregnant and could not undergo chemo and radiation. Unfortunately, the tumor grew back and we wait till the baby can be born for her to have surgery and treatment. Any and all prayers are needed for her.

1st day of Kindergarten

A very cool day to start Kindergarten - 9/9/09....probably won't ever forget that date. The boys loved it. They came home with great stories. Dylan had art class today. Cody's class stayed in and read a story and got to draw. They ate lunch but not together. Not sure if they get a choice of where to sit or not. I guess Cody's class didn't get to go outside for recess as a boy in his class punched a girl. Oh boy! We should have a great year. Tomorrow comes the real test as we go at normal time 7:50 - 2:40....and I begin my new job of MOM TAXI.

To make our day more interesting....I also had scheduled Cody to have a endo doctor visit. Blood work came back good. His TSH level is holding steady from what it was in February. Dr. Wu said that he'll see him back in May '10. He said right now he's on been on Levoxyl for 10 months and he isn't ready to take him off the meds yet. From what he said, it could be a couple years of meds and only if the blood work stays consistent and we don't need to increase meds will he get to come off the medication. So we wait..... Cody was hoping to hear he wouldn't have to take the pill anymore.

Ending out our first day of school day - we met Brett at a pizza shop for some yummy pizza to celebrate!

Kindergarten and Misc. Pictures

Brett and his Grandma Luckey. Bless her heart she doesn't know who many people are. Or if and when she recognizes you she remembers you from when you were much smaller. So just before this picture I was helping each boy get a piece of cake. First up was Tyler and I told her that this was Brett's youngest. She commented that he looked just like Brett. Then was Dylan's turn and she said the same thing except this time she specifically commented on Dylan's eyes and how they are just like his daddy's. Cody was last and she said he also looked like Brett and that's when I just couldn't believe her anymore. He looks nothing like him - but she did say that he has very soft and warm hands like his Dad. It was so great to see her and to get a picture like this. Not sure how much longer we will have her with us. But this picture we will be able to cherish forever! Cody on his first day of Kindergarten. He got to his class, hung up his bookbag and was off. I had to find him in the sea of parents and he showed me this section. It's right in front of the board and is their "meeting" room. Dylan picked out a great cubby and his name tag was waiting for him. He was excited to get it on, humored his mom for a picture and then was off to sit and draw at the table. Their smiles really do say it all. They were very excited to leave this morning. And at the end of the day - they had a great day!

Tyler's ENT visit

Well it's been a little bit since I last posted. Our summer is coming to a close. Right around the corner is the first day of school, long weekends of football games, a couple family birthdays (my mom and Brett), some pretty important doctor's visits for Cody and Tyler and of course now SURGERY.......

Tyler went to the ENT for his check up mid June. She noticed fluid on the right ear and told me to watch it. Call her if there were any infections, have the ped. check it at his check-up and to see her in Sept. Pediatrician checked the ear in July and there was still fluid. Just shy of our Sept. visit, he started complaining of ear pain. So we moved the appointment up and they found the fluid to still be there. She put him on Amoxicillan, gave him nasonex and said we better get a surgery date.

Today we had our appointment with the surgeon. He believes that because the fluid in the right ear has been there for a few months now it's time for another set of tubes. He said normally kids don't need another set especially after having their tonsils and adenoids out. The left ear looks OK but he would check it out better later. He thinks it's best to put long term tubes in. The thing with these is they don't "fall out" they would need to be removed - so another surgery down the road. These are the same type of tube that Cody has. Tyler has also been clearing his throat - a lot! So much that I didn't notice it at first - I think I had become used to it. Or I just didn't want to make it be something. My sister noticed it and said something and that's when I really stayed tuned into it all. The doctor thinks that possibly there could be some adenoid re-growth but he's not sure if it's enough that needs attention. But that too will get checked out during surgery. And lastly during surgery, they will cut the piece of skin that runs from his gum to his teeth. We all have this - Tyler's is just more prominent and our dentist believes it will cause a gap in the front teeth. So he will cut that and we shouldn't have any problems. Surgery is scheduled for 9/29.

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I seem to have fallen off the band wagon on blogging. I need to get better. We are heading to the in-laws for the long holiday weekend. Well after football games tomorrow. September tis the season for football! Cody and Dylan start Kindergarten on the 9th. They are both extremely happy about going. Not sure if they will be happy when I wake them up at 7am but they are looking forward to going. Cody has an appointment with Dr. Wu that same day. Hoping for good results from the blood work and that he can stop taking his thyroid medication. Tyler starts pre-school on the 11th. Same teacher/same school/same set of kids - so it should be an easy transition back. Brett is going to be picking up a part-time job if you will. My company is trying to get a huge project out the door and to Kaiser - we have manufactured this huge Robot system for filling prescriptions. So, with that we have all been pulling double shifts and more help is needed. So Brett is going to work in the AM to help us all out. My mom and Brett celebrate birthdays this month. And to end out our busy month of September, Cody has another follow up with his palate expander. Which is going great. Then Tyler's surgery. Check back often as I'll have lost of updating post to the above!!!

Have a happy and safe holiday weekend!