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| Easter basket |
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| Gifts from the Easter Bunny |
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| Love my Easter stuff! |
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Happy Easter!
The Easter Bunny came to visit Sydney!
Saturday, April 23, 2011
On the Mend (we think/hope)!
Sydney is one tough little cookie! She has taken all of this so well, considering she can't use either hand, can't roll around in her crib like she used to, and doesn't understand one bit of what the heck is going on.
Overall, I would say that Sydney does not appear to be in excruciating pain. We are keeping medicine in her regularly for now to hopefully avoid that happening. She has moments of sleeping well in her crib, but for the most part she has had a very hard time getting comfortable enough to sleep. I don't blame her one bit, though! We are getting some sleep, but not a whole ton and it is often interrupted. The hard part is that I don't think she's all that comfortable with us holding her while she sleeps either. I am hopeful that over the next few days as the pain truly wears off she will learn to get herself comfortable in her crib. I suspect we will see her sleeping better soon, too. In fact, as I type this, she is rolling from side to side in her crib to get re-situated. I just know sleep is important to help her heal, so I want her to be able to get some.
During her wakeful times, it's a whole nother ballgame. We have managed to give her a sponge bath to get the hospital yuckiness off. Sydney is using her casts to swing at things and even tries to 'grab' some things too. She is really enjoying her exersaucer- she bounces all around in it and whacks at the toys. Her smiles let us know she really is enjoying it! We will have to become a bit creative with 'toys' for the next month. So far I have found that she likes playing with a paper grocery bag- the noise it makes is fun and she can pick it up in spite of the casts. Unfortunately, most of her baby toys are just too small for her to play with. I am thinking she will enjoy banging on some pots and pans as well!
I continue to be thankful for the doctors and nurses that have cared for Sydney this week. On Wednesday at about 7:30, Sydney's pediatrician called to check on her. I don't think I can brag enough about her! On Thursday morning, the recovery room nurse that Sydney had called to check as well. She answered all of our questions and asked some of her own to make sure we covered all of our bases. Then, Sydney's surgeon called as well. We had scheduled her appointment for four weeks to have the bandages and pins removed. The doctor decided, however, that she wants us to bring her back in two weeks. She wants to take the bandages off and check to be sure the pins haven't shifted. After some discussion, we decided that it would be best to have her do all of this in the operating room. Sydney will be given some gas (not full anesthesia by any means) to calm her. We did have the option of doing this in the surgeon's clinic which would have included us holding her down, her screaming her head off, and her (and me) being totally traumatized. The drawback to doing this in the OR is that we will have to go through pretty much the same pre-op procedures as Wednesday: no eating after a certain time, arriving early at the hospital, etc. However, it will all go much quicker and will be a lot easier considering it won't be full anesthesia again. It will be a long day, but it would be long whether we chose to have it done in clinic or in the OR.
After everything Sydney has been through in these past challenging days, we think this picture pretty much sums everything up!
Overall, I would say that Sydney does not appear to be in excruciating pain. We are keeping medicine in her regularly for now to hopefully avoid that happening. She has moments of sleeping well in her crib, but for the most part she has had a very hard time getting comfortable enough to sleep. I don't blame her one bit, though! We are getting some sleep, but not a whole ton and it is often interrupted. The hard part is that I don't think she's all that comfortable with us holding her while she sleeps either. I am hopeful that over the next few days as the pain truly wears off she will learn to get herself comfortable in her crib. I suspect we will see her sleeping better soon, too. In fact, as I type this, she is rolling from side to side in her crib to get re-situated. I just know sleep is important to help her heal, so I want her to be able to get some.
During her wakeful times, it's a whole nother ballgame. We have managed to give her a sponge bath to get the hospital yuckiness off. Sydney is using her casts to swing at things and even tries to 'grab' some things too. She is really enjoying her exersaucer- she bounces all around in it and whacks at the toys. Her smiles let us know she really is enjoying it! We will have to become a bit creative with 'toys' for the next month. So far I have found that she likes playing with a paper grocery bag- the noise it makes is fun and she can pick it up in spite of the casts. Unfortunately, most of her baby toys are just too small for her to play with. I am thinking she will enjoy banging on some pots and pans as well!
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| "Ummm...plastic bags do not belong on my hands" |
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| All clean...sort of! |
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| "Man, that was tough getting a shirt on over these things!" |
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| Bouncing away |
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| "These toys are kinda fun" |
I continue to be thankful for the doctors and nurses that have cared for Sydney this week. On Wednesday at about 7:30, Sydney's pediatrician called to check on her. I don't think I can brag enough about her! On Thursday morning, the recovery room nurse that Sydney had called to check as well. She answered all of our questions and asked some of her own to make sure we covered all of our bases. Then, Sydney's surgeon called as well. We had scheduled her appointment for four weeks to have the bandages and pins removed. The doctor decided, however, that she wants us to bring her back in two weeks. She wants to take the bandages off and check to be sure the pins haven't shifted. After some discussion, we decided that it would be best to have her do all of this in the operating room. Sydney will be given some gas (not full anesthesia by any means) to calm her. We did have the option of doing this in the surgeon's clinic which would have included us holding her down, her screaming her head off, and her (and me) being totally traumatized. The drawback to doing this in the OR is that we will have to go through pretty much the same pre-op procedures as Wednesday: no eating after a certain time, arriving early at the hospital, etc. However, it will all go much quicker and will be a lot easier considering it won't be full anesthesia again. It will be a long day, but it would be long whether we chose to have it done in clinic or in the OR.
After everything Sydney has been through in these past challenging days, we think this picture pretty much sums everything up!
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| Tiny and Tuff!! |
Friday, April 22, 2011
Surgery Day
~Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ~
Wednesday was Sydney's surgery. It was a long and stressful day, but Sydney came through it amazingly well. I started this blog knowing we would have a difficult journey ahead, but I want Sydney to one day read about what she went through. Part of the beauty of the surgery being now is she will have no memory of the pain, the casts, or my craziness leading up to the procedure :)
We began our day early, waking Sydney up at 6:30. We had so many blessings throughout the day and we started with one right from the beginning: Sydney woke up as happy as could be. She wasn't bothered by the fact that we had woken her in the middle of the night to eat, that we were waking her much earlier than normal, or that she couldn't eat. It made the morning much easier for us that she was so content.
When we arrived at UNC things were busy from the get go, but time seemed to go by incredibly slow. We checked Sydney in, signed some papers, and had a few minutes to visit with friends Dianne and Pete (who were so incredibly kind to stop by) before we were called back to the pre-op area.
For me, once we were brought back to the prep area things became real and difficult. The nurses and doctors were wonderful and understanding, each one kind about the tears they saw running down my face. We met with several nurses, the anesthesiologist, and the surgeon. The surgeon went over what she was hoping to accomplish and let us know that she was expecting the surgery to last between 4 and 6 hours. Then, pretty much exactly at the scheduled surgery time of 8:45, the anesthesiologist had us give last minute hugs and kisses and took Sydney off for surgery. I cannot begin to describe the feelings inside watching her being carried away. It was a moment I knew was coming and one that had been built up in my mind for a year. I don't know if the fact that I had a long time to think about having to one day hand her over made it harder or not. The one thing I know for sure is that handing her over and watching her being carried away from us is the hardest thing I have ever done.
Once she was brought back to the operating room (and I was able to collect myself), the waiting game began. Blake and I tried to stay busy to pass the time, and we tried unsuccessfully not to watch the minutes ticking by. We were lucky to have both of our parents keep up company as well as my brother (another hidden blessing in the day). We also had several visitors including Andrew, Dianne and Pete again, as well as Blake's parents' pastor who lead us in prayer (another blessing). During this time, we had moments of peace and moments of worry. It was definitely an emotional rollercoaster.
Finally, pretty much right at 2:00, Sydney's surgeon came out to tell us about that she was finished. She let us know that Sydney came through the surgery fine. She also gave us details about the surgery itself. I would love to write lots of details at this point about exactly what she accomplished, but once I heard that Sydney was ok, I had trouble focusing on the details of what she said. I am sure she will tell us again when she takes the bandages off in four weeks. At this point, I can tell you the following highlights (all blessings):
Once home, Sydney slept through the evening but did take some time to eat. We laid her in her crib, but she really wasn't having any of it. Blake and I ultimately took turns holding her in our recliner on our chests while she slept. It was really the only way she seemed to be comfortable and we were fine with that. While we didn't get much sleep, she did and that's all that mattered. She seemed to have some waves of pain but nothing uncontrolable.
In reflecting on the day, I am amazed at how well things went. I must list out some of the things that stood out to me throughout the day:
I will continue to update how her recovery is going as much as possible!
Philippians 4:6
Wednesday was Sydney's surgery. It was a long and stressful day, but Sydney came through it amazingly well. I started this blog knowing we would have a difficult journey ahead, but I want Sydney to one day read about what she went through. Part of the beauty of the surgery being now is she will have no memory of the pain, the casts, or my craziness leading up to the procedure :)
We began our day early, waking Sydney up at 6:30. We had so many blessings throughout the day and we started with one right from the beginning: Sydney woke up as happy as could be. She wasn't bothered by the fact that we had woken her in the middle of the night to eat, that we were waking her much earlier than normal, or that she couldn't eat. It made the morning much easier for us that she was so content.
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| Happy baby in her crib! |
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| Arriving at the hospital |
When we arrived at UNC things were busy from the get go, but time seemed to go by incredibly slow. We checked Sydney in, signed some papers, and had a few minutes to visit with friends Dianne and Pete (who were so incredibly kind to stop by) before we were called back to the pre-op area.
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| ACC Building at UNC-Chapel Hill |
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| In my hospital gown |
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| In Sydney's pre-op room |
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| Left hand marked and ready |
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| Right hand marked and ready |
For me, once we were brought back to the prep area things became real and difficult. The nurses and doctors were wonderful and understanding, each one kind about the tears they saw running down my face. We met with several nurses, the anesthesiologist, and the surgeon. The surgeon went over what she was hoping to accomplish and let us know that she was expecting the surgery to last between 4 and 6 hours. Then, pretty much exactly at the scheduled surgery time of 8:45, the anesthesiologist had us give last minute hugs and kisses and took Sydney off for surgery. I cannot begin to describe the feelings inside watching her being carried away. It was a moment I knew was coming and one that had been built up in my mind for a year. I don't know if the fact that I had a long time to think about having to one day hand her over made it harder or not. The one thing I know for sure is that handing her over and watching her being carried away from us is the hardest thing I have ever done.
Once she was brought back to the operating room (and I was able to collect myself), the waiting game began. Blake and I tried to stay busy to pass the time, and we tried unsuccessfully not to watch the minutes ticking by. We were lucky to have both of our parents keep up company as well as my brother (another hidden blessing in the day). We also had several visitors including Andrew, Dianne and Pete again, as well as Blake's parents' pastor who lead us in prayer (another blessing). During this time, we had moments of peace and moments of worry. It was definitely an emotional rollercoaster.
Finally, pretty much right at 2:00, Sydney's surgeon came out to tell us about that she was finished. She let us know that Sydney came through the surgery fine. She also gave us details about the surgery itself. I would love to write lots of details at this point about exactly what she accomplished, but once I heard that Sydney was ok, I had trouble focusing on the details of what she said. I am sure she will tell us again when she takes the bandages off in four weeks. At this point, I can tell you the following highlights (all blessings):
- Sydney has 10 fingers! Each finger has it's own fingernail!
- The surgeon did not have to use skin grafts. (AMAZING!) She feels that her left hand will look pretty much like a 'normal' hand.
- Sydney has a pin in each of her ring fingers to hopefully aid in straightening them and discourage them from turning inward. They will be removed when the bandages come off.
- It took the surgeon 3 1/2 hours on her right hand and about 1 1/2 hours on her left hand.
- Sydney has a plaster cast on each arm up to about her elbow and her arms are completely wrapped in what something that looks similar to an Ace bandage all the way to her shoulders.
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| In recovery with Sydney's WONDERFUL nurse |
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| Everyone happy to see Sydney! |
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| One view of her arms |
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| Sleepy |
Once home, Sydney slept through the evening but did take some time to eat. We laid her in her crib, but she really wasn't having any of it. Blake and I ultimately took turns holding her in our recliner on our chests while she slept. It was really the only way she seemed to be comfortable and we were fine with that. While we didn't get much sleep, she did and that's all that mattered. She seemed to have some waves of pain but nothing uncontrolable.
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| Asleep for the car ride home |
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| Another cast view |
In reflecting on the day, I am amazed at how well things went. I must list out some of the things that stood out to me throughout the day:
- Blake is a rock. I know inside he was having as hard a time with everything as I was, but he was able to show amazing strength. While I was breaking down, he was comforting me. I cannot describe how much I love him: he is an incredible father and I am truly blessed to have him as my husband.
- We have an incredible support system. I know Sydney had so many people praying for her, and we felt them all. I cannot put into words how appreciative I am for every prayer, encouraging word, text, message, and phone call we received. Sydney had people praying for her from Simi Valley, Califonia to Charleston, South Carolina; from Norman, Oklahoma to Miami, Florida; from Victoria, Texas to Oxford, Mississipi; from New Orleans, Louisianna to Charlotte, North Carolina...and so many points in between!
- We made the right decision choosing UNC (and most of you know how difficult it is for me as a State fan to admit that). From the moment we stepped into the surgical center until that moment we left, Sydney was treated with the best possible care. Thank God for that!
I will continue to update how her recovery is going as much as possible!
Philippians 4:6
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Hippety, Hoppety, Easter's on It's Way!
Today we took Sydney to see the Easter Bunny. A park right up the road from our house had an Easter 'Eggs-travaganza' with an egg hunt, bouncy houses, and a DJ. While we only took Sydney for the Easter Bunny, it was neat to see what she has in store for future Easters. She didn't cry when the Easter Bunny held her, but she didn't seem to sure either. However, there was a large crowd that was also very distracting. We were able to snap a couple cute pictures. I love her bunny ears!! :)
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| Love my daddy! |
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| "Mom, save me!" |
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| "I think I can get away..." |
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| Me and Mom |
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| Sweet face |
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| Good eats |
Ready, Set, Go!! (Almost)
Sydney seems to get closer everyday to crawling. She is able to push up on her hands and knees and even rock back and forth a little bit. She can only hold up for a few seconds but is definitely gaining strength. When she pushes all the way up, she inevitably slides herself backward, usually ending up against a wall, under her crib, etc. She also loves lunging to try and grab everything in her path, especially Sophie! Sophie is so calm and gentle with her, totally out of character for her.
While the crawling seems to be very close, I almost hope she holds off until after surgery. That way she doesn't gain the skill only to be unable to practice it for a bit.
While the crawling seems to be very close, I almost hope she holds off until after surgery. That way she doesn't gain the skill only to be unable to practice it for a bit.
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| Big girl push up! |
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| "Sophie, just come a little bit closer..." |
Friday, April 15, 2011
Pre-op
Last week we took Sydney to UNC for her pre-op appointment. While I wish we had a ton of new information to share, it was a fairly basic appointment. The doctor took new x-rays and told us her surgery plan, but we really didn't learn anything new. The doctor did answer our last minute questions, even some silly 'mom' ones. :) We anticipate the surgery itself to last about four hours with about five hours before we get to see her. I anticipate those being five long hours. We have been told that Blake and I will be able to go see her once she is moved to recovery. After recovery, we will get to bring her home. For now, we just wait for the day of surgery to arrive.
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| Ready to head to UNC |
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| Playing with Dad in the waiting room after x-rays |
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| Waiting on the doctor |
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