Definately not 100% ... but closer

Day 4 was the turning point for Helaina, thank goodness. The previous 3 days were not pleasant. They were filled with pain, moaning, crying, crankiness, hunger, thirst and throwing up from antibiotics. Helaina's completely empty stomach just couldn't take the strong oral meds she had been prescribed, so after a call to the surgeon's office early Thursday morning he took her off them (much to my relief, but by then there were already 3 loads of "pukey" laundry). Early Friday morning I thought I was in for more of the same as she sat on my lap crying and moaning, but by mid-morning after the pain meds kicked in she started drinking more and actually ate some cream of wheat. She was hungry for soup at lunchtime and was talking more and playing a little. Yeehaaaa, as Helaina would say. By the time Daddy got home from work on Friday she had perked up quite a bit. Saturday turned out to be a record-breaking 88 degrees and Helaina enjoyed it thoroughly. She was well enough to convince us to bring out her water table and find her bathing suit. Poor kid had felt so lousy for the last 5 days that it was a joy for us to finally see her enjoy herself. She still has her moments of pain, gets tired easily and has been a very restless sleeper since being home, waking up several times during the night. She is definately on the mend though and that makes Mommy and Daddy rest easier - somewhat!

Some photos from our first days home - passed out on the rug while watching TV.

I was in the kitchen getting a drink for Helaina when I turned around and saw her with her pillow laying on the step up into the kitchen. After I called her name she momentarily lifted her head and gave me that half-glance through one eye! Poor baby felt so lousy.

She took one lick of this popsicle and then held it until it started to drip. Her throat hurt so much that even the popsicles didn't tempt her, and she loves popsicles. I spent most of my time trying to convince her that eating anything cold or frozen would make her throat feel better, but our stubborn little gal didn't want any part of it.

Saturday was a good day. Helaina felt much better, it was 88 degrees outside, the water table and hose came out and we went for ice cream that night. Helaina chanted "ice cream cone, ice cream cone" as we got ready to go - it was so funny.

After looking at this picture, I think Helaina's got a provocative little pose going on here!!!

Phew, glad that's over, however...

Tuesday morning pre-surgery breakfast of popsicle, apple juice and jello.

.... I think we're in for a long road to full recovery. Thankfully we're home from the hospital as of this morning and Helaina is minus her tonsils and adenoids. She's a tough little gal but this surgery has taken the "umph" out of her more than I anticipated. Surgery took 1 hour & 15 minutes. When we got to see her in recovery she was thrashing around, crying and extremely combative so she got a dose of morphine to settle her down - and it worked. In her room she slept for the most part with bouts of moaning, crying and whining mixed in. She had a few licks of popsicles, a couple spoonfuls of jello, a few sips of water and slushy drinks but not as much as we had hoped. About 4:00am this morning she woke up and seemed better. First thing she said was "Daddy home?" I told her yes. Then she asked "Coming?" - so cute. I told her yes, Daddy would be coming soon to take us home. Fortunately she's had no bleeding from the surgery site, which is a very good thing. She was talking a little more and I got a few sips of water down her before she quickly turned her head and swatted away at the cup I held for her. Now that's our girl! After her morning antibiotic she drank enough to get herself released from the hospital but when we got home it was a different story. Her pain level must have gotten worse because she's very cranky and absolutely refuses to drink - and she threw up too. We were able to get one sip of Gatorade down her with some chewable pain meds and she briefly fell asleep watching her favorite movie, Horton Hears a Who. Since she woke up she's been pathetic and we feel so bad for her. She's definately hungry and thirsty and asking for food and drink, but after one sip or bite she crys, moans and refuses more (Daddy can relate to how she feels because Daddy had his tonsils yanked out 4 years ago and remembers the agony well). We're hoping she makes a miraculous recovery over the next few days but it looks "iffy" right now. I can only imagine what goes on in her head: "Why do these people who love me keep bringing me back to this place so that tall curly haired dude can torture me?" Breaks my heart.

Waiting for surgery. Helaina found the room full of "vehicles" and Daddy must have walked up and down the hallway about 100 times with her.

Resting a few hours after surgery in her room - puffy cheeks and swollen lips. Today there are 2 matching black & blue marks that appeared on her lower jaw from whatever apparatus they use to keep her mouth open during surgery (we assume). Both sides of her lips have cracked and become raw too.

"Yah, I'd like to eat this popsicle but I can't because of the painful giant BOO BOO in my mouth, so for now I'll just hold it like a sword until it drips all over me."

On the way home from the hospital we waited in the car while Daddy filled Helaina's prescriptions. She fell asleep from the excitement of being released.

We just finished dinner and Helaina had just about nothing. In front of her she had applesauce, milkshake, some soft bread and a few soft french fries. She ate one crumb of bread and 2 licks of the milkshake. She didn't want a popsicle or koolaid or lemon ice. I feel absolutely horrible because she's hungry and wants to eat but the pain is keeping her from it. Last month at her 3-year checkup she weighed 38 pounds and was in the 95th percentile for weight - I think she'll be shedding a little of that "baby fat" over the next few days!

Tonsils, who needs them?

Helaina and I have a sleep-over planned for tomorrow night. Unfortunately it's at the hospital. Tomorrow morning Helaina will have her tonsils and adenoids removed, as recommended by her surgeon. It's an overnight stay apparently because of the bleeding risks involved. Our freezer is stocked with popsicles, flavored ices and ice cream (although our instruction sheet says no ice cream or dairy until 3 days post-op). We've got plenty of applesauce, koolaid, non-acidic juices and soft foods for her to eat when she gets home. She's not to have anything "crunchy" for 3 weeks, which will be a problem because Helaina has a serious crunchy carbohydrate addiction (cheezits, pretzels, baked chips, taco chips, goldfish crackers) and as soon as she's feeling better she will want them. She also has to "remain quiet" without a lot of physical activity for 3 weeks - ok. The other day she was swinging from the rings on her swingset like Tarzan. This morning I found her in the hallway standing on her pillow with her arms spread out. When I asked her what she was doing, her reply was simply "skateboard, yipppeeee". Should be interesting. Wish Mommy, Daddy and Helaina good luck. Here are a few pics from the last couple of weeks.

Helaina's new shirt from Daddy featuring "Otto Orange", as she calls him.

Some pics from Baby Anna's shower - Helaina will have a new cousin to play with at the end of May. The cake, oh the yummy cake. You can see Helaina just itching to stick her fingers in the cake while it's being served. Fortunately, one of her hands was occupied holding the giant chocolate chip cookie she was munching on - a small sugar rush before the larger sugar rush.

Anything dipped in whipped cream is good, especially strawberries.

Striking a pose.

Helaina at a friend's birthday party at the MOST a few weekends ago.

She loved these tunnels and caves you can climb through.

Resting one morning after breakfast. Curious George is appreciated so much more with your 2 favorite pillows.

Burgers are yummy eaten "big girl" style

Helaina hasn't been much of a burger fan, until now. She's eaten a few of them in the past but the top bun had to be removed and she'd eat it with a fork after it had been cut up. She's not a fan of getting her fingers messy when eating, which is a contradiction because outside she'll dive into a pile of dirt or jump into a mudpuddle without giving it a second thought - go figure. I recently made gardenburgers for dinner and thought I'd try one out on Helaina. The "cheeseburgerer" was put in front of her and she was very interested. She squirted ketchup on it, put the top bun on the burger and dove in. She picked it up, started taking big bites and was eating it faster than we were. We kept telling her "slow down, take a sip of milk, don't take such big bites" but she chowed down like she was in an eating contest. She actually had the burger gone before Jim and I were finished with ours. Of course I was mesmerized by the way she was eating and couldn't take my eyes of of her as she thoroughly enjoyed her dinner. When she was all done she threw her arms up in the air and exclaimed "big girl". I guess so.

Mushroom garden burgers are goooood.

A scrunched-up face allows for a bigger bite.

Pinky up shows class while eating.

Finally, lick the ketchup and crumbs off your fingers.

Putting Helaina's unused diapers to good use...

I think if Heidi could speak, she'd say "I'm humiliated."

I'll start by saying that Helaina is now potty trained and it's wonderful to have that accomplishment under our belts (and that extra diaper money in our pockets). Unfortunately, Heidi will be wearing Helaina's unused diapers for a while. Last night while watching TV, Jim said "What's Heidi doing?" As I glanced into the kitchen I saw that she was hunched over in the "pee pee position" right there in the kitchen! After my scream and leap to drag her outside, we realized the problem - poor baby has some type of urinary infection because of the pink-tinged pee pee on the floor (enough said about that). So this morning I called the vet 1 minute after they opened to make an appointment. Poor Heidi was worse this morning, unable to control herself and leaving a trail all over the kitchen, obviously in discomfort. Rather than follow her around with a roll of paper towels and a bottle of 409 cleaner, I thought I'd try the diaper. "Ta daa", as Helaina would say. A perfect fit. The vet confirmed our suspicions and Heidi is now on antibiotics for 2 weeks - oh goody. Until the medicine kicks in and the frequent uncontrollable "dripping" stops, I'm afraid it will be diapers for the doggie. Just in case anyone needs to know, size 5 diapers fit a 22 pound cockapoo perfectly!

Good thing she's got a short stubby tail!

Helaina thinks it's funny and grabbed her play camera this morning and started snapping her own pictures!

An Easter egg hunt, a bunny cake and Easter fun for Helaina

There was an Easter egg hunt at a nearby park the day before Easter, so we headed on over so that Helaina could get some fresh air, run around and hopefully tire herself out for a good nap. Helaina and many other kids searched the park for colored plastic Easter eggs which they turned in for a candy goody bag. Each egg that Helaina found brought a smile to her face, and ours as well. She delights in the simple things, thank goodness.

Pointing to another egg.

"Check out my stash."

Helaina's hesitation with people-dressed-as-critters is slowly fading away, as evidenced by Saturday's meeting with a sweet Easter bunny. First check out from a distance, then slowly move in closer ...

... then look face to face ...

... then go in for a kiss on the cheek!

Fortunately this park has one of Helaina's favorite curvy slides.

Although Helaina was home with us last Easter, this one was more like a first Easter together. Last year Easter was early, in March. We arrived home from China on March 19th and Easter was a mere 4 days later. Since Jim and I were both sick when we got home, suffering from jet lag and attending to Helaina's needs in her new environment, we weren't up for eggs and Easter baskets. Thankfully, this year we were and it was a blast.

The Easter basket with an Abby Cadabby and Little Mermaid theme - 2 of Helaina's most recent favorites.

Looking for Easter eggs. Helaina thought to check out her tent but I didn't think to hide any in there - I mean the Easter bunny didn't hide any in there!

Found the basket! "No way, Heidi!"

"I didn't know the Easter bunny wrapped presents. Yah, baseball!"

What's Easter without a bunny cake (carrot, of course) and frosted cut-outs. Helaina helped make and decorate both. By "helped" I mean ate frosting and tossed sprinkles all over the kitchen.

Tried to get her to stand still for a photo in her cute dress from Aunt Cynthia, but she was on a jellybean high by then and these were all I could get before she took off on me.

What a face. What an Easter.

Blooms, swings and baseball

You know it's a sure sign of Spring when the Easter Egg Tree blooms! Helaina thought it was great to tie plastic colored eggs on a tree outside. Her latest new word - jellybean, how appropriate.


We had a sunny, 65 degree day this past week and it was wonderful to go outside in short sleeves and feel the sun on your arms. We washed the bird poop off the slide and the swing was set in motion - and so was Helaina!

Josh took the opportunity to start teaching Helaina how to swing away at a baseball. "Mom, we have to buy Helaina a tee-ball set so she can swing at the ball and hit it." Yah, yah, I know. Thank goodness the Easter Bunny already hopped over to Walmart and picked one up.

She actually connects once in a while. I see a future tee-baller in the family!