I'm up to July, I think

I was probably home icing my knee when Helaina and Jim went to the Penguin Palooza this summer at the zoo.  It was the first event of the summer that I missed because of my surgery and I was miserable.  "We could always push you around in a wheelchair?"  Uh, no, I don't think so.

Now that's one angry looking penguin.  Must be she hadn't had any ice cream samples yet.

And to think that she used to scream when she got near people dressed up as animals.  No fear now.

Awwww, cutie pie.

It was a hot night.  This elephant must have been sweating out his peanuts all night.

No trip to the zoo is complete without giving Suri a pet.

Hmmm, penguin palooza yet she wanted an elephant painted on her cheek.

I think the lion wanted a lick of Helaina's sherbet.  By the way, that's not a giant bruise on the side of Helaina's face.  She got so sweaty that when she wiped her cheek her face-painted elephant became one big smear.

When flipping through my summer pics to find some of Helaina in the pool, I realized that I only have a few from when we opened the pool the weekend before Memorial Day.  I couldn't believe it so I checked again and it's true.  That tells you how entirely miserable and depressed I was all summer long from my surgery and because I couldn't swim until my incision was completely healed (which wasn't until the 3rd week in August - I had one deep, stubborn scab at the top of the incision that just wouldn't heal - and it was such a perfectly hot summer for swimming too).

When the pool cover came off the water temperature was a frigid 56 degrees.  Jim has to (reluctantly) go in to put the sandbag under the ladder and Helaina HAS to go in, well, just because she's nuts.  She couldn't wait 5 more minutes until the ladder was in so she slipped herself over the side ...

... then realized how absolutely FREEZING the water was and screamed for Jim to pull her out.

After lots of screaming, shrieking and "oh my gosh"ing and hysterical laughing from me and Helaina, Jim took the plunge, got the ladder in, anchored it with the sandbag and promptly got out, claiming hypothermia.  Then our future polar bear got in.

Love the look on her face.  She went down the ladder slowly ...

... clung to the side for a while and then began swimming.

She ended up staying in the water for more than 30 minutes before we insisted she come out.  Then I realized how insane Jim and I were for letting our 6-year old stay in 56 degree water for about 40 minutes.  Her skin was freezing and after we got her dried off and in dry clothes, she was still chattering.  Then I got mad at myself for being so stupid and scared that she actually did lower her core body temperature and had hypothermia.  I bundled her up in a blanket and had her sit in the house and watch TV for a while.  I kept reaching under the blanket and feeling her skin to see if it was warming up, and it finally did.  We were idiots and Helaina didn't know enough to come out of the freezing water on her own.

On a yucky note, Helaina's been battling severe eczema since she was three years old and has had an extreme outbreak over the last 3 weeks that prompted a visit to the dermatologist.  We came home with a prescription foam emollient to try to get things under control.  Used the entire can in 4 days with no results.  Then as recommended we saw an allergist to see if the eczema was due to an allergy.  Poor little doll had to endure 19 needle pricks on her back to see if she was allergic to anything.  Fortunately (or unfortunately) she's not allergic to anything - no foods, dairy, tree nuts, peanuts, soy, gluten, cats, dogs, indoor or outdoor allergens or any of the other 19 pokes she got, but we did leave that office with a heavy-duty antihistimine to help with the itching.  After 2 intensely horrific days over the Columbus Day holiday, I called the dermatologist back and tearfully told of Helaina's constant pain, never-ending irritation, crying, itching, red skin and large raw patches and luckily they gave us an appointment that day.  This time we scored big and actually got to see the doctor instead of the P.A. (which is a big deal in the dermatology world, actually seeing the doctor).  Helaina's so young and her case was so extreme they called in the big guns for a look.  The doctor was great.  We left with 2 new prescriptions for ointment, $43 worth of products (lotion and body wash) that contains special healing waters from some spring in France that supposedly people go lay in because of its healing properties, and hope.  Mercifully, 2 days later she's doing somewhat better and the open sores are beginning to heal, the dead skin is beginning to slough off and a tiny portion of the redness is getting back to the normal tone of skin.  She still crys, writhes in pain and begs me to stop when I'm applying the ointments (which absolutely kills me), and bathing her or having her shower with raw skin is a NIGHTMARE, but at least this line of products is working.  You wouldn't think so, but eczema is a b*tch!

This is just a SMALL sampling of the arsenal it takes to keep Helaina's skin moisturized enough to begin the healing and fight off the eczema outbreaks.  The 2 boxes in the center are the French spring water products and there are 4 tubes of prescription ointments.  Three of the tubes range in price from $74 to $145 (yah, insane, isn't it - our healthcare provider loves our family) - and the tube shown in the middle of the picture - a prescription non-steroid ointment - has a pricetag of (hold your breath) - $450.  Yup, $450 for a tube that's the size of a small toothpaste tube (and that's our 2nd refill of that particular one).  THANK GOODNESS for co-pays, or else we'd be in debt big-time.

But just look at that happy little face - totally worth it all.  And yes, in case you noticed, there is another gap in her bottom teeth.  Helaina lost her 3rd tooth in September and she was just thrilled about it.  More pictures of the major event, how the tooth came out (at school!) and what the tooth fairy left her is topic for another post at another time.  Almost time for my little gal to get off the school bus.  It will be a hectic afternoon have a snack, get homework done, throw down a quick bite to eat for dinner then head off to children's theater practice.  The kids "auditioned" last week and I think tonight we find out what part Helaina will play.  She's practicing her dances and songs - so cute.  The first song is called "Hairy Tale Rock".  Rapunzel, you know.

Still playing catch up...

Still have summer fun activity pics to catch up on, so here are a few photos from June's Dragonboat Festival (naw, I'm not behind on just about everything, no way).

Helaina's always first in line for facepainting.  She can't concentrate on anything else until her face is painted (which actually means shes relentless and drives us nuts until we get the facepainting over with).  She's on a butterfly kick lately, hence the butterfly.  She draws countless butterflies daily - enough to cover an entire wall in our house, or at least the refrigerator.

Here's Helaina leading the pack in the dragon boat parade.  Last year she outgrew her dragon boat (made from a copy paper box) so I had to make a new one.  I used a box large enough to last several years.  It looks pretty simple but it's actually a pain to make.

Run,dragons, run!  The kids just love this event.  Helaina smiles constantly.

The kids were split into 4 teams and ran relays to see who could fill a milk jug to the top the quickest.  They were carrying cups full of colored water and spilled most of it by the time they ran to the milk jug waiting for them at the other end.  It was a LONG relay race.

The tug of war is always a blast.  With Helaina's "bulk" she should be the anchor at the end of the rope!  Her thighs and calves are so muscular.  I still call her my little linebacker.

Dragon boats, food, cupcakes, water balloons, bubbles, hula hoops, games, friends, a giant playground and a water slide.  What could be better?

The dragon boat festival is always a fun time, one of my favorite FCC events - and exhausting for Helaina.  Her little legs hit the grass running and never stop until we plop her in her carseat at the end of the day.  What better way to recharge yourself after a day of fun in the sun than with a nap on your ladybug pillow pet with your kitty cat curled up purring by your side.

First day of first grade, a success

Helaina survived her first day of 1st grade (happy to report that Mom and Dad also survived).  She was a little anxious while having breakfast this morning but that didn't last long.  She loved the outfit she was wearing, loves her new black sneakers and loves the sparkly backpact so all was well.

Striking a pose before we leave the house.

Cute pic of our cutie pie.  Helaina wanted 2 thin braids at the front of her face then had me pull them back and fasten them at the back of her head "like in the olden days, Mom."  I mistakenly told Helaina that I used to wear my hair like that when I was young so she comes up with "olden days".  Geesh.

Walking to the bus stop 2 houses down.  She looked like a teenager to me this morning.

Squeals of excitement when they all saw the bus coming.  Helaina yells "Bus! Bus! Bus!  Kiss, kiss!", then gets in line to board, hardly able to contain herself.

One last goodbye for the next 7 hours.

Oh yah, Jim and I stalked the bus to the school and stood on the lawn to watch her get off the bus and go into school.  She leaped off the bus, have us a hug then ran to catch up with friends.  She's so sweet, blowing me a kiss before she runs into school.  Such a big girl (sob).

There's our big girl safely returned to us this afternoon.  Look at that beautiful smile as she runs to hug Daddy standing in the front lawn.  Lots of smiles and big hugs for us all.  She told us all about her day.  It was great.  She was one tired little Barbie queen tonight and gladly got ready for bed right after her shower.  One day down and how many more to go?

Almost forgot this keeper.  "The First Day Jitters" paper.  We laughed out loud when we read this:  I felt jitters about "I wus nvis of if I got on the rog bus" - 6 year old translation:  I was nervous of if I got on the wrong bus.   Too darn cute, and I love her picture of the school bus.

Barbie gone wild

Thank you, Target, for the Barbie glitz and glitter.  Helaina changed her mind many times about who she wanted on her backpack, and Barbie was never even in the running.  Then while backpack shopping at Target she found this sequined Barbie one and that was all she wrote.  Had to have it.  Next stop, lunchbox aisle.  "Oohhh, they have Barbie lunchboxes too.  I want that one.  And there's a Barbie thermos!  Everything matches!!!" 

If it has sequins, it's in the shopping card.

"Mom, since it's my last lunch before 1st grade and we haven't been in a really long time, can we go to McDonalds for lunch today?  Can we call Daddy and have him meet us there?"  Yes, my queen.

Aunt Cynthia gave Helaina this book.  Not only is it appropriate, but it has a cute story in it too.

 

Helaina is more than ready for first grade.  We went to the Back-to-School picnic Tuesday night and met her teacher so that got Helaina really excited.  Our district still has half-day Kindergarten so this will be the first time she's at school all day - on the bus at 8:30am and returned to me about 3:45pm.  Yikes, wish I could be a fly on the wall tomorrow!  The backpack is packed, her snack is ready, she decided to buy lunch because it's cheeseburger day (and Helaina's definately a carnivore), her outfit is selected (thanks to Aunt Cynthia), she went to bed early tonight to be up on time ("Make sure to get me up on time so I don't miss the bus!"), the camera and video camera are ready to capture the moments - but am I ready?  I'll miss her, that's for certain.  I've had so many people say to me "What are you going to do with yourself now that she'll be gone all day?"  Whoever asks that question doesn't know what kind of summer I've had.  My surgery was one week after Helaina finished Kindergarten, then it was 8 weeks of hell trying to get my range of motion back, then a manipulation in August which still has me cranking out physical therapy sessions galore, and I'm still not "normal" with my knee, not anywhere close to normal.  The manipulation set me back so I wouldn't be surprised if I'm still at outpatient therapy through October.  I lost the entire summer for accomplishing anything.  Every room in the house looks like a bomb went off in it - completely unorganized, in need of a good cleaning, purging and so much more.  It will take me months to get things back to the way they should be.  Then there's Helaina's scrapbook that I'm way behind on, getting pictures organized and printed out (by the thousands), still want to move Helaina into Josh's old bedroom which means painting, and I'm the queen of putzing around - there's ALWAYS something I can find to do, whether it's important or not!  I told Jim the other night that I wanted to get my recipes organized so I can start making some new things for dinner - he looked at me and rolled his eyes as if to say "yah, right".  Well, how rude.  New meal ideas just moved to the bottom of my list.

 

Father's Day, finally

Backtracking a bit(!), here's how we celebrated Father's Day:  brunch, the zoo, and chocolate cheesecake.

"Don't bother me while I'm eating my Father's Day pancakes and sausage."  Daddy's wearing a shirt with Helaina's photo on it from when she was just a 2-year old little cutie pie.

Now she's a 6-year old cutie pie.  On her plate:  scrambled eggs, turkey sausages.  In her mouth:  the only pink frosted sprinkled donut on the buffet table that she grabbed in a flash, as soon as she saw it, before anyone else got it.

We usually hit the zoo on Mother's Day, but this year we went on Daddy's Day - whose day is it anyways?  I think it's Helaina's Day - always.

Tiger back riding.

As they were both running away from me I yelled:  "Joshua!  Don't let her climb the fence to the bear enclosure!"  6 years old or 20-something - neither of them listen to Momma.

Just what every Daddy wants on Father's Day - a grill cleaning brush.

A little gymnastics show for her Daddy.

Decadent chocolate cheesecake for dessert.  Unfortunately the bakery overbaked the very expensive cheesecake and it was extremely crumbly and dry (not how their products usually turn out).  Before I had a chance to call them and complain, the bakery closed!

Still have lots of pictures to catch up on and new ones of more current fun to post.  We're in the "get ready for school" mode now.  Helaina has her bus schedule notification, her teacher assignment and she's READY to go to school all day - on the bus at 8:30am and returned to me at 3:40pm.  Yikes!!  I can't believe I won't see her for 7 hours every day.   I told Jim the other day that it seems like just yesterday we were watching the Kindergarten summer celebration at the end of June.  The summer flew by.

On a brighter note (for those who are interested), my knee manipulation this past Wednesday went very well.  I was scared to death of the procedure, even though it took place at a one-day surgery center and I was knocked out completely and woken up when it was over.  "Manipulation" is a gentler word for having the patient on their back while the doctor extends the leg upward then forcefully bends the heck out of it downward at the knee to break up the scar tissue that formed (which was preventing range of motion for me).  I get squeamish just thinking about it, but the procedure worked.  At home that afternoon after the numbing injections wore off I was in excrutiating pain for about 2 hours - popped a few narcotic painkillers and it was all good.  My ankle actually hurt more than my knee.  Apparently the doctor uses your foot and ankle to do the pressing down on.  I'm doing physical therapy now every weekday for 2 weeks and on the weekends I have a home routine.  It's all getting me in shape in a hurry!  It's exhausting and time-consuming but so worth it.  Prior to the manipulation my knee would bend no more than the mid-70 degree range.  Under anesthesia the doctor got me to 115 degrees and at p.t. the therapist has gotten me to 102 degrees.  For the first time in 8 weeks I can sit in a chair and have my right foot flat on the floor at a 90 degree angle.  Joy!!!  I just have to keep diligently working hard to keep the scar tissue from prematurely forming again and I'll be home free - hopefully.  Keep your fingrs and toes crossed for me.

Summer pics

I've been meaning to post some pictures from the last few months but my knee issues have prevented me from anything even resembling a normal routine.  Despite doing absolutely EVERYTHING I've been told to by my doctors and physical therapist, my recovery is not progressing as it should.  I actually need another minor (well, not so minor in my opinion!) procedure done in a few weeks to increase my range of motion, so to say I've been depressed, sleepless and weapy over the last few weeks is an understatement (my poor hubby).  Enough about the knee.  So I went through some recent pics of my beautiful daughter to cheer me up and here are a few - with more to come.

Jim built Helaina a rock climbing wall and attached it toher playground.  Here's her first trip up the grips and she loves it.

Uh, yah, we're still mermaid obsessed in this house.  When Build A Bear sent out their latest catalog with an undersea bear and a mermaid outfit, let's just say that someone in this house flipped out.  Pushover Daddy told Helaina that she could get the bear and outfit for doing so well in Kindergarten this year, so she was one happy little gal that day.

The children's theater that Helaina belongs to had a picnic this summer - complete with a cookout, playground, bounce house and inflatable slide.  She's got callouses on her palms like you wouldn't believe from doing monkey bars every breathing moment.

Doing what she's not supposed to do, of course.

She swings so high it makes me dizzy just watching her.

Can't just go down the slide forward on her butt.  No, she's got to go backwards on her back.

We celebrated Anna's birthday this summer, complete with a pony to ride.  What a hoot!

Decked out in her cowgirl hat waiting for her pony ride.

We also celebrated sweet Sophia's first birthday about a month later.  Helaina just loves her cousins.