Sunday, April 24, 2011

Silly Facebook

Sometimes Facebook brings back really old wall posts, and highlights them on the side of the screen.  I've seen some that are well over a year old pop up on there.  Anywho... from now on, when I see one I liked, I'm going to share it here.  :-)

Hubby's Status Update:

Deploying never gets easier... seeing Jen and my babies in tears as I leave is the hardest part of my job. I love you Jen, Lex, and Luke. Dad will be back home soon.
January 3 at 8:33pm ·  · 
    • Julie Adamson Van Patten Good luck out there and stay safe out there.
      January 3 at 8:34pm · 
    • Jenn Flory Stay safe Justin! We'll keep you all in prayer!
      January 3 at 8:34pm · 
    • MaryAnn Landin Ugh :( Stay safe!!!!
      January 3 at 8:34pm · 
    • Mary Kindred Williams Keeping y'all in prayer....God bless.
      January 3 at 8:47pm · 
    • Jon Weber Just know that what you are doing is making them more proud of you than you can ever know.......they will appreciate it and many like you forever......as will all of your friends.......YOU'RE THE MAN!!!!!
      January 3 at 8:51pm · 
    • Carol Riley Be Safe Justin! God Bless! Good Luck!
      January 3 at 8:55pm · 
    • Kevin McCabe We are all thinking of you! Our prayers are with you and your family!!! God Bless!
      January 3 at 9:01pm · 
    • Stacy Shaw Doody Travel Safe! Lots of prayers for you and Jen and the kids!
      January 3 at 9:02pm · 
    • Angel Coughlin Get home soon sailor
      January 3 at 9:04pm via Facebook Mobile · 
    • Jennifer Sanchez Our prayers are with you. Be safe and God bless you and your family! Most of all, thank you for your service!
      January 3 at 9:04pm · 
    • Robert Stump II Be safe out there man. Oh. And. don't drop the soap ha ha ha
      January 3 at 9:10pm · 
    • Samantha Kindred Be safe Justin!!!
      January 3 at 9:23pm · 
    • Barry Becker Justin, it's never easy to leave family & friends that love you. Our Prayers will be with you, while God watching over you during your deployment.
      January 3 at 9:30pm · 
    • Jennifer L. Riley Ily
      January 3 at 11:04pm · 
    • Jason Van Patten Justin we haven't had much time to even talk let alone get together lately, but it goes without saying that if your family ever needs anything, our family is just a call away. Be safe brother.
      January 3 at 11:27pm · 
    • Martha Faith Rushnock We'll be praying for you, Justin!!!!!!!!!!!! Psalm 118
      January 4 at 7:24am · 
    • Debra Morey Manning Praying for you guys. How long will you be gone this time? I will especially pray fr Jenn and the kids. Thank you for your service to our country.
      January 4 at 12:01pm · 
    • Barry Becker Justin, its never easy to leave when a family has so much love for each other. Our prayers will follow you each day to let God know how important this love keeps a family together. To bring you home safe while keeping our country safe.
      January 9 at 4:27pm · 

The Bump, The Bump, The Bump, Bump, Bump!

As some of you already know, Alexyss will head to the Oral Surgeon tomorrow morning to have her 'bump' removed.  They are undecided as to weather it's a Mucous Cyst or a Blocked Saliva Duct.  It has been a long journey, but we are glad to see it coming to an end.


Back story:
When we left PA the last week of Jan. we noticed a bump on Lex's lower lip.  It was on the inside and we assumed she had bit her lip at some point.  She denied this, but who really knows?  About 2 weeks later it hadn't gone away and was changing from white to pink, then to red and purple.  I asked her doctor about it and she said it was a clogged duct and there was nothing they would do about it.


Almost exactly one month after noticing the bump I took the kids for their dental cleanings.  I asked the pediatric dentist about the bump and he confirmed my thoughts;  it needed to be removed.  He told us that it would never go away, it would just continue to get bigger and then shrink, bigger and then shrink.  


Around the second week of March I went back to the pediatrician (this time a different dr. saw us) and she agreed with the written word of the dentist and put in a referral to have the bump removed.  At this point the bump was not only getting longer but also wider and covering more skin.  One morning before school Lex had bit down on it while eating cereal and it gushed blood quite badly.  
While waiting for the referral Alexyss started to become annoyed at it's ever-changing size and color.  She had had enough of not being able to use a straw, and it breaking open.  We went to see the Oral Surgeon last week and he reassured her that it was for the best to have it removed. She has been worried about the removal since the dentist described it to her.  The Surgeon did his best to reassure her.


So tomorrow is the big day!  The Surgeon will numb the area and administer laughing gas.  He'll use a laser to remove the bump and apply a few stitches.  She'll be as good as new and home eating milkshakes, pudding, yogurt, and the likes while they biopsy the 'bump'.  


Thanks to everyone for your words of encouragement for Alexyss!  


Update:
The surgery got pushed back a day due to some poorly submitted paperwork.  So this morning we headed back to the O.S.  We waited for over an hour and a half as they tried to change my mind about the anesthesia.  Initially we had chosen the 'Laughing Gas'.  We then found out that our insurance didn't cover any of that cost.  When I asked about other options they said they could lightly sedate her with IV anesthesia.  I decided I'd tell Alexyss the options and let her decide.  We went over the 'laughing gas' first:  Breathe in medicine, needle to numb area, laser surgery - All while awake.  Next was the IV anesthesia:  Needle in the arm, asleep through everything else.


Alexyss chose to be asleep.  She had started to panic in the chair upon seeing the laser.  That was when they again told her they'd use a needle to numb the area more and she broke into tears.  And yet, they tried to talk ME into laughing gas.  I told them she could decide and I'd sign the papers.  They paraded in 3 people to talk us out of our decision to use anesthesia.  
Finally when the dentist saw how upset she was he agreed with us.  He checked the 'bump' and said there would be no need for stitches as it was small today.  He asked Luke and I to leave so they could begin and my heart broke walking away from her while she was in tears.


After about 10 - 15 minutes we were brought back to keep an eye on Lex while she came out of the anesthesia.  Her lower lip was not symmetrical and I could clearly see stitches.  The nurses said the surgery went well and the doctor would explain everything to me when he could.  
When we finally got to see the doctor he said that he was very glad we had chosen to let her sleep through the surgery.  He said that it was a lot deeper than he had thought therefore it took a bit longer and required stitches.  He also said that because it was so deep he's not sure that he was able to get it all and it may return.  It's a "wait and see" game now.  We'll head back to the Oral Surgeon next week for the biopsy results so I'll update more then!


As of now, Alexyss is resting comfortably.  He lips feel 'weird', but otherwise all is well.  We stopped at Sonic for Milkshakes - so she's 100% content.  


Thanks again for your thoughts and prayers!  Please feel free to leave a comment below.  I'll share them with Alexyss later when she's feeling a little more awake.  

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Recycled Robots

Luke has been watching Curious George just about every morning for the last few months.  Yesterday there was an episode about Recycling.  Later that day my good friend had the kiddos making robots from recycled materials.  Aren't they adorable?


Click the Photo to Enlarge! 

From Left to Right:  Luke's Robot, Alexyss' Robot, and Nathan's Robot

Materials Needed:
  • Recycled Cans
  • Hot Glue Gun
  • Random Metal Parts - Keys, Chains, Washers, Nails, Screws, Wire, Pennies
  • Craft Supplies - Paints, Pipe Cleaner, Pom Poms, Eyes, Colored Foam
Get Creative and Have Fun!  Ty Elise for letting our kids be creative and messy at YOUR house!


Plant Stakes

After weeks of gathering all of our needed supplies and settling on a paper punch that wasn't exactly what we wanted... I bring to you our handmade plant stakes!

We will be mailing these to all of the grandparents, aunts, and uncles tomorrow and we'll cross our fingers that bubble mailers will keep them safe.


Supplies you'll need:
Wooden Sticks
Green Paint
Scrapbook Paper
Bottle Caps
Buttons
Glue
Paper Punches