Thought I'd share some of the things Ella said today that made me smile. Hope they make you smile too. (:
Me: What's that?
Ella: That's a smoke atector.
Me: What is it for?
Ella: That's for daddy's cooking in the kitchen.
A discussion about the bathroom sink:
Ella: What's this hole for?
Me: That's there so that if the sink gets too full of water, it will go down into the hole instead of onto the floor.
Ella: We don't want water to get on the floor....or on our clothes. Clothes are not for swimming (said as she was shaking her head with vigor). They're just for getting dressed.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Back Home
Well, we've actually been back for almost a week now. So we're getting back into life here in Minnesota.
When we left California, it was cool, fall-like weather. When we got home, we were greeted by freezing temps and tons of snow on the ground. Ella was beside herself with the anticipation of seeing it. On the whole plane trip she kept talking about how she was going to play in the snow - and apparently that would consist of making snow angels and snowballs. We had a little bit of a delay, but eventually made it home and finally into our beds around 3am saturday night/sunday morning.
We had a great time seeing my family in California. Although we were there for three weeks, and ready to come back home, it was still hard to say goodbye. I have lots of pictures to post, but I left my camera-computer cord in California. So you all will just have to suffer through a photo-less blog for a little bit.
On Sunday afternoon, Dave went out to shovel a bit off of the driveway and porch, so we bundled Ella up and let her have at the mound of snow that made up our yard. She had planned on making snowballs, but Dave burst that bubble when he told her that the snow was "too cold" for that. But she had a great time filling up her little saucer-sled with snow, dumping it all out, and filling it up again. But when she was ready to come in, she was READY. I think she all of a sudden realized that her limbs were starting to freeze, and she did not like that one bit. So Dave brought her, crying and complaining she was cold, into the house. We changed her, and snuggled in the chair with a warm blanket and hot chocolate. Welcome back to Minnesota.
When we left California, it was cool, fall-like weather. When we got home, we were greeted by freezing temps and tons of snow on the ground. Ella was beside herself with the anticipation of seeing it. On the whole plane trip she kept talking about how she was going to play in the snow - and apparently that would consist of making snow angels and snowballs. We had a little bit of a delay, but eventually made it home and finally into our beds around 3am saturday night/sunday morning.
We had a great time seeing my family in California. Although we were there for three weeks, and ready to come back home, it was still hard to say goodbye. I have lots of pictures to post, but I left my camera-computer cord in California. So you all will just have to suffer through a photo-less blog for a little bit.
On Sunday afternoon, Dave went out to shovel a bit off of the driveway and porch, so we bundled Ella up and let her have at the mound of snow that made up our yard. She had planned on making snowballs, but Dave burst that bubble when he told her that the snow was "too cold" for that. But she had a great time filling up her little saucer-sled with snow, dumping it all out, and filling it up again. But when she was ready to come in, she was READY. I think she all of a sudden realized that her limbs were starting to freeze, and she did not like that one bit. So Dave brought her, crying and complaining she was cold, into the house. We changed her, and snuggled in the chair with a warm blanket and hot chocolate. Welcome back to Minnesota.
Friday, December 7, 2007
Meeting Morgan!
One of the best parts of our trip to California was getting to meet my new little niece - and Ella's new cousin - little Morgan Keli! Up until she was born, Ella was the only grandchild on my side. So it's quite exciting to have this new little member - finally!
I had the absolute pleasure of spending some quality time with her since I watched her a few times while Paul and Dana were working. At first, Ella didn't have much interest, but she soon became such a great little helper, always making sure Morgan had her burp cloth and her blanket - whether she needed them or not. (: Here is a pic of the only time Ella held Morgan - she was so excited to feed her, even if it only lasted for a few seconds. Aren't they cute? (:
My mom (Beppe) and dad (Paake) also were so excited to hold both of their granddaughters at the same time. Here are a couple of pics of each of them with their two little cuties!
It was so much fun having a little baby around to hold and snuggle - she is a "girl on the move" as I like to say, just like Ella was. She's not too fond of staying still or sitting on your lap. She'd much rather be moving, swinging, and bouncing. So I worked out my "Morgan muscles" in my arms and legs as I walked and walked with her, bouncing and swinging to keep her content and put her to sleep.
Morgan LOVED the ornaments on the tree. Who needs a baby gym when you have a Christmas tree with shiny dangling ornaments? She was mezmerized by the colors and reflections - Ella helped by making some of them swing.
It's so much fun to see my brother Paul with his little girl. Ella loves her uncle Paul to pieces since he is always willing and ready to be goofy and play with her. So I can see already what a wonderful dad he is and will continue to be.
I had the absolute pleasure of spending some quality time with her since I watched her a few times while Paul and Dana were working. At first, Ella didn't have much interest, but she soon became such a great little helper, always making sure Morgan had her burp cloth and her blanket - whether she needed them or not. (: Here is a pic of the only time Ella held Morgan - she was so excited to feed her, even if it only lasted for a few seconds. Aren't they cute? (:
My mom (Beppe) and dad (Paake) also were so excited to hold both of their granddaughters at the same time. Here are a couple of pics of each of them with their two little cuties!
It was so much fun having a little baby around to hold and snuggle - she is a "girl on the move" as I like to say, just like Ella was. She's not too fond of staying still or sitting on your lap. She'd much rather be moving, swinging, and bouncing. So I worked out my "Morgan muscles" in my arms and legs as I walked and walked with her, bouncing and swinging to keep her content and put her to sleep.
Morgan LOVED the ornaments on the tree. Who needs a baby gym when you have a Christmas tree with shiny dangling ornaments? She was mezmerized by the colors and reflections - Ella helped by making some of them swing.
It's so much fun to see my brother Paul with his little girl. Ella loves her uncle Paul to pieces since he is always willing and ready to be goofy and play with her. So I can see already what a wonderful dad he is and will continue to be.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
What Dave did with his week off
Okay, so I realize I'm a bit delinquent in posting, but I'm going to try to add a few things that we've been doing the past couple of weeks.
Dave is now back in cold, snowy, and icy Minnesota, after his enjoyable week in sunny California. Since it was so nice when we arrived, Dave really wanted to find something for he and Ella to do outside together - so we went on a mission finding the "perfect" items for some backyard activities. The result? A green ball and a bucket of play-doh fun! Here are a few pics:
So, who was having more fun? Well, I have an opinion, but I'll let you be the judge of that!
We also had a couple of celebrations while Dave was here - on Monday, the 19th was Dave's 37th birthday, and of course on Thursday 22nd was Thanksgiving. So the days were filled with time together and time with family. Mixed in was a trip to Jack in the Box, a few card games of rummy, and some yardwork at my brother Paul's house.
So Dave survived the time with my family and is now back home, being a bachelor, spending quality time with our neglected cat, and surviving the ice and snow.
Dave is now back in cold, snowy, and icy Minnesota, after his enjoyable week in sunny California. Since it was so nice when we arrived, Dave really wanted to find something for he and Ella to do outside together - so we went on a mission finding the "perfect" items for some backyard activities. The result? A green ball and a bucket of play-doh fun! Here are a few pics:
So, who was having more fun? Well, I have an opinion, but I'll let you be the judge of that!
We also had a couple of celebrations while Dave was here - on Monday, the 19th was Dave's 37th birthday, and of course on Thursday 22nd was Thanksgiving. So the days were filled with time together and time with family. Mixed in was a trip to Jack in the Box, a few card games of rummy, and some yardwork at my brother Paul's house.
So Dave survived the time with my family and is now back home, being a bachelor, spending quality time with our neglected cat, and surviving the ice and snow.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
On Vacation! (:
Yikes! It's been a LONG time since I wrote anything. I guess life had just been "boring" - until lately that is! We've had a very exciting and busy last few days!
On Saturday morning we loaded our suitcases and our Ella into our van - amid the flurries of snow gently falling - said goodbye to Pumpkin and Dory, and headed to the minneapolis airport. It was definitely great timing to be leaving the state of MN and going to California. (:
Our day of travel went relatively smoothly. While we were at the gate waiting to board, Dave and Ella studied the plane and all of the activity going on around it through the window. We boarded, the plane backed up from the gate, and then.... we stopped. And waited. And waited. Hmmm. After a bit, I was starting to think that something may be wrong, and then.... the pilot's voice over the speaker...."mechanical problems" Ugh. Oh well, at least we had a more-than-three-hour layover in Chicago, so we weren't too worried. We deboarded and were told that they were getting a new plane for us. Good news, right? Well, Ella definitely did NOT think so. She wanted HER plane! The "gray and blue" one! She absolutely, positively, did NOT want to fly on any other plane but the one that she and Dave had watched and discussed for so long only a little while before. So we white-lied and said that we were going to fly on the same plane. And all was well. (:
Ella did very well on both flights. I was a little worried since she was still working on getting over a bad cold and had been diagnosed as having an ear infection the day before. But she seemed to have no pain or discomfort with the pressure/altitude changes, so that was a relief. She spent most of the time studying the plane safety card. I'm not sure why she is so obsessed with diagrams and manuals, but she is. We landed in Sacramento just before 6pm, and were greeted by a very happy Paake and Beppe. Oh, and by FABULOUS temps also!
We are excited to be here and looking forward to the 3 weeks - yes THREE WEEKS - that Ella and I get to be here!
And I am happy that Dave is getting a week off from the grueling days and nights of chaplain work. He's had some very heavy and emotional times with families - which usually went along with nights of only a couple hours of sleep. And some very draining (yet very valuable and worthwhile) times of self/group analyzation and theological/denominational defense and learning. So it's wonderful that he has this time to step back and breathe a bit. And to enjoy the California sun too. (:
(I'll try to add a few pics in a bit)
Okay - here are is what Ella did on the plane:
Slept - in this position - for a grand total of 15 minutes:
And read and discussed the "airplane card" - for pretty much the entire rest of the flight:
On Saturday morning we loaded our suitcases and our Ella into our van - amid the flurries of snow gently falling - said goodbye to Pumpkin and Dory, and headed to the minneapolis airport. It was definitely great timing to be leaving the state of MN and going to California. (:
Our day of travel went relatively smoothly. While we were at the gate waiting to board, Dave and Ella studied the plane and all of the activity going on around it through the window. We boarded, the plane backed up from the gate, and then.... we stopped. And waited. And waited. Hmmm. After a bit, I was starting to think that something may be wrong, and then.... the pilot's voice over the speaker...."mechanical problems" Ugh. Oh well, at least we had a more-than-three-hour layover in Chicago, so we weren't too worried. We deboarded and were told that they were getting a new plane for us. Good news, right? Well, Ella definitely did NOT think so. She wanted HER plane! The "gray and blue" one! She absolutely, positively, did NOT want to fly on any other plane but the one that she and Dave had watched and discussed for so long only a little while before. So we white-lied and said that we were going to fly on the same plane. And all was well. (:
Ella did very well on both flights. I was a little worried since she was still working on getting over a bad cold and had been diagnosed as having an ear infection the day before. But she seemed to have no pain or discomfort with the pressure/altitude changes, so that was a relief. She spent most of the time studying the plane safety card. I'm not sure why she is so obsessed with diagrams and manuals, but she is. We landed in Sacramento just before 6pm, and were greeted by a very happy Paake and Beppe. Oh, and by FABULOUS temps also!
We are excited to be here and looking forward to the 3 weeks - yes THREE WEEKS - that Ella and I get to be here!
And I am happy that Dave is getting a week off from the grueling days and nights of chaplain work. He's had some very heavy and emotional times with families - which usually went along with nights of only a couple hours of sleep. And some very draining (yet very valuable and worthwhile) times of self/group analyzation and theological/denominational defense and learning. So it's wonderful that he has this time to step back and breathe a bit. And to enjoy the California sun too. (:
(I'll try to add a few pics in a bit)
Okay - here are is what Ella did on the plane:
Slept - in this position - for a grand total of 15 minutes:
And read and discussed the "airplane card" - for pretty much the entire rest of the flight:
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Ella's Ready To Go!
Here's Ella just before we left to go trick-or-treating yesterday.
You'd think she already had eaten tons of candy!
You'd think she already had eaten tons of candy!
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Happy Halloween! ....Oh wait... I mean "Reformation Day!"
Usually we have a little girl in our home, but tonight we had another kitty-cat!
Well, tonight was Ella's 4th official halloween, but the first time to dress up and go trick-or-treating. I took her to the neighborhood just around the corner from us - it was a lot nicer than ours, and much more hopping too! And good candy! A few houses even gave out full-size (and even one king-size!) candy bars! No wonder it was hopping! There were tons of kid out, but Dave only had one knock on our door the whole time we were gone. I think we gave out a total of 8 pieces of candy. And I was worried we would run out. So obviously our neighborhood wasn't the place to be.
I guess watching the cartoons from today was just enough for Ella to get the whole "trick-or-treat" thing down. Because we hadn't really said much about it. When we went to the first house, I wasn't sure what she would do. I figured she'd be shy, but not at all. She walked right up, pounded on the door, and said "trick or treat!" just like she was supposed to. Then took the candy and ran, saying "which house should we go to next!?" Yup. She got it down all right.
It didn't take long and her little bag got somewhat heavy. Pretty soon I was hearing her say "I'm hungry" It didn't take long to realize what she was hungry for. And it wasn't dinner.
Her favorite "score" was a little container of play-doh. She couldn't wait to get home so she could show it to dad. Worms, snakes, and pancakes all around!
Here's a pic of our two kitty-cats:
So, hungry for a Snickers bar? Some smarties maybe? Come on over! We've got tons left!
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Monkey See, Monkey Questions
If you ever want to become fully aware of all of the things you do and say on a daily basis, just have Ella - or any 3-year-old, I'm sure - follow you around for a day. You are sure to be enlightened!
Yes, the questions, which have been going on for some time now, seem to have multiplied exponentially over the past couple of weeks. Here is a sample conversation: What are you doing mom? Wiping the counter. Why are you wiping the counter? Because it is wet. Why is it wet? Because water spilled on it. Why did water spill on it? Because it came out of my cup. Why did it come out of your cup? Because I wasn't being careful. Why weren't you being careful? Because you were distracting me with all of your questions.....
Or when I say something that she doesn't think is correct. A couple of examples (both as we are driving):
Ella: Where are we going mom?
Me: We're going to go home, have some lunch, and then it will be time for you to take a rest. That's the plan Stan.
Ella: I NOT STAN!!
This one as we are looking for a parking spot in the parking garage, realizing that there are little to no spaces left
Me: It's a full house in here today!
Ella: This is not a house mom, it's a HOSPITAL!
Yes, anything (and everything!) we do is questioned. But it does not annoy me. It makes me put myself in her shoes, realizing how much of this big and crazy world there is to figure out. Not to mention this crazy English language. And how cool that I am the one that she is looking to to help her do that.
Yes, the questions, which have been going on for some time now, seem to have multiplied exponentially over the past couple of weeks. Here is a sample conversation: What are you doing mom? Wiping the counter. Why are you wiping the counter? Because it is wet. Why is it wet? Because water spilled on it. Why did water spill on it? Because it came out of my cup. Why did it come out of your cup? Because I wasn't being careful. Why weren't you being careful? Because you were distracting me with all of your questions.....
Or when I say something that she doesn't think is correct. A couple of examples (both as we are driving):
Ella: Where are we going mom?
Me: We're going to go home, have some lunch, and then it will be time for you to take a rest. That's the plan Stan.
Ella: I NOT STAN!!
This one as we are looking for a parking spot in the parking garage, realizing that there are little to no spaces left
Me: It's a full house in here today!
Ella: This is not a house mom, it's a HOSPITAL!
Yes, anything (and everything!) we do is questioned. But it does not annoy me. It makes me put myself in her shoes, realizing how much of this big and crazy world there is to figure out. Not to mention this crazy English language. And how cool that I am the one that she is looking to to help her do that.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Beauty and the Geek
One of the shows that Dave and I enjoy watching on Tuesday nights is "Beauty and the Geek". Probably because the beauties remind Dave of me and the geeks remind me of him, hee hee. (: Two Tuesdays ago we missed it because we were in the ER, and then the following Tuesday we also missed it because we went out for dinner since I hadn't been out of the house for a week. So we needed to do a little catching up.
One of the nice things about having the internet in your home is that you are able to view previous entire episodes of many of your favorite shows. So tonight I thought I'd watch last week's to get ready for tonight's show. As I was watching, Dave and Ella came into the bedroom, and Dave hopped up onto the dresser to watch the ending over my shoulder. It didn't take long, and Ella realized that the dresser was a pretty cool place to sit, and she was right up there next to him.
So there I was with "Beauty and the Geek" on in front of me, and a beauty and a geek sitting just behind.
One of the nice things about having the internet in your home is that you are able to view previous entire episodes of many of your favorite shows. So tonight I thought I'd watch last week's to get ready for tonight's show. As I was watching, Dave and Ella came into the bedroom, and Dave hopped up onto the dresser to watch the ending over my shoulder. It didn't take long, and Ella realized that the dresser was a pretty cool place to sit, and she was right up there next to him.
So there I was with "Beauty and the Geek" on in front of me, and a beauty and a geek sitting just behind.
Friday, October 19, 2007
The Brochure
As I was laying in the ER examining room and the doctors were discussing my upcoming procedure, they handed me a little booklet, filled with diagrams and explanations of everything involved in my gallbladder removal. Needless to say, I didn't read much of it right then, and I didn't take it to the OR with me. Instead, Ella decided to take it, peruse it, and claim it as her own.
Over a week later, she still hasn't let go of it. And I still haven't read it. I tried. Believe me, I did. But then Ella noticed me with it, and quickly shouted "that's mine!" and snatched it away.
She takes it with her when she naps. She takes it to the dinner table. I remove it. Sorry, can't look at diagrams with intestines as I eat elbow macaroni. She discusses every page and picture in it. I am the main character in the "story". She tells me all about what I went through, and what was happening inside. She makes me smile. I guess I don't need to read it when I have her to explain everythig to me.
Tonight, I asked her "what's in your tummy?" - fully expecting her to say what she had eaten for dinner. Instead, her reply was "my gallbladder! I don't have stones!"
Nope, she sure doesn't. But she sure does have a crazy interest in them.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
I'm Home!
Well, as Dave already hinted at, it has been a kind of crazy last few days for us. But, as always, we survived! And I am now home and hopefully will be my (hopefully painless) self soon!
On Sunday afternoon, as I sat in church, I was feeling somewhat uncomfortable. Oh no. My back. AGAIN. As many of you know, I often have lower back pain after certain periods of sitting in places that do not allow me to use the best posture. So I braced myself for an afternoon of spending lots of quality time with my la-z-boy, and my ibuprofen. But it did not get better. Oh, no, it got worse. Monday morning I was in pain. My entire back. I won't go into details, but lets just say my body was going through digestive and monthly issues as well, so I just figured that this was just part of the deal. But it had never been this bad. And never for this long. All day Monday I was in pain. Took a warm bath, which usually helps, but it didn't. Tuesday morning I awoke and actually felt somewhat decent. But it didn't last long. By the time Dave came home, we were discussing how I could get some better, (prescription-strength) pain relief. So off to the ER we went.
Ella was excited to go to the hospital with me. And excited when she saw the bed with wheels I was laying on. Excited to ask the question "what's this for?" at every new gadget she saw. And excited when she heard words like "x-ray" and "ultrasound" Excited to follow my bed down the hall and wait with us to get these tests done. Not at ALL excited when she couldn't go into the room with me. "I want to see your letter!" she said. I finally realized she meant my "bladder"
As the doctor examined me and asked questions, I realized that maybe it was more than just my back that may be the problem. As he prodded and poked, I felt pain high in my stomach - right where my gall bladder was. So further imaging tests had been ordered. And, sure enough, as the US tech moved the probe around my gallbladder, she said "well, I think we've found the problem" Yep, my gallbladder. Gallstones - but not just inside. Apparently one had "escaped" and was blocking the tube where all of the fluid would flow in and out. This was causing the painful convulsions that presented themselves as unbearable back pain to me. So with all of that explained, the doctors asked me "So, do you want your gallbladder taken out tonight? We've got nothing better to do!"
So, after entering the ER around 7pm, I was wheeled off to the OR around 11:30pm. They removed the entire gallbladder using laproscopic surgery - so I have about 5 cuts in my mid-section, but no large incision. I was in my room around 3:30am. I was out of surgery, but still in quite a bit of pain.
The doctor told me afterwards that the gallbladder was very infected and inflamed. So I must have been in lots of pain - and that I would be requiring lots of sympathy from my husband. There were several stones, and they were all too large to remove whole. They needed to dissolve them first, before the removal. So no stone souvenirs in a vial for me.
They were hoping I would be able to go home on Wednesday, but I was in quite a bit of pain and wasn't able to keep much down, so they kept me the next night also. Now I am home, and Dave is picking up Ella from our friend Naomi's house. She was very sweet and agreed to have her stay with them today, and tomorrow also, while Dave is at work.
Although I am not feeling the best, I can tell the pain is lessening, and my mobility is getting better. It sure does feel good to be able to breathe deeper and to reach my arms out a bit. Those 2 things weren't so easy-coming yesterday. Now the goal is to be able to eat a little something and keep it down. If only I had an appetite. Oh, one more goal: to be able to deal with all of the questions and comments sure to come out of an excited Ella's little mind. She is rather excited that my "gallblat" is gone. And that there are bandaids on my stomach. So pray that I have the energy to be able to handle whatever may come out of her!
On Sunday afternoon, as I sat in church, I was feeling somewhat uncomfortable. Oh no. My back. AGAIN. As many of you know, I often have lower back pain after certain periods of sitting in places that do not allow me to use the best posture. So I braced myself for an afternoon of spending lots of quality time with my la-z-boy, and my ibuprofen. But it did not get better. Oh, no, it got worse. Monday morning I was in pain. My entire back. I won't go into details, but lets just say my body was going through digestive and monthly issues as well, so I just figured that this was just part of the deal. But it had never been this bad. And never for this long. All day Monday I was in pain. Took a warm bath, which usually helps, but it didn't. Tuesday morning I awoke and actually felt somewhat decent. But it didn't last long. By the time Dave came home, we were discussing how I could get some better, (prescription-strength) pain relief. So off to the ER we went.
Ella was excited to go to the hospital with me. And excited when she saw the bed with wheels I was laying on. Excited to ask the question "what's this for?" at every new gadget she saw. And excited when she heard words like "x-ray" and "ultrasound" Excited to follow my bed down the hall and wait with us to get these tests done. Not at ALL excited when she couldn't go into the room with me. "I want to see your letter!" she said. I finally realized she meant my "bladder"
As the doctor examined me and asked questions, I realized that maybe it was more than just my back that may be the problem. As he prodded and poked, I felt pain high in my stomach - right where my gall bladder was. So further imaging tests had been ordered. And, sure enough, as the US tech moved the probe around my gallbladder, she said "well, I think we've found the problem" Yep, my gallbladder. Gallstones - but not just inside. Apparently one had "escaped" and was blocking the tube where all of the fluid would flow in and out. This was causing the painful convulsions that presented themselves as unbearable back pain to me. So with all of that explained, the doctors asked me "So, do you want your gallbladder taken out tonight? We've got nothing better to do!"
So, after entering the ER around 7pm, I was wheeled off to the OR around 11:30pm. They removed the entire gallbladder using laproscopic surgery - so I have about 5 cuts in my mid-section, but no large incision. I was in my room around 3:30am. I was out of surgery, but still in quite a bit of pain.
The doctor told me afterwards that the gallbladder was very infected and inflamed. So I must have been in lots of pain - and that I would be requiring lots of sympathy from my husband. There were several stones, and they were all too large to remove whole. They needed to dissolve them first, before the removal. So no stone souvenirs in a vial for me.
They were hoping I would be able to go home on Wednesday, but I was in quite a bit of pain and wasn't able to keep much down, so they kept me the next night also. Now I am home, and Dave is picking up Ella from our friend Naomi's house. She was very sweet and agreed to have her stay with them today, and tomorrow also, while Dave is at work.
Although I am not feeling the best, I can tell the pain is lessening, and my mobility is getting better. It sure does feel good to be able to breathe deeper and to reach my arms out a bit. Those 2 things weren't so easy-coming yesterday. Now the goal is to be able to eat a little something and keep it down. If only I had an appetite. Oh, one more goal: to be able to deal with all of the questions and comments sure to come out of an excited Ella's little mind. She is rather excited that my "gallblat" is gone. And that there are bandaids on my stomach. So pray that I have the energy to be able to handle whatever may come out of her!
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Minus One (Unnecessary?) Body Part
As of about 1:00 AM this morning Sarah is minus one gall bladder. She is doing fine and recovering in the hospital. She should return home on Thursday. More details and stories to follow.
Here's a sneak preview: the nurse was impressed with Ella's use of the word otoscope and the doctor told Ella (after hearing her explanation complete with the pictures) that she might know this procedure better than him!
Here's a sneak preview: the nurse was impressed with Ella's use of the word otoscope and the doctor told Ella (after hearing her explanation complete with the pictures) that she might know this procedure better than him!
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Fun With Blocks
A few days ago we opened a new box of blocks that Dave & I had bought for Ella quite a while ago - way before she was old enough to really play with them, I think.
She was quite excited, and quickly began building. The first thing she did was arrange all of the different-colored cylinders in a long row on the ground. When I asked her what she was making, she said excitedly "a drainage hose!" Huh? okaaaay....
We've now moved on - to making "little houses" and "fences"
I just love little minds. Especially hers. (:
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
What A GOOD Daddy He Is!
Dave and Ella have been SOOOO busy lately.....taking care of all of their babies! This is the latest craze in our household - Ella giving daddy all of the babies to take care of, then telling him what to do with them and how to care for them. Meanwhile, Ella is busy taking care of the "favored baby" - Mama Kitty Cat. There's no mistaking that she gets preferential treatment - only the best stroller/bottle/blankets/food/etc for her. Ella will steal from the mouths of the other babes for her precious mama kitty cat!
(notice mama kitty living the high life in the stoller on the bottom left)
I must admit that this is one of the things I most love doing - watching Dave interact and play with his little girl. It just warms my heart. In the mornings, Ella wakes up very early and goes downstairs, where Daddy is usually up and about already. I listen to them as I am snuggled under the covers and often grin at the many things she will say and the questions she will ask. She certainly is a chatterbox in the mornings, and I love eavesdropping on them! But I know that even though she loves her daddy, she is still mommy's little girl. (:
(notice mama kitty living the high life in the stoller on the bottom left)
I must admit that this is one of the things I most love doing - watching Dave interact and play with his little girl. It just warms my heart. In the mornings, Ella wakes up very early and goes downstairs, where Daddy is usually up and about already. I listen to them as I am snuggled under the covers and often grin at the many things she will say and the questions she will ask. She certainly is a chatterbox in the mornings, and I love eavesdropping on them! But I know that even though she loves her daddy, she is still mommy's little girl. (:
Monday, October 1, 2007
Up is the Wrong Way
7:55pm: Daddy takes Ella upstairs to get jammies on and put her to bed
8:08pm: Daddy comes downstairs and tells mommy that Ella is in the tub instead of in the bed because that's where she wanted to go.
8:05-8:40 Ella plays in tub and drinks a lot of bath water, most likely as she was pretending to swim like a fish.
8:55pm: Ella is in jammies and in bed (thanks daddy!)
9:57pm: Ella awakens, cries, vomits in her bed, on herself, on the bathroom floor, on her bedroom floor, and on mom's pajama pants. She is not happy. Gets new jammies on, and, when it appears everything that's gonna come up has come up, goes downstairs with mom to sit and drink a little apple juice.
10:22pm - 10:58pm: Ella sits with mom and watches the last few minutes of the "Post It" episode of S&TC & a half-hour episode of Cops. (shhh...don't tell Dave)
10:42pm: Ella mentions that the food in her tummy needs to go to her foot so that it can get all better. Explains to mom that it's not supposed to go to her mouth, that's silly. It needs to go to her foot which is down. Up is the wrong way.
Mom agrees.
8:08pm: Daddy comes downstairs and tells mommy that Ella is in the tub instead of in the bed because that's where she wanted to go.
8:05-8:40 Ella plays in tub and drinks a lot of bath water, most likely as she was pretending to swim like a fish.
8:55pm: Ella is in jammies and in bed (thanks daddy!)
9:57pm: Ella awakens, cries, vomits in her bed, on herself, on the bathroom floor, on her bedroom floor, and on mom's pajama pants. She is not happy. Gets new jammies on, and, when it appears everything that's gonna come up has come up, goes downstairs with mom to sit and drink a little apple juice.
10:22pm - 10:58pm: Ella sits with mom and watches the last few minutes of the "Post It" episode of S&TC & a half-hour episode of Cops. (shhh...don't tell Dave)
10:42pm: Ella mentions that the food in her tummy needs to go to her foot so that it can get all better. Explains to mom that it's not supposed to go to her mouth, that's silly. It needs to go to her foot which is down. Up is the wrong way.
Mom agrees.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Our Doctor Visit
This past Thursday was our long-awaited visit with Ella's plastic surgeon to start the process of the tissue-expansion. We weren't sure exactly what to expect, but knew that they were going to get all of the measurements they needed and get the tissue expanders figured out and ordered. The doctor had told us to tell Ella that we'd be doing "arts and crafts." And we knew to prepare a bit of time, as the process may take awhile. So in our minds we envisioned having clay molds and plaster of paris out or whatever else in order to get all of the measurements they would need. But, thankfully, it ended up being much more simple than that.
"I got my new George blanket, my new kitty-cat hat, mama kitty, and my cup. I ready to go to the doctor now mom!"
Our appointment was at 10:00, the first hour of which was spent in the waiting room, listening for Ella's name to be called. Ella got a new box of crayons from the receptionist and found two new coloring books about hospital stays - so this kept here occupied for a while. Then, she found some sort of pink brochure. I told her that she should put it back, to which her reply was "I need this mom." I looked at it and it was called "Understanding Your Hysterectomy." Dave and I shared a smile over that one. But then she decided that I needed to have it, since it was pink and I was a girl, and then found a different brochure that she said was for Dave, since it was blue and he was a boy. It was titled "Disorders of the Pelvic Floor" or something like that. Yikes, I hope Dave's uterus isn't falling out! Finally, Ella's name was called and back to the examining room we went.
We were up on the twelth floor, so had a pretty neat view of some of the downtown buildings. Here is what our view was like. Ella tried to tell us that all of the buildings were garages, and just wouldn't believe when we said they weren't.
Finally Jim, the physician extender (the doctor's right-hand man, or "Tonto" as we like to call him), arrived and started by showing us a couple of samples of what tissue expanders looked like. They were a lot thicker and bigger than we had imagined. The two samples we saw were both oval, one was about 8 inches long and 4 inches wide, and the other about 4 inches by 2 inches. Each had a small tube running from it - they kind of reminded me of a computer mouse. And he also showed us what the port (where the solution would be injected) looked like. Ella really enjoyed playing with these and seemed rather excited that these "balloons" were going to go on her head to make it bigger.
When the doctor came in, he chatted with us about what we could expect over the next few months, and about tissue expanders, and answered all of the questions we had. Then they went through the templates they had and decided how best to maximize using her scalp to end up with the skin needed to cover the injury area. Two of the templates were chosen as the right size and shape for the expanders in the back of her head and on the left side, just above her ear. They decided to create a custom-designed expander that would cover the entire right side of her head. So there was a lot of holding plastic films up to her head and checking to see if the fit was accurate, as well as tracing onto a clear film to create the custom-shaped template. Ella was very cooperative through the whole process, and provided us plenty of entertainment as she excitedly talked about her balloons and how they were going to be on her head and filled with water. In fact, when we left "empty-handed" - she wanted to know when we were going back to get her new balloons.
So the plan is to have three total expanders implanted - two smaller ones and the large custom-designed one. They will create a mold of the custom one, have us back in to make sure it is accurate, and then will send it in to have expanders that shape and size made. So it will take a few weeks before all of the expanders are here and ready to be implanted. Right now we are thinking early December for this surgery.
Once they are in place, it will be an overnight hospital stay, and then she will be able to go home, as long as everything is feeling and looking okay. We will be able to do the injections from home - after watching it be done a couple of times in the office. The plan is to inject a very small amount every day for about two months, or until the skin has expanded enough - maybe more and maybe less. Then they will do the surgery to replace the graft with all of the new-grown skin, and we will be done! I SOOOOO can't wait for that day to be here!
"I got my new George blanket, my new kitty-cat hat, mama kitty, and my cup. I ready to go to the doctor now mom!"
Our appointment was at 10:00, the first hour of which was spent in the waiting room, listening for Ella's name to be called. Ella got a new box of crayons from the receptionist and found two new coloring books about hospital stays - so this kept here occupied for a while. Then, she found some sort of pink brochure. I told her that she should put it back, to which her reply was "I need this mom." I looked at it and it was called "Understanding Your Hysterectomy." Dave and I shared a smile over that one. But then she decided that I needed to have it, since it was pink and I was a girl, and then found a different brochure that she said was for Dave, since it was blue and he was a boy. It was titled "Disorders of the Pelvic Floor" or something like that. Yikes, I hope Dave's uterus isn't falling out! Finally, Ella's name was called and back to the examining room we went.
We were up on the twelth floor, so had a pretty neat view of some of the downtown buildings. Here is what our view was like. Ella tried to tell us that all of the buildings were garages, and just wouldn't believe when we said they weren't.
Finally Jim, the physician extender (the doctor's right-hand man, or "Tonto" as we like to call him), arrived and started by showing us a couple of samples of what tissue expanders looked like. They were a lot thicker and bigger than we had imagined. The two samples we saw were both oval, one was about 8 inches long and 4 inches wide, and the other about 4 inches by 2 inches. Each had a small tube running from it - they kind of reminded me of a computer mouse. And he also showed us what the port (where the solution would be injected) looked like. Ella really enjoyed playing with these and seemed rather excited that these "balloons" were going to go on her head to make it bigger.
When the doctor came in, he chatted with us about what we could expect over the next few months, and about tissue expanders, and answered all of the questions we had. Then they went through the templates they had and decided how best to maximize using her scalp to end up with the skin needed to cover the injury area. Two of the templates were chosen as the right size and shape for the expanders in the back of her head and on the left side, just above her ear. They decided to create a custom-designed expander that would cover the entire right side of her head. So there was a lot of holding plastic films up to her head and checking to see if the fit was accurate, as well as tracing onto a clear film to create the custom-shaped template. Ella was very cooperative through the whole process, and provided us plenty of entertainment as she excitedly talked about her balloons and how they were going to be on her head and filled with water. In fact, when we left "empty-handed" - she wanted to know when we were going back to get her new balloons.
So the plan is to have three total expanders implanted - two smaller ones and the large custom-designed one. They will create a mold of the custom one, have us back in to make sure it is accurate, and then will send it in to have expanders that shape and size made. So it will take a few weeks before all of the expanders are here and ready to be implanted. Right now we are thinking early December for this surgery.
Once they are in place, it will be an overnight hospital stay, and then she will be able to go home, as long as everything is feeling and looking okay. We will be able to do the injections from home - after watching it be done a couple of times in the office. The plan is to inject a very small amount every day for about two months, or until the skin has expanded enough - maybe more and maybe less. Then they will do the surgery to replace the graft with all of the new-grown skin, and we will be done! I SOOOOO can't wait for that day to be here!
Friday, September 28, 2007
Our Crazy Last Weekend
Well, it is almost the weekend again, so I thought I'd better hurry and put a few things down about the weekend we had almost a week ago. It was a weekend filled with good times with good friends - old AND new!
On Saturday afternoon, Carol, Carma, and Kristi drove all the way from Iowa to visit us in our new home. We had a nice and relaxing time with them chit-chatting out in our front yard. Carma's lungs and cats don't get along real well, so it would have been a huge risk to her health for her to come inside considering the fact that one of our family members is a feline. But the weather was beautiful, and sitting outside worked just fine. But we could have done without the bugs. They definitely were not staying away. And they were the tiny little black ones that land on you and then give these little stinging bites. But we survived. Here is a pic of us out in the front yard. Kristi is taking the picture, and Ella is way too busy running around to sit still and be in it.
Then on Sunday morning Dave was scheduled to lead the chapel services at both hospitals in town. So we all attended the second service at the same hospital that Ella was (and will be) a patient in. They called it a chapel, but we all agreed that the room seemed to be much more than what that term implied. It was rather ornate, and we were all rather awed as we walked in. Here is a pic, but even it doesn't give a true representation of what the place really was like.
After this it was more fellowship and food as we ate at the local Old Country Buffet. Everything was very yummy. Ella especially liked the orange soft-serve ice cream they had. Well, everyone did actually...
So that in itself was a pretty busy weekend. Then we received a call on Sunday afternoon after the ladies left, inviting us along on a trip to an apple orchard! Our new friends Ben and Naomi were going with their 2 kids and a few others and wondered if we'd like to go too. So we couldn't pass that up, and off we went! There were small animals, hay bales, pumpkins, and lots of apples! Ella and the other kids helped themselves to one of the free samples, and looked so cute chomping them down! Ella used our wagon ride around the orchard as a good opportunity to polish hers off....or maybe it was a new one she grabbed to take with. Who knows! All I know is that we did a LOT of apple-eating that day!
After the wagon ride, we purchased a bag that we could fill up with as many apples as we picked from the orchard. Dave and Ella did a great job picking the best ones (okay, so maybe Ella picked a few of the not-really-the-best ones, but that was okay too), and our bag was filled up in no time!
Needless to say, we all slept really good on Sunday night! What a wonderful weekend it was!
On Saturday afternoon, Carol, Carma, and Kristi drove all the way from Iowa to visit us in our new home. We had a nice and relaxing time with them chit-chatting out in our front yard. Carma's lungs and cats don't get along real well, so it would have been a huge risk to her health for her to come inside considering the fact that one of our family members is a feline. But the weather was beautiful, and sitting outside worked just fine. But we could have done without the bugs. They definitely were not staying away. And they were the tiny little black ones that land on you and then give these little stinging bites. But we survived. Here is a pic of us out in the front yard. Kristi is taking the picture, and Ella is way too busy running around to sit still and be in it.
Then on Sunday morning Dave was scheduled to lead the chapel services at both hospitals in town. So we all attended the second service at the same hospital that Ella was (and will be) a patient in. They called it a chapel, but we all agreed that the room seemed to be much more than what that term implied. It was rather ornate, and we were all rather awed as we walked in. Here is a pic, but even it doesn't give a true representation of what the place really was like.
After this it was more fellowship and food as we ate at the local Old Country Buffet. Everything was very yummy. Ella especially liked the orange soft-serve ice cream they had. Well, everyone did actually...
So that in itself was a pretty busy weekend. Then we received a call on Sunday afternoon after the ladies left, inviting us along on a trip to an apple orchard! Our new friends Ben and Naomi were going with their 2 kids and a few others and wondered if we'd like to go too. So we couldn't pass that up, and off we went! There were small animals, hay bales, pumpkins, and lots of apples! Ella and the other kids helped themselves to one of the free samples, and looked so cute chomping them down! Ella used our wagon ride around the orchard as a good opportunity to polish hers off....or maybe it was a new one she grabbed to take with. Who knows! All I know is that we did a LOT of apple-eating that day!
After the wagon ride, we purchased a bag that we could fill up with as many apples as we picked from the orchard. Dave and Ella did a great job picking the best ones (okay, so maybe Ella picked a few of the not-really-the-best ones, but that was okay too), and our bag was filled up in no time!
Needless to say, we all slept really good on Sunday night! What a wonderful weekend it was!
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Ella Has a New Cousin!
Yay! Ella's not the only grandchild on my side anymore! Uncle Paul and Auntie Dana finally gave her a new little cousin, and Dave and I a new little....
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NIECE!!!!! ( :
Little Morgan Keli arrived at 5:54 am California time - just about 6 hours after they checked into the hospital. She was 8 pounds and 1 ounce, and 19 1/2 inches long. Dana was a trooper and did the whole thing without any drugs or IVs of any kind. What a woman! So Paul and Dana obviously got absolutely no sleep last night. Hopefully they are resting right now. ( :
We are so happy and excited to have this new little baby girl in our family and can't wait to see pictures of her! And meet her!
All this talk about babies has Ella telling me that we need to get a baby that she can help take care of. She's looking at the Hanna Andersson (kids' clothing) magazine right now picking one out for us.
Congratulations Paul and Dana!
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NIECE!!!!! ( :
Little Morgan Keli arrived at 5:54 am California time - just about 6 hours after they checked into the hospital. She was 8 pounds and 1 ounce, and 19 1/2 inches long. Dana was a trooper and did the whole thing without any drugs or IVs of any kind. What a woman! So Paul and Dana obviously got absolutely no sleep last night. Hopefully they are resting right now. ( :
We are so happy and excited to have this new little baby girl in our family and can't wait to see pictures of her! And meet her!
All this talk about babies has Ella telling me that we need to get a baby that she can help take care of. She's looking at the Hanna Andersson (kids' clothing) magazine right now picking one out for us.
Congratulations Paul and Dana!
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Spiderman Park
After a few colder than normal days and the threat of rain coming over the next few days, we just couldn't let the beautiful Sunday afternoon go by without some time outdoors. So off to one of our neighborhood parks we went.
There are a few to choose from near our home, and we found out very soon after our move that each of the parks has its own name, as given by the locals. Close to us we have "the Purple Park," "the Blue Park," or "Spiderman Park." Downtown is a very large park known as "goose-egg park." I was told that it had to do with the, ahem, "goose-eggs" left on the ground by the many ducks and geese there. But I read that the name came from it's oval, egg-like shape. So I suppose I can decide what the name refers to.
But Sunday's park of choice was the Superman park. The equipment is blue and red, and there are web-likd ropes that the kids can climb on. I suppose that's where the name came from. One of the best things about this park was the giant teeter-totter.
Ella, as always, spent most of the time just running around.
Of course, we once again reflected on how nice it was to have a Sunday afternoon spent as a family, relaxing and enjoying the day and our time together. Ella and I have been enjoying having daddy around on Sundays now.....but don't tell him that. ( :
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Friends you choose, but family...
I know it's been said that you can choose your friends, but your family you are sort of "stuck" with. Well I want to post some pictures of the family that I am very happy to be stuck with!
Last weekend we were able to get together with my (Dave) extended family for my dad's birthday. I remember when we used to have these old fashioned family gatherings all the time. But it's been quite some time since I have had the chance to be a part of one. And I must admit that I didn't realize how much I missed them! It was just a great time to get together with everyone else. There was plenty of food, fun, and just enjoying each other's company!
Since it had been so long since we were all able to be at one of these we decided we had to take some pictures. Fortunately a niece of mine brought her boyfriend along so he could be our photographer.
This is me with my dad and my three brothers and two sisters!
I don't know what's up with the canoe -- it's not like we are an aquatic family! Ella decided she needed to be in this one as well. I guess since she's by far the youngest grandchild she gets special privileges!
Grandpa with some of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Again, the canoe is kind of funny because if it were actually in the water I guarantee that my dad would not be sitting in it!
One big happy family!
Friday, September 14, 2007
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