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March
2003 Journal
March
is here! Boy, did February fly by!! Well, I said I
wanted one more snow storm and boy oh boy, did we ever get
one. Mommy and Daddy said that they took lots of
pictures because it could be another 20 years before we see
snow like that in Harrisburg!!!
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Grammy
& Pap-Pap Survived!
February
26-March 3 , 2003 |
Grammy &
Pap-pap came in on Wednesday to stay with me while Mommy & Daddy
went on a little "trip" together. Boy, did I have a
good time. I missed Mommy & Daddy but I was much too busy
to show it! Besides, they left during "Dora, the
Explorer" so I was too engrossed in that to notice.
Grammy got me some cool cars that go in the bathtub! I LOVE
THEM! I take them with me everywhere I go! If I go
upstairs, the cars come upstairs! I even take them to bed with
me! Also, before Mommy and Daddy left, they surprised me with
a "Bob the Builder" pillowcase. He kept me company
at night. Grammy and me had fun coloring with markers and Pap
and I made footprints and mini snowmen in the snow. Yes, we
STILL have snow here. It really hasn't melted all that much.
Before I knew it Mommy and Daddy were back and things are back to
normal around here. It appears that I'm not getting away with
as much as I was a few days ago! Oh well, I missed them and
I'm glad they are back!
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Mommy
& Daddy's Trip to The Pocono's
February
27-March 2 , 2003 |
Mommy and Daddy
went to the Caesar's
resort of Cove Haven in the Pocono Mountains. They left
on Thursday morning and came home on Sunday afternoon. They
said that they had a nice relaxing trip. Their room was two
stories and had a fireplace, heart-shaped heated pool, sauna, 7-foot
champagne glass whirlpool, steam shower for two and a round
bed!! The resort is in the mountains and was kind of set up
like a small town...all the events were within walking distance or
you could take "The Chariot"...minibus. They enjoyed
gourmet dinners, drinks, entertainment (strictly for adults),
special couples competitions and rode snowmobiles.
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My
First Professional Haircut! (No offense, Grandma!!)
March 5 , 2003 |
Mommy &
Daddy took me to get my hair cut tonight. We went to Kids
Kutters in Mechanicsburg. They specialize in cutting
children's hair. The place was really cool. There were
big animals painted all over the walls. I especially liked the
zebra and giraffe. My favorite room was in the back where they
would wash your hair. I am still too little for that, but I
was allowed to explore. It was all decorated like you are
underwater. There were all kinds of fish "swimming"
on the walls and there was even a big mermaid sitting on the
ledge. I kept calling her Mommy. I did a great job when
it came time to get my hair cut. The lady sat me in this big
chair, put a HUGE bib around my neck and put in a Blue's Clues
video. I was too busy watching that and drinking my juice to
really care what else was going on. She sprayed my hair to get
it wet and was combing and cutting a lot. Daddy was taking
pictures and Mommy was watching. She used this really loud
buzzing thing on my neck, it really tickled. So, I
have a nice little haircut and Mommy says I'm cuter than ever now.
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My
Follow-up Kidney Tests
March 6 , 2003 |
I had to go to
Hershey Medical Center this morning for some tests on my left
kidney. We had to be there for 8 o'clock!! That is early
for me....since I usually sleep until then or after. Anyway,
we arrived in time without a fuss. First, I had to have an
ultrasound. Man, I really don't like to lay down, you can't
see anything and on top of that, they smear this gooey stuff all
over my belly and it's dark in the room! After that torture
was over, I thought I was done! NO! They walked me into
another room where I am strapped to a board!! Strapped to a
board!! What kind of life is that? I was trying to let
them know how unhappy I was but it didn't work. Next, thing I
know they are putting tubes, where tubes probably shouldn't be being
put! I know they have to get the dye into my bladder and watch
my kidney but geez! I have a reflux and this test helped the
doctor to see that it is still there. After being rolled
around so they could take some pictures, I was finished and Mommy
got me dressed. I got to play in the waiting room with some
other kids before we had to leave and see Dr. Hollowell. She
was glad to see how big I was getting and did a lot of talking with
Mommy & Daddy. She said that the top part of my kidney has
gotten almost completely better. If you remember, it was dilating
a lot when I was born. But I still have the reflux in the
lower portion. For some crazy reason I was born with two
ureters in that kidney, when most people only have one. She
also said that my kidney, although not working completely perfect,
is functioning quite a bit. Too much to remove any part of
it. So, I guess I am going to have an operation on March
25th. Dr. Hollowell is going to first remove the ureter
and reattach it to the bladder and it should get rid of the
reflux. I will have to go through a couple more of those
"dye" tests before we know if the surgery was a complete
success or not. The percentage of this not working is VERY
slim and I'm glad that she wants to try and save the kidney
first. There is a lot more technical stuff that I could tell
you about but it's all a little confusing to me. But this will
give you the general idea of what is happening. Wish me luck!!
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I'm
20 Months Old!
March 6 , 2003 |
With everything
else that went on today, I almost forgot that I am 20 months old
now! Hmm, what have I been up to? Well, I now weigh 26
1/2 lbs.
and am still 33 3/4 inches tall. Mommy says I'm growing up too fast.
My size 18 month pants aren't going to last much longer and I am
pretty snug in my 24 month shirts and onesies. My size 4
diapers are good, but Mommy may switch to 5's, just to give me some
more room. I am also pretty comfy in my size 5
shoes.
I am talking A LOT now. I have around 50 words in my vocabulary.
However, I don't use them all a lot. I do say a new word
almost every day. Most of the
words that come from my mouth on a daily basis are: car, truck,
Daddy, uh-oh, ball, hello, bye-bye, juice and eh-eh (no). I will try
to say the words you ask me to, but if they don't mean anything to
me, I won't use them often. My newest word that Mommy likes is
my word for grapes. I call them "beps". And
boy, are they yummy!! I would have to say that they are my
newest favorite snack.
I'm not a big eater. I will eat almost any kind of breakfast
item, waffles, toast, eggs (with ketchup, of course), bagel with
cream cheese, cream of wheat, oatmeal and French toast. I like
macaroni & cheese, peanut butter & jelly, cottage cheese, yogurt, pudding,
and French fries. Don't even try to give me vegetables
though...yuck! I won't even try them...well, I'll eat
corn. Having it on the cob is my favorite. I guess you
could call me a "carbohydrate" junkie. Mommy hopes
these eating habits change soon.
I still have the 7 teeth showing and all of my molars are slowing
working their way out. I wish they would hurry up! I
feel like chewing on everything these days.
I love to spend my day doing a number of different things. I
enjoy playing with my cars and trucks. I like to build roads
for them with my blocks, Daddy helps me to do that. I like to
color, paint with watercolors, and play with my Playdough. My
favorite thing right now is to hit balls around the living room with
my blue Tupperware funnel (I will be getting my cousin Nickoli one
for his birthday...heehee!). When Pap was here he taught me to
"keep my head down and eye on the ball"....I try to
remember that and I almost never miss. I have just learned to
make my riding tractor, that Grandparents Proper got me for
Christmas, go forward. I sit on it backwards but I go
forwards. Sadly, I have also become addicted to some
television shows. I absolutely LOVE to watch Dora the Explorer
and Blue's Clues. I will sit and watch them from beginning to
end. I also enjoy Sesame Street and Bob the Builder.
Well, that is about it for now. It's funny how much I can
learn in a months time. So, it should be interesting to see
what I'm doing new next month!
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Happy
St. Patrick's Day!
March 17
, 2003 |
Happy Green
Day!! Boy, it was nice around here! The weather was
great! I got to wear my brand new green shirt to daycare
today. We had special St. Patty's Day cupcakes for snack
AND a little leprechaun had come during naptime and left tiny
footprints all over the place! We got to follow them until we
found his pot of gold!! He left us yummy gold coins...they
were chocolate! To top all the fun off, we were able to play
outside all afternoon at daycare. I got sooo dirty and Mommy
didn't even care! I hope you all had as good of a day as me!!
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Cole's
Blood Work Testing
March 18
, 2003 |
Ugh! I had
to go to the hospital today and have blood taken out of my
arm!! Geez, haven't I been through enough already??
Mommy, Daddy and me went to Harrisburg Hospital early this
morning. I had to wait for awhile before they took me
in. The nurses were really nice to me. Mommy had to hold
me in her lap because Daddy didn't think he could do it. He's
a little nervous when it comes to blood and needles. Anyway,
Mommy held me on her lap, pretty tight. The nurse tied a band
on my arm and STUCK ME!! I cried and cried but it was over
very quickly. I got TWO Bob the Builder stickers and they gave
me a teddy bear to keep! I was okay and happy by the time we
reached the waiting room!
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Tour
of the Hospital
March 18
, 2003 |
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Mommy, Daddy and
me got a tour of the pediatric floor and operating area by a really
nice lady named Lisa. She let me push the buttons on the
elevator. Oh yea, the elevator, my favorite thing about
today! I got to ride up and down in them a whole bunch
today. Lisa was mostly talking with Mommy and Daddy about
where I will need to go next week and what they have available for
me during my stay. I will probably have to go to the 3rd floor
first, where they will prepare me for surgery and Mommy and Daddy
will have to wait. I am allowed to take my favorite toy with
me, even in the operating room. It will be hard to figure out
which car/truck to take! I might have a room to myself or I
will get to share one with someone else as long as they don't have
something infectious. I have a TV/VCR in my room too!
So, I won't have to miss Dora the Explorer, Blue's Clues or Bob the
Builder. There is also a really nice play area that I can go
in when I feel better or may get the chance to play up there while I
wait for surgery. Lisa told Mommy and Daddy to get me a play
doctor kit so I can kind of become familiar with some of the
equipment that the nurses and doctors would use. Mommy is
going to make me some "doctor" and "nurse" paper
dolls too. I really don't know how I feel about everything but
I do know that all the doctors and nurses that I met today are very
nice and will do their best to take care of me.
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Urine
Test at Dr. Hollowell's Office
March 21 , 2003 |
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I had to go to
the doctor's AGAIN today! This time to check my urine and be
sure I had no infections before I have my surgery. I had to
"pee" in a bag! Dr. Hollowell basically
"strapped" it on and put my diaper back on and let me
play. I was not happy about any of this of course. Don't
get me wrong, she is very nice. I just don't like being messed
with. Mommy & Daddy say that I've been like that since I
was born! It wasn't painful but you would have thought it
was. Daddy was afraid that I scared the people away that were
in the waiting room! HA HA!! Anyway, Dr. Hollowell,
Mommy & Daddy talked some more about my surgery. We have
to be at the hospital for 8:30am. I'm not allowed to eat
anything after 2:00am the night before and drink anything (only
clear juice) after 7:30am. My surgery will probably be at
10:30. She is going to call us on Monday and confirm the
times. Daddy promised that he would update everyone after my
operation and let them know how things went.
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Operation
Day
March
25 , 2003 |
I had to go to
the hospital for my surgery at 8:30 this morning! That was
pretty early for me. I wasn't allowed to eat any breakfast
either. I did have a drink when I got up but I had to finish
it by 7:30. We packed up my suitcase and I made sure that
"Monkey" and "Mr. Moo" were along for the
ride. Mommy said that I was going to be sleeping over at the
hospital!
We got there and had to go to the third floor. I love riding
the elevators and pushing the buttons. My favorite to push is
the alarm one, that is if no one catches me on my way to do it first!!
It wasn't a long wait for us in the waiting room before they called
us back to get ready. I had to put on a blue gown. It
had a puppy dog on it. I wasn't too friendly with the nurses
and stayed close to Mom and Dad. I had to get weighed and
measured and my blood pressure taken on my toe! We walked
around back there, visiting with other people that were having
surgery, while we waited. Dr. Hollowell came out and the anesthesiologist
came to talk to Mommy and Daddy too. The nurse gave me some
Verset. It's a drug that made me very, very funny and
limp. I could barely hold my head up. I was so out of it
that I didn't even care when Dr. Hollowell came back and carried me
to the operating room! I gave Mommy and Daddy a quick kiss and
off I went.
Now, I don't know much more about the day, so I can only go from
what Daddy told me. Grandma and Grandpa Proper were in the
waiting room and sat with Mom and Dad while I was in surgery.
They talked, watched some TV, ate lunch and did some shopping while
they waited. Dr. Hollowell's assistant came out every hour to
report on how I was doing. Which was great and things were
going good. Dr. Hollowell did have somewhat of a surprise when
she got "in there". My ureter that we thought was
one big tube, divided in to two, was actually two separated
tubes. Each attached to the bladder in different places.
So, she only need to remove the ureter to the lower (refluxing) pole
and re-implant it. She took it around my bladder and under a
layer of muscle of the bladder. So, hopefully when the bladder
contracts, it pinches off the tube and prevents the reflux from
happening.
I came out of surgery pretty good. I was busy flirting with the
nurses when Mommy and Daddy came back. I couldn't let them
think I was completely happy, so I started to cry for them. We
rode up the elevator and to my room.
I had a lot of pain medication and slept a lot and had a pretty good
night at the hospital. Uncle Mark and Amanda came to see me
but I think I slept through their visits.
Dr. Hollowell came back to check on me that night and said I looked
good. I was enjoying watching Sponge Bob Squarepants on my
very own TV.
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Recovery
- Day #1
March
26 , 2003 |
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I got up today
feeling pretty good. Daddy fed me some Jell-o for
breakfast. Dr. Hollowell was in this morning and checked me
out. I was tired of laying in bed so Mommy and Daddy let me
get down. I had my catheter bag and my IV (in my foot) to tote
around. Daddy had a good time keeping up with me! You
would have never known that I had just had an operation!! We
played for a long time in the playroom and walked all around the
floor. Grandma and Grandpa were having fun watching Daddy keep
me from getting all twisted up in my tubes!
In the
afternoon, Dr. Hollowell came back and said that I can have the IV
removed and no more IV painkillers...just the Motrin and Tylenol
would be good. After that was off, it was much easier to move
around! Daddy hooked my catheter bag up on the back of my
hospital gown, like a backpack!! The nurses got a kick out of
that! They even took my picture for the scrapbook! I had
some fussy moments (only when the nurses would make me take medicine
and be messing with me)...but I was pretty good for the most
part. I liked going out to the front desk and visiting with
the doctors and nurses there. I was even showing them how I
can dance.
Uncle Mark
came to visit me and that was the first time I said his
name..."muck". He didn't hear it because I said it
when he was walking out the door! I ended up staying another
night. Dr. Hollowell said that we could go home if we were
comfortable with it but suggested we stay. So, Mommy went home
to get some sleep and Daddy stayed with me. I had a really
good night.
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Going
Home! Recovery - Day #2
March
27 , 2003 |
I got to come
home today. Dr. Hollowell was in at 7:00 and gave me the go
ahead. However, she still doesn't like how my "pen
rose" (drainage tube) is still draining and wants to keep the
catheter in too. We are to call her this afternoon and let her
know how it is draining.
Coming home was fun. It was nice to see all my toys and take a
nap in my own bed. Dr. Hollowell called and we have an
appointment in the morning to check my tube and possible remove the
catheter.
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Dr.
Hollowell's Office Visit - Recovery - Day #3
March
28 , 2003 |
Mommy, Daddy and
I went to Dr. Hollowell's today. She still isn't happy with
how my "pen rose" tube is draining. She felt that
the catheter she used in me was too small and not draining the
bladder fast enough. So, we had to put in a bigger one!
OUCH..OUCH..OUCH!!
That's all I have to say about that!
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What
am I doing back at the Hospital???
March
28 , 2003 |
So, we get home
from that horrendous doctor's visit. I was fast asleep on the
car ride back, so Mommy put me in bed. Daddy went to
work. I woke up screaming and when Mommy picked me up...I was
soaking wet. All the way through the gauze, diaper and my
pants. Not a good thing...the "pen rose" had never
drained like that before! Plus, I was all red, swollen and hot
around my testicles. Mommy got a little scared I think,
because the next thing I know, Daddy is home and we are back at the
hospital!! Even got the same room!! Dr. Hollowell
checked me out and was concerned about the drainage. The redness
that I mentioned before, had gone away...but I was still a little
swollen. We had to have an ultrasound. The nurse gave me
some of that wonder drug, Verset, again. It was calm me down
so they could do the procedure. I really gave Dr. Hollowell a
tough time during my appointment with her earlier. I did
pretty good for the ultrasound and Dr. Hollowell said everything
looked as it should. She thought it may have just been a fluke
with putting in the new catheter and all. I had to stay at the
hospital until the Verset wore off. I did finally get to take
a nap and my drain tube was already doing better and was staying dry
the entire time we were there. I got to go home around 9:00pm!
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One
Tube Down....One To Go!
March
30 , 2003 |
After I had a
good day Saturday, hardly any drainage at all! Only about the
size of a penny. Dr. Hollowell said I could come in and she
would take out the "pen rose". She didn't want to do
the catheter yet. I cried as soon as I saw her and when Daddy
laid me on the table. But it was over really quick! It
didn't even hurt and as quick as that I was done! I even
played with Dr. Hollowell for a little bit before we left. She
was happy to finally get to see me when I wasn't crying my head
off!! She gave me lots of stickers to take home and we made an
appointment for 5:00 tomorrow to take out the catheter!! YEA!
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I'm
A Little Stinker!
March
30 , 2003 |
I know I just
had surgery 5 days ago...but it's not going to stop me! Daddy
"thought" he would put me down for my nap today. I
had different plans of course. All I needed to do was put my
leg up so my toes could catch on the rail and then used my hands (on
the end railings) to pull my self up and over. If I am really
careful I don't even fall. I drop myself down by hanging on
and landing on my feet!! Heehee!
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Catheter
Be Gone!!
March
31 , 2003 |
I didn't cry too
much at all when I saw Dr. Hollowell today! Now, I wouldn't
say that I was excited to see her...but I remembered that yesterday
wasn't so bad. Daddy held on to me while she took the tube
out...it didn't even hurt. Well, maybe a slight bit of
discomfort. All I have to say is that I feel 100 times
better!!! I even pee'd without too much of a fuss. It
hurt a little bit but I didn't make a big fuss. I even got a
"tubby" and was happy about it! So happy that I
pee'd in there too!! Heehee!
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A
Big Boy Bed!
March
31 , 2003 |
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Mommy, Daddy and
me went shopping for a new bed. It's a RACE CAR!!
vroom-vroom! It's "bue" and we got car sheets
to go with it!! I had fun helping Daddy put it together.
Sleeping in it, however, is a completely different story!! I
wasn't that excited about doing that. Daddy tricked me though,
he laid down with me until I fell asleep on the floor and then he
put me in it. I stayed in it and didn't fall out. We
will have to see how long it will take until I get used this!
Not sure if I'm excited or not! I liked staying at the
hospital when I got to sleep near Mommy or Daddy!
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