Well, things here didn't quite continue on in the pleasant way that they began post-surgery. Day 2 and 3 started off well. She even rode her bike around the block yesterday morning! But both days found her with a high fever by mid-day that left her lethargic and clingy and she's been coughing/throwing up crud off and on for the last two days.
She slept a good 14.5 hours last night, with only one bought of coughing and one spell of waking up to declare, "I DON'T LIKE SLEEPING!" (Apparently that dislike hasn't been cured yet.)
Sean's back to work today but I'm home for another day. I'm praying that today will bring a big turnaround. We had been warned that days 3-5 could be worse than 1-2, but that was in regard to pain, which she hasn't had any of. Time will tell.
In the meantime, we've watched our new Backyardigans video about a thousand times. We were charmed the first 624 times, but it's getting a little old at this point.
Can you tell I'm getting stircrazy?
Monday, April 12, 2010
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Successful Surgery
First of all, thanks for all of the prayers and support that you gave us yesterday! The day went faster and more smoothly than I had anticipated.
For those of you who want a general update. It went great and she's fine. I know others of you are into the details, so here they are.
We arrived at the hospital at 10 am, where the nurse who had led our surgery class told the staff that whoever got to work with Maya was in for a treat. The nurses did enjoy working with our nugget. She spends so much time playing doctor at home that when they were listening to her heart with the stethescope she was taking deep breaths so they could check her lungs too. Each new doctor or nurse we would see would say, "We heard she's cute and they weren't kidding!"
They gave her a pair of pjs, which are probably "typical" 3-year-old size. We put them on and they looked like capris and a belly shirt! We upgraded to the next size.
She went in at 12:24 and was finished by 1. The Doctor said that the cyst turned out to be two inches long and that the adenoid was bigger than it had been when x-rayed five weeks ago, so she was very glad that both were removed.
She waasn't too happy coming out of anesthesia so I got to go into the recovery room and do some soothing. I even got to ride in the bed with her down to her short-stay room! By the time we got down there she was talking and alert and very excited about the popsicles. We snuggled, watched a movie, and ate three popsicles before we went home an hour later.
Once we got home the eating frenzy continued. Two Jell-O cups, two bowls of oatmeal, a yogurt cup, scrambled eggs and a bunch of juice later we cut her off and sent her to bed.
She was up in the night, happy as a clam, saying things like, "Remember that time we went on that bus and there were "buckle seats" all over?" She woke up at her normal time but after two hours went back to bed for a good long nap.
She's up now with a fever that regular Tylenol seems to be taking care of and is eating more Jell-O and juice but doesn't seem to be in any pain. We're planning on a low key weekend of cartoons, snuggling and juice drinking and I took Monday off just in case.
Another new parent hurdle jumped!
For those of you who want a general update. It went great and she's fine. I know others of you are into the details, so here they are.
We arrived at the hospital at 10 am, where the nurse who had led our surgery class told the staff that whoever got to work with Maya was in for a treat. The nurses did enjoy working with our nugget. She spends so much time playing doctor at home that when they were listening to her heart with the stethescope she was taking deep breaths so they could check her lungs too. Each new doctor or nurse we would see would say, "We heard she's cute and they weren't kidding!"
They gave her a pair of pjs, which are probably "typical" 3-year-old size. We put them on and they looked like capris and a belly shirt! We upgraded to the next size.
She went in at 12:24 and was finished by 1. The Doctor said that the cyst turned out to be two inches long and that the adenoid was bigger than it had been when x-rayed five weeks ago, so she was very glad that both were removed.
She waasn't too happy coming out of anesthesia so I got to go into the recovery room and do some soothing. I even got to ride in the bed with her down to her short-stay room! By the time we got down there she was talking and alert and very excited about the popsicles. We snuggled, watched a movie, and ate three popsicles before we went home an hour later.
Once we got home the eating frenzy continued. Two Jell-O cups, two bowls of oatmeal, a yogurt cup, scrambled eggs and a bunch of juice later we cut her off and sent her to bed.
She was up in the night, happy as a clam, saying things like, "Remember that time we went on that bus and there were "buckle seats" all over?" She woke up at her normal time but after two hours went back to bed for a good long nap.
She's up now with a fever that regular Tylenol seems to be taking care of and is eating more Jell-O and juice but doesn't seem to be in any pain. We're planning on a low key weekend of cartoons, snuggling and juice drinking and I took Monday off just in case.
Another new parent hurdle jumped!
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Surgery Tomorrow
Tomorrow at 11:30 am Maya will have her adenoids (thanks mom for pointing out the correct spelling!) and a cyst removed. We feel very fortunate to be able to have this done at a Children's Hospital, which has so far been a wonderful experience.
We went to "Surgery Class" last week, where the kids got to watch a puppet show about what was going to happen. Then the kids got to go into one room where they tried on the anesthesia masks and even choose a flavor of chapstick to color the inside with so that it would smell good! During this time a nurse talked to the parents and told us about every detail of the day. At the end we all went on a tour of the hospital and got to see where we'll check in, where we'll wait, the room she'll recover in, etc. She and I also went on a shopping trip to get special post-surgery treats this week. We've got a fridge stocked with juices, popsicles, Jell-O, ice cream and even a special cup. They say she'll need to drink a ton of liquids but won't want to, so we're hoping these items will help.
I'll do my best to post tomorrow or Saturday to let you know how things went. In the meantime, keep us in your prayers!
We went to "Surgery Class" last week, where the kids got to watch a puppet show about what was going to happen. Then the kids got to go into one room where they tried on the anesthesia masks and even choose a flavor of chapstick to color the inside with so that it would smell good! During this time a nurse talked to the parents and told us about every detail of the day. At the end we all went on a tour of the hospital and got to see where we'll check in, where we'll wait, the room she'll recover in, etc. She and I also went on a shopping trip to get special post-surgery treats this week. We've got a fridge stocked with juices, popsicles, Jell-O, ice cream and even a special cup. They say she'll need to drink a ton of liquids but won't want to, so we're hoping these items will help.
I'll do my best to post tomorrow or Saturday to let you know how things went. In the meantime, keep us in your prayers!
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Giggles
Recently at dinner Sean blew a crumb off of Maya's cheek. This is what happened next.
(Please note the distraction techniques used, such as saying, "Did you toot?" and making goggles with her hands.)
(Please note the distraction techniques used, such as saying, "Did you toot?" and making goggles with her hands.)
Opera: Take Two
You may remember our first introduction of Opera to Maya last summer with this video post, in which she went through the many emotions often associated with the medium:
http://babybreiningerblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/another-musical-experience-with-maya.html
Since then we received an "Opera for Kids" cd from Grandma with all the big hits sung in English and Maya has changed her tune.
http://babybreiningerblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/another-musical-experience-with-maya.html
Since then we received an "Opera for Kids" cd from Grandma with all the big hits sung in English and Maya has changed her tune.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Maya Updates
Sorry it's been so long since our last post! In the world of Facebook and Flipvideos, I've been finding myself updating people on our girl using those, which are so fast and easy. But today I found myself with a rare few moments and thought I'd actually write something about the nugget who lives with us.
Maya continues to grow at an alarming rate, no longer holding on to the belly or chubbiness of her 'youth', she seems to get taller by the day and is often mistaken for a five-year-old.
Her English vocabulary is phenomenal, blowing us away with sentences such as, "The sleeves of my long-sleeved shirt are inside out right now." "Would you like some help?" "Absolutely I would!"
We're taking West African dance classes, which I thought she would love, as dancing is her favorite pasttime, but she hasn't quite gotten into it yet. I, on the other hand, am loving it, which is as much a shock for me as I'm sure it is for you! (if you're a reader who has met me, you know that coordination is NOT my strong suit)
She's also tried out roller skating and bowling recently, both which she loved and wants to do more of asap.
Musically she blows us away daily as she can match pitch with the piano, makes up her own songs and can play tunes like "Twinkle" on the piano.
Really, there's not much she's not good at....except sleeping.
Since day one sleeping has been an issue. Something she despises more than anything. We've tried every arrangement of every bed in every room, tried bedtime yoga, peppermint tea, infant massage, low lighting, avoiding sugar, a wave sound machine, and have even consulted a sleep expert. I've determined we're dealing with the perfect storm: she has huge adnoids which cause her to wake up frequently, she's afraid of the dark, and she's deathly afraid of us leaving her. Not a good combination for a restful night. Her adnoids will be removed, along with a cyst on her neck on April 9 and we hear from everyone that this should make a huge difference for the good. We hope and pray that they're right!
Overall she is a joy and still, after nine months together, we pinch ourselves that she is actually HERE with us! We are so grateful for the fun that she brings to our lives.
Maya continues to grow at an alarming rate, no longer holding on to the belly or chubbiness of her 'youth', she seems to get taller by the day and is often mistaken for a five-year-old.
Her English vocabulary is phenomenal, blowing us away with sentences such as, "The sleeves of my long-sleeved shirt are inside out right now." "Would you like some help?" "Absolutely I would!"
We're taking West African dance classes, which I thought she would love, as dancing is her favorite pasttime, but she hasn't quite gotten into it yet. I, on the other hand, am loving it, which is as much a shock for me as I'm sure it is for you! (if you're a reader who has met me, you know that coordination is NOT my strong suit)
She's also tried out roller skating and bowling recently, both which she loved and wants to do more of asap.
Musically she blows us away daily as she can match pitch with the piano, makes up her own songs and can play tunes like "Twinkle" on the piano.
Really, there's not much she's not good at....except sleeping.
Since day one sleeping has been an issue. Something she despises more than anything. We've tried every arrangement of every bed in every room, tried bedtime yoga, peppermint tea, infant massage, low lighting, avoiding sugar, a wave sound machine, and have even consulted a sleep expert. I've determined we're dealing with the perfect storm: she has huge adnoids which cause her to wake up frequently, she's afraid of the dark, and she's deathly afraid of us leaving her. Not a good combination for a restful night. Her adnoids will be removed, along with a cyst on her neck on April 9 and we hear from everyone that this should make a huge difference for the good. We hope and pray that they're right!
Overall she is a joy and still, after nine months together, we pinch ourselves that she is actually HERE with us! We are so grateful for the fun that she brings to our lives.
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