No More Tonsils

Zachary had his tonsils and adenoids removed last year. This year was Lauren's turn. She had her surgery yesterday and did really well. Apparently we were justified in our decision to go ahead with the surgery because her doctor said her tonsils looked very scarred from chronic infection when he removed them. Thank goodness for the numbing spray they apply to kids' throats at the end of the surgery. That seems to last all day, allowing kids to eat and drink more than they would otherwise want to. It is the following day when trouble can set in. So far so good, although it is still morning!

Before becoming a nurse practitioner, I worked as a registered nurse in pediatrics. It was very common for kids to be admitted for post-tonsillectomy dehydration. Once the numbing medication wears off, kids have an incredibly sore throat and can be very stubborn about drinking. If kids are well hydrated in the post-op period, they are less likely to have a serious bleed when the scabs fall off around days 7-10. Keeping that in mind, I approached Lauren's post-T&A care with a methodical, nerdy, let's-not-be-admitted-to-the-hospital-for-dehydration mindset. We had a long discussion before surgery about how her throat would hurt and how important it is to drink all day for a quicker recovery and to avoid the hospital. I went to the grocery store before the surgery and gathered all of Lauren's favorite snacks, including Capri Suns, Cheez-Its, Doritos, and Hannah Montana waffles. Gone are the days of an ice cream-only diet post-tonsillectomy. Kids can eat anything they want to, which actually helps prevent large scabs from forming (and later bleeding). Ice cream and popsicles are still encouraged though, since they are liquid, so Lauren had a delicious Culver's marshmallow milkshake yesterday.

In true RN nature (which never goes away, even if the job description changes), we have a chart with pain medication times and Is and Os (intake/output). Yes, the liquid intake is even recorded in CCs. In case you're wondering, Lauren's intake was perfect yesterday with 750 CCs. While it's only day two, things seem to be going well so far (knock on wood)! Zachary is also starting to feel better from an unfortunately timed episode of bronchitis.

Today's plan is to color Easter eggs and put together our bunny house kit...and drink lots of water.

Florida 2009 Pictures

Finally, the Florida pictures! Click the link below to see the album.

Click here for pictures.

Another Time-Wasting Site...But This One is Beneficial!

In yet another procrasination session (i.e. my daily blog reading schedule), I learned about a site guaranteed to satisfy even the most hardcore time wasters. Stretch Mark Mama posted a link to Free Rice. Free Rice is a not-for-profit site maintained by the United Nations World Food Program. You can take strangely addicting quizzes on vocabulary, grammar, math, chemistry, geography, art, and several languages. For each correct answer, the UN World Food Program receives a donation of 10 grains of rice. The rice is paid for by the site's sponsors. So, go forth, procrastinate, and answer questions!

Incidentally, hunger isn't just a remote problem. I saw an OB patient yesterday who hadn't eaten in almost two days. The refrigerator is empty in the apartment where she is staying. Luckily, we had some sandwiches left over from a meeting that I was able to give her. Where will she get her next meal? How will she take care of a baby if she doesn't have enough money to feed herself? According to the USDA, one in eight Americans is at risk for hunger. Our local food bank encourages the following donations:

Dry Soup

Rice

Powdered/Canned Milk

Macaroni & Cheese

Cereal

Peanut Butter

Beans

Canned Fruits and Vegetables

Tuna

Canned Meats

Stew

Soup

Pasta

Fruit Juices/Sip-sized Juices

Even if you are on a tight budget, you can donate a can of vegetables and help a hungry family for less than $1.00!!

Back from Florida

We're back from a whirlwind trip to Florida! Here is our itinerary:

Thursday night: fly into the St. Pete/Clearwater airport, drive to Tampa
Friday: Busch Gardens in Tampa and dinner at our hotel
Saturday: Florida Aquarium in Tampa, drive to Englewood Beach, spend time on the beach, dinner at Howard's, Matt's baseball game in Venice
Sunday: Beach time, Matt's game in Punta Gorda, more beach time, dinner at the Gulfview Grill
Monday: Beach time, drive to St. Pete/Clearwater airport, fly home

Pictures coming soon!
(Next trip: Hilton Head, SC...counting down!)

Lauren's Tongue Twisters

Straight from the horse's mouth..."How much could a woodchuck chuck chuck, chuck chuck chuck some wood? Does that have a lot of chucks?"

Lauren: What are you typing?

Me: Lauren's Tongue Twisters

Lauren: I don't like tongue twisters. Not at all.

(left: Chocolate Monster with a Chocolate Face)

Happy Valentine's Day!

We had another birthday celebration for Zachary today! We took Zachary, Lauren, and three of Zach's friends ice skating downtown. Then we came back and had pizza and cupcakes (pictured on the left). We also had heart-shaped brownies in honor of Valentine's Day. His actual birthday was Wednesday the 11th. A mid-week birthday is a great way to get multiple birthday parties. We celebrated with family on the 7th, took Zachary out to eat on the 11th, and we celebrated with his friends today. We brought Zachary home from the hospital on Valentine's day in 2000, so we had an extra reason to celebrate today!

A Gazillion Activities Packed Into One Little Weekend

* Saturday morning Zachary had his last two basketball games of the season. His team went undefeated this year! David's coaching debut was a success. We have about a month off before baseball practice starts.

* After the basketball games, we had family members over to celebrate Zachary's 9th birthday and my dad's 58th birthday. Zachary's birthday is actually this Wednesday (the 11th) but the weekend was a good time to get everyone together for a celebration. We served brunch, including a ham and egg casserole, sausage, bacon, pancakes, cheesy potatoes, muffins, bagels, and fresh fruit. After the party, we laid around in our carb- and calorie-induced comas.

* Saturday evening, we went to the high school basketball game. They won handily. Zachary was correct in his prediction of a 16-point victory. Lauren was happy to munch on popcorn, down an entire 16-oz bottle of water, and draw during the game.

* Sunday, Zachary's church choir sang in all three services. After being thrice blessed with the word of God, we headed home to work on Zachary's assignment (which I later pronounced "ridiculous" and more). He had to make a diorama depicting a book scene in which the characters are using life skills. Ugh.

* Finally, with the last scrap of construction paper glued on the shoebox diorama, we all went up to Lauren's room and started peeling wallpaper off the walls. We sure know how to plan fun family activities--ha! Lauren decided (rightfully so) that her wallpaper is too "babyish" so we're in the process of peeling off baby bunnies, bears, and cats. She has already picked out two Disney paint colors for the walls: Princess Bouquet and Fairytale Pink. Alas, she has outgrown her cute little toddler bed so we'll soon be shopping for a big girl bed.

* Next Saturday we're taking Zachary and three of his friends ice skating for his birthday. (Birthdays seem to be week-long events in our family.) It's kind of hard to picture ice skating when the news is predicting a 60-degree day tomorrow! Hopefully we'll be able to post pictures of Lauren's completed room soon!!

Enjoy the week!