Hi Erin

Erin started saying Hi last night.  It was so clear and so darn cute.  She's also saying kitty too.  She must be starting with the harder words first.  Last weekend she said grandma & grandpa.  She loves to say Dor for Dora when she see's Dora anywhere.  She's also starting to put two words together. 

She was very excited that she said Hi last night.  Brad and I were so excited for her - she got so happy. 

She's 21 months now and a growing girl.  She's already filling into her 24 month clothing.  She bypassed some of the 18 month clothes because we didn't get a chance to even wear them. :-(

She's very independent and wants to do things on her terms.  She's very good at throwing fits and tantrums on the floor.  She's definitely still a daddy's girl.  Brad loves it.

Piggy Bank

On Monday I was picking up the girls from day care.  I was getting the girls in the car and Emmy asked me if I was going to cook dinner that night.  I normally cook dinner every night so I don't know why she was asking that question.  I wasn't feeling very good so I said, "I don't know if mommy will cook tonight.  I'm not feeling real well.  Maybe we'll wait for daddy to get home."  She asked, "If you don't cook dinner tonight mommy, can we go to McDonald's?"  I replied, "Mommy doesn't have her purse with her honey."  Emmy responds..."I have money in my piggy bank mommy.  Can we go home and get it and then go and get some chicken nuggets?"

It was pretty cute, however, we didn't go back to McDonald's.  That stuff is so dang gross and after my episode with my gallbladder, I'm hopeful we won't be there for a long time. 

Thanksgiving Surgery

In the weeee hours on Thanksgiving morning I awoke with what I thought was terrible heartburn.  I tossed and turned from 1 - 3 am.  We were at Brad's parents house so I got up and started looking for some antacids.  I could only find Rolaids.  I took a couple of those and went back to my room.  I sat for another 20 minutes contemplating if I should take the 20 minute drive to Alexandria to get some Maalox. 
I woke Brad up and told him I was driving to Alex.  I couldn't take it anymore.  He didn't want me going alone so he got dressed and came along.  We got to Wal-Mart and I bought some Zantac and Maalox.  Brad bought some Pepto for himself since he was feeling a bit crappy too. 
We got to the car and I took my antacids, but none of it stayed down.  We sat in the parking lot for another hour or so.  Brad told me to take the Pepto.  I have never been one to like Pepto Bismol.  The thick, pink, crappy stuff just makes me nauseous thinking about it.  I psyched myself up to take it...plugged my nose and drank half of the dose gagging and saying OKLAHOMA as it went down.  YUCK!!!
I asked Brad how long it would take before it would kick in and he said it should be immediately.  I waited another ten minutes but nothing was taking the pain away. 
I drove to the Alexandria E.R. and contemplated going in because I felt foolish for going in for indigestion.  This same pain has happened to me at least three times before.  I went to the doctor a few years ago and was told it was indigestion. 

I felt that this pain was too intense to go back home to Hoffman so I checked myself in to the ER. 
The doctor came in and poked around a bit, they ran some tests and told me they thought it was my gallbladder.  They sent me to get an ultrasound and it showed that my gallbladder was full of stones. 
The doctor came back to the room and said he could send me home on pain medication so that I could celebrate Thanksgiving but I would have to schedule surgery within one week. 
 I opted to do the surgery right away because the pain medication that they had me on in the ER was Fentanyl and is supposed to be 100 times stronger than Morphine.  I was getting a dose of Fentanyl every 20 minutes.  I figured that whatever the medication I was going to get sent home with wouldn't be enough to get me through the pain and I didn't want to be all drugged up.
 
We met the surgeon and I got prepped for surgery right away.  The surgery lasted about an hour and then I was in recovery for I think 30-45 minutes.  I can't remember much of that as I was coming in and out of anesthesia. 
The surgeon explained to Brad that he was glad I decided to have the surgery because he said my gallbladder was really bad, full of scar tissue, and full of stones.  He said it hadn't been functioning for a long time and he was shocked that I had put up with the pain this long. 

The surgery was done Laparascopically so I have four incisions on my belly.  I had to stay in the hospital overnight.  My Thanksgiving meal was chicken broth, jello, crackers and milk.  Brad's mom sent over some leftover Thanksgiving dinner for Brad to eat. 

I'm thankful for the wonderful care I received during my stay at the Douglas County Hospital.  They have been named one of the nation's Top 100 Hospitals.  :)

I think our family has something about holidays/celebrations... I got sick on our wedding day, Erin had pneumonia during Christmas last year, both the girls got sick on the 4th of July last year and now I was sick on Thanksgiving.  I'm telling you...it's the Gort curse. 

Brain Fart

Wednesdays are my days to drop off & pick up the girls from day care as Brad has conference calls early Wednesday morning.  Usually Brad drops the girls off in the morning and then I pick them up in the afternoon otherwise. 
However, today I exited onto I-94 just as I would to go to work.  I hear this little voice from the back seat say, "Mommy, we're going this way?"  UGH!  My mind is so programmed to just take the same route each day and I guess I was programmed to go straight to work. 
I had to drive up to the next exit and turn around to bring the girls back to Dar's.  Emmy thought it was pretty funny and was telling everyone when she arrived at day care. 
Good thing she has a great sense of direction. :)

Emmy's 1st Dollar

We were at a restaurant this weekend with some family members.  Emmy was with my cousin's little girl checking out all of the fun items in the lobby - (the digger machine, gumball machine, coloring books, etc.  All the fun things to attract a child & not sit at the table and eat their food). 

A woman walked in from outside and was waiting patiently to be seated, Emmy asked her if she had any money.  The lady replied, "I sure do.  How much do you need?"  Emmy responds, "Three dollars."  The woman then dug in her purse and gave Emmy three dollars. 

I found out about this a little while later and was so embarrassed.  I told Emmy she should give the money back to the lady.  She tried to give it back, but the lady was so amused by Emmy that she told her to keep it and buy something nice.  She said that she didn't have any grandchildren of her own, so she didn't mind doing this sort of thing and actually thought it was really funny. 

Oh Emmy, I think we're going to frame your first made dollar.  Since you're asking random people for money, next time ask for a cool million!

Follow-up on knees

I had an MRI on my knees last Thursday and got the results back yesterday.  My Orthopedic doctor said that the MRI came back normal, however I do have Quad Tendinitis in both knees along with water on my knees & some bone degeneration.  How in the heck does this make an MRI normal??  Anyway, at the same time I am relieved to hear it isn't anything more major and I'm still able to walk and my ticker still works. :)

The doctor tested the fluid in my knees to see if I had Gout.  That test came back normal.  So he gave me a cortisone shot in my right knee and said if it felt better, to come back in three weeks to get a shot in my left knee.  So far, I don't feel much difference but I do know that it takes a couple of days for the shot to kick in.

I've been putting up with this pain for around two years.  I don't know how or what it came from other than maybe volleyball, but it's been a few years since I've done any of that. 
The pain has gradually gotten worse over the last few months and the only thing the doctor told me to do is rest my legs.  So at work I prop up my legs on top of my computer.  It does take the ache away...but only temporarily.  Sleeping is terrible because I sleep with my legs curled which makes the pain worse.  I wake up at night and have to pull my legs straight.  The Dr told me to sleep on my back but I can't sleep when I'm laying flat on my back.   I have pain when I walk up stairs, bending, curling, and any time I put pressure on them.  So, I hope to have some long term relief from this cortisone shot. 
If it does not work, then my next option is a leg brace.  How nice is that going to look?  Yippee.
I just hope it gets better.  The doctor said the pain will eventually go away.  Okay then, hurry up and go away pain...I've had enough of you!

The Dr. said I'm not a candidate for knee surgery right now.  Probably too young I'm guessing.  If I had any tingling in my toes, then he would consider it. 

I still think this pain is all somehow connected to my back pain.  My MRI on that showed the disc bulge and degeneration.  Since last November I have had two steroid injections in my spine.  I saw immediate relief in both my back and my knees.  However, the relief only lasted a few weeks, but it was the best few weeks of my life!  The doctors seem to think a few weeks of relief is great.  I'm thankful to get relief, but was also looking for some more long term relief. 

I have taken Ibuprofen, Medrol dose pack, muscle relaxers (HATE those.  I actually had to sleep under my desk at work one day because the damn pill knocked me out LOL!), iced my knees and back, as well as physical therapy, but none of it seems to help.

Next time you see me I just may be in a full leg brace. 

More Jibber Jabber

Erin is starting to talk a bit more.  She now says NO!  Along with mama, dada, DADDDDDDEEEEEEEE, shoes, cheese, more, done, uh oh, and ah ha.  She's starting to mumble a few other words but we can't quite make them out yet. 
She continues to use sign language:  more, milk, hello, bye bye, eat, all done, I don't know, please, and thank you.

At her 18 month check up her doctor tested her ears with a Tympanogram. 
It basically tests the condition of the middle ear and mobility of the eardrum by creating variations of air pressure in the ear canal.  Her pediatrician recommended doing this because she thought it could have been a reason why Erin wasn't talking very much. 
I brought her into the clinic to get retested after two months and that particular doctor said it wasn't necessary and wouldn't be effective since Erin just had a recent ear infection.

Other Milestones...
Erin knows how old she is by raising her pointer finger. 
She gets really excited when she sees animals.  LOVES them!!  She also gets hyper when she sees pictures of herself.  She loves to point out airplanes.  She loves to play with my iPhone & iPad.  Dang kids know how to use these gadgets better than I do. 

She loves to do the "Wheels on the bus" song.  She knows most of the hand movements, etc and mumbles All & Town when we sing the "All through the town" part.

Left & Right

We love to do the Hokey Pokey at home with the kids.  Emmy has learned her left from her right.  She also tells daddy which way to go on the way to Gymnastics. 
The other day I was driving the girls to daycare.  I was making a right turn just as Emmy was yelling from the back seat..."Turn Right!  Turn Right!  Turn Right!"  I said, "Yeah!  I am turning right."  Emmy responds, "No, the other right.  Right McDonald's."  And yes, McDonald's is on our right on the way to daycare.  :)
No, I did not stop.  Which fully erupted into a crap load of bad behavior from the back seat.