Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Pajamas and Pancakes Day

Jackson's preschool class learned all about the letter 'P' this week.  And to celebrate today, all the kids wore their pajamas to school, they had pancakes and pink milk for their snack, and they read the book If You Give a Pig a Pancake.  How fun?!  Jackson has been so excited about this day all month long and has been going back and forth about whether to wear his Scooby Doo or Star Wars pajamas.  I told him last night that it was going to be chilly, so he decided to go w/ Scooby since they are pants and long sleeves.  Since he had already put them on for bed when we talked about it, he didn't even have to get dressed for school this morning!  He also got to bring a bedtime buddy and a flashlight to the party and since he knew Mrs. Dana, his teacher, is a huge Tar Heels fan, he decided to bring his giant Mr. Wuf!  And he may or may not have gotten Mrs. Dana to give Mr. Wuf a hug and kiss before he left today.  ;-)  

Yesterday they had their Easter party and he's star student all week, so this has been quite a fun week for him at school!  
Pancakes with whipped cream and chocolate chips!  Yummy!! 
Jackson even asked for seconds of the special pink milk! 
Each of the kids got to bring home a pink 'piggy' balloon!  And if you notice in the back of this picture, sitting in the yellow chair, is their guest of honor for today -- Petunia Pig!

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Wearin' O' the Green


The beautiful weather made for a fun afternoon at Raleigh's St. Patrick's Day parade on Saturday.  And since the parade fell on the date for St. Patrick's Day, it was the perfect celebration for one of my favorite holidays of the year!  

The kids all had a great time and were all decked out in their green!  They even had their own green beverage to keep them hydrated in the form of bright green Gatorade!


With temperatures in the high 70s and sun beating down on top of us, it was our first taste of summer for 2012.  Good thing I came prepared with sunscreen to share!

We got a surprise Saturday morning when Jason and Sarah called to say they would be there, too!  Yay for seeing good friends that we don't see nearly enough!
Kate was very intrigued by everything, happily clapping along to the music and waving to everyone.

Of course the cousins had a great time spending the afternoon together!
When the crowds crept up in front of our views of the parade, Don and Papa tried to make a point.  It didn't work so well, but Don did look quite silly standing in front of everyone!

I was so disappointed that there was no leprechaun in last year's parade, so as soon as I saw this little guy coming, I got the kids ready for a picture with him.  Since their Papa is such a festive Irishman, this one will certainly be a favorite!  (BTW, check out the kiddos' shirts - I made them!)
 Looks like Ryan is going to be silly just like his daddy!
And Emma, well, we already know all about her silliness!!
Downtown Raleigh made for a nice backdrop for this one of Kate and her Papa. 

Jason came back with this horn during one his romps in Moore Square for a beer.  Not sure who had more fun with it -- him, Don....or Jackson.

 
Check out this strange looking leprechaun(?).  Not sure if his eyes were supposed to be hidden or not.  Either way, to my surprise Jackson wasn't freaked out by him!

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Knee Surgery - Take 2

A little less than a year and a half ago, Sean went in for a fairly routine knee surgery that would result in weeks of INTENSE PAIN and a knee that never fully recovered.  A few months after the surgery, Sean reached a plateau in his recovery.  The pain was still there -- certainly not nearly as intense, but enough to make even walking uncomfortable.  He'd spend an afternoon on his feet, only to come home to pain and even swelling.  He continued to follow up with his orthopedic, Dr. Silver, and finally went in for another MRI to find out what was going on.  The MRI turned out to be somewhat inconclusive.  There was no clear indication of the problem.  When Dr. Silver discussed the results of the MRI with Sean, they decided that the best option was to go in with a scope and look around to see what may be causing the problems.  Only the scope this time.  If what he found required open surgery, then Dr. Silver would complete the arthroscopy, then he and Sean would discuss the options.  Because of the Complex Regional Pain Syndrome that Sean experienced after the original surgery, Dr. Silver set Sean up with a pain management specialist, Dr. Zimmerman.  Together, they developed a plan of action to hopefully prevent any reoccurrence of the CRPS.  This included starting gabapentin in the weeks leading up to the surgery and a nerve block the morning of the surgery.  And, Dr. Silver had Sean meet with Flo and her team for a few pre-surgery workouts to obtain some baselines and work to build additional strength.

Bright and early yesterday morning, Sean and I headed to the NC Specialty Hospital in Durham.  Sean's first appointment at 7am was with pain management for the nerve block.  By 7:15 he was all decked out in his hospital gown.  The only 'sedation' he received for the block was a small dose of Ativan and a lollipop (that's right, a lollipop. berry flavored) of Fentanyl.  Before going back for the procedure, he commented that he didn't real feel much different...just really relaxed.  Like he 'couldn't get mad if he wanted to'. :-)  By 8:45 the nerve block was completed.  The pain folks monitored his vitals for a few and by 9:30 we were in pre-op, ready for the 10:15 surgery.  Things were going really smooth.  Surprising for a hospital, especially given the coordination that was required from two different medical teams.  

In pre-op, Sean was presented with a sweet party hat for the OR and got a shave job (over most of his leg!) from his nurse.  Dr. Silver came in to ask if we had any questions and we all agreed that the questions were based around what he would soon see.  We were told going in that the surgery would take about 45 minutes.  When the pager they gave me went off a few minutes short of 45, for some reason, I immediately thought the worst.  Surely he couldn't be done already!  When Dr. Silver came out to greet me, I really don't think he could've had better news.  Here's what he found: the original meniscus repair had healed wonderfully.  There was some minor fraying on the meniscus (not tears) that he cleaned up.  The cartilage all around the knee looked great.  The biggest issue he found was an enormous amount of scar tissue that had developed around his knee. This was caused by immobility after the surgery, which was caused by the intense nerve pain (CRPS) that Sean experienced after the surgery.  What a snow ball, right??  Dr. Silver was able to get all the scar tissue cleaned up and feels strongly that this is what was causing the ongoing pain and swelling.  So all in all, the surgery couldn't have gone any better!  There were no meniscus problems that need additional repair, there was no damage to cartilage, and all the scar tissue was cleaned out.  

Sean is doing really well -- there is obviously some expected post-op pain, but according to him it's like 'night and day' from the last surgery.  He walked in the house yesterday with no crutches and has been getting around fairly well.  Tomorrow he has his first PT appointment, not with Flo, but with the therapist she hand-picked for him.

There is no reason not to expect a full recovery this go around, so there is no reason that Sean shouldn't be on the golf course later this year.  Jackson has expectations, too.  All he's been telling Sean is, 'I'm ready for you to run with me again!'