Day 6 post-op, Monday
I was giving Haley a horsey ride like I remember my Grandpa doing. "This is the way the lady rides..... all through the town." She was ok with the lady but when we got to the gentlemen she said her head hurt so we stopped. She did a somersault today and decided that was a very bad idea! She would have done it even if I told her not to just to see for herself. I can only hope she learned her lesson and will not try that again for a long time.
Haley played with play dough today, went down the ...
Day 5 post-op, Sunday
She slept so much better last night! We decided to only wake her once to give her medicine. That meant she would be a little off schedule but she would be able to sleep more. She woke up with her head hurting some. We immediately gave her medicine. Surprisingly she wasn't thrashing in pain she just seemed uncomfortable. After holding her and patting her for a little while she was fine and wanted to play with her sisters. It was a full day of playing!
She walked up and down the stairs a ...
Day 4 post-op, Saturday
Last night Haley slept better then in the hospital but still not the best. We had to wake her up to take her medicine. As you can imagine she did NOT like that at all. After screaming and yelling she finally took it. She is expecting it to taste horrible like the steroid medication. Luckily we are done with that and all the others are flavored. She doesn't understand taking her medicine will help her head feel better.
For about an hour this morning she was fine. She stood in the shower ...
Day 3 Post-op, Friday
I got to the hospital early this morning to swap with Jeremy. The nurse was wanting to stay on top of her pain which I loved to hear even though Haley doesn't want to take it but finally does. I was told we are going home today but there are certain things we need to do. The Neurosurgeon came in and again gave me the impression he was excited about how well the surgery went. We will see him in a few months when her brain has had a chance to recover. We will do another MRI and discuss then what, ...
Day 2 post-op, Thursday
A great Nurse Practitioner came on duty last night and solved some problems. Haley had one IV in each foot. Each time medication was pushed through the IV she screamed in pain! The day shift nurse observed this, checked the IV and said it was good each time. The NP decided if it hurt her that much lets take it out. She still has one in the other foot and all they only needed one. She also told the nurse if she screams and cries for 10 minutes immediately inject the stronger medication. Jeremy, ...
Day 1 Post-op evening
What began as a calm morning did not continue throughout the day. Haley was off doing the MRI when I showed up at the hospital this morning. She came back and was sleeping for a while. That was great because she had a bad night.
She woke up happy, smiling, laughing, drinking and drinking some more which is very normal for her. She is my thirsty child! She ate a few bites of food. She tried watching a movie but the tv was on the left side. She would need to lay her head on the left side (the ...
Day 1 post-op morning
Haley had a rough night. They had to wake her up every hour to get her to do things like talk and move. Jeremy stayed here with her. I was with the baby who didn't sleep much better. Jeremy went to my parents home to hopefully try to get some rest. Thankfully Haley has been sleeping very well since coming back from another MRI she had this morning. I would love to see the before MRI and this MRI side by side. In fact we want to get a copy just to show her when she is older. She might be ...
Surgery Day!
Today was the big surgery day. We started the day out with Little Chef C waking me up just after 4am to tell me it was after 4. I told her I was waking up at 4:30 and would get her up at 5:00 so she could go lay back down in her bed.
When I finally woke the girls, one said she was tired but the others woke quickly super excited about their day. We dropped off kids to fly on an airplane and have a great few days at Disneyland. They saw their cousins and didn't even turn around to say ...
The day before surgery.
I've been packing and packing. The older girls are going with my SIL and BIL to Disneyland! There is no better place for them to go to keep their minds off their little sister. Yes, we are trying to shelter them from most of the events this week. We do not find it necessary for them to see her at her most awful state in the hospital. They might see pictures later (if we take them), but it won't be terrible because they will know she is fine. We are thankful plans worked out that our girls are ...
It’s all in the details.
In the process of finding out what was wrong with Haley I was frustrated with the communication channel to obtain test results. Looking back that poor communication was a blessing. Supposing results were reported to me immediately and the next test performed we would have found out about Haley's brain tumor a week earlier (or so). I would have taken her by myself to the MRI with the baby because I would have been on my own. That would have been horrible only because I now know she does not ...
How are the other girls?
I have been asked how the older girls are doing and how much do they know and understand. On Saturday, the day after we found out, we explained in very simple terms to all three what was going to happen in the near future. Later that day I was with just the 2 older girls and told them more, still leaving out the really scary details. My oldest was making frightening faces as I was explaining. I didn't think she was going to be ok. She is my super sensitive, emotionally tender child. But, she ...
Our first Neurosurgeon appointment.
Haley was released from the Outpatient Clinic. We were on our way home to pick up everyone and go to the other hospital when my mom called. She started out with, "What do you know and what do you want to know?" I said I didn't know a lot. She kept saying it is benign, it is benign. That was the best news of the day. She reminded me she used to work with some Doctors, nurses and staff members in Neurosurgery. That was comforting.
After dropping off kids and making sure the other girls were ...
The first of many MRI’s.
Plans worked out that I was able to take Haley to her MRI alone. If the baby became hungry before we returned Jeremy would give him a bottle. If that didn't go well they would meet me at the hospital to feed him. At this point we were happy the hospital was only 10 minutes away.
We checked in, went to a small room where the nurses did their regular check up and took some history. Then they had Haley sit facing me on my lap and holding her arm a particular way so they could put an IV in her ...
Doctors visits began.
We had the appointments scheduled for the two specialists so we were just waiting but not necessarily worried. One night we were watching the news when they talked about someone going in for brain surgery to remove a tumor. I remember thinking she is going to have a brain tumor, but then thought I was just being crazy.
I took her in for her Neurology appointment. We first saw the PA who was doing some motor tests with Haley. He said, "touch my finger, touch your nose, touch my finger, touch ...
How the brain tumor discovery began.
We went on vacation in March when the kids were off track. The first morning on the road Haley had cereal for breakfast, nothing out of the ordinary. Immediately after finishing she threw up. I really do mean immediately. She swallowed that last bite and up it came. She asked to be held, which was uncommon because she is a mover and a shaker. She fell asleep immediately in my arms. Again, it was within 30 seconds! It was not even 8 am and she was already taking a nap! How strange is that?!�...
Here comes a big change!
This past week my family has been through quite an ordeal. We went from discovering our Little Chef H, Haley, was having seizures to discovering just a few days later that she has a very large brain tumor and surgery is within 7-10 days. She is a very unique case because she is 2, the tumor is large and the type of tumor is difficult to remove.
My focus at this moment needs to be primarily on her needs. If we need a distraction we might post something here and there. (We were really looking ...
Pirate Games – Matching and Reasoning
Today we are sharing Pirate Games - one printable with two variations. This week we created a Pirate Menu which consisted of Walk the Plank Salmon, Sun Roasted Broccoli and Cheesy Pull Apart Sourdough Bread. We also learned how to Select, Store and Freeze Broccoli. What fun is "Talk Like A Pirate Day" next Thursday if you can't play a game! This pirate matching game can be played in two different ways.
How to Play Pirate Games:
Print the free printable twice so that you can play the ...
Walk The Plank Salmon
Next Thursday is "Talk Like A Pirate Day." My Little Chefs and I thought it would be fun to make a piratey menu for the day and have a piratey activity. Walk the Plank Salmon is an easy recipe. I would say it is a quick recipe except for it has 30 minutes of marinade time. If you call a recipe that can be made in 1 hour quick then this is one of those.
Submerge your cedar planks in water for 30 minutes. You will need to start with a defrosted salmon or salmon fillets. Whether you buy it ...
Cheesy Pull Apart Sourdough Bread
To continue on with our Pirate theme, yesterday we had Sun Roasted Broccoli and today we are sharing our Cheesy Pull Apart Sourdough Bread. I'm sure the bread the pirates had was not freshly made but that isn't stopping us from making something delicious today. What I love about this recipe is you are not making the bread, you get to buy a round loaf of sourdough. That saves a lot of time!
The cutting of the bread is a little tricky, your Little Chefs might need some assistance. When ...
Sun Roasted Broccoli
Next Thursday is "Talk Like A Pirate Day." We thought it would be fun to have a pirate menu and craft/activity to make it a fun filled pirate day. That is why we are sharing "Sun Roasted Broccoli" today. Those pirates are on the ship all day being roasted by the sun.
First, wash your broccoli and then chop it into bite sized pieces. Some of ours were bite sized and some were larger, it depends on the chef and how particular they are. I prefer bite sized pieces because then I do not need to ...
How To Select, Store and Freeze Broccoli
How To Select Broccoli
The florets should be tightly closed.
Broccoli should have a deep green color all over.
Stalks should be firm and slender.
Do NOT select those with yellow spots or yellow flowers.
How To Store Broccoli
Do not wash the broccoli.
Raw broccoli needs air circulation. Place broccoli in an open plastic bag.
Place in the fridge in crisper drawer.
It is best to use in 3-5 days but may last a week.
Wash only before use.
How To Freeze Broccoli
Use ...
Grandparents Bingo {Free Printable}
All week we have been sharing our "Brunch with Grandparents" Menu for Grandparents Day which is this upcoming Sunday. My Little Chefs love to talk and play games with their Grandparents when we get together (or over Skype!). Today we are sharing a Grandparents Bingo you can play together. Ok, it isn't Bingo in the traditional sense, but it is fun. Some items are older and some items are newer. That is what is so fun! My Little Chefs learn best through stories. There are some items my Little ...
Orange Cream Delight
We love to make smoothies because they are hard to go wrong. The Little Chefs are able to make their own recipes, or they are able to alter others like this one. All the ingredients are added to the blender in any order, except the ice which always goes last.
For the Orange Cream Delight Little Chef D added the yogurt.
Next the peaches and banana.
Then comes the milk.
Little Chef D and A worked together to get out the orange juice concentrate. That was a hard task because it was ...
Raspberry Honey Butter
Sometimes toast needs a little something extra, a little something different then honey or jam or jelly. Cinnamon sugar is a good option. It is quick and easy to make but so is Raspberry Honey Butter.
Soften one stick of butter, add 3 ingredients, combine in a food processor and you are good to go! It is a great beginner recipe for your Little Chefs to practice measuring liquid ingredients. It only takes a few minutes so even those with shorter attention spans will be able to make it ...
