The Puddles

Ben lost a tooth on December 5th.  Unfortunately, it was during Ainsley’s illness.  Ben was so excited.  He has my most favorite smile. He is adorable with that tooth missing.  We didn’t give it to the tooth fairy.  He was too scared to have her show up in her room.  We couldn’t change his mind so the tooth is sitting in my hutch.  Frankly, I was so busy that week and stressed that the tooth fairy may have forgotten to show up!

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He can fend for himself on most days.  I swear all he does it eat.  He is never hungry, but he is always Starving!!!!!!!

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The kids wrote their letters to Santa.  Unfortunately, Ainsley was sick.  While the kids were writing, Mom was making trips up and down the stairs taking care of Miss A.

Ben’s Letter:

Dear Santa,

I wunt a nrf gun and a vidoe hollucoptr and a shoodeeing hollucoptr and mocichrll grilla and fusee wuns wint up sidown.

Ben Lake

(Translation)

Dear Santa,

I want a nerf gun and a video helicopter and a shooting helicopter and monster gorilla and Fuzzy was upside down.

Ben Lake

Madie’s Letter:

Dear Santa,

Hi my name is Madie. I’m truning 9 this 18th. How are you. Do you know fuzzy. Did you know that Fuzzy is in love with our angel.  I have a qustin. Is it okay that Fuzzy is in love? This is what I want for Christmas.

1.  A head light for my bike.

2.  I-tuch

3.  A plane ticket to Geneva, Nebraska

4. A Hannah Montana ticket near Conroe, Texas

5. Webkinz Polar bear.

6.  A barbie ™ gliterizer

7. A silver back gorilla webkinz.

The end.

I have been very good and Fuzzy is still crazy.

Well bey,

Madie

p.s. Please write back.

A week later Ainsley was able to write her letter.

Ainsley’s letter:

Dear Santa,

I am being a good girl.  I want a snow globe for Christmas. I want an elevator for my Barbie house. And a musical door.  I also want Debi Ryan music. I want a princess house. We are giving your reindeer food and we are leaving cookies and milk out.  Fuzzy was very good and crazy and in love with the angel.

Love,

Ainsely Lake

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The Angel is up. The kids are intently watching this process. Fuzzy (our elf) has been waiting for this moment, and so have we.

I am late putting these pictures up.  We put the tree up the Monday after Thanksgiving.  We were on a roll.  Getting everything done on time.  Checking it off our Christmas to-do list.  This was the last thing we did in a timely manner.  Everything else has gone downhill since.

But these pictures are of our fabulous evening with Daddy putting up the tree.  

Ainsley is setting up the manger. She loves to tell the story.

Ben is really into air quotes these days. It cracks us up. He is telling Madie that Fuzzy is in "love" with our elf.

Of course, the cat went inside the tree box. Why are we surprised?

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Tonight we are trying purple potatoes.  Yes. Purple potatoes.  It’s not rutabagas, but it is certainly different.  We will let you know how it works out.  I saw frowns on the children when I suggested it.  We’ll see.  Maybe serving it in one of their favorite ways will change their minds?  I doubt it, but it will be fun to try.

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“Hot chocolate is the best thing ever!” declares Ben with a giant smile on his face while he waits for his mug to be handed to him.

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Today we went to the Hypertensive Clinic at TCH and met with Dr. Feig.  He is a very nice man. After checking Ben over and reading through the numerous reports of the testing that we have already done on his kidneys, the first thing the doctor told us was he not overly worried at the moment.  Ben’s blood pressure is stable on medication. That gives us some time to do some research to figure out why Ben continues to have high blood pressure. So he said that more than likely it is one of two things . . .

1.  This is residual hypertension due to his heart surgery in Nov 09, and it will resolve itself in 12-18 months.

2.  There is some scar tissue in his kidneys from being on the bypass machine during his two surgeries (there is a big long explanation to what caused the scar tissue, but I don’t have the time or the inclination to explain it all tonight).  If that is the case, we will wean him off of his atenolol and the enalapril will help to heal his kidneys (at least 1/3 of the time this will work).

So we will go in the next month to have a DMSA scan (this is a test where they inject a dye into his kidneys and then take a picture to see if there is any scar tissue or damage in the kidneys) and then back to the renal doctor for a followup.  Hopefully this will give us some answers.  If not, the doctor has other possibilities that can be causing his high blood pressure.

Some have asked us why do you need to know why he has high blood pressure.  I think they just assume that he has heart issues to it would be natural that he might have high blood pressure or I think they assume that people have high blood pressure all of the time, so what is the big deal.  Well . . . adults have high blood pressure. It is not natural for a seven year old to have high blood pressure regardless of his heart history.  It is not good to have high blood pressure long term. It damages your heart, brain, and kidneys. And as the doctor said yesterday, Ben needs all three.

This was not terrible news. We are just on another journey with Ben’s health.  It is a branch off the main line, but one that must be travelled.

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“I want a ‘get out of chores’ coupon for Christmas,” declares Madie.

“I want a ‘get out of taking care of sick people’ coupon,” declares Mom.

“I would want one too if I was the parent right now,” comforts Madie.

“Unfortunately, it is my job as wife that I would want to use the coupon on.”

“Mommy! Didn’t you say something about that when you got married?”

Dang it.  She wasn’t even there.  How come she knows about the “for sickness and in health” clause in my marriage vows?

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We are spending the night with Grandma and Papa Grace tonight.  They are watching the girls while I take Ben to see his new doctor tomorrow.  He is seeing the nephrologist about his high blood pressure.  I have no idea what to expect at tomorrow’s visit.  The good news is that I am walking in with absolutely no expectations therefore I can’t be disappointed.  Ben is not thrilled about tomorrow.  I think he is more mad about missing out on Grandma and Papa time.  Who could blame him?  I would rather be any where but the medical center tomorrow, so I can only imagine what he is thinking.

I can hear books being read in the other room while the puddles prepare for bed.  I am sitting in a quiet room typing away.  What a gift this quiet is. It has been a rough few weeks for illnesses in this house.  Chris is still sick.  When we left him at the house, he was still running a fever.  For him that is rough.  He doesn’t do illness well.  Not many do.  Someone asked me today if I was being a good nurse.  I said no. But I was a great CNA (certified nurse’s assistant).  They are the unsung heroes of the medical world that really do a lot of the grunt work.  The pee, poo, and vomit is generally their domain (and other areas), so I certainly think that I have earned my CNA stripes.

So we are off tomorrow with great hopes for answers.

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So . . . I asked Ben and Ainsley to bring their dirty clothes downstairs and put it in the laundry room.  So they did. They dumped their baskets onto the floor and then proceeded in jumping in them like they were a giant pile of leaves. The giggling was uncontrollable.  I thought it was hilarious.  Of course, now I have a huge pile of clothes to pick up, but still. They only did what I asked them to do.

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