colby's surgery

A few years ago, Colby started having trouble with his hearing.  It always started around January when he would struggle with seasonal allergies.  We tried several medications, and eventually determined that Zyrtec worked best for him.  But sometimes, when the drainage would get bad, his hearing would be affected.  I would take him to his regular pediatrician at Cooks, and sure enough, his tympanogram would be flat, meaning that there was fluid behind the eardrum.  It rarely led to an ear infection, so we tried to manage it with the Zyrtec and occasional Benadryl. 

Fast forward to the summer when I took Brooke for a second orthodontic opinion.  The orthodontist also looked at Colby's teeth, and commented about his huge tonsils.  I felt justified in my concern because I had noticed the same thing, but the pediatrician never seemed concerned.  The dentist had also mentioned it once because apparently that is a factor when children grind their teeth.  Something about "trying to increase their airway."  

So after that comment, I made an appointment with an ENT.  Upon examination of Colby's ears, he found that his right eardrum was retracted which could potentially lead to a cholesteatoma. He explained that if left untreated, it could seriously damage his hearing. (According to Google: A cholesteatoma is an abnormal collection of skin cells deep inside your ear.  They're rare, but if left untreated, they can damage the delicate structures inside your ear that are essential for hearing and balance.) He also explained that his adenoids could potentially be adding to the problem as well.  

He recommended that Colby have surgery to remove his adenoids, and also get ear tubes that would enable drainage of the middle ear, allow air to flow into the middle ear, and prevent the buildup of fluid behind the eardrum thus causing his temporary hearing loss. 

He said that we could also remove the tonsils since they were very large, but that it was up to us. I wasn't sure what we should do, so I asked the doctor what he would do if it was his child.  He said he is pretty conservative, so he would probably leave the tonsils and only remove the adenoids and place tubes. I told him that I wanted to talk to Kevin, but I was pretty sure we would follow his conservative route.  Kevin definitely didn't want to remove the tonsils if the doctor wasn't strongly recommending it, so we moved forward with the doctor's recommendation. 

Colby was pretty nervous about the procedure, but I assured him that the people at Cooks would take good care of him :) The morning of the procedure, we dropped Brooke off at school, then headed to Cook Children's Hospital in Fort Worth.

He was less than thrilled about wearing a hospital gown, but quickly decided that it was actually pretty comfortable :) And he loved the grippy socks!

They let him relax and watch television while they came in to get information from me.  They asked if I thought Colby would struggle being separated from me, and since I wasn't sure how he would feel, I opted to let him have some "happy juice" before they wheeled him away.  He was just super calm and didn't seem concerned at all about the separation.  I was nervous about how the IV would go, but then I learned that they wouldn't even place the IV until he was already sedated.  The Children's Hospital really knows how to make it a pleasant experience for the kids!

It was hard to watch him being wheeled away, but I felt confident that he was in good hands.  They had asked where I parked, and when I told them I was in the parking garage, they asked me to move my car to the valet area since he wouldn't be able to walk that far.  As soon as he was gone, I quickly booked it all the way over to the parking garage, got my car, took it over to the valet area (where I had to park myself since it was packed), and rushed back into the hospital.  The whole process took SO long and I was freaking out that I wouldn't be back by the time they brought him back to me.  The surgery was only supposed to be about 20 minutes, so I was cutting it close!

I had literally just sat back down in the room when I saw the door open and they wheeled him back in.  He looked like he was fast asleep and I nearly broke down in tears.  They said he had opened his eyes and when asked if he wanted to see his mom, he said yes. 

Watching him come out of the anesthesia was pretty rough.  He kept complaining that his throat hurt and he just seemed so sad. His little chin was quivering and he just seemed uncomfortable. He refused the popsicles they offered to help with his throat, but he finally asked for ice water. 

When he was more alert, he started asking to go home.  We were waiting for the doctor to clear him, so I tried to comfort and console him, but he kept telling me that he "just wanted to go home."

Eventually, he had to use the restroom, and since he was still unsteady, they recommended that I take him in the wheelchair. We eventually spoke with the doctor, who said that everything went really well, and then it was time to take my brave boy home. The nurse wheeled him out to the car, where I hoisted my 60 pound boy into his seat. 

He fell asleep within minutes and was snoring the whole way home. 

I carried him into my room, where he napped for the next hour or so.  I think being under anesthesia really wore him out! 

When he woke up, he requested the ice cream that I promised him, so we made our way over to Cold Stone. He was looking pretty pale, but he said he was feeling okay. 

I had asked Joanna to bring Brooke home from school so I didn't have to drag Colby out of the house, and when she showed up, she had a huge carton of BlueBell caramel brownie ice cream and some Italian Ice desserts for Colby. Needless to say, he was a very happy boy!

The doctor recommended that he skip baseball on Saturday, but we did take Colby with us to watch one of Brooke's softball games.  He wasn't feeling great, so Kevin took him home and then I stayed home from church with him on Sunday.

We had to put ear drops in each ear for the next 10 days (I think), and although he didn't like how cold they felt, he was a good sport about it all.  The nurse had also warned me about how his breath would have a strange odor for the next few weeks, and she was absolutely right!  

He will also need to wear ear plugs when he goes into lake or ocean water, but thankfully we are entering Fall/Winter weather so we won't have to worry about that for a while. 

Overall, it was a great experience and we are hopeful that he won't have to deal with fluid behind his ears or the worry about permanently damaging his hearing. 

triathlon

I mentioned this in a previous post, but Kevin signed up for a sprint triathlon back in August and recruited a few guys (Ryan Hawkins and Grant Hibbert) from the ward to join him :) We woke up early on Saturday morning to head to Plano to show our support. 

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The kids loved having friends to keep them company while we waited for the race to start. 

The guys checked in, took their bikes to the transition area, and listened for further instruction about how the event would flow. I loved seeing the kids hug on Kevin and wish him luck.

Kevin and Ryan

The first event was the swim, but since the pool was inside the building, we were only allowed to wait with them outside.  After the guys were inside, the line cleared out, and we saw spectators coming in and out of the building.  So, we figured it was worth a shot to see if we could spot them inside.  

We saw Kevin just as he was climbing out of the pool, and spotted Ryan finishing his laps.  Then we were in prime position to give high-fives as they ran to the bike transition area. 

We waited a while longer, but this time with the Hibbert boys as well.  It's a good thing the girls brought bags full of toys to keep everyone entertained. 

Eventually, we spotted each dad as they zoomed past us on their bikes.  They needed to make three laps on the course, so we stayed in position until they were all finished with the bike portion.

Then it was over to the finish line to see them complete their run.  We were standing next to a woman with THE cutest dog, so of course all the kids asked to hold it. 

As soon as Brooke saw Kevin in the distance, she jumped up and was ready to give her daddy a high five. We were all cheering and shouting, so I'm sure he was a bit embarrassed, haha.  

But we were all really proud of the guys and it was admirable to see them complete this physical challenge. 

This was their first time doing the Blacklands Sprint Triathlon, but I have a feeling it won't be their last!!  

Way to go, Kev!!

life in august

We met cousins at Hawaiian Falls, which is always a fun time!

They rode the big slides...

And the little ones...

Grandma came as well :) She doesn't ride any of the slides, but enjoys floating in the Lazy River and Wave Pool with the kids.

Colby tagged along with Kevin to the "cardboard boat" making competition with the youth, and my friend Rachel sent me this picture...

The youth loved this activity, and the large Certifit boxes definitely came in handy!

We haven't had as many lake days with friends this summer, but this particular afternoon was a fun one.  The water is SO incredibly low, so Colby and Logan entertained themselves by digging "trip holes" in the black lagoon.  I later made them fill the holes so nobody actually tripped, but they had fun while it lasted. 

My kids especially loved that I didn't make them wear life jackets since the water was super shallow and the yellow barrier was closer than normal to the shore.  I watched many "balance challenges" before I put my phone away, haha. 

This playdate turned into a Perler Bead Parlor with Beck, Emery, and Staley Clayson.

I pulled out the playdoh for Colby on a random Saturday morning, and three hours later, the kids were still using their creative little minds. 

Brooke had a playdate that afternoon, so naturally Colby wanted a special date with Kevin and I.  I am pretty terrible at golf, but I made slight improvements to my swing. 

Colby, on the other hand, is a natural.

I love watching Kevin teach our babies.  It honestly makes my heart so happy that they have a wonderful Daddy who takes time to teach them in such a patient and loving way.  I think they know how lucky they are, but I also try to point it out to them. 

We didn't stay long before we picked up pizza, picked Brooke up, and headed out on the boat. Sunset boat rides are my absolute favorite thing.  And the kids are now super confident in crossing the wake, so that's fun.  

Kevin and I both took long naps one Sunday afternoon while the kids watched shows, but we did play games together that night to balance it all out.  We still love Kingdomino, and the kids love building random things when the actual game is over!

We met our friends, Brooks and Jen Taggart, at Hawaiian Falls and I actually let me kids roam totally free (with occasional check-ins).  They were loving life and I felt confident that they were being smart. 

Jen and I were laughing that we showed up in nearly the same swimsuit and matching mani/pedi colors, haha.  I have significantly less cleavage than Jen, but I thought we looked pretty cute :) Jen recently went through a divorce, so we had a lot of things to talk about while the kids entertained themselves.

Our last hoorah of summer was a day trip to Burger's Lake.  I've lived in Texas for a collective 13 years and had never heard of this place until 2 weeks ago, when multiple friends in different groups posted about going.  It looked awesome, so we decided to give it a try and it definitely lived up to the hype.  I was a little nervous at first because it gets deep in the center and you can't use lifejackets, but as long as I stayed close to the kids I felt confident that I could keep them safe. 

The kids loved the smallest diving boards, but were also eager to check out the high ones. I was surprised at how quickly Brooke wanted to try the 20' board and she didn't even show any signs of hesitation.  Colby needed a little bribe to try it, but I knew he'd love it and all it took was $1, haha. 

 There were teenagers who wouldn't even try it, so Brooke and Colby were feeling extra brave.  I jumped a few times as well, but screamed every time I went down, despite my best efforts to stop myself. But my favorite part was when Colby informed me that the kid behind him asked if I was his mom.  When he said yes, the kid told him, "Your mom is awesome."

The kids loved the sand beneath the water slides because it was so squishy and perfect for drip castles.  They also loved the slides, despite how disgusting the white one looked. 

The kids also loved the trapeze!  I don't have many pics or videos of them because Colby needed my help to get on, and Brooke needed to build up courage that she could manage the bar by herself, but I did get one video of Brooke and she insisted on getting a video of Colby and I.  I was just so nervous that she would drop my phone in the lake! (Thankfully, she didn't!)

We ended the day looking like wet rats, but it was a LOT of fun!  Definitely planning to go back next summer since 6 hours wasn't quite enough for these kids.

The kids have loved their summer tennis lessons, but we knew that this was the last class they'd attend before school started again.  Colby was pumped that he was the only kids to hit the target (twice) and make all the other kids run the courts.  The coach commented that Colby's celebratory cheer was the best he'd heard all summer, hahaha.  And Brooke's mission was to beat the boy that kept trying to pass her as they ran around the courts.  What can I say?  My kids like a little competition :)

We needed new tires on the Tahoe, so we drove into Dallas to go to Omar's Tires and Wheels.  We bought wheels and rims from them when we first bought the Tahoe, but sadly, it was already time to replace the tires!

Since we were already near the new Certifit location, Kevin took us inside to show us around. The new warehouse is HUGE!!

He is pretty disappointed that it won't be ready this year, so the company will resign the lease at his current building until they are ready to transition to the new space.  

Our day trip to Dinosaur Valley was cancelled due to poor river conditions, so we hit up Hawaiian Falls instead.  So grateful for friends (Joanna and kids) who met us there last minute!

We have been wanting to try the Coyote Drive-In movie and we finally made it happen!  I was worried that it would be grossly hot, but it really wasn't too bad.

We had the most perfect breeze as we set everything up, but as soon as the sun went down, the breeze died as well. And then a car parked next to us and ran their engine during the whole movie!

But when you have popcorn and candy, nothing is that bad :)

Such a fun night with the littles :) We should totally go back in the Spring!

A relaxing afternoon on the boat...

Followed by a Mexican-themed wedding reception that night...

Colby informed me that he was really glad Logan Funderburk was there or else he "would've been really bored."  We ended up with about a thousand glow sticks at our house, but I'm glad he had a good time. 

They even had a cute Photo Booth set up, so we ended up with some real gems...

We made the mistake of driving in one car to church, which meant that we were stuck waiting for Kevin in the parking lot for nearly an hour.  To pass the time, I turned my sunglasses (which were already missing one lens) into fashion glasses. I thought Colby looked awfully cute :) 

School started up again (separate post), but I took these pics on day two or three.  Brooke styled her own hair, so I had to document.

Colby was motivated to get there early to see his kindergarten teacher before heading to his normal class. (That became his regular morning routine, so hopefully Mrs. Salinas doesn't mind the visit from her past student.)

My first three days "to myself" were super busy with all sorts of essential tasks, so taking a break for lunch with my friend Ashely was definitely the highlight.  They moved a few years ago and attend a different school now, so it's always nice when we get to catch up.  I miss our afternoon chats at the playground after school. 

We deep-cleaned Brooke's room a few days before school to find the elusive chromebook charger she didn't use all summer, but instead of finding the charger, we found treasures to pass on to Parry.

Sunday Selfies :)

The missionaries came for dinner that night and the kids couldn't wait to make paper airplanes with them.  There was a whole competition going on who could fly one from the living room, up through the loft, and to the front door.  Kevin was the only one who succeeded, but they sure had fun trying.  

Brooke put these tiny lights (from the wedding reception) to good use on the pirate ship.  She then used it instead of her nightlight, haha. 

It was a VERY rainy Monday in Texas.  It literally rained almost the entire day.  While I was glad for some much-needed rain, it also caused a lot of flooding and destruction in the process. 

Kevin signed up for a sprint triathlon in September, so we joined him on his last-minute training sessions.  Not pictured: me having to go home during our run because my stomach was hurting so badly, and Colby falling off his bike when it got stuck in the mud.  

With school starting, the Pokemon trading scene was back in action!  It took us SO long to walk to the car because the kids kept stopping to make deals and talk about cards, haha.  

Brooke has absolutely loved her time in Activity Days, and I love when they want my help because I get to watch all the interactions first hand.  The girls all brought cookie dough, and they put together cards and plates full of treats for people needing a bit of encouragement.  Brooke even invited her friend Claire to come along. 

August was a busy one, and September is going to be just as busy with softball and baseball added to the mix!!