Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Kid's Christmas Playdate
So, It has become an annual tradition now for my sister-in-law (Ragan) and myself to host a party for all the kiddos. This year was bigger than both previous years & was so much fun! We had about 20 kids and their moms join us for lunch, cookie decorating and playtime. Thanks to all who made it, and we hope to see you again next year!
More Birthday Celebrating
We also celebrated Popie & Daddy's birthdays together this year with dinner and cake at our house. Avery was so excited to help blow out the candles & sing to her daddy! She also helped make the cupcakes & frosting - and loves to taste the batter. We were extra excited that Uncle Brian was in town for the celebration, we miss him when he is traveling for work. Happy birthday boys!
Clint's Birthday
Every year it's a struggle to squeeze in Clint's birthday celebration right before Christmas. We know our friends are busy and it's not always easy to get together...but, we ended up having a dinner party at our house this year with some of our closest buddies. Clint had tons of fun, and he even wanted to cook steaks on the grill for everyone! Clint has become quite the "grill master" with his Green Egg. We don't even like eating out anymore because the food he makes at home is better than most restaurants. (honest!!) We enjoyed eating, drinking and celebrating Clint's big 3-4 this year at our house. It was fun & easy - we had everyone bring a dish - so the spread was delicious. We ended the night by about 10:45, and are realizing just how "old" we are getting when all our friends are gone home before 11pm..... Happy Birthday Old Man!
Monday, December 27, 2010
Monday, December 20, 2010
Visit from Michigan Cousins!
My cousins,Laura & Julio, came down to Atlanta this year for Thanksgiving. We were so excited to see them, as we don't make it up to Michigan very often. They brought their kids: Mara, George and Anna, along for the ride. The kids were so sweet with Avery & Hunter - they played with them and held them - so adorable. We wish they lived closer & we could see them more often. Please come back next year!
Update on Avery's surgery
Avery ended up needing a second surgery this week. The "fluids" in her arm were filling back up, and the surgeon needed to put in a second drain. We hated the news that our little girl needed to go into surgery yet again. But, we are told that it had to be done. Avery was strong & brave again, and, thankfully, the surgery was quicker this time. We were in a surgery center this time, so it was less intimidating for us all. The doctors even allowed me (mom) to walk her back into the Operating Room. That was harder on me for sure, but I'm guessing better for Avery having me by her side until she fell asleep.
She went home that same day, and slept for 3 hours! Then we spoiled her with all her favorite foods, toys, and movies. The following day she did get a fever, and the surgeon said that was normal (and desired) because he wanted an infection to help dry up the area. We are treating her at home for the infection, and she seems to be doing great now. Avery will just have to deal with this new drain being in her arm for upwards of three months. By then, I'm sure it will be second nature to have a bandage on her arm. Thankfully she is a great kid, and doesn't let anything get her down! She is happy & playing like normal again.
Thanks for all the thoughts & prayers from family & friends, we feel all the love coming our way.
She went home that same day, and slept for 3 hours! Then we spoiled her with all her favorite foods, toys, and movies. The following day she did get a fever, and the surgeon said that was normal (and desired) because he wanted an infection to help dry up the area. We are treating her at home for the infection, and she seems to be doing great now. Avery will just have to deal with this new drain being in her arm for upwards of three months. By then, I'm sure it will be second nature to have a bandage on her arm. Thankfully she is a great kid, and doesn't let anything get her down! She is happy & playing like normal again.
Thanks for all the thoughts & prayers from family & friends, we feel all the love coming our way.
Monday, December 06, 2010
Avery's Arm
This is Avery hanging out with her cousin, Lauren, on Thanksgiving. You can see what she had to wear on her left arm was basically a soft cast with a bag hanging on it. Surprisingly, it never slowed her down!
Update After Avery's Surgery
Hi Family & Friends,
Avery's surgery was two weeks ago, and our surgeon said that he believed he got 98% of the lymphangioma out of her arm. He said that was the best outcome he could have expected. However- he did have to put a drain in her arm. It is basically a long tub that was stitched into her arm to keep fluids from building up under her arm, where the mass was removed from. This has a bag that hangs off her arm to collect the fluids (pretty thought, huh??). The day in the hospital was one of the hardest of our lives- the almost 2 hours she was away in surgery were just unbearable...Clint & I sat in her recovery room just praying & talking about how much we were going to spoil her when she came back to us! When she was wheeled back into the room, she was so tired, and a little out of it. She slept in my lap until the anesthesia wore off. Then she was allowed a popsicle & some juice. We ended up leaving for home at about 5:30 that evening. We spoiled her with cookies, ice cream, and chick0fil-a for dinner that night. She slept like a rock - thanks to the pain medicine, and woke up the next day feeling just like her old self. Kids are amazing at recovering, and we were both amazed by her playing & running around just like nothing had happened. Her family & friends were stopping by with goodies, hugs, and kisses for the next few days- it made her feel so special!
A week after surgery, we went back to have the drain taken out of her arm. She was SO BRAVE. Really, she was just amazingly brave - and didn't cry until she saw her arm for the first time. But, it was quick & easy. We have spent the last week taking care of her arm with daily bandaging & sponge baths. She has been just great this whole time! She was able to take her first shower in two weeks last night. I know she enjoyed that! And tomorrow we go back to the doctor for one last check. Please pray that all is healing well. Thanks!!
Avery's surgery was two weeks ago, and our surgeon said that he believed he got 98% of the lymphangioma out of her arm. He said that was the best outcome he could have expected. However- he did have to put a drain in her arm. It is basically a long tub that was stitched into her arm to keep fluids from building up under her arm, where the mass was removed from. This has a bag that hangs off her arm to collect the fluids (pretty thought, huh??). The day in the hospital was one of the hardest of our lives- the almost 2 hours she was away in surgery were just unbearable...Clint & I sat in her recovery room just praying & talking about how much we were going to spoil her when she came back to us! When she was wheeled back into the room, she was so tired, and a little out of it. She slept in my lap until the anesthesia wore off. Then she was allowed a popsicle & some juice. We ended up leaving for home at about 5:30 that evening. We spoiled her with cookies, ice cream, and chick0fil-a for dinner that night. She slept like a rock - thanks to the pain medicine, and woke up the next day feeling just like her old self. Kids are amazing at recovering, and we were both amazed by her playing & running around just like nothing had happened. Her family & friends were stopping by with goodies, hugs, and kisses for the next few days- it made her feel so special!
A week after surgery, we went back to have the drain taken out of her arm. She was SO BRAVE. Really, she was just amazingly brave - and didn't cry until she saw her arm for the first time. But, it was quick & easy. We have spent the last week taking care of her arm with daily bandaging & sponge baths. She has been just great this whole time! She was able to take her first shower in two weeks last night. I know she enjoyed that! And tomorrow we go back to the doctor for one last check. Please pray that all is healing well. Thanks!!
Avery's Surgery
Hi Family & Friends,
Thank you all for your concern and prayers for Avery and her arm. We have been going through a roller coaster of emotions for the last month... as most of you know this "lump" has always been on her left arm at the elbow area. She was born with it, but it was always so small & mushy - almost just like a fatty lump, and we didn't think twice about it for a long time. Then when she was one or so, we started asking the doctor more about it - as it was getting a bit bigger. Our pediatrician told us not to worry about it - that it was called a hemangioma, and that it would not harm Avery, however it would grow in size as Avery got older. They explained it as a collection of blood vessels under her skin, and that it would need to be surgically removed one day (maybe when she was 3 or 4) just for cosmetic purposes. We didn't like the idea of surgery, but with it being so far in the future, we just decided not to worry too much. Well- that was until the mass doubled (or maybe tripled) in size overnight. This happened about 3 weeks ago, and it sent us RUNNING to our pediatrician with much concern. Of course we were scared that it was something serious now.
Our regular pediatrician was not available that day, but we saw another doctor in the practice. She told us that she was 75% sure it was still a hemangioma, but to be sure she sent us to a pediatric surgeon for an evaluation. The surgeon saw us the following morning. He then confirmed that we didn't need to worry about anything serious (cancer) but that it was actually called a lymphangioma, which is similar to what they first thought - but it involved the lymph nodes & lymphatic system. This is why it grew in size so very quickly, it was injured during play (he thinks) and filled up with blood & fluids. So, thank God that was the reason it grew so quickly. **Lymphangiomas are described as birth defects that occur while the fetus is developing inside the womb. They are malformations of the lymphatic system, which is the network of vessels responsible for returning to the venous system excess fluid from tissues.
After our first meeting with a surgeon, we decided to get a second opinion from another surgeon. This past Thursday we met with a surgeon that works out of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. (I decided that I really wanted Avery in a children's facility) This doctor was very informative and again agreed that the mass on her arm is a lymphangioma. He also agreed that it is not dangerous to her, and is 99.99% sure that we don't need to worry about it being serious (cancerous). Though he did say that after surgery they will send off a sample of the mass to be biopsied just to be 100% sure. He told us that surgery was needed to treat the mass. Surgery will take 1-2 hours, and there are a few possible issues:
1. the mass might not be able to be completely removed during surgery, and then will probably come back again.
2. infections after surgery are common in the elbow area due to all the lymph nodes there. This would mean they will need to put a drain in her arm and keep her in the hospital a bit longer.
3. a skin graft might be needed during surgery. He is worried that he won't have enough skin on her tiny arm to close up the area, so they would need to take skin from somewhere else on her body (typically the groin area). This of course will make recovery longer, and the surgery more intensive.
Now we plan to ask more questions to both our doctor and our surgeon, and do more research before setting up Avery's surgery. However, we are thinking the surgery will be set up in the near future due to insurance issues (another long story). So please pray for us and our sweet Avery. We are praying for help & guidance in making these decisions for our daughter. Then we will be asking for prayers that surgery goes well, that the entire mass is removed, that no infections occur, and that Avery does not need a skin graft during the procedure. Please keep Avery in your thoughts and prayers. We know the power of prayer is amazing, and we need them now. Clint and I are both worried, scared, and wish we were not in this position at all. But we have faith that our Avery will be just fine and that we will get through this scary time in our lives. Thank you all for your calls, emails, and concern, it means the world to us that we have such amazing friends & family.
Love,
Sarah, Clint, Avery & Hunter
Thank you all for your concern and prayers for Avery and her arm. We have been going through a roller coaster of emotions for the last month... as most of you know this "lump" has always been on her left arm at the elbow area. She was born with it, but it was always so small & mushy - almost just like a fatty lump, and we didn't think twice about it for a long time. Then when she was one or so, we started asking the doctor more about it - as it was getting a bit bigger. Our pediatrician told us not to worry about it - that it was called a hemangioma, and that it would not harm Avery, however it would grow in size as Avery got older. They explained it as a collection of blood vessels under her skin, and that it would need to be surgically removed one day (maybe when she was 3 or 4) just for cosmetic purposes. We didn't like the idea of surgery, but with it being so far in the future, we just decided not to worry too much. Well- that was until the mass doubled (or maybe tripled) in size overnight. This happened about 3 weeks ago, and it sent us RUNNING to our pediatrician with much concern. Of course we were scared that it was something serious now.
Our regular pediatrician was not available that day, but we saw another doctor in the practice. She told us that she was 75% sure it was still a hemangioma, but to be sure she sent us to a pediatric surgeon for an evaluation. The surgeon saw us the following morning. He then confirmed that we didn't need to worry about anything serious (cancer) but that it was actually called a lymphangioma, which is similar to what they first thought - but it involved the lymph nodes & lymphatic system. This is why it grew in size so very quickly, it was injured during play (he thinks) and filled up with blood & fluids. So, thank God that was the reason it grew so quickly. **Lymphangiomas are described as birth defects that occur while the fetus is developing inside the womb. They are malformations of the lymphatic system, which is the network of vessels responsible for returning to the venous system excess fluid from tissues.
After our first meeting with a surgeon, we decided to get a second opinion from another surgeon. This past Thursday we met with a surgeon that works out of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. (I decided that I really wanted Avery in a children's facility) This doctor was very informative and again agreed that the mass on her arm is a lymphangioma. He also agreed that it is not dangerous to her, and is 99.99% sure that we don't need to worry about it being serious (cancerous). Though he did say that after surgery they will send off a sample of the mass to be biopsied just to be 100% sure. He told us that surgery was needed to treat the mass. Surgery will take 1-2 hours, and there are a few possible issues:
1. the mass might not be able to be completely removed during surgery, and then will probably come back again.
2. infections after surgery are common in the elbow area due to all the lymph nodes there. This would mean they will need to put a drain in her arm and keep her in the hospital a bit longer.
3. a skin graft might be needed during surgery. He is worried that he won't have enough skin on her tiny arm to close up the area, so they would need to take skin from somewhere else on her body (typically the groin area). This of course will make recovery longer, and the surgery more intensive.
Now we plan to ask more questions to both our doctor and our surgeon, and do more research before setting up Avery's surgery. However, we are thinking the surgery will be set up in the near future due to insurance issues (another long story). So please pray for us and our sweet Avery. We are praying for help & guidance in making these decisions for our daughter. Then we will be asking for prayers that surgery goes well, that the entire mass is removed, that no infections occur, and that Avery does not need a skin graft during the procedure. Please keep Avery in your thoughts and prayers. We know the power of prayer is amazing, and we need them now. Clint and I are both worried, scared, and wish we were not in this position at all. But we have faith that our Avery will be just fine and that we will get through this scary time in our lives. Thank you all for your calls, emails, and concern, it means the world to us that we have such amazing friends & family.
Love,
Sarah, Clint, Avery & Hunter
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