Happy Halloween!

We had a great time on Halloween! A huge bonus was that Ryan was able to be with us, so the augmented family time made the whole day better. We began the evening at our "trunk or treat" by having dinner and playing games at the carnival. After that we packed up the kids to go trick-or-treating in our neighborhood. They were so excited to learn there was more fun ahead as we were leaving the church! That's one thing I love about experiencing holidays with the kids. They inject their magic into everything with their enthusiasm and excitement about every little aspect of the day.

This year the kids anticipated Halloween with great angst for several months, and every time we'd ask what they wanted to be, their answer would change. Since we couldn't nail a specific theme down, we decided to go with Superman. Ryan was Clark Kent. Matt was Clark Kent changing into Superman. Drew was Superman, and if you recall the classic Christopher Reeve movies, Brady portrayed Superman as a baby when he landed on earth. I went as Lois Lane, and since my wardrobe lacked one of her snazzy pastel business suits, I looked like "Flight Attendant Lois Lane..." "Passengers, we are beginning our decent into El Paso. Please see that your tray tables are in the upright and locked position." I thought Ryan looked great--tall, dark and handsome! The kids don't look very enthused in the picture, but they loved what they wore. Drew even said throughout the night, "I sure love my costume!" Matt gave people demonstrations of how he could pull his shirt apart and start changing into Superman. He does the same thing around the house, only he sprints from one side of the house to the other, spins in a circle, pretends to put his boots on, and then "flies" to the other side of the house as Superman. Brady just stood there and looked cute, and for any wondering, he wasn't cold. I hope you all had a fun and safe Halloween. You can check out our Monster Mash Halloween video at the bottom of the page.

Brady's 1st Birthday

Brady's birthday was fun. The kids enjoyed celebrating all day, and we got to visit Ryan at the hospital and sing "Happy Birthday" with the nursing staff. It was a good thing we had fun during the day, because as evening wore on, our happy party morphed into a fiasco. First I made the mistake of running errands all day, which robbed Brady of valuable sleep. Then as we cleaned up dinner and bedtime came, my good-natured baby short-circuited into a wailing, screaming, arching of the back nightmare. I couldn't keep him happy to save my life. Finally, I waved the white flag (gave up on waiting for Ryan) and brought out his birthday cupcake with the candle lit, hoping to distract him long enough to take at least one good photo. But the cupcake seemed to upset him more, like, "I didn't ask for a cupcake! I want to GO TO BED!" Then it all came to a head while I was fiddling with the camera settings and trying to remember how to activate the video. Brady lurched forward and put the candle out with his fingers, and the night officially ended. Dejected and defeated, I scooped up my tortured baby and headed upstairs to bed. Drew and Matt were yelling that he still needed to eat his cupcake, and I let the chaos, fatigue and stress get to me by roaring back that the party was OVER! So much for the ideal, picture-perfect scene. The following afternoon we did a "Take 2" by giving him the cupcake under better circumstances (still without Ryan, but what do you do?). I can't fully express what Brady means to me; what mother can truly articulate it? All I know is that he is a priceless, integral part of our family, and may never know how much I fiercely love him.

Pumpkin Patch

We had a fantastic time this year at a great pumpkin patch just 20 minutes away in New Mexico. It was still warm with temperatures in the low 80s, but it didn't feel nearly as hot as last year when I was big and pregnant and one week away from delivering. The boys were able to enjoy the big rubber tubing slide, giant sandbox, mini maze, farm animals, tractor ride and the pumpkin selection. The grilled corn smelled so good, but we didn't take time to eat this year. I also didn't venture out with them into the giant corn maze, but I was able to have fun watching them explore and take part in the activities while Daddy stayed home with a napping Brady. Freedom!

Puppy Surgery

Pre-Op Diagnosis: 3-month old puppy with abdominal wound suffered at home, suspect domestic violence.

Post-Op Diagnosis: Same

Procedures: Abdominal wound closure

Surgeon: Dad

Assistant: Matt Miller

Anesthesia: None

Start Time: 13:44
End Time: 13:47

Fluid Replacement: None

Surgical Wound Classification: Clean

Antibiotics: None

Complications: None

Dressings: None

Post-op Plan: Recovery Room ---> Home after Social Services Clearance

Procedures: Puppy was brought to couch and laid in dorsal supine position. No prepping or draping. No anesthesia. 2-0 Vicryl used to close 2.5 cm midline abdominal wound. Puppy tolerated procedure well. Instrument counts were correct x 2. Sent to recovery room in stable condition.