Baby H goes under the knife

Today was the first of several surgeries that little miss Holland will undergo.  Thankfully they start off with an easy procedure: ear tubes!   She DID have to go under general anesthesia, but the surgery was only about ten minutes.

The hardest part of the whole ordeal?  She couldn't eat (drink) anything after 3am!  Luckily our children's hospital, Nationwide Children's, schedules their surgeries by age, youngest to oldest.  Holland was number 1!

I woke her up to eat at 2am, and then again at 3am, and then said a little prayer that she wouldn't freak out when I had to wake her up just before 6am to head to the surgery center.  She rocked it.

Holland's pre-surgery jitters

She slept until I had to get her out of her carseat for the nurse to weigh and measure her.  She flirted, giggled and made eyes at the male nurse who bought into all of her smooth moves.

When we got to our pre-op room Holly girl finally realized she was hungry and screamed while I changed her into her fancy hospital pajamas which happened to be fit for a two year old.  The only thing that would calm her down was her binky and standing in front of the television so she could watch Mickey Mouse.

Putting on the fancy tie-in-the-back gown

"I'm Hungry Mother, I Really Am!"

Holly's surgery time was 7:30am, and so obviously at 7:30 we were still waiting in the pre-op room.  Apparently even the first appointment of the day is difficult to keep punctual as I saw our doc walk in at 7:31am.  So..we took some selfies!

After meeting with Mr. Anesthesiologist and Mr. ENT surgeon the nurse came to take Holland back. I all but begged to be able to watch the surgery, promising I wouldn't break down crying but apparently there are policies in place to keep crazy people who like to see blood and guts out of the O.R.  

"Gonna get some tubes in my ears" SELFIE!!!

I got to sit in the waiting room and watch the news while waiting. Finally I got to go back to the recovery room where a nurse was holding little sister. I got her and immediately she began screaming for food.  Bottle inserted into mouth! She ate, and she went to sleep. Workin' on sleeping of the anesthesia.

Sleep sleepy sleep

After awhile I was told I could change her back into her own PJs and get ready to take her home.  The surgeon came in to debrief me and told me that when he vacuumed out her ears before inserting the tubes a TON of "goop" came out.  He said it was the consistency of rubber cement and that it was a really good idea to get the tubes sooner rather than later.

Let's get ready to go home, mamma!

Doc said she would have some bloody drainage out of her ears for a few days, but that she would be able to sleep better and be less irritable.  That's incredible because she is already the most un-irritable baby ever! She maybe she will just start sleeping through the night (of course now that I've written that she never will!). 

Little lady still has a long road ahead of her, and this is not the last surgery she will have to undergo. She is one step ahead now, however.

Now we all need a nap.

And Then We Were 4

Well, our cute little family is growing.  Or...has grown?

In a muddle of thoughts I cannot think of where to begin.

First of all, I'm not one to divulge all the graphic details of Baby Girl's birth (or any birth for that matter) in a blog post.  I can appreciate those that do but I'll keep this G rated, partly because it otherwise gives me the heeby jeebies.  Childbirth, though beautiful, wonderful and miraculous, is also icky!

SOOOOO, Holland has graced our home with a lot of force, and very little sleep.

She was born one week early via NON-elective cesarean section.  Stubborn girl was breech, just hanging out for a few weeks and did NOT want to flip over into a more comfortable position. So when I went into labor, there wasn't much of a choice.  Some of you may say that breech births happen safely all the time, but they are illegal in Ohio so it's not even really a discussion.  We like to abide by the law 'round these parts.

Can I just tell you how miserable a C-section is?  Once again, some people prefer it, oh geez, not me. As soon as they told me I had to have a c-section I immediately started to internally panic. I kept my composure pretty well until the sweet sweet nurse couldn't find the vein for my IV and had to stick me four times.  Then I lashed out, swore at her and told her she better find the vein quickly.  Andrew was quickly issued a hazmat suit (or the likes of), cute little booties and a cafeteria cap.  We walked down the hallway where Andrew was deposited in a waiting room and I was whisked away to the OR (And by "whisked away" I mean they made me walk, while holding my standard issue hospital gown closed, and forgot to give me hospital booties so I had bare feet, gross?!).
From this point until recovery a few events occured:
--I was certain the epidural would not work and that I would feel them cut me open.
--The epidural worked.
--I screamed that the anesthesiologist was a liar over and over again because he told me we'd be done in 20 minutes, and we were not.
--Holland was born safely, but we were told she had a "pinpoint size hole" in her soft palate that wouldn't cause any problems, she would be able to nurse just fine, yada yada yada.

And then we were in recovery 40 minutes later.  (Andrew told me the next day that during surgery before they closed me up they were counting all of their supplies and two of the nurses looked confused as they were counting the bloody gauze.  Nurse one whispers to nurse two, nurse two looks at doc, doc puts his hand in my stomach and pulls out an extra gauze.  WHEW...close one!)

Turns out little Holland has a cleft palate that does INDEED cause problems.  The hole in her palate is bigger than a pin point, and it causes an open airway from her nose to her mouth so she cannot get suction on anything which means she has to have a special bottle to eat, and she cannot hold a pacifier in her mouth.  It also means that when she spits up it goes up the hole and out her nose, like a cool magic trick!

SO....along with all of the other newborn things (lots of eating, waking up a lot in the middle of the night, lots of poop, diapers) we get to go see an array of medical specialists.

Let's backup, cleft palate.  Cleft=hole.  Palate=palate (of the mouth).  So, Holland does NOT have a cleft lip, and the hole she DOES have is in the back of her mouth on the soft palate.  Hers is relatively mild.  It's a perfect little hole about the size of the tip of a new crayon.  Other babies are born with their entire palate gaping.  This hole leads to her nasal sinus which leads to her nasal passage and out her nose, so basically she has an airway from her mouth out her nose.

The diagram below helps explain cleft palates a bit more.  The bright pink is a babies gum line, and so typically the opening goes from the back where the uvula (hangy down thingy) usually is up through part of the palate.  The muscles on a normal palate run horizontally and help with sucking, and also with fluid drainage from the ears, however on cleft palates the muscles aren't attached to each other and they run vertically so the can't contract properly for sucking and for ear drainage.  When the repair surgery is done the muscles are pulled horizontally and the opening is sewed together, creating a uvula.

 
SO...cleft babies often have problems with their ears, both hearing problems and fluid drainage problems.  They often times have eye problems.  It is also a genetic disorder in some.  That means we have been to see the Ear Nose Throat doc, the ophthalmologist, the geneticist, the cranio-facial doctor who will do her surgery, as well as the regular pediatrician.

Lets talk about the surgery which is not performed until babies are 10-12 months.  We have been told over and over again that the surgery is only done in order to help with speech.  It is a quick surgery but Holland will spend one night in the hospital.  After she is released she will have her arms splinted for 2 weeks so she cannot get her hands in her mouth, preventing stitches being ripped.

Cleft palate babies often gain weight very slowly because eating is difficult.  Well, not this baby. She was back to her birth weight in less than a week after birth.  She is in the 40th percentile for weight, and eats like a champion.  Because she cannot nurse, I spend half of my life attached to a machine, and the other half of my life giving her a bottle.  She hasn't missed any meals, that's for sure. Please see exhibit A below for proof.

Keane loves Holland.  He quickly tells me anytime she is crying, when she is awake, when she is asleep etc.  He wishes she could play more than she can so I have to keep a close eye on them to make sure he is "very soft", but we feel lucky that he loves her so much.

So after nearly a year of no blogging, this is what we are up to these days.

I am now an expert on cleft palates, so that's a bonus...right?

 As you can see, she is happy and though she will face certain difficulties with this "medical handicap" as it is called in the medical world, she is also very lucky.  We love her and it feels like she was always part of our family!

We are sad, we are pathetic...

Why hello!!  It has been about 6 months which seems about right for us as far as blogging goes!  So to our two faithful readers, we apologize for the lack of updates!  We intend to do better (but we always intend to do better and don't so...don't expect much...).

It has come to our (yes...our!) attention that we (Andrew and Brittney, Brittney and Andrew) are officially....really lame.

If you wish to know just why I say that, please continue reading.  If not, please exit this browser.

Let's begin with:

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!  Happy Independence Day! Hopefully it was lovely for all of you.

Here is a briefing of our day:

We had a festive breakfast of whole wheat pancakes, blueberries, strawberries, whipped cream and other delicious options with friends.

We even let Keane eat this time.  Must really be a special day.

After we ate we walked around the corner to the annual Upper Arlington 4th of July Parade with above mentioned friends. The lovely folks of Upper Arlington (UA) do not mess around when it comes to their annual traditions.  Today is Friday, correct?  Last SUNDAY people began leaving their chairs, tables and small children on the side of the road to stake their claim for their parade watching pleasure.  And what's more amazing, no one stole any of these items. We, of course, followed suit and put our chairs out early in the week.  "When in Rome.." right?

We took naps (Keane), watched an episode of Sherlock (Andrew and myself), went to the pool, made a delicious dinner and went and got ice cream at our friendly neighborhood Graeter's.

Keane prefers a more "earthy" flavor for his ice cream so he sat in the dirt to eat.

We then wandered over to the park (where we also had to stake our claim on some public real estate in order to have a place to sit to watch the big show!).  We found our blanket and chairs and set up camp, anxious for the fireworks.  This was Keane's first fireworks show, he was ecstatic to see the night sky as I'm fairly certain that he believes the sky does not get dark anymore since he goes to sleep when it is still light and wakes up after the sun comes up.

Alright, this is where it gets good folks:

We are sitting in our chairs, Keane is on my lap, we have the blanket because it randomly got chilly.

The fireworks start!  YAY!  We watch, we oooooo, we ahhhhhh, we ohhhhhh.  Big K thinks that the fireworks are enormous lightning bugs, but that's neither here nor there.

Suddenly I hear Andrew begin to laugh and say something like "Oh my gosh..".  I inquire as to what is "up" and he says, "What was two days ago?"
"Ummm...Wednesday?"
"What was the DATE, Brittney?"
"Umm...July 2nd..OH MY GOSH!!!!  We forgot our anniversary!!!!"

HOW RIDICULOUS IS THAT!?  It's not like we've been married for 30 years and are just stuck in our ways.  Its been 4 years.  That's less than a handful! And we both skipped it.  We didn't even remember the day of, or even the day after.  Nope, 2 days later.  Now it's not like we celebrate big or anything, we usually just go to dinner or pat each other on the back and say "Good job surviving another year!" (So I guess it's not too difficult to believe that we forgot, seeing how un-festive we are..)

So, Andrew, Happy Anniversary Baby!  Sure was a good one, eh!? This is what I call True Love!

What tugs at my heartstrings

There are certain things, situations, places and sometimes even food that speak to my soul.  These are things that truly resonate with me, my body, my spirit and my soul.  Often when I see, smell, feel, read or do these things I feel my heart physically being pulled in that direction.

I have known since...forever...that I prefer warm weather to cold, I prefer scuba diving to snowboarding, and I prefer a day at the beach to a day in the mountains.  Don't misunderstand, I thoroughly enjoy snowboarding and spending time in the mountains, and even the occasional cold day, but if I had a choice...well...you get the point.

Andrew, on the other hand, is pulled towards the mountains, the snowboarding, the snowshoeing. He'd rather hike up a mountain and I'd rather hike down the mountain to the water.

Two days ago I had the distinct feeling and impression that these likes that we have are not simply "things we like".  I realized that it isn't just that I enjoy being on the beach in the sun, but that it's the sand under my feet.  It's the horizon on which I can see the end of the earth.  It's the sound the water makes washing up on shore.  It's the way I can see the sun set all the way down until it disappears beneath the water. It's the smell of salty air and sun kissed skin  It's the completely different world that exists underwater and the fact that I cannot survive in that world on my own.  It's the water at night that glows with natural light from those creatures beneath. It is the way the moon illuminates the water making it mysterious and sometimes scary.  It's the feeling of peace, relief and calm that I get the instant I arrive.

Along with this scenario I long for simplicity in life.  A simple, humble home, in a simple neighborhood where it's o.k. to walk down the street barefoot.  A place where children play in the streets and adults are friends with their neighbors.  Often people dream of visiting a place like this, vacationing to a Caribbean island or somewhere on the Gulf of Mexico.  I want to exist there. I yearn to live there, raise a family there, get the most out of...there...wherever there is.

That said, although it is not my idea of perfect, I completely understand Andrew's similar feelings about the mountains.  The majestic earth that surrounds and enfolds you, the feeling of being on top of the world when you reach the summit, the hard work it takes to get where you want to be, the quiet whispering of the wind through the trees, the fragrant smell of pine mixed with rich dark soil, discovering it all again when it snows deep and white.

Part of our journey, however, is learning to find the beauty and majesty in wherever we are.  I believe it is a true gift to be able to do this regardless of where one is at.  

While we currently live in a place with no mountains and no ocean nearby Andrew and I are learning this art very well.  We are discovering things we love about a place neither of us thought we would ever live.  I will admit, however, that when I see pictures of the places I dream of living again, I get silent little pangs in my heart, drawing me to that which is out of my reach for the time being. 

The Boy Turns One

 Today is Keane's birthday.  We have managed to keep him alive for 365 entire days, although the family as a whole has come very close (multiple times) to extinction.  Here are some of the things we have learned over the past year (in no particular order):

1. We do not need nearly as much sleep as we once thought we "had" to have.
2. Lack of sleep makes us manic/depressive at the most inconvenient times.
3. It's much easier to travel with a 2 week old as opposed to a 7+ month old.
4. Keane's laughter cures all sadness.
5. Keane's screaming depletes us of all happiness.
6. A simple string is so much more interesting than ten new and possibly expensive toys.

 The birthday celebration began with his ritual monthly photo shoot in his special onsie.....

 Which inevitably got soiled at the birthday picnic in the park which ended with a romp in the mud.  It's his birthday, he gets to do whatever he wants.  Unfortunately, tomorrow he will assume he still gets that luxury.

 His birthday cake, made from scratch, was a big success.  Chocolate on chocolate, can't go wrong there!

 PRESENTS!! And he quickly found his favorite one...

 The soccer ball!  He wouldn't open any other presents after he found the ball.  A true Rigdon! We attempted to remove the ball from his grasp to allow him to continue opening gifts, but he shrieked and cried until he got the ball back.

 Family photo after presents.  

 It was time to eat cake!  Sheer determination to conquer the cake shows in his face.

 Triumphant!

 Papa trying to feed him some frosting, he preferred to smash it in his hair.

 "Dad is great, give us some chocolate cake!"

And finally it was time to clean up.  This was by far Keane's least favorite part of the day.

It is times like this that we feel like parenting is a worthy endeavor.  This sentiment might not be felt in about 4 hours when he wakes up at 1am, or when he wakes up again at 2:53am and/or 5:34am for that matter, only to be held by a zombie like parent until 7:30 rolls around.  Despite all of this, we sure do love him, maybe even more because of it. And no matter what we say at 4:26am or 3:03 am, we would never ACTUALLY sell him to the circus.  

Vaca!

We recently took a trip to our nation's capital (that's Washington D.C. folks).  It was our first real, out of state, multi-night vacation since Keane has been born.  Sure, we have visited family and been gone over night a few times, but this was a real vacation, and it was awesome.

Andrew's mom, VaLynn, had been visiting us in Columbus and since she flew standby with a Buddy Pass, we decided she should drive with us out to D.C. for a day and fly home from there, so that's what she did!

People told us when we moved to Columbus that traveling across the country with a newborn was "crazy".  Actually, it went just fine.  He slept the entire way!  I counter that traveling anywhere further than an hour away with a 10+ month old is "crazy".  A trip that should have taken between 6 and 7 hours took over 9 hours.  We stopped at LEAST 4 times, possibly 5, I can't remember.  It was its own kind of fun, however.

 Not the Washington Monument you are used to seeing?  All that scaffolding takes away from the grandeur of the building, but it is nonetheless beautiful.

 The boys just outside of the Lincoln Memorial.  It's so serene inside the memorial, one of our favorites.

 We stopped by and said hello to Mr. and Mrs. Obama, and Keane was our navigator.  As you can see, he is very handy with a map.  Ok, but F'reals, the next day we were coming out of the Holocaust Museum and all the sudden crazy sirens are going off, about 10 black Denalis come screeching down the road and pull into some secret entrance to the Department of Agriculture building.  Turns out, dun dun dun, it was The First Lady herself, she had a meeting there.  So there you have it, we are famous.

  As many of you know, Washington D.C. has a series of Smithsonian Museums which are free to the public. That's good because I like free things!  Many of you also know that I struggle to enjoy culturally uplifting things, of which include museums.  Luckily for me, Keane was getting pretty fussy by mid afternoon on day one, so while Andrew and VaLynn went into the Museum of Natural History, Keane and I found a spot on the grass in the sun to sit and play.
The next day after VaLynn caught her plane back to Utah, we took the metro back to The National Mall.  We went to the Holocaust Museum (after which we personally met The First Lady as previously mentioned...), and then picnicked outside of the Jefferson Memorial.

 Keane is very good at sharing, especially if it is something he has already put in his mouth, chewed up, spit onto the ground and then picked up again.  He also enjoys pushing his own stroller, and making screeching monkey noises as loud as he can right in front of the sign that says "Quiet--Respect Please", interrupting the almost sacred reverence at the memorials.
      Later that afternoon we went to Arlington National Cemetery, one of my favorite places.  We lazily walked up the paths admiring the men and women who have served our country and given their lives to do so when we heard the chime of the clock signalling that it was 5 O'Clock p.m.  Part of the reason I wanted to go there was to see the Changing of the Guard ceremony at the Tomb Of The Unknown Soldier.  We started sprinting up the hill and made it, breathless, panting and sweaty, just as the guard on duty announced for everyone to be quiet for the ceremony.

Day 3, our last full day in the city, we went first up north to Silver Spring, MD, where the Mormon temple is.  We spent the late morning lounging on the grass, enjoying the beautiful weather, and feeling the special peace that is at the temple.  We went to the visitor's center, had snacks on the lawn and just enjoyed the time we had.

Sunday morning we got up and headed out.  We wanted to stop at Gettysburg on our way back to Columbus (Which is about an hour and a half north of D.C.)  We went and we were glad we did.  Although we didn't get to see everything, we got to see the soldier's Cemetery where Abraham Lincoln gave the famous Gettysburg Address.

We also went to the High Water Mark battleground which was sombering.

We had a marvelous trip.  We were glad to get home and sleep in our own beds, Keane especially, but since we are out here we hope to take advantage of all the cool things we are relatively close to!