Surgery day

We arrived at the hospital at 7 this morning and got checked in. We were moved to pre-op around 8 and then Aislinn was taken back to surgery around 9. The surgery lasted about 2 and a half hours. They called from the operating room 3 times to tell us things were going well and to also see if they could do some local anesthesia on Aislinn that would make her numb at the surgery area for about 8 - 12 hours. That way, she could come out of anesthesia without experiencing pain. We gave the go-ahead for that.

After the surgeon was done, he came out and talked to us. He did find the remaining portion of that duplicative ureter. It was about 7 times the size of the working one and it was all in behind the bladder and attached to the vagina. Although he could not see, or find an entry point into the vagina, the ureter was obviously swollen and he said "full of puss" and infection. It also caused thickening of the bladder wall and was almost certainly the reason for the recurrent and severe infections. He did re-implant the working ureter and felt that the surgery was and would be, successful.

It was about 3 before we were given a room and Aislinn's pain increased throughout the day as the local anesthesia wore off. They have her on morphine for pain. I was also quite startled when I saw that her urine is red. It was pretty much all blood and it is supposed to get better as the days pass. Needless to say, the pain is much worse this time around, but we are hoping this is the last surgery that she will have to go through!

See below for some snapshots throughout the day.

Pre-surgery

Recovery

In room, post- morphine

Pool Party!

Doesn't everyone celebrate like this the night before surgery?

On my list of things to get done before I leave the house for days was have the pool in tip top shape! Getting food was on there too, but I'm not sure it was ahead of the pool clearance as far as the remaining kids were concerned.

Job complete!

First words

The first words out of her mouth today, "Is it surgery day?" Not today, my baby girl, tomorrow.

It's a go

The surgery coordinator called me this morning and said that Aislinn's urine was fine and that the surgery was good to go ahead. She told us to arrive at Arnold Palmer Hospital by 7 Thursday morning and that the surgery is scheduled to take 2 and a half to 3 hours. The doctor, Dr. Rich, will speak with us before and after the surgery and we will be there for at least 3 days. I'm thinking that given the time of arrival, that she won't be into surgery until around 9 or later. So, it's going to be a long day. She will be in recovery for a little after the surgery and then put in a room.

Chris and I will be at her side the entire time. I'm thinking that it is a blessing and a curse for us knowing how it all goes in a way. We've done this before and we've seen how rough it is on her. I don't like it, not one bit.

She is going to receive a blessing from her father tonight.

Chris was super busy

Chris stayed home while we went to Mom and Dad's and worked on his 'honey do' list.

The girls finally have drawers and I finally don't have Aislinn's clothes in my closet.

Brennan got some new drawers since his were not working any more and I finally got him some more 'appropriate' for his age bedspreads.

Hudson ward

We got up.

We ate.

We dressed.

We posed.

We worshiped.

We came back to Yoo-Ma's and Papa's for a few hours before we headed home. We sure had fun but we missed Chris.

Crazy fun

The kids and I headed over to Mom and Dad's this morning. We arrived there a little before lunchtime and Diamond, the cat, found refuge in between the mattresses! It was too funny.

The kids love to go to Yoo-Ma's and Papa's and they had a great time eating and doing what they do.

Look at those kids up there loving on their grandparents!

I have some amazing parents!
Ryan arrived around 3 this afternoon and it was so nice to see him. He is my nephew, but is only 9 years younger than me and I just love him to death. He has lived in California for the last several years, so it was certainly nice to have a visit.

What a crew!

This evening, before bed, Yoo-Ma sat with the boys and listened to them read. They all absolutely loved it!

I took one for "the team"

I went to see Harry Potter with Chris tonight because I am a loving wife.

I have to say it was pretty good...

Luaklan is double digits!

Number 3 of 5 is 10 today! It is hard to believe, but it is in fact true! After a quick morning at school, we got our suits on and headed to Blizzard Beach for a few hours.

On the way home from the park, he asked if we were going to dinner as a family. I hadn't planned on it, but he was upset that we weren't, so I pulled one together.

Grandma, Uncle Ricky and all of us met at Lampu for a tasty dinner in honor of the birthday boy! Just missing was Kerstyn. :( Who I am sure is having a BLAST at her first Girl's Camp! She comes home tomorrow.

Productivity

Tonight we arrived early at the church for me to participate in 2 Board of Review's. Ethan and John were both progressing to Star rank and we talked to them about what they learned, what they liked, why they do scouting and all that good stuff.

The boys had been at our house since Tuesday afternoon having their last sleepover before Ethan flies to Wyoming on Sunday. He's moving away again and Brennan's pretty sad about it. The 3 boys had a great time together.

Brennan received 7 merit badges tonight, which should make him ready to earn his Life rank. Next up, Eagle! Way to go Brennan!

Making progress

We stopped at IKEA on the way back from Animal Kingdom on Saturday to get Lauklan a shelf that he has wanted for months to store his Lego collection on and in. His birthday is Thursday. So, we went in and left with a shelf...

and quite a bit more. We got 3 dressers, one for each of the kids' bedrooms. None of them have ever had a dresser. They have only used cheap plastic drawers. So now, they have some drawers. Well, let me clarify. Lauklan and Greyson have their dresser. The other two rooms will have to wait until Chris gets the time to put them together.The boys and I worked and worked this afternoon. We were all pretty excited about the finished product.

We also got 2 mattresses while at IKEA. One for Kerstyn, Aislinn and Brennan. All of them were in desperate need for new ones. Each of the kids also got new pillows and sheets.

It was quite a productive trip. Stay tuned for more pictures. ;)

The last steps

I called the surgery coordinator today to confirm that she received the fax giving Aislinn surgery clearance from the asthma doctor. Of course, they hadn't. So, I called the asthma doctor and asked that they send it again. I also had to take Aislinn to give her urine sample.

Now, we wait and see.

I will call the urology office again in a few days to make sure that she has the correct paperwork. I certainly don't want the surgery to not happen because of something I didn't do.

Keep praying. It is working.

Animal Kingdom

Holly wanted to go to Animal Kingdom today, so we all loaded up and headed down there. We never did catch up with Holly and her family, but we had a great time. The lines were not too bad and the weather wasn't mild, for Florida, of course.

Don't you just love how I have 1 kid crying in this picture and another one furious that I made them get in it? Gotta love it. Gees! All I wanted was a picture!

Playing with cousins at Grandma's

After lunch today, we headed over to Grandma's for some fun times. I am so glad that the kids have time and the opportunity to play with cousins.

It rained and rained this afternoon while the kids played and played and ate and ate.

Good times at Grandma's!

Typhoon Lagoon with Holly

Holly and I loaded up all the kids this morning and headed to Typhoon Lagoon. She had never been there before and her kids weren't too sure at first what to think, but by the end of the day, they didn't want to leave.

It was a beautiful day and it got really busy, but we all had a great time. It wasn't even miserably hot because it ended up cloudy most of the day which of course, fooled us into thinking we weren't getting much sun. Nope, that was not true. We had quite a few red faces and a very red belly for Brennan even though I put sunscreen on them.

We love playing and spending time with family.

Asthma

I have to say that I feel very blessed.

I was blessed with healthy children and I don't think that I really realized what a blessing that was, and is, until Aislinn has had all the struggles that she has had. In the end, Aislinn is still a healthy child and that is due to many things.

Her being as healthy as she is right now is due to being born in a time where we have the technology to see inside the body. It is due to having great doctors and access to the health care she needs.

Most importantly, she was born into a family that has the priesthood in their home. She was born into a family with a father that loves the gospel and honors his priesthood and lives worthily to administer it.

So, here we are, preparing AGAIN for a major surgery. The wait has been long and stressful. However, I am so glad that the antibiotics that she has been on since the end of April have kept the infection away and she has been healthy.

I took her today to her asthma doctor. They were doing a follow up and also checking her to give her clearance for her surgery that is in 16 days. They did the breathing test on her that they always do. The doctor reported that her results actually looked worse today then they did 2 months ago, so I was discouraged about that. However, she did give her the go ahead for the surgery but, she upped all her medication. She has to do the controlling medicine both morning and night throughout the month and the week of the surgery, she also has to do the rescue inhaler.

Next up is the urine sample, which we hope and pray is clear. If she stays healthy, July 21 will be the day.

Her name has been in the temple for months and she is in many people's prayers. I know that is why she is doing well. I am so thankful for the knowledge of prayer, the power of the priesthood, and the faith to keep going.

Sabbath cuteness and fireworks

We went to church this morning and then came home to some relaxing family time.

After it got dark, we all headed out to the driveway to set off some fireworks. The kids thought it was just grand and it was nice to be together as a family. I wish this picture was better, but that golf cart is seriously loaded down!

It is really nice to get away. That is when I get the smiles.

Devin's Baptism and other fun

We got up this morning and got ready for a special day. It was Devin's baptismal day and we were so happy to be a part of it! I was assigned to play the piano and then our entire family was assigned to sing a special musical number. We sang "If the Savior Stood Beside Me". The kids actually sang and I thought it was great! The baptism was wonderful and afterwards, we headed to Olive Garden to eat some lunch!

Look at those boys playing! They have the best time together. Kerstyn and Alyssa are always happy to have time to spend together. They are just 6 months apart in age.

Not only my sister in law, but my very dear friend. I am so thankful to have Holly in my life.

My best friend ever and eternal companion.

Above are some handsome men that are hungry, of course. ;)

Aislinn absolutely loves to take care of Jarom.

After we got home from lunch, we needed our nails done, so the 5 of us headed out for some pampering.

Almost breathless

Today, in my personal training appointment, my trainer was really on a mission to kill me! We did an endurance session and I was literally laying on the floor. Good stuff!

Watch Battery

I had to get a little help from my friend yesterday. I asked Debbie to come with me to Florida Mall yesterday morning so that I could go to the Mayor's store there to get my watch battery changed. She said she was happy to do it and I was happy she would come along.

We had a blast together. I bought her some reading glasses to help her be more fashionable, and she and I ate at the Nordstrom Cafe.

Most importantly, we laughed.

Fun day

Mich and I had initially planned on going to the water park today. However, the weather had different plans. So, we went to Disney Quest instead and then to The Downtown Disney Dining Theater to see Cars 2. It was a great day and we all came home tired.

Brennan returned home from Scout Camp this morning and he did a great job! However, he was super tired. So, he opted to stay home and relax while we went and had fun. For him to miss Quest, I knew he just wanted to lounge around.

Family Night at Scout Camp

Chris and I went out to La No Che tonight to spend some time with Brennan. He was hot and tired, but he looked good.

This week was very productive for him. He completed Fingerprinting, Rifle Shooting, Leatherworks and Astronomy merit badges! Go Brennan!

Overall, it was a very productive week-long sleepover for 3 best friends. Good times!

Service

After saying my final farewell to the Carter's, I needed to go back to their house today with the children to take out their garbage for them.

The kids and I ate at Five Guys for dinner, and then headed over to the Birdhouse to do our Family Home Evening service activity.

It took us two trips like the one you see above and one trunk load of garbage in my van.

We sang songs on the way home and had a nice discussion about why we wanted to help our friends.

I miss them so much already. :(