My Baby Girl is now Eleven!

The month of April just flew right by, but not without a wonderful celebration.  Annaleah had another birthday. 

I just can’t believe she is eleven years old! 

Let’s go back in time…

To April 23, 2001

I was scheduled to have a c-section the following morning, due to my pelvic bone being too narrow.  We decided to eat at the Ground Round the night before.  The food just wasn’t sitting well with me at all.  After dinner, we headed to Walmart where I just started feeling even worse.  That night the feeling would not go away.  It took awhile to realize that the sensation seemed to be coming back every so often.. Oh my, I think I was having contractions! 

You may think this is funny but I had never felt contractions before.  Yes, at this time I had a twelve year old son.  He was born by c-section due to being breech.  I never had a chance to have contractions.. water breaks, off to hospital, surgery, it’s a boy!

Poor Angel!  He did not get much sleep.  Every time the contraction came back I would wake him up to time it.  Off we went to the hospital.  The doc made a joke about how we couldn’t just wait a few more hours for the scheduled c-section.  I guess Anna did not want to wait any longer! 

She was perfect!  After a few complications with the nurse forcing formula because she wasn’t interested in nursing, we discovered she had a hole in her soft palate.  We had no clue what that meant.  The formula ended up getting in her lungs (thank you, nurse) which landed her in the NICU. 

What followed was a week of misery until they decided to send her to the Children’s Medical Hospital in Hartford because they had no clue what to do with her.  They were not familiar with Cleft Palate in babies.  Thankfully the Children’s Hospital was wonderful, and after teaching Anna how to eat (she got lazy with those tube feedings!) we could finally bring her home at almost 3 weeks old. 

Time really flew by!  She just kept growing! 

She looked so much like Daddy!

 

She absolutely loved her thumb! She couldn’t suck it because of the cleft but she loved gumming it. 

At 10 months old, she went in for her palate surgery.  The night before she at a huge pancake!  This was a good thing since she was going to be on a liquid diet for a long time after surgery.  It actually took her even longer to like the texture of foods again.  I think it was a few years before she would eat any bread products. 

She was miserable after surgery.  She did not like the tubes all over her.  She refused to drink anything.  Thankfully we managed to finally get a sip in her so they could send us home.  She was back to herself once they got the iv’s out. 

We thought she would be miserable with the arm restraints, especially since she could no longer ‘gum’ her thumb.  The restraints didn’t hold her back at all.  She focused her energy on what she could do and learned how to walk during this time..

Her first birthday, she hid under the table.  There were too many people at her party! 

 

Anna’s 2nd Birthday

Anna at 3

Anna at 4 – She loved the chickens and could put them to sleep in her lap.

Anna at 5 (I just love this pic with Runaway!)

Had to post a better pic of Anna at 5.

 

Already 6 years old

Anna at 7

Anna at 8

Anna at 9

10 years old! 

This was such a tough birthday for her.  We celebrated at the hospital.  This is the day we found out that Angel was getting another liver.  His second one that week.  Anna proved to be such a strong girl this year.  We are all so proud of her.

Now 11!

Happy Birthday Anna. 

You are blossoming into a beautiful young lady. 

Could you please slow down??? 

May Already??

Where did April go?  I have been a terrible blogger.  Things have been so crazy around here.  I have been going through some emotional issues.  Just so much going on.  I was sitting here watching tv with hubby when I realized something.  I need to get back to blogging regularly.  I was staring at the little calendar on my screen that says May 1st and thought, “this would be a good time to challenge myself”.  Of course the other voice in my head says, “oh you are just setting yourself up for failure”. 

The first part wins.  I am challenging myself to blog every day in May.  Now it could get really crazy because this is the month of Anna’s dance recital.  When I think back to last year, I actually vlogged for the entire month of March!  If I could do that, I can most certainly do this.  So this is day 1 of the May Challenge (sorry, not good with catchy terms.. lol).  Since it is going on 11pm, I won’t be saying much more tonight.  Just too tired to think more clearly.  Be prepared for a random month.   

I will end with this.  Tonight I made some Peppermint patties and they were yummy! 

You can find the recipe at Chocolate Covered Katie.  I just love this blog!

Just another crazy weekend!

 

Let’s back up a bit.  I didn’t mention that on Thursday, we went to a Korean Restaurant after the hospital appointment.  This is tricky for me since corn and gluten are in a lot of Korean sauces.  I ordered a stone pot Bimbambop without the pepper paste.  I missed the taste of the pepper paste so much.  basically I ate rice, veggies and meat mixed together with no seasoning.  I was glad Angel got his Korean though.  I also love the little side dishes but didn’t eat anything because once again, I am not sure what is used to marinate those dishes.  Even Kimchi could have something in it that I can’t have.  One of the side dishes was this…

No thank you! 

But Angel had no problem eating it. 

Friday was a normal day.  Every Friday, we rush out at 5pm for Anna’s 3 hour dance classes.  While she is at dance we grocery shop.  Rush home and then try to put everything away before crashing for the night. 

Saturday morning the goal was to get up at 5 (me that is) and get the family out of the house at 7:30 so David can get to work for 8 and we head to my parents.  Well, that didn’t work out so well.  David ended up getting a ride so I didn’t have to rush.  I did still wake at 5.  I cooked my meal for the road, just in case.  I packed a lot of snacks since we were planning to go to the movies as well.  We set out around 9am. 

The van was making this horrible clicking sound and we ended up driving back to the house.  After staring under the hood and fiddling around with things Angel decided to call his brother Abe.  Of course at that point the noise was very faint.  Then it disappeared completely.  So now our plan changed a bit.  Head to my parents first, then go to Abe’s, then the movies.  By this time it is 10am. 

We get to my parents at 11:30, stayed there til about 2:30.  They decided to order pizza so I ordered a chicken salad.  I had showed mom what I made (chicken, carrots, and sweet potatoes with onions..) she just had to have some. I swear her mouth was watering.. so we shared that.  Then we headed out to Abe’s. 

Abe ended up not being at home, so we met him at the Laundromat.  He looked at the van and found nothing.  The noise was completely gone.  We chatted with him and the kids for a bit then headed back to CT for the theater. 

We made it to the theater just in time for the 5:30 showing.  Hunger Games was very very good.  I have some hang-ups when it comes to being different from the book but overall they did a good job.  Anna was thrilled with the movie and was so glad they changed the ending. 

We made it home by 8:30pm.  I was in bed at 9:30. 

Sunday Morning, Anna wanted to go to the Dove beauty campaign at the Mitchell College.  This meant some planning.  David had to be at work for 10, so up again at 6am, pack up the chicken salad that was leftover and more snacks.  Anna had to get fully dressed in dance clothes.  After dropping off David we headed to the college from 10:30 – 12:30.  By the time we walked out of there it was more like 1pm which left an hour to grab food and head to the high school for dance rehearsal.  They got grinders and we parked at the school and ate.  I was so thankful I grabbed my salad and dressing since I would not have been able to find something to eat.  I do not cater to dry salads. 

Dance rehearsal was from 2 – 4:30.  Then we headed to get Angel’s prescription and they picked up some fried rice and chicken wings from a Chinese takeout.  We got home around 6pm and I quickly made myself some fried brown rice and quinoa with veggies and safe hot dogs (corn free hot dogs are hard to find!).  We watched a show and by 8pm I was ready for bed.  I managed to stay up til 9 (Anna begged).  I slept in til 7am.  I am still exhausted.

Today I am focusing on cleaning up the weekend mess and then we leave for dance at 4.  I have to make myself food again for the road.  Anna’s dance is from 4:30 – 5 and then 6-7.  Hubby wants to grab taco’s with Anna.  Taco Bell has nothing I can eat.  That’s ok though.. chicken in rice wraps for the road. 

Did I mention I am exhausted. 

Update on Angel and Anxiety.

Been super busy!  I wanted to post what happened at Angel’s appointment on Thursday.  Just as we were walking toward the room I ran into Debbie in the hall.  I honestly can’t remember her job title but I can say she goes above and beyond her job. 

When Angel was sedated, she came to visit me almost every day.  Sometimes bringing me treats (crackers and peanut butter, personal products) and sometimes just to see how I am doing.  When Angel was in a delusional state and I was told to leave, she took me straight outside and made me sit in the sun and just let me cry.  She is such an amazing, caring person. 

It was great to get to chat with her.  In talking she told me it was completely normal to still have anxiety over last year.  It really helped to have those feelings validated.  We talked about how wonderful Angel is doing and just so much more.  She even chatted with Anna about dance.  She really thinks it would be good for us to take a vacation.  Although it is not financially possible, I am sure there is something we can do. 

Angel’s appointment went very well.  There was not much talk about the hernia since we didn’t see the doc that would be preforming that surgery.  We did however talking about checking for celiac again.  The plan of action is to check the antibodies again.  If they are still there then Angel will swallow a camera to get a better picture of his intestinal wall.  They are also working on getting him off the Coumadin.  On Friday, the office called to schedule an appointment with Dr. Lally (love her as well! She was part of the team that saved his life.) to check the hernia.  She will be doing that procedure as well. 

I will admit I am still a bit nervous.  A lot will be going on right after the year mark and it is a busy time for us with dance performances and homeschooling conference.  Oh, I must not forget Anna’s birthday in a month!  I am feeling a lot better though.  The Lord is definitely getting me through these rough patches of life. 

Anxieties..

It’s pretty obvious to me that I am having some anxieties this morning.  Yesterday as I was walking home from the school after dropping off Ethan, my mind started to wander.  It decided to focus on ‘what if’s’.

What if Angel didn’t make it when the new liver cracked?

What would have happened to us?

Who would I call about the house?

Would we still be living here?  If not where?

How would we be able to carry on without him?

It only got worse til I walked into the door of our house.  Angel said something to me and the tears started pouring.  Of course, at this point he is demanding to know what happened. 

Last night I dreamed he went into surgery to have his hernia removed (caused by the liver transplant).  From what I can gather, a few days had passed and he still did not wake up.  In my dream it felt like it was happening again.  I was trying to sit at the hospital and work on our taxes and school planning for Anna.  Dan (a guy who works at the hospital and was super nice) was trying to encourage me that everything will be okay.  Then I woke. 

Today we leave for Angel’s appointment with the transplant team.  He has not seen them since the beginning of December.  The focus will be the hernia removal.  I don’t think I have to mention how terrified I am. 

Five Question Friday

1. Will you run to the store or to pick up a kid looking a mess?

Probably depends more on where I am going but most likely I don’t care that much.  However, I will not leave the house in sweatpants!  I can have no makeup, stained shirt, and even messy hair, but no sweatpants, ever!  I’m strange that way. 

2. Do you finish a book if it's boring or you don't like it?

I have lots of books that I never finished.  I really have to be interested in the words on the pages.  I love to read but it has to catch my interest.  If it’s a really good book, I have a hard time putting down. 

3. Beach or mountain vacations?

Definitely the beach!  If there is water, then I love to be in it.  I am not a fan of hiking at all. 

4. What thing/event says "winter will end and spring is right around the corner" to you?

Flowers blooming, light jackets, birds singing, feet peaking out of blankets at night and sinus issues.  LOL.  I love the Spring.  I am not a fan of cold weather at all. 

5. Would you prefer couples or family vacation?

That’s a hard one.  I would love a vacation with hubby but then I know I will be wishing Anna was with us, or wondering what she was doing.  I think I will have to go with a family vacation.  I can still enjoy a night with hubby after she sleeps.  Just getting away with the family would be awesome right now. 

Ristorante Pizza Night

A while ago I signed up for the Ristorante Pizza Campaign through BzzAgent.  I received a coupon for two pizza’s to check out.  I know I can’t eat the pizza but I figured the family would enjoy it. 
Ristorante Pizza by Dr. Oetker is a favorite in Italy.  It’s been around since 1985, however didn’t come to the states til 2009.  It has a thin crispy crust and is topped with unique toppings.  Hubby decided to try the Speciale which included Pepperoni, cooked ham, and spicy herbs. 

I only had to pop it in the oven at 425 for 14 minutes. 

It looked really good.  The family really loved it.  Angel is not a fan of boxed pizza at all.  He usually avoids it completely.  He was quite impressed.  Ethan loved it so much he was upset when we ran out.  He insisted I just had to make more.  He doesn’t know we have a box of the Quattro Formaggi in our freezer right now.  He will be quite surprised. 

What’s your favorite boxed pizza?  Are you planning on trying this out?  I have a feeling we will be purchasing more in the future. 

*as a BzzAgent I did receive coupons for two free pizzas to try and review.