Chanting to Fireflies

     One of my favorite things about summer in the south is the nightly fireflies. They emerge at a perfect time for outdoor play after dinner. The sun is setting and the heat of the day is slowly fading. This summer, JT has discovered his love of fireflies. It started out with him chasing them, to pointing out which bugs for his family members to capture, and now he can gently grab the fireflies all by himself!

     During this nightly play, JT started singing a popular song by Fall Out Boy in effort to get the fireflies to light up. I cracked up the first time I heard him start his chanting of the chorus over and over. Enjoy our firefly whisperer.

Pirate Lingo

     JT loves playing dress up and bringing out his inner superhero, knight, or firefighter to name a few. One day when he was dressed up like a pirate, he busted out this little gem. Not sure exactly where he learned the phrase, but my best guess is the occasional Jake and the Neverland Pirates. I love my Pirate Boy!

The first two weeks post-op

     Sarah's recovery from her MPFL surgery has been thankfully uneventful. I wanted to give a little overview of how the first two weeks went.

Before Sarah's injury was diagnosed, I had never heard of MPFL. I'm sure like most, I knew of the "big" guys- ACL. MCL, LCL meniscus. So what and where exactly is the MPFL? I used a google search to find a good visual. The ligament attaches on the patella(knee cap) and the femur (thigh bone). It's main job is to keep the patella stable and in line.

All of this was corrected with the surgeons skills and the generosity of someone donating their body after they died so others could benefit. Sarah's MPFL was actually replaced with a tibia tendon. Pretty amazing and we all have such gratitude for this donation.

Sarah's knee a few days after surgery. The 2 lower incisions were for tools and the scope, so they are quite small. The larger incisions on the inside of the knee and the top of the patella are where the actual reconstruction took place. There was quite a bit of swelling  and she was very tender for the first 2 weeks.

Side view of her knee.

It took almost 5-7 days before bruising showed up. Her knee looked jaundiced.

The bruising was mainly in the work areas near the larger incisions.

Just when I thought it wouldn't get any worse, it did! Thankfully this was as bad as it got and it slowly faded over the next 7-10 days after they first appeared.

Besides the 2-3 times Sarah goes to Physical Therapy each week, she has this machine at home. CPM- Continuous Passive Movement. It's used to help gain mobility in the joint to prevent scar tissue from forming and locking up. It can be programmed for just about everything- how fast to move, highest degree, if you want to pause at the highest/lowest point. 

Sarah has to use the CPM machine for 2 hours every day. Right now her limit is no greater than 70 degrees, but I believe that range will soon be increasing.

Besides the Physical Therapy, CPM, and showering, Sarah is in her full leg brace 24/7. It is in a full lock meaning she is not allowed to bend her knee while wearing it. Her pace is a bit slower these days, but she has managed to get stronger and start building her muscles to gain greater mobility.

Sarah went for her first post-op visit at one week. It seemed like this was one of her milestone dates during her recovery. That is when she started to slowly wean off her pain meds and started to gain more strength to start the rehab on life back to normal. 

I also wanted to mention that cool blue contraption on her knee. I talked about it briefly in her surgery post. It's called the cryo cuff. It's basically an air cast that she could wear as much or little as she wanted. Instead of air being filled, it's filled with ice water! More effective than a simple ice pack and the relief that it gave Sarah was immense.  We could switch out the water as often as she requested using the water cooler than came with it. A simple siphon with an detachable hose from the cooler to the cuff made it a breeze! I loved seeing the visible joy on Sarah's face every time I gave her fresh ice water. I'd say it was her BFF for the first two weeks.

Back in the exam room, I helped pass time by taking photos of Sarah with a model knee. It was very easy to see the MPFL on the hands on model. I should have thought to take a pic of that!

While Sarah laid pretty low the first several days, we did manage to get her out and about. We took her to the movies and then grocery shopping afterward for her first outing. The benefit of her surgery- using one of the killer shopping carts typically reserved for an older generation. I will say that JT loves this perk and will do his best to ride side saddle when Sarah shops with us.

Sarah upright and moving! She has crutches to use for stability. She basically "walks", as per her therapists, but the crutches take some of the load off her leg as she rebuilds strength and balance one again.

While the crutches are still here (behind the happy couple), Sarah has gained enough in her stability to stand and walk for short distances.

Sarah goes back to Dr Carbon for her next follow up in a few days. We are hopeful that she will be cleared to drive and perhaps have some motion released on her brace. I'll be sure to post an update next week with her progress.

Getting over fears

    About a month ago, JT had his first big accident on his bike. If you remember, he had a large gash under his chin that required a trip to the ER. In the few weeks after his accident, JT was avoiding going on any bike rides like he does on a nearly nightly basis.

     After about 2 weeks, I started asking if he wanted to go on a bike ride and he would say he would like to go on a Big Wheel or ATV ride. Basically anything but the balance bike.  I would ask if we could go on a balance bike ride and he would get pretty timid and say No, he didn't want to crash down any more big hills. Understandable, but it made me feel pretty sad for how fearful he was of something that has brought him so much enjoyment over the past year.

     Last week, I decided to push JT out of his comfort box and require a small bike ride to help him realize that while accidents will happen from time to time, that doesn't need to allow us to be filled with fear. We talked about not going down the big hill that the accident happened and ways to move to either slow down. After lots of reassurance, JT was ready!

Helmet strapped on and ready to start his ride.

He went on a short ride through the neighborhood and visited the lion statues that are by a neighbors garage door.

Towards the end of the walk, JT was feeling like a strong, big boy.

When he realized he could ride his bike and glide down some small hills, he declared a big "YES! I did it Mommy!"

To update on how his chin is healing- After the glue and steri-strips came off the cut formed a scab and healed a bit further.

He is now the proud owner of his first scar. It reminds me of those generic birds that kids often decorate their drawings with when they are young(flip this image to see the "bird") I've been applying scar ointment to it in effort to help it fade a bit. Thankfully it is under the chin and not very noticeable.

     While the first ride post accident was a success, we still have a way to go. The bike isn't JT's go to for after dinner walks/rides and he still talks about not wanting to crash. With his family of cheerleaders, I'm sure it will continue to get better.

Pipe Cleaner Fireworks

   Before the 4th of July the boys made some fireworks of their own using pipe cleaners. A Pinterest craft that perhaps looks and sounds better on a pin than in real life. The boys all enjoyed it, so as long as we have that, I'll call it a success.

Using between 2-4 pipe cleaners, twist and spread out the cleaners to create an exploding firework design.

Then, dip into paint and let the fireworks explode!

Finn was the first to use a smaller design that we found worked better in holding it's shape.

Always very thoughtful in his placement during art.

Mason couldn't wait to make his fireworks!

He enjoyed stamping in a close space for a "Grand Finale" effect.

Presenting Fireworks!!!!

Mason

Finn

JT

Stars and Stripes

     When the 4th of July was approaching a few weeks ago, I decided it was time to make a patriotic wreath. I imagined that the wreath could not only be used for the 4th but other National holidays where we usually display our flag. I found my "Pinspiration" and headed to the store. 

My supplies- Foam wreath, red/white/blue yarn and some foam stars.

It's a simple design with yearn being wrapped to create a flag-like effect. I started with the single section of blue. I also marked the wreath for my alternating red and white stripes.

I continued the process until the wreath was fully covered. One layer of yarn wasn't enough so I continued to layer on top for a fuller effect.

A total of three layers and the wreath was finished!

I hot glued some stars to complete the project.

Love it! My patriotic wreath now adorns our front door and I'm looking forward to pulling it out every few months along with our American flag to hang proudly. 

Showtime

     While Lindsay and Courtney were having fun at camp, John and I took the remaining half of our kids to see a movie. While driving to the theater, we realized that this would be JT's first movie to see in a theater. Is that a sad statistic or just a parent who knows their child? It was only in recent months that JT would show interest in a movie for more than 5-10 minutes and I figured if we were going to shell out the big bucks for a real deal experience, we should wait until he was ready. Turns out, the timing was perfect!

JT was very excited to find out where our little outing was taking him. When he saw this huge display in the lobby, he asked to have his picture taken. He also decided he wanted to see this movie- along with any other that had the Disney/Pixar feel to it. This day we were seeing Monsters University.

Absolutely horrible photo, but since the theater was dark I had to use the dreaded iPhone flash. The one that basically blinds you and anyone in the surrounding area. I had taken one more, but of course that was blurry and I didn't realize it until we were home.

JT loved his kid snack pack with popcorn, little gummy treat, and a Monsters University drink. The best part about this snack pack is it was only $3 and it was refillable! The drinks ranged from tea, to lemonade, soda, and JT's choice, a blueberry slushie. Fun treat for this first timer.

JT had his seat partner, Daddy, right next to him.

We even managed to get our little patient, Sarah, out for her first major outing post surgery. She was only 5 days post op here and did fantastic. We propped up her leg on the adjoining seat and as you can see, loaded her up on a bunch of junk to eat. That was actually the stash for the entire family and brought home a good portion of it.

JT sat through the entire movie and in classic young child mode, would respond loudly to the characters or action on the screen. It was precious. The movie was good and it will be on our list of "must purchase" when released to DVD. There are several more movies this summer that might make the list for JT's next movies and I'm sure he will enjoy the experience even more now that he knows what to expect.