Ethan's Surgery

Ethan had his tonsils and adenoids out yesterday. I pushed for the doctor to do them because of his breathing problems and eating problems. He had a hard time swallowing and breathing. She also clipped his tongue (frenulum) because he was tongue tied. We arrived at the hospital at 8am and checked in. They took us right back to the pre-op area. While there, we filled out paperwork and Ethan had his vitals taken. Then a Child Life Specialist came and played with Ethan. She gave him a "hospital buddy" that he could color on. When it was time to go, they wheeled him on his bed down to the OR. He didn't even cry like I thought he would. The surgery only took about 30 mintues. We waited in the hall and they wheeled him out of the PACU. He was screaming his head off. So they told me to get on the bed and hold him and they would wheel us up to Peds. He was pretty cranky coming out of anethesia. After about an hour of being on the peds floor, they gave him some Tylenol with codeine and he finally calmed down. The rest of the day was spent watching TV. In the evening, grandma and Liv came to visit and we went down to the playroom. When dad and Liv left, I asked Ethan if he felt better and he said "Yep", then asked if he could go play toys. So we went down to the playroom again. This time we decided to take stuff back to our room to play with. Ethan loved the big pirate ship. We stayed over night and came home this morning. They gave him a pancake to eat this morning and he just licked the butter off. He is doing pretty good as long as I keep him drugged!

Closure

We had my grandma's funeral on Friday the 7th. It turned out to be a wonderful service. We met at the funeral home and greeted people. Before they closed the casket, my grandma requested I read a little thing I wrote called "Memories of Grandma". My mom read a Irish blessing and then my sister talked a little about the memories she had. One thing she said that sums up my Grandma was that she was a grandma to everyone. She treated all of our friends and family like they were her own. Her friend of 60 years, Fran, got up and talked about how much she loved her and how much we will all miss her. At the cemetery, we had a bagpiper play and the Catholic priest bless the casket. I am so lucky to have such a great family and also such a great friend. My friend Christy helped me cope and get through the week. When she showed up at the funeral home, a feeling of peace came over me and I knew I was going to be okay. I sure will miss my Grandma, but know she is in a better place.

My Grandma

I said goodbye to my Grandma today for the last time. She passed away at about 5:45am this morning in her sleep in her own bed. I was so grateful she never had to go to a hospital or nursing home. She suffered from congestive heart failure, but was a trooper until the end. She was such a spunky lively woman who was the glue in our family. She went through losing two husbands as well as her own illnesses and still kept going and going. She enjoyed doing puzzles and socializing with her condo friends. I have so many great memories of my Grandma. I know she is in a better place now and no longer suffering. She was ready to go home. She was a true Irish girl. In her honor, we hung the Irish flag outside her condo today.

May the road rise to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face. And rains fall soft upon your fields. And until we meet again, May God hold you in the hollow of His hand.

Halloween and Such

We had an very typical Halloween. Liv had to dress up for school, so Christy did her hair really cute (Thanks!) and then we put some sparkles on and were off to school. She was the Snow Princess. While she was at school, I got Ethan dressed in his costume (pirate) and let him play around a bit. Then we picked her up from school and went straight to Trent's work to trick or treat around the office. It was fun to see everyone and their families. After that, we went to Jeanna's so we could see the girls in their costumes. Jeanna always has the BEST costumes each year! This year she was Amy Winehouse and it was fantastic!! After Jeanna's we went to my mom's and took pics. Ethan would never hold still enough to get a decent pic so all my pics of him are blurry. Then my mom took them to a few houses to Trick or Treat. By this time we were beat, so we went home. When we got home, the kids wanted to go around the neighborhood. So Trent braved the rain and took them around to a few houses. Then we came home and watched Ghost Hunters. The next day was of course a "Game Day" so the wives had to endure an evening of screaming kids and screaming husbands! We had a great time getting together and eating Mama Chu's though! Go Utes!!!