C's Ear Tubes

C had his ear tubes put in today. He did a great job. We had to wait a long time for him to have surgery. The nurse couldn't find his pre-op paperwork from the clinic. It is hard to entertain a 13 month old with minimal toys. He had two wagons, a garbage bag and a medicine box that he played with. He was quite entertained for a long time. Once he got out of surgery we didn't have to sit around at the surgery center that long. Here are some cute pictures I took before surgery:

Birthdays

On June 11th I celebrated my 30th birthday. I thought turning 30 was going to be great because of all I have accomplished in the last 30 years. Well when I had my retina detachment I realized that I am getting old. Turning 30 sure wasn't as fun as I thought!! Here is a picture of me and my kids on my birthday:

My brother-in-law, Graham, celebrated his 40th birthday this past week. We all celebrated at Westwood on Friday night. It was so much fun and the kids had a blast getting together with their cousin. Nick and I had a great evening! Nick's parents took our kids back to our house and put them to bed. It was so great to be able to hang out with all the adults for a while. Thanks Dean and Mary!

My husband, the comedian, closing an eye to fit in with his wife!

B's First T-Ball Game

B had his first T-Ball game last night. It was late but it was so much fun. He had a great time and did such a great job. Here are some pictures. I can't believe how big he is getting!

C's Ear Update...

What a great summer we are having so far. C had an appointment the ENT today for his ears. He has had an ear infection since April that hasn't cleared. At his appointment today he still has a double ear infection. Poor baby! The Dr. would like to put tubes in. Surgery is scheduled for July 8th. Maybe when we get past the summer things will look up for our household!! We are just hopeful that the tubes will be C's saving grace. They worked well for B so we are sure the outcome will be the same for C.

This too shall pass!!

Eye Update...

My sister, Patsy, took me to my doctors appointment yesterday. We left at 1:00pm and didn't get back home until 8:00pm. It was such a cluster. We drove up to the St. Paul office. We got there early so decided to stop for a Caribou coffee. When we got over to the clinic it was dark and closed. I was annoyed and called the Minneapolis clinic. They told me that my appointment was over there. I said told them that it would've been nice to know that before we left for the appointment. They apologized and said that we could come over and still get scene. The nurse said that the doctor was behind so it was fine. I remembered from last Monday that it takes forever. They move at a snails pace so I prepared Patsy for a long appointment. We enjoyed talking and catching up while we waited for the doctor. It sure made the time go by a lot faster! The doctor said that everything is going well so far. He is most concerned with the retina detaching again since I didn't catch it right away. He said that the body develops scar tissue around the buckle that is now holding my retina in place. The scar tissue can pull at the retina causing it to detach again. The doctor will be watching me closely for this but there is nothing we can do to prevent it from happening. I will be fit for new glasses and contacts in 1 to 2 months. I go back in 3 weeks and will have laser surgery to correct the retina in my left eye if I can see out of my right eye. We are thinking positively and hope that I continue to do well! My next appointment is June 26th in Minneapolis.

B's New Belt!!

B had his test for his new belt for TaeKwonDo on Thursday. I was so glad that I was able to put my head up and watch him. Nick, my dad, Auntie Alli and I all went. B did such a great job!! He got a metal for being the loudest Keub in the class. He had to test alongside a lot of older kids. I thought he would be intimidated but he wasn't at all. He did what the Master asked him to do. Here are some pictures:

Life changes quickly!!

It has been a very long week. We had a great weekend last weekend. It was beautiful out and we got a lot done. Saturday night we went over to our friends house for a BBQ. The kids had a blast and so did Nick and I. Sunday was gorgeous. We went to the pool and spent the day poolside. It was a little windy but it was hot out so it was perfect. Things started to go bad Sunday afternoon. I noticed Sunday morning that I was having trouble seeing out of my right eye. I thought I just needed new contacts so I tried that in the morning. It didn't really help but I associated it with being out in the bright sun all morning. At the pool I started to really pay attention to it and noticed that I had a blind spot in the lower left corner of my right eye. I decided I would go to the eye doctor first thing Monday morning and get it checked out. It really started to scare me and bother me. When I shut my left eye I couldn't see much out of my right eye at all. I ended up going to the emergency room. The kids were sleeping so Nick stayed with them. Alli met me at the ER so I would have someone to talk to. I really just thought it would be a retina tear and they would be able to fix it. I knew it was serious when I got to the ER and the Ophthalmologist was there to see me within a half hour of me arriving. I thought I would have to wait in the ER for hours. This is where everything became very scary very fast. The Dr. looked at my eye and said it was a retina detachment. He said I would have to go to the cities to have it fixed and that I would need surgery. He started to explain the procedure and all I heard was that they would deflate my eye. At that point I stopped listening and started to panic. Wow...I am 29 years old and this isn't suppose to happen to me. That is all I kept thinking. I was so glad Alli was there with me. We found out that I would have to wait until the morning to see the specialist in the cities. Nick, Mary (Nick's mom), and I made the journey to the cities at 5am on Monday morning. It was a very long stressful day for everyone. We found out that I would have surgery Monday afternoon and that we had to head to the hospital right away. They did not want me to do anything besides sit at the hospital and wait. We arrived at the hospital at 11am and waited until 2:45pm when I finally got called back for surgery. My dad was on his way up and I only missed him by a few minutes. I was scared out of my mind. All I knew was they were cutting into my eye and that freaked me out. The doctors and nurses were great but it still didn't make me feel any better. I was awake for the procedure which was weird and gross all at the same time. I could see the doctor moving instruments around in my eye. YUCK!! I said something and complained about it a lot. Next thing I knew I was waking up and they were wheeling me to my room. As soon as I got to my room the pulled me out of bed and made me sit with my head down the rest of the night. It was awful. Nothing like getting out of surgery and being able to lay around. No way...I was to keep my head face down for 3 full days starting right away. I did have a face down chair that I was able to sit in for most of the evening. That helped some but I still wasn't that comfortable. I am able to lay on my left side but I have to keep my face down so I stare at the bed or floor all day long. Nick and I came home Tuesday afternoon and I was able to rest some. My sisters, parents and in-laws have been wonderful and so helpful. Tuesday night/Wednesday morning I woke up with a terrible headache over my right eye. I was so sick and miserable. I had to go back to the specialist who thankfully came to Mankato that day. The specialists only come once a month and Wednesday just happened to be their day in town. I was so fortunate. I ended up having to take some more medicine. The pressure in my eye was really high and causing the headache and nausea. I am now on 3 different eye drops and pain pills to help with all the pain. Today, Friday, I am able to start looking up again. It is nice to be able to look at my kids and see who I am talking to. I still have to keep my head down 4 times a day for an hour each time for the next 4 days. I am hopeful that each day will get better! I still can't see much out of my eye. I can see light but that is all. The doctor said it would take at least 2 weeks before I could start to see out of my eye. I am not able to wear contacts for 3-4 months. My left eye needs to have laser surgery to correct the retina holes it has. We are hopeful the doctor will wait to do that eye until I can see out of my right eye. I was told that in 2-5 years I may have to have cataract surgery on my right eye as well. We have a feeling this is going to be a lifelong change for me. I am trying to stay positive but it is difficult at times. Please keep saying some prayers that this is all I will have to endure.