4th Surgery...Done!

Dr. Hopper...Head Surgeon and the apple of Tatum's eye

We arrived early this morning at Children's Hospital for Tatum's 4th and final surgery. The procedure went well and Tatum woke from the anesthesia feeling very comfortable. This surgery, unlike the first three required the doctors use black sutures in addition to the dissolvable ones beneath the surface of her skin. This is to ensure her incision does not stretch. We go in one week from today to have the sutures (all 25 of them!) removed. Following this appointment we will be taping and applying silicone to her scar for six weeks, again to minimize stretching and create a neat and clean scar.

Once settled at home, I showed Tatum her incision in the mirror and asked her what she thought. She immediately replied, "Great"! However, this evening she said, "I'm all done wearing my stitches". Even though she has relatively no pain, I'm hoping the next week goes by fast.

We are very grateful for the fantastic care we received at Children's. Also, many thanks to our family and friends for their prayers and get well wishes! We are all thrilled to have these surgeries behind us!

2 hours post-op













7 hours post-op...almost back to her typical self

Memorial Day Weekend Fun

Here are a few pictures of the kids from the weekend participating in some serious energy burning activities. I love these sorts of activities because hopefully it means a long nap and/or good night's rest! The pool pics are from Nicolas' (Scott's cousin's son) 6th birthday party. This was Tatum's first time going off a diving board. Of course, our fearless girl went flying off, no qualms about it, and then did it over and over and over again.

Band-aid Obsession

Tatum, for about the last year or so has had a "thing" for band-aids. She'll use any reason, rarely legitimate, to put on a band-aid. I have seen her go as far as to bite on her own fingers to make a "mark", so she would then need a band-aid. The other day she collided head first with the kitchen counter, thus the photo of her with a band-aid on her forehead.

I am thankful for her fondness of band-aids because of the post-op requirements of her fourth and final surgery...scheduled for next Thursday, May 29th. Dr. Hopper (Tatum's surgeon) has told us we will need to keep steri-strips across her scar for 6-8 weeks post surgery. This is to prevent any stretching of her scar and keep it as minimal as possible. Scott and I (Tatum too of course) are really looking forward to having these surgeries behind us, however, at the same time, can not say enough about the world-class care we have received at Children's Hospital. Dr. Hopper is a wonderful person and surgeon...Tatum thinks he is great! We've been talking to her about going to see Dr. Hopper next week and she is actually excited. Here's a link to Dr. Hopper's physician bio if you're interested in learning more about him:
http://www.seattlechildrens.org/our_services/find_physician/detail.aspx?id=608075

I thought it would also be fun to include pictures of her after each of her first 3 surgeries. (Tatum has/had a congenital nevi on her forehead...for those of you unfamiliar with her medical history.)



First Surgery: 1/10/2006

Second Surgery: 8/8/2006

Third Surgery: 8/2/2007

Beatin' the Heat

It was definitely a challenge to keep clothes on the kids this weekend. Tatum and Owen were in and out of the pool and water table (also doubles as an elevated miniature pool) literally all weekend. They had a blast keeping cool!

Dancing to Alvin and the Chipmunks

Here's a short video of the kids dancing. Owen has just recently discovered his groove!

Lipstick Disaster!

When I discovered Tatum this morning I wasn't sure if I wanted to hysterically laugh or cry...I did a little of both! She immediately told me with the sincerest and saddest face that she was sorry and she didn't mean to do it. I knew she realized it was wrong, but clearly, she is still lacking impulse control. At what age do kids learn that??

Thankfully the mess ("finger-prints" is how Tatum referred to it)was contained to the bathroom. I involved Tatum in the clean-up as much as I could, then gave her a bath requiring some serious scrubbing and lots of soap!





Tatum after her bath.

Fun in the "sprinkler"

Yes, it was just over 55 degrees this afternoon, but Tatum was adamant that she run through Daddy's
"sprinkler". I explained to her that it would be very cold, but as long as she didn't complain she could run through the water. She immediately stripped and began running back and forth through the "sprinkler"...with no complaints and a big smile! She only lasted about five minutes, but appeared to thoroughly enjoy her brief adventure.

Warning!! Do not take your eyes off me!

OK, so he may look cute and innocent, but since becoming mobile, this little guy is into everything! Garbage, toilets, refrigerator, dishwasher, stove knobs, tables and counter tops (he's a climber)...if he's got access to it, he's right there. I thought our home was adequately baby-proofed, but Owen has proven us wrong. I've found him on the kitchen table a couple times, and after the knife incident (thank God, no injuries), I will never make that mistake again! Thankfully, there is an area in our home, completely safe, where I can gate the kids in. Owen's curiosity definitely keeps us on our toes!

Mommy's Helper

Whenever cleaning involves either rubber gloves or spray-bottle cleaners, Tatum is eager to help. I always try and involve her when I can, however, I know it means the job is going to take a little longer and probably involve more clean-up then there was to start with. Don't turn your back on a child with a bottle of spray cleaner! I made this mistake once and Tatum had doused an entire wall and bathroom door with cleaner. At this age, her mentality is usually, more is better! I'm going to use these photos in the future as proof that she helped me scrub toilets at 3. If she can do it at 3, then she should definitely be able to help out when she's older...and hopefully not require as much supervision!!