Father's Day

We celebrated Father's Day this year with a marshmallow roast in our brand new fire pit. The fire pit project has been on the to-do list since we put in the yard two summers ago. This weekend, Scott was able to get the first phase done. The next phase involves digging out a 4 foot edge around the pit, laying flag stone, and then laying sod in between the stones.

Thank you Daddy, for all your hard work and everything you do for us! We love you!

We had a fun night...sang some songs, poked at the fire, and ate way too many marshmallows!

Also, I wanted to give a quick update on Tatum's forehead. Unfortunately, her incision opened up for the second time on Friday night (she tripped and fell into the wall). We returned to Children's ER for 9 more sutures. Hopefully this will be the last time for a long time!! The Surgeon said this was very uncommon and perhaps just a case of serious bad luck. We return to Children's at the end of the week to have the sutures removed and to discuss the impact of these misfortunes with her Surgeon. Tatum is doing great...she's bounced right back after both accidents.

Bummer!!

This weekend Tatum had a small post-op setback. On Sunday, her incision opened up about a 1/2 inch in length. We really have no idea how it happened. She was playing with Owen downstairs when Scott went down to peek in on them and noticed her bloody forehead. That meant a trip to Children's ER for a few more sutures. Tatum definitely did not like this visit (either did I), but seemed to quickly recover once the procedure was over. The smile really returned to her face when they gave her a little stuffed kitten. We go in on Thursday to get the sutures removed and then hopefully she'll be back on the road to recovery.

Dancing Queen

This video was taken following a puppet show at the zoo. At the conclusion of the show they invited all the kids in the audience to come on the stage and dance with the puppets. Here's Tate displaying some of her finest dance moves!

Tatum's new look

Here she is...all taped up and sutures removed. Today, Tatum had her 1 week post-op appointment to remove her sutures. She was very brave and did a fantastic job of lying still for the nurse practitioner. I'm so thankful that she enjoys her visits to the doctor's office. Her main concern this visit was that she get to hold the stitches once they were removed...I'm not going to complain about that!


Keeping her taped for the next six weeks is going to be a pain. However, taping will greatly improve the look of her scar in the long run, so it's well worth the hassle.

Since we were in the area we decided as long as it wasn't raining we'd hit the zoo...and we were so glad we did! Perhaps because we were nearly the only ones there, we had one on one time with the elephant and giraffe trainers and the animals! Tatum even had the opportunity to feed a giraffe. We learned a lot at the zoo today...it was one of our best trips yet!

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.