3 months Craniosynostosis Post Op (2nd surgery)

Mommy and MeWell it has been 3 months since lil Sweet Cheeks had his last and hopefully final surgery on Nov. 30, 2011. Thank God all has been well. We just took the 3 hour journey to St. Louis to the children's hospital for his 3 month post op check-up. We love this hospital and our doctor so that makes the trips much more bearable! Sweet Cheeks is a great little travel companion too. He is often times sleeping or singing :) Once we got in to see the doctor he said everything is healing well. Praise God! His plates and screw are dissolving like they are supposed to, but he also said that Sweet Cheeks has a "stubborn brain" lol. I must admit that this runs in our family. His head has always had the tendency to grow out the front and back more than the sides which made his head look very oblong. I used to refer to it as aerodynamic. Although he has had two surgeries to open up the sides (by creating spaces in the bone and allowing it to regrow to fill them in)  his brain still wants to grow the same directions. Soooo, I am really really hoping and praying that since he isn't growing as quickly now that it won't affect him as much and we will not have to go through a third surgery. He is still as cute as a little bug and makes me smile many times every day!! I have included some updated pictures of his progress. :) Until next time - count your blessings and remember we are only here on this Earth for a sliver of time and soon we will all fly away from all of our troubles an burdens to become heavenly creatures!!


The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.Psalm 90:10

always smilin' :) My temples are still indented though :(

lookin good from the back

I don't think most people would even notice...I hope not anyway

not aerodynamic like it used to be...can't even see scar from the top

you can see the back is starting to grow out again and my flat little forehead that is also starting to grow out again. You can also see the weird way my hair grows now, but not bad and I think it will get better as he grows.

 

left side can't really see scar

Meeting the Amish

Wow have our prayers for the rain to end and summer to begin been answered!! It is in the nineties and I have been sweating my butt off! We went on a bus tour with my grandmother's company- Gray Tours- yesterday to the Amish lands in Indiana. Of course the air went out and we had to sweat it out for nearly three hours... that part was NOT fun, but we really enjoyed the rest of the trip. I took Darling, Tenderheart, and Wild Thing and left Sweet Cheeks and Hoss with Mr Railroad. He took them to visit his mother in the hospital (she has pneumonia and a bladder infection) and I believe they thoroughly wore him out! Wild Thing was busy as usual and made his way up and down the bus aisles many, many times. Darling and Tenderheart had a few friends on the bus so they played and read books and mostly stayed out of my hair so I could visit and tend to Wild Thing. We watched how they make a harnesses, saw many out in this heat farming, got to tour a house that they actually live in, and of course we made time to eat and shop. I bought some of their really yummy homemade bread and some apple butter to enjoy at home. Wild Thing fell in love with a homemade leather tool belt at the harness shop and so we bought it for him and he even wore it to church today with his Sunday clothes! A great trip with great people!

Darling and Tenderheart ready to go

Wild Thing with our cousin

the girls and their toys

Wild Thing's new toolbelt

My Gma talkin to everyone

Yummy Homecooked food

how a Wild Thing sleeps :)

Tenderheart's hat and an Amish doll

Wild Thing fell asleep FINALLY

Lazy Sunday

I had a really nice Sunday!! We went to Sunday School and church services and then came home and cooked to go to my aunt's house down the road for a BIG meal.  All of our company (which are also family) and all my family that lives on the loop (we live on a road around a pond we call the loop) which is my grandmother, brother and his family, my cousin and her family, and my aunt- joined us for potluck. We had a great meal packed with many many calories! I also got a chance to join my aunt and quilt and then we had an enjoyable time just sitting and visiting with them all. Sundays always seem to be relaxed and everyone can enjoy doing the simple things in life. For us the best part is hanging out with the family doing unstructured things... we hardly ever get time to do this otherwise. I am really blessed to have such a great family and to be able to see them as often as I do!!

But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."  Joshua 24:15

Memory Lane

We have FINALLY decided to pull up the nasty carpeting in our kitchen and bathroom and put in carpet tiles that can be replaced as they get stained and that way we can still keep carpet (I for one think carpeting in a kitchen or a bathroom is CRAZY especially with five kids in the house, but it is my mom's house so...). The bathroom will at least have real tile next to the tub and toilet. The floor underneath brought back lots of memories. This is the floor that was put in when the house was built about 35 years ago by my grandpa and parents. I remember playing on it (and mopping it on my hands and knees) as a child. The paneling speaks for itself!! I cannot believe this was the style back then and that my parents have kept it this long!! I have to admit I will miss it though. I have become accustomed to the ugly green and yellow coloring and the house will not be the same without it. Just another step to my old house being modernized. It is exciting and sad all at the same time. Hopefully more changes to come soon to this old house.

removing carpet from kitchen

my dad in on the action

Wild Thing loved working with tools

this is our old floor and paneling... cute right! lol

Tenderheart removing staples for us

the bathroom getting the same treatment

And you shall rejoice in all the good that the Lord your God has given to you and to your house, you, and the Levite, and the sojourner who is among you.  Deuteronomy 26:11

Introductions

Hello, I am a stay at home mother of five. We home school and study God's word daily. Most days are quite a struggle, but with God's good grace we manage to get through them :) Today was just a typical day... trying to get home school work accomplished, clean, sew for upcoming promotion for my shop, and most importantly trying to find much needed and hard to come by time to spend with each child. While I am on the subject I will introduce my husband and five precious children:

My husband Mr. Railroad and I have been together since high school. Although we have had our ups and downs I wouldn't want to be with anyone else. We took the vows for better or worse and have seen the worse so I am looking forward to the betters lol :) He can always make me laugh and is great with the kids. They love him dearly more than he will ever know.

First runner up, we have out only girl "Darling". She is 9 and is bossy as all girls should be :)and is the biggest help around the house and takes great care of all her brothers. Her problem is her mouth.. it tends to run away with her either being sassy or just plain talkative...and she could talk for hours to anyone! I don't know what I would do without her. She is my best friend.

Second in line we have "Tenderheart", he is a great kid and is especially caring and loving..always the first to give me a hug and never misses a day. He is also THE BIGGEST PROCRASTINATOR and tends to spend hours doing what should take minutes especially when it comes to homework. He is always smiling and is super easy to please.




Third comes "Wild Thing"... oh where to start... he is five and can bounce off the walls all day long!! His mind is constantly wondering as is his body. Anything can be a distraction. He gets away with WAY too much because he has the cutest smile and uses it whenever he's done something naughty. He has a heart that is too easily broken and is my smallest of the bunch (my three year old is about to pass him up. This picture says it all!



Fourth comes "Gentle Giant", a 3 year old, and he is quite large but the biggest part of him is his heart. He is extremely mannerly and is always sure to tell me, "thank you, mommy" for such things as wiping the unmentionables off his bottom :) or "Please give me food" lol (Although we are trying desperately to get him potty trained no luck yet.) He is very stubborn and will try to get his way even if he has to cut off his nose to smite his face.


Finally, we have "Sweet Cheeks" he is recovering from craniosynostosis surgery. His head was misshapen since birth and he had his surgery on Valentine's Day 2011 to remove his skull and replace it molded into a better shape. Love, love, love all the doctors at Cardinal Glennon!! He is now six mos. old and doing great! He has the fattest little cheeks that we all make sure to kiss really, really often! Can't wait to see what kind of lil man he'll grow up to become.

It was nice to get acquainted with you. Stop by often :) This is all I have for now off to do more schoolwork and hopefully get out with the kids to enjoy this beautiful spring day!!