Tonsils

Almost 3 weeks ago on June 14, Payton had her tonsils and adenoids out. When I wrote about scheduling her surgery back in January, it seemed so far away. When the time actually arrived, this mama was a nervous wreck. I know that it is a pretty routine, standard procedure, but the thought of putting my child under anesthesia was a bit frightening.

The day of the surgery we were up bright and early. We had to check in at Mary Greeley in Ames by 6:45. We were taken back to our little room, where Payton got her gown on. We had to wait in the room for awhile and Payton was having a blast. Poor girl had no clue what was about to happen! We had read a book about it, but I don't think she really understood. They gave her some medication to kind of take the edge off before they would have to put her under. Then they took us back into the "holding" room. At that point, the medication was starting to wear off, and she was getting pretty cranky. Finally the anestheiologist came back to talk with us as did the surgeon, Dr. Griffith. They told us they were ready for her. So, we walked out into the hallway and handed off our little girl to the nurses. That was hard. Dr. Griffith told us that he would come out to talk to us right after the procedure--in about 30 to 45 minutes.

So, Chad and I headed to the lobby where we had a strong cup of coffee. After that, we went back to our room and tried to watch a little TV. Dr. Griffith came in after about 45 minutes and said everything went great! He said she was taking a little longer to wake up, but would be back shortly. What a relief! He also said her adenoids were quite large as well as her tonsils.

The nurse brought her back about 15 minutes later and she looked miserable. It was hard to see her like that. They gave her 1/2 bag of fluids and she also ate a little bit of ice cream. Around 1:30 or so, we were discharged and on our way home.

Her recovery went pretty smooth. She did great the first few days after surgery. Then around Day 6 her scabs started falling off and she was in a lot of pain. We just tried to stay on top of the pain with her med. We did get a bit concerned that she wasn't hardly eating, but when I called the dr so ask about it, they said they weren't worried as long as she was drinking and keeping hydrated.  (I am happy to report that her appetite is definitely back to normal again.)  She didn't leave the house at all (except for a quick walk down to Dollar General) until Day 9. We decided she was well enough to get out of the house, so we went decided to go shopping Des Moines. :)

All in all, I would say everything went as well as could be expected. I was so nervous for it because I remember all too well having mine out when I was 11. It was not fun! But, they say the younger they are, the better they get along and they bounce back quicker. I am just thankful that she won't remember this experience! 

All smiles before surgery

Cuddling with her stuffed animals before surgery. 

Posing for a picture with Daddy before surgery

Coloring a picture for Dr. Griffith in the holding room

Snuggling in Mommy's arms after surgery

Snuggling with Daddy after surgery

Trying to eat some ice cream

After we got home from hospital -- day of surgery

Two days after surgery...doing pretty good

Six days after surgery --- watching the Wiggles

Kenny Chesney & Tim McGraw Concert

We went down to Kansas City the second weekend in June to the Kenny Chesney/Tim McGraw concert. It was a blast. Our original seats were clear in the nosebleed section.  After Tim McGraw performed, our friends decided they'd had enough of the nosebleed section and ventured down to the main level where they were offered floor tickets!  They were giving them away because they wanted to fill up the empty seats on the floor. Score!!! We upgraded to floor seats and it was AWESOME! Kenny and Tim both popped up onto the stage right beside us....so cool! Unfortunately, I had my crappy camera, so I didn't get very good pictures.  I love both of these performers and they definitely did not disappoint!

Tailgating before concert --- it was HOT!

Photo taken from our original seats

Photo taken from our upgraded seats on the FLOOR!

Wordless Wednesday

VBS

Our church held Vacation Bible School June 3-7. While Chad and I were teaching, Payton stayed in the nursery. She wasn't quite ready for the preschool room yet. But she did get to participate in the Opening and Closing each night, which she absolutely loved! It was so fun to watch her sing and dance along to the music. We are very blessed to belong to such a wonderful church family. I would definitely say that VBS 2012 was a success!

And here is a little video of her singing and dancing to one of the songs.  So fun!

Fishing

On June 2, we took Payton to Mariposa park for a fishing derby. My friend Sara had told us about it, so we thought we'd give it a shot. It was kind of a bust because it was so muddy. At one point, Payton had gotten stuck in the mud and then fell down into it. Needless to say, she was a mess. I think she will have more fun with it next year.

Then later that evening, we went out to the pond for some more fishing and a fire. 

Memorial Day

Here are some pictures from Memorial Day. We had supper at my parents' and then went out to the pond. Payton had a blast out there. Every time Chad would catch a fish, he would let her touch it and she loved it. Then he would throw it back it the water and she would get so excited. We didn't let her try her hand at fishing on this day, but she got a turn about a week later.

Wordless Wednesday