Can't believe it's already Dec 1. Everett is doing well... would one expect any less from a rock star?!
NOV 30:
In the morning, he was still hooked up to monitors & wires/tubes so he was confined to the room. The "toy lady" came to take a toy order from him. He ended up getting a big firetruck, a big ambulance, a box of Legos and a couple of superhero action figure. He was having a great time.
Since he didn't really need his PCA (patient controlled analgesia)- we only pushed the button twice since midnight & that was after a procedure, just in case. The nurse got orders in to unhook it. They plan to give him IV Tylenol which means he's free to wander around, with one of us controlling his IV pole. Pretty good at one day post-op.
His first request,after be unhooked, was to go to the activity center. He had a wonderful playing pool, pretending in the kitchen and playing the piano. We went there about an hour before closing...he wanted to hug every nurse & doctor he saw on the way.
His incision looks great. Dr. Pena came to visit & check up on him. He shook Everett's hand ... then Everett said "Dr. Pena, you talk crazy"... then he & Dr. Pena had a brief conversation about who talked crazier Dr. Pena or Everett. The talk ended with KP giving Dr. Pena a hug and a wave good-bye.
He is still asking to eat. Margot had been saying they'll feed him through his tube because they wanted to keep his "bobo" asleep. Later in the evening they started "feeding" him through his PICC line. He told Margot what kind of food he thought was going into his tummy.
DEC 1:
This morning I woke up to find KP sleeping with his head at the foot of the bed... luckily no leads were pulled out. He woke up pretty happy and then told me to go back to bed ... then fell asleep again. He woke up later saying he was going to hit the nurse call button because one of the alarms was going off a bit too long (in his opinion). He also learned to operate the bed controls this morning...one of the nurses used the buttons on the inside of the bed to raise his head... foolish nurse.
After breakfast I found Margot & KP in the activity room. He was playing pool and working on the computer. He loved playing in the kitchen...making toast and pizza. Playing with pretend food doesn't seem to bother him or make him think of eating. When we were about to leave he discovered the paint easle... next time he wants to paint..that should be interesting.
Aunty Jessic, Uncle Colin & Aidan sent him a cool gift.. three balloons (Cars, Square-pants Sponge Bob & Get Well) and a magnetic Cars puzzle pack & coloring book. Such a good idea since the puzzle pieces stick to the box & don't get lost. He is having a lot of fun with it now.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Nov 29 surgery day
Yesterday, Nov 29, was a busy day. They came to get KP around 8am to take him up to the OR. He was wrapped in his dragon blanket with a warm blanket on top - like an Everett burrito.
He got out of the OR a little after 11am. Dr. Pena said the surgery took longer than expected because of all the scar tissue - that's our boy, a scar tissue producing machine. And there was a surprise -- they found a sphincter muscle very near his scrotum. When KP had his first pull-through, Dr. Renard didn't find a sphincter muscle so he attached to the little dimpled area where a sphincter might have been ... but Dr. Pena found one. HAe & his team have done thousands of pull-throughs...experience counts for something. The pull-through was rerouted so it now attaches to the sphincter. This gives it a good attachment point AND we don't have to deal with old scar tissue.
Dr. Pena said "nothing to eat or drink...not even water" for 7-10 days. Wow... now that's going to be a problem. They'll start administering nutrition through his PICC line sometime tomorrow. He also said absolutly no straddling anything - fences, bicycles, motorcycles, horses, cows, camels...nothing for one month... so effectively till Jan 1. KP has a long incision right down between his butt cheeks..OW. Dr. Pena said after the first couple of days KP shouldn't feel any pain and will probably want to start jumping around...we have to prevent him from doing so.. another wow.
KP was a bit long in Recovery. They had to set him up with a pain meds pump before we could go back - one pushes a button for doses of pain meds (timed so you can't overdose). They said to use it when he seems uncomfortable but not while he's sleeping.
When we went to recovery there was no one on the gurney. We looked around an KP was in the arms of a big male nurse. He said KP woke up and told the nurse he wanted him to pick him up...so that's what he did. They are VERY accommodating at this hospital - whenever possible they'll do what the kids prefer. KP was one bundle of dragon blankie, tangled wires & tubes. When he saw Margot, KP wanted her to hold him... then he kept yelling "stand up Mommy" even when she was standing. She explained to him that she wasn't as tall as the nurse and that she WAS standing...so KP said it was OK to put him on the table.
Usually they keep him pretty medicated on day one post-op and today was no exception. KP's body was just not cooperating. He was still wonky and delirious, at times but he wasn't having this resting stuff. He was on the move... he wanted to sit up, play his games, watch his shows... he refused to urinate in his diaper or in the urinal tube..he had to get up & sit on the porta potty. Whenever he got done with the potty, Margot hit the pain med button & KP would drift off for a short bit - but not a deep sleep. The anesthesia RN came by to check in the evening and said she'll prescribe a muscle relaxant. He might be having muscle spasms that are keeping him awake but can't tell us this (he has been saying he feels like he has to poop...so maybe he is having spasms). The meds should calm that down ... we'll see.
And about keeping him occupied so he doesn't think about eating... it's NOT working. He's been asking for popsicles and breakfast since he got back to his room (so far Margot has been able to get him off the subject for a bit). Since he isn't getting any nutrition, only hydration, through his PICC, his tummy is hungry. Margot told him that tomorrow he can have something to "eat" through his tube that will make his tummy happy. KP said he wants something through his mouth. We tell him "Dr. Pena's orders"... I think Dr. Pena will get an earful tomorrow :)
On another note - we're in Ronald McDonald House...yay! It's a big house around the corner from the hospital. They have shuttles in the evening every half-hour (not the nicest of neighborhoods). There are around 12 paid staffers (someone available 24/7) & everything else is done by volunteers...WOW. We have a one bed room right now but hope to get a larger room closer to KP's release date. The staff and volunteers are really friendly & helpful. There are kitchens to prepare meals but volunteers provide dinner... this time of year volunteer groups seem to be providing 3 meals a day (you get a schedule every Sunday). They ask for $25/night donation - emphasize that this is only a donation & if you cannot manage it...no problem. The kitchen always has bread, milk & eggs - all donated. They also have a pantry of donated goods - canned goods, condiments, staples like flour, sugar, chocolate... Natalie, the evening manager, said to treat it like your home...just clean up after yourself. There's a sign, in the kitchen, saying not to hand wash anything due to sanitary concerns. I asked what to do with one dirty coffee cup. They said just to put it into any available dishwasher...when it fills up, the person who puts the last dirty dish in should start the dishwasher...just like at home.
When KP is released, he'll like this place... lots of stuff to do... lots of activities...craft rooms, dvds, outings, etc. This is great place...much better than a hotel.
He got out of the OR a little after 11am. Dr. Pena said the surgery took longer than expected because of all the scar tissue - that's our boy, a scar tissue producing machine. And there was a surprise -- they found a sphincter muscle very near his scrotum. When KP had his first pull-through, Dr. Renard didn't find a sphincter muscle so he attached to the little dimpled area where a sphincter might have been ... but Dr. Pena found one. HAe & his team have done thousands of pull-throughs...experience counts for something. The pull-through was rerouted so it now attaches to the sphincter. This gives it a good attachment point AND we don't have to deal with old scar tissue.
Dr. Pena said "nothing to eat or drink...not even water" for 7-10 days. Wow... now that's going to be a problem. They'll start administering nutrition through his PICC line sometime tomorrow. He also said absolutly no straddling anything - fences, bicycles, motorcycles, horses, cows, camels...nothing for one month... so effectively till Jan 1. KP has a long incision right down between his butt cheeks..OW. Dr. Pena said after the first couple of days KP shouldn't feel any pain and will probably want to start jumping around...we have to prevent him from doing so.. another wow.
KP was a bit long in Recovery. They had to set him up with a pain meds pump before we could go back - one pushes a button for doses of pain meds (timed so you can't overdose). They said to use it when he seems uncomfortable but not while he's sleeping.
When we went to recovery there was no one on the gurney. We looked around an KP was in the arms of a big male nurse. He said KP woke up and told the nurse he wanted him to pick him up...so that's what he did. They are VERY accommodating at this hospital - whenever possible they'll do what the kids prefer. KP was one bundle of dragon blankie, tangled wires & tubes. When he saw Margot, KP wanted her to hold him... then he kept yelling "stand up Mommy" even when she was standing. She explained to him that she wasn't as tall as the nurse and that she WAS standing...so KP said it was OK to put him on the table.
Usually they keep him pretty medicated on day one post-op and today was no exception. KP's body was just not cooperating. He was still wonky and delirious, at times but he wasn't having this resting stuff. He was on the move... he wanted to sit up, play his games, watch his shows... he refused to urinate in his diaper or in the urinal tube..he had to get up & sit on the porta potty. Whenever he got done with the potty, Margot hit the pain med button & KP would drift off for a short bit - but not a deep sleep. The anesthesia RN came by to check in the evening and said she'll prescribe a muscle relaxant. He might be having muscle spasms that are keeping him awake but can't tell us this (he has been saying he feels like he has to poop...so maybe he is having spasms). The meds should calm that down ... we'll see.
And about keeping him occupied so he doesn't think about eating... it's NOT working. He's been asking for popsicles and breakfast since he got back to his room (so far Margot has been able to get him off the subject for a bit). Since he isn't getting any nutrition, only hydration, through his PICC, his tummy is hungry. Margot told him that tomorrow he can have something to "eat" through his tube that will make his tummy happy. KP said he wants something through his mouth. We tell him "Dr. Pena's orders"... I think Dr. Pena will get an earful tomorrow :)
On another note - we're in Ronald McDonald House...yay! It's a big house around the corner from the hospital. They have shuttles in the evening every half-hour (not the nicest of neighborhoods). There are around 12 paid staffers (someone available 24/7) & everything else is done by volunteers...WOW. We have a one bed room right now but hope to get a larger room closer to KP's release date. The staff and volunteers are really friendly & helpful. There are kitchens to prepare meals but volunteers provide dinner... this time of year volunteer groups seem to be providing 3 meals a day (you get a schedule every Sunday). They ask for $25/night donation - emphasize that this is only a donation & if you cannot manage it...no problem. The kitchen always has bread, milk & eggs - all donated. They also have a pantry of donated goods - canned goods, condiments, staples like flour, sugar, chocolate... Natalie, the evening manager, said to treat it like your home...just clean up after yourself. There's a sign, in the kitchen, saying not to hand wash anything due to sanitary concerns. I asked what to do with one dirty coffee cup. They said just to put it into any available dishwasher...when it fills up, the person who puts the last dirty dish in should start the dishwasher...just like at home.
When KP is released, he'll like this place... lots of stuff to do... lots of activities...craft rooms, dvds, outings, etc. This is great place...much better than a hotel.
Monday, November 28, 2011
In Cincinnati
Arrived in Cincinnati on Sunday (1 day early)... KP was a super traveler. He just turned into crazy kid when we got out of the car. Visited Dinosaur World...nice for him because he could run around and burn off some of that sugar (from his car treats). He also go to "dig" for fossils.. got two fossilized scallops and some other thing to take home.
Spent most of Sunday in the hotel room. Amazing what a four year old can do with a footrest with wheels ... who needs toys. Also liked playing his games for a while but ended up playing pretend for most of the day.
Today we got to Children's Hospital around 6:45am. We got taken back to pre-op right away...very efficient. The anesthesiology nurse practitioner was the first to arrive and start getting KP's history, then the administrative nurse, then the PICC line nurse... most of them looked like they should still be in high school :) I'm sure we'll see a lot more nurses and doctors before our trip is over.
KP getting a PICC line installed today which will work a lot better than trying to get an IV line in (since we'll be here 3 weeks). Margot & I got to go into OR & wait till they put him under ... what a rock star. KP told the crew that he wanted to move himself from the guerney to the table... then he laid down, closed his eyes & told them to put the stinky mask on (anesthesia is suppose to smell like strawberries but KP says it just stinks.).
We're waiting till he's in recovery .. estimate 73 minute - a computer estimates the time :) Will post again later today.
1045am - KP in recovery...we'll be able to see him as soon as the nurses are ready.
It took 2 tries but the PICC line is in just where they want it.
KP doing fine...a bit groggy... says he feels wobbly. Upset that he's not going back to the hotel but the nurse took his mind off of that by offering him a slushy :) These slushies count as clear liquid...yay... just a popsicle softened in micro with a bit of Sprite added.
Settling into our room for the next couple of weeks. We rought enough stuff to, hopefully, keep him busy and his mind off of food post-op. Today he starts his diet of clear liquids. They have him hooked up to a IV drip. They'll start giving him "go-lightly" to start cleaning out his bowels. They will need to insert a tube into his stomach (through his nose) since he wouldn't be able to the drink the amount they need to clean him out. Too bad they didn't think to insert the tube when he was in OR.
Good news - they can administer the "go-lightly" through his Malone. They'll give him a bagful, then give him a rest, then give him another bagful, etc. until he's cleaned out. He's content looking a shows on his ipod while sitting on the potty.
KP is now in bed eating popsicles and playing xbox games. Dr. Pena came in to introduce himself. The surgery is scheduled for 7:45am tomorrow, Nov 29. It should take 2 hours. Dr. Pena shook KP's hand and introduced himself to KP. KP was a bit preoccupied with playing his xbox game but did give him a thumbs up when Dr. Pena said "I'm your doctor and you are my patient. See you tomorrow."
KP will participate in a one time study. They're testing out a new way to monitor recovery. In addition to the traditional monitor "stickies" they place on his body he'll have one on his neck. They're testing to see how accurate the readings are compared to the traditional methods of monitoring. The nurse in charge of the study assured us that if KP feels any discomfort or has a problem with the "test strip" they will remove it.
Dr. Pena ordered continuous "go-lightly" so now KP is set up on a porta potty. He's OK since he can play his xbox games rather than merely watch his shows. He also ate all the orange popsicles so now they only have grape. He did ask if he could have regular food but Margot explained that he couldn't. He was OK as long as he could have a steady supply of popsicles and slushies. Don't know if they'll try broth later.
Midnight - they finished with the "go-lightly" but still had to irrigate his bowels... the nurse squirts 500 ml saline, a little at a time, up into his bowels then suck out the poop...blah. The nurse is getting medical attention outside the room...guess all this was too much for her. But KP is now finally tucked in and asleep. Margot will try to sleep now but since they take vitals every 4 hours I'm not sure how that'll go. (I'm in the nice, quiet hotel room getting text updates from her).
Tomorrow is the big day...will update after surgery..
Spent most of Sunday in the hotel room. Amazing what a four year old can do with a footrest with wheels ... who needs toys. Also liked playing his games for a while but ended up playing pretend for most of the day.
Today we got to Children's Hospital around 6:45am. We got taken back to pre-op right away...very efficient. The anesthesiology nurse practitioner was the first to arrive and start getting KP's history, then the administrative nurse, then the PICC line nurse... most of them looked like they should still be in high school :) I'm sure we'll see a lot more nurses and doctors before our trip is over.
KP getting a PICC line installed today which will work a lot better than trying to get an IV line in (since we'll be here 3 weeks). Margot & I got to go into OR & wait till they put him under ... what a rock star. KP told the crew that he wanted to move himself from the guerney to the table... then he laid down, closed his eyes & told them to put the stinky mask on (anesthesia is suppose to smell like strawberries but KP says it just stinks.).
We're waiting till he's in recovery .. estimate 73 minute - a computer estimates the time :) Will post again later today.
1045am - KP in recovery...we'll be able to see him as soon as the nurses are ready.
It took 2 tries but the PICC line is in just where they want it.
KP doing fine...a bit groggy... says he feels wobbly. Upset that he's not going back to the hotel but the nurse took his mind off of that by offering him a slushy :) These slushies count as clear liquid...yay... just a popsicle softened in micro with a bit of Sprite added.
Settling into our room for the next couple of weeks. We rought enough stuff to, hopefully, keep him busy and his mind off of food post-op. Today he starts his diet of clear liquids. They have him hooked up to a IV drip. They'll start giving him "go-lightly" to start cleaning out his bowels. They will need to insert a tube into his stomach (through his nose) since he wouldn't be able to the drink the amount they need to clean him out. Too bad they didn't think to insert the tube when he was in OR.
Good news - they can administer the "go-lightly" through his Malone. They'll give him a bagful, then give him a rest, then give him another bagful, etc. until he's cleaned out. He's content looking a shows on his ipod while sitting on the potty.
KP is now in bed eating popsicles and playing xbox games. Dr. Pena came in to introduce himself. The surgery is scheduled for 7:45am tomorrow, Nov 29. It should take 2 hours. Dr. Pena shook KP's hand and introduced himself to KP. KP was a bit preoccupied with playing his xbox game but did give him a thumbs up when Dr. Pena said "I'm your doctor and you are my patient. See you tomorrow."
KP will participate in a one time study. They're testing out a new way to monitor recovery. In addition to the traditional monitor "stickies" they place on his body he'll have one on his neck. They're testing to see how accurate the readings are compared to the traditional methods of monitoring. The nurse in charge of the study assured us that if KP feels any discomfort or has a problem with the "test strip" they will remove it.
Dr. Pena ordered continuous "go-lightly" so now KP is set up on a porta potty. He's OK since he can play his xbox games rather than merely watch his shows. He also ate all the orange popsicles so now they only have grape. He did ask if he could have regular food but Margot explained that he couldn't. He was OK as long as he could have a steady supply of popsicles and slushies. Don't know if they'll try broth later.
Midnight - they finished with the "go-lightly" but still had to irrigate his bowels... the nurse squirts 500 ml saline, a little at a time, up into his bowels then suck out the poop...blah. The nurse is getting medical attention outside the room...guess all this was too much for her. But KP is now finally tucked in and asleep. Margot will try to sleep now but since they take vitals every 4 hours I'm not sure how that'll go. (I'm in the nice, quiet hotel room getting text updates from her).
Tomorrow is the big day...will update after surgery..
Thursday, May 19, 2011
We are idiots
We have always wondered a little bit about what a Fatty Filum is. If you recall, years ago, we went in for a tethered cord release on KP. After surgery, the neurosurgeon came back and said “the good news is that his cord was not tethered. He just had a fatty filum, so we got in there and cleaned that all up.” And that was all that was said about that. We figured that it may have ended up being an unnecessary surgery, but at least we were proactive.
I have searched for the term a couple of times since then, and never really got a lot of answers, so I just dismissed it. The problem was fixed, no need to really worry about it. Someone mentioned a tethered spinal cord on one of the boards I’m on, and it prompted that little feeling in the back of my head asking what IS a fatty filum?
After searching for it again, I finally got a clear definition including implications and wow. It just blew me away. You really should hear the tone of voice we use when we respond to doctors about that particular surgery “no, we thought he had a tethered cord but it turned out he just had a (?)fatty filum (?)”. That is just about the only part of KP’s medical condition that we have ever been unsure of or not understood completely, and we always just blow it off. I have always treated it like the neurosurgeon dealt with the fatty filum because he happened to be in there anyway, so he might as well do something. Doctors must think we’re idiots, because here is what I found today:
“The filum terminale is like a thin elastic band, about 8 inches long. At the top, it is formed from one of the layers of tissue surrounding your spinal cord, and extends from the bottom of your spinal cord to the tip of your tail bone. The outside of the "elastic band" has a few nerve fibres sticking to it.
The filum terminale works as an anchor for the spinal cord. For people with normal anatomy, the filum stretches when they bend over to allow the spinal cord to move up in the spinal column and then goes back to normal length when the person straightens up and gently pulls the spinal cord back to its normal position.
When the filum is fat-filled, fibrous and tight, it will not allow the spinal cord to move up and down within the spinal column, and so the spinal cord and the nerves end up being stretched instead of the filum. In most people this causes nerve damage".
Everybody has a filum terminale; it is a threadlike piece of tissue that connects the end of the spinal cord to the sacral end of the spinal canal in the pelvic area. In patients with a thickened filum (defined as more than 2 mm in diameter) [Yundt, 1997], the filum is shorter or lower-lying than normal and is thickened with fatty or fibrous tissue. This abnormality causes the filum to become relatively inelastic (a bit like a rope or cord, rather than an elastic band) and the spinal cord becomes tethered at an abnormally low level, thereby giving rise to the recognised signs and symptoms of a tethered spinal cord”
Yep. We are i-d-i-o-t-s. We are incredibly lucky and blessed idiots, but we’re still idiots. This doesn’t change KP’s outcome. This part of him got fixed and no complications are expected. It has just hit me that we didn’t just dodge a bullet, we dodged a big ole missile that we didn’t even know had been fired.
I have searched for the term a couple of times since then, and never really got a lot of answers, so I just dismissed it. The problem was fixed, no need to really worry about it. Someone mentioned a tethered spinal cord on one of the boards I’m on, and it prompted that little feeling in the back of my head asking what IS a fatty filum?
After searching for it again, I finally got a clear definition including implications and wow. It just blew me away. You really should hear the tone of voice we use when we respond to doctors about that particular surgery “no, we thought he had a tethered cord but it turned out he just had a (?)fatty filum (?)”. That is just about the only part of KP’s medical condition that we have ever been unsure of or not understood completely, and we always just blow it off. I have always treated it like the neurosurgeon dealt with the fatty filum because he happened to be in there anyway, so he might as well do something. Doctors must think we’re idiots, because here is what I found today:
“The filum terminale is like a thin elastic band, about 8 inches long. At the top, it is formed from one of the layers of tissue surrounding your spinal cord, and extends from the bottom of your spinal cord to the tip of your tail bone. The outside of the "elastic band" has a few nerve fibres sticking to it.
The filum terminale works as an anchor for the spinal cord. For people with normal anatomy, the filum stretches when they bend over to allow the spinal cord to move up in the spinal column and then goes back to normal length when the person straightens up and gently pulls the spinal cord back to its normal position.
When the filum is fat-filled, fibrous and tight, it will not allow the spinal cord to move up and down within the spinal column, and so the spinal cord and the nerves end up being stretched instead of the filum. In most people this causes nerve damage".
Everybody has a filum terminale; it is a threadlike piece of tissue that connects the end of the spinal cord to the sacral end of the spinal canal in the pelvic area. In patients with a thickened filum (defined as more than 2 mm in diameter) [Yundt, 1997], the filum is shorter or lower-lying than normal and is thickened with fatty or fibrous tissue. This abnormality causes the filum to become relatively inelastic (a bit like a rope or cord, rather than an elastic band) and the spinal cord becomes tethered at an abnormally low level, thereby giving rise to the recognised signs and symptoms of a tethered spinal cord”
Yep. We are i-d-i-o-t-s. We are incredibly lucky and blessed idiots, but we’re still idiots. This doesn’t change KP’s outcome. This part of him got fixed and no complications are expected. It has just hit me that we didn’t just dodge a bullet, we dodged a big ole missile that we didn’t even know had been fired.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Giants of the Savannah
The Dallas Zoo had a members preview of Giants of the Savannah this weekend. So, of course we had to go again (to the zoo for the second time in as many weekends).
The zoo opened at 9am, but the exhibit didn't open until 10, so there was quite a bit of waiting to be done. We got to meet some really nice people while we were in line, though. And Daddy and KP ran around and explored other parts of the zoo while I stood in line.
The elephant exhibit is pretty cool. Oh, did I mention that I still haven't charged my camera battery yet? So these are all cell phone pictures. I know. I'm married to a photographer, and yet we always seem to be without a camera.
The giraffes are probably the coolest part of the whole exhibit. You can buy food for them for $5, but we skipped that and just got really close anyway. Remember, this is a cell phone picture, which means no zoom. They were seriously this close.
This is from the other side of the enclosure. I think they must let them roam somewhere else when the zoo is closed, because that just doesn't seem like very much room for so many giraffes.
KP loves the statues that they have all around the zoo. He likes to play with them, and he keeps asking "It's not on?" I don't know if he gets that the real animals don't turn off. :) So, we just reassure him, and then he's fine with it. They have a statue of a wart hog by the monkeys, and after we told him it wasn't on, he started picking its nose. Yeah. That's our boy. Allllll boy.
Our trip to the creek wasn't really photo worthy. He didn't want to change when he was done, though, so we just let him hang out in his swim trunks.
After a couple of attempts, he finally got to ride in the nest. A little 6 year old also wanted in the nest, which worked out great, because she was small enough to fit in the nest (unlike mommy), and strong enough to turn it (unlike KP). KP loves any merry go round that has one of these spinny things on it. I can't wait until the State Fair this fall. I hope they have teacups, because this kid is going on them!
KP was even nice enough to let Daddy have a turn with him. :)
All in all, it was a great day at the zoo.
xoxo
Margot
The zoo opened at 9am, but the exhibit didn't open until 10, so there was quite a bit of waiting to be done. We got to meet some really nice people while we were in line, though. And Daddy and KP ran around and explored other parts of the zoo while I stood in line.
The elephant exhibit is pretty cool. Oh, did I mention that I still haven't charged my camera battery yet? So these are all cell phone pictures. I know. I'm married to a photographer, and yet we always seem to be without a camera.
The giraffes are probably the coolest part of the whole exhibit. You can buy food for them for $5, but we skipped that and just got really close anyway. Remember, this is a cell phone picture, which means no zoom. They were seriously this close.
This is from the other side of the enclosure. I think they must let them roam somewhere else when the zoo is closed, because that just doesn't seem like very much room for so many giraffes.
KP loves the statues that they have all around the zoo. He likes to play with them, and he keeps asking "It's not on?" I don't know if he gets that the real animals don't turn off. :) So, we just reassure him, and then he's fine with it. They have a statue of a wart hog by the monkeys, and after we told him it wasn't on, he started picking its nose. Yeah. That's our boy. Allllll boy.
Our trip to the creek wasn't really photo worthy. He didn't want to change when he was done, though, so we just let him hang out in his swim trunks.
After a couple of attempts, he finally got to ride in the nest. A little 6 year old also wanted in the nest, which worked out great, because she was small enough to fit in the nest (unlike mommy), and strong enough to turn it (unlike KP). KP loves any merry go round that has one of these spinny things on it. I can't wait until the State Fair this fall. I hope they have teacups, because this kid is going on them!
KP was even nice enough to let Daddy have a turn with him. :)
All in all, it was a great day at the zoo.
xoxo
Margot
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Bachan & Jichan Visit in May
Bachan and Jichan came to visit us in May. Daddy was at Uncle Wowie's graduation, so KP was stuck with the 3 of us to keep him entertained. :)
On Sunday, we went to the zoo.
KP got a new hat and wanted to pose for a picture with Jichan. The had lasted almost a whole 15 minutes. :)
KP paused at lunch long enough to get a picture with Bachan...well, maybe not "paused" exactly.
Ahhh. Satisfaction. Don't get between a boy and a corn dog stick.
"Hi guys!"
This is KP's favorite part of the zoo...well, almost favorite. But we always have to stop at the creek on our way out so he can play. He likes it when there aren't too many big kids splashing around.
Now this is REALLY KP's favorite. I think he just tolerates the zoo because he knows he'll get to go on the merry go round before we leave. As soon as we get there he starts saying "After the zoo, and after the creek, then I get to go on the merry go round, and then we go to mommy's car?". :)
I took Monday off so that we could spend some extra time with Bachan and Jichan. So, we decided to drive out to Glen Rose and go to Fossil Rim. Well, when we got there, I realized my camera battery was about to die, so we got this cute picture of the zebras, and that's about it.
There was a cute baby zebra running around like a crazy zebra.
Crazy baby zebra.
We had a lot of fun. You can feed the giraffes by hand, and we were lucky enough to find an interested giraffe. KP kept dumping his out before the giraffe ate from his hand, but he was more than happy to offer up my hand instead. :)
All in all, we had a great visit. We can't wait for Bachan to come see us in August. Jichan won't be coming because he doesn't like Texas in August...can you blame him?
xoxo
Margot
On Sunday, we went to the zoo.
KP got a new hat and wanted to pose for a picture with Jichan. The had lasted almost a whole 15 minutes. :)
KP paused at lunch long enough to get a picture with Bachan...well, maybe not "paused" exactly.
Ahhh. Satisfaction. Don't get between a boy and a corn dog stick.
"Hi guys!"
This is KP's favorite part of the zoo...well, almost favorite. But we always have to stop at the creek on our way out so he can play. He likes it when there aren't too many big kids splashing around.
Now this is REALLY KP's favorite. I think he just tolerates the zoo because he knows he'll get to go on the merry go round before we leave. As soon as we get there he starts saying "After the zoo, and after the creek, then I get to go on the merry go round, and then we go to mommy's car?". :)
I took Monday off so that we could spend some extra time with Bachan and Jichan. So, we decided to drive out to Glen Rose and go to Fossil Rim. Well, when we got there, I realized my camera battery was about to die, so we got this cute picture of the zebras, and that's about it.
There was a cute baby zebra running around like a crazy zebra.
Crazy baby zebra.
We had a lot of fun. You can feed the giraffes by hand, and we were lucky enough to find an interested giraffe. KP kept dumping his out before the giraffe ate from his hand, but he was more than happy to offer up my hand instead. :)
All in all, we had a great visit. We can't wait for Bachan to come see us in August. Jichan won't be coming because he doesn't like Texas in August...can you blame him?
xoxo
Margot
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Misc. April 2010
April 20th was community day at school. The kids dressed up as what they wanted to be when they grow up. You'll never guess what KP wants to be....
Sorry. Bad cell phone pictures are all we have.
Then Dylan found himself in an interesting predicament....
No...really.
KP got a new big boy bed. This is his new bedspread.
Okay. This is a bad cell phone picture of a picture in a store.
Since KP had his new big boy bed, he decided he needed to be a big boy and tuck himself in. So, he got a book, climbed into bed, and kicked me out of his room. This is what I found when I went to check on him before I went to bed...
Note to self - do not leave the toddler with a pop up book alone again...it does not end well for the book.
In May, we got together at Kassie and Jeff's so that the grownups could play and so could KP and Madden.
They had lots of fun playing together.
The following Monday, KP got sick. See, we had fun, so he got sick. I'm telling you, there is a pattern there. Anyhow, even Goose felt sorry for him.
xoxo
Margot
Sorry. Bad cell phone pictures are all we have.
Then Dylan found himself in an interesting predicament....
No...really.
KP got a new big boy bed. This is his new bedspread.
Okay. This is a bad cell phone picture of a picture in a store.
Since KP had his new big boy bed, he decided he needed to be a big boy and tuck himself in. So, he got a book, climbed into bed, and kicked me out of his room. This is what I found when I went to check on him before I went to bed...
Note to self - do not leave the toddler with a pop up book alone again...it does not end well for the book.
In May, we got together at Kassie and Jeff's so that the grownups could play and so could KP and Madden.
They had lots of fun playing together.
The following Monday, KP got sick. See, we had fun, so he got sick. I'm telling you, there is a pattern there. Anyhow, even Goose felt sorry for him.
xoxo
Margot
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