Jack-O-Lantern #2

Kendall's surgery went well.

Let me first say that Kendall was such a little trooper yesterday. Our morning started at 5:00 am. She had to be at admitting by 7:00 am (it's about an hour drive). We made it just a little before 7:00 and got her signed in. I would say between five to ten minutes later they called us back to get a copy of her insurance card and all of that stuff. Here comes the first clue that something is up. As the lady is checking Kendall in she comes across a room number discrepancy. She gets on her phone and calls to find out which room she is really suppose to be in since she has two different numbers on her paperwork. She found out that they had changed Kendall's room number sometime during the night. Okay, everything is fine and we are good to go. We then proceeded to the triage section to get Kendall's height which made her cry. Then the nurse weighed her, that also made her cry. Then while Trey held her the nurse took her blood pressure and temperature. Kendall also cried during those too. At this point I'm getting really upset. Kendall is going to have such a rough day if she gets upset that easily. We are then taken to her room where the nurse asks us to put a gown on Kendall and just hold her and wait for the anesthesiologist to come in. She told us which channel the Disney channel was and Kendall perked up some. We waited a little while, then the nurse came back and said that two emergency appendectomies came in last night and Kendall's surgery was be moved from 9:00am to 11:30am. Okay, we are a little worried about how Kendall is going to take this. She has not eaten or had anything to drink since about 10 o'clock the night before. We start trying to distract her at this point and keep her busy. We just want to keep her mind off of her morning cup of milk that she hasn't had yet. So we are coloring, watching the Disney channel, taking pictures, just about anything else to make this wait a little more fun. The nurse then came back in and said it could be 1:00 before she is taken back. She offers Kendall a cup of apple juice and a banana popsicle to get her blood sugar up. She said she needs to have them both finished by 10:00am and that she can't have anything else after 10:00am. Kendall drank most of the juice and nibbled on the popsicle. So now we are back to waiting, and waiting, and waiting. Kendall's nurse comes back and says it's looking more like 2:00 before Kendall's surgery will begin. Kendall is very sleepy and whiny now. Trey is able to get her to sleep and she takes a short nap. When she wakes up it is well past lunch and the nurse gives us an update. The patient before Kendall has been taken up and Kendall will get her dose of "happy juice" in about an hour. Everyone clears out of the room and Trey and I wait with Kendall for that first dose of "happy juice." The nurse brought the syringe in at about 1:35pm. It takes three of us to hold Kendall down and make her drink the medicine. Success, it all went down. Now we are back to waiting. Waiting for the medicine to take it's effect. It doesn't take long. Kendall's neck started to get a little loose. Then her speech became really slurred, all the while she has a big grin on her face. Trey is holding Kendall because she can't sit up by herself. They are sitting completely still. Kendall tells Trey, "Daddy, I love this ride!" "I want to ride that ride again." The nurse told us that the medicine could cause her to see things. We figured Kendall must be seeing an amusement park. In our case, probably the Magic Kingdom. At about 2:05 they came to take us to the surgery floor. Trey carried her up and we got to see the surgeon and the anesthesiologist. At this point, we had to hand her (and Minnie Mouse) over to the nurse. We then watched them walk down the hallway to the operating room. Trey and I walked to the surgery waiting room. We waited a short time then the doctor came in to talk to us. He said everything went well. Kendall's "bump" looked like a classic dermoid cyst. He was sending it to pathology anyway, but told us that we shouldn't have anything to worry about. Trey and I then went back to Kendall's room and waited for them to call us and tell us when they were going to bring Kendall to us. At about 3:15 we got the call that Kendall had woke up, but was in a lot of pain and they had given her some more pain medicine. She would be down in about 10-15 minutes and she was. Trey lifted her out of her bed and handed her to me I rocked her and she stopped crying. I thought she was asleep she was so quiet and still. Then the nurse came in to take her blood pressure and temperature, she acted like she didn't even notice. Then the nurse gave me a cup of apple juice to give her when she woke up. Without even opening her eyes Kendall took the juice and drank it all. Poor baby was so thirsty. She then cried for more, but they didn't want her to have too much at first so they brought her a popsicle which she also inhaled. That was probably the first popsicle that Kendall had ever finished in her whole life. She seemed to be coming out of it pretty well and very quickly. Everyone came in to visit her and from there Kendall had another popsicle, another cup of apple juice, and some fruit loops. The nurse then said we could get her dressed and see if she could walk around. She practiced walking for a little while, everyone was holding her hands, then she started doing it by herself. We got released a short time later and drove home. Kendall is still a little woozy and she has 4 staples in the back of her head. We are going to try to keep her still for a few days. Not sure how successful we will be, she is a very active 2 year old. She goes back in 10 days to get her staples removed. Overall, Kendall has handled everything like a little trooper.

Our Tinkerbell Jack-O-Lantern

End of the season soccer bonfire.

Kaitlynn posing with her trophy.


All three in front of the bonfire. The flash on my camera really scares Kylee.



Kendall enjoying a smore.

Kendall after her smore, notice the chocolate on her face.

Kylee with a graham cracker. Just couldn't get a smile out of her tonight because of the flash on my camera.


We had the end of the season soccer bonfire tonight. All of the kids had a blast roasting hot dogs and making smores.

Perfect Season!!!

Best pic I got (click to enlarge).

Kaitlynn's team finished out another perfect season today. Not a single loss. Good job girls!!

Cute story from this morning.

Trey, Kaitlynn, Kylee, and myself were eating breakfast this morning. (Kendall was still in bed, she is not a morning person.) Well, we are all at the table and Kylee starts saying "bite" over and over. We couldn't believe it! We just looked at each other in disbelief. "Is she saying bite?" Yes, we all agreed. So Kaitlynn gave her a bite of her pop-tart. Kylee was so excited! I guess we can add that word to her list now as well.

They won again!

Probably the best picture from the game.


I love this one! It really shows off all her muscles (click to enlarge).

Sorry these are a little late this week. Trey and I went to the Tennessee game Saturday night and I didn't have time to post.

Kendall Update.

As many of you know Kendall has had a bump on the back of her head since she was born. It has always worried me, but three pediatricians have told me that it's just a lymph node. I just didn't think that was right so I went back to one of the pediatricians and told her I really feel like it is growing. This was back in April. She sent Kendall over to the hospital to get an ultrasound. As you can imagine that didn't work out too well (it was also very messy). Kendall did not participate at all! So... a few days later we got sent back to the hospital to have a CT scan. Ok, that went better than the ultrasound. Get this though we still don't have a confirmed diagnosis! What the heck? We just paid a lot of money to find out what? Nothing! The only thing that the CT scan showed was that there was not a hole in her skull. Well that was good to hear, but that is all we hear (not so good). What is it? Well, a few months go by, mind you it still bothers me, but I just try to ignore it for a while. Three doctors have told me it is a lymph node, we have a had an ultrasound, a CT scan, and we have found out that there is not a hole in her skull. I was holding Kendall one afternoon and of course my hand is drawn to her bump and I started rubbing it, moving it around, etc. I am convinced this thing is growing. I make another appointment with the pediatrician. Knowing she is going to think I am crazy I go in any way and proceed to tell her that Kendall's bump is growing. For my reassurance she sends us to the East Tennessee Children's Hospital in Knoxville to see a specialist. Well, Kendall and I make the trip alone. We check in. The nurse calls us back and weighs Kendall, takes her temperature, and asks why Kendall is there. I tell her that Kendall has a bump on her head, she has had it since she was born, and it is growing. Get this, she says "She has a dermoid cyst?" My mouth drops open (this is what I have thought it was for a while). Yes, I have googled different things and this is what I thought best fit Kendall's description. I have never asked a doctor if Kendall's bump could be a dermoid cyst, because come on they are the doctors they should tell me what it is! I proceed to tell her that we really didn't know what it was. She says "She had a CT scan, right?" I say yes and tell her it didn't really show much. She looks at me like I am crazy. Oh, I forgot to say that I took a CD of her CT scan with us today. So I guess while the nurse was talking to us the doctor was reviewing the CD. Then the nurse leaves and I begin to instant message Trey. I'm feeling a little ticked. A few minutes later the doctor comes in and diagnoses the bump as a dermoid cyst. It has to be removed! The risks are too high to leave it. Ugh! I am so upset. Kendall has had this bump since she was born. It started off about the size of a grain of rice and now is the size of a quarter. We have always been aware of it. Three doctors have told us it is a lymph node. I am so upset. :( Kendall is having surgery on the 28th of this month to have the cyst removed. She will be put under general anesthesia. In my opinion this should have been done a long time ago when the bump was smaller and she didn't have hair. She now has to have her head shaved, the scar will be larger because the bump is now larger, and I will have a two year old with staples in the back of her head (I'm really dreading the recovery). Kendall handles pain like her Daddy and by that I mean not well at all! So keep Kendall in your prayers. Pray that the procedure goes well and that her recovery is as pain free as possible.

Dermoid Cyst
What is a dermoid cyst?
A dermoid cyst is a pocket or cavity under the skin that contains tissues normally present in the outer layers of the skin. The pocket forms a mass that is sometimes visible at birth or in early infancy but often is not seen until later years. Dermoid cysts are usually found on the head or neck, and sometimes on the face.
What causes a dermoid cyst?
A dermoid cyst is a congenital defect (present from birth) that occurs during embryonic development when the skin layers do not properly grow together. A dermoid cyst is lined with epithelium, which contains tissues and cells normally present in skin layers, including hair follicles, sebaceous (skin oil), and sweat glands. These glands and tissues secrete their normal substances which collect inside the cyst, causing it to grow and enlarge.
What are the symptoms of a dermoid cyst?
The following are the most common symptoms of a dermoid cyst. However, each child may experience symptoms differently. Symptoms may include a small, often painless, lump in the mid-line of the neck (in which the skin over the lump can easily be moved). The lump may be skin-colored, or may have a slight yellow tinge.
The symptoms of a dermoid cyst may resemble other neck masses or medical problems. Always consult your child's physician for a diagnosis.
How is a dermoid cyst diagnosed?
Dermoid cysts are diagnosed by physical examination. Generally, the mass can be easily moved beneath the skin. In addition to a complete medical history and physical examination, diagnostic procedures to determine if the cyst is connected to other tissues in the head and neck may include:
computed tomography scan (Also called a CT or CAT scan.) - a diagnostic imaging procedure that uses a combination of x-rays and computer technology to produce cross-sectional images (often called slices), both horizontally and vertically, of the body. A CT scan shows detailed images of any part of the body, including the bones, muscles, fat, and organs. CT scans are more detailed than general x-rays.
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) - a diagnostic procedure that uses a combination of large magnets, radiofrequencies, and a computer to produce detailed images of organs and structures within the body.

Kylee update!

So we noticed tonight that Kylee is cutting three teeth. Two of them have completely poked through the gum and the third one is almost there. My guess is by Saturday she will have 5 visibly noticeable teeth. Wow! She now has her two lower central incisors, both upper lateral incisors, and her upper right central incisor is coming in. Also, Kylee has added a new word to her vocabulary this week. She now says bye. Here is her list so far:

momma
hi
hey
nana
dada
bye / bye bye

Another Win!!!

Best picture of the day! (Click to enlarge)

A trip to Build-a-Bear!!

Kylee's first trip to Build-a-Bear!

They are starting to look so much like each other!

Notice the outfit Kendall picked for her bear. It matches her outfit perfectly!

Kylee wanting out of the stroller.

Kendall trying to figure out why she needs to brush her bear.

Kaitlynn knows the drill.

Kylee wants in on the fun!

Kendall very happy with her pink bear. She picked the breast cancer awareness bear so a little bit of the purchase price went to breast cancer education.

Lake Winnepesaukah

This was Kendall's favorite ride. She rode it at least six times!


Kendall on the boat ride.

This is serious!

Kylee taking a stroller nap. She was so good!

Yes, Kaitlynn rode this! If you look close you will see her in the top of the picture (black shirt) posing of course!

Trey, Kaitlynn, and Kendall on the boat chute.

In line for the boat chute.

Kendall doing her favorite thing. She just loves popcorn!

Trey and Kaitlynn enjoying the ride!

Kaitlynn knows me so well. She knows I always have my camera out.

Here she is posing some more.

Kendall wasn't too crazy about this ride. It went up in the air.

Kendall on a motorcycle.



Today was Scout Day at Lake Winnepesaukah. Kaitlynn got to hang out with her Brownie Troop and get some rides in with her family too! The weather was great! Very warm for October.

Still Undefeated!!

Kaitlynn's team won again this morning. They are well on their way to having another perfect season! Kaitlynn played great!!