Off

Emerson had her cast removed on Monday after bravely wearing if for 3 weeks. Having it removed was very traumatic for Emerson and she needed lots of TLC afterward. She was reluctant to use her arm/hand afterward and didn't want anyone to touch it. I had to restrain myself...her poor little arm was in bad need of a good bath and copious amounts of lotion. A little deodorizing wouldn't have hurt, either :) Which is the exact reason we didn't take the cast home for a keepsake :)

It was THIS big!

Father's Day Party

Our friends, Amy and James hosted a Father's Day BBQ this past Saturday evening. We had a great time and the food was good. It was a nice evening to sit on the deck and have a drink or two :) Above is handsome Alex enjoying a treat and hanging out with Miss Dena and Emerson.

Have you ever seen a cuter swimsuit or a cuter bum?

Emerson wasn't too sure about the inflatable kiddie sprinkler. She watched from afar, but was wrapped and ready just in case she decided to hop in with the other kids.

Emerson and Miss Dena hanging on the deck, enjoying the sangria.

Parker enjoying a burger and strawberries!

At the end of the evening, we threw all the kids in the tub, but no pictures of that....I had my hands full :)

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!

Meeting Tia Deysi

Emerson got to meet her Great-Aunt Deysi on Saturday. Tia Deysi is visiting from Panama and was so looking forward to meeting Emerson for the first time. It took Emerson a little while to warm up, but her and Tia Deysi became fast friends. Emerson also received some very sweet gifts from Tia Deysi as well as Tia Nellie, who is home in Panama right now. She also received a very special gift from Mamatila in heaven. It was a wonderful visit and we are looking forward to seeing Tia Deysi again before she goes home to Panama.

Her Royal Highness

Princess Pink Chickenwing in all her finery, including Burger King Disney Princess crown.

And in bad need of a bath. Notice the remnants of strawberries, dried cranberries, yogurt and pasta with sauce.

All wrapped up and ready for the bath.

Good News

Just have to share the good news that Emerson got today. She had an appointment with her pediatric orthopedic surgeon today, who has been following her for her neck. We were able to get Emerson to cooperate long enough to obtain the flexion and extension x-rays that he needed to properly evaluate her and he pronounced her neck STABLE!! It was so great to hear that. With Emerson's syndrome, it could be MUCH worse, so we are incredibly thankful that we got good news! She is doing so good, we don't have to follow-up until next year! HIP HIP HOORAY!

Princess Pink Chickenwing

Emerson had surgery yesterday for a congenital anomaly of her thumb. Here she is in Pedi Admitting. We had to be at the hospital at 5:30AM for 7:30AM surgery, so our day started early at 4:00AM. Emerson did very well, considering she was up way early for her and she hadn't had anything to eat or drink since the night before. She was having a great time coloring and watching all the people. From the adminitting area, we went to the holding room where we spent about an hour an a half before surgery. Emerson did great there as well, watching all the hustle and bustle. She bonded with the little girl in the next bed who was having her hip fixed. Susan was our holding nurse and it was great to see a familiar face. I've known Susan for years and know she is excellent. Her surgeon and anesthesiologist came by before surgery and Emerson got the happy meds and was feeling fine...all smiley and giggly. At the appointed time, the OR nurse and anesthesiologist came and wheeled Emerson into the OR in a red wagon. Even though I worked in the peri-op department for over a decade of this same hospital and know everyone and exactly what was going to happen, it was VERY hard for me to let her go. I know she was in good hands, but still, it's hard when it's your own baby.

Emerson's surgery took 2 hours and she came through with flying colors. The surgeon had a good look around her thumb and found that the anomaly was very straight forward and did not affect the joint at all, which is great. She got a hot pink cast the completely covers her hand so she can't pull it off. We spent about another 2 hours in Recovery with another old friend, Jessica. It took Emerson a while to wake up, and it was a hard wake up that required a second sleep. This is normal for pediatric patients, so I was prepared. Emerson was finally awake enough to drink some apple juice and kiss her monkey, so we were discharged home. Here she is in her little chair drinking some milk and looking puny. We took a LONG nap together in the bed in her room. We all needed the sleep very badly.



After our long nap and a light bite to eat, we were up and walking around, getting some exercise. Already, Emerson is adapting to having the use of only one arm/hand and her non-dominant one at that. Emerson and her dad walked around the house for a while and then we just hung out before going back to bed. Emerson and I spent the night in the bed in her room. It was a rough night and Emerson was up earlier than I had hoped she'd get up. But, we had a good breakfast and a good nap and are now starting to feel more like ourselves.


Emerson has adapted to her cast amazingly fast and amazingly well. She initially has some trouble with her balance and was falling down a lot, but seems to have compensated. Today was regular PT day, and since Emerson seemed to be feeling OK, we went ahead and kept the appointment and she did great. Christie, her PT, was very pleased with how she was coping with the cast, and also warned us that she will have to adapt again once it comes off. NOW, as long as she doesn't get banned from baby school for having &/or using her new pink weapon, we'll sail through the next 3 weeks!

Finally

I started this cross-stitch before Emerson was born and finished the cat before I put it aside to work on her Christmas stocking. Needless to say, neither got finished before she was born. I am happy to say that this is only 18 months late, but better late than never, right? We are happy with the framing and think it looks great in her room.