Bambina's Photo Gallery Updated!

And now with videos!

What to do on a Sat. afternoon in central Ohio?

Go see "the" football game!

We were given tickets to watch the Buckeye's play We haven't been to a game since we were dating so it was exciting to have a grown-up afternoon out . We thought the game would be a blow out but we were happy that the home team won. Our observation is that while the new freshman quarterback has potential, he needs to work on his short passing game.

Thanks to Tom's boss for the tickets, and Grandma for coming down at the spur of the moment to babysit!

Check out the script Ohio:

Bambina's Photo Gallery Updated

'nuff said...

Brief Update

It's been a few weeks since we posted an update, so here's a brief recap:

• Bambina had her three-week follow-up with the cranofacial clinic at Columbus Children's Hospital. The doctors are very happy with how things have healed up.
• Bambina went in for her 9 month (holy cow, she's 9 months old?!) pediatrician checkup. She:
  • is 27 inches long
  • weighs 18.25 lbs
  • has a head circumference of 17.25 inches
• We went looking for a new, larger vehicle in a panicked state, because we didn't think we'd be able to get two car seats in our tiny S-series Saturns. Darned near bought one, too, before we came to our senses and I figured out how to get them installed.
• My mom is officially retired! We went to an "un-Labor Day" party on her behalf. Had lots of roasted pig. Yummmm....
• Bambina is using a sippy cup, now that she's able to produce suction in her mouth.
• Bambina is starting to eat "crunchies" like Cheerios.
• Bambina is getting her first tooth!
• Bambina is starting to crawl.
• I gave blood last Wednesday. I was not the first appointment of the day, so I was curious how quickly I'd be seen. I arrived somewhat early, and the whole process was so quick that I finished only slightly after my original appointment time. I must say, I'm impressed.
• My back took a vacation. It started last Thursday morning, it was very sore when I got up. It hurt worse the more the day wore on. Friday I needed loopy drugs to help manage the pain (which they failed miserably to do). Yesterday was the first really manageable day, today is better, but it still hurts.
• I'm preparing to paint the kitchen. I finally got around to finishing mudding a few places that needed patching. Tonight I'll sand what I mudded, then I'll paint this weekend whilst Amy and Bambina are elsewhere.
• I've started exercising again. I kinda fell off the bandwagon for a while, being way exhausted due to little sleep. But I stepped on the scale yesterday, and the left-most number was too high, and the middle number was too low, so I knew I'd have to get back to business. I'm going to the gym with a co-worker, Evil Dr. Bob.
• Because of the drought we've been having here, I hadn't mowed in a while. I finally broke down and did it last night and discovered that only two things had grown in the last month: the jungle next door and the thistle infesting our lawn. Everything else is dead or dormant.

OK, so maybe that wasn't so brief... :)

9 months old

We spent the weekend at home. That doesn't happen often in our house. I feel like we are on the road a lot. We kept August clear because we really had no idea how long of a recovery Teagan was going to have. She is doing amazing. She is learning to suck. That is big milestone for her. I bought her a beginner sippy cup yesterday. It has a soft mouth piece that mimics a bottle. She kinda gets the idea of sucking equals food.

One thing we did over the weekend was get Teagan's 9 month pictures taken. I am sharing because she is such a cutie (in my personal opinion!). I really don't understand kids clothes. The shirt she has on is a size 9 months, the pants 0-3 months, and the dress we changed her into for more pictures was a 12 month....

Bambina Update - One Week Later

A full week has passed since Bambina had her surgery, and she's mostly doing well. She hasn't been taking as much formula as usual, fighting us pretty vehemently when offered a bottle, but it looks like she's getting close to turning that corner. Her "solid food" intake dropped as well, but I think that's close to working its way out, too. I don't think it has to do with her mouth being sore, I think it's more of remembering when it was sore and not wanting it to hurt. My guess is that memory is fading now, so hopefully feedings will improve.

We haven't been making her wear the arm braces, as those have just frustrated her. Instead, she just hasn't been offered anything small enough to actually fit in her mouth, so she hasn't had any problems. Every once in a while she tries to put her fingers in her mouth, but that's been caught pretty quickly. We were told she is allowed to use her bink-a-bluff-a-paci-cork-a-nuk, so that keeps her hands out of her mouth overnight.

The big thing that is of any concern to me at this point is her ears. She had tubes put in at the same time she had her plastic surgery done, and we've been given drops to put in her ears. There's still a lot of dried blood in her ear canals, for those of you who have had kids with ear tubes, is that normal? She doesn't seem to mind the drops when I give them to her, but every once in a while she bats at her left ear, which seems to have more caked/dried blood than the right. There's no seepage at all, so I'm tempted to not worry, but there's this niggling in the back of my mind that I can't quite ignore...

The biggest frustration for us at this point is her sleeping. We've had some pretty rough nights, and she's been fighting going down something fierce lately. Last night, it took Amy's mom over an hour to get her calmed down and asleep, which has been, unfortunately, pretty typical since the surgery. Whenever we set her in the bed, no matter how tired she is, she just starts wailing, and cries and screams literally until she just can't go any more. Bedtime is bad enough, but she's done it overnight once or twice, too, which just puts Amy and me in a foul mood.

No picture of the inside of her mouth yet. I keep trying to get one, but I just can't seem to get a clear shot. It think I just got lucky with the one I took before her surgery. I'll keep trying, though, so you all can see how things look different post-surgery.

Problem Solved

Just a quick note to let you all know that Bambina is home. Amy said that she turned a corner last night, and though she's not eating as much as she was pre-surgery, she's eating. The hospital staff felt comfortable letting her leave, so we blew that popsicle stand a little after 9A this morning. So far, all is well. Thanks to all for your thoughts, prayers and well wishes!

A Snag

It's Thursday night, and Amy is spending it with Bambina at the hospital. The problem? We're unable to feed her. Given the problems we had feeding her when we first brought her home, we're not checking her out until we're reliably able to get food into her. Other than the feeding problems, though, she seems to be doing well. One of the surgeons had a look at Bambina this morning and said that everything looked good inside her mouth. Noone has gone out of their way to check out her ears, but since they're not oozing, we're taking that as a good sign. Hopefully we'll be able to get Bambina home tomorrow.

All Done!

It's just after 5P here in central OH, and Amy and I are watching Bambina sleep in the hospital cage/crib. She's high on Tylenol with codeine, which seems to give her just enough pain relief to allow her to get some rest. The surgery itself was successful per the doctors, so now all that's left is the recovery. No pictures today, I took several, but can't bear to post them yet. Thanks to all for your thoughts and prayers. We'll post more as her recovery continues.

Bambina's Surgery

At long last, Bambina's surgery draws near. Tomorrow, August 6, at 2:10 PM she goes under the knife to have her cleft soft palate repaired. We don't have a lot of details, other than they're going to use existing tissue in her mouth to close the gap, and the plastic surgeon will be creating a uvula during the proceedings. She'll also be getting tubes in her ears, as the audiologist who checked her out during her last visit found fluid in her ears. Recovery is expected to entail three weeks of arm braces to keep her from putting stuff in her mouth. People we've talked to tell us that she's unlikely to be in prolonged pain from her actual surgery, so that's a blessing.

So, if all goes well, the next time you hear from us, Bambina will be a new woman, with her birth defect a thing of the past. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers...

Blue Eyes

Tom might have mentioned we are color challenged. However I had an "ah-ha" moment this afternoon. Tom was laying down sideways and had Teagan propped up against his legs. It was then that I noticed our baby girl's eyes. They have always been a beautiful shade of blue, but now they have a name- denim blue. Her eyes were the exact shade of his shorts.

Kitchen Remodel, Part 2

As previously noted, we've decided to remodel the kitchen, at least in part, this summer. This past week, we had our cabinets refaced, and the counter tops and sink replaced, by Home Depot Home Services. The worker (it only took one) came out Tuesday and Wednesday and did the work, up to, but not including making the sink work again. Apparently, since he was a carpenter and not a plumber, he's not allowed to hook up the sink per some sort of rule, law or ordinance. No matter. Last night, Amy's parents came down, and my father-in-law walked me through installing the sink, from installing the faucet, to caulking and clipping the sink, to attaching the garbage disposal and drain. And guess what? It all works, and doesn't leak! Woo-hoo! So, we're two-thirds the way through this summer's phase of our kitchen remodel. All we have left for this summer is paint, which is still a problem because, as previously noted, we're not terribly gifted in color selection. I'll post before and after pictures once the painting is complete and this phase is done. Stay tuned...

Thanks again, Ed, for helping me get the sink installed and working!

My Current Diversion

Don't click this link if you have something important to be doing. Don't say I didn't warn you...

Boy O Boy

I would like to present the first picture of our son!


We went for our "you are over 35 and your daughter has a birth defect" level two ultrasound yesterday. The very first picture confirmed a boy very decisively. We are very excited and happy to report we have a healthy baby boy.

The Problem

Ignore the fact that my lovely daughter is crying. Seriously, just ignore it. What I'd like to call your attention to is all the way at the back of her mouth. Rather, what's not there. Now, find a child, spouse or friend, have them open their mouth, and compare. You'll notice that Bambina is missing a section of her soft palate and her entire uvula, compared with your reference. That's what is going to be repaired, very soon in fact. The surgery is scheduled for Wednesday, August 6.

Finally Got Around to It

Finally got around to posting more pictures in Bambina's gallery. Head on over and check them out. If you need the link and/or password, drop me a note at my usual email address.

The Weekend In Review

Whew! What a weekend! First, a quick summary:

1. 7/3 after 5P: Drive to Conneaut Lake, PA
2. 7/4 all day: Picnic with F's, H's and G's
3. 7/5: Drive to Shalersville, spend the day with H's and G's
4. 7/6 AM: Church and baptism of Bambina
5. 7/6 PM: Lunch at Spaghetti Warehouse, drive home, grocery shopping

Now for the details:

The drive up was fairly uneventful. It rained a lot, but it wasn't nasty at all. Bambina played happily by herself most of the way. It wasn't until we got to Conneaut Lake at a little past 9PM that we hit a snag. My family has had a cottage at Conneaut Lake for as long as I can remember. It's rented out to other folks for most of the summer, but our family always has it the week of the fourth of July and gathers during that time. My mom's step mother also has a trailer on the other side of the lake which she uses herself, and often lets the rest of the family borrow when things get crowded at the cottage. The H's and G's were to be staying at the trailer rather than the cottage this summer, so we headed there. The first problem was that I was given the wrong key. Evidently, the locks had been changed, and there was a mix-up in the distribution of the new keys. I called my mom, who had given me the keys to the trailer, told her of the problem, and headed over to the cottage, where my uncle was staying. He had the correct key for the trailer, and I was hoping to borrow it. Problem two came as I got close to the street the cottage is on. Road closed. Large construction equipment across the road, beyond that, the pavement was completely gone. Crap. OK, it's a lake, we turned around and went the other way around the lake. Only to find that the road was again missing before the turn into the cottage. Called mom again to find out how the %#^& to get to the cottage, find out that with the closing of Conneaut Lake Park, a gate which had previously kept visitors from mingling with residents had been opened, and that was the temporary access to the cottage. Somewhere in there, Bambina woke up, hungry and in an unfamiliar place, so we had a wailing child for the last 45 minutes. Oh, and by time we got to the trailer, frustrated and amped up, the only place nearby that sold beer was already closed. Bummer....

But with all the chaos of Thursday night, the next few days were great. We had a great time with the F's, H's and G's on Friday, and a kind of relaxing day on Saturday with the H's and G's (which included a trip to the A&W stand for rootbeer floats and footlongs, mmmmmm). Sunday service was great, too. I was honored to be asked by the band to sing with them for a song I wrote a few years ago. It brought back a lot of great memories, and the band really made my poor attempt at music sound awesome. The baptism service itself was beautiful (so that our Catholic friends don't feel snubbed, many, if not most, protestant denominations don't have any notion of God-parents). The funniest part of the weekend, at least for me, was picking up the cake that Amy ordered for our lunch. She ordered it by phone from a grocery store in the vicinity, and we stopped on the way to Spaghetti Warehouse to get it. I went to the bakery to get it, gave the baker my name and she handed me the cake. I looked at it through the plastic cover and said, "Ummmm.... there's a problem with this cake." She looked at me quizzically, so I continued, "This isn't my daughter's name." She grabbed the order slip and blanched, then looked at what was written on the cake and blanched again. "Ummmm... what is your daughter's name, sir?" I told her Bambina's name, she looked at the slip and the cake again, and asked, "Was this phoned in?" "Yeah," I replied. "You know what this word means, right?" Blanched again. "Yeah" "So you know how funny this would be in any other circumstance, right?" "Yeah, here, lemme fix this for you..." So she took the cake and made the necessary repairs, knocked a few bucks off my bill and sent me away with the cake.

So, you're wondering what was originally on the cake? Probably the most ironic thing I could think of:

God
Bless
Pagan

Back to the Chair

Faithful readers of this blog will remember last year when I took issue with a poor experience with the American Red Cross, vowed to not donate blood again, and then got a follow up letter and phone call from a representative of the ARC. I actually made it to March before I gave blood again, but that was on a walk-up basis, and I would have turned around if there had been anyone else at the blood drive. However, a few weeks ago, I got a call from the ARC asking me to give blood and schedule an appointment. I expressed my reservations about delays when I had a scheduled appointment, but the rep assured me that the ARC had made some changes, and now it is policy to try to get to those with appointments within 15 minutes of their scheduled time, so I agreed, and signed up for this morning. Not only was I seen promptly (OK, I had the very first appointment of the morning), but the whole experience only lasted 30 minutes from the start of my appointment and, as a bonus, I happened to go on a day that Kroger was sponsoring a "Pint for a Pint" day at the blood drive and got a pint of ice cream! W00t! Ice cream aside, I was happy with my experience this morning, and will go again. The true test will be to see how well it works when I have an afternoon appointment.

Kitchen Remodel, Part 1

Amy and I decided to take the plunge this summer and upgrade/remodel the kitchen. You know, because it's so easy to do this sort of thing when you have a child under one year old and another one on the way. It was one of those things that we'd been considering for a long time and then just sort of decided to do all of a sudden.

The first part of our remodel got done this past weekend, with the help of my dad. One of the worst things about our kitchen/dining room is the lack of adequate lighting. There is a ceiling fan with a light over the table, and a fluorescent light over the sink on the other side of the room, and that was it. Nothing over the cooking or food preparation areas, so that sucked. Saturday, my parents came down, and Dad helped (well, he did most of the work while his clueless son tried not to lose any fingers) install recessed lighting over the stove, sink and countertop, and then removed the existing fluorescent light over the sink. It all works thanks to him (I'd have burned the house down), and looks great! All that's left is for me to patch a small hole in the drywall where he removed a light switch. Then onto painting, hopefully before the next phase, which will be refacing the existing cabinets and getting a new countertop. If we only had color sense, we'd be in business.

Anyway, thanks to my dad for teaching me how to install electrical equipment without killing myself or burning the house down!

PETA Would Be Happy

Tonight was a new food for Bambina, and the first from a one-time mobile food source: chicken in chicken broth. As I'm following the advice of countless pediatricians and tasting the food that I'm giving my child, I can say with authority that baby food chicken tastes yucky. That's probably not exactly correct. I think it actually tastes like chicken. Over-cooked, completely unseasoned chicken. GROSSLY overcooked. I understand why they would cook the bejeebers out of it (reduces the likelihood of nasties) and would refrain from seasoning (don't want to upset the timid tummies of tiny tots), but knowing doesn't make it taste any better. Bambina didn't like it any better than me. After about 10 spoons, she stopped swallowing, which is the signal for me to stop cramming it in. We switched to applesauce and she was much happier.

The more observant of you will notice that I added a sidebar with a short synopsis of each baby food I try. I'm not ranking applesauce, because we're giving her regular unsweetened applesauce that you get in a big old jar for a buck rather than the little teensy-weensy 2 oz containers for 50 cents.