Who Needs a Gall Bladder Anyway?

The week began in dramatic fashion as Hallie, still feeling lots of abdominal pain, went to a third ER (one with a CT scanner) at her primary care physician’s urging on Monday. Turns out she had a gallstone the size of a golf ball and a very inflamed gall bladder that had to get extracted, stat. While she was moved from the ER to the main hospital in preparation for surgery, Mike ran the kids on their errands.

Check out the sweet ride the kids found at the grocery store!

Landon was recently diagnosed with a mild form of sensory processing disorder (we have always thought he was a sensational kid. Now we have proof!), so he gets to go to physical therapy. We say gets to because therapy involves a zip line, giant swings, trampolines, shaving cream mixed with tempura paint, and a variety of other fun activities. We took Landon first to therapy and then to gymnastics, all the while keeping tabs with Hallie regarding her status and eventual diagnosis. Mike got the kiddos to bed as Hallie got settled into her digs at the main hospital with Sara’s welcome support. Mike and Derek went back in the evening to give Hallie a blessing and retrieve the Buick while Jen and Bryan looked after the kids. Sometime in the middle of the night both children made their way into Dad’s bed to share their slumber time. We think Eliza has been teething and/or sick. Poor girl! She finds it hard to breathe at night with all the snot. She seems to be sharing the love with Dad, whose symptoms have progressively worsened through the week.

The hospital scheduled surgery for Tuesday morning, so Hallie stayed overnight and Mike played primary caretaker for the duration of her stay. He and the kids came back to the hospital early Tuesday morning and ended up staying all day. Originally we thought she would go in at 10:30 for a 1 1/2 hour laparoscopic surgery and possibly be ready to come home Tuesday night. Nope. Surgery didn’t start until about noon, and it didn’t end until after 3. Hallie was wheeled up to her recovery room at around 5 PM. It turns out that Hallie is something of a medical rarity. When the gall bladder is removed, the surgeon cuts off a duct that takes bile from the liver to the gall bladder. Most people have one duct. Not so with Hallie. She is (was) doubly blessed. As a result, her surgery was not routine, as the surgeon had to figure out where the extra tube coming out of Hallie’s gall bladder went to and whether it was something that should not be cut. He came out and told Mike the whole story (with pictures). Gross, but fascinating!

Anyway, Mike and the kids did not expect to be at the hospital all day, so they took some small excursions to pass the time while they waited and while the delays passed. With a pager supplied by the hospital in hand, they bought Mom flowers and explored the corridors on the first floor. They ventured outside and clambered up poles. They even met a therapy dog! 

Who knew "drop the pager"could be so fun? 

Just hanging around

Eventually after Mom was out of recovery and in her room for the night, they headed home. No one slept well Monday night into Tuesday, but Dad and the kids slept like the dead Tuesday into Wednesday.

We thought Hallie might come home Wednesday, but by late morning we were informed that she would stay one more day. Mike came up to see Hallie before going to a work meeting. Later in the afternoon he took the kids along with Sara and Chase to the Easter activity down at the local park. We had beautiful weather for hunting for Easter eggs, petting farm animals, and dancing with the Merry Music Maker.

What do I do with this? 

Oh! I get it! 

Spontaneous friends

She's enjoying this.

No, seriously! Blame the photographer. She's enjoying this! 

Hallie was finally ready to come home on Thursday, and we were glad to show her that the house had not fallen apart in her absence. Kind friends had brought food, flowers, and well wishes in Hallie’s absence, and Dad had put the kids to work ensuring that all the chores were done and the house looked ship shape (with more than a little help from Priscilia). The remainder of the day found Hallie resting in the den or in bed while Mike continued trying to entertain the kids. Fortunately, the sunny weather has made digging around in the backyard a realistic option. We feel grateful for meals brought in, as this has made Mike’s task of getting something prepared with two kids underfoot very much easier.

Flowers from Grandma

Mike had a couple of errands to run for work on Friday, and Eliza came along while Landon looked after Hallie.

On Saturday, Mike attempted to take the kids to the zoo for the Easter activities there. Apparently most of metro Detroit also decided to go to the zoo, judging by the Los Angeles-sized traffic snarl leading to the entrance. Rather than spend an hour waiting to get into the zoo only to leave an hour later to pick up Diamond from the airport, Mike opted to take the kids to the local park. Strangely, almost no one was at the park (they all went to the zoo?), so Landon and Eliza played to their hearts’ content on the swings and other equipment. Mike tried to get his kite to fly, but the wind wouldn’t cooperate.

After Mike and Eliza picked Diamond up from the airport and dropped her off at her parents’ house (welcome back to Detroit, Diamond!), the kids participated in some pre-Easter activities. In the meantime Sara had dropped off a basket of scones from a local bakery and Landon was sure to make quick eating of his share of the scones. Mike and Hallie made sure to help him with their share as well. We made resurrection rolls (the marshmallow body “disappears” leaving the hollowed out pastry tomb behind) and dyed eggs.

We made a bit of a mess of our hands as we colored the eggs, and the mess got Mike to thinking (dangerous proposition). He decided to paint tattoos on his and Landon’s arms. By bedtime Hallie had two dashing pirates on her hands and kids hopped up on sugar.    

Easter morning brought surprises to both of the kids. They were so happy to see the baskets that were left by the Easter Bunny. When not in church Landon has been able to keep himself quite entertained with the new goodies he received, including a LEGO camera from his grandparents. Here’s a sample of some of his work:

Mom and Dad took a few too:

The week has wound down, and we are hoping for no more excitement for a while. Yeah, right.

Surprises All Around

We had a couple of unplanned surprises this week. On Wednesday, Hallie took the kids up to Partridge Creek to enjoy the outdoor playscape (good thing they went when they did--the more stormy spring weather returned for the latter half of the week). 

Landon attracted himself some company. 

As she sat and chatted with the other moms there, she began to notice how many of the little girls had earrings. Then she saw Claire’s across the way and made a spur of the moment decision to get Eliza’s ears pierced. She chatted with Mike about it before just taking Eliza to the store. Mike didn’t have any major objections (although he’s been a bit reluctant to subject his kids to body modification since Landon’s circumcision, but that’s another story), so Hallie and the kids made their way to Claire’s.

Eliza had no idea what she was in for. There was only one employee at Claire’s, so it took a little while for her to get prepped. By the time she actually got her ears pierced, a crowd had formed around the cute little curly-haired lass. She cried like she has when she has received shots, but a lemon sucker seemed to take her mind off whatever those big people were doing to her wee ears.

Steady. . . . Steady!  

The final result

Not too much later, her attention was drawn to other things. She and another little girl came across a small dog who seemed as infatuated with them as they were with him.

We sent Mike’s mom a lemon cake for her 29th birthday (OK, the anniversary of her 29th birthday, and OK, a replica of a lemon cake). We hope it smells even better than it looks!

It's supposed to look like a slice was taken out so you can see the lemon cake. Well, they tried anyway.

The other big surprise of the week (and not a pleasant one) was Hallie’s visits to two emergency rooms on the same day (Friday) with severe stomach pain. She was almost beside herself Thursday night with the pain, and the first ER didn’t really do a whole lot for her. She didn’t get home until close to 4 AM. Mike had an appointment in the morning, so he had to leave for a while, and Priscilia was able to come in while Hallie continued to suffer. Hallie eventually went to Sara’s to rest and from there to another hospital’s ER, where they were able to reduce her symptoms a bit (morphine and Vicodin work wonders). Mike tended to the kids in her absence on Friday and pretty much through the weekend.

To complicate matters, both of the kiddos were sick with colds. Eliza has not slept through the night for a couple of days. Mike took the kids to church for the first session of General Conference, which allowed the little ones to burn off some steam while he listened to the talks. Good stuff. We ended up staying home to watch the other sessions, which for us is unusual, actually. Our cultural hall (the gym/overflow area behind the chapel) doubles as the nursery, so the kids actually enjoy having the chance to play with the toys while the grownups have the chance to concentrate on the talks. It doesn’t always work, but we try. . . . 

Anyway, on Sunday, Mike made egg soufflé and monkey bread, so we had some yummies for brunch/lunch. Poor Hallie only got to taste little bits due to her stomach issue. We hope all three of the sickies get better soon and that Mike stays in the clear!

We received some news relating to working at Milton Hershey School that has tempered our enthusiasm for the houseparent job. We're going to have to regroup on this one. On the upside, our local friends seem really happy at the prospect of keeping us around, and we may not have to scramble to get things situated here for a move. 

Independence Has Its Drawbacks

Spring is here in full force. We took advantage with time outdoors in the garden and riding our bikes around the neighborhood. On Wednesday as part of the Mom's Club Brunch Bunch, Hallie, Priscilia, and the kids walked down to Good Girls Go to Paris Crepes (a second location from the original one in Midtown) which recently opened a few blocks from home.

Photo courtesy Grosse Pointe Patch

Last weekend, Mike introduced Landon to Doctor Who. Apparently, the show has already made an impression. At the crepe shop, Landon told Hallie, “Look! The Doctor’s box.” It took Hallie a few long moments to realize Landon was looking at the entrance to the store. As seen from the inside, the paneled door did bear a passing resemblance to the Doctor’s TARDIS.  

It's bigger on the inside.

Now Mike’s thinking about when to introduce Landon to the Star Wars movies. ;)

Landon has really started to assert his independence this week. Hallie took him to get his hair cut on Friday. While they were out, Mike and Eliza went for a walk, and Eliza fell (fortunately no real harm done). 

She's a little daredevil, just like her brother. Falls are part of the experience. 

When everyone got home, we started getting ready for dinner, and Landon started hitting Eliza where she fell. Mike sent him to his room, and apparently Landon thought his haircut needed improving, because he took Mike’s trimmer to his bangs:

Mike chuckled, knowing this meant Landon’s annual buzz cut was going to come early. Hallie cried. Maybe if he had waited a few days after his haircut before taking matters into his own hands. . . .

Instead of going to Lowe’s on Saturday, Mike gave Landon a second haircut while Hallie went to a mom-to-mom sale. Then everyone went to music class before going up to Morley’s on Hall Road for their Easter event and to Achatz Burgers for a late lunch. 

Showing off his LEGO cars. "Why me?" asks Charlie Brown. Why me, indeed.

Cool face paint courtesy of the artist at Morley's

When we came home, we saw that our neighbor was having some car trouble (her muffler was dragging on the ground). Mike, Landon, and Miles did what they could to help temporarily strap the muffler under the car. Landon raced back and forth getting tools, so excited to be of help!  

Spring Break

Mike's school had spring break this week, which meant he did not teach classes on Tuesday and Wednesday. He spent some extra time with the kids this week at the Henry Ford Museum on Monday . . .

and at the Detroit Zoo on Wednesday.

Checking out the tigers

Watching seals and polar bears in the underwater tunnel

Polar bears wrestling right near the glass wall

Unbeknownst to us, on Wednesday a terrible tragedy happened. Landon's birth mom and his biological sister were crossing a busy street when they were hit by a car whose driver failed to stop at the crosswalk. His birth mom was seriously injured, and his sister was killed. We did not find out until Saturday, when his birth mom's adoption case worker contacted us. We were able to find some more news from the Internet which left us with hearts full of sorrow. Along with that sorrow, however, we were able to find information we had not known before about Landon's paternal biological family. It is sobering to realize that as he begins to ask about his biological family, we will have to find a way to tell him the story of the accident and share the other information we have learned.

We carried our heavy hearts with us to Hershey, Pennsylvania, where we interviewed to be houseparents at the Milton Hershey School. Several months ago, Hallie found out that friends of ours had been hired there after working as school teachers elsewhere. We were intrigued at the prospect of a job that would allow us to spend ample time together as a family while working for an amazing cause. The school and the surrounding area are beautiful! We stayed overnight at a student home, and the following morning we shadowed the home's houseparents before participating in a formal interview on campus. The whole experience was quite intense, and the interviewers pulled no punches about the responsibilities and challenges of the job. After the interview we were invited to move on to the next stage. While we have not yet received an offer of employment, we have moved on to the intensive background check. Becoming houseparents is not a choice we are considering lightly, as it will require a significant lifestyle change. However, we are seriously contemplating the move in spite of, and perhaps even because of, the challenges.

In order to go to the interview, we had to leave Landon and Eliza at home. Thank you to everyone, especially Priscilia, who helped as we were away. We felt so happy to see our babies when we got home!

Time to Get Out and Enjoy the Early Spring!

The kids and Mom spent a good amount of time out of the house this week in the wild late winter/early spring weather. On Monday, they joined Sara and Chase for a trip to the play place at the local mall. They also took a ride on the train.

On Wednesday, they joined Chase in his backyard. 

Signs of spring are here after what has been an almost disturbingly mild winter. We took pictures of our crocuses on Wednesday afternoon, . . .

and by Sunday they were in full bloom being pollinated by the bees.

The grown-ups had their own fun this week, too. Thursday morning Mike was out in front with the kids as they rode around on their bikes, and our neighbor Don came down for a chat. Mike asked about the Friday fish fries down at St. Ambrose Catholic Church, and Don said they were a pretty big deal. In fact, a poll in the local internet newspaper rated it as one of the top three in the Pointes (we'll have to try Marge's Bar & Grill, which was ranked first). Friday afternoon, Hallie got a call from Laurie (Don’s wife) inviting us to this Friday’s party, and of course we said yes. St. Ambrose has a reception center with a full kitchen called the ARK. Appropriately enough, it has a Noah’s ark theme. Rather than build it above ground, the architect used innovative skylights to both light the gathering space and give it a view of the church above. Plus, the church was able to keep its parking lot.  

This beautiful Norman Gothic style church graces the end of our street.

We wished we could stay a little longer, but we had tickets for the program “One Voice: An Evening of Music & Testimony” by the Saints Unified Voices directed by Gladys Knight which took place at the Palmer Park building of our church, which used to be Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox cathedral. The chapel is amazing, both for its ornate interior details as well as the acoustics of the choir loft behind the podium. It was a perfect venue for the concert!

Thanks to pinehurst19475 for the photo.

Hallie and Sara scoped out a mom-to-mom sale for ideas for their own set-up for next week, then we went to music class. From the class, we headed up to the Yellow Door Art Market in Berkley (it’s like the Quilted Bear, but everything is hand made in Michigan). Hallie found the kids a couple of fun T-shirts, and we bought some delicious Love Bars from Kitchen with a Cause.

25% from the purchase of each bar benefits Stand Up to Cancer.  

We ended our afternoon excursion with a visit to Pewabic Pottery, which was having an open house in honor of Pewabic’s 109th birthday. The celebration included a tour of the studio. Landon got a front row view of how a clay vase is made.

  

Landon sometimes needs to get his wiggles out, so we are so glad it’s getting warmer out. This afternoon when he went out, Zöe, the little 10-year-old daughter of our new neighbors, was also outside. They played together in the backyard for a while before coming in to play in the toy room. As she got ready to leave for dinner, Landon told her, “OK, you have to go.” At least he walked her back to her dad’s house!

With temperatures in the 60s on Sunday, we could feel that spring is finally in the air for good. We may get some cool weather in the next few weeks, but we’re due for more delicious afternoons like we enjoyed today as we threw open the windows and let in the refreshing breeze. 

Random Fun at Home

We just had a few random photos to share. Enjoy!

Skater Landon

Skater Landon on a date at Sander's with Mom.

Happy Girl

Hallie's new do

"Hi, Dad!"

Hide and Seek. Or as Landon says it, "Hide and Zeke."

Mike wishes he could take credit for the lovely flowers Hallie bought.

A tomar un matecito! Like Landon, Eliza enjoys Dad's special blend of yerba mate, chamomile, honeybush, and peppermint. Yumm-o!

Cymru Am Byth! (Wales Forever!)

Again, we had another laid-back week as winter begins to wind its way down with half-hearted attempts at snow and cold followed by warmer weather. Eliza had her one-year check up. She is healthy, strong, and active.

On March 1 for St. David’s Day (in honor of Mike’s Welsh heritage), we ate potato leek soup and bought daffodils. Next year, we'll have to see if there's an Eisteddfod nearby. Our family members hale from many different countries of origin (Wales, England, Germany, Sweden, Ireland, Laos, Mexico, and maybe more), and we thought we should have some fun learning about the cultures of our ancestors. We’ll slowly start incorporating new celebrations as the year goes along.

Daffodil Hill in Plymouth, California. Our yard will have daffodils soon, just not so many. 

Landon’s friend Rylee had a party for her birthday, and Landon enjoyed playing with her and his other friends from the branch. He received a treat bag with toys and goodies which he played with all weekend long.