I a man

Our friend who owns a construction company came over to look at our roof.  Ethan is fascinated to watch any type of repair person...and we tend to need them often over here.  He was watching the guys climb the ladder to get to the roof and kept calling me over the the window saying, "Mom! Come on!  You gonna miss it!"  The rest of the day he had his tools out and asking me what thing I needed fixed or where the fire was (not sure how fireman got lumped in with roofer, but I suppose they do both climb ladders).  He said, "mommy, I not Ethan, I a man.  You have a big big big huge crack in your roof.  I fix it a huna dolla." 

Our bottom freezer doubles as "toddler viewing platform"

Unfortunately we can understand most of what Ethan says now.  Here are a few of his new favorite phrases and they all sound strangely familiar (must have picked up from dad):

"Here's the deal..."
"Let's have a talk..."
"Get in the car RIGHT NOW!"
"I so tired a you...."  (as in I'm so tired of you leaving the milk out, throwing your towel on the floor, etc.  Makes me think maybe I really am as mean as my kids say I am!)

We were looking through a cookbook and NiNi spotted some flower cupcakes that looked good.  "You should make these for when you get remarried."  I said, "Why would I get remarried?"  She said, "In case daddy....you know...'blech' (makes choking sound)"  Thinking a minute, "Or in case you 'blech' (choking sound again)"  I supposed in that situation, however, I wouln't be able to enjoy the cupcakes at all.

Ethan lip/nose revision

In case you haven't guessed, we hit our max out of pocket medical expenditure for the year...hit it in June actually.  Kind of fun going to the pharmacy when stuff is free.  Chris asked me if I wanted to get any "work" done, this would be the year to do it.  Not sure what work he thinks I need done, but might just have to think about that one.  So, still on tap for this year...circumcision for Ethan, vasectomy for Chris, cyst removal and custom inserts for his plantar fasciitis.  Oh what a glamorous life we lead. 

This surgery for Ethan was easy peasy.  Kind of nice there are very few stitches on the outside of his face.  Everything is on the inside of his nose and lip.  When they did his initial repair in China his cleft was over-closed.  So the nostril was almost completely closed and lots of extra tissue on his lip.  Very grateful to Smile Train, but our plastic surgeon dislikes these "medical safaris" because many of the surgeons have little experience in this type of surgery.  Hey, when you have one shot at a free, life-changing surgery who can afford to be picky?  But I see his point, since he is often the one doing "clean up."  So yesterday they removed tissue from his lip and scar tissue from inside the nose.

Anyway, it is very difficult to make the nostril bigger once it has been over-closed, but we are hopeful this procedure will help.  He will wear the nasal retainers for about 8 weeks.  They are like oxygen tubing stitched into his nose.  Does not seem to bother him right now but probably because everything is still swollen.

post op

 

Chillin on the couch with his new moose

Nasal retainer held in place with a big blue stitch

more on noses...

So this is not the greatest shot, but you can see the really nice symmetry in her nose that I mentioned earlier. 

2013

 

2008

 

Compare with pics HERE

of her at 3 years old, and then after her nose revision in 2009. Of course we thought she was cute as a button 2 surgeries ago, but I only mention as an encouragement for other cleft moms. I do think the addition of bone helped as did just waiting for her face to grow and change as she developed.

funnies

Ethan snapped off my little rhododendron bush that I had transplanted from the old house and nursed back to health.  Snapped it off right at ground level.  I was pretty upset.  Ethan apologized and I said a half hearted "I forgive you." I think he knew he'd really blown it because he apologized a few more times.  Then NiNi said, "Ethan, she forgives you.  But just barely."

Ethan's favorite shorts are those sporty polyester kind.  Calls them his "ba-baw game" shorts.  Basketball game shorts

When we got home from the hospital after NiNi's surgery, she was still pretty drugged up and couldn't walk very well because of her hip.  Her bedroom is upstairs so I carried her up the stairs with one arm under her knees and one arm under her shoulders.  We got to the top and she said "Oh mommy....my hero"

We have book called "Mommys always come back."  Our therapist recommended it and it's a cute little story about animal mothers who go off to gather food and then come back to their babies.  And they always come back.  The other day I was teasing Ethan and pretending to cry, "I don't want to go to work 'cause I'm gonna miss you!" He looked at me and said, "I know mom, but Ethan's always come back" 

Ethan loves the movie Despicable Me.  Calls it "Pickle Me"

When Ethan gets mad at his sisters he yells, "Why you DO dat?"

NiNi spent the night at her cousins. When NiNi saw my sister in the morning she said, "Do you always wake up with that hair style?"

I lost my temper with Ethan the other day and later apologized to him.  He said, "That's ok.  I love you all the time"  Struck me so much because we do not use this phrase with him.  I really think he came up with it all on his own as a very articulate way to express his unconditional love.  Kids are great teachers, eh?

back to school

2nd grade

7th grade

Pre-K, 4 years old