Update on Kaitlynn

I'm sorry it has taken so long to share the results of Wednesday's appointment!  This vacation hasn't seemed like much of a "vacation," and blogging time has been pretty scarce.  Kaitlynn was apprehensive about the appointment, knowing that it was going to be painful.  She was a trooper, and within just a few minutes she was ready to go home. 
The doctor removed all of the metal, and ended up doing it without numbing her.  They used some of the gel that they typically put on the gums before injections, and that was it.  The staff kept bragging about how tough she was...I told them that she definitely didn't get it from me! 
She has small holes in her gums where the wires were, but those should heal nicely if we can keep them clean.  Her teeth look fantastic!  Most people wouldn't know anything happened.  Her gum line is a little off, but that is already starting to take care of itself.
She is not allowed to bite into anything for at least six months. If the teeth start to darken, she will have to face some root canals, but we're hoping and praying for the best.  The teeth were young, and that is in our favor.
Thanks to everyone for your prayers!

Who's Lovin' It?!

So this is what he gets for ordering a double cheeseburger plain... with mustard. :-)

Latest on Kaitlynn

Last week Kaitlynn had her 3rd visit to the oral surgeon. She was cooperative, and his office staff was present and accounted for...lol. He checked her over, and determined that the braces should come off. I was a little surprised that this was to happen so quickly, but I'm pretty ignorant when it comes to this stuff. :-) So, if you think about her, say an extra prayer in her behalf at about 8:30 in the morning. That is the time of our appt, although he does want us to arrive by 8:15 or so. I'm not sure if that's according to his Rolex or my Timex. See previous posts to learn more about our interesting doctor. He gave her the option of an injection in the arm that would put her to sleep, or a repeat of the 5 shots in the cheek/gum/roof area. She chose the latter. I guess we will see how things look at that point. It's hard to tell right now with all the metal. In the meantime, we are hoping for a great night of rest to prepare us for this big moment!

Let's Get The Party Started!

We have safely arrived at our destination, and the celebration is in full swing! The sights and sounds of Christmas are among our very favorite, and we are going to savor each one this year.

What a blessed thought to know that the Messiah, the Saviour of the World, has come! To all of our friends and family in various places around the world:

Merry Christmas!

Countdown to Christmas!

Other than some sniffles and a cough here or there, the kids are getting through what has been a tough couple of weeks. Although I needed to get to the doctor a month or two ago, it just seemed there wasn't enough time (or enough reason) to do so. I think we invincible moms have to be half dead before we break down and do what we need to do. :-) Anyway, now it's my turn...

Something like ear infection, bronchitis, and sinus infection. Oh, and she also mentioned a little heart murmur and a slightly enlarged thyroid. See...that's why I don't like to go to the doc! The thyroid issue is likely a result of all of this other junk that is going on, and well, I'm not sure about the murmur. Anyway, one thing at a time! With a healthy stack of meds, I should be feeling better in short order.
Since my family's Christmas celebration is this weekend, I'm going to post random pics from the rest of November and get them out of the way. The next week is going to be crazy, especially considering we have school right up until our Christmas party on the 23rd! (Yeah, I'm bitter.)

                           Preparing for the fundraiser was a huge job!  Here we are prepping
                                300 potatoes for baking.  Hint: rolling in butter and sea salt
                          before wrapping in foil makes for an incredibly flavored moist potato!

Each year we celebrate Thanksgiving by inviting the parents and
grandparents of our school students to attend a traditional luncheon
on Wednesday.  Although not every family is able to come, we always
have a crowd and enjoy being with these special people.  This year we
fed approximately 75!

Amazing amounts of delicious food!

Meeting the newest addition to our school family:
Gwenyth Gabrielle!

Thanksgiving 2011 was probably the most relaxing holiday we have had in awhile. We missed Eric and Megan who were in Illinois, and that left Valerie's family, my parents, and our family. We slept in, lazed around, and ate too much. What a perfect combination. :-)

Every girl can be a bride at Mamaw Nichols' house!

Browsing stacks of ads...didn't really find any fantastic deals, but
the guys went to Walmart on Thanksgiving night just to see the
chaos.  They didn't buy a thing.  Valerie, Mom, and I went to
CVS and bought a few things, and that was enough for us.  :-)

Lots of cheesy grinnin'

  And lots of cheesball and crackers.

Another cute 'lil bride

On Saturday night we went to a parade in a little college town a few minutes
north of Lima.  The town participates in what they call The Blaze of Lights,
and it is a lot of fun to see all the decor, take carriage rides, and be a part of
the festivity.  The annual Christmas parade occurs the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

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This pic is blurry, but this was so pretty!

The kids liked the clowns.

The right combination of 'classy' and 'country'!

Check it out!

And the grand finale with Santa and the Mrs.

Now we are baking...

and mixing...

and wrapping!  Christmas is almost here!

Happy 12th Birthday, Ryan!

Eric, Allison, and Ryan celebrated together on November 13th,
which is Eric and Alli's birthday.  Ryan's was the 19th, and he was
great about spending his day working a fundraiser.  :-)

Ryan just found out he is going to be able to go on his first
missions trip!  He will be traveling with Mamaw and Papaw to
Antigua and Dominica for the Pilgrim Holiness Leadership Conference in
 February. First time to ride a plane, see  the ocean, and be out of the country. 
He is so excited, and we are thankful that he will have this experience.

By the time we were finished with the fundraiser, we were all
tired and without much of an appetite, so Ryan decided that a
trip to the mall to spend birthday cash, as well as a snack at
Auntie Anne's would be fine by him.  We finished out with
some apple pie and ice cream with Mamaw and Papaw before
the night was finished.  It's hard to believe that in 1 year we will
be parenting a teenager!  We love you, Ryan, and can't wait
to see what God has in store for your life!

Today's Report...

Although I'm not a morning person (more on that later), God gave me a beautiful 45 minute drive to the oral surgeon's office this morning! The snow was picture perfect, and the roads were easily maneuvered.
When we arrived for our 8:30 appt, the office was dark and the sign said, "Closed...will return at 9 a.m."  That seemed a little odd to me, because the receptionist had set us up for 8:30. Hmm.
Anyway, through the darkness I could see the glow of the doc's face in a computer monitor, and he came to let us in.  He told us to have a seat cause we were a little early (it was 8:29) and he went to turn on the lights. 
After another 15 minutes of us being the only one's in the place, I heard him on the phone saying, "Hey, I'm the only one here, and we have a patient...that's not good."  He then went on to mention something about it being odd that the nurse hadn't shown up yet, and that her husband hadn't heard from her. 
About ten minutes later, a woman came through the back door, and I heard her say to him, "Well, it's not the end of the world, d**n it!"  Then she came over, flipped on the rest of the lights and the office machines, and said hello to us.  :-)
After a few more minutes, the doc called us back so he could take a look.  Kaitlynn was supposed to get the stitches taken out today, but he didn't seem inclined to do it.  He said it was because she was still tender.  I tend to think he was a little lost without his nurse.
He checked her bite and the healing of her gums.  She wasn't extremely cooperative (I can understand a little), so he didn't do much more.  We are to go back December 22 @ 9a.m. to have the stitches removed.
And as of 9:05, neither of his nurses had shown.  I hope they are ok...there was some bad weather a little northwest of us.
Back to my very first impressions...we were so desperate for help and so limited in options, that we could not get second opinions, etc.  after the accident.  When we went into this surgeon's office, his receptionist almost scared me.  She looked like something straight out of 1981 - starched bangs and all.  I'm thinking, "If this is the front desk, Lord only knows what the doc is like." 
I wasn't far off...the doc looked like he had just crawled out of a cave.  He has long curly hair, a scruffy beard/moustache, a pierced left ear, no socks, and a train wreck for a set of teeth.  I know I shouldn't judge him by all of that, but when I look at a dentist, I usually check out the teeth.  Can't help it.  Oh, and I forgot to mention that he makes Greg look like a midget.  He's only 6'4" (I asked), but he is huge thick and has mammoth hands.  Kaitlynn was scared to death when she saw him, and although I haven't told her, I was too! 
More than once I have asked, "Lord, why couldn't you give us a normal doctor that wasn't so scary?"  But God knew our plight even before all this happened...and we're trusting that He's gonna get us through just fine!
In the meantime, Kaitlynn lost five pounds this week and has added bronchitis to her list of ailments.  I made a large pot of vegetable beef soup yesterday, and she had me grind up several bowls of it.  I think the appetite is making a comeback.  Thanks so much to all who are praying for her.  I have been humbled and blessed by the people who have taken her name before God!

photo credit

Update on Kaitlynn

Kaitlynn's swelling has gone down a great deal.  To look at her, you may not even know anything has happened - if she doesn't open her mouth.  She was starting to have a cough the same day the accident happened, and I figured that the antibiotic for the injury would help keep her from getting any worse. 
Over the last couple of days, the cough and congestion have gotten much worse, and this morning her nose was bleeding from all of the pressure.
The oral surgeon's office said that the antibiotic she is on promotes mouth healing, but may not be effective for lung issues.  So, I'm taking her (and Evan) to the pediatrician this afternoon.  They will probably switch her to something stronger.
Please pray that she will start eating more and that the new treatments won't interfere with the healing in her mouth. 
Some of her friends have had the stomach flu this week.  Please pray that this does not come her way.  I can't imagine what it would be to have her throwing up along with the rest of this!  She is to get her stitches out Friday morning, and then hopefully we will know more.

Thanks!

October Catch-Up Con't.

Whew...finally getting to the end of October! It seems like it just ended yesterday - I'm not sure how we are into December already! Our kids were able to spend a long weekend with Grandma and Grandpa Burley in MI. I don't have any pics of their time together, but they had so much fun! Allison was so excited to go...this was her first time to stay there for 4 days without her parents. Since Grandma and Grandpa leave for Florida right after the New Year's reunion, this was the last time the kids would get to do this for awhile!

Greg and I were both plagued with sinus/allergy problems, so we didn't plan an extravagant weekend. We ended up going to Indy (stayed in Carmel), and relaxing for 3 days. We hit a suburban mall, as well as Circle Centre Mall downtown, and did a lot of driving.
The highlight of the trip was an intimate concert at Anderson's Paramount Theatre. It was put on by Woody Wright's Good News Music Radio.   Buddy Greene, Reggie & Ladye Love Smith (my favorites), and Russ Taff were all there, and did a Homecoming style performance. We were introduced to two new-to-us artists, and wow...were they amazing!

Rachel West Cramer and Jairo Arvizu are an incredible duo...you can hear them here. 

This was our first time at this theater.  It was recently renovated,
and is spectacular.  Very comfortable seating.

Enchanting...

Russ, Buddy, Reggie, Ladye Love, and Woody

Buddy introduces "Jethro"

This guys is amazing!  He can play almost anything...

Vonnie (Gaither) and Woody Wright...they are so in love...it's cute
to watch their chemistry and listen to their luv songs.  :-)

A great evening spent with my favorite person.
Thanks, Greg!

And Now...

this one has bronchitis,

 

and this one is down right grumpy! 

 

But she looks like a million bucks compared to last Thursday and Friday!  She started eating more soft foods (mashed potatoes, soft egg, etc.) yesterday, but today has been back to almost nothing. 

So that's today's report!

Progress

Kaitlynn was still very swollen last night, but had more energy and was able to play for a few minutes before calling it a night.  Just as we were going to try to get some sleep, I realized she was spiking  temp.  It scared me...she dehydrates easily...and although it wasn't super high (101.5) I decided to sleep on couch recliner with her head in my lap.  We did the normal things to lower the temp, and were successful. 
She had a very fitful night (she tosses, turns, and talks a lot in her sleep anyway), but seemed to relax more toward morning.  I went to work for a couple of hours, then came back home to get everyone through the routines (rinses, breathing treatments, antibiotics, etc.).  Her swelling had decreased so much in just those two hours!  They were all ready to be back at school, and Kaitlynn was ready to see her friends, etc.  She gathered some of her toys, blankets, etc.  and we went to school.  Her friends were so concerned about her and so glad to see her!  I heard one little girl say, "Kaitlynn's lucky...she gets Polly Pockets and smoothies!"  I laughed and told her that I didn't think she would want to endure everything Kaitlynn had to for a doll and a smoothie.  :-)
The nurse called to follow up, and she checked with the dr about her temp.  He said it was perfectly normal for that to happen, and to call his cell if anything happens throughout the weekend.  Gotta love that kind of customer service!
By the time her daddy came, about three hours later, she was more than ready to get home.  I am still at school (just taking a few minutes to be off my feet), and it feels weird not to be by her side, but I know she is ready for "normal," whatever that is/will be.
Thanks so much for all of your prayers.  I've had so many asking about her.  It's hard to tell it over and over because I'm still emotional, and I always break down somewhere in the conversation.  It's just me, and I can't help it.  :-)
I hope everyone has a great weekend!  We had tentatively planned to attend Jonathon and Jalena's wedding in Noblesville tonight, but the events of the week changed all of that.  We wish them all the best as they "tie the knot" here in about an hour! We hope to be able to attend our church Christmas dinner tomorrow evening, and worship with our church family on Sunday! 
If there are any changes in Kait's condition over the weekend, I will update.  Otherwise, I will try to catch up some of last month's events that haven't been blogged.
Well, I'd better get back to work...

TGIF!!!!

New Information on Kaitlynn...

After a very long day today, we are home and trying to make Kaitlynn comfortable. I didn't include details in the first post because I was in a hurry and using my phone. So, going back to last night...
The accident happened around 5, when all of the dentists are closed, and all I knew to do was take her to the ER. After sitting there for an hour and realizing that no one really knew what to do, I went to the desk to ask if we could leave and follow up with the dentist in the a.m. They said that would be fine, and that they would have a PA take a quick look.
The PA was kind, but there was nothing she could do, so she told us to head on out and not to stop at the desk. This meant that they weren't charging us anything. Whew. It wasn't like they had done anything helpful, but you know how it is with ER bills...
Kait's office called me at about 6:50 this a.m. and wanted us to be in there by 7:40. We left as fast as we could, and were there by 7:30. I was so ready for someone to help us!
It just so happens that Kait's dentist was doing surgeries, and she had to be seen by another dentist. They took a basic x-ray of just the two misplaced teeth, and said we needed to see an oral surgeon. The teeth were only about 2/3 in, so they roots were not totally developed. Small roots don't give them much to work with.
They gave me a list of surgeons, and I had to pick. I felt like I was making such uniformed decisions because I hadn't heard of most of them, and didn't know any of them.
To further complicate things, I found out that our insurance didn't cover any of the O.S.'s in Lima. We would have to travel at least 45 min. It became worse from there...it just so happens that there is a O.S. conference this week and every one I called was out of town!
We found one 45 minutes north of us who was in, but was working out of a satellite office another hour north of that. Having no choice, I took it.
We left her dentist around 9:30 and came home. I did some quick cleaning, and fixed breakfast for the other kids (one still recovering from pneumonia and the other from a head cold).
Kait and I left about 11 to see the O.S. God gave us a safe, comfortable trip, and I'm so thankful for that. I had never been to the town before, and had no difficulty finding the office.
I won't go into the details of my first impressions, etc. When I have more energy, I may post them at Simply Stephanie. It's worth describing, trust me, I'm just tired!
The o.s. had two options, try to save the teeth (he said there was 30% chance it would take) or pull them the rest of the way and be on to a retainer with false teeth until she is developed enough to have implants.  I told him I wanted him to give it a shot, and he did.
Because I hadn't looked at the inside of her mouth, I didn't realize what all was going on.  When they went in, there was a large flap of skin pushed back on the roof of her mouth.  From the front on back.  She also fractured the bone in the roof of her mouth.  The dr manipulated that bone a bit and stitched the roof of the mouth.  Then the took a chain link type material and wrapped the teeth and anchored them to the back teeth that are sturdy.  They also removed the baby tooth opposite the one that fell out last night.  It was loose, and they needed to get it out of the way.
She had to have 5 shots in the roof of her mouth front top gums and up in toward the nose.  The dr told her it would hurt really bad, and that she would have to be strong.  Her dentist uses gas, so she has never had to feel an oral injection like that.  She cried at the thought of it, and I prayed in her ear and encouraged her to be strong before I left the room. 
A couple of times during the procedure, staff members came out and told me that she was amazing...better than some adults they had seen.  I know that was God helping her...
Within just over an hour, they were finished, and we were getting instructions before heading home.  I picked up her antibiotic in Findlay on the way through, and we pulled into the garage sometime after 5 this evening.
She will be getting her stitches out a week from tomorrow.  I assume he will assess her at that time, but  I don't know how long they will leave the apparatus on her teeth.  We are accepting the fact that the chances of this working are slim, but we are praying that God's will be done.  He knows what is best.
In the meantime, if you see her, she might try to hide.  I told her that people will probably make comments about it but it won't be in a negative way because people are concerned and are praying for her.  So please understand if she doesn't want to talk about it or whatever.  It all depends on how she is feeling about it at the moment. 
I don't want her to quit smiling.  I don't want her to feel ugly.  I want her to know nothing has changed about who she is.  And that's what matters most.
Thanks for your continued prayers...and I might post a pic tomorrow. 

Update on Kaitlynn...

Kaitlynn had an accident last night around 5:30. She was playing in the boy's room, and somehow landed on the front of the seat of a video rocker on her feet. This sent the headrest part into her upper gum area, knocking out a baby tooth and knocking her two front permanent teeth down and back.
I took her to ER, but apparently there is no longer oral care available,at least for teeth, at the hospital.
After a long, sleepless night, I was able to get her in to her dentist at 7:40 a.m. The roots of those teeth are very young and not fully developed. That could be good (there is a chance for continued growth and rejuvination) or bad (should they become abscessed, root canals would be very difficult - if even possible).
We are to see an oral surgeon at around noon today. Hopefully they can re-position the teeth and place a splint. It is a wait and see after that.
Please pray that this procedure will go smoothly. She hasn't eaten since lunch yesterday.
Thanks so much!