Live Love(d)*

*Lutherhaven's theme for the summer

Look closely between the H and A...surprise!

We just got back from our vacation at Camp Lutherhaven on beautiful Lake Coeur d'Alene!

What a wonderful week!

For those who don't know, Lutherhaven is a Lutheran summer camp that has been around since the 40s and hosts thousands of kids, families, youth groups, etc. all year long, but during the summer is a traditional summer camp, where each week kids arrive for an awesome week of fun in nature and learning about God.  It is particularly special to Erik and me because it is where we met when we were counselors there in 2006.  We jokingly refer to it as "the land where our love began" which is not entirely accurate, since we were just friends at the time and did not actually start dating until afterwards, but at the base of every good romantic relationship there is friendship, right?  

Lovers in love (and friendship).

At any rate, we were thrilled when the opportunity arose for Erik to volunteer his time as the camp medic for a week, and Elliot and I got to come along.  It turned out to be a lot of work and great experience for Erik, and for me, his de facto assistant ;).  It was an unusual injurious week, with three campers being sent to urgent care and in some cases the emergency room, some bad sprains, and a concussion.  He handled it all like a champ and had great bedside manner, even for some of those overly dramatic kiddos who acted like they were dying from a stubbed toe.  I could not be more proud.

Erik Supermedic

Elliot is a born nature girl, so she, of course, had a great time.  She loved being outside so much and found quite the rock collection.  Every time we went outside she would find a rock and insist on bringing it back to the medic station.  Somehow they didn't make the trip home...  She was the star of camp.  Her love of children combined with her lack of shyness endeared her to almost all the campers, especially the girl cabins.  I think everyone knew her name by the end.  She would walk around camp saying "Hi Bee!" to everyone she came across with a huge smile on her face.  ("Hi Bee" is what I always say to her when I haven't seen her for a while.)  To no one's surprise, I have the trip well-documented with photos.  I took over 200!  Yikes.  Luckily for you, I've whittled it down to the best 40 or so for this blog post.  Without further ado, here is what we were up to all week:

Enjoying the vistas.

Making friends with kids...

...and Milton.

Being a cool baby.

Patiently waiting.

Indulging her Yadao (or is it Ladendorf?) bread gene.

Playing.

 Posing.

Getting her sand and swim on.

One of my favorites of all time.

Spending some quality time with Daddy.

 And forced cuddles with Mommy!  She actually loved trekking all over camp in her Ergo and I loved it because it was like around-the-clock cuddles.

So if the pictures are not speaking for themselves, we had a great time and can't wait to go back!

Until next time Lutherhaven!

Update on Dad; The Next Steps

We spent the last few days in Seattle where Dad underwent another angiogram so the surgeons could have a better idea of what we are working with.

On Monday, Dad checked in at the hospital bright and early to get his labs done and then to get the angiogram done.  Turns out he did not need to get there so early because they did not get him in until almost 3:00 p.m.!  It made for a long day for everyone.  It went fairly well after that and the surgeons were able to get very detailed 3D imaging of the aneurysm and the arteries around it.  Dad was left with a bit of soreness in his leg/groin region, where they inserted the the tubes that let out the dye and he had to lay flat for 6 hours after the procedure so he didn't get back to the hotel until around 10:00 pm.

On Tuesday, we met with the surgeons to discuss the results of the angiogram and plan out the next steps.  As we already knew, the aneurysm measures at about 11mm x 13 mm, which is classified as "big".  Unfortunately, we got some bad news.  Based on the type and location of the aneurysm they will not be able to "simply" go in through the groin and coil it off.  They will have to do two surgeries, and the first will be an "open" surgery, where they will actually have to remove a small window of his skull and operate on the surface of his brain.  I have made some sketches to help illustrate what we have going on here:

 Ok, so the sketch above shows the problem.  As you can see, the aneurysm is on the right vertebral artery which supplies the brain stem and the PICA (don't ask me what it stands for, it is an artery, and apparently it is quite an important one).  Coiling the aneurysm does not present a problem to the blood flow to the brain stem (Sidebar: Coiling is the process of putting a coil into the aneurysm that stops all blood from flowing into or out of the affected area.) because the left vertebral artery also supplies blood to the brain stem.  However, it does present a problem with regard to the PICA because the PICA has no other blood source besides the right vertebral artery.  If they were to go in and coil the aneurysm without taking other precautions there would be no blood flow to the PICA and this would almost certainly cause stroke and damage to his balance, speech, swallowing ability, and who knows what else.  So before they can coil they have to do another procedure.

 The sketch above illustrates the procedure.  So what they need to do is find another blood source for the PICA before they cut off the blood source from the right vertebral artery.  This blood source will be a scalp artery that they will "swing down" and suture to the PICA.  This means they will make an incision in the scalp and pick one of the arteries (apparently his scalp won't miss it because there are many redundant blood supplies there), the attach it to the PICA through the window made in the skull.  They claim that it will be very well protected  by the rest of his skull.  The process I just described is known as bypass surgery, and this should take around 4-5 hours and he will do it on a Thursday.

Once the first procedure is complete they will give him a few days to rest up and get more tests done, MRI's and all that, and then the following Monday they will go in and coil the aneurysm.  In this process they will go in through his leg/groin, the same way they did for the angiogram.  Once this is done the aneurysm will be blocked off and no blood will flow through it.  Easy, right?

I was surprised to find out that the hospital recovery time for all this is actually pretty short.  They said he could be released as early as the Wednesday directly following the second surgery on Monday.  Literally less than a week after he has open brain surgery he should be able to walk right out of the hospital!  Amazing!  So, even though this is not the best news we hoped for, I left the hospital feeling confident that Dad was in really good hands with his surgical team at Harborview.  The surgeries are going to take place at the beginning of September.  Please keep us all in your prayers.  Especially Dad.  He is understandably very anxious about having to undergo open brain surgery.  Thanks everyone for the outpouring of love and support.  It really helps!

Please keep us in your prayers!

This post is not going to be as fun as usual, but I thought it would be a good way to keep everyone informed at once about what is going on with my Dad and also to get lots of prayers going.

For those who haven't heard, a couple weeks ago my Dad went in for an MRI because his doctor wanted to rule out MS.  The results showed no signs of MS, but did reveal a brain aneurysm on his right vertebral artery.  A CT angiogram (CTA) was done to get a better picture of his brain and it revealed there was another aneurysm on his left vertebral artery.  He was referred to a neurosurgeon at Harborview in Seattle and had his consult appointment there this afternoon.  Erik and Dad's girlfriend, Ramona, went with him.  I stayed behind with Elliot, but I was packed and ready to go at a moment's notice if they decided to operate right away!

I have some good news to report from the consult!  There was only one aneurysm, the original one on the right side.  The thing on the left is not an aneurysm, but the doctor said it could turn into one so they will monitor it every few years.  The other good news was that this particular aneurysm has only a 2-3% chance of bursting per year.  This means that immediate surgery is not necessary and they can take a more cautious approach.  The possible options we were given prior to the consult were endovascular surgery, which is where they go in through a vein in the leg all the way up to the brain and fix the aneurysm (I'm a lawyer, not a doctor..."fix" is the best way I can describe it :)), or to actually cut open the head and snip the aneurysm.  The endovascular option is less invasive with a shorter recovery time, so that is what we were hoping for.  Well, today the doctor said before he can say for certain whether they can do the endovascular procedure he needs to get an even clearer picture of Dad's brain to ensure there are no healthy blood vessels mixed in there that would be harmed by that type of surgery.  So, Dad has to go back up to Seattle Sunday night for an early Monday morning procedure where they will look closely at his brain, then has a follow-up consultation on Tuesday with the neurosurgeon where they will (hopefully) set a date for surgery.

That is all the information I have for now.  I think the most frustrating part, for me anyway, is not having a clear plan in place yet.  We would appreciate if you keep him in your prayers and especially that his blood pressure stays low.  Erik says he is in good spirits after his consultation today, which is always good for the blood pressure.

Thanks everyone!

At this time last year...

Here we are, two days away from Girlfriend's FIRST BIRTHDAY, and around our house you can hear a lot of "at this time last year..."  Things like: "I was on the couch with my feet elevated begging the pregnancy gods to take away the swelling," "We were saying over and over 'I can't believe I went PAST my due date!'" "We had the list of things to do when I go into labor with the packed bag underneath."  Coming up on this big day, we are stunned in our disbelief that it has been an entire year since Elliot came into our lives and can't help but relive her arrival.  Which inevitably makes us semi-fondly remember the first few weeks of her life, when we had no idea what we were doing.  We laugh now thinking about how we were terrified of the night.  When the sun started going down we would look at each other, the same wide-eyed fear mirrored in the other's face, not knowing what the night and wee hours would bring from our screaming, inconsolable terrorist.  We also remember how she would throw up literally every time she ate, had at least one diaper blow-out a day, and wouldn't take a nap unless she was cuddled up on Daddy's chest.  I loved that little helpless baby, but I don't think I would trade the silly, curious, funny, and sweet toddler for her smaller, less mobile self.

Well, last year I was putting the finishing touches on Ms. Elliot Noelle, and this year I am putting the finishing touches on her birthday party for tomorrow.  Our house has been a disaster zone getting ready for this thing.  I think it was a combination of my obsession with getting the best deal possible and the fact that I couldn't find exactly what I was looking for which lead me to make a lot of the decorations myself.  The theme is "Pink Lemonade" and for the last few weeks it has appeared that pink exploded in our home.  Believe it or not, I happened to snap a few pics.  I ended up putting far more work into it than I ever imagined.  I still have some to take care of today.  I decided to make the cake...not sure if that was a good idea yet or not.  Actually, I decided to go with cupcakes for guests and a smash cake for Babes, and the way I am picturing it in my head is super cute, but we will see.

The Invite

The Onesie

 The Baby Modeling the Tutu

(Arguably the biggest savings were made here.  The materials cost me around $4.  The ones I was considering at the local baby clothing store cost $35-$45 each!)

 The Making of the Pennant Banner

The Complete Pennant Banner

The Ruffled Streamers

(I made five of these.  Yes, it did occur to me as I was sitting at my sewing machine sewing together crepe paper that I might be going overboard.)

All I can say is, she better have a good time, haha!  No, I enjoyed preparing for this day.  Can't wait for tomorrow!  Stay tuned for pictures from the big day.

Motherhood

I've been feeling sentimental, almost weepily (is that a word?) so, all day.  Maybe it is because this week the last episode of "The Office" will air.  EVER.  I kid.  Kind of.  All I'm saying is, if Michael Scott does not make an appearance I am going to be shocked in my disappointment!  More likely though, my sentimentality is coming from feeling so, so blessed in my life.
Today was my first official Mother's Day.  I celebrated last year, but it was more of a whiney "I deserve a present for carrying this giant baby that refuses to be born" kind of a celebration.  This year was different.  Elliot is nearly a year old, and is straddling the line between infant and child.  Some days I don't know which side of the line she is on.  She is so independent and big and proud of herself and just ready to run (literally).  Sometimes I think if she could talk she would ask me to fix her a sandwich and talk politics over a couple glasses of milk.  I get caught off guard when she gets upset and does one of her deep, belly cries, because it is so much like a baby and not typical of her usual behavior.  This sounds terrible, but I actually like it when that happens, because I get to cuddle her, rock her, and make her sadness go away simply by being her Mommy.
This morning in church we had, in my opinion, an especially moving prayer.  We prayed for all the mothers, but we also prayed for those who are not mothers even though they want to be, for those mothers who love their children so much they know that they cannot care for them and make the hardest selfless decision imaginable and let other families raise them, for mothers who have lost children to death, and for those that have lost children due to their own actions.  It was a humbling experience and made me realize that in my celebration of myself and my mother and mother-in-law, etc., I didn't once stop to think of those who are hurting today.  It also made me think of all the children on my dependency case load who are going through this day without their mothers and how hard that must be.  As Elliot was sitting on my lap, with her head leaning against my heart, I was overwhelmed with gratitude that God entrusted me with this precious life.  I can't believe I get to be Elliot's mom.  Me!
I know this is getting a little heavy, so let's lighten it up a little with some pictures of my big girl.  It has been crazy hot here the last week and a half or so, so we have been spending a lot of time outside.  Girlfriend loves her pool time!  Unfortunately, due to her taking a spill into the coffee table followed by a trip to the emergency room, we got to experience our first stitches this week (don't let me forget to put that in the baby book!) which means water time was limited.  Somehow, we still managed to get plenty of pictures before the big accident.

Getting used to the water/perfecting our runway walk. #fierce

Enjoying a post-dip air dry. #longleggedbaby

We also recently made our first trip to Chuckie Cheese's for cousin Lorelai's birthday...

First Rides

I don't know if Poppy or Elliot had more fun! #poppydid

We've also been playing with the neighborhood children...

And seeing horses for the first time!

Yes, her finger is in his nose. #workingonourmanners

In conclusion, there are a lot of fun and exciting things happening over here.  A lot of firsts, a lot of growth, a few tears (mostly mine), and a whole lot of gratitude.  Happy Mother's Day!

Walk This Way!

After weeks of stepping around, we can finally declare this girl a walker!

The best part of the whole process is how much fun she is having.  Walking between Mommy and Daddy is currently her favorite game.  She has a huge grin and when she gets close to her destination she just lunges, trusting us completely to catch her.  By the end of this evening she was pretty much running down the hall to Erik.  I can't believe how fast she has progressed in just the last few days.

I am one proud Mama!