UGH, Nonaz teeth....

i started this post after her procedure, then things got crazy. so for the record here's what went down...

Rinoa had dental work done, but for this to happen, they had to put her to sleep.
to say the least, i was nervous and worried out of my mind. okay so, i was down right terrified.
i know, it's no big deal, it's just a routine dental procedure. no biggy, right?!

but the thought of putting her to sleep and any chance that her little body doesn't handle the anesthesia... and well, i was having a hard time. they had to cut into her gums and a lot of other stuff i don't even want to get into.

Friday JULY 17 we arrived at 6am, did all the prep etc., she drank the vercet, after a bit she was feeling loopy. i took her to potty, just in case, cause she would be out for a while. then, they took her to "the back". the anesthesiologist warned she would be grumpy afterwards when she wakes up, so be prepared .

i brought a book in hopes to catch up on my reading, but couldn't even sit still long enough. the next two hours were endless. reading small articles here and there in the outdated magazines, was all the focus i could muster at one time.

FINALLY. they called me back.

i could hear her screaming and coughing from down the hall. the nurse assured me it wasn't her. i replied, "oh, yes it is." (a mother KNOWS her child's cry, it's weird, but true)

Sure enough, she was kicking and fighting with the 2 male nurses, while the female nurse was holding her trying to comfort her. the female nurse turned around with a look of relief and says, "Mommy's here!" i swooped her up so quick she didn't even realize it was me. and continued to screams and kick. Through her swollen tear-filled eyes she realizes it's me and instinctively nestles into my chest and starts to calm down.
she was still hooked up to all the wires and tubes. at this point she didn't want anything or anyone else touching her. she kept grabbing at the IV in her arm and the monitor wire attached to her toe, trying to pull them out. i asked the nurse if it was necessary for her to continue to have them or can they be removed. i wanted her to be as calm and comfortable as possible at this point. he said it was fine, as Rinoa was ripping off the one on her toe. and going for the IV tube in her arm. luckily that one was taped and wrapped several times. he was trying to tear the medical tape off, at no avail. after 3 attempts i was getting frustrated and said, "get some scissors." the female nurse left to grab some, while he continued to fiddle with it. getting more anxious i rip the bandage off, so he could get on with it. he removes the IV and tries to apply pressure to the area, but Nona didn't want him touching her anymore. i grab the gauze, held it in place and applied pressure.

Nona then holds me closer and begins to fall asleep. The male nurse asked who the anesthesiologist was, while the other male nurse looked it up. i asked, "why, don't all the kids wake up this cranky?" he answers, "No, not THIS bad, only when this guy does it."

.....so anyways....

we move on to the secondary recovery area, where they observe her further. at this time they let Daddy come in too.
she tries to fall back asleep and we have to keep waking her up. she has to be fairly coherent before they can discharge her.
it's been a few hours since surgery, so, i ask the nurses if i can take her to the bathroom. they looked at each other and as though i was crazy. nurse1 says, "why, is she potty training or something?" nurse2, "well, we have to get clearance." (WAS THAT SUCH AN UNREASONABLE REQUEST??) so then i say, "look. you think she's mad now! if she pees herself, you are going to be in a world of hurt!"
i take her to the bathroom with the 2 nurses following and observing. of course i held her the whole time. she HAD to go! and she went A LOT!
and the nurses behind me chatting amongst themselves saying, "oh, wow!" "she's going a lot!" "i guess mom knows best" "mommy knows her girl" ....BLAH BLAH BLAH....WHATEVER!

finally we get to leave.

2 days go by, things seem to be normal. minor pain. some swelling. eating popsicles and jello.
then Sunday night she starts having fevers, high fevers. still thinking this is all normal, we try to control them with Motrin and Tylenol. we clean her teeth and do everything as instructed, but i was not comfortable with all the bleeding and fevers.

Wednesday July 22 we walk her in to the dental office. they see us right away. we are told she has a bacterial infection and an acute case of gingivitis from lowered immune system and stress.
they give her several meds and a different antibiotic, we discovered she's allergic to amoxicillin.

she cries and cries. like an infant waking every 2 hrs or so. she is miserable and in terrible pain. on top of keeping a steady level of the antibiotic in her system every 8 hrs on the dot, we keep pumping her with tylenol and motrin every 5 hrs, antibacterial mouthwash every 12 hrs and a special concoction of benadryl/ lido/ maalox mix to help numb her mouth.

Friday JULY 24 again we see the doctors, her condition seems to worsen. we are reminded her condition is acute and they are genuinely concerned. they determine it's viral and tell us if she becomes listless to take her to the emergency room asap. The Doctors are amazed at how "normal" she seems despite her affliction. We are told at this point, we are doing a great job, all we can do is continue what we are doing and wait it out.

i could barely leave her side to do much of anything. i spent most of my time holding her sweltering little body, even while she slept. i was so sad for her. it pained me to see her hurting, it killed me that i couldn't do anything about it. to make it go away and make her better. i prayed so hard every moment i could. i cried till i had no tears. i felt so hurt and helpless. emotionally drained, torn at the seams. not having control. not able to fix her.

Monday JULY 27 another appointment, the doctors are hopeful. her fevers subsided. she still has bleeding but things don't look worse. so that's good.

TODAY, she has improved substantially. back to her normal self and almost eating normally. she still has some meds to take but is doing SO good. though she still has bleeding, the swelling has gone down considerably. SO SO much better. she has another appointment on Monday August 3. I feel so relieved, it's almost over.

We are all truly grateful to all our friends and family for the loving thoughts and prayers.

Manta Park

Huge towers and rollerslides seem to be abundant in these parts, which is great for us... cause we love 'em!




"HI, Michael!"


close-up of the "citizen" clock

everyone enjoying the park...

my kids. always have to be different.....

Donovan for example going down backwards...

and Michael.... well...see for yourself...

didn't turn out the way he expected...

"I'm okaaaay!"

view of the rest of the park and surrounding town...

Pink Toenails, for realzzz

Nona and i spent some girl time at the salon and got our nails did.

We decided on a hot pink florescent color. Nona picked out some spongebob art and had it painted on.

it was lost of fun and she sat still longer than i could.

this pink color reminds me of summer time, growing up in Florida, in the 80's. there always seemed to be alot of florescent around. we used to tease, "friends don't let friends wear florescent."

but i kinda miss it...

eight years

today. we've been married.
it was a Friday.
it's a wonderful feeling to be with someone you were meant to spend eternity with.

Tobaru Koen Park

We all enjoyed a nice outing at this nature park. There are paved nature trails with mile markers, pavilions, picnic tables, playground, climbing nets and of course a huge roller slide.

The layout of the park...


Close up of the little sign


Rinoa Mia enjoying a pony ride, haha


Donovan getting squirrely

cute playground with a panda for Mike!

another sign along the path. there was one for "Haboo", but it wasn't as funny.

Big overlook tower

neighboring city

Dondan speeding by


Dad and Nona taking a spin, you can see Mike and Donovan underneath


view from the bottom



these slides are fun, and FAST... you pick up speed quick and the friction can be, well, less than kind on the behind. We have brought towels to help, but decided we will make cardboard sleds instead.

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer as much as we are.

a VDO of Dondan sliding...

Served sizzlin' HOT

Dondan tries out the hotdog machine... check it out...

RANDOM: So that's where THAT goes

yes. it's a lamp shade.

just a little blurb...

we just found out Antonio made Tech! yay! we are all so excited and proud of him!
sadly, we won't be able to attend his "pin-on" ceremony, cause he'll be back in the desert again.

Gratz to our boys

before we get further into our summer break...
i must comment on how well Michael and Donovan have done this school year. of course, i anticipate them doing well every year, but one step at a time.

Donovan past the first grade with all high marks; excelling in math and reading.
(additional note: when asking Dondan to put a new sheet on his bed, he replies, "that's too hard." my response, "no. it's not. you can do it." he retorts, "yes it is, it's NOT like math, math is EASY!") i always get a chuckle from that.
He did well adjusting to his new environment, considering the circumstances. getting acquainted was a little difficult at first, but in the end he made many new friends.

Michael has come a long way. I am so very proud of him, i will always be proud of our kids regardless, because i know they will do their best.
When we left WA we were still undergoing some therapies including biofeedback and tweaking meds to suite his needs. it's been a really, really long process for all of us. i was very stubborn and weary about using meds. (i think that's what held us back alot.) he finished the 7th grade with the bare minimum to pass and started this school year with "D's" and "F's" with an occasional "C". He brought his grades up, (we started on meds and worked on different ones) and staggered at "C's" and "B's" for a while. Anyone who knows Michael, knows he's very bright. aside from being a bookworm, he's very methodical in his thinking. So it was frustrating for him and for everyone who loves him to see him suffer this way. He was "labeled" and treated differently since he was in the first grade.
So, here we are 8th grade, starting over in a foreign country, thrown in the middle of the school year, different curriculum, new procedures, etc.... starting with his "B's" and "C's", DAY ONE! LABELED! ALREADY!
(i won't go into detail about those stories right now, but let's just say i have been in that school and in their faces several times. Not all the staff is bad, most of the teachers are for the students, but the administration staff leave VERY MUCH to be desired.)
a couple weeks in.... Michael "WOWS" them. not only that. he shuts them up by his performance. then, OH YES, he floors them with numerous projects and presentations. finally, jaws dropping as he reels in several honors and awards for outstanding grades and achievements.
He leaves that school with a 3.89 GPA.
yes. leaves. and i am so glad he is moving on to the High school next year. sure maybe there will be issues, but i can't stand that middle school. (did i mention that it's a new school and this is the first year they were open?! yeah, they have ALOT of modifications ahead of them.)
I would post some of these certificates, but Michael has "misplaced" them, he says they don't mean much to him, cause it's the fact that he came away with knowledge and experience, which he will always keep. kudos to you Mike.
NOTE: we did not attend the two separate awards ceremonies. the first one, i wasn't notified till the day of and the second, was a luncheon i was NOT bringing Nona to. We had our own celebrations at home. they were more fun and meant a whole lot more.

RANDOM: so that's where THAT goes