Olivia's Spring Musical

Olivia had her spring musical a few weeks ago. It was very cute! She did such a great job! She's a pro at this because she did it last year with her junior kindergarten class. My Mom, Auntie Diane, and Ryan joined Makenna and I to see the performance. There are a few videos of Olivia and her class and some of Makenna. Not that anyone but probably Eli's family would be interested in watching. Just click on the pictures with the little video icon on the lower left hand corner when you get to the web album and it will play them. The video's didn't come out that nice but Olivia is the one with the light blue long skirt and shirt on.

Olivia's Spring Musical

WEB ALBUM

Gypsy Moth

Erika was a gypsy moth in her spring musical. It was all about bugs and spring time. It had a lot of cute comic relief lines and a bunch of songs. She had a quite a few lines she did beautifully!!! I was so proud of her. There were 2 classes that participated in it and they all did a great job, it was a lot of material to remember! I would've posted some of it but I have it recorded on my dinosaur video camera that uses VHS and couldn't record much because I had Makenna with me. Thank god a friend of mine was there to help me with Makenna, because she ate all the good suckers in the first 10 minutes of the program. I also wore my brace.

Shasta went to her new Mommy

Olivia and Shasta on their last night together

Shasta went to her new home yesterday. Erika, Olivia, and I took her to her new Mommy's house last night. Monaca's Mom saw her on my blog, fell in love with her and decided she was ready to have a new kitty in her house, she had lost her 20 year old cat about 2 years ago.
Olivia and Shasta were quite a pair and it was difficult to decide not to keep her and difficult to explain to Olivia why we couldn't keep her. After we dropped her off, Olivia did shed some tears but was very happy that her new Mommy had all sorts of toys for her when she arrived and that made her feel so much better. Carolyn (Monaca's Mom) sent Erika and Olivia an email last night thanking them for Shasta and thanking them for taking such good care of her. They both had huge smiles on their faces after I read them the email last night. Olivia is still missing her but she is also so very happy that Shasta and Carolyn get to be together.
AND Eli is happy we don't have 5 cats. I am just happy that I saved Shasta's life and could bring joy to someone else. She was so much fun and will be missed.

My step back

I think I am at the point in one's life that when I am older I hopefully can look back at all this and laugh. This whole situation will be a story I can talk about and say I went through it and tell someone who is in the same situation that YES they will get through it and one day it will be better. But right now I am loosing faith, hope, and my sanity.
Tuesday morning when I woke up I felt great, went to physical therapy and was so proud of myself. Frank (my physical therapist) was happy with my progress and I was ahead of schedule. I was a little stressed that Frank told me he didn't think I should go back to work for at least another 3 - 4 weeks, but he said "we will see how it goes". He even gave me new exercises and I kicked butt. Wednesday was ok, a little sore from doing so much on Tuesday but still....I was happy and had a great attitude. It was a good sore, a work out sore.
Thursday at the dentist, Makenna was being a good girl for the first 45 minutes, after that, she lost control. Dealing with hearing the news about Olivia's teeth, trying to understand the treatment plan and trying from keeping Makenna from tearing up the place I had to pick her up and hold her more then once. Long story short, my back didn't like it. A few hours later at PT my back was spasming and I spent about 2 1/2 hours with my PT crying and in pain. He told me that just because I feel better one day doesn't mean that I am healed, that I have to remember that this is serious and I have to take it slow. He reassured me that sometimes this happens and that I just aggravated it a little and this is just a little bump in the road, that I pushed it a little too far. I felt like a complete ass because I had one of the moments that when you start to cry you can't stop. I was so frustrated, my PT and his tech did everything they could to help relieve some of the pain. I felt that everything I had done and all the work that I had done at PT was just erased and I was back at square one.
Friday I went back to the PT and I am now off most of my exercises and back on just massage, traction, some sissy exercises and the tread mill, plus I am back to being on pain medication regularly. Depending on how it goes through the weekend we can start adding things slowly again next week.
I want to take a huge jump forward!!!!!

Our Olivia

Olivia has been having mouth pain again. I was referred to yet another dentist by another mom I know (this is Olivia's 4th dentist). They squeezed her in yesterday morning, as a new patient and off we went. The tooth she had a pulpectomy done on at the 3rd dentist (that had refilled 2 times already) has now abscessed along with 3 other teeth that are on their way to doing the same thing. Olivia, who is now terrified of the 3rd dentist, has to have a tooth pulled (by an oral surgeon under anesthetic), a spacer placed, 3 pulpectomy's, 4 caps, and 4 other cavities filled. There are nine teeth total that need to be worked on in 7 visits total. 2 at the oral surgeon and 5 at the dentist. We have appointments all set up until the beginning of August.
Olivia has been through hell already with her teeth, ever since she was 2, this is why the dentist recommends anesthesia with the abscessed tooth, she believes that Olivia would loose the only trust and cooperation she has left if they were to pull the tooth with her being aware of the situation.
Monday we go in to see the oral surgeon for evaluation and to get her set up to have the tooth pulled, which will probably be sometime next week. Once that space has healed, the dentist will go to work on the rest. Olivia did a lot of crying yesterday and she hates her medicine that she has to take every 8 hours.
I feel so bad for her but I am trying really hard to be ok with putting her under anesthetic again, for her sake.
I am happy with her new dentist and Olivia seemed to really trust her. The office staff worked really hard to make her experience yesterday a good one and they succeeded. So I feel that we are in good hands. I just can't believe that 9 teeth can go this bad in 6 months.
Hearing all this and dealing with all this along with finding out that blue cross blue shield will only cover $1000 and Makenna was running around screaming and acting a terd was a lot to take.

Queen of Hearts

Who's been painting my roses red?

I am no longer know as the Sea Witch. Now Makenna calls me the Queen, but not just any Queen, the Queen of Hearts. She says........

"YYYYYYEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSS, your Majesty!"

Sometimes she will even curtsy.
In my opinion, I feel more like the pot smoking caterpillar with all the drugs I'm on.

OFF WITH HER HEAD!!

(Gosh, I think I'd rather be known as the Sea Witch)

Nursing Orientation

Tonight is my nursing orientation. It is from 6-8pm smack dab in the middle of campus. My sister is driving me because I don't know how well I will do going 75 mph on I96 (ok so I really usually go 80 mph). Eli offered to take me but I thought he needs a break from me and needs a little Brad time. So I am excited to go and I have a starbucks gift card so Diane and I can get a coffee for our drive. The best part about it is that I have a handicap sticker. So I get a great parking spot, but I am leaving my walker at home.
Dave you will be happy to know that I will be sporting my fanny pack though.

Brad, Joann, and Sue

I love my bosses, well gosh, I probably have more bosses than I should because of all the hands in the cookie jar....but for the most part I am treated like family, sometimes too much like family, mostly better than family. We all bicker like old married couples. When my back injury at work happened Sue, Brad, and Joann were so caring and understanding. They love Eli and my girls like they love their own family and they are such giving people. I have had many ups and downs through the years and some of the dynamics with Jeffrey Animal Hospital were hard to handle but this is my home away from home and would never change a thing. To think of how good they have been to me over the years and that I will be leaving in the future brings tears to my eyes and was one of the hardest decisions I had to make.
There are clients and patients there that I have seen as a puppies and kittens, seen them grow and helped walk them to the grave and loved them with the all the love that I have in my heart.
Anyways.....Brad, Joann, and Sue have bent over backwards to take care of me during this injury. My family talks about Brad, Joann and Sue like they are family. They are great people and they will always be a part of me and who I am and what I will become in the future. Thank you Brad and Joann for giving me an opportunity to shine, show who I am, and deal with my....lets just say, dominating personalities!
Joann is also having a hard time with her foot right now, she just had surgery and will be going through PT as well. We actually will be going to the same place I believe. Please keep Joann and her family in your prayers, she needs prayers just as much if not more than I.
Also please pray for Eli and Brad that they can put up with us.......

Physical Therapy

So today was my follow up with my internist on my progression to the incident. I have finished the Prednisone and I am not happy about it. It was the only medication that was really helping and it gave me energy to kept me positive and kept trucking. I begged for more but it was a no go, she called it an immediate fix and not a long term fix. Instead I got more Vicoden ES and Valium, good think I am a happy drunk. It keeps me cool, calm, and collected. I am ready to start my physical therapy and I am going to go to the PT that my mother uses. The one my internist recommended couldn't get me in until June 2nd, and I was not about to wait that long to get back to work. I am going to Oakland Physical Therapy starting Monday three days a week for 4 weeks. I am going to be under the care of Frank Kava so off I go. If PT doesn't help the next step would be epidural injections, but I am going to be optimistic and work hard. I can do this!

We all need a nap once in a while

Kenna fell asleep on the toilet taking a "turtle poop" (that's what she calls it)

This is what happens when I can't run after Makenna anymore (she is much faster than me lately, my walker just can't move that fast), I slipped some of my Vicoden and Valium in her apple juice. (OK TOTALLY KIDDING, I don't need child services at my door, yet I could probably use a vacation) She always asks me "You back hurr Momma, oh poor Momma, you yet me wub it?"
And I don't usually post nasty pictures of myself (or frumpy as Jon would call them) but having Kenna in a peaceful quiet moment with me was too precious to pass up. If only she was this quiet.......

Kenna loves to play outside on the swing set and her favorite is the teeter tauter. She has a huge cut on her nose to prove it. She can get up pretty high all on her own...."LOOK AT ME MOMMA", yes Kenna I see you and please God don't let her fall. FEARLESS I SAY!

OK I think her name is "Shasta"

AH HELP ME!!!! Put me down so I can bite you!

Eli loves kitty cats.......

Erika is a PRO

I am so happy that Shasta is bottle feeding. It makes life so much easier. She is so much fun especially when she bounces around and bites you. Well actually it scares the S#&* out of you. She loves Titus, but Titus just runs from her. Anyone want her? I have strict regulations and there with be a home visit.....