Apendicitis Sucks

So, this year Halloween wasn't so fun. About 4:30 pm I started having a pain in my side. By 6 pm I was in horrible pain and my entire abdomen hurt so terribly and was super tender to the touch. Zeus was tired from working all weekend so between the two of us, we sat on the front porch with Mia (non-costumed, sadness) and passed out candy. I'd heard of someone experiencing something similiar, had gone to the ER and had an ultrasound etc., and it had ended up being gas pains, so I was really holding out on going in. However, by 9 pm I thought I might be dying. It was worse than labor pains not only because it hurt so bad, but because it was constant and just would just NOT stop. We headed to the ER where they did blood work and even a CT scan. My white blood cell count was slightly elevated and my appendix was slightly enlarged, but they were perplexed by how sore my entire stomach was. At about 3 am they admitted me to the hospital and my appendix was removed the next morning. When they went to take out my appendix, they found a pocket of puss that they had to suction out as well, which was probably the cause of the extreme abdominal pain. Luckily, they were still able to do it laproscopically, so I have three small incisions versus one longer one that would have had to go through four layers of muscle. Ouch! Because of the extra "goody" they had to suction out, I got to stay an extra day in the hospital. Got home today and feeling MUCH better than Monday, but still generally crappy. This is my second surgery this year, you think I'd be over it by now. In the last two years this is my third surgery. Man, between Mia and Zeus and I, we've had seven surgeries in this household in the past 16 months!  Sheish!  I say, enough all ready!


Luckily we were able to have some fun before "the appendix" took over and ruined the last few days.  On Friday we trick-or-treated at the nursing home. On Saturday we "Trunk-or-Treated" at the church parking lot. We hung a spider web over the hatch of my car and hung our home made decorations and spider rings on the stretched out web. I think it turned out pretty awesome, and apparently others agreed because we won second prize in the trunk decorating contest!  Yay!

Looking pretty great, eh?

Sofia and Sara rocking the cake walk, and Mia and I rocking the cake walk. 

Cake walk winners and their winnings. 

Sara and Fia trunk-or-treating.

Mia surprised us by carrying her own bucket at actually walking from car to car for a little bit!

Zeus worked his part time weekend job was was able to jet over after work and catch the last few moments of trunk-or-treating. Mia's cheeks are full of candy in this one. lol

Mama and papa and Mia trunk-or-treating. Cute little butterfly!

Man, we just can't get enough of her!  :)

On Sunday after church, we went to two Halloween themed activities. The first was our friend Chrissy's little mommy-and-me Halloween party and the second was at the University of Texas for students and their family. What a full, full day!

Mia looking cute as a bug in a rug on Sunday at church.

Sofia and Sara decorated scary mummy cupcakes at Chrissy's.

Sara and Fia also painted some mini-pumpkins. 

Mia caught up on her snuggling of some good friends we haven't seen for a bit and charmed everyone in her little butterfly costume.

Then it was off to the Erwin Center at UT for their Halloween celebration. Zeus was able to get out of work a few hours early and meet us there.

Fun Halloween peek-troughs. 

Mia thought the free balloon was the coolest thing ever.

Sara and Fia fished for candy and bowled for candy. 

I gave Fia a ride on my shoulders so she could see the dancers. Her dress made for a cute bonnet and a silly photo op.  :)  

I got recruited to help with the super complex scary face Sofia chose when grandma's hands got tired. Man, at times I wondered if I would be able to even finish it!

Grandpa helping Sara with her happy jack-o-lantern.

My easy ghost one for Mia, Sofia's scary grin, and Sara's happy pumpkin.

We were able to get them out and lit before their papa got in from the airport.

That night their papa finally flew in from Germany to join the party. However, Zeus still got some quality Sofia time in before her papa took over. They have such a fun bond and it's fun to see them together.

Then on Halloween we decorated Halloween cookies before the trick-or-treating took off. Sara and Sofia were able to wear their costumes one last time for a trip around the block with their mom and dad and grandpa while Zeus, Mia, grandma and I held down the fort and handed out candy before the fateful trip to the ER. Man, no wonder my appendix gave out. Way too much Halloween fun going on in the past few days!

Got home from the hospital today and was suckered in to going and sitting by the pool while everyone swam. The pool by the house was finally on lock-down so we went to the neighborhood YMCA. Good times!  Go ahead, I know you're already singing it... "It's fun to stay at the Y, M, C, A!"

Nikki, Sofia, Sara, Zeus and Mia swimming in the pool at the YMCA today.

Sofia and Sara could swim all by themselves with the life vests on and thought they were super cool.

Though you can't tell by the look on her face in this photo, Mia enjoyed swimming and her life vest as well.  lol

Anyhow, it's time for my next dose of antibiotic and pain meds, so I'm off to pop some pills and catch some much needed rest. Nightey night.

Ba Da Be Da Da, Feelin' Groovy!

Mia is doing so good that I have to keep reminding myself that she had such a major surgery just a little over a week ago. If she didn't have the arm restraints on to remind me, I'd probably have to catch myself from feeding her non-mushy foods and would think that it had been longer than surgery than it actually has been.


Here are some photographic proof from the past three days:

What? I LIKE emptying out buckets and playing with all my shoes... and socks... and tights... and leg warmers... and bibs... and bows... and...

Who's cute?

Climbing over, around and through things = fun times! 

Arm restraints are not toys... arm restraints are not toys... Whenever we take them off to get her dressed for the day or to put her pajamas on, she thinks it's great fun to look through the "tubes" of the arms and to slide her skinny little arms in and out of them one at a time.

Heading to the pool in her new swimsuit with built-in floaties = huge torso-ed baby.  :)

Man, do I ever know how to work it.

For reals!

Zerbit!  Enough with the camera mom.  Feed me already so I can get my "swim" on!

Just chillin.

What? Aren't YOU teething too? If so, you can have some ice cream too!

Yummy cold goodness.

 

Man, we love this little turkey so much!

Birthday Time! :)

Our little Mia turned one last Thursday.  We had Zeus's brother Danny and his family come into town on Wednesday and stay through the weekend to help us celebrate.  Hooray for family celebrations!  :)

Cousins Carlos, DJ, Dahnia and Mia

Mia (12 months) and Dahnia (9 months) in their matching "snug as a bug" pajamas.

On Mia's actual birthday, we woke up to pink and purple streamers decorating the kitchen - in case you didn't guess it, the Birthday Fairy decorated the kitchen the night before for Mia's birthday.  It's a fun tradition that my family had that I LOVED growing up, so I decided to institute that tradition with our family.  Zeus had two responses to the Birthday Fairy's decorating - 1) I LOVE it! and 2) Why didn't the Birthday Fairy decorate for MY birthday.  The Birthday Fairy felt duly chastised and will be decorating for his birthday as well from here on out.  :)  

Mia in her "1" outfit on her birthday.  Such a little cutie pie!  :)

After breakfast we went birthday party shopping to stock up on things for the party where I realized that we were going to end up BBQing  for Mia's birthday in addition to the snacks and cake and swimming that I'd been anticipating.  I wanted it to be a quick and simple and stress-less so didn't particularly want to BBQ, just to have snacking food that could be put out and be done with type of thing.  Apparently the first birthday in the Hispanic culture is a pretty big deal and includes BBQing and major feeding of guests, so I was overruled and decided to just go with it, especially as it's a family tradition on his side.

Lunch at Terra Burger which had a playground and splash pad, prior to shopping at Costco across the parking lot - Mia and Paulina playing in the water.

Uncle Danny and Aunt Hilda were such sweeties and got a small Tres Leches cake for all of us to share to celebrate the actual day of her birthday along with a little balloon that said Happy Birthday on it.  We sang Happy Birthday to Mia and she enjoyed the yummy birthday cake!

DJ giving Mia her balloon.

Mia was enthralled by the lit birthday candle!  :)

Mmmmm.... birthday cake - yummy!!!

The next day we headed to Sea World with Danny and Hilda and their family as well as with Paulina who I'm watching this summer.  I was torn between staying to get the house and food ready for Mia's birthday party the next day and going with the family, but was glad that we all went.  We had a fun time hanging out in the water park.  Dahnia and Mia especially loved the shallow pool bordering the front of the wave pool that they could crawl around in and sit and splash in.  We came home happily exhausted and ready for a nap!  :)  I could shoot myself that we didn't think to take any group shots or any shots of us playing at the water park at Sea World!

Zeus took this one when we first got there and were waiting on Danny and his family to get their passes.

I got this last minute one of Carlos, Hilda, Dahnia and DJ as we were leaving the park.

Needless to say, the morning of Mia's party was a mad rush on the part of Hilda and I to get the breakfast dishes cleaned up (why oh why did we do a big breakfast on party day?!?), clear off the counters and island, and get all the birthday food out and ready while Zeus and Danny ran to get the cake and balloons.  Everything came together (thankfully) just in time for people to start showing up.  At one point I was in a mad panic because I'd poured the punch into the drink fountain, turned it on, and the light came on but the fountain part didn't work.  After plugging and unplugging it numerous times, as well as sending up multiple prayers on the fountain's behalf, low and behold it started working - thank goodness!!!  I didn't have time to frost the cupcakes or mini smash cake for Mia, but other than that, everything else was done and ready and I just decided to skip the smash cake and just give her a piece of the yummy Costco cake we'd gotten.  :)

Hailey and Mia - yes, that dark little one is Mia, sporting a tan.  :)

Valorie, Ammon, Hailey and Mia getting ready to get their bday grub on.  :)

The darling twins I tutor Shelby and Taylor and their mom Rachel.

Savannah, the twins' older sister with Mia and Shelby.  :)  Sweetest girls ever!

The infamous birthday fountain with Tio Danny, Tio Carlos, and cousin Carlos grubbin'.  :)

Mia and I with Carolyn and Maddie (who was born with the same kind of clefting as Mia) who's only one month old and so precious and tiny!  She's the same size Mia was when she was born - man how a year changes things!

A very happy Birthday Girl and her favorite mama of all time!  :)

Family photo!  :)

Mia was enthralled with the birthday flame.

So I got distracted by the camera and Mia's excitement over the candle and TOTALLY spaced and skipped the "Happy Birthday" singing to Mia.  Sadness!!!

Chocolate birthday cake - YUM!

A whole fist full of chocolaty Y U M M I N E S S !

What?  Do I have something on my face?

Good to eat AND fun to finger paint with - bonus!

A beautiful day for a pool party!  Playing with Papa and Tio Carlos, with Amali and Michelle in the background.

The Rodriguez family - Amali, Michelle and Mauro

Stephanie, Mia, Leah, and I - Mia is one week older than neighbor friend Leah.

The family that plays together stays together...  :)  

I had a BLAST at the pool with my family and friends!!!

Friends and family playing at the pool.

A VERY happy birthday girl at the pool!

Then back to the house to eat BBQ and blow out the candle one more time (with the friends who showed up later) - this time we remembered to sing Happy Birthday!  :)

Dahnia, Carlos, Tio Danny and Tia Hilda 

Carlos and DJ are ready to help Mia and her papa open presents at the end of the day.  :)

I guess after two cakes, some streamers and balloons, some party food and a few times through of singing happy birthday, our little Mia is officially ONE!!!