Spring in January!?

Well, we've been having spring-like weather here in Ohio. Some people are complaining about the lack of snow, but NOT ME! I love it! It's so much easier to get out and about when you don't dread even having to run out to go grocery shopping. Definitely helps the cabin fever and winter blahs. Adrian and I went to The Works museum in Newark. This place is great! I can't believe I'd never gone before. But then again, I've still never been to COSI, despite having grown up here. Anyway, Adrian had a blast and I will be buying a year membership...only $25 for lower income families! I can't wait to take Charlie. There's so much to look at and do, even for a kid like her. We didn't even get to see the whole place too.

Adrian learning about how much electricity different appliances use:

Balancing on the skateboard:

We were telling Grandpa all about our trip and he thought the stuff they had there was way cool. He's going to buy a set of snap circuits for his house so he can teach all the grandkids about electricity (he's an electrician and an inventor).

Here he is giving Adrian a science lesson on magnets (I told him I'd be bringing Adrian to him for regular science lessons!):

I took Charlie to the park yesterday. It was almost 60 degrees out! She loved the swings the most, although the slide was a close second. Unfortunately, getting her down the slide isn't as easy and wears me out.

Swinging by herself like a big kid (there were no straps so she didn't get to go very high):

Swinging with mommy!:

Swinging with her nurse, Brittany...wheeee!:

Charlie's big kid diapers came. I wasn't home when the delivery guy dropped them off. I walked in and was like WTH? I didn't know what the boxes were at first because why would diapers ever need 3 HUGE boxes!? But yeah, all diapers. 19 packages of 16 each. Enough for 10+ per day for a month. Charlie uses 4, maybe 5 per day. She floods overnight and then barely pees during the day. But I'm so happy because so far not ONE leak overnight in these! I was washing sheets almost every morning with the huggies!

Lots o' diapers:

Charlie had her appointment with her pulmonologist, Dr. Shell. Best doctor in that hospital, if you ask me. He's SO easy to work with. And he really seems to "get" kids like Charlie. And, on top of all that, he believes parents know their kids better than anyone. If I bring up a concern, no matter how stupid it sounds, he listens. Doesn't dismiss me. Doesn't act like I'm being irrational. We talked about the trach some. I half expected him to try to dissuade me, but he didn't. He listened to my reasons for maybe wanting one for Charlie, then he said he absolutely understands why we'd want one to improve her quality of life. He said it could do everything I hope it will do, but it also might not. So we talked about what would happen if it did more harm than good, including the option of removing it. He's having the ENT doctor call me to set up an appointment. This will probably be our last step before making THE big decision.

If we go ahead with the trach, it's an automatic 1 week PICU stay. She has to stay long enough to heal, for us to learn all the cares, and also participate in a trach change (happens on the 7th day). I'm SO glad I'm not working right now! The whole idea of a week in the hospital seems a lot less stressful when you don't have to worry about leaving your kid to wipe other kids butts for $9.50 an hour!