Checking in....

Thanks for all your encouraging words and prayers. It's a treat to be able to connect with people from my bed. I'm doing pretty good. I'm more swollen and achy today feeling the effects of the actual surgery procedures. The skin on my neck is really tight making moving tricky. I did get some good sleep last night and am REALLY looking forward to showering tomorrow....

Surgery Success

Well, I'm back home healing in my own bed. The surgery went great yesterday. Thank you all so much for your love, concern, and most importantly prayers. It is no small thing to have prayer warriors in your life and I have dozens. A huge thanks to my girls who laid hands and prayed over me on Thursday. You lifted up every concern in my heart without my saying a word. I love you all dearly!

I cannot say enough nice things about the surgery center. Everyone there went out of their way to be helpful and compassionate. All the nurses were dressed in purple, my favorite color- like a platoon of purple angels- they went above and beyond. I had at least 20 nurses during my stay and they were all such generous servants.

I had a tremendous peace about the surgery itself. Ever since we made the decision, I haven't wavered or worried. I know a lot of that is because of the weeks of prayer I've been covered in. Thank you all for your faithfulness. I know God has been in control of this situation. A month ago, when my labs can back abnormal, I called the endocrinologist, he immediately knew the cause and laid out my options, he fully supported the surgery decision and passed me off to his friend and colleague Dr. Leinbach. I felt so confident in his hands- a fellow Christian, a young father of soon to be 3 young kids- he's a graduate of Baptist Hospital and using cutting edge techniques. His labs are so specialized, based on the most recent research, that they required special approval and instructions to the lab. And he did the entire procedure without so much as a bandaid! Medicine has come so far. The incision across my throat is simply glued together and left to heal- amazing!
It was a special treat, too, to have Dr. Speight, my favorite anesthesiologist. He's one of those people that makes you feel better just by being there (and not just because he brings the happy drugs :). He's like a big teddy bear- calming and comforting, but he makes you feel he's in control as soon as he walks in- without even saying a word. He's definitely a loving leader and it was like I felt God smiling down when he walked in the room.

The surgery took about 2 hours and everything went smoothly, no complications. By 1:30pm I was out of recovery and in my room upstairs. If you ever have day surgery, I highly recommend this place. It was like a hotel room at the Hilton- fully furnished, decorated, carpeted, the only difference being the hospital bed. Billy and I enjoyed a relaxing evening talking, watching some TV, and reading. It was actually quite relaxing. You know your the parents of preschoolers when you actually enjoy spending the night in a hospital and see it as a getaway! There's even room service. The sweet nurses are always ready with unlimited snacks and drinks.

I've been pretty comfortable. The worst pain is from the intubation, trying to swallow is a chore. It took me 2 hours to eat my jello, sherbert, and hot tea for dinner. My incision burns a little and the skin is kind of tight. Moving has become a little tricky, too. But overall I feel great and am looking forward to a relaxing and productive recovery. I'm now on synthroid and large dose of calcium. Please just pray for my levels to be stable- some people have trouble with this part. They'll check my labs in 6 weeks. It will be a while until we know about my heart condition status. I need to have regulated blood levels first, then they can try weaning me off the heart meds- maybe in the spring.

The kids are doing great and have been having a ball with Mimi. They don't seem upset by the scar. Carter is keeping a little distance, but Julia is completely unphased and laying beside me in the bed as I type. Thank you all again for your love and prayers- God has been so faithful through all of this. I pray He blesses each of you and your families!

Surgery Day

My thyroid removal surgery is at 9:30 am today. It should take about 2 hours.

Thank you so much for all your prayers, love, and support. It means the world to me! We'll update again soon.......

Helpful Hints

I've been working hard the past week to get my life in order before my surgery this Friday- cleaning the house, organizing, making lists, grocery shopping, running errands, doing laundry, finishing schoolwork, etc. I've gotten quite a lot done, but I must confess when I cleaned the downstairs, I didn't do the kitchen floor. This has to be one of my least favorite tasks. I have a Floormate, so it's not the actual labor I dislike. It's the temporariness of it. It only stays clean for 10 minutes.

Anyway, I was putting it off until the end- to fully maximize the 'window of cleanliness'. After we ate dinner. I cleaned up, turned on the dishwasher, and headed upstairs to give the kids a bath. When I came down again, I was greeted with "snow"oozing from every crack in the dishwasher.......

God decided to help me out and wash my floor for me :)

Apparently one of the dishes had gotten dishsoap on it when I was rinsing it in the sink. Dishwashers really don't like dishsoap- even just a tiny little bit. Now what?! The kids thought it was all very exciting and had a hard time staying out of it all. Carter said we should let Daddy fix it.......when he comes home...........on Thursday!! I thought about it, too- but sadly not an option.

Lesson #1: Do not turn your back on the foaming dishwasher, for even a second, or you will get this......


.......and this is after some cleanup (to make my way back in)! There was 1/4 inch of water and soap all over the floor. After 9 beach towels I was able to get to the dishwasher and open it- suds from top to bottom. Now what?! Soap is a fickle thing. Water just makes it grow bigger. How do I get it out? I started scooping it out, tried the rinse cycle again (bad idea- more bubbles). So I called the hubby who googled solutions, took out the racks of hot, wet dishes, and started scooping out as much soap as I could into the sink. (All this from a little dishsoap on a bowl.)

Lesson #2: Bubbles do not like oil and vinegar. So add a 1/4c. of vegetable oil and a little vinegar into the bottom of your dishwasher and run the rinse cycle again. Ta Da! No more bubbles.

Now I have 9 sopping wet, soapy towels and 2 rugs to clean. I hauled them into the washing machine with great fear that I was just transferring the bubbles and would soon face the same fate in the laundry room. Please no!

Lesson #3: The oil and vinegar trick works in the washing machine, too. put it right in with the clothes.

I hope you never need these bits of advice, but just in case it ever "snows" in your kitchen or laundry room.......now you know. At least my kitchen floor is clean, for now.

The Life and Times of Ju-Ju

You are growing up so much these days. When I look at pictures from last year, I cannot believe the difference. You were a baby then and now you're suddenly a big girl.

You're talking very well and surprise us all the time. Your standard introduction has become, "I'm Ju-Ju Scavo. I'm 2 and a half. Carter be 4 and a half. When I'm 3 I go to Awana." We wonder sometimes if you know your name is Julia. Carter tells people, "Her name is JuJu, but sometimes we call her Julia for short."
It's fun to watch your personality and opinions come out (okay, it's not always fun, but interesting). You and I are a lot alike. We both don't like socks and shoes. As soon as you were able, you took them off every chance you got. I'm the same way, though- barefoot as much as possible, wear shoes only when I have to, and socks if I'm absolutely freezing or wearing gym shoes.
As soon as you gets in the car, the socks and shoes come off. When we run errands many times I don't bother putting them back on if you won't be walking around. I have learned that this is an invitation for every other person you see to tell you your child is barefoot- annoying. "I know she is, thank you."
The ironic part of this is that your baby wears shoes, but only shoes. I guess if I had to pick one I'd take barefoot over naked :) Then people would really have something to say!
Daddy's little princess....
You have a very gentle and compassionate spirit. You've been such a great cheerleader and encourager to your brother. You're always saying "Good job Carter." When he brings home work from Awana or church, you tell him, "That's very nice Carter, good job!" When we play board games you always clap for him when he wins (not your Aunt Beth's genes....) Words of encouragement are definitely one of your love languages. Several times a day you tell me, "Mommy you say 'Good job' to me." Here you are cheering Carter on at yet another game. You've contentedly sat through all his practices and games with never a complaint. He's so lucky to have such a supportive sister. (You pretty much always have a snack with you on the sidelines- you are definitely our kid who likes to eat. At the Japanese restaurant you can eat 2 bowls of soup, an entire bowl of rice, salad, and a whole steak filet yourself! I've tried sharing with you, but you are very territorial about your steak. I don't know where you put it munchkin!)
I've been waiting for the right time to potty train you. You've had the verbal skills a long time, but no interest in going. Lately you've had several successful tries, but no persistence. You love to drink water and would likely spend a lot of time in the bathroom if it weren't for diapers. Though the other night you surprised me. You disappeared into our closet, found the potty chair, carried it out to the hall, sat down, and pooped all by yourself. Yay Julia!!! I was shocked!
You were so happy...
...and so proud of yourself!
Your smile and laugh light up our days.
I love you fiercely little one. I'm so thankful to have a little girl to do things with. We have our moments. You are passionate and expressive in all your emotions. You are a thoughtful and loving little girl, but also sensitive. On a recent outing you were having a meltdown as we left and cried for quite a while (rare). As I was singing to you and saying your prayers before nap, I said I was happy you weren't sad anymore. Your response, "Yes, but you the one that make me be sad Mommy. You not 'posed to buckle me in the stroller." Sorry Ju-Ju. I'm know it is the first of many times I will hurt your feelings, but I do it only out of love. You'll always be my sweet girl!

A Ray of Light

On the way home from church, Carter was in a mood and Julia and I were trying really hard to live life happily around it. Though this is quite difficult when you're all strapped into the same car! His whining, negativity, and growling (yes, growling) were an oppressive presence.

Anyway, Julia was looking out the window and said,
"The clouds are big and fluffy, Mommy. God made those clouds."
Thank you my sweet, for being a ray of sunshine. You too have your "moments", like Carter- but at this moment you were shining God's light strong true and in the face of darkness. I pray it's the first time of many. I love the way God's work is so evident in the fall. The beauty of nature is so obvious even the youngest children are affected. The trees around here are inspiring pieces of art. We are blessed to have so many kinds and colors. Every street is a fall palette masterpiece. When the sun hits them I can't help but think they are like God's little Christmas trees all lit up- no electricity required :)

Smithsonian

The Smithsonian museums are one of our favorite parts of DC. They are such a national treasure and free :) There is so much to see, we haven't even scratched the surface, but we did manage to squeeze in 3 this trip. Saturday was.....

THE NATIONAL ZOO
The weather could not have been better and everyone was excited. Our first stop, though was 7-11. I have to say I love living in NC, but spending most of my life in the mid-Atlantic states I grew up with 7-11 and slurpees. In high school we were such regular customers we learned the cycle of flavors, mmmm, pina colada is still my fav :) It was a shock to discover they don't exist in North Carolina- ya'll are missing out! So 4 slurpees later we were ready to go.....
We were lucky enough to be there to see the hippos get there snack. WOW! Those mouths are huge! They munch their apples, sweet potatoes, and carrots, yum. And they are right there to see- no zoom lens required.
Then we watched the elephants do their tricks- so smart.
The meerkats were so playful and fun to watch. They climbed on each other, ran up to the kids faces on the glass, and played hide and seek- just like kids.
The highlight for most of us was watching the orangutans. They have huge towers they can climb that are attached by long red lines. They climb right over our heads on the sidewalk!! The kids watched them race up the tower and then before they climbed out one of them started peeing! As you can imagine this is absolutely hysterical to preschoolers. Fortunately he wasn't too far over the sidewalk so no one got a surprise shower :)
Then we went to see the lions, so majestic, but they act just like house cats.
Sunday was, THE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM
We started off at the famous elephant. Carter was thrilled to have his Mimi along. She read him every display board (thanks Mimi!). This kid is a spnge for facts and a museum-buff, just like his mother and grandfather.
Then it was off to the dinosaurs. The kids three takeaways: Dinosaurs are very big. They look better with their skin on. And we don't bite our friends. (apparently this problem has a LONG history :)
Then we headed into the brand-new ocean life exhibit. They did a great job. Overhead is a huge right whale named Phoenix. Carter had fun determining what kind of whale he was.
After a yummy lunch topped off with whale sugar cookies, we went to see the insects. They had lots of creepy crawlies, all stages of moths and butterflies (they actually have their very own chrysalis nursery!), and termite tunnels to climb in.
On the way out we visited the mammal exhibit- so many cool animals in one place.
There was so much more to see, maybe next time.

On the way back to the metro we stopped on The Mall to ride the carousel. The kids were excited and it was the fastest carousel I've ever been on!
Monday we did THE AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM
This is probably Carter's favorite. He likes to start at the How Things Fly exhibit and each time we go he learns a little more. Now he's starting to teach Julia.
They also like the new commercial aviation display with planes, luggage, flight attendants, and Carter's favorite- the air mail simulator.

Road Trip to DC

Before my upcoming surgery, we decided to take a road trip to Mimi and Grandpa's to enjoy the sites of DC before it gets too cold. How is it such little people can require so much stuff. The van was filled to the gills with 2 double strollers, 4 car seats, and all our stuff. The crazy part is that we didn't have to bring any toys, beds, food, or booster seats....
Carter loves to watch the Marines take the flag down each day. We've been teaching him to be reverent and respectful and he has naturally followed hid Grandpa's lead...

Happy Fall Ya'll!We love riding the metro- such a great way to get around. It was a construction weekend for them, so our trip was a little more complicated than usual, but fun none the less. Here's Julia, no she's not texting, taking pictures actually....

.....out and about....
On the Mall in front of the Capitol.....