Santa

We took the girls to see Santa, I was fully expecting a melt down like last year when Natalie didn't want to sit on his lap but I forced her to which resulted in one of those awesome screaming pictures.
Anyhow, we prepped her and I was okay with not getting a picture or getting another of those crying pictures...because I'm mean mom and I LOVE those pictures.
For days she had been telling us that she wanted to ask Santa for a "camera toy" she has been obsessed with taking pictures and wants to use our camera but isn't allowed to regularly.
So the night comes that we're taking the girls to Santa, before we leave daycare my mom asks Natalie what she's going to ask Santa for and she replies "a TV book" what?! So I ask her to tell me what a TV book is....and she points to my mom's Mac book. Uh nice try kid.
Seriously where does she get this stuff.

So I explained that Santa doesn't bring little girls TV books, which resulted in crying and " but I want it" screams. Aaaaahhh to be 2.5.

But low and behold we get to Santa and she asks for a candy cane....to which he gladly gives her a candy cane...and now she thinks that Santa only brings candy.

I guess it's going to be a cheap Christmas for us if all we have to buy is candy....

Within the next 30 days...

Per the surgery scheduler we are the books and the surgeries will happen within the next 30 days...actually the next 24 days since I'm a bit late on this update.
We met with the "other" surgeon and he was great! I feel really comfortable with either of them. Dr. P is the chief of the department but is seriously lacking in personality...but I know he's one of the best, he's highly respected in his field and all that jazz. Dr. Z is also great, his education is just as high or higher than Dr. P, but he's less published. However his bedside manner and his personality was light years above Dr. P.
Ultimately I am happy with my decision of taking whomever could fit the girls in first.

The surgery scheduler is allowing us to have the surgeries done on the same day. The PA was originally against this but Dr. Z seems to think it's a fine idea and once the PA heard our reasoning she was on board. Dan is still out of work so we can both be home for the entire 2 week recovery period. Also my brother will be home from college, so we'll have lots of support.

The pre-op appointments went well...all except for getting urine samples from an infant and a toddler....but some surgical tape, U bags, and a lot of mess later we got pee samples in cups and they made it to the lab! When we get a surgery date we'll do the blood work for the girls...another part I'm not looking forward.

I'm very hopeful that in a short few months this will all be behind us and we'll be no worse for the wear.

Schedules...

I posted earlier this week about how much choosing a Neuro-Surgeon sucks. Well I finally decided to go with the one who had a bit more availability in December/January. It was really hard to make the decision. I polled friends, family, I threw darts, I consulted doctors and nurses, I stopped random strangers on the side of the road...okay well maybe it wasn't that extream but it was hard, okay!

I decided to go against my gut (which was leaning toward the Chief of the dept) and go for the doctor who had kids, and a little more personality...and was a micro vascular surgery specialist.

So as soon as I made the decision a pre-op appointment was made...for a week from Monday no less. And we are officially on the cancellation list. The girls could be having their surgeries as soon as the end of December!

I also decided to have both kid done at the same time. We made this decision for multiple reasons, and I think that as stressful as it will be, having the entire process behind us at once will be so worth it.

So that is the most up to date update I have. Hopefully in 2011 I won't have to think about tethered cords, neuro-surgeons or hospitals at all.

I've even amazed myself!

Way back in September I posted a Thursday Thirteen with a list of 13 books I'd read since the start of 2010. I'd never been much of a reader, I claimed to hate it...but in reality I think I was just sucky at choosing books. I decided to read some different types of books this year to try to find my passion...and man did I find it!
This year I have read the following books:

1. Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyers
2. The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella
3. Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin
4. Something Blue by Emily Giffin
5. Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
6. Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris
7. Club Dead by Charlaine Harris
8. Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris
9. Remember Me by Sophie Kinsella
10. The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin and Nicloa Kraus
11. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson
12. Baby Proof by Emily Giffin
13. Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner
14. Can you Keep a Secret by Sophie Kinsella
15. Love the One You're With by Emily Giffin
16. A Total Waste of Makeup by Kim Gruenfelder
17. My Sisters Keeper by Jodi Picoult
18. Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella
19. Misery Loves Cabernet by Kim Gruenfelder
20. One for the Money by Janet Evanovich

That's right folks 20 books read by the girl who "hates to read"...I think I found my passion in chick lit! I did branch out a little from chick lit and read some vampire romance (really not that different) and a some murder mysteries. I'm currently almost finished with Two for the Dough by Janet Evanovich, and I'm reading The Girl who Played with Fire by Steig Larsson...and think I may just finish those by the end of the year....but we'll see.

I read so much this year that I decided to put a Kindle at the top of my Christmas list! I'm so excited to be able to have books at my fingertips all.the.time! Granted it will cost me a little more than my current love half.com but that's okay. I'm still in shock at how much I've begun to LOVE reading...and now if I can just get into running I can amaze myself again....but hey one thing at a time right?!?!

Choosing a neuro-surgeron...

Can now be added to the list of things I never thought I'd have to do.

And it's fucking hard!

Follow up to dread...

I posted last week about how I was dreading taking Natalie to get an MRI. We had to get an MRI of her spine since Addison had tested positive for tethered cord syndrome. So bright and EARLY on Tuesday morning we headed out to Oakland since that is where they do the sedated MRIs for kids.

Natalie did great! She was a total champ, went right to the doctors and was happily talking to them. She did great getting the sedation and woke up a happy camper. The nurses were great and Natalie actually didn't want to leave after she woke up.

On Wednesday afternoon I got the call from the physicians assistant, she had reviewed the MRI with the neuro-surgeon and they had determined that she does indeed have a tethered cord and we need to discuss surgery.

I was devastated, I had put on a strong front that I was prepared for this news, but in reality I was in no way prepared for this information. I had come to terms with Addison having surgery, I know that she will be fine, and I know that she will have no memory of the surgery. But Natalie on the other hand may remember the surgery and the recovery. I was prepared to deal with a baby that needed to be kept calm for two weeks, but I am in NO way prepared for keeping a 2.5 year old calm for two weeks.

So, that's the latest news on our health....I was really hoping for better news, but am beyond thankful for good health insurance.

Dread...

is the only word I know of to define how I'm feeling about tomorrow. Tomorrow we take Natalie to Oakland for her MRI to see if she too has a tethered cord. I'm not so much dreading the outcome of the MRI, as I have prepared myself for her to have a tethered cord based on the way the neurosurgeon mentioned how often they see it in siblings. I am however dreading waking her up at the crack of dawn and not letting her eat until after the MRI. Having to explain that she can't eat or drink, and that she has to go with the doctors and we can't go with her. With Addison is was easy, she was so little and trusting that she just went with the nurse and didn't even look back. I have a pit in my stomach anticipating that tomorrow won't be quite so easy.

I'm hoping that her MRI is clear, because having to deal with spinal surgery for one child is bad enough but the thought of both of them having to have it is just too much for my brain to comprehend at the moment.