Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Burns and scars

Well, I realize it has been quite a while since I have updated my blog. Life has been an up and down rollercoaster since Christmas. More like since last October when my little Stockton burned his hands severely on our fireplace. He hands didn’t heal like we had hoped and the scar tissue formed a very thick scar in the middle of his palm on the right hand and one further down on his hand on the left.

Random 140The scar on his right hand

Random 139  The scar on his left hand

These scars are very thick and they started to pull his little fingers inward. We went to see a plastic surgeon in Idaho Falls in February to see what our next step was. He told us that skin grafts would be needed on both of his hands. He told us it wasn’t an immediate thing, but he would need them within the year. I was very torn and upset as to what to do. I got a lot of advice and opinions from different people. We got a second opinion with pretty much the same outcome. Then I had a conversation with my sister-in-law that brought a new perspective. We talked about getting another opinion from a pediatric plastic surgeon who specializes in hands. Jeremy and I talked it over and felt like we should take Stockton down to Primary Children’s Hospital. So we got a recommendation and headed to Utah to see what could be done.

We went to see Dr. Eleazar Ley in Riverton, UT. He was very optimistic about Stockton’s hands he didn’t think he needed skin grafts. He said he would do a procedure called a Z-plasty where they make little zigzag incisions to break up the scar tissue. We left feeling very hopeful and I was so relieved that he wouldn’t need a skin graft. So we made the appointment for the surgery on Mar.21, 2012.

During this process I have felt very sad about his little hands. I realize that he will always have scars, but all I want is for him to be able to have the full use of his hands.

Monday, January 9, 2012

Reese turns 3!

The months of November and December flew by! The holidays were great, but it’s nice to be past all the stress that come with them. Our little Reese turned 3 on the 23rd of December. She wanted a Strawberry Shortcake cake and I couldn’t think of anything cute so we actually had angel food cake and strawberries for her cake. I got a little ‘Strawberry Shortcake’ swimming pool and stuck it on top of the cake. In my head it looked better then how it really turned out. It was kindof lame….
DSC04043
DSC04044
DSC04046
She didn’t seem to care. She was just excited to blow out her candles :) I had my parents over for dinner on the 22nd. We had baked potato soup and rolls. It was fun to visit and watch her open her gifts:
DSC04049
She got a Strawberry Shortcake blanket
DSC04051
New clothes
DSC04055 
A fun coloring book
DSC04057
And…..A Strawberry Shortcake doll- Can you tell she is totally obsessed with Strawberry Shortcake? Haha!
The next night we had a christmas party with the Clayson Clan. I made some sugar cookie bars and we put candles on those to let her blow them out.
DSC04058
She also got some fun gifts from the Clayson side.
DSC04060    DSC04061DSC04063
I remember very vividly the day she was born. I had had a doctor’s appointment the day before and I was dilated to a 4, but wasn’t feeling any contractions. Jeremy and I went to Walmart to buy our food for the Christmas festivities. The morning she was born my contractions started about 9:00. I was doing dishes getting ready to start my baking for the Clayson Christmas party we were supposed to go to that night. My contractions started getting harder and I called Jeremy at noon to tell him to get his work done because I thought I was in labor.
I never knew when to go to the hospital, but by 12:30 my contractions were close enough and hard enough that I called Jeremy and told him we needed to go. We got to the hospital about 1:30. and I had my IV and epidural by 1:50. They checked me when I got there and I was dilated to a 7 and 75% effaced. The anesthesiologist came in his snow boots because there had been a huge snow storm. Reese was born at 4:04 p.m. She was 6 lbs. 12 oz. and 20 1/2 in. long. I don’t think my labor and delivery could have gone better. I only pushed about 4 times and she was here.
Later that night someone smashed the window in the Yukon and stole our portable DVD player and Jeremy and Reese ended up being on the news. She is such a sweet little girl and we are so happy to have her in our family! The perfect and cutest little Christmas package we could ask for…
Birth,christmas 011
Birth,christmas 012