31-Aug-2010 2:52 PM
A package full of window seals showed up today. With a little luck we should be able to fix up the portholes and prevent any further leaking without having to rebed any of them. From what we saw so far they all seemed to be leaking from the window seal itself. So, fingers crossed on that one. There should also be a package waiting for us at the marina with a new fresh water pump in it for the engine. That's pretty much the last of the engine projects before we can fire it up. Looking forward to that day. It'll be exciting to push that starter for the first time. Could very well determine whether we got ourselves a good deal on this boat or not.
31-Aug-2010 our life. daily.
Ouest seems to be learning that there may be some benefit to crying. Like if we take a fork away from her, or grab her as she climbs up the fourth rung of a ladder, she can cry big tears and see if that will get her left alone. It isn't working so well at the moment, but it is clear she isn't going to stop trying any time soon. It's doubtful that we'll be able to resist it forever.
30-Aug-2010 our life. daily.
The Great Minnesota Get-Together. That's the Minnesota State Fair's tagline. We, along with the rest of the family, braved the ninety-three degree heat and humidity today for our yearly visit to what we still consider to be the best fair in all the land. We hadn't walked a block from the car before Ouest peed on me. She'd gotten her diaper off kilter somehow and this was her way of telling me. Not a good start, but from then on she had a great time. It'll be even more fun when she can walk around and eat things that are fried on a stick. On another note, Ali's parents celebrated their 41st anniversary today. Yay for them. Meaning of course that they married in the summer of '69. And that Bryan Adams will forever be a part of their lives.
29-Aug-2010 our life. daily.
Summer is winding down in Minnesota. Which means it's the time of year to squeeze something in to each night because very soon nobody will be able to venture outdoors. Tonight it was fast-pitch softball.
28-Aug-2010 our life. daily.
We had a barbeque over at Ali's sister's house today. Good food, good fun, and lots of family pictures.
27-Aug-2010 our life. daily.
Waiting for the dreaded nurses in blue to show up. Ouest is still too young to know what this hospital toy room means. And in case anybody is wondering, those are twelve month old pajamas that are sitting about halfway up her shins.
27-Aug-2010 2:06 PM
Ouest had her seventh laser treatment today. We're never looking forward to these, but are always anxious to see further good results. Basically everybody who sees her and knows about her hemangioma says, "I can't even see it?" Which of course is exactly what we all want.
So when we saw the doctor beforehand today he took a close look at Ouest, sat back in his chair, and happily announced, "You guys, this is a success. If there was ever a success story it is this one."
Over the past few months we've gotten involved in the online community that exists for children with hemangiomas. And over that time we've learned a few things. The big one being that nasal tip hemangiomas like Ouest's do not generally go very well for the child. By the time parents and doctors realize what is happening the hemangioma has usually progressed to a point that there is very little that can be done and the child is left with a large deformed nose that requires surgery once they are old enough. It seems all nasal tip h's require surgery. Our doctor is hopeful however that we may have avoided that necessity in Ouest's case.
Fortunately with Ouest we got the right diagnosis early on, and while our Mexican doctors advice to just "wait and see," was wrong, we didn't listen to her and sought treatment immediately. We count ourselves as very fortunate that we did. Essentially what her laser treatments have done is stopped the hemangioma in its tracks.
The doctor told us today that he was lowering the "power" on the laser for this treatment and that, unless there is some sudden growth, we will not schedule one for next month and that we can now keep a close eye on it and maybe keep up preventative treatments on a two or three month schedule. This was all very good news for the three of us today.
26-Aug-2010 our life. daily.
We've gotten a lot of good advice from people regarding their favorite children's books. Some advice even comes with a few bucks. This is Ouest saying thanks for the new book from a friend she's never met.
26-Aug-2010 10:15 AM
Trying to maintain two or three comfortable "homes" for Ouest is a pain in the butt these days thanks to airlines and their outrageous baggage fees. Fees that were originally put in place to offset high fuel costs. Costs which no longer exist. Ali has spent pretty much every free naptime minute the past two days running around town to buy a crib, a highchair, and food. By the time we're settled in again it will be time to leave.
25-Aug-2010 our life. daily.
Ouest got her first camera today. Fittingly, she carried it around with the strap in her mouth the entire time.
25-Aug-2010 10:04 PM
Being back in Minnesota with family it really struck us just how quickly Ouest is changing. She seems so much bigger and more mature. She rarely gets upset any more and she can entertain herself for long periods of time. We've also been able to just move furniture out of the way and let her have free reign of the living room. We've seen it on the boat, and now we're seeing it here, this girl is an explorer.
24-Aug-2010 our life. daily.
She's still too young for a beer. But that doesn't stop her from perusing the drink menu.
24-Aug-2010 9:12 PM
We left the boat this morning and boarded a flight back to Minnesota for Ouest's next laser treatment on her nose later this week.
Everything started out well enough. The plane had one row with only two seats and we managed to get seats there. So no sharing a row with anybody. Always a good thing with a baby along.
The trouble started when she dirtied her diaper. Normally no big deal, grab a fresh diaper, wipes, and head off to the bathroom. So I step into the bathroom and stand there looking around in circles for the changing table. Finally I poke my head back outside and asked the flight attendant, "I'm sorry, I can't find the changing table anywhere." To which she replied, "Yeah, this plane is too old for those." I asked where I could change my daughter and she sort of looked around and then pointed to the floor right outside the cockpit doors. The floor is where Delta wanted me to change my baby's dirty diaper.
Anyway, we eventually changed her right on our seats, which I'm sure made nearby passengers really happy. And even more happy when we did it again two hours later. I'm sure everybody around us was thinking, "Gross. Why don't they go use the changing tables in the bathrooms?"
Aside from that little issue the flight went well. No crying whatsoever. Unfortunately no sleeping either. Her eyelids looked like they weighed ten pounds each by the time we touched down, but she absolutely could not give in to the temptation of sleep.
23-Aug-2010 9:01 PM
Ali is packing up. We're off to Minnesota for a few days. Ouest's next treatment is later this week. Which is the bad news for her. The good news, if she were old enough to understand it, is that the Minnesota State Fair also starts this week. Pronto Pups, Summit Pale Ale, miscellaneous deep fried stuff, and fresh chocolate chip cookies. All that, and we get to go stare at those 4H kids who sleep in the barns with their prize heifer for two weeks. Man we love the State Fair.
