This Easter was particularly fun because Olivia is old enough to really get into some of the festivities. She had a blast dyeing eggs and having an Easter egg hunt. Both of the girls loved exploring their Easter baskets.
We really enjoyed our 4th of July. We went to Salem to spend the day with Jeremy's family, including cousins! It really was a wonderful day. The girls were so happy with all of the attention and activities. Jeremy and his brother bought some fireworks, which we set off in the driveway. Once it got dark, it seemed like all of the neighbors were out lighting fireworks, and it was a really fun experience. Olivia was a little skittish, and eventually I took her inside and we just watched TV. But Ellie had no fear and loved the colors and bright lights.
In May Ellie had surgery to remove her adenoid, which is a small piece of tissue at the back of the mouth similar to a tonsil. Ever since she has been born, she has had a cold. I'm talking thick, green, runny nose that just does not stop. EVER. And, while most pediatricians seem to believe that infants can't develop sinus infections, I'm fairly convinced that she suffered from them pretty routinely, as well. While we love her, she has been a fairly cranky kid. She has always been super demanding and clingy, especially with Mommy. She refuses to entertain herself for one minute, and can be pretty draining to deal with. We were fairly convinced that much of her behavior was related to the fact that she just has never felt good her entire life, which is painful as a parent. I mentioned this to her ENT at a follow up visit for her ear tube surgery, and he suggested we take a look at her adenoid.
This required an X-ray, which honestly, was one of the most horrific experiences. She was so uncooperative, there were two male technicians treating her like she was being arrested to keep her still. She needed her mouth closed for the X-ray, but because she was crying, they had to strap her mouth shut and pull from the top. At the same time, they had her wrapped and twisted to try and keep her body still. All the while, I couldn't be near her, because of the X-rays and being pregnant. I know that she was absolutely terrified, and it lasted forever. They would take an X-ray, bring it to the radiologist, the radiologist would say it was no good, and we would try again. Finally they let us go back to the ENT's office. He said that all he could see on the X-ray was a mass in her nose, and that he would now need to scope her, by sending a camera down her nose and throat to get a better look. All of this is while she is awake, and it is getting closer to noon, so she is hungry and tired. While she did not enjoy the scoping, it was less traumatic than the X-ray, and the doctor confirmed that she indeed had a grossly enlarged adenoid.
Surgery day came, and we had a pleasant morning waiting. The anesthesiologist took her away crying, which was hard, but the surgery didn't last too long. We talked to the ENT, who said that her adenoid was a 9 or 10 on a scale of 1-10 for enlargement. We were brought back to see her - and she was inconsolable. Both our girls had really difficult times coming out of anesthesia for their ear tube surgery, and Ellie actually required some narcotics to help reverse the effects because she was so hysterical. Unfortunately, we had a similar experience, except this time, they seemed unwilling to give her anything. We fought with her for nearly 30 minutes, and finally we got some additional medication, which helped calm her down.
She was fairly miserable after surgery. She had difficult nights with little sleeping, and was crankier than ever. Her breath also smelled horrific. It was simply her tissues healing, but the smell coming out of her nose and mouth was really terrible. After a couple of weeks, she still was really cranky, and not sleeping very well. Her nose was still really runny, and we were starting to think we had made a huge mistake with this surgery. But all of the sudden, things got better.
Since that time, she has blossomed. She is the sweetest, happiest little girl. She loves to sing and dance, and is a great little independent explorer. I am so amazed at the Ellie we have now, and so grateful that all her health struggles from the first 18 months of her life are over. We are so happy to see a truly happy baby (no, toddler!) in her. She is our sweet little princess, and seeing her enjoying life without pain is such a blessing.
