We've hit the double digits in surgeries! 10 is one epic number, especially when you are only 2 years old!

So, I thought I'd do a little post the night before the big day, chronicling all of Em's surgeries up to this point. Now bear in mind, I may not have these exactly right, and she's actually been under anesthesia more than 10 times, but I figure the only ones that count is when she actually gets opened up for something, right? And this is a really long post, so really you don't have to read it! It is mostly just for our documentation, and hopefully one day, to be put in a book!

So, I'll do my best, but here it goes!

First surgery, why not kill 4 birds with one stone?!

G-tube placement, first palate prosthesis, first echo-cardiogram and first ABR

March 27, 2009 (about 3 months old)

First day in recovery

After 4 days finally smiling and happy again!

This was supposed to only be an overnight stay, but we ended up being there for 2 weeks! This nurse was on shift a lot with Em and got quite attached to her, his name, Jim, I think. 

Sadly 2 weeks after we left the hospital from this surgery, Em's prosthesis came lose way quicker than normal, so we went back to have it replaced (I'm pretty sure it just wasn't in right in the first place!)

Sadly she knew what was coming this time around, and didn't care for it one bit!

These next few pictures are of the work done on her feet, that was her most extensive thing, until now

This is Em in her hip brace, something the Dr wanted to try first for her hip displaysia. Didn't work obviously. But this was the day she didn't have to wear it anymore, because this is when he started casting her feet. So we are no strangers to casts, in fact Emarie had them for a greater period off and on for about 8 months. All leading up to her feet surgery.

Here's how she felt about her first set of casts:

Actually this face, and a wailing cry were her staple anytime Dr. Stotts entered the room. He really thought she hated him.
Hmmm, I wonder why........

First set of casts at about 5 months old (May 15, 2008)

We had cast changes pretty much on a weekly basis (always having to go to Primary of course). Funny thing about that, one time while waiting for Em in one of her cleft surgeries, I ran into Dr. Stotts, who jokingly asked me, "Aren't you guys like, always here?!" I told him matter of factly, "Actually, it's a lot better now that we're not coming up for weekly cast changes!"
Anyway, Dr. Stotts nicely let Em have a little break, so that she wouldn't have to have casts when we went to our first of the annual Chromosome 18 Conferences in July of 2008.

This was her position the first 2 days of being cast free in almost 3 months:

So, we did the series of casting, and on September 3rd 2008 is when she had her first surgery on her feet

Getting her casts off the morning of the surgery

Can't really see, but her poor little feet were SO blistered afterward, like BIG blisters!

Waiting to go back with daddy

The sweet angelic face I laid eyes on when I first went back to post-op. She didn't even cry, just stared at me!

Her 3 pound casts (no joke about that! they weighed her before and after surgery, and it was a 3 pound difference!), quite a big deal when you only weigh 10 pounds! And no, they're not 2 different colors, the left was just really swollen, so he had to leave it open, therefore had to wrap it in tape. It just so unfortunately turned out to be Lakers colors :P

One week later, she had to have those casts taken off under anesthesia, due to the pins (more like nails) sticking out of her feet!

I'm ready to get these things off! Little did she know, the next ones were not much better....though they did weigh less!

Now, I made the most of all of her feet casts, always drew fancy pictures, and had people sign them. I think I will be the same with this new cast (I hope anyway!)
Just look at what I did for Halloween (my favorite holiday, if you can't tell!)

Fun huh?! We saved most of the feet casts, by the way!

And here's when the casts came off
Warning, these next few are a little gross!

The so called "pins" more like nails though if you ask me! We saved these as well

Poor little foot :( Those casts for SO long reeked havoc on her eczema :(




Here was Emarie's first ear tube placement on November 4th, 2008

Mommy always had to have this girl dressed to the nines for any occasion, even a simple surgery!

It was a little tough to awake her from this one ;)


Next surgery was her soft palate repair on December 17th, 2008. Also, already had to get her second set of ear tubes at this time (the ones they have to use are so tiny, that they don't last very long)

In Christmas attire, but what else?!

Surgery waiting area with mommy

We always get a picture of her going back with the anesthesiologist, usually she's a good sport!

Post-Op looking like she just ate a really rare steak ;)


Ok, now this is where I am not finding all the pictures, I know she had surgeries in-between the previous and these next ones, but the pictures are probably somewhere that I just don't want to have to look right now (this was, I believe during the time I got a new laptop, so we were most likely uploading everything to the desktop). However, I will fix this post as I find and figure out more of them, since I am doing this to eventually save into a book.

Here's one that says it was from June 22, 2009. I'm sure it was either a prosthesis exchange, or ear-tube replacement (since those are the ones she has most often).

She is always the happiest child in the surgery waiting area! That's because she doesn't mind so much when her tummy is empty ;)

This surgery was supposed to be a big deal. It was supposed to be the prosthesis removal in preparation for her hard palate repair. However, once her Dr. Sadiqki took it out, he still was not pleased with how wide the gap was, so he decided to wait another year, and another prosthesis went in. I believe she has in her mouth at this moment the 5th one of these! 
This was on November 9th, 2009

First time they had their new pagers to call you up, Em loves to hold them when we go!

LOVE this picture! Loved the new "scrubs" she finally was somewhat big enough to wear!

Absolutely one of my favorite pictures we have ever gotten! This anesthesiologist has "wised" up to the fact that he should maybe wear a few items of "street wear", his assistant on the other hand, is not in on this rouse, and that, I believe, is why Em is giving her a very disdainful look!

This was post-op, almost had to stay overnight this time, because she was really having a tough time :( Couldn't keep her O2 levels up and pain was not under control :( :(

I think we had the biggest gap ever between the last and this next one! This one was an ear-tube replacement that took place on March 15th 2010. This was her last one before now, so another big gap. However we haven't been free of a stay between now and then, if you all remember the horrible Influenza stay that was the reason this surgery is happening now instead of back in the first week of June!

This was EARLY! But, still loves that pager!

And of course, the anesthesiologist picture!

In Post-Op, happy once I gave her her computer that the wonderful Howe family gave her for her birthday!



So, wow that's it! No more chapters to add to this, until tomorrow of course! My big brave girl will be having her 10th surgery, and it is a good number for the BIG surgery that it is!

Pre surgery activities!

So, Wednesday is the big day. And, I thought it only appropriate that Emarie get a proper send off to her summer, since after Wednesday, she will spend the rest of it in a half-body cast :(

We of course have been going to the local pool (Veteran's Pool) a lot, and joined by my mom most of the time too! Too bad I don't have pictures from our last time on Thursday, because it was SO awesome! And I'll tell you why; usually I ask Em as we watch other kids doing it, if she wants to go down the kiddie water slide. She always shakes her head "no". However, this time she surprised me by responding with a "yeah" finally! So, we did it, I took her up, and my mom caught her at the bottom. I figured she'd be done after that, but she wanted to go two more times! And that's not all! While we were playing in the shallow end, a very cute little girl by the name of Brynn spontaneously came up and started playing with my Emarie! I honestly can't tell you that this has ever happened before. That being, a stranger, "typical" child just coming and playing with my little girl of her own free will! I'm sure her parents might have thought I was a little weird for getting so excited, but at least they were good sports and kept getting out more toys for the girls to play with. They honestly threw the ball back and forth for about 10 minutes! And she even tried to teach Em a bad habit of drinking the pool water. I didn't even care, I was just SO proud and happy in this moment! What a great way to end the last day at the pool this summer!

Now, back when we first learned that this surgery would be necessary, I thought of doing a lot of fun things leading up to it. We settled on taking her to the zoo, and when I say "we" I mean Steve and I both. I didn't think it was fair to Em, that just because of what was going on, that she shouldn't have both of her parents with her doing fun things. So we kept good on our decision, but decided against the zoo for a couple of reasons, but one big one being, it was just too dang hot! So, we decided on the Living Planet Aquarium in Sandy for Friday. 

Here's some pictures:

First a stop at Crown Burger (Steve had been wanting to go here ever since he saw it featured on the Food Network)

It looks as though both of them are sneering at me

She wasn't quite sure what to think yet :)

Jellyfish, the only way meant to be observed.........in a tank! That coming from a person that was once stung by an entire school of them!

Look at that adoring look! She just LOVES him!

I've done everything I can to make it so my bangs don't look so bad......how'd I do??

I just LOVE this girl!

So, on Saturday, I took Em to a park right near our house that has a duck pond. She absolutely loved feeding the ducks! We did the swing last, since I didn't think she'd want to get off. But I was wrong, she didn't want to leave the ducks! It was great too, because since she can't throw very far, the bread was landing right by her feet on the rocks, yet the ducks were coming right up there and grabbing, and she, well, she thought it was hilarious!

Some pictures of that:

Photo op on the bench first!

I could not have asked for a better child!

Yay! Ducks! And SO close! Too close for mommy's comfort! Good think I can put that aside for my girl!

Love this one of her concentrating so hard to tear the bread!

Not so easy getting pictures when it's just the two of us!

And on the swing, she wouldn't ever look at me before the camera died :( there was another little girl next to us, that she was very happy about watching!

The last thing we did was today (Monday), we went to 7 Peaks (a local water park) joined by my cousin Alexis and her adorable boy Miles!

Some pictures:

Uhm, are we going to get in the water or what mom?

Miles and Lexi, so cute!

Mommy and Em


We sure crammed a lot in to the last week, and most specifically the last few days! But, we had a blast doing it! And, also I just learned that Em's PT wants her to go to The Little Gym one last time, so we're doing that tomorrow evening. And if Steve can come, then I'll have pictures, and maybe I'll post them along with what I'm doing tomorrow, which will be a chronicle of all Em's surgeries, since 10 is an epic number after all!