Wells singing to Chandler

A few weeks ago Chandler woke up from his nap and Wells decided to go in there and tickle his back and sing Chandler back to sleep.  This is what I saw from the monitor.  Careful while viewing, It's so sweet you might feel your heart swell a little. (Oh and the song Wells is singing is a Wells original).

Hand Issues

Last August I had a little lump under my right hand midder finger joint and it was causing some pain and my joint to swell. So I went to my doctor and he injected a steroid and told me that if it doesn't start to feel better to go to a hand surgeon. So two weeks later when the pain came back I went to Dr. Sanderson and he said that it could be what's called a single cell tumor and that we should get it out. So the next week I went in for surgery not knowing what a mess was to come. This is my lovely hand before surgery. Oh how I long for my old hand back...

This is after surgery...

After the surgery the surgeon said that he couldn't see any "single cell tumor".  Then a few weeks after my tendon started to slip down between my middle finger and my ring finger whenever I bent it. They sometimes call this a trigger finger. So I went back to the surgeon and he said that it needed to be fixed or my finger could eventually stay in the bent position and I wouldn't be able to pop it back up. So back into surgery another month later... I was so bummed because I was just getting my life back and was using my right hand again. 

Here is a photo after the second surgery. 

After this surgery the surgeon said that my sagital bands (the things that hold your tendon right over your knuckle) where torn and that my tissue looked like "crap". He said it was a mess and that he had a hard time finding anything to tie my tendon down to. Then about two weeks after I started physical therapy the tendon started to flip again...  This time I decided that I would go to another surgeon and see what he had to say. He basically said that if it didn't bother me that I didn't need to get it fixed until it did start to bother me. So I just went home and planned on living with it. But then one day while I mopped my floor and my whole hand started to swell up. I thought I must had broke a blood vessel and didn't think anything about it. It stayed swollen for about three weeks. 

Then I was walking into my moms house and put my hand up to open the door and I heard a little crack in that finger. I didn't think anything of it because it didn't hurt. But then when I went to show my mom my swollen hand I realized that I couldn't lift my middle finger AT ALL! It was just floppy. I had a little cry because I realized that I would need yet another surgery and I really didn't want to go through all that again so my dad gave me a blessing and that helped calm my state a lot. 

We decided to go to Dr. Sanderson and to a new hand surgeon Dr. Fraizer to see what each of them recommended. When I went to dr. Sanderson he removed a syringe and a half of fluid from my swollen hand and told me I needed to go in for surgery the next week. Then the next day we (Wade and I) went to see Dr. Fraizer and he couldn't believe that I broke that tendon. He said it's very rare to have a tendon brake on a healthy (somewhat young) person. He said that we could go to a hundred surgeons and none of them will tell us they've seen all the things I've had going on in my hand. Anyway he seemed like he really knew what he was doing and we both walked out feeling so good about him doing the surgery. He was truly an answer to our prayers. 

So the next week I went in for surgery número trace. 

I had to have my hand wrapped like this for a week. 

 

Then when the physical therapist (a different one) took of the bandage off to make a brace this is what it looked like. 

Nice right?

After surgery the surgon said that my tissue just was crap and partially gone and my sagital bands were totally gone on one side. He said that the tendon tear wasn't as bad as he thought. So that was good news. 

So now I'm wearing this lovely brace for six weeks. 

I can't  make a fist or bend my wrist at all! This has been a trial unlike I ever thought I would have to go through. It's been so upsetting and frustrating and depressing. But through trial comes triumph and I can't tell you how kind people have been. We've had friends family and mostly ward members bring in dinner almost every night for two weeks. I've had neighbors offer to change diapers. My mom has mopped floors and done dishes. I've had sweet notes and words of encouragement. And most of all I've had Wade pretty much take over and be Mr. Mom. He has done dishes, bathed kids, folded laundry, put my bra on for me every morning, put my hair in a pony tail when I need it out of my face, he has changes diapers and brused the boys teeth all while working as much as he can in between. And he has done it all with out complaining once. He just keeps telling me to not push it and that he doesn't want to see me go through this again. I have been truly amazed at the love shown to me and my lame hand!  I never would have imagined how important a right hand could be. 

As of right now in the next four weeks I have physical therapy appointments, a post op appointment, a rheumatology appointment (to rule our rheumitoid arthritis) and a blood test to see why all of this is happening. 

Chandler at 18 months

Chandler is 18 months!  I can't believe I can say that now, it's gone by so fast. He's such a dream baby (unless he's sick...because every second he's attached to my hip and I can't get anything done.) but he's always so happy and content and easy to please and he's so smart!  He will mimick anything I ask him to say and he's usually pretty close. He's saying so many words I can't even count. He understands so much. The other day I looked at him and told him it was time for his nap. Then I turned to Wells and started to talk with him for a minute. Then I went to find Chandler to put him down and I found him in his rocking chair with his blankie and book all ready for his nap.

He loves when Wade comes home from work. He runs to the door saying "da da da da!!!!" Then he gives him a great big hug. 

His favorite thing right now is books. All throughout the day he will go grab a book, sit down and pat the ground for me to sit next to him and read it. 

I can't get over what a sweet tender little spirit he has. And I'm so grateful that Heavenly Father has chosen me to be his mother. 

His 18 month stats are:

42% head circumference at 18.7 inches

42% weight coming in at 25 lbs

And 91% in length at 34 inches.