More Blessings from Children's Mercy

My sister, Brandy, sent a beautiful notebook to Mallory for her hospital stay. The notebook is what Mallory chose to take back to surgery with her. As I was unpacking this evening, I noticed that several hospital staff members wrote messages to Mallory in her notebook.

Here are some excerpts from the notebook-

You are such a pleasant little girl and one of the best patients I have ever had the pleasure of taking care of.

You made me smile today because you were so happy and excited to stay with us for two days.

And this one is my absolute favorite!

Dear Mallory,
You are gorgeous and I am fortunate to be involved in your care! Thank you for putting up with the surgery! Hope you recover quickly!

Love- Vinny Singhal, M.D.
(Mallory's surgeon)


On a side note, we stopped at a Wendy's on the way home to get Mallory a milkshake. One of the employees was so tickled with Mallory that she gave her a Wendy's visor. It really brings things to perspective, that even on some of our worst days, a moment like that reminds us of what an inspiration our little girl is.

Thank you, Ronald McDonald!

We had the pleasure of staying at the Ronald McDonald House again for Mallory's Surgery. The kindness, hospitality, comfortable bed, warm shower, and abundance of food is what makes this place such a blessing for those with famlily members that are ill. Words cannot express our appreciation- it was a comfort 9 years ago and again this year.

We brought home several banks for pop tabs. The proceeds go to the Ronald McDonald House. Let me know if your interested in saving pop tabs. I will take care of sending them off.

We're HOME!

Mallory got to come home today after lunch. She is still sore and is not fond of the liquid diet. We are so excited to have her tonsils out and the sphincter pharyngoplasty done. Todd swears that she is allready making some sounds that were not as clear as before.

Mallory finally got her wish of riding through the hospital in a wheelchair.

Surgery- Day Three

Last night was better. Sleep was good. I actually had the nurse hold Mallory's 3 a.m. med because she was sleeping so good. She awoke at 4:30 a.m. took her meds and went back to sleep. We both rolled out of bed at 7:30 a.m. Mallory is drinking fairly well. She fights us initially, but gives in and drinks what is offered to her. This full liquid diet is going to be tough over the next week.

We've been passing the time with pipe cleaners and beads that Todd bought for her. She has been making bracelets for all of the staff.

We are now awaiting Dr. Singhal's team to come and assess Mallory. We are hoping that they will let us head home after lunch.

Recovery.

Recuperating in the ICU.

Comfort from Dad.

Staying busy with the laptop, thanks to the wireless internet.

When I grow up.....

I want to be a nurse. In surgery. That way I can wear a cool hat and mask every day.

Hanging out before the surgeon comes to see me. And anesthesia. And the surgery nurse.

Gotta love a hospital bracelet. Make that two. Check out the cool red socks!





You mean I have to walk down the hall? The nurses made comment several times at how happy Mallory was. She was the first patient to come through their doors and skip her way to surgery. My girl definately knows how to make an impression. The attending doctor in the PICU remembered us from Mallory's heart surgeries in 2000.

Surgery- Day Two

Well, we moved to the regular floor this morning. Mallory's starting to drink some fluids (milk, apple juice, broth). She's not real fond of the broth, but will drink it if we ask her to. The nurses are giving her pain meds every 4 hours. Mallory has an extremely high pain tolerance and we determined last night that we were not staying on top of it. Poor girl! She's been a little demanding which means she must be feeling a little better. I forgot her Jon & Kate + Eight video, so Todd has left on a mission to find one. The surgeon was in before lunch and says if all goes well tonight, then Mallory will be dismissed tomorrow.

Surgery-Day One Update

Mallory has slept most of the day. She wakes for short periods. She has been having some pain and discomfort. Her nurse gave her some pain meds this evening and she is sleeping soundly now.

Surgery -Day One

Wow, has it been a day. We reported to Children's Mercy Hospital at 10 a.m. this morning. They were rather quick at getting Mallory ready for surgery. She was so excited (and may I emphasize EXCITED) . She was high-fiving the hospital staff and would promptly tell anyone within ear shot that she was staying (two-days). The surgery staff stated that Mallory was indeed the first child to skip her way to surgery.

It was a long hour wait....Dr Singhal met with us after the surgery and reported that everything went fine. He did have to remove her tonsils. The left side was terribly infected. He described it as a "blackberry" that had to come out.

While Mallory was in recovery, we waited yet another hour. Then we were called to meet her near surgery to follow her up to ICU. My happy, skipping, high-fiving girl- she was not.

Mallory was pretty uncomfortable after the surgery and extremely agitated. They gave her some pain meds which helped tremendously.

Mallory's left ear is still infected. I noticed heavy drainage from it in the PICU. Right now, she is resting comfortably. She does not want to be left alone. So, I better go relieve Todd.

Thank you to my parents for being here today, Thank you to Jackie for keeping Matt & Hannah, and Thank you to all our friends and family for the phone calls and prayers.

Surgery

Tomorrow's an exciting day! Mallory has to report to the surgery department at 1000. I will post updates over the next few days to keep everyone up to speed.

Diva

This picture says it all!

Spring is here!

Spring is here! Which means it's time for Mallory to start riding again. Yes, the driving does get old, but it's so worth it to see her ride. Independence Farms in Washington does a wonderful job. Mallory has been riding for 5 years now and has grown by leaps and bounds.

Matthew's Spring Program

Matthew had his spring program at school. He was so nervous. He had been practicing his songs for several weeks. It was even worse for him that all of his family and friends sat in the second row where he could see them. He did a wonderful job!

Mallory and Macy

Casen and Matt

A little blurry- but look for the handsome little boy in the front row:)

Mallory & Matt (almost scary that their standing this close and NOT fighting).

Walter Easter 2009

We celebrated Easter on the Walter-side at Teresa's house in Morrowville. It was a rainy, muddy day. We had a non-traditional meal of sandwiches, sides, and desserts. Delicious!

Matt enjoyed the Egg Hunt. He's old enough now to hunt by himself. He's not as quick as his older cousins, but still came away with a basket full of goodies!

Mallory hunted for eggs with Grandma Rose. Mallory liked opening each egg before she went on to find the next.

Hannah hunted for eggs with her cousin, Shelby Jo (or as Hannah calls her "Tobey Do"). They ran from North to South to East to West, covering every square inch of the yard to make sure all eggs had been found.

Wamego Tulip Festival

Mallory, Hannah, and I traveled to Wamego last weekend to visit my friend, Jennifer (Muhlig) Gordon and attended the Tulip Festival. We had a wonderful time and it was beautiful day! Here is a pic that Jen took of Mallory and Garret riding the miniature train.

Excitement.

Mallory's surgery is just around the corner. Our hopes is that it will open many doors for her. Keep her health in your prayers and pray that the Lord will continue to poor his blessings on our precious girl!

Mallory's surgery is scheduled for April 28th at Children's Mercy in Kansas City. They have internet access at the hospital, so we will be able to post updates on our blog as well as on facebook.

Where were you in 1971?

These pictures started circulating of my dad recently. It's a reminder, that my dad was really young and had a lot of fun before his three girls came around.

Dad and Paul Carlton
Paul Carlton, John Folk, and Dad

Bedtime

Every night, when we get ready to head to bed....this is where we find the dog. Resting. Peacefully. Next to her buddy, Matthew. When she notices that we have spotted her.....Dot gives us a little snarl, as if to say "Don't even think of putting me in my kennel."

Spring Break

We took a short vacation over spring break. We drove out to Dodge City and toured Boot Hill and all the other tourist sites that Dodge has to offer.

What would be the odds?

After getting geared for surgery on the 28th, the doctor's office called this morning and said that they had an opening for the 14th. As excited as we are to get the surgery done, we kept it scheduled for the 28th. We had all of our arrangements made for that 2 weeks, it just worked better for us. I'm mentally prepared for the 28th, that's where we'll keep it.

Pray for Mallory's health over the next several weeks. There has been a lot of illness going around. For Mallory to get sick, would mean a delay in having the surgery.

Surgery Update

We spent yesterday at Children's Mercy Hospital for Mallory's pre-op appointment. After 3 hours of "stuff", she is officially ready to go. Surgery is scheduled for the 28th of April. We are hooked up with the Ronald McDonald House. Dejavu- for those of us that remember the surgeries back in 2000. Surgery should take a few hours. Mallory will stay at Children's through the 30th. She will have to stay out of school for 7-10 days and be on a modified diet for at least 2 weeks. For more information on her surgery, search velopharygeal insufficiency.

Snow Fun!

The last weekend in March, we had (hopefully) the last snow fall of the winter. We had 4-6 inches of big, fat snowflakes. We took the kids and dog out to Brown's Park to sled. After a very mild winter, this weekend was well spent. A day full of fun in the snow that was melted by the next day!

Mallory was the first to sled down the hill.

Matt & Hannah made a snowman before deciding to sled.


Hannah

Todd, Hannah, and Dot

Happy Birthday Hannah!