Mondays with Crosby

At 11:24 am, Crosby Fox turned 1 year and 6 weeks old!!! At least I think that is right anyway! The past week...hmmmm. If you look at my camera, you would assume it was an uneventful week. That's not really the case though. We were pretty busy. I just didn't take many pictures of our activities. I think I am figuring out the problem. He moves now. It is getting harder and harder to take pictures of a moving target while keeping said target from injuring himself. He's pretty fast. No, not on his feet. Just on those hands and knees, which continues to be fine with me! So these are the best I've got!

On Tuesday, we made our trek to Calvert's for Crosby's final panel picture. Needless to say, I have relaxed a little on having his pictures made the day he turns 3/6/9/12 months! Seeing how he was greater than 13 months the day of his picture. I will say a slight delay was intentional due to his forever long cold. I didn't want a snotty nose in his 12 month picture. But he hasn't been snotty for weeks now, thank goodness!!!

Of course he had another outfit made my Lulu....



Blake got to make the trip this time. I think he was shocked to see the place and how quickly the photo shot went. **Please note the wispy hairs growing off the right side of my head...we will revisit that...**

On Thursday, I helped give a shower for a very special girl. Jill is going to be having a baby girl. She will be Ann Cortner! We are VERY excited for Jill and Billy and can't wait to meet their little one! You may know Jill as the Ultimate Commenter. And that she is. I would put up a picture of Jill but I am fairly certain she would never forgive me for posting a picture of the banner we had made especially for the shower... I just leave it at that. You just let me know, Jill. I will post it if you'd like!!! ;)

These were the only 2 fellas that made an appearance at the big event. Perd and Crosby spent a few hours together so I could do something other than chase Crosby around all night!

Boy, he was happy to be surrounded by a room full of women. Especially Miss Charlotte!!!

Friday night, we left Crosby behind and spent the evening with all of Blake's cousins and their wives/husbands. Too bad Sarah Jane and Craig had to take off before we could take the picture!! We had a great time hanging out with everyone...
We went to a Super Bowl party last night. I had the camera with me. I had intentions of taking pictures for this very reason. Yet, I took not a one!

So, here we are tonight! Our kitchen is hardly big enough for 2 people to work in. We manage to squeeze in 2 more "helpers" every night. One waits impatiently for any and every crumb that may hit the floor. The other likes to pull all utensils out of the cabinet! Such helpful "helpers"...

And I had to snap a few pictures of the wild man after his bath. We can hardly keep him still long enough to lotion him up, apply Desitin as needed, secure a diaper and put on PJ's. He hates being still these days and has really started to protest. We have just started following him will all the equipment mentioned above just to avoid a fit. These are the sort of G rated pictures. Blake said no cracks were allowed...although it is the cutest bum I have ever seen...

Ripping diapers off the shelf!!

Sitting in the pile of diapers...Threw off his towel and headed in the opposite direction! Oh, this child. All boy. And I am thinking he is going to a very strong willed boy! Great! I think I feel a separate post coming. Yea, I do. So all you mom's get ready to offer advice... :)

**Back to those wispy hairs... So weird, those hairs. It is like they appeared out of no where. I woke up one morning and thought Blake had cute bangs in my sleep!!! I mean, couldn't he just tell me he wanted me to have bangs? He says that didn't happen. But, seriously, I woke up with a patch of baby hairs growing on either side of my head. I have heard it happens after pregnancy but never experienced it in the past and assumed I was spared. Guess not!!

Mondays with Crosby

At 11:24 am, Crosby Fox turned 1 year and 5 weeks old!!! But who's counting? Clearly I haven't been counting. Correctly, that is. It was brought to my attention earlier this week that I have been off a week. For the past 3 weeks! Crosby was 1 year and 1 week old for 2 weeks in a row! Wow. What an attentive mother I am! Or just one that continues to be in denial about the age of her child! Thanks Melissa for keeping me straight. Even if you did forget to tell me for 3 weeks! You must be in denial over the age of our children, too!! :)

This has been a REALLY fun week. Since I became an "adult", I stopped really caring for snow days. I still had to go to work and brave the elements, regardless. Snow Bird never announced Vanderbilt Stallworth's closing. Go figure! But now that we have Crosby in our life, the excitement over a good snow is back! We got all hyped up a few weeks ago over a snow prediction that never really happened. This week was a different story. It started Friday morning, continued through night and finished up Saturday. This is what our house looked like...

It was SOOO pretty! We got a sled for Christmas from the Malones a few years back. We haven't had enough snow since to use it. Blake was like a kid in a candy store when he realized we were finally going to break it out of the garage! I kid you not, he laid out all of our gear in the bonus room floor 30 minutes prior to our getting dressed. He had a pile for each of us, including a sweater for Nugs! Cracks me up! Crosby had nothing appropriate to wear in the snow. So we layer him in PJs, a onepiece sweater outfit, Blake's old overalls and a coat. It was socks under mittens for his hands. And 2 pair of socks and Samba's for his feet. He got to wear his Alaskan cap once again, which kept that noggin of his nice and warm! Initially, Crosby was not happy about all of the layers. But once we were outside, he was in awe...

Best pals...

Just one, happy Crosby...

Me and my little muffin...

The muffin that now knows how to give kisses and I totally abuse that new talent!!!

Crosby sledding with me...

Family shot... My boys... Ready to go for a ride...

And ride he did!!!

But when on his own, this is how he rolls...
Heading back home...

Somebody was begging to stay out and play some more...

And I had to post this because Blake was the only adult sledding with the kiddos at the time. All Crosby could do was sit and stare at everyone, amazed by their speed...

Nugget was able to tell when Blake was coming down the hill. He would try to run after Blake, barking his head off. Smart dog! And I don't know if you caught it or not, but the kid on the red sled was FLYING!!! It is worth watching again... The video doesn't really show just how steep that hill is. I went down a few times and am not afraid to say I was a little scared! The kids, and Blake, had no fear. Thankfully, no one was hurt...while we were there anyway!

Most of the snow in our yard is melted now. We had a great time playing in it while it lasted. But now that we have that out of the way, I am ready for Spring!!

Lymphedema 101

Because Jill asked, and this should have been her big day, I will comply! :)

By definition, lymphedema is an abnormal accumulation of protein-rich fluid in the interstitium, which causes chronic inflammation and reactive fibrosis of the affected tissues.

Hmmmm.

So what does that mean? Basically, lymphedema is swelling of a body part, most often the extremities. While it can occur in the face, head, neck and trunk, most people picture really, really really large legs when they think of lymphedema. Elephantiasis. Of the 3 stages of lymphedema, it is the most severe.

Not only are there 3 stages of lymphedema, there are 2 classifications as well: primary and secondary. The first is a result of lymphatic dysplasia and is either present at birth or develops later in life without obvious cause. Milroy's disease, Meige's Syndrome and Kinmonth Syndrome are a a few types of primary lymphedema. Secondary lymphedema, the more common form, usually results from surgery or the side effects of radiation therapy for the treatment of cancer. Additional forms of secondary lymphedema can be attributed to trauma, infection, chronic venous insufficiency, obesity and filariasis (parasite).

Most of the patients I see developed lymphedema during or after the treatment of cancer. Their lymph nodes were either radiated and damaged or removed. Unfortunately, this potentially life saving treatment can disrupt the lymphatic system. Fluid that once drained to now damaged/absent nodes can no longer filter properly.

Let's say a woman had cancer in her left chest...and I say "chest" because using the proper terminology could draw unwanted attention to the blog...if you get the idea. Anyway, a lumpectomy may be performed, followed by radiation of the left chest. Sometimes the nodes under the left under arm and upper left chest are radiated and destroyed. If a mastectomy is performed on the left chest, lymph nodes located in the left underarm and upper chest are often removed. Again, fluid that once filtered through those nodes cannot be properly drained. This leads to a back up of fluid in the left arm and or left chest/back. Likewise, if the nodes at the right under arm are damaged/removed, there will be swelling in the right arm/chest/back. The same holds true for the lower extremities. Only their nodes are found around the "thigh", again, for the sake of unwanted visitors! There is no cure for lymphedema at this time. That is where I come into play.

When I worked in the clinic, I performed manual lymphatic drainage (MLD). This is a type of massage that is designed to increase the movement of lymph and interstitial fluid. It was my job to help redirect fluid from "clogged" areas to "unclogged" areas. Once finished with massage, the patient's affected limb would be wrapped in compression bandages. The patient would leave the office with ace type wraps in place, although they are NOT ace bandages. BIG difference between the wraps I use and ace wraps but that is another story... They wear the bandages all day and all night. They do exercises in them. They cook in them. Work in them...get the idea? They come back the next day and I remove the bandages and let the patient wash up before I start the process over. Massage. Wrap. Exercise. Leave. Come back. Massage. Wrap... This goes on for 5 days a week, an hour and a half at at time, for 2 weeks or more until I see a plateau in the size of the limb. All the while, the patient is being educated on how to wrap their own arm, exercise, and how to do self massage. They are fitted for a compression sleeve which, ideally, they wear every single day for the rest of their lives. I also get compression sleeves for them to wear at night because the day sleeves are not intended for that purpose. And if the patient is REALLY lucky, they have great insurance that covers the compression pump I told you about a few posts ago! Once the arm/leg/head/neck/trunk is as small as I think I can get it and they and/or their caregiver are independent with their home program for maintenance, they are discharged.

Whew! Was that about as clear as muddy water??? Probably so! I think it is a decent overview of lymphedema and what I do/did in treatment. There is nothing more exciting for me to see in the clinic than a large arm come in the door on the first day of therapy and leave a LOT smaller when I am done with them! For the most part, my patients are wonderful to work with. Needless to say, I spend a lot of very personal time with them and get to know each one on a very deep level. Right up my ally!

Let me know what I need to clarify. I am terrible at proofreading my posts, as you know so I am sure there are tons of runons and what not. I wanted to get this out today especially for Jill. She was supposed to have her baby shower but the weather did not cooperate. I am SURE this post will make up for it!!! :) Or not. Thursday will make up for it!

And just incase I could get in trouble for this post or something...
Most of this information is from my training manual from Klose Training and Consulting, LLC, 2004. The amazing Guenter Klose taught me everything I know!

So long

Farewell. It's been real nice to know you!

That's right folks! She's on a shelf. Packed away. Not to be used again anytime soon!!!Technically, my last day to "sit a spell" with Medela was January 13th. 2 weeks ago. I guess my previous experiences left me scarred so I was dreading the weaning process. But, I am happy to say it was pretty easy, both physically and emotionally. I just knew it would be in tears when I was done, buuuuut, not so much! I saw how easy it was to pour whole milk in his bottle and kinda of liked it! Actually, I have to admit I am having a hard time making myself use the remaining 10ish bags still left in the freezer. It just takes so long to thaw... And to think I used to panic over a few spilled ounces! My, how times have changed!

Mondays with Crosby

At 11:24 am, Crosby Fox turned 1 year and 4 weeks old!!! I cannot believe he is almost 13 months old. I cannot believe we are nearing the end of January. Was it not JUST his birthday? We haven't even taken him for his 1 year picture! Seriously, this "time flying by" business is ridiculous...

We had an unofficial weigh in on the BIG dog scale today. Someone has gotten too big for the puppy scale. Of course this makes me sad. But I won't dwell on that. I knew he seemed bigger and he is. 23.6 pounds to be exact. With shoes, clothes and a diaper. He is still on all fours at this point. He does the crazy crawl with one leg cocked out to the side, with that foot on the floor. Both hands and the other leg are doing the typical crawl. Then he does the crawling on hands and both feet. No knees involved with this one. He does it a lot, actually. He stands from 5-10 seconds and then slowly lowers himself to the ground. Usually into a full squat. But, no steps at this point. And as you can probably guess, I am absolutely fine with that. I'll keep my baby a baby as long as possible. How can he be a toddler if he doesn't toddle? That is what I thought!!!

So this week I am going for less is more. I have been putting up waaaaayyyyy to many pictures and I realize this. It is just so hard to narrow them down because they are all so cute. And, no, I am in no way biased. But maybe my lack of pictures really has something to do with the fact that I didn't spend as much time with the ole Canon as usual. Or maybe it was 2 days of orientation at Stallworth and one lymphedema patient that took up lots of my Crosby time. :(
Can someone tell me why I thought I wanted to work a day or 2 here and there??? And while I am thinking about it, yes Jill, I will do a lymphedema post just for you!! :)

What is wrong with this picture???

Yep. He decided to get in the bathtub with his clothes on the other night. Technically, he did not intend to go head first into the tub. But he did! After the initial shock, he found it pretty amusing. Where was the parent, you ask? I was 2 feet away, with my back turned away from him, preparing a shirt to soak in the sink. Clearly it was not as important as the safety of my child. But I didn't think he was capable. Seeing how he absolutely loves to climb, I am not sure why I doubted his abilities. Fortunately the water was just running and none was standing in the tub. Still, not one of my greatest parenting moments...

The little one has a new "trick". He gives the sweetest, slobbery, open-mouthed kisses on command! I request them often. I am pretty sure I have seen him rolling his eyes at me on multiple occasions. ;) Those eyes...they are getting him into trouble these days. He is quite fond batting those big eyes at me while engaging in forbidden activity! Like picking up the dog bowls. Or throwing his food/cup on the floor. Or grabbing the mirror that he has repeatedly been told NOT to touch. See...

I mean, would you look at his left eyebrow??? All raised, as if he is saying, "What? What are you going to do???"Ahhhhh... And then I caught him on video, reaching for that same mirror...

Oh, yes! I even caught a little of the attitude he likes to show when he is having his diaper changed. I think somebody might be getting a little too big for his britches, if you know what I mean!!! What a stinker!!! But he is so cute while being a stinker that I have a hard time not smiling! I can already tell it is going to be hard to discipline this child of mine. Mainly because his adorable face gets me every time!! Well, most of the time it does! Look how sweet those devious eyes can look by that same mirror...

Chubs...

How can I not give in?

Mondays with Crosby

At 11:24 am, Crosby Fox turned 1 year and 3 weeks old!!! I am pretty sure I was posting pictures of the little tike sitting in snow last Monday. Here we are playing at the park today in 60 degree weather!!! Crazy. Let me be the first to say I will take as many 60 degree days as I can get. This little teaser just reminds me that I very much dislike winter and prefer all other seasons! I would be fine to permanently omit winter in Tennessee. We could just keep the cold weather and snow out West. You know, where you can actually do something with snow. Like ski! No skiing here in Middle Tennessee that I'm aware of. But there are parks. LOTS of parks. Crosby and I had a good ole time at a park today.

He was hesitant at first, my tactile defensive little boy...

So we moved to the swings...

He was confused... Are Margaret and John Christopher connected now???

They thought sharing the swing was pretty fun. Something tells me that will change in a few short years...

I put him back on the ground and he started to venture out a bit, crawling through the mulch and onto a rubbery surface. His hands needed a break so he stood at Margaret's stroller a while, trying to push it like a truck. Funny how it looks like he's got the "red eye" going on. But it's not red eye at all. It it the reflection of my bright pink jacket in his eyes. And yes, in his snotty nose. A stinkin' cute snotty nose I might add...

Showin' of his 5 teef. Maybe 4 1/2 but close enough...

I don't know. Just cute...

Then he really got wild. He kept climbing over this small, wooden ledge into a pile of leaves and mud. He got SOO mad when I tried to bring him closer to where I was standing.

That is because he was determined...

His eyes were fixed on a hill that he needed to climb...

And climb he did!!!

I mean booked it up the hill and started heading down the other side...

Yea, it looks like he is going the be rolling down that hill any second. Which caused another mother standing at the bottom of the hill to flip out because a baby was about to take a tumble. Oh, but she didn't know what a genius this baby is...

He just turned around and started going down backwards, just like he was going down stairs...

Yep, that is my little problem solver. Needless to say, she was quite impressed with his mad hill climbing skills...

I was proud! He was proud!

We headed back to the swings for one last hoo rah...

Happy as a lark...

And no, that is not snot on his cheek and chin. Just a little water from his sippy cup that managed to miss his mouth!

I didn't say anything about what was under his nose... ;) Maybe it will go away one of these years...

And he ends his trip to the park with a wink for the camera!!!

Fun times were had by all. I think he is over his tactile issues now so the stains on his clothes are at least good for something! And I am hoping the polish I got for his shoes will take care of the damage done there!

So I have confused a few folks and need to clarify. I have done a little bit of work over the past year. I teach patients with lymphedema how to use this. I worked for this company a little before going on bed rest and started back up in February or March. I get an email asking if I can see a patient. If I do, great. If I don't, great. I probably average 1 or 2 patients a month. I love working with lymphedema patients so it is the perfect setup for me. It only takes a few hours, including travel time, and I set my schedule.

I am going through orientation tomorrow and Thursday to get back on the PRN list where I did full time PRN work before. I have mixed feelings about actually working a full day like I would have to do in inpatient rehab. But, I figure a few days a month could be good for me. And it will help cover the cost of keeping my license active. Crosby is my number one priority. If it gets to be stressful, I won't do it. I'll just see how it goes!

Seeing how I have to get up at the crack dawn, I should get in bed. Crosby has been spoiling me by waking up at 8:30... 8:45...even 9! 6:30 is going to be a rude awakening...

Prayer Request

My sister-in-law, Kerri, has a friend named Jennifer who gave birth to twin girls earlier in the week. They were born around 35 weeks and both weighed near 4 1/2 pounds. I don't know many details to share at this point other than they are having complications. Would you please say a prayer for this sweet family...Jennifer, Joe (husband), Mallory & Charley (big sister and big brother) and the twins, Hadley and Sloan. I know they would appreciate it...