Christmas 2008 and Toe Update #3

Another Christmas is in the books! We hope you and your family were able to have a fun and relaxing time together. Ours was just that. We went to Christmas Eve service at church Wednesday night with our friends the Fraser's and Zinger's and then to dinner at a Japanese Steak House. Christwas day was very fun this year. Whitney was obviously into it alot more than last year, however after the first few gifts she opened, she got bored with it. That led us to believe that maybe Santa didn't need to bring her so much stuff. (Note to Santa for next year.) Sometimes Santa just gets carried away without realizing it! Anyway, Whitney got a picnic table and a little outdoor jungle gym type thing with a slide and a tunnel. She really likes those things, but I think the biggest hit was her harmonica...she seems to be a natural at it too! We had a nice day here, it was around 60 degrees so we played outside as well as inside with all her new toys. We all got a Christmas nap and just relaxed. A great day was had by all!

Now for Ben's toe...We went to the doctor yesterday and got more x-rays and it looks as though Ben's toe is healing well. The two little bones that the plantar plate were supposed to be attached to were scarring over and reattaching. The doctor was very encouraging and was relieved that we didn't end up doing surgery since he is healing well. The cast came off and he is now in a walking boot. He will be in the boot for January basically still not able to do much as far as using that foot. In February he will be in a normal shoe with metal splits to protect the toe and start doing rehab. Then, in March he should be able to slowing start running and be ready to go at the end of March. Definately great news and answered prayers. The hardest part now will be having the patience this month to just let it heal even though he has a little more freedom with the walking boot. His foot is still swollen and bruised and needs to continue to heal. Luckily he is a pretty good patient!

Baby and Mommy at 24 Weeks

I was 24 weeks on Monday (12/22). Baby girl is growing just fine. We had another ultrasound done and got a great profile shot. They found a small calcium deposit on her heart that we have been assured and reassured is absolutely not a problem. Apparently they are pretty common. We will have another ultrasound done by a specialist on January 8th, but it is just a routine follow up when one of these is found. The anatomy of her heart is perfect and the doctors feel confident that this is nothing to worry about. She is definitely moving around alot more now and making me grow everyday! We can't wait to meet her...Whitney is excited too for the "stister" in her belly. :)

Whitney's School Christmas Party

Last week Whitney had her school Christmas party. Mommy and daddy both got to go and she had a fun time showing us around her classroom and how she plays with her friends. There are usually 6 or so kids in there, but some were sick and others out of town, so there were only three of them that day.

Cheeeeese!

One thing Whitney is learning at school...
Friends, Michael and Ava

Miscellaneous December Happenings

Well, it's been awhile again...the holiday season can get crazy I guess. But I am proud to say that the shopping is done and now I can relax a little. Every year I tell myself I am going to be done by Thanksgiving, but that never happens. At any rate, Ben is doing well. He has just been "scooting" around. He did get his new scooter which is much better than the other. It has brakes and steering which has helped him to get around. Not much to report on the toe. We will find out more the day after Christmas. Whitney is doing great. She's just talking more and more everyday. It's amazing! I have good news to report...yesterday I passed my kidney stone! Yes! Finally! And much to people's disbelief, it was, from long end to long end, 1 cm! And about 3/4 cm across. I don't know how it happened, all I know is that it is out and I have felt tremendously better, no pain what so ever! I am so thankful for everyone that was praying for me. I know there were alot of you out there and it definately helped, so thank you! Here are a few things that we have been up to over the last month or so...

We went to Chuck E. Cheese's. Ben and I were a little dissapointed as things had changed from what we remembered it to be. The big band with all the animated characters was replaced by tv screens that played videos and music. Chuck E. was the lone leader up on the stage...Whitney loved it though, parts of it at least...

Some singing in the car...

Whitney got some Playdoh from her Uncle Than, Aunt Jennifer and Cousin Ava for Christmas. She absolutely loves playing with it and calls it "playin", I guess cause I always ask her if she's "playing". She asks for it everyday at least twice. Daddy taught her the concept of squeezing...

Ben got a cool remote control car. I'll let the video do the explaining...

P.S. I got a label maker and a small vaccum for hard wood floors...no pictures of those things, but anyone who knows me knows these are perfect gifts. Can you believe that I didn't have a label maker already?

My parents and Grandma came down for a visit last weekend. Another entertaining opportunity for Whitney and she didn't dissappoint!

Toe Update #2

Well, we had some good news yesterday at the specialist in Charlotte...NO SURGERY! Praise God for that! Without getting too technical, the two little bones in the bottom of ball of the toe joint had not moved out of place. Had they been moved, Ben would have required surgery. Having said that, the "plantar plate" (aka "a bundle of fibers") that connects to those bones, has been ruptured to some degree, but not enough to make those bones move out of place. Ben could have opted to have surgery, but the doctor really felt that this was an instance that didn't require surgery. So, for the next 3 1/2 weeks Ben is in a good, old-fashioned cast almost to his knee that has positioned his toe downward just slightly to get the plantar plate touching those bones again so that the amazing, natural healing process of the body can begin. We go back to the specialist the day after Christmas to get the cast removed and do another x-ray to recheck that those bones haven't moved and check on the healing process. If all goes well, he will start slowly rehabbing after that. There still is a slight chance that he may need surgery if for some reason those bones have moved or it doesn't seem to be healing, but the doctor seemed quite confident that that wouldn't be the case. It wasn't the clear cut decision of surgery/no surgery that we had hoped for, but we both are very encouraged about the fact that it seems the injury wasn't as bad as once thought. Ben I think summed it up best by saying, "In the end it might not be the right decision, but it's not a stupid decision." Basically, if he ends up needing the surgery, we might regret not having it now, but with what we were presented at the time, we made the most logical decision. As far as timing goes, the worst case scenario is that we go back after Christmas and find out he does need the surgery. If that happens he should be back for training camp at the end of July, not perfect, but not terrible. The best case scenario is that everything goes well healing on its own, then he should be back by March or April. Until then, here is a picture of Ben's new way of getting around. He'll be getting an upgraded version in the near future that will actually be able to steer...oh, and I think it will be black, not aqua blue! Thanks for everyone's thoughts and prayers!

Bring on December

It's the last day of November and I have to say, this is the earliest that I have ever had a Christmas tree up. Instead of fighting the mall crowds the day after Thanksgiving, we went to pick out our Christmas tree. As of right now it is up, with lights, but no ornaments. I am planning on doing that tonight once little Whitney goes to bed. I do have all our other indoor decorations out though. Tomorrow I am hoping to get a little outdoor decorating done. We've never really done a whole lot of outdoor decorating, just some wreaths and garland. We need to get as much done as possible tomorrow since I'm not sure if my physical labor (aka. Ben) will be in or out of commission come Tuesday. I've come to realize that I have taken his abilities for granted. It is such a blessing to have not only a strong and smart husband, but a helpful and willing one as well. Hopefully his injury wasn't a means for me to learn a lesson...

Hope your Thanksgiving was a special one. We had one couple over and made all the fixins'. We are still enjoying them! Here are a couple things from the last few days. That little girl is a silly one! Until later...

Toe Update

For those of you wondering...We have learned a little more about Ben's toe situation in the last couple of days. The specialist that we will be visiting next Tuesday got to see Ben's MRI and x-rays yesterday and he actually thought that it may not be as bad as we originally thought. On Tuesday we will be going to Charlotte to get a fluoroscopy. This is basically a moving x-ray that Ben will either have to be sedated for or numbed so the doctor can move his toe around and take the pictures at the same time. Based on what he sees from that will determine if Ben will need surgery or not. If he does need surgery it will be done that same day or Wednesday. Please pray that the decision for surgery or not will be clear cut. We want to make sure we get this fixed the right way the first time and not just for football, but for quality of life in general. We aren't getting any younger you know! I guess that's it for now. We'll be sure to keep everyone up to date as we learn more. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers!

Good News and Bad News

It's been awhile again and much has happened since the last time I posted, so I will apoligize now for this lengthy post. For starters, you may or may not know that I have had two brief hospital stays since October with kidney stones. No, the pain has not been as bad as labor, but only because I haven't let it get that far. Each time I thought I was having symptoms of a bladder infection and knew something wasn't right. So, I have been able to seek treatment before I could fully experience the pain. Darn! Long story short, I have them (still), but am without pain (for now), and there is nothing they can do about them until after the baby is born (20 more weeks). Oh, and by the way, there is one just hanging out in my kidney that is 1.4 cm...yes that is centimeters, not millimeters...Yikes! Onto more exciting things...

Today I am 20 weeks...half way there! And we are growing each day. I can feel the baby move alot more now and Ben has even been able to feel it kick and move around.

Now, do you want the good news or bad news first? Ok, good...IT'S A GIRL!!! Yep, we found out today that Whitney is going to have a little sister. Ben "knew" all along and has figured out that he is best equipped to father little girls. He says it's because he's more interested in what girls talk about rather than "guy talk". I don't know if I agree with that as you can really get him going about dirt bikes and such. I must say though that he is a great daddy to that little girl that's already here! At any rate, we are extremely excited to have this little baby girl on her way and even more excited that she seems to be healthy. All measurements and blood tests have come back great. Praise God! Whitney seems to be excited as well. Soon after the ultrasound we got her to say "sister". It, of course, was really cute.

And the bad news...

This is Ben's foot, big toe, wrapped...Unforntunately, Ben injured his toe in the game this past Sunday. He stepped on someone else's foot with his toe and basically bent it back, hard towards his ankle. It happened late in the third quarter and he tried to walk it off, but wasn't able to finish the game. After x-rays and an MRI we found out today that he will require surgery and therefore his season is over. Some of you may have heard of "turf toe", well this is the worst kind of turf toe you can get. The problem is in the joint where the big toe and the foot meet. There are two little bones on the bottom of this joint that are supposed to have ligaments attached to them. Ben's, at the time, are either unattached, torn, shredded...whatever you want to call it, but they aren't how they should be. We are currently waiting to schedule the surgery with a specialist in Charlotte, probably early next week. After that he will have a 4-6 month recovery process. Ben's spirits are good, dissappointed, but good. The focus now is to get healed and get healthy the right way the first time as turf toe can be a lingering injury if it is not given proper healing time. If you think of it, please keep him in your prayers to stay encouraged and patient during the process. He is already getting antsy!

My hope is to not have this long a post again...thanks for sticking it out. Blessings to all!

One Proud Mama!

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile...there really hasn't been much going on around here. I had a baby check up last Wednesday and everything seemed to be fine. I have been feeling the baby more, still not very consistently, but more frequently than the previous week. We find out what we are having on 11/24. Only two more weeks! We had a big weekend of visitors, Ben's parents, grandparents (Walter and Lillian) and his Uncle Tom and Aunt Lucinda were all here for the game (or Whitney, maybe) against New Orleans. Whitney had a big time entertaining them. The Falcons won again, are 6-3 and tied for 2nd place in the division. Not bad for being predicted to only win 2 games this season!

Now for the proud mama moment...I know I have multiple reasons to be proud of my little Whitney, but this really made smile! Friday I was unloading and putting away the massive amount of groceries I had bought for the weekend. Whitney was quietly and intensely concentrating on taking out and replacing some items from the bottom shelf of our pantry. Normally this would cause my OCD to kick in. I mean, things certainly wouldn't be "in the right place" after she was done, but because I needed the freedom to put things away and she was content, I let it go. Once I had finished I headed over to Whitney to help her put things back in the right place, and found this...

Are you kidding me! How could I even think that she would make a mess? She is my daughter right? Now, I promise you that I have NOT taught my, not-even-two-year-old, how to organize, but apparently she too recognizes the importance and convience of organization! So proud! Although, maybe we should keep a better eye on the things we do...she obviously is picking up on things.

A Beautiful Weekend

It was a great weekend here, sunny and warm. Grandma and Grandpa Lykowski were here for a visit, so Whitney exhausted a lot of energy running around with them. Yesterday we went to the park to play. Slides seem to be her favorite thing, but she is also showing more interest in the sandbox and of course the things that she isn't big enough for yet. She definately keeps us on our toes! Today we didn't get outside as much. I am not feeling well, just a cold, and Whitney seems to be cutting a tooth and she has been, for her, a bear today. We did get to watch daddy and the Falcons win today! Yeah! A good way to finish a great weekend! Hope yours was enjoyable as well. Have a blessed week!

Our Little Chicken!

So here she is...our little chicken! Poor daddy had to leave a day early for his trip to California, so he wasn't able to be with us, but Grandma and Grandpa Lykowski made the trip down to participate. Because our little chick is still too young for all that candy (and mommy and daddy certainly don't need it), we didn't go door to door, but we got together with all our neighbors at the top of our cul-de-sac and had lots of treats and played with friends. Success!

Pumpkin Carving

Wednesday night Whitney cleaned out her first pumpkin. I don't think she was too fond of the sliminess, but the seeds intrigued her. At one point she was separating the seeds from the "gunk". That's my girl!!

Do you know who Josh Turner is?

Over the last couple of years Ben and I have taken a liking to the country singer, Josh Turner. We got to see him live at the Grand Ole Opry last year and just went to another concert a couple weeks ago here in Atlanta. At any rate, he's probably not the most main stream singer on the radio, but I'm guessing if you listen to country music at all you have probably heard some of his songs. This song is one of our favorites that we have been wanting to share with people. I won't do any explaining of the song as it will ruin it, but if you find yourself wanting more, I suggest you check out his other songs as well. Not all, but some have the same "vibe". We hope you enjoy it!

A Cold Day and A Growing Belly

Yesterday was a cold day...for the south. It was in the low 50's and very, very windy. That didn't stop Ben from taking his little girl outside to play. We just bundled her up. We both agreed it was overkill, but she looked so darn cute in that hat!

Yesterday also marked my 16th week of pregnancy. I am feeling good and, as expected, growing faster with this one. I am already in my maternity clothes, they are a little big, but more comfortable than my regular clothes. As one of my friends said, "Wear as much elastic while you can!" Why can't elastic waistbands be the latest fashion trend?!

A Fun Fall!

The fall is definately different here is the south. A couple weeks ago we went to a pumpkin patch. On the day we went, the leaves hadn't changed yet and I think it was in the mid 80's. I definately am not complaining, but Ben has been asking when it is going to get cold. The farm we went to had a petting zoo with pigs and goats, a corn box, a cow train ride, a hay ride, pig races and of course, pumpkins. Whitney loved the corn box and wobbling around in the pumpkin patch to find the perfect pumpkin. All in all, it was a fun family day!

Whitney saying "Hel-wo" to the pig

And eating some corn...Riding the cow train with mommyIt's hard work looking for a pumpkin!

My first blog!

OK, so today I (Amy) decided to embark on a new adventure...blogging. I have a few friends that have their own blogs and I have enjoyed reading theirs even if I already know whats going on in their lives. I have also recently learned that http://www.blurb.com/, the site I have been using to digitally scrapbook, does blog books! So instead of scrapbooking and having to pick and place and think too much, I am hoping this will serve dual purposes of being informative for family and friends and an easy way to get our lives documented in book format. Isn't technology great! For those of you wondering, we still have our Phanfare website (http://www.hartsock.phanfare.com/). It will contain pretty much every picture and video we take, where as this blog will have specially chosen pictures and videos from the masses. I am sure it will contain enough to satisfy as I know I will have a hard time picking and choosing the cutest pictures of Whitney to post!

More to come...