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!