surgery updates

Where to start with this past week? It's been a whirlwind. Surgery was last Tuesday morning, and the plan was to go in and get the arrhythmias ablated - and it all went as planned. Steve's parents came on Monday, which allowed us to be at the hospital at 7:00 to prep for the 8:00 procedure. Several nurses and doctors briefed me on the ins and outs of the procedure (pun intended), and I was given an IV (or two?) before walking into the tech-heavy operating room. There was a massive screen, several big white machines, and lots of instruments - mostly bagged up and hanging out. One of the nurses put a few (3?) extra large stickers on my back, covering it in its entirety. EKG leads were attached (more stickers) and after I lay down, another sticker was plastered over my forehead - to monitor the anaesthetic, I think. I breathed into the mask and then before I knew it I was coming out of the most incredible sleep I have ever had... it was aaaamazing. I savoured the feeling (you know the one?) and then opened my eyes slowly slowly... and, of course, realized why my sleep had been so golden. I felt very lucky to avoid any and all ill-effects of the anaesthetic, but couldn't escape the discomfort of the sheaths (at the tops of my legs) that stayed in for a few hours post-op. I had to stay relatively still in bed for a few hours, and then had the things removed - they were so long! And from this point on things just got better; nurses kept an eye on my vitals, Steve came for a visit, I ate something, and watched several episodes of The Marvelous Mrs Maisel (which came highly recommended by one of our neighbors and I love it!). There was a brief visit by one of the cardiologists, and a more thorough discussion followed the following morning. The ablations were, for the most part, successful, though the shape of my heart made things a bit more challenging than expected. I'm to take it easy for the 2 weeks following the procedure, and will check in with the cardiologists 3 months post-op.

It was so incredibly helpful having Steve's parents here all week, and the three other adults in the house did a great job reminding me to lie down and take it easy. Plus - the meals! I didn't think about cooking or jobs for a week and that was a vacation in and of itself. My family was a great support too, and I know that my parents and sisters were with me in spirit, as geographical challenges made it impossible to be there in person. Friends dropped of flowers and chocolates, and all of the texts/messages/emails reminded me that there is a little village here that is ready to help when needed (yay). This makes me think of a social capital cartoon I came across the other day (related - I think?); see for yourself (it's about borrowing sugar / asking for help from your neighbors and community). We live in a great community, and I really value the relationships with our neighbours and friends!

As always, I'm sure there's more to write about, but I'm going to get this posted and hopefully get another update in soon. I only have one more week of practicum (I started early and took last week off), then a few weeks of freedom before starting back at the library. I'm feeling good, and am so thankful that we live in a place that allowed me to have this procedure done when it mattered, that I have a crew of loving and supportive people in my life (near and far), and that I understand (I think) the importance and value of appreciating every day with my loved ones. Peace and love - and happy Friday!

End of March Spring post

Spring is officially here and the weather is getting warmer and it is AMAZING! We spent a good part of the weekend outside, and the kids love having their bikes and seeing friends and not being cold. We had a busy weekend - but most of it was sort of spontaneous and unplanned (which I love). Hendrik started outdoor ball hockey this week so had a game on Saturday morning; Alana had gymnastics and then went to a birthday party, and theeeeen we went to an open house in Delaware, a small town 10 minutes outside of London. The property was beautiful - there was a huge back yard and a pool (gated) but the house didn't have 4 bedrooms on the same floor and felt a bit small (I'm not sure what the square footage was). We walked down the street to the school, spent a good hour playing at the playground, and then checked out a skateboard park before stopping in at the local grocery store for some take-and-bake dinner (chicken pie and green beans). We' outgrew our house a while ago, and we need to do something about it soon; it'll either be a reno here (to add another bedroom and bathroom upstairs, a mudroom on the main floor, and extend the basement) or a move who-knows-where. And we're torn! We don't know what to do, but hope the answer will come to us (soon).

And then today we went out to Fort Rose Maple Company's sugar bush in Parkhill, and let me tell you the 45 minute wait for as many pancakes, sausages, ham slices, muffins, fruit, coffee, orange drink, and maple syrup as we could eat was well worth the wait. We explored the barn, ogled at the cows and pigs, and took a ride out to the woods to learn about how they "make" maple syrup. It was such a beautiful day, and everyone was happy (and no fighting!). We made it to the gas station with 0km left on our odometer and 2 1/2 litres of gas in the tank - man, do we live on the edge or what. I opted out of the planned Costco shop after seeing the swarming carts and cars and people (UGH)... I'll go tomorrow. We did check out a pretty fantastic toy store (Hobby & Toy) before heading back to our hood for a bike ride playdate for Alana and some new-toy-testing for Hendrik (he purchased a magnet and Alana picked up another Beanie Boo stuffy).

Gramma and Gramps were here for some of the weekend as they came down for the kids' Thursday performance of "How does your Garden Groove?" - a musical extravaganza full of garden and plant puns. Hendrik and one of his classmates has the lead roles of Freddie Farmer and Frannie Farmer, and he knocked it out of the park! Alana very happily sang all of her songs and executed some innncredible dance moves - check it out!

Up next - I have my pre-op tomorrow and then get back into my second week of practicum #2 at a local school with a grade 7 class. It's definitely different not having to operate in French all day every day, so that makes things a bit easier, plus it's only 5 blocks away (which is amazing). More on that later, but for now I'll join the kids and watch some before-bed Shaun the Sheep. Until next time!

It's March - !!

Is it spring where you live? It must have been a few years ago now, but I think I was in Vancouver in March and there were flowers everywhere and leaves on the trees - and then it's back to snowy, grey Ontario... bleh! Well, not bleh - it's just still winter here. We went skating this morning and it was SO nice! We are usually met with hurled complaints and whining when we announce that we are doing anything on a weekend before lunchtime ("but waaah mehhhhh I don't want to go!") but there was no pushback to our announcement (not suggestion) that we were going skating in Victoria Park. Was it because I made waffles for breakfast? (These waffles are THE BEST - made with yeast, "Goodnight waffles") Or because they had 45 minutes to get ready? Who knows, but it was even easy getting out of the house - everyone put their stuff on and got in the car - !!! This alone is a miracle. So we skated for at least an hour (Hendrik and Alana are fine on their own but Jordan is still reluctant to get on / stand up / move on the ice - which is fine!) The little spent most of the skate on the bench where we could see him while we skated around in laps, taking turns to check in on him.

I mentioned something about heart happenings in my last post, and I thought I'd offer an update and background info. I had a loop monitor for a few weeks last month, where I was required to push a button (to tell the machine to record my the electrical activity of my heart) whenever I felt symptoms. I submitted four recordings - some were obvious (I felt dizzy/light-headed, and once my vision was kind of weird), but others not really; sometimes I'd just have a bit of a weird feeling - but never once did I feel an abnormal heart rate. I returned the loop monitor in the morning, was called in the afternoon, and was in the cardiologist's office the next morning; one of the readings showed a heart rate of 220 for 30 seconds - ! The EKG waves showed that I was in atrial flutter when this happened, and I was told I needed an ablation (surgery - I like how the info is presented on this site) within a few weeks... yikes. I asked as many questions as I could, but went back in for a second appointment to have a few more answered, mostly centred around the fact that there is a history of arrhythmia in my family. And to the cardiologist's surprise I was in a different kind of irregular rhythm - this time atrial fibrillation. So instead of having surgery next Friday I'm booked in for early April to have the atrial flutter and atrial fib ablated at the same time. The procedure is 3-4 hours, and then they keep me for a few hours before sending me home. I'm hoping to find some peace and quiet when the kids are at school, but otherwise, it may be a bit challenging. No heavy lifting, so I'll have to pass on carting Jordan around. So that's the big news! From me at least. 

love this photo!

Jordan's big news is that he's in a big boy bed now (did I write about this already?); Hendrik has a central role in a play that is happening at school in a few weeks, and we are all excited for March break (coming up in a week or so). We'll spend some time here, some time in Bville - and Steve and I will hopefully some time with our respective teams, both of which have made it to the OUA Final Four (I coach part-time with Western and Steve does the same with McMaster). I'll leave you with some photos and hopefully it won't be too long before I'm posting again.

brothers :)

wearing red for spirit day

playing school - alana (in heels) is the principal, hendrik is working the intercom, E is driving his Lamborghini, and I'm not sure what the little is doing... chaos!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Another holiday in the candy belt has come and gone, but the candy (and cavities? hope not!) remain. We've had the Valentine's Day books and crafts (mostly heart shaped stickers and doilies) out for a few weeks, and all three of the kids put in lots of time with both; Alana made cards for everyone in her class while Hendrik opted out this year (but read all of the books a few times). Jordan loved the books as well, but the highlight for all was making and decorating sugar cookies. Hendrik made two giant-jumbo heart-shaped cookies for our neighbours, and while Jordan iced/ate one little cookie, the big sibs iced the two giant ones and got them ready for delivery:

Sandra and Bruce - Hendrik had to deliver it on a cutting board!

for Liz

And with this family day long weekend we're nearing the end of February already - ! It's just wild how quickly time is passing. Everyone is in the groove of their weekly lives (a la winter schedule). Hendrik's ball hockey team won their first playoff game, clinching a spot in the final (woohoo!); he's also swimming and playing basketball for the first time - which I'm helping out with too. Alana's attitude towards gymnastics couldn't be more different than it was a few years ago - she loves it! She does an hour on Saturday mornings, and then we head to the market to pick up some yummies for lunch on our way home. She's in swimming too, something we'll continue throughout the school year (I think). Jordan isn't doing any organized activities other than a music class, but he runs everywhere and tires himself out keeping up with the bigs. Up until this term (for lack of a better word), we didn't want to sign the kids up for too much BUT... we found that they'd come home and fight and then weren't really physically tired enough to go to sleep at a decent hour, and we're noticing a difference now (I think). Everyone seems happy, and we're not feeling pulled in too many directions (yet), so... all good.

Not that I've blogged too many times since Christmas but I've forgotten to write about Harry Potter - ! Hendrik was gifted the first book in the series for Christmas, and we are currently on book #5 - bah! How I have time to keep up reading these whoppers is beyond me, but thankfully the pace has slowed down a little bit. We'll read the book - we started reading aloud but then he read ahead and couldn't resist bringing the book to school, so now we have our own copies - and then watch the movie, and it's so so so fun. I'm not sure what we'll do next, but there's something else to look up: what to read after Harry Potter? I found time to read the latest in the Number One Ladies Detective Agency series, and I can't say it was my favourite of them all, but I do love those books. What else - school is busy but good, coaching is good (though every week I think I should give it up and then I go and decide I don't want to), and Steve's coaching is good (he's in Guelph right now and feels the same way about not doing it but deciding he wants to). The standout not-good thing is whatever is going on with my heart right now; I've had a monitor for a few weeks and (even though I feel fine!) there are some red flags it seems, so we're trying to figure out what the answer is. More on that when I have more info, so stay tuned. The job du jour is to get the kids to sleep! I'm not doing any work tonight but I do want to make some progress on the book, you know, since it's 766 pages (!!). Hope everyone has a great weekend!

watching Steve's hockey game last Monday at Budweiser Gardens!

a little about a lot :)

birthday signs

Lots happens in between posts when they're weeks and weeks apart! Steve celebrated a birthday (woohoo!), and school and activities are in full swing. What activities you ask? Hendrik is doing ball hockey (with BHI London) and basketball (with the Ramblers) - both for the first time - and swimming, and Alana is doing swimming and gymnastics (with FCGC); Jordan is in Monday morning music class, and Steve and I are doing hockey and volleyball, respectively. There are some days when, between school, their stuff, our stuff and coaching, it's a juggle, but everyone is happy and into what they're doing (yay / phew) and, for now, it's working. It seems crazy but with my intentions of being more organized and planning ahead, I'm trying to think of summer stuff and spring and summer activities... ugh. So both bigs are signed up for baseball again (both parents signed up to coach too), and they'll both likely try soccer - we'll see how all of that fits in. Jordan will be the team mascot? Every team mascot? Maybe.

this afternoon

the forecast - !!

On another note... this weekend feels like the longest EVER because... it started on Wednesday! All three of the schoolkids skipped some school and made for Great Wolf Lodge where almost everyone had a fantastic time. The one who surprised us - with some apprehension and sickness (just a cold thank goooodness - last time Alana has the flu and puked all night) - was Jordan. When we walked into the cavernously large water park he sort of balked and then became a clingy leech. I was able to unhinge him and convince a try at the little slides, but it didn't last long before he was stuck to me again, asking to go back to the room. The trip was complete with Grandma and Gramps there too, and we were able to distract Jordan a few times to cling to Grandma (instead of me), but that wore off and the mommy-mommy vibes came back quickly. So I didn't do a ton of sliding, which was fine because I was quite cold-y as well. Hendrik and Alana (and Steve and Gramps) had lots of pool and slide time and enjoyed a trip to a nearby butterfly conservatory and put in a good chunk of time at the arcade one night. We've been home for two days and they're still wearing their bracelets, which they originally thought they'd keep on until our next visit (which might be years away).

Contrary to the days at the water park, we spent most of today's wintery day outside in the snow. We shovelled driveways, built forts, and Steve took the bigs sledding at a nearby park while Jordan and I did a few errands. It has been chilly, finally; it's getting down to -18 tonight and Wednesday's high is -19 (no doubt colder with the wind chill)... brrrr! I'm dreaming of planning a trip south next winter... but where to? There are so many options! For now I'll just try and enjoy winter - because time flies, and before we know it spring will be on its way (right?)...

 my Christmas lamp from Steve and the kids

Christmas and into Jan (!)

Well... I wrote a nice long post about Christmas a few days ago (okay, probably a week ago) and just stopped in to finish things up and post it - and it's gone! Gone. Boo. Oh well, I can start over I suppose. It's January! And school starts tomorrow! And we had a fantastic Christmas, spent almost entirely in Bowmanville. It was just the perfect balance of do-nothing and out-of-the-house activities (swimming, skating, and a day in Toronto - which involved eating at one of my fave pizzeria's, Pizzeria Libretto, visiting the Science Centre and watching some volleyball). There was lots of hanging out - games, movies, TV, cousin time, outside play and, of course, family time. This is one of my favourite things about B-ville and my in-laws - their sense of family unity (or cohesion or I don't know what word is right here!). People live relatively close to each other, and there are traditions that people look forward to, like Christmas dinner together, the Left-Right-Centre game, Dutch treats on New Years Day and I'm sure there's more. Anyways, it was very relaxing, with adults outnumbering kids for most of the time and many hands to make light(er) work. The kids were spoiled with gifts over what felt like two Christmases, as we unwrapped presents here in London before we drove east. Santa came too, and though Hendrik complained a bit about being woken up early (and did a tired-blob on the couch for at least 10 minutes before opening his stocking), Alana and Jordan were excited and eager to rip things apart and find all of the stocking treasures. Highlight presents this year were: for Hendrik, a Jurassic Park DVD (he LOVES JP), a Sphero, books, a magic trick set, PJs, a Meccano car set, and candy; for Alana, an Ozobot, a mermaid tail blanket (now Jordan wants one too), an LOL doll (I still don't get the appeal), an alarm clock, a colour-it-in cape, PJs, books, candy, and a Barbie car; and for Jordan, a school planner (so he can do homework, just like his brother and sister!), a little light, a retro Fisher Price schoolhouse (that I bought at a yard sale a few years ago), PJs and a few dinosaur shirts, cars, books and a new car set complete with tracks. The night before we left - same night as the present unwrapping here at home - Steve and I did a mini blitz on the toys and junk that we already have cluttering the house, so things were nice and tidy when we returned home on Friday, and things seem to have found their place without causing too much overflow (thank goodness). Steve and the kids made me an up-cycled little wooden lamp that they made together, so I have a light on my bedside table again (pic next time).

a rare family photo

ice skating... even the little!

these girls were joined at the hip... cousin love!

Other holiday news:

Steve went to "Cwallyfornya" as Jordan says, for five sleeps with the Mac team, and enjoyed his time away and in the warm sun and talking volleyball with all of the other coaches. We missed him, but the cousins (and Erin and Fred too) were there by then so there were even more adult bodies around, and the kids did a great job occupying themselves (especially Alana and her 5-year old cousin Lennon) - WITHOUT fighting. Oh what bliss.

hendrik spent a good deal of time working on a new comic, "Tie Guy" - he even opened a comics shop!
(It's amazing... I'll post some pics next time)

ready to go swimmmmmmming

crafting! with a "unicorn tail" to boot.

making a mouse - to scare grandma 

playing nicely together (!!!) at aunt and unc's house on Christmas Day

New Year's Eve was relatively uneventful - I reluctantly stayed up until midnight BUT it really was fun, because Hendrik stayed up for the first time and was giddy with excitement to be included in the grown up rituals of welcoming the new year (snacks, drinks, TV, games).

Is that it? Probably not. I need to get this thing posted and go grocery shopping. I'm thinking about trying a new meal-planning system - a 4-week pre-planned schedule with shopping lists (ugh, sounds like too much work). BUT while I think about this we still have dinners to play and shop for - and now school lunches too (waaaaaahhhhh) so I'd better get to it. Hope you enjoy the photos!

mermaid tail!

getting the goodies ready for santa and his crew

stocking goods!

stocking goods!

father and son working on scratch tix

what's happening? December (and Nov.) news

Happy December! My first order of business on this long overdue post is to share some photos and news of Hendrik's 8th birthday, celebrated at the end of November. He was quite sick the week before his birthday party, but recovered just enough just in time for a few solid hours of fun at the Batter's Box (indoor baseball facility). There were some great activities organized, and a large room that was home to pizza eating, present-opening, ping pong, video games and more. Out on the turf area, we had our designated zone where someone ran a few games - dodgeball, baseball, tag etc.. Alana wasn't too interested in playing with the boys, and we knew Jordan would get run over if we gave him the green light to participate, so we ran around with them at the back and they had fun too (we played zombie tag). His actual birthday was the following Wednesday, and he woke up to presents and balloons and all of the special attention that birthdays bring... love! His meal request was flank steak and lemon potatoes, and since we'd done a double decker candy-topped cake on the weekend, we had cupcakes for dessert (and there was pizza for lunch - a good day of eating!). Some of the presents included books, Lego sets, clothing, Jurassic Park movies, an mp3 player, headphones - and the big one (from mom and dad) - a fish! Steve was all over this one and the two of them picked out the equipment together. SO, we have our first pet! Blue. Blue the betta fish. Also, I had him answer a few birthday questions, made up on the spot on his birthday dinner:

Who's your best friend? Edward.
What's your favourite colour? Grey
What's your favourite book? Secret Coders 6.
Favourite thing to eat? Pizza.
What's your favourite subject in school? Math.
What do you want to be when you grow up? A volleyball player I guess.
What's your favourite thing to do? Read.
What's your favourite thing to do in the summer? Go to Canada's Wonderland & go on the Yukon Striker.
What's your favourite sport? Volleyball. 

In other news I finished my first practicum and am on Christmas break - yay! The last week and a half of school was a struggle as I was as sick as I've ever been... not fun. I caught a cough/cold from Hendrik but after talking to my neighbours (both retired nurses), I asked for a chest x-ray and voila! pneumonia. So I'm on antibiotics and feeling a million times better (but still on the mend); I had such a hard time sleeping, and I'd have these awful coughing attacks that left me with zero appetite and totally exhausted. Anyways, I'm feeling better and have been enjoying a more mellow (but still full) week.

The house is decorated and we are feeling the Christmas spirit - I can't believe it's mid-December! (This makes me think about my sister - due with her first babe any day now!) The kids have a holiday concert next week, and we'll spend some time here and some time in Bowmanville during their break, but the bottom line is that I am so SO excited for this time off. I know I'll love having the kids around more, but my fingers are crossed (cement-crossed) that they'll mostly manage to get along. Sometimes, Saturday will roll around and all we're welcomed with is bickering and fighting and yelling and it is just SO awful. So anyways, hopefully we - and you too! - have a great Christmas break!

reading one of our Christmas faves - Raymonds Briggs's The Snowman

decorating the mantlepiece with Liz

sugar cookies!