Karen Chatters » 6 months

Wow, where’d the time go?

Karen — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 22:04:22 +0000

March 2009

June 2011

Before and After, Cranio Style

Karen — Mon, 16 May 2011 12:00:39 +0000

I’ve been remiss in posting lately, I haven’t had much to say. I have been super remiss in updating my little mans status, lame. Patrick’s doing amazingly well, it’s as though he never went through anything at all. His scar is looking pretty good, better on the top than on the sides but that’s what all the hair is for (or will be when he gets some). Patrick’s happy and laughing and HUGE and growing like a weed. Patrick had a couple of post-op appointments and both doctors said he was kicking ass and doing amazingly well. There’s no doubt that the craniosynotosis is way harder on the parent than it was on Patrick. But I’ll never, ever want to go through this again.

Before

After

Notice the huge difference in the width of his temple.

Before

After

This isn’t a great shot from the top but…

Before

After

The back of his head isn’t as long as it was. We could go back and “fix” the back of his head so it’s not as long but that would be strictly cosmetic but there’s nothing I want to do less than cut my kids head open again.

(All the above “after” pictures are 8 weeks post-op.)

The ability for a child to heal crazy quickly is amazing. Patrick went from A to B below was just 8 days. If someone cut my head open, at day 8, I’d still be in bed.

Day 2

Day 8

And there goes the time

Karen — Mon, 09 May 2011 19:28:42 +0000

Another weekend’s gone by and I’m unclear what happened to the days. Or the time. We plan things, we go here and there and in an instant, the time has gone by. I try and capture the moments in my minds eye, or with a camera or a video camera but I’m not sure that the technology does the moment justice.

Courtney is more and more amazing every day. She’s growing taller and getting MUCH more vocal and faster and more confident in her little body with each passing day. I know we’ve all been there, we think, “I HAVE to remember this” and within the hour, we’ve already forgotten whatever the moment is. The way that Courtney says certain things or the way she sings her ABC’s, quitting with the letter P. The way she runs “superfast” or jumps “superhigh.” Today she gets in the car and says over and over and over, “DE-FENSE DE-FENSE DE-FENSE” and then laughs and laughs and laughs. She has no idea why she’s saying that but it’s oh so funny.

That's Courtney at the top. This seemed like a good idea at the time.

This girl has no fear!

Until now...

And then there’s my little man. He’s getting more and more amazing with each passing moment. He can’t roll or crawl or say ‘mama’ yet but he’s less of a baby every day and more of a toddler. He smiles and flirts and those big blue eyes just melt my heart every single day. These are the last of the baby days, I don’t want them to end but I can’t wait to see what becomes of my boy.

He's unimpressed with the slide.

We spend so much of our time wishing for our kids to ride a bike or go to school or drive a car and then before we know it, they are doing all those things and more and they’re gone. And those moments of singing Twinkle Twinkle at FULL volume from their rooms. And next thing you know, our babies are having their own babies and I’m an OLD lady.

My boys, Wordlessly

Karen — Wed, 04 May 2011 19:41:50 +0000

I just couldn’t love my boys more.

My life is not a Pottery Barn Ad

Karen — Mon, 02 May 2011 12:00:38 +0000

I always thought that when I grew up, my home would look like a Pottery Barn magazine. Comfy, clean, clean lines, rustic yet traditional. And clean. Orderly. No piles of crap everywhere. Huge windows and natural colors. And clean. Outside we’d have a huge table for meals with friends, strings of lights between the trees, beautiful grass and the perfect green, lush lawn. My house would look like something from Parenthood or Brothers and Sisters (styled) because I have such good taste. The playroom would be neat and orderly, a place for everything, baskets perfectly labeled, the kids dressed in their perfectly pressed, monogrammed, matching outfits. OK, the matching outfits never played into the picture but the rest of it has always been a dream.

I guess I am grown up. Hell, I’m going to be 40 next year (although first I need to be 39), I can’t be much more grownup. And as a grown up, my reality looks a lot like this.

The boy, in his high chair, in a lounge chair, in the driveway...

And then there's the toddler in her diaper, in the driveway...

And of course, there are the men, drinking beer, with a car on the lawn

At least the car isn’t on cinder blocks…