August 2009

We had a fun few hours yesterday with Aunt A & kids (and A’s dad) on their way back to Virginia. The kids were instant friends.

As for the previous part of the month....B and S took swimming lessons. We didn’t do very much swimming for fun because the weather almost every day was too cool. B and S also went to a couple yoga classes. S got her braces and bite-stoppers which have made it challenging for her to eat. I got out the baby food grinder for her. Mostly it just takes her forever to chew anything up because only 4 teeth make contact. M & S got their eyes checked. M's eyes haven't changed enough for a new prescription and S still has perfect vision. Yea!

We took a Saturday and explored Starved Rock State Park which I’ve wanted to see for years. The kids weren’t particularly fond of the hiking, but it was a fun adventure. On another Saturday M, B, and I went on a bike ride through the nearby forest preserve. We’ve lived here for over 2 years and I didn’t realize what was just a couple hundred feet from our house. We hope to go back soon.

K invited 6 couples to join us for dinner at the club to use up some of the amount we are required to spend on food. The couples were 2nd year law students from the University of Chicago. Mand one of her friends babysat for us and the extra 3 small kids (one a tiny baby). It was chaotic, but I think she enjoyed it. M & S started school on August 19th. They like their teachers for the most part. M is learning Spanish. B will start preschool this week.

I continue to see my doctors (pulmonologist, cardiologist, neurologist, optometrist, and even psychiatrist) have tests (the stress echo was particularly fun) and try out new medications. All they’ve come up with so far is that I have orthostatic hypotension (my blood pressure—which is already low—drops when I stand up and my pulse rises causing lightheadedness), which may actually be caused by one of the medications I am taking for the imbalance. Oh, and I just got called to the Young Women’s Presidency (counselor over Beehives—I was the teacher).

Guess who got braces...

We knew she was getting "bite stoppers" today to change her underbite into an overbite (and keep her from chewing much at all for the next several weeks), but we didn't realize it was time for braces.

Surprise!

Expanded

We have been twisting the expander for 3 weeks now

(and have stopped).

Before expanding.

Here is her expanded smile.

July 2009

We went from Utah to Washington on July 3rd, met K at the airport and drove to Leavenworth for a Pryor family reunion. We rented a lodge in the mountains. There were 10 adults and 12 kids. K and his brothers (with the occasional child and spouse) went on several hikes to go fishing. The kids swam in the hot tub (until most of them contracted Hot Tub Folliculitis), jumped on the full size trampoline (which Grandpa brought up in his truck), played Wii games, and ran around tormenting small animals. We also rode horses (M & I), explored the Wenatchee river, went to the lake, and walked around the little German town of Leavenworth where we sampled several flavors of gelato. On July 10, we drove back to Grandpa & Grandma Pryor’s. K and his dad went crabbing on Saturday. They caught quite a few crabs….so we had crab cakes and trout (that the boys caught while hiking) for dinner. The girls and I spent a couple extra days in Washington then came back home on the 15th.


A couple days after we got back I had a CT scan of my lungs that showed no more blood clots, just some minor scarring, so I was able to stop taking the blood thinner Coumadin. A couple days after that I did a methacholine challenge lung test for my pulmonologist, which I passed. I think that means that I don’t have asthma. She still hasn’t found a reason for the hyperinflated lungs. I’m pretty sure that the respiratory therapist is tired of seeing me (I’ve also done a couple pulmonary function tests in the last 6 months).

S got the expander put in her mouth the week after we got back in town. I have to twist it every night for 2 weeks. It has been a little painful, so S has gotten good at taking Tylenol. She’s having a little trouble eating, not only because there are many foods she’s not allowed to eat because of the expander, but also because her teeth aren’t fitting together very well anymore.

M went to her first Girls Camp last week. The young women here go Monday through Friday (I only went 3 days) to a camp in Wisconsin where they sleep in bunk houses. She had a really fun time, but got very little sleep. She’s been talking about it almost non-stop since she got home.