Cotillion Cuties

 

Just because they are cute . . . and I needed a break from tax prep . . . here are these two kiddos that make me proud and drive me crazy all at the same time. :)  Savannah was working as an assistant and Preston was an attendee at Cotillion tonight. I didn't realize that they coordinated so well until we were throwing his outfit together at the last second again.

Surgery FOUR

 

After another follow-up appointment with the hand specialist, she recommended exploratory surgery to make sure the nerve in Preston's palm was not damaged by the water balloon pump.  The feeling still hadn't been restored to the outer side of his thumb so the only way to determine if there was damage was to operate.  The surgeon said there was a 70% chance that it was not damaged, but in an effort to do all we can to make him as normal as possible, we scheduled the surgery for today just in case he was in the 30% that needed the nerve repaired.

The surgery went well and as I suspected the nerve was totally fine and will just need time to heal on its own. BUT, as a mom, I know that I did all I could to ensure he was healthy.  Quite a costly peace of mind, but it's just money right?!

So now we are back at home resting nicely and enjoying much "couch time".  Follow up is 2/15 to have the stitches removed and hopefully be restored to full activity.

Preston's First Band Concert

 

The winter concert before Christmas was canceled (well, the teacher had covid so it had to be postponed, but if you ask me the teacher was probably trying to get covid to avoid the concert) and rescheduled for tonight.  And see this kid above?!?  He bought the required bowtie TODAY and then realized ten minutes before needing to be at school for the said concert that he didn't have black shoes AND that his shirt was so wrinkled it looked like it came out of the trash.  BOYS . . . 

But it was a surprisingly nice showing of what the sixth graders have learned so far this year. And this kid does clean up well if you ask me. :)

Wintery Weekend Fun

 

This weekend we actually got SNOW in Charlotte!!  Although it was a lot less than what was predicted, Preston was thrilled when he woke up Saturday and saw the grass covered with the "real fluffy white snow"!!  It didn't take long before he was out sledding with his buddies in the neighborhood.  Thankfully the roads cleared up as the sun and temperature rose and we were also able to go to Clemson for a night basketball game.  What a fun-filled weekend. :)

Boys . . . and Dumb Decisions

Don't ask me WHY Preston and his buddies thought doing water balloons in January was a good idea . . or why they have to pump them a thousand miles an hour . . but somehow Friday afternoon this pump broke and the rod went right into Preston's palm.  The neighbor called and said that Preston had cut his hand so I rushed home and found him in quite a bit of pain.  I cleaned it out and just thought it was something that would feel better in the morning.  But it didn't.  Actually, it was worse with a loss of feeling in his thumb and totally unable to pick anything up or close his hand. :(  

By the time I realized how bad it was the after-hours doctor appointments were all full and urgent care had a 4-hour wait.  I did call to talk to the nurse and she said she would check with the doctor and call me back but that he probably needed to be seen. UGH!  I was so relieved that our favorite doctor was on call and just told the nurse to tell me to text her.  After touching base she assured me it would be okay to wait to get into the hand specialist and just to watch for infection.  So today we ventured uptown for the specialist. To our relief, she does not think it damaged the tendon and said that it was probably just a bruised nerve that we need to wait out.  If it's not better in two weeks they will need to do some exploratory surgery, but hopefully, all will be well by then!

Winter Soccer League

 

Preston really enjoyed playing in a winter rec soccer league the past few months.  Even though he missed the first few games due to his foot surgery, he still enjoyed lots of weekend games.  It was a bit of a learning curve as the rules are different and it's played on an enclosed court, but after a week he had the hang of it! They had a makeup game tonight and were so thrilled that the coach had a connection to a player from the National Champion Clemson men's soccer team.  Titus Sandy, Jr. came to their game and even signed Clemson rags for all of the boys after talking to them about their goals.  What a fun night!

Wrapping Up 2021

Whew, what a year this has been . . . from a total of 4 surgeries between us and multiple other crazy adventures to the continuation of COVID, it's not a year I'm sad to wrap up! 

Here's a glimpse into our last week of 2021 that we tried to make the most of!  Dave took a mid-week vacation day on Tuesday and our first stop was the bank for Savannah to deposit her coins.  The kids loved this and were surprised to end up with a little more money than expected.

Then we ventured to Sports Connection for lunch, bowling, and of course the arcade.  It was a fun way to spend the afternoon together.

Most of the rest of the week was low-key, going on a few outings here and there until my surgery on Friday.  The doctor was surprisingly able to get me in on NYE after saying that I didn't come across as the girl who would be going out to celebrate.  LOL  Thankfully it went well, mission accomplished, and Dave and I were home by early afternoon.  It was by far the easiest recovery, although I was certainly sore for a few days.  I was able to do two shops the next day (with Savannah driving) and we even made it to the movies on New Year's Day to see Sing 2!  

Here's hoping 2022 is NOT just 2020 . . . two, but that it's a year with fewer injuries and continued blessings! Despite it all, we certainly have a lot to be thankful for.