Crickets are Scary

With our house being decked out with Halloween decor, Lucy has become fully aware of what a spider is. Until now, she simply paid little to no attention to anything creepy or crawly. However, now, she points out fake spiders yelling, "Pider." Then, she pretends to cringe with fear.

A real bug may be a different story...

I picked Lucy up from daycare one afternoon and we ventured toward the car. It is a pretty descent walk to the car, about a city block's distance. On the sidewalk, Lucy pointed out something and yelled, "pider!"

I leaned over to see a dead Asian beetle, you know those orange lady bug things.  I said, "No. That is a beetle, Lucy."

About that time a cricket jumped on the sidewalk, right next to Lucy.

Her head jerked in the cricket's direction. Her eyes locked on it and widened.

"Ahhhhhh!"

And, she took off running down the sidewalk. She was running on her toes and her arms pumped at her sides. I've never seen her run so fast; she almost fell forward with all of her momentum.

I laughed. I could barely run after her; I was laughing too hard.

I tried to explain that it was a cricket and that it wouldn't hurt her. It didn't do much for comfort. I told her to grab my hand and "Mommy will keep you safe."

The rest of the walk, even once we were at the car, Lucy looked over her shoulder every ten seconds.  She just knew that monster cricket was going to follow us home. :)

Happy Halloween everyone! I hope everyone stays safe tonight as they venture out for trick or treating. Watch out for those crickets! And, remember to watch that traffic while walking door to door. :)

Scary Times: Part 5

We continue our story...

For some reason sleeping in the hospital was harder for me this time. This being said, I didn't exactly sleep like a baby last time. Perhaps I wasn't exhausted with worry like last time; I'm not sure. Lucy slept well the first night. She still hated them waking her up throughout the night to check vitals. Who wouldn't?

The next morning we waited to hear about the CT scan. They finally scheduled it for early afternoon. We basically sat around all day until then. Since Lucy was more 'awake' than the last time she had a scan, this time she would have to be sedated. I hated the thought of it; but, I kept telling myself that at least she'd be getting good sleep.  (Thank you Mackenzie and Morgan for Lucy's horsie, Bonnie!)

Also with the CT scan, she had to drink a contrast; so, when they take the images they can see the organs clearer.  Last time they were checking her appendix and put the contrast in by IV. This time they had to have her ingest it. No problem. They mixed it with apple juice and she just had to drink the ten ounces. Never mind - it was much more difficult than we thought. We got her to drink four ounces on her own. However, she would not drink the rest. This meant they had to make her.

How do nurses make a 20 month old drink something? Shove a tube up her nose and down her throat.

It was tough. This was the one time that Heath and I were not able to help hold her down.  They came in, wrapped her arms in a blanket, so she couldn't move, and three nurses shoved a tube up her nose. Lucy coughed, cried, gagged, dry heaved and looked at us for help. I stood back and cried. Heath just kept whispering to me, "This is terrible. This is just terrible."

They let her go and she immediately ripped the tube out. They had to insert it two more times until she stopped. Heath was finally able to pick her up while they let gravity drain in the six remaining ounces. I absolutely hate the feeling of having her ask us for help and comfort and not being able to do anything. It has to be the worst!  She locked eyes with me and gave me a look as though, "Why?" It broke my heart. I wish she understood.

After that rough patch, we walked her down to the scan. She did really well and fell asleep in the machine again. The tech taking the images said that the abscess looked pretty large. Later that afternoon, during the staff rounds, we were shown the CT scan images.  This was the most we had ever been included. We liked being included with the thorough explanation. They said that they saw her appendix; it was full of gas and appeared to be functioning well. We could finally rule that out. Whew! That was nice to hear!

They also showed us the abscess. Wow - was it large! It was actually pushing her bladder over, because it was so big. It had fluid inside of it too. The doctor then explained to us that to be able to get the fluid out completely, they would have to "go in". You may remember this same phrase from our initial doctor, in the E.R. This meant that this time, they would have to cut Lucy open. We were mentally prepared - whatever got this thing taken care of.

Family started to show up. My mom and sister spent the entire day with us. It was a blessing. Time no longer crawled.  My dad called from Texas and said he was coming up for the surgery too. My heart was balancing between fear and happiness.

That night, Lucy was normal. The swelling had gone down a little with the IV antibiotics. She could walk again, because they were giving her Tylenol for the pain. She was dancing around the room and singing. It was a good time...in a hospital!

The day of the surgery, we were nervous again. I was never left alone this time though. I wasn't able to make myself crazy. So many family members showed up; I couldn't have been more thankful for all of them. Even my cousin Hannah drove for four hours to be with us. Our family came together for us - from literally all ends of the state and country. Isn't that awesome?

We walked Lucy down to surgery again. I was doing pretty good until the elevator. A woman got on that I recognized. She was really tall and her lips were pale. I immediately remembered her from a volleyball camp I attended in high school. Oh no - a real person! Let me explain...

I like to pretend that the surgeons, anesthesiologists, and nurses helping are all super humans. They aren't normal. They don't have lives outside of the hospital. Basically, they are incapable of making human errors. This changes things a bit. She was real. I know she is. I was more nervous now. 

We had a tearful good-bye, while Lucy yelled for us as they took her away. It's awful. I made sure to tell the anesthesiologist and a nurse that Lucy didn't deal with morphine well. If they could give her something else for pain, we would appreciate it.  I had also told another random doctor this same information the night before.

The surgery, though, went well. We all sat in the lobby talking and even laughing. I ate a container of fries like I was being timed (the nerves!). The surgery and recovery were a little over an hour. However, there really is something very calming about not knowing the specifics of what is happening to her, knowing she is sleeping well, and knowing that this is all being taken care of.

Dr. A finally came from surgery. He said that the abscess was "nasty" and he was glad that they went in when they did. He kept reiterating how bad and nasty it was. They ended up also taking out 3 or 4 lymph nodes that were infected. They were the root of the problem I guess. He was speculating that the lymph nodes grabbed onto the infection, trying to "help out" the immune system with fighting it. However, they ended up getting the infection inside and held onto it until they festered long enough to swell like crazy. He wouldn't be able to tell us for sure until they got the abscess cultures back.

Dr. A also said that they put a drain in again; however, this time it was just a tube, without a bag. It would leak out onto a gauze.

I asked if they gave Lucy morphine. I bet you know his answer...yep! They did. I told three people and no one did anything about it. I appreciate Dr. A; because he acted genuinely concerned about it and told me that he would switch her to Tylenol with codeine.

We got to pick her up then. It is always a wonderful feeling being able to scoop her up in my arms. This time she wasn't as swollen; but, she seemed to have a bit of a black eye. :(

The recovery was similar. She was sleepy for a long time and then she had a morphine fit. It was the same as last time, but lasted longer. My dad, Heath's sister and her boyfriend were the only ones around to witness it this time. I think they realized that we weren't exaggerating. Heath and I were better at witnessing it by now. However, it really bothered Lucy's Aunt Heather. Thank goodness once that one was over, Lucy didn't have any more. Now we knew that the morphine was to blame. Noted!

Dr. A came by to check on Lucy at about 10:30 pm. I knew I liked him. He actually took the time to stop by. :)  Also, he called to check on her again close to midnight. I loved how much he cared.

Lucy was finally able to eat again and snacked on Aunt Nikki's pizza. We laughed, since Nikki was supposed to be taking the pizza home to Uncle Brian. That was, seriously, the only thing Lucy would eat.

We all settled in to sleep around 1 am. My dad and sister decided to stay with us. I know that it wasn't a good night's sleep for them; however, I loved having them there. I seriously loved it. I want to have family sleepovers all the time now! :) Plus, they kept me sane. We had a crazy, humming, taking to herself, nurse. She was an old woman and she had braided her pigtails into buns on top of her head. She moved like one hundred miles per hour and acted like she was on fire. I wanted to strangle her. She was not good with Lucy at all.  It is very true that the nurse makes your experience. We had a different one every day and night.

The next day, my family left. We waited for Dr. A to stop by again. Lucy would go home today - already!  That was alright with us. Dr. A talked again about how "nasty" it was and said that once he made the incision it was like a volcano of puss. Gross. That sure does put it into perspective though. Heath and I wondered if a lymph node didn't burst and that is what caused the swelling to go from little to a lot in such a short amount of time.

They showed us her incision, the drain, and how to change the dressing. We then packed up to leave, via radio-flyer.

We would visit the doctor again the following week. In the meantime, we had to keep an eye on that drain tube.

- To Be Continued -

I Love Fall

I sure do love this time of year. It's my absolute favorite season...well, that is considering that Christmas season isn't actually one of the four "seasons" you learn about in school. If it was, then it'd be hands-down number one.

I decided that I've had a pretty rough fall thus far. How about you? Well, just in case you have, I have decided to be optimistic about the rest of this wonderful season. It's going to finish out just great! You want to know why? Because, here are a few reasons to just love fall, no matter what is going on in your life...

1) The leaves are gorgeous! I'm sure my husband would agree for about point two seconds, until he looked at our yard. Those green, yellow, orange, and red leaves are gorgeous...and then they fall...into large piles that you can jump into! See that positive spin? :)  It just so happens that Lucy loves them too. She loves running through them, jumping, and throwing them in the air. It will certainly make for some great photos, especially since it's actually been nice enough to go outside.

2) Football. I love it. I was raised that way. I have mentioned before that I don't even need to be watching it. There is just something comforting about hearing those "bump, bump, bump, bump, bahhhh"'s of Sunday Night Football. I love the sound of College Game Day. I hate to admit it; but, even Kirk Herbstreit and Lou Holtz are like annoying, lispy music to my ears. Haha...did I push it a bit far that time?

My favorite kind of football? High school of course. The popcorn, the band, the cheering, the freezing, and the irritating opposing fans just wrap up into one fun experience. This year, we were able to watch my cousin play. You remember him, right? I mentioned him as a wrestler last year. He is the only boy cousin on my Dad's side -

I'm very close to him and his sister. :)  So, we tried to make it to any and every game possible (except for the few we missed when Lucy was sick. Insert sad face here.). Lucy even went to a couple and sat still! :) She had her custom shirt too.

The back says, "Rex's #1 Fan".

3) Halloween! Who doesn't love Halloween? I like to decorate the house completely. Right now our banisters are covered in creepy cloth, spider webs, and purple lights. They set the perfect tone for a scary movie. With Lucy getting older, it has only become more fun. I love to dress her up and I can't wait to take her trick-or-treating!

4) Cookies and Candy! This time of year is when everyone starts stocking up with baked goods and candy. Diet? Ehhh...I'll wait until New Year's. It's so hard to lose weight over the holidays. Sound about right?  Well, we take advantage of all the candy on sale. We also take advantage of the baking items being on sale. We indulged ourselves in some Halloween chocolate chip cookies the other night. The best part? Turning on the oven and heating up the house is a good thing!

5) Family gatherings and the fair! Our county fair is something I look forward to every time September rolls around. This year wasn't any different. Lucy had a blast. She would have had even more fun, had she felt better (little did I know...).

And, there are those carbs I was talking about!

6) Sweaters and long sleeves! As a self-conscience, fluffy-gutted gal, who occasionally indulges in a funnel cake or two, I am partial to the cooler weather. Cover up those love handles? Don't mind if I do. I have noticed that post-Lucy my closet has a lot more sweaters and jackets in it. I have one of the cutest long-sleeved jacket thingies too, from Maurices. I just need to find the right shirt to go under it.

Anyone have any suggestions? The pink and green are so hard to match!

7) Along with my favoring toward sweaters, I like pea coats. Not only do I get to enjoy wearing them, I get to enjoy Lucy wearing them too.

8) Thanksgiving! I will admit; I have referred to Thanksgiving as the kick-off to Christmas. And, well, let's be honest, it kind of is. :) I love the food and the company; however, we all know that the conversation totally consists of, "What time are we getting together for Christmas?" "What do you want for Christmas?" "Are you taking vacation from work for Christmas?"

Don't get me wrong. I love it. The day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday, is totally up my alley. I love shopping and love getting good deals. Not many women would argue with me.  By the way: I have to send a shout-out to my Granny for her delicious, homemade rolls! I nab at least two every time she makes them and I would eat more if there were some left.

9) Boots! I feel like I'm getting a little carried away with the clothes items on this list. But, who doesn't love just throwing on their Uggs and heading out the door? It's so comfy and warm!  Lucy got her very own boots this fall too.

10) Opening up the house! I love opening the windows to the house. It is just so refreshing. By now it's getting a little cold; however, we still see a few nice days here and there. I enjoy napping in the afternoon with the wind blowing the curtains and the sounds of leaves dragging across the driveway.

Happy fall everyone! Why do you love this time of year? :)

Scary Times: Part 4

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Where were we? Oh yes - everything was better. We were literally driving in the sunshine, discussing how amazing it felt to have the worry taken off of our shoulders. (Is the worry really ever gone though? Really?)

Later that week, we noticed Lucy's groin area was still swollen. We reassured each other that the surgeon, Dr. A, said that it was normal. We were to only watch for a fever and redness. Neither were prevalent; so, there weren't any problems. Right? Right.

As days continued, Lucy was still acting completely normal. She was perhaps even a bit more active and happy than usual. However, we kept our eyes on the swelling. It was obviously more swollen, because it had moved from just her groin area, into her right labia a little bit. Again, he told us this would happen.

On Saturday morning we decided to take a trip to the pumpkin patch. My mom and Alex were going to come too. I was on the phone with my mom when Heath called to me.

"Cori, it's a lot more swollen."

I didn't expect it to see what I saw. It was alarmingly swollen. I say the word 'alarmingly' because everyone kept trying to down-play it to me when I would describe it to them. Once they saw it, their reaction was, "Whoa!" I was simply shocked. I asked Heath, when he changed her diaper this morning was it that bad? He said no. It was almost like it had just puffed up like crazy in just a few hours.

I told my mom about it and told her I was going to call Children's. I had the number for Dr. A still on my phone. However, I knew he had been on call the weekend before, so I wouldn't be getting a hold of him.  Another doctor answered. I introduced myself and Lucy's case. He was not familiar. That part was kind of frustrating. I told him about the swelling and used the word 'alarmingly'. His reaction was blah. As long as she doesn't have a fever and it isn't read, then no big deal. I'm paraphrasing of course.

I got off the phone, looked at her groin again. That can NOT be normal I told myself.

Heath and I thought that maybe we could give her a bath. Dr. A had said that the soap and water was good for her incision. So, she soaked in the tub, playing, for about 20 or 30 minutes. Afterward, it looked...well, almost worse. It now looked a little purplish. Not quite red though.

I thought to myself, if only I could talk to our doctor, Dr. B. Maybe if I called the hospital, they could contact her for me. It was worth a try. I called the hospital and she was there! She was only in for a couple of hours that day and I managed to catch her. (Thank you to whoever was having a baby that day!)

After I told her about it, she suggested that we just make a trip into the E.R.; she wanted to take a look at it. I was still optimistic. I asked my mom (who was also shocked when she saw it) and Alex to ride along. After the hospital trip, we would head to the pumpkin patch.

We arrived at the E.R. Dr. B had us just sit in the waiting room, so we wouldn't be charged for coming into the E.R. How nice was that? We waited about ten minutes. I was nervous. I sat on a steely, diner-type chair against the wall and watched my mom play with Lucy and Alex. She was always so calm and collected in these situations. I couldn't gage Heath. He sat just to the right of me, watching too. He didn't have a nervous tic like I did. My eyes were drawn to my shaking, right-foot. It was crossed over my left leg and my nerves caused it to move erratically side to side. I immediately put both of my feet on the floor and grabbed the chair. I needed to get myself under control.

Dr. B arrived. As soon as we got Lucy's diaper off, she said, "Oh, yeah. Let me call Children's."

She exited the room. We put Lucy's diaper and pants back on. I asked Heath, "Are we headed back to Omaha?"

His reply, with a regretful face, was, "Sounds like it."

Dr. B came back in after speaking to the same doctor I had called just an hour before hand. They decided that since Lucy was acting normal, we could wait to head back up to Omaha until Monday morning at 9 am. Dr. B thought that the abscess had come back and it was more than likely staph again. Finally, she told us that she thought that the surgeon would have to "go in" this time to clean it out. We took that for what it was worth and didn't ask a lot of questions.

We could take Lucy home, not to the pumpkin patch, and watch her. We couldn't give her pain medicine, because we needed to monitor her for a fever. If she had a fever or didn't act like herself, then we needed to go to the Children's E.R. again. I was scared; but, Dr. B was right. Lucy was completely acting normal. She was having so much fun. I knew though that the next two days and nights would be hell on my nerves.

We picked up Lucy's prescription for another anitbiotic (her fourth) at Walmart. She ran around like a maniac - typical Lucy. It was comforting. It wasn't until that evening, that Lucy changed. Ironically enough, when the Cornhuskers went into the locker room for half-time against Ohio State, down by 21 points, Lucy really started to act oddly. We were all feeling a bit queasy...but Lucy was more than just disgusted with the Huskers' performance. She seemed really tired. She didn't want to walk anymore and she had a temperature of 100 degrees. Heath and I decided to take Lucy to Omaha. We knew that we would never feel comfortable about being home and we wouldn't be able to sleep well knowing that she had a low-grade temperature. After packing some bags, we got out of the house around 10:30 pm.

The drive up I just kept asking Heath, "You don't think they will send us home do you?"

I mean, they didn't send us up there right away the first time. Would they dismiss us this time too?

He assured me that we would be staying the night. Lucy slept on the drive, while we listened to the last few minutes of the Husker game. This trip was much different. I wasn't panicking. I was nervous; but, I knew what to anticipate. I was a pro by now at the processes of Children's - right? Well...that is what I kept telling myself.

We got to the E.R. Nobody had a familiar face; it was a whole new staff. We checked in and were immediately ushered to the first check-up room. Wow - that was a change!  The nurse looked her over. She now had a temperature of 102 degrees. I said aloud, "Good thing we left when we did then. I'm glad we came in."

The E.R. nurse said he would get us a room quicker, since Lucy had been there just a few weeks before. And, that he did! We sat in the waiting room for maybe five minutes. I was much more pleased with our experience this time. We entered the E.R. room. I searched for familiar faces at the nurses' station - none.

The E.R. process was similar. I was doing really well. I had already talked myself through it. I knew that she would have to have blood drawn. I knew that they would need to insert an IV. I knew she wouldn't be able to drink. I was prepared to hold her down. I was not, however, prepared for the nurse to poke around in Lucy's arm for a solid two minutes looking for a vein. It was like watching Lucy get tortured. Heath was having a rough time with it, considering his light-headedness. I was annoyed and felt so bad for Lucy. I actually looked at Heath once, huffed, and shook my head.

"START OVER!" I wanted to yell.

We were finally taken to a room upstairs. We had to explain our story another 20 times. This time our story was much longer....well, as you can imagine. I had to go over parts one through three of our scary journey. I tried to remember all of her antibiotics' names, our family history of illnesses, and the many other facts about Lucy's behavior, eating, drinking, peeing, and pooping behavior, etc.

Since they knew Lucy had staph last time, everyone had to wear face masks, disposable gowns, and gloves in the room with us. Heath and I just stood there in street clothes, apparently taking in the infection - ? I figured they didn't want to spread it all over the hospital.

We were finally left alone to sleep at 2:45 am.

They started Lucy on antibiotics. We would have another CT scan in the morning. No one could tell for sure yet if this was staph again. We didn't even know if this was the same abscess or a different one yet.  Time would tell.

- To Be Continued -

Halloween on TV: Part 2

The 13 Days of Halloween have started! :)

Again - please pay special attention to the colors on the schedule. If you don't know about a movie, I recommend googling it first or reading about it on IMDB.com. My color coding is sketchy, at best. :}

NOTE: Most Disney movies are shown on the eastern channel at a later time as well. Be sure to check it out!

RECOMMENDATIONS: Hocus Pocus, Beetlejuice, Addams Family, Addams Family Values, Practical Magic, Twitches, Twitches Too, Casper, It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, and all of the non-animated Scooby-Doos.

And, for the scarier, adult movies, I suggest: Scream, Death Becomes Her (ABCFAM, 22nd, 11pm - loved this movie when I was little), Halloween (my all time favorite scary movie), Disturbia, and The Skeleton Key.

I am also going to watch 'People Under the Stairs' again. It terrified me when I was little. I'm interested in watching it as an adult. We don't get AMC; but, I saw it was on Netflix Instant. :)

Orange - Rated 'G' and very kid friendly
Green - Rated 'PG' or 'PG13' and discretion is advised
Purple - Adults or Teens Only

Thursday, October 20th
4 pm – The Scream Team (DISXD)

5 pm – Flight of the Living Dead (AMC)

5:30 pm – The Goonies (ABCFAM)

6 pm – Hostel Part II (SyFy)

7 pm – Slither (AMC)

7 pm – The Craigslist Killer (LMN)

7:30 pm – Return to Halloweentown (DISNEY)
8 pm – Hocus Pocus (ABCFAM)

8 pm – Resident Evil (SyFy)

9:15 pm – Lake Placid (AMC)

10 pm – The Midnight Meat Train (SyFy)

Friday, October 21st
5 pm – American Funniest Home Videos (Halloween Themed) (ABCFAM)

5 pm – Slither (AMC)

5 pm – Unsolved Mysteries (series) (LIFE)
6 pm – Unsolved Mysteries (series) (LIFE)
6 pm – Hocus Pocus (ABCFAM)

7 pm – Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (AMC)

8 pm – Beetlejuice (ABCFAM)

8 pm – District 9 (FX)

9 pm – Scream (MTV)

10 pm – Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files (series) (SyFy)

10:30 pm – District 9 (FX)

11 pm – The Hills Have Eyes (AMC)

11:30 pm – Scream (MTV)

Midnight – Rise: Blood Hunter (SyFy)

Saturday, October 22nd

9 am - Midnight – Ghost Whisperer Marathon (series) (WE)

6 am – Prom Night (FX)

6:15 am – The Fly (1958) (AMC)

7 am – The Little Vampire (ABCFAM)

7 am – Murder on a Bridle Path (1936) (TCM)

8 am – Pumpkinhead: Blood Feud (Syfy)

8:15 am – Village of the Damned (AMC)

8:30 am – The Ghoul (TCM)

9 am – Jumanji (ABCFAM)

9 am – Final Destination (FX)

9 am – Nightmare at the End of the Hall (LMN)

10 am – Pumpkinhead: Ashes to Ashes (SyFy)

10:30 am – The People Under the Stairs (AMC)

11 am – Vacancy (LMN)

11: 30 am – The Goonies (ABCFAM)

Noon – The Pumpkin Karver (SyFy)

Noon – Chill Out, Scooby-Doo! (CARTOON)

12:30 pm – Takes from the Darkside: The Movie (AMC)

1 pm – Nora Roberts’ Carnal Innocence (LIFE)

1 pm – Gothika (LMN)

2 pm – Scooby-Doo and the Legend of the Vampire (CARTOON)

2 pm – Mothman (SyFy)

2: 30 pm – The Hills Have Eyes (AMC)

3 pm – The Bad Son (LIFE)

3 pm – Mr. Brooks (LMN)

3 pm – The Boy Who Cried Werewolf (NIK)

4 pm – House of Bones (SyFy)

5 pm – Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (AMC)

5 pm – Scary Godmother: Halloween Spooktakular (CARTOON)

5 pm – Final Destination 3 (FX)

5 pm – The Hunt for the I-5 Killer (LIFE)

5 pm – Committed (LMN)
6 pm – The Haunting Hour: Don’t Think About It (CARTOON)

6 pm – Jeepers Creepers 2 (SyFy)

6:05 pm – The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (STARZ)

7 pm – The Addams Family (ABCFAM)

7 pm – From Dusk till Dawn (AMC)

7 pm – Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (E!)

7 pm – The Alphabet Killer (LIFE)

7 pm – Awake (LMN)

7 pm – Fred 2: Night of the Living Fred (NIK)

8 pm – Oliver’s Ghost (HALMRK)

8 pm – Halloween (2007) (SyFy)

9 pm – Addams Family Values (ABCFAM)

9 pm – The House Next Door (LMN)

9 pm – Men in Black II (TBS)

9:15 pm – From Dusk till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money (AMC)

10 pm – Oliver’s Ghost (HALMRK)

10:30 pm – House of Bones (SyFy)

11 pm – Death Becomes Her (ABCFAM)

11 pm – Awake (LMN)

11:01 pm – The Alphabet Killer (LIFE)

11:15 pm – From Dusk till Dawn 3: The Hangman’s Daughter (AMC)

Midnight – Cry of the Werewolf (1944) (TCM)

12: 30 am (technically Sunday) – Halloween (2007) (SyFy)

Sunday, October 23rd

6 am – Teen Witch (ABCFAM)

6 am – Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (E!)

6:30 am – From Dusk till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money (AMC)

7 am – Final Destination (FX)

7 am – Still Small Voices (LMN)

8 am – The Goonies (ABCFAM)

8:30 am – From Dusk till Dawn 3: The Hangman’s Daughter (AMC)

9 am – Scooby Doo & the Samurai Sword (CARTOON)

9 am – Final Destination 3 (FX)

9 am – In Her Mother’s Footsteps (LMN)

10 am – Bailey’s Mistake (HALMRK)

10 am – Fred 2: Night of the Living Fred (NIK)

10:30 am – Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders (CARTOON)

10:30 am – Flight of the Living Dead (AMC)

11 am – Joy Ride (FX)

11 am – Homecoming (LIFE)

11 am – The Dead Will Tell (LMN)

11:30 am – Ghost Voyage (SyFy)

12:30 pm – Diary of the Dead (AMC)

1 pm – Death Race (FX)

1 pm – Stranger with My Face (LMN)

1:30 pm – Ghost Town (SyFy)

2 pm – Oliver’s Ghost (HALMRK)

2:30 pm – Survival of the Dead (AMC)

3 pm – The Stepson (LIFE)

3 pm – Haunting Sarah (LMN)

3:30 pm – Tim Burton’s the Nightmare Before Christmas (ABCFAM)

3:30 pm – Jeepers Creepers 2 (SyFy)

4 pm – Scary Godmother: The Revenge of Jimmy (CARTOON)

4 pm – Bailey’s Mistake (HALMRK)

4:15 pm – Men in Black II (TBS)

4:30 pm – Resident Evil (AMC)

5 pm – Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride (ABCFAM)

5 pm – The Haunting Hour: Don’t Think About It (CARTOON)

5 pm – The Alphabet Killer (LIFE)

5 pm – The Haunting of Sorority Row (LMN)

5 pm – Fred 2: Night of the Living Fred (NIK)

6 pm – Edge of the Garden (HALMRK)

6:30 pm – The Walking Dead (series) (AMC)

7 pm – Coraline (ABCFAM)

7 pm – The Haunting of Molly Hartley (LMN)

8 pm – The Walking Dead (series) (AMC)

8 pm – Oliver’s Ghost (HALMRK)

8 pm – The Haunting in Connecticut (SyFy)

9 pm – Beetlejuice (ABCFAM)

9 pm – The Walking Dead (series) (AMC)

9 pm – The Legend of Lucy Keyes (LMN)

10 pm – Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (USA)

Monday, October 24th

4 pm – Dreamcatcher (AMC)

4 pm – Monsters, Inc. (DISXD)

4 pm – The Haunting in Connecticut (SyFy)

4:30 pm – Scooby-Doo and the Goblin King (CARTOON)

5 pm – Melissa & Joey (Halloween Themed) (series) (ABCFAM)

5 pm – Unsolved Mysteries (series) (LIFE)

5 pm – Christie’s Revenge (LMN)

5:30 pm – Bewitched (ABCFAM)

6 pm – Unsolved Mysteries (series) (LIFE)

7 pm – Halloween (1978) (AMC)

7 pm – Hellboy II: The Golden Army (FX)

7 pm – Unsolved Mysteries (series) (LIFE)

7 pm – Glass House: The Good Mother (LMN)

7 pm – Carnival of Souls (1962) (TCM)

7:30 pm – Practical Magic (ABCFAM)

7:30 pm – Twitches (DISNEY)

8 pm – Orphan (LIFE)

9 pm – Halloween III: Season of the Witch (AMC)

9:01 pm – Castle (Halloween Themed) (Series) (ABC)

9:30 pm – Dementia 13 (TCM)

10 pm – Hellboy II: The Golden Army (FX)

10:05 pm – The Condemned (USA)

11 pm – Unsolved Mysteries (series) (LIFE)

11:15 pm – Halloween (1978) (AMC)

Midnight – Orphan (LIFE)

Tuesday, October 25th

4 pm – Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins (Non-Animated) (CARTOON)

5 pm – America’s Funniest Home Videos (Halloween Themed) (ABCFAM)

5 pm – Halloween III: Season of the Witch (AMC)

5 pm – Unsolved Mysteries (series) (LIFE)

6 pm – The Haunted Mansion (ABCFAM)

6 pm – Unsolved Mysteries (series) (LIFE)

6 pm – 30 Days of Night: Dark Days (SyFy)

7 pm – Last Man Standing (Halloween Themed) (series) (ABC)

7 pm – Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (AMC)

7 pm – Unsolved Mysteries (series) (LIFE)

7:30 pm – Twitches Too (DISNEY)

8 pm – Monsters, Inc. (ABCFAM)

8 pm – Karla (LIFE)

8 pm – My Bloody Valentine (2009) (Syfy)

9 pm – Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (AMC)

10 pm – Valentine (SyFy)

Wednesday, October 26th

4 pm – Monster House (CARTOON)

5 pm – America’s Funniest Home Videos (Halloween Themed) (series) (ABCFAM)

5 pm – Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (AMC)

5 pm – Do You Know Me? (LMN)

6 pm – Monster’s, Inc. (ABCFAM)

6 pm – Ghost Hunters (series) (SyFy)

6:30 pm – Twilight (FX)

5 pm – Unsolved Mysteries (series) (LIFE)

6 pm – Unsolved Mysteries (series) (LIFE)

7 pm – Unsolved Mysteries (series) (LIFE)

7 pm – The Middle (Halloween Themed) (Series) (ABC)

7 pm – Glee (Rocky Horror Picture Show Themed) (Series) (FOX)

7 pm – Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (AMC)

7 pm – Ghost Hunters (Series) (SyFy)

7:30 pm – Suburgatory (Halloween Themed) (Series) (ABC)

7:30 pm – Mostly Ghostly: Who Let the Ghosts Out? (DISNEY)

8 pm – Modern Family (Halloween Themed) (Series) (ABC)

8 pm – Casper (Non-Animated) (ABCFAM)

8 pm – Ghost Hunters (Series) (SyFy)

8:31 pm – Happy Endings (Halloween Themed) (Series) (ABC)

9 pm – Halloween (1978) (AMC)

Thursday, October 27th

4:30 pm – Scooby-Doo! Legend of the Phantosaur (CARTOON)

5 pm – America’s Funniest Home Videos (Halloween Themed) (series) (ABCFAM)

5 pm – Halloween H20: 20 Years Later

5 pm – The Hills Have Eyes II (SyFy)

6 pm – Casper (ABCFAM)

7 pm – It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (ABC)

7 pm – Community (Halloween Themed) (Series) (NBC)

7 pm – Halloween III: Season of the Witch (AMC)

7:30 pm – Parks and Recreation (Halloween Themed) (Series) (NBC)

7:30 pm – My Babysitter’s a Vampire (DISNEY)

8 pm – Scooby-Doo (ABCFAM)

9:15 pm – Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (AMC)

10 pm – The Hills Have Eyes II (SyFy)

Friday, October 28th

4 pm – Batman vs. Dracula (CARTOON)

4 pm – Mostly Ghostly: Who Let the Ghosts Out? (DISXD)

5 pm – America’s Funniest Home Videos (Halloween Themed) (series) (ABCFAM)

5 pm – Unsolved Mysteries (series) (LIFE)

5 pm – Flight of the Living Dead (AMC)

5 pm – Saw IV (SyFy)

6 pm – The Addams Family (ABCFAM)

6 pm – Unsolved Mysteries (series) (LIFE)

7 pm – Survival of the Dead (AMC)

7 pm – Twilight (FX)

8 pm – Addams Family Values (ABCFAM)

8 pm – Drag Me to Hell (USA)

9 pm – Friday the 13th (MTV)

9 pm – The Black Room (1935) (TCM)

9:30 pm – 30 Days of Night (FX)

10:15 pm – The Other (TCM)

10:30 pm – Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (AMC)

11 pm – Scream (MTV)

11 pm – Rocky Horror Picture Show (VH1)

Midnight – Pumpkinhead: Ashes to Ashes (SyFy)

Midnight – Ghost Whisperer (series) (WE)

Saturday, October 29th

9 am - Midnight – Ghost Whisperer Marathon (series) (WE)

6 am – The Fog (Stephen King) (2005) (FX)

7 am – Sabrina the Teenage Witch (ABCFAM)

7:15 am – Bride of Frankenstein (AMC)

8 am – Darkness Falls (FX)

8 am – Drag Me to Hell (USA)

8:30 – Doctor X (1932) (TCM)

9 am – Teen Witch (ABCFAM)

9 am – Lake Placid (AMC)

9:30 am – Return of the Living Dead: Rave to the Grave (SyFy)

10 am – Scary Gomother: Halloween Spooktakular (CARTOON)

10 am – Growing the Big One (HALMRK)

10:30 am – Rocky Horror Picture Show (VH1)

11 am – Casper (ABCFAM)

11 am – Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (AMC)

11 am – Dying to Belong (LMN)

11 am – Ghosts of Mississippi (TNT)

11:30 am – Death Valley: The Revenge of Bloody Bill (SyFy)

Noon – Oliver’s Ghost (HALMRK)

12:30 pm – Within (LIFE)

1 pm – Scooby-Doo (The Movie) (ABCFAM)

1 pm – Halloween (1978) (AMC)

1 pm – Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster (Non-Animated) (CARTOON)

1:30 pm – Saw IV (SyFy)

2 pm – The Good Witch (HALMRK)

2 pm – The Boy Who Cried Werewolf (NIK)

2:30 pm – Secrets in the Walls (LIFE)

3 pm – Coraline (ABCFAM)

3 pm – Halloween III: Season of the Witch (AMC)

3 pm – Vampire Secrets (Special) (HIST)

3 pm – Lies in Plain Sight (LMN)

3:30 pm – Dawn of the Dead (SyFy)

4 pm – Shaun of the Dead (COMEDY)

4 pm – The Good Witch’s Garden (HALMRK)

4:30 pm – 30 Days of Night (FX)

4:30 pm – Orphan (LIFE)

4:30 pm – 30 Days of Night (FX)

5 pm – Matilda (ABCFAM)

5 pm – Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (AMC)

5 pm – Bloodlines: The Dracula Family Tree (HIST)

5 pm – Bond of Silence (LMN)

5:30 – The Mummy Returns (CARTOON)

5:30 pm – The Little Vampire (DISXD)

6 pm – The Good Witch (HALMRK)

6 pm – Lost Worlds (Special) (HIST)

6 pm – Resident Evil: Apocalypse (SyFy)

7 pm – Hocus Pocus (ABCFAM)

7 pm – Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (AMC)

7 pm – Twilight (FX)

7 pm – The Real Story of Halloween (HIST)

7 pm – Possessing Piper Rose (LIFE)

7 pm – 1408 (TNT)

8 pm – The Good Witch’s Family (HALMRK)

8 pm – Zombies: A Living History (HIST)

8 pm – Scream (MTV)

8 pm – Zombie Apocalypse (SyFy)

9 pm – Hocus Pocus (ABCFAM)

9 pm – Secrets in the Walls (LIFE)

9 pm – Do You Know Me? (LMN)

9:15 pm – Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (AMC)

10 pm – The Good Witch’s Family (HALMRK)

10 pm – Halloween (2007) (SyFy)

10 pm – The Body Snatcher(1945) (TCM)

10 pm – Disturbia (TNT)

11 pm – The Haunted Mansion (ABCFAM)

11:01 pm – The Real Story of Halloween (HIST)

11:01 pm – Possessing Piper Rose (LIFE)

11:15 – Halloween (1978) (AMC)

11:30 pm – Isle of the Dead (1945) (TCM)

12:10 am (technically Sunday) – I Know What You Did Last Summer (STARZ)

12:30 am – Zombie Apocalypse (SyFy)

Sunday, October 30th

6 am – The Omen (FX)

6:30 am – Scooby-Doo (The Movie) (ABCFAM)

6:30 am – White Zombie (1932) (TCM)

7 am – Slither (AMC)

7:30 am – Shaun of the Dead (COMEDY)

7:45 am – The Devil Doll (1936) (TCM)

8 am – The Pumpkin Karver (SyFy)

8:30 am – Casper (ABCFAM)

8:30 am – Halloween: Resurrection (FX)

9 am – Halloween (1978) (AMC)

9 am – Scary Godmother: The Revenge of Jimmy (CARTOON)

9:15 am – The Uninvited (1944) (TCM)

9:50 am – I Know What You Did Last Summer (STARZ)

10 am – The Good Witch (HALMRK)

10 am – The Boy Who Cried Werewolf (NIK)

10:30 am – Matilda (ABCFAM)

10:30 am – Prom Night (FX)

11 am – Halloween III: Season of the Witch (AMC)

11 am – Halloweentown (DISNEY)

11 am – Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (BBC)

Noon – The Good Witch’s Garden (HALMRK)

Noon – Monster High: Fright On! (Cartoon Series) (NIK)

12:30 pm – The Addams Family (ABCFAM)

12:30 pm – The Strangers (FX)

12:35 pm – Halloweentown 2: Kalabar’s Revenge (DISNEY)

1 pm – Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (AMC)

1 pm – Dial M for Murder (1954) (TCM)

1 pm – Gremlins (CMT)

1:30 pm – Hannibal (BBC)

2 pm – The Good Witch’s Family (HALMRK)

2 pm – Resident Evil: Apocalypse (SyFy)

2:10 pm – Halloweentown High (DISNEY)

2:30 pm – Addams Family Values (ABCFAM)

2:30 pm – The Sixth Sense (FX)

2:45 pm – Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster (Non-Animated (CARTOON)

2:50 pm – The Tourist (STARZ)

3 pm – Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (AMC)

3 pm – Disturbia (TNT)

3:45 pm – Return to Halloweentown (DISNEY)

4 pm – The Exorcist (BBC)

4 pm – Growing the Big One (HALMRK)

4 pm – Underworld: Evolution (SyFy)

4:30 pm – Practical Magic (ABCFAM)

4:30 pm – The Mummy Returns (CARTOON)

5 pm – Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (AMC)

5 pm – The Happening (FX)

5 pm – Fred 2: Night of the Living Fred (NIK)

5 pm – 1408 (TNT)

5:25 pm – Igor (DISNEY)

6 pm – The Good Witch (HALMRK)

6 pm – Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (Syfy)

6:30 pm – Hannibal (BBC)

6:30 pm – The Last House on the Left (SPK)

7 pm – The Simpsons (Halloween Themed) (FOX)

7 pm – Van Helsing (ABCFAM)

7 pm – My Babysitter’s a Vampire (DISNEY)

7 pm – Twilight (FX)

8 pm – The Good Witch’s Family (HALMRK)

8 pm – Halloween (SyFy)

8:35 pm – Mostly Ghostly: Who Let the Ghosts Out? (DISNEY)

9 pm – The Exorcist (BBC)

9 pm – The Skeleton Key (OXYGN)

9:30 pm – Twilight (FX)

10 pm – America’s Funniest Home Videos (Halloween Themed) (series) (ABCFAM)

10 pm – Friday the 13th (2009) (MTV)

10 pm – The Tourist (STARZ)

10:30 pm – Underworld: Evolution (SyFy)

Monday, October 31st – Halloween!

5 pm – America’s Funniest Home Videos (Halloween Themed) (series) (ABCFAM)

5 pm – Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (AMC)

5 pm – Unsolved Mysteries (series) (LIFE)

5 pm – Ghost Hunters (series) (LIFE)

5 pm – Ghost Hunters: Halloween LIVE (series) (LIFE)

5:30 pm – The Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb (1964) (TCM)

6 pm – Unsolved Mysteries (series) (LIFE)

6 pm – Casper (ABCFAM)

6:30 pm – Twilight (FX)

7 pm – How I Met Your Mother (Halloween Themed) (series) (CBS)

7 am – Halloween (1978) (AMC)

7 am – Gremlins (CMT)

7 am – The Haunting of Molly Hartley (LIFE)

7 am – Village of the Damned (TCM)

8 pm – Hocus Pocus (ABCFAM)

8:30 pm – Night of the Living Dead (TCM)

8:31 pm – Mike & Molly (Halloween Themed) (series) (CBS)

9 pm – Halloween III: Season of the Witch (AMC)

9:30 pm – Gremlins (CMT)

10:05 pm – Drag Me to Hell (USA)

11:01 pm – The Haunting of Molly Hartley (LIFE)

11:15 pm – Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (AMC)

Midnight – The House of the Devil (MTV)

Midnight – Ghost Whisperer (series) (WE)

12:05 am – Drag Me to Hell (USA)

Enjoy and Happy Halloween! :)

Broom Riding

Lucy's going to be a witch for Halloween. Yep - I totally ruined the surprise; but, I had to tell you or this post wouldn't make any sense.  Last week, I tried to teach Lucy how to ride her new broom. I just don't think she got the hang of it...for some reason she thinks you sweep with it-?

We need to work on it a little more.

Scary Times: Part 3

[As most of you may know, our Scary Times "saga" continued this last weekend. It looks like this three part story may have just become a 5 or 6 parter. Stay tuned...]

Part 1
Part 2

The last morning in the hospital was bittersweet. We were so ready to go home; but, we were nervous about not having Lucy monitored closely. We, once again, had a night of constant interrupted sleep. It ended with us being woken up at 7 am by the surgeon resident.  In our sleep deprived state, we still somehow found humor...

The surgeon resident, who was of Indian descent, asked if Lucy had been, "em, meeking da farrts?"

I giggled like an immature school girl as soon as he left. I took it as a good sign for my future state of mind. Little did I know that I would be "taking a test" later on that day.

A little after noon, we were visited by the home health care nurses.  Lucy had to be given antibiotics for the next two weeks, even though we were headed home. These antibiotics needed to be administered through the picc line that was inserted during surgery. The picc line was a tube that went into her arm, just above her inner elbow. It ran up her arm and into her heart. It would allow the antibiotics to be centrally dispersed. Surely, only a qualified, medical staff member could administer those right?

Nope. Say hello to nurse Cori and nurse Heath.

We were walked through the process:

First, prime the antibiotic line by attaching the syringe to the tube and pushing out any air. It is important not to have any air in the line, because it goes straight to her heart. Talk about stressful!!!

Then, wipe off the end of the picc line with one, two, three iodine wipes. Let it dry for 30 seconds. During this time do not let the end touch anything. Then, wipe the end of the picc line off with one, two, three alcohol wipes. Again, don't let it touch anything or you have to start over. We couldn't risk any bacteria getting into the line. Then, put in 5 ml of saline. Again, no air. Attach the antibiotic tube. Let the machine (which we also had to learn how to use) push in the antibiotics for the next thirty minutes. When the alarm goes off, you turn off the machine. Before you disconnect the tube, we must again wipe the connection place with three iodine pads, dry 30 seconds, wipe with three alcohol pads. Then, 5 ml more of saline and 2 ml of heparin. No air in either of those syringes, remember!

That isn't too bad for once a day, right? No - it isn't. How about three times a day? Every eight hours? Yep. Awful. We were doing it at 6 am, 2 pm, and 10 pm. And, we had to remember to set the antibiotic out (from the fridge) 30 minutes before, so it wasn't cold. Lucy had to sit still too.

I apparently passed the "absolutely, completely unqualified parental test" that they gave me. Which means, I did it once in front of them and they gave me a handout. Needless to say, I was stressing pretty hard about doing this for the next 10+ days!

In addition to the picc line, we also had to flush her drain and measure the nasty, infected output once a day. Gross...TMI...but it smelt awful. (Grandma and Grandpa: TMI stands for "too much information".)

The days at home were long. I felt like I had a newborn again. Lucy slept awful. It was like she was having night terrors or something. I debated if she was traumatized by the hospital or if she was in pain. Without her being able to talk, your guess is as good as mine. We had to set an alarm to get up around 5:15 am to set out the antibiotic. Day and night were no longer differentiated.

Heath and I were stressed. We were getting on each other's cases. Through all of this, we internalized a lot of our pain. We rarely hugged or patted each other on the back. We forgot to comfort each other. You feel so much like you are the one who needs comforting that you forget that someone else does too. Heath felt it just as much as me. It was difficult to remember.

Thursday came. Lucy was going to get her drain out. Whew! One tube gone and one less thing to worry about. We made the trip to Omaha again, to Dr. A's office. I liked Dr. A. He was comforting. He was real with us. He treated us like real people and not just another face.

Dr. A entered the room. We somewhat dreaded getting the drain out, because of the pain Lucy would feel. But, we looked forward to her being able to run around without tripping on the bag.  The drain came out with ease. No problems there. However, Dr. A had some additional information for us.

"The abscess culture came back. I was expecting to see, well, poop, with the appendicitis. The only bug we saw was....staph."

After the initial shock of hearing "staph", Heath and I gather a few questions in our mind. "How did she get it? So, it isn't appendicitis? How do we know for sure that it wasn't her appendix? What now? How do we explain all of these appendicitis type symptoms?"

Dr. A had no idea how Lucy got a staph infection. Neither did we. Apparently we have staph all over our bodies all the time; it isn't like she got it from someone else. He was pretty sure that it wasn't appendicitis now. Staph commonly settles in the iliopsoas muscle (a muscle that runs from your spine down the right-side of your leg, right next to the appendix). I say commonly, because in adults this is common. Common for Lucy's age? Nope. It is even rarer than appendicitis. Dr. A compared it to getting struck by lighting.

He said he was pretty sure that it was just staph and not appendicitis. Therefore, he recommended that we not go on with the surgery to get Lucy's appendix out. He actually said, "If it was my daughter...(30 second pause)..I'd ride it out."  This didn't exactly provide us with the peace of mind we wanted. We apparently just had to monitor Lucy closely, just in case it was the appendix.

Stressful.

Our minds were reeling. What just happened? Everything we thought we knew was out the window. We were told to continue to the antibiotics per usual and then get the picc line out a week later.

The days continued the same. On Sunday, Heath was administering the antibiotics. When he started the machine, Lucy started coughing and almost gasping for air. Her face turned instantly red and her lips turned blue. Heath yelled for me to come closer. My mind went blank and all I could yell was, "Turn it off!" My heart was sinking. I was trying so hard to remember the rules to infant CPR.

Within a few seconds of turning it off, the color came back to her lips and she was breathing normal. Her face remained dark red. I shakily dialed the number to our local home health care. The nurse, who I didn't know, told me to try the antibiotics again. Yeah, no. So, I called Childrens. Thankfully Dr. A was on call that weekend! I was able to speak with him directly. He said to leave it off and to clamp the picc line back. We would switch to oral antibiotics. He suspected something was wrong with the picc line "mechanics."

That moment was excruciatingly scary. But, we were happy to be done with that damn picc line!

We scheduled a time to go in on Tuesday to get the picc line out - two days before we were originally scheduled. We, again, looked forward to the visit. We wanted all of this to be over. Dr. A took out the picc line with just a snip of a stitch and a tug. He looked and it was clogged. We were basically expanding the tube and blocking her blood flow. Scary. Scary. Scary.

Dr. A took another look at Lucy's abscess site and how it was healing. There was some obvious swelling. It even looked bigger than last time, in Lucy's groin area. He told us to expect the lymph nodes to swell a bit. We were to call him if it got red or if she got a fever. We discussed again the possibility of this all being her appendix. He stuck to his same recommendation. He felt pretty confident that it was just staph.

On the way home, we scheduled an appointment with our doctor, Dr. B. We really, really trust her. We wanted her opinion on the appendix vs. the only staph idea. She told us that the appendix rupture would have included some type of e. coli in the culture results. This culture didn't have that; so, she was pretty certain that this was only staph. She said the only confusion for them was how the heck did Lucy get this? Ditto.

We left her office with the weight off of our shoulders. It was a sunny day and this thing was behind us. We now just had to finish her oral antibiotics on Saturday and we were done...or so we thought.

- To Be Continued -

Scary Times: Part 2

For Part 1, go to: http://www.ilovelucyjean.com/2011/10/scary-times-part-1.html.

After what can only be called an emotional, exhausted, mental breakdown on both our parts, Heath continued to Walmart to get our overnight supplies. I was falling in and out of sleep when he returned. We decided to go into the bathroom to talk and to turn on a light. We didn't want to wake Lucy.

Heath showed me each of the items that he got, and looked for approval on the yoga pants and Huskers shirt he picked up for me at Walmart. Finally, for our culinary delight, he set a fountain drink caddy and a brown fast-food bag on the bathroom counter. Let me tell you something first...

Remember how I mentioned that we had gone to the doctor the day before? Well, when driving through town, I spotted the Burger King sign, "New California Whopper". I started to tell Heath that I had enough bad experiences at Burger King that the thought of even eating there made me want to gag. He kind of chuckled and said that he saw the same sign and thought the same thing. We then had a short 30 second rant on how gross it had become to us.

Guess what logo was on the side of that brown paper bag on the hospital bathroom counter? You guessed it: Burger King. Only in our hellish day could fate throw that type of irony at us. It was the only fast-food place open that late in the immediate area - even McDonalds was closed.

Oddly enough, we laughed. I think when you spend the entire day thanking the Lord for your many blessings, you just stop complaining. We stood in the bathroom, giggling like pre-teen girls who had stayed up too late, stuffing our faces. Heath munched on a chicken sandwich, while I poked around on chicken fingers. They were a little too crispy and were basically all breading. But, if you dipped them in the sauce, simply labeled "Zesty", they weren't too awful. I was more pumped about the fountain drink and swigged that caffeine right down. Heath and I somewhat reflected on the day. We knew there was much more to come though.

The nurses came in throughout the night to check Lucy's vitals. Lucy woke up and cried each time. By this time, she didn't trust any strangers that came in the door. I would help calm her each time they came in.

We woke up around 7 am to several nurses and doctors entering the room. I greeted them with my puffy eyes, no make-up, and morning breath. I'm sure I looked like a gem. Did I mention that I hadn't showered yet either? We were told that Lucy's surgery wouldn't be until the afternoon. This made it a long morning.

Heath decided to head home to get more things. It was obvious that we would be there for a couple more days. This gave me too much time to think. I was alone for about 2 1/2 hours. During that time, I held Lucy in the recliner, squeezed her tight, and well, panicked. I would start thinking about the surgery and start to work myself up so much that I thought I might be sick. My heart was racing and my face was red. I had to talk myself down several times. I've never felt such panic in my life.

I tried to ease my mind by asking one of the random nurses - or doctors or helpers or whoever she was in scrubs - that came in, if I could be with Lucy until she fell asleep from the anesthetic. She said yes. Whew! That made me feel a little better.

Thankfully my Aunt Amy showed up and once I had a good cry with her, I was distracted. It was so nice having someone in the room again, besides Lucy. When my Uncle Matt and Heath showed up, my mind was even more free. I was able to joke and laugh again. My heart stopped beating out of my chest.

Visitors came and went before the surgery that evening. It was originally scheduled for 5 pm...then 5:45 pm....then 6:30 pm....and then I think it was 7 pm when we started to head down. Heath carried Lucy as I held back tears. Some slowly streamed down my face as we walked down the hall and took the slow elevator ride down. Heath's sister, Heather, was crying, as well as my mother-in-law. I couldn't even bring my eyes up from the floor at the fear of losing it completely.

We were taken to a room to wait. A nurse came in to talk to us. Then, the surgeon came in and explained things. Finally, two nurses came to get Lucy. I realized then, that the scrubs lady had lied to me. We weren't going to be with Lucy when she went to sleep. I quickly told the nurse that I was misinformed. She shared my annoyance.

It simply broke my heart. Lucy was taken by a stranger, to an unfamiliar place, and all we could do was wave at her. I wrapped my arms around Heath.

I said, in between crying breaths, "I wanna kick that nurse who told me that!"

I wanted to do more than just kick her; but, my motherly, censored mouth came up with "kick" and kept me from calling her a much worse name.

During surgery, I was again oddly calm and optimistic. Being in the colorful lobby was comforting. Staring at the huge banners about being named the number one children's hospital in two areas of practice was comforting. Family was comforting.

The surgeon came out, said it was done, and it went great. I thought to myself that the hardest part was over. I breathed a sigh of relief and couldn't wait to get to Lucy. I just wanted to squeeze her so tightly. I actually sped walked, following closely.

There she was - puffy and still drowsy from the anesthetic. I hugged her and carried her back to her room. I thought that the night would be a peaceful one. Lucy would sleep...well, like a baby. It would be the best night of sleep she had in a long time. After lots of kisses from family, everyone but Heath's mom, Jeannie, left.

Everyone missed it, but Jeannie.

The morphine. Oh my gosh, the morphine. It caused Lucy to have fits. She didn't want anything touching her. She hit us, the bed, her thousands of cords hooked up to her. She rolled around furiously. She'd shout "owwiee" and "mommy". I'd try to pick her and she'd just hit me and push me away. There was no calming her. This happened all night long. We quickly learned that all we could do was move the cords out of her way and keep her from hitting her head on the bed side. Every time the nurses came in for vitals, it happened.

Jeannie left around midnight, and two morphine induced fits.

At around 2 am, I lost it. I bawled to Heath. I hated watching her like that. I hated hearing her yell "Mommy" and not be able to do anything for her. I cried. I cried hard. I stopped holding my tears back and finally allowed them to flow. I allowed the breath to escape from my lungs. I collapsed and emotionally checked out.

Thank God for my brave husband. He took over for the night, keeping the cords out of Lucy's way during each of her "fits". I sat near the couch and watched from across the room. It was a trying night.

They finally took her off the morphine at around 7 am. Then she slept like a rock. She slept like I had imagined she would sleep the night before. She was peaceful and calm. It was nice...until around 4 pm. Then, it became worrisome.

"Is she supposed to sleep this much? Is this normal"

We finally got her to open her eyes for some apple juice around 5 pm. Then, she saw me eating some macaroni and cheese and opened her mouth for some. Ahh....that was my Lucy! Sometime in between bites she fell back asleep.

Lucy slept for over 24 hours straight. It did allow for us to sleep some too.

The next day, our mission was to get her to eat.

We tried all day. It was a slow process; but, it got better with each meal. Her cousin Alex came to visit her too. They were able to go for a wagon ride around the floor. We ended up in the playroom. Lucy was almost herself. It was a wonderful feeling. Besides her puffiness, the bandages and her drain bag, she looked happy.

She still took long naps; but, at least she played in between.

Things were looking up and it really did seem like the worst was behind us. All we had to do now was wait for the second surgery...

- To Be Continued -

Halloween on TV: Part 1

I bet you all thought that I forgot, right? Nope. I've just now had time to get the schedule together. The schedules for 13 Days of Halloween are not until later in the month; however, I thought you all might be in the mood now. :) I know that I am. The house is decorated and ready to go!

Every year, I type up a Halloween TV Schedule - not that my life revolves around television. I then put one schedule on the fridge and one on the coffee table, near the remote of course! If I am ever up for a good fright or am just channel surfing, I know exactly where to go for a seasonal fix.

Again this year, I added more than just the usual 'kiddy' movies. Some are even disgustingly terrifying; I've decided that most things on the SyFy Channel are. However, this way, I can include some of my husband's or our visitor's interest -or better yet, yours! You will find a list below.

You'll notice that I only have up until the 19th of October. There will be more to come toward the end of the month. This will get you started! Also, please pay special attention to the colors on the schedule. If you don't know about a movie, I recommend googling it first or reading about it on IMDB.com. My color coding is sketchy, at best. :}

NOTE: Most Disney movies are shown on the eastern channel at a later time. Be sure to check it out! Also, I added a couple of not-so-Halloweeny type movies; but, they are classic family movies!

RECOMMENDATIONS: All versions of Halloweentowns, Scooby-Doo!: Campfire Scare, and Monsters, Inc. For the adults, I recommend Zombieland. For the first ten minutes I was thinking, "What am I watching? I'm never going to make it through this movie!" But, I was in the theater and didn't have a choice. I'm glad. I loved it. Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, and Emma Stone are hilarious! :) I seriously laughed out loud. Watch it! :)

Orange - Rated 'G' and very kid friendly
Green - Rated 'PG' or 'PG13' and discretion is advised
Purple - Adults or Teens Only

 Wednesday, October 5th
4:30 pm – The Others (AMC)
5 pm – Paranormal Witness (series) (Syfy)
5:30 pm – Ghost Hunters (series) (Syfy)
7 pm – The Exorcism of Emily Rose (AMC)
7 pm – The Thing from Another World (1951) (TCM)
7:30 pm – Return to Halloweentown (DISNEY)
9 pm – American Horror Story (new series) (FX)
9 pm – Paranormal Witness (series) (SyFy)
9:30 pm – The Exorcism of Emily Rose (AMC)
10 pm – Ghost Hunters (series) (SyFy)
10 pm – The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) (TCM)
10:10 pm – American Horror Story (new series) (FX)

Thursday, October 6th
5 pm – Ghost Whisperer (series) (SyFy)
6 pm – House of Bones (SyFy)
6 pm – The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (STARZ)
8 pm – Thir13en Ghosts (2001) (SyFy)
10 pm – 100 Feet (SyFy)
10:30 – My Babysitter’s a Vampire (DISNEY)

Friday, October 7th
4 pm – The Little Vampire (DISXD)
5 pm – Thir13en Ghosts (2001) (SyFy)
7 pm – Shrek (TNT)
8:54 pm – Shrek 2 (TNT)
10 pm – Paranormal Witness (series) (SyFy)
10:30 pm – My Babysitter’s a Vampire (series) (DISNEY)
11 pm – Single White Female (AMC)
Midnight – Children of the Corn (2009) (Syfy)

Saturday, October 8th
7 am – The Sixth Sense (FX)
7 am – Murder on the Blackboard (1934) (TCM)
8:30 am – House of Wax (1953) (TCM)
9:30 am – The Strangers (FX)
11 am – The Little Vampire (DISXD)
12 pm – Aloha, Scooby Doo (Cartoon)
12:30 pm – Monster Ark (SyFy)
1:30 pm – Alien (AMC)
2:30 pm – The Devil’s Advocate (AMC)
4 pm – Aliens (AMC)
5 pm – Scary Godmother: Halloween Spooktakular (CARTOON)
6 pm – Scooby-Doo!: Camp Scare (CARTOON)
6 pm – Shrek (TNT)
7 pm – Alien 3 (AMC)
7 pm – Monsters, Inc. (DISNEY)
7:54 pm – Shrek 2 (TNT)
9:30 pm – Alien: Resurrection (AMC)

Sunday, October 9th
6 am – The Strangers (FX)
6:30 am – Monsters, Inc. (DISNEY)
8:30 am – Paranormal Witness (SyFy)
9 am – Scooby-Doo and the Witch’s Ghost (CARTOON)
9:30 am – See No Evil (Syfy)
10:30 am – Scooby-Doo and the Loch Ness Monster (CARTOON)
11:30 am – Saw II (Syfy)
12:30 pm – Alien 3 (AMC)
1:25 pm – The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (STARZ)
3 pm – Jurassic Park (AMC)
4 pm – Saw IV (SyFy)
5 pm – Scooby-Doo!: Camp Scare (CARTOON)
6 pm – Hostel Part II (Syfy)
6:30 pm – Scooby-Doo Halloween (CARTOON)
8 pm – Chain Letter (SyFy)
9 pm – Scream (MTV)

Monday, October 10th
4:30 pm – Scooby-Doo! Legend of the Phantosaur (CARTOON)
5 pm – Unsolved Mysteries (series) (LIFE)
6 pm – Unsolved Mysteries (series) (LIFE)
6:30 pm – Igor (DISNEY)
7 pm – Unsolved Mysteries (series) (LIFE)
7 pm – The Wolf Man (1941) (TCM)
8:15 pm – The Uninvited (1944) (TCM)
10 pm – Dead of Night (1945) (TCM)
10:30 pm – The Babysitter’s a Vampire (DISNEY)
Midnight – I Walked with a Zombie (1943) (TCM)

Tuesday, October 11th
5 pm – Unsolved Mysteries (series) (LIFE)
6 pm – Unsolved Mysteries (series) (LIFE)
6 pm – Seconds Apart (SyFy)
8 pm – Fertile Ground (SyFy)
10 pm – Population 436 (SyFy)

Wednesday, October 12th
5 pm – Unsolved Mysteries (series) (LIFE)
5 pm – Paranormal Witness (series) (SyFy)
6 pm – Ghost Hunters (series) (SyFy)
6 pm – Unsolved Mysteries (series) (LIFE)
6 pm – My Babysitter’s a Vampire (movie) (DISXD)
6:05 pm – Toy Story 3 (STARZ)
6:30 pm – X-Men Origins: Wolverine (FX)
7:30 pm – The Little Vampire (DISNEY)
9 pm – American Horror Story (new series) (FX)
10:01 pm – American Horror Story (new series) (FX)

Thursday, October 13th
5 pm – Friday the 13th (SyFy)
6 pm – The Cave (SyFy)
7:30 pm – Aladdin (DISNEY)
8 pm – Dawn of the Dead (Syfy)
10:30 pm – West Craven Presents: They (SyFy)

Friday, October 14th
5 pm – Unsolved Mysteries (series) (LIFE)
6 pm – Unsolved Mysteries (series) (LIFE)
7 pm – Taken (FX)
9 pm – My Babysitter’s a Vampire (series) (DISNEY)
10 pm – Paranormal Witness (SyFy)
11 pm – Signs (TBS)
Midnight – Ginger Snaps II: Unleashed (SyFy)

Saturday, October 15th
7 am – Murder on a Honeymoon (1935) (TCM)
8:30 am – The Beast with Five Fingers (1946) (TCM)
10 am – The Messengers (SyFy)
10:50 pm – Zombieland (STARZ)
12 pm – The Hitcher (SyFy)
2 pm – Wrong Turn 3: Left for Dead (SyFy)
2:15 pm – The Invasion (TNT)
4 pm – The Hills have Eyes (SyFy)
4:15 pm – The Island (TNT)
6 pm – Monster House (CARTOON)
6 pm – Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (SyFy)
6:30 pm – Zombieland (STARZ)
7 pm – Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (E!)
7 pm – War of the Worlds (TNT)
8 pm – 30 Days of Night: Dark Days (SyFy)
9:30 pm – War of the Worlds (TNT)
10:30 pm – Rise: Blood Hunter (SyFy)
Midnight – Skinwalkers (SyFy)

Sunday, October 16th
6 am – Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (E!)
8 am – Mortuary (SyFy)
10 am – The Graves (SyFy)
12 pm – Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (SyFy)
2 pm – Fertile Ground (SyFy)
4 pm – Seconds Apart (SyFy)
5 pm – Monster House (CARTOON)
6 pm – The Task (SyFy)
8 pm – Prowl (Syfy)
10 pm – Roadkill (SyFy)

Monday, October 17th
4 pm – Prowl (SyFy)
5 pm – Unsolved Mysteries (series) (LIFE)
6 pm – Unsolved Mysteries (series) (LIFE)
7 pm – Halloweentown (DISNEY)
7 pm – Unsolved Mysteries (series) (LIFE)
8 pm – Toy Story 3 (STARZ)
8:30 pm – House on Haunted Hill (1959) (TCM)
10 pm – The Tingler (1959) (TCM)
11:30 pm – House of Wax (1953) (TCM)

Tuesday, October 18th
4 pm – Stephen King’s The Stand’ (SyFy)
5 pm – Unsolved Mysteries (series) (LIFE)
6 pm – Unsolved Mysteries (series) (LIFE)
6 pm – Saw II (SyFy)
7:30 pm – The Sixth Sense (ABCFAM)
7:30 pm – Halloweentown 2: Kalabar’s Revenge (DISNEY)
8 pm – Saw III (SyFy)
8 pm – The 2011 Scream Awards (VH1)
10:30 pm – My Babysitter’s a Vampire (series) (DISNEY)
10:30 pm – Saw IV (SyFy)

Wednesday, October 19th
10 am - 6 pm – Pretty Little Liars (series) Marathon (ABCFAM)
5 pm – Unsolved Mysteries (series) (LIFE)
6 pm – Unsolved Mysteries (series) (LIFE)
7 pm – Pretty Little Liars, Halloween Episode (series) (ABCFAM)
7 pm – Ghost Hunters (series) (SyFy)
7:30 pm – Halloweentown High (DISNEY)
8 pm – Pretty Little Liars, First Episode (series) (ABCFAM)
8 pm – Ghost Hunters (series) (SyFy)
9 pm – Pretty Little Liars, Halloween Episode (series) (ABCFAM)
9 pm – American Horror Story (new series) (FX)
9 pm – Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files (SyFy)
10 pm – American Horror Story (new series) (FX)
10 pm – Ghost Hunters (series) (SyFy)
11:01 pm – Unsolved Mysteries (series) (LIFE)
11 pm – Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files (SyFy)
Midnight – Ghost Hunters International (series) (SyFy)

Hope you are all having a good October so far! Let me know if you recommend any of these shows or movies too! :)