Eliza Grace the Brave - Part 2

Pre-op chilling.

Post-op resting.

Visit from a furry friend was such comfort. But she couldn't

 stay awake long.

Finally some real food!

After a pseudo-restful night, time to move from
the PICU to a regular pediatric room.

Shw stood right up and starting walking down the PICU hallway! 
All the nurses were very impressed!

They had to slow her down :)

But the walk to her new room wiped her out,
so it was back to sleep shortly there after!

 Two days post-op and back in real clothes.

This amazing girl is already ready to head home!

Lots of rest and snuggles to help her heal over the next two weeks.

Set up with all the comforts she needs!

Doing some PT on the couch, stretching her arms and back to keep from getting stiff and losing muscle tone.

Over the next two weeks she continued to heal with only a few minor issues.  She learned that opiods for pain have some nasty consequences (sleep issues, restless leg, emotional overload, constipation) so we stopped those pretty quickly and managed her pain with Motrin instead.

It is amazing to watch the bravery and strength this girl of ours has.  "And though she be but little, she is fierce!"

Eliza Grace, the Brave - Part 1

When she was seven, Eliza Grace's awesome pediatrician noticed a slightly higher right shoulder during her yearly check up. Since that time we have closely watched for signs of scoliosis and had her checked by a specialist every year.

In January 2015 we went for her yearly check and her bigger curve had actually improved from 22 degrees to 19 degrees, so we were very encouraged.

However, I had done enough research to know that if things were going to go bad, it would happen during puberty and it would happen fast.  

And it did.

In May 2015, Eliza Grace began to complain of shoulder pain for the first time. While massaging her back I noticed that her right shoulder was not just a little raised but that she had a full fledged hump.

By the time we got to the specialist in early June, things had progressed to this:

 

Her thoracic curve had jumped to 42 degrees and her lumbar curve was 32 degrees.  Within minutes after viewing the new x-rays the doctor informed us that she would need surgery to correct the curve in her spine.  Without the surgery, she risked continued curvature that would eventually deform her ribs and her spine would compress her heart and lungs.

This was a pretty scary announcement for Eliza Grace and me both. After some tears and a lot of questions, Eliza Grace decided that she wanted to have the surgery as soon as possible.  

We had a full couple of weeks of camps lined up before school started in early July, so we had to work around those.  She also wanted to have time to heal before our big vacation to Hawaii which was scheduled for September.  

She was so very, very brave, asking all the right questions and making her decision based upon some really sound judgement.

It just so happened - and because of God's grace - that the doctor was available on June 29 to do the surgery.

On the drive home from the surgeon's office, Eliza Grace, in typical fashion, began to process all this in her very logical and philosophical manner. 

In the end, she decided that this was something that she had to do for her long term health, that people deal with way scarier - and more lethal - health related problems and that she would simply have to deal with it.

She was the very definition of courage: being afraid of something but, rather than letting it paralyze her, she faced it head on and with determination.

Proud does not even begin to describe how we feel about her.  More like in awe.

TWELVE!

It's amazing to think that our baby girl is 12 years old today! 

Her Daddy and I made her favorite dinner (steak with goat cheese)  and dessert (cherry pie with vanilla ice cream) and her brother serenaded her with song!


Typically our kids get to do a birthday celebration with friends on even numbered birthdays, but everything Eliza Grace wanted to do wasn't open in January. 

Because of this I suggested that we wait until spring and then we can have a belated celebration.  She has a simply wonderful idea to have fun with friends while also benefiting others.  We can't wait to share the details in a few months.

In the meantime, Happy Birthday to our sweet girl who brings such joy to our lives!

Her Gift.

Like everyone, Eliza Grace has many gifts and talents. One of these is her gift of words.

She started talking in complete sentences when she was around 18 months old. 

While some kids were saying, "Dada go to work?" Eliza Grace was saying, "Hey Daddy, what are you going to do at work today?"

While certain physical activities were more challenging (musical rhythm, balancing, riding a bike, etc.) speaking and reading came very easily.

She's the kid that you have to tell to put the book down and go to sleep a couple of times a night. 

By first grade she was writing her own books and poems with accompanying illustrations.

It's been fun to watch her writing mature as she learns more about writing styles and composition. 

Her poem entitled "The Dragons" was written as a class assignment during a unit on poetry this year.  

What I find most impressive is that her final submission was exactly the same as her first draft, which she whipped out in class when she first received the assignment.  

Earlier this week I was wading through all of the papers in her book bag and stumbled upon a hastily written poem on a crumbled scrap piece of paper.  

I asked her what it was and she said, "Oh, I wrote that in math class after I was done with the quiz.  It was just something that was on my mind."

As someone who also loves reading and writing for pleasure I sometimes wonder if it's just me that thinks she has a gift in this area.

But then I read her words again and I realize, it's not just me. She does really have a gift.

Perpetual Motion

Practicing before school on a rainy Friday morning.

Eleven.

How?  Wha?  When did she...?

As usual, I am nearly speechless that our little girl is another year older today.

Happy birthday, sweet Elizabeth Grace!  

We are so proud to be your parents.  It is our privilege to love you, help you learn, and watch you grow into the amazing woman we know you are destined to become!

Our First Official AHG Camporee! Part 2

Here are some more highlights from our recent Camporee:

Setting up and organizing under the shelter.

Males, naturally gravitating to fire

Females, naturally gravitating to meal prep

Chow line

Hobo packs ready to be put on the fire (ground beef patty, carrots, onions, potatoes, grape tomatoes, seasoning, and a bit of water, wrapped in tinfoil)
Cooking the hobo packs

Cleaning up

Schmellows on fire!

Breakfast

Weekend buddies

My little Explorer

Fire safety session

Taking a break to blow bubbles
Archery session

First aid/wound care session.  Learning how to apply pressure to stop the bleeding. (This Dad is also an ER MD and brought a training leg, complete with squirting fake blood!)
Eliza Grace with her fake wound, helping to simulate a bear attack!  She even got carried out in a home made litter.

Paracord survival bracelet making session. It was at this point that Eliza Grace fell asleep sitting up :)
Group photo!

AHG Troop NC 1230

The flag lowering ceremony on Saturday night was conducted by our troop.  They asked for a volunteer to say a prayer before we dismissed. 

My little girl took a knee and prayed a beautiful prayer.  I love how easy and honest she is in her faith.

Our First Official AHG Camporee! Part 1

Last Friday afternoon, Eliza Grace and I headed to meet Troop NC1230 and several other American Heritage Girl troops for our inaugural North Carolina AHG Camporee!

For those of you who know me, I'm not a camping kinda gal.  Oh, the things we do for our kids.

We traveled to Camp Durant in Carthage, NC.  Camp Durant is a Boy Scout camp, which kind of explained the urinals on the outside of the bath house.  I say "kind of" because, if you are a Boy Scout, do you really walk all the way to the urinal at the bath house? I don't think so.

Anyhoo, in order to earn her Camping Badge, Eliza Grace had to be the one to put up our tent.  

She did a darn good job, with very little help from me, aside from helping to hammer the stakes and holding it up as she ran the poles.

First, she unrolled and laid the ground tarp.

Next came the tent proper.

 

"Now let me see...this pole goes..."

"Whew, this is hard work."

Ta Da!!!

Photographic proof that she "got'er done!"