Emilyn reports: Allen brushed his teeth!

Well, Daddy did, anyway, for the first time. And Allen didn't cry. But he made a face. Emilyn wanted this milestone marked in the blog.

Jennie's Book Chat: "The First Stone"

Have you ever read Bentley Little? Now, there's a weird guy. His thrillers are all about completely impossible human behavior, the complete breakdown of the social contract. Judith Kelman is a little like Little, only not quite so outlandish.

And she's a better writer, to boot. I've never read any of her books before, but in "The First Stone" there are more than a few totally beautiful turns of phrase, like the "bright crackles" of suds on 3-year-old Tyler's body when he jumps out of the bath. This book, a bit like John Katzenbach's latest, sets up an unbelievable run of bad luck for this family... You have to decide whether they're worth believing in.

A visit (and swim) with Hania

Hania is our friend from college... She's a surgeon now, in NY. It's funny: She was a St. Louisan who moved to NY. We were New Yorkers who moved to St. Louis. But she was here this weekend to visit her parents, so she invited us for a Father's Day dip in the pool!

We had lots of fun, and Allen and Emilyn couldn't have enjoyed the pool more. Don't believe me? Take a look! (Captions are on the photos on DropShots.)

In Kirkwood, with Hania

Happy birthday, dear Daddy!

What a sweet day Daddy had! Emilyn, Allen and I gave him a guard for his iPod and a charger so he can keep it running on the road. Emilyn and Allen made him a card and a book. We tried to teach Allen how to sing Happy Birthday (or at least to supply the "Daddy" part). We made Daddy his favorite lunch of turkey tacos. (Have I mentioned that Allen really likes tortillas?) Then we had an excellent dessert of fat-free pound cake, fat-free Breyers and fresh peaches! An explosion of sweetness! We love you, Daddy!

Daddy turns 37

Green light from Dr. Niesen

We went back to St. Luke's today, so Emilyn could see her surgeon, Dr. Niesen, and pass out a few thank-you notes to the doctors and nurses who took such good care of her. In a 90-second visit, Dr. Niesen pronounced her good as new. She already knew it, of course. She feels fine and is looking forward to fully enjoying her summer.

Jennie's Book Chat: Playing catch-up

Well, I've been reading, though I haven't been blogging! Emilyn's appendix adventure has kept me offline for a while and, in the interim, I've finished three books:

"Wild Fire" by Nelson DeMille
This is a mind-blowing book! DeMille writes with such a hard edge, but you can't help liking John Corey. Even if he is a bastard. Suitcase nukes, Adirondack lodges. What fun! Makes me want to go to Lake Placid.

"The 6th Target" by James Patterson and his co-author of the week
The latest in the Women's Murder Club series... It was kind of all over the map. There were at least three different cases going on at once. But it kind of worked, because the combination really drives Boxer to the edge.

"The Blue Zone" by former James Patterson co-author of the week Andrew Gross
Here was an interesting book. Imagine a Colombian gangster tricking his way into the Witness Protection Program just so he could find and kill another Colombian gangster... Weird. The whole thing, told from the point of view of the gangster's daughter, really could have benefitted from some more police procedural stuff.

Allen putters in the gutters

Yesterday, Allen discovered a water supply that Daddy can't shut off... it's rain!

But, eventually, it does stop flowing... Rats.

Off come the Band-Aids!

Daddy, known for his deft touch, used a little Smart Balance vegetable oil and a Q-tip, all to get those last two stubborn Band-Aids off.



And here she is! Three belly boo-boos. Look how tiny those are! It's amazing what they can do these days with tiny tubes. Way to go, Dr. Niesen!

You know you're curious...

... Emilyn sure was! So, we found her a video of a laparoscopic appendectomy. Click here, then click on the link to watch the video.

Who needs a rotten ol' appendix anyway?

Not my brave girl! (More photos and captions available over at DropShots.)

So, here's the whole story of Emilyn's appendix adventure: On Friday, Sarah was over to play. About halfway through the playdate, Emilyn said her hip hurt, and all she wanted to do was lie down. Now, it's not like Emilyn to miss a chance to play with Sarah, but we didn't think much of it. We thought she pulled a muscle or something, so we gave her Tylenol. In a half-hour or so, she felt better, and she and Sarah played for the rest of the day.

Then I went to work, but at home, the pain was back and wasn't getting better. And now she had a fever too. Daddy called our doctor's exchange number. Three times. Never heard anything back. More on this later, after I call the damn office and find out what they have to say for themselves.

So, we put our heads together ("What do you think?" "I don't know, what do you think?") and decided I should come home from work and take Emilyn to St. Luke's emergency room. When Steve called their urgent care center, they said their ER had a pediatrician on staff at all times. Cool.

It was about 10 p.m. when we got there. We walked right in to triage, and Emilyn started charming all the nice ER nurses. (These cute, sweet kids come in SO handy!) We went right on in, to Exam Room 8 (my lucky number), and got settled in.

Right away, we met Dr. Alison Bedell, the pediatrician on duty overnight. She thumped Emilyn on the belly a few times. She had her stand up, walk (which was already not easy for Emilyn to do; she walked all hunched over and favored her right leg) and jump (also not easy). Emilyn gave clear and truthful answers to everybody, a real help in the diagnostic process. Dr. Bedell ordered a urine test, some blood work and an X-ray. I said, "So, does it look like a muscle thing?" And Dr. Bedell said, "No, it's not muscular." This is the part where I heard in my head the dramatic music... Doo-doo-dooooooo...

So, the needle in the arm was a lovely experience, but Emilyn bore up pretty well. And at least the tube was in the vein for good now. As it went, all her subsequent medicines went through that same tube. By this time, she was feeling pretty poorly. Her belly pain did subside a bit as long as she was lying still, and she did plenty of that. As the night ticked by, and Emilyn watched increasingly weird shows on Cartoon Network, we learned that Emilyn's urine and blood tests did show an elevated white cell count, so there was an infection. I asked Dr. Bedell into the hall and uttered the dreaded "C" word?.. like, perhaps, the dreaded "L" word?... and she said, "No, no." It was either her appendix or a bladder infection. Whew. This, we could deal with.

The X-ray didn't show anything, so we were ordered up a CAT scan. This came with a new problem: Drinking a cupful of dye mixed with either 7-Up or Gatorade. Emilyn chose 7-Up. She chose poorly. By this time, it was after 1 and all she wanted to do was sleep. But here I was, making her choke down this big cup of fizzy crap, and she did not want to. It was a new low point of an already wonderful evening.

Eventually, the nice nurse, Delpha, agreed that she'd probably drunk all she was going to, and that it probably was enough. In we went with Mary, the CT tech, to the CAT scan room. Cool! That thing was totally space-age. I got to wear a lead apron and watch the whole time. It's the most fun I've had at 1:30 on a Friday night in a long time. No, really.

Here's a fun fact we learned later, after we met our surgeon: When you get an imaging test done in the middle of the night in this country, they send the scan by computer to a doctor in Australia, because, in the words of our surgeon, "they're awake there." Awesome! But the awake person in Australia didn't see a bad appendix on the CT scan. He didn't see much of anything. Fun fact No. 2: It turns out the appendix floats free in belly fat, and that makes it easy to see in most people. Not so much in a skinny 8-year-old.

So, Dr. Bedell had a quandary. She knew Emilyn had a bad appendix. But she had no pictures to prove it. So, she got on the phone with the surgeon on call, and a plan was hatched to send us upstairs for the "night" (Ha! It was 3:30 by this time! But I'm not complaining... All the doctors, techs and nurses did everything they had to do as fast as it could be done) and the surgeon would see us in the "morning."

Up we went to floor 8 (more good luck!), room 8802 (what did I tell you about those 8's!), the pediatric wing of the hospital. We met Nurse Becky and Nurse Tita. Nurse Becky asked Emilyn where she went to school. "Sorrento Springs," she chimed, much too cheerful for a sick girl at 4 in the morning. Turns out that, not only did Nurse Becky's boys, now big, go to Sorrento, but Nurse Becky had once lived on our street. Grammy sure would have appreciated all the funky stars aligning on this night.

So, now it was time to try to get some rest. Emilyn curled up in her big bed, with Mommy curled up right beside her. And I waited for her to fall asleep. And you all know how much fun Mommy was having at this point. Now that it was quiet, my brain got to working. But at least the "C" word had been banished from the conversation. So, once she dropped off, I tucked her in and climbed into the bed chair for a little fitful dozing.

The sun rises early on the 8th floor in June. Emilyn was getting pretty nervous by this point, because everyone kept telling her she was probably going to have "surgery." What a scary word! I kept telling her that, in this case, surgery was a very good thing. That her appendix was like a splinter: Once we got it out, it would never bother her again. I hope I really reassured her through most of this, because I'd done it all before myself. After three abdominal surgeries, I knew the drill. I told her what to expect, every step of the way, and she seemed to be helped by that.

Then we met Dr. Niesen, our surgeon. He thumped on her belly. He asked her to do the jump test, but when he found out she'd already done it and it hurt, he spared her that. He got more of Emilyn's clear and truthful answers. He told us about the doctors reading scans in Australia. He said some other doctor here in this hemisphere had looked at the scans that morning, and saw an inflamed appendix. I guess it's like a Rorshach test. Anyway, Dr. Niesen wanted that thing out.



But not right away! He scheduled the surgery for early in the afternoon. Daddy and Allen arrived, and Emilyn discovered the Nintendo 64. Daddy and Emilyn raced Volkswagen Beetles. We watched some movies. But nothing to eat or drink by mouth! (The first time Dr. Bedell told Emilyn this, Emilyn said, "Where else am I supposed to eat or drink?!" "You're right," Dr. Bedell said. "That is pretty silly. Well, if your toes get hungry, they can go ahead and eat.")

Allen wasn't much for the hospital. He's not at the best age for this kind of adventure. So, we played tag team, and I took Allen home around 10:30 Saturday morning, so he and I could grab a little nap. I was hoping we could get back before Emilyn went down for surgery.

We did make it back in time, but just barely. Steve and Emilyn had already gone down to the OR floor, but we met them there while they were still waiting. I was glad for that.

We remembered this area of the hospital from when Emilyn had that speck taken out of her eye when she was 3. After a while, the anesthesiologists came in, and they made friends with Emilyn. She charmed them right back. (Mommy's main surgery rule: It's always a good idea to show them you're a nice person, someone that they want to keep alive.)

And off Emilyn went. Have I mentioned how brave she was through all of this? BRAVE! AMAZING! SO GROWN UP! I want to shout it from the rooftops, I'm so proud. They wheeled her away, and she says she can't even remember going to sleep.

So, Daddy and I (mostly Daddy) tried to keep Allen happy and occupied for about an hour... Then Dr. Niesen came out and told us he did see her appendix (right here in River City), it was inflamed, and that it was out and all was well.

Whew. That was Daddy's cue to take Allen down to the cafeteria for some late lunch. I stayed and waited until Emilyn woke up and the nurses took me into the recovery room.



She was just waking up, with red, puffy eyes and a scratchy throat. But still she was brave. She cried just a little bit when she first saw me. But I've done that same thing! Every time! She nibbled at an ice pop for a while, and then we went back up to her room on the 8th floor. That's where Daddy and Allen were waiting, and her nice nurse, Cherri.

Then, she mostly wanted to sleep. And so did I. And so did Allen. So, Daddy took Allen home for a nap, and Emilyn and I slept for an hour or so.



Then dinner came, and Emilyn tried some pudding and chicken soup. Water tasted pretty good, too. She was flushed and sweaty... from the anesthesia leaving her body, we were told. Daddy and Allen came back, and Daddy was ready to spend the night. We had dinner in the cafeteria, and then it was time for Mommy and Allen to go home and get some sleep. (After I left, the report is that Emilyn and Daddy tried a few more video games, then got right to sleep.)



The next morning, we brought Emilyn a flower, a Grammy Kitty and some Whoppers. When we got there, Amy and Wyatt were there, and Emilyn was having a little bit of pain... turns out, the girl needed to pee! After Dr. Niesen came back to see her, and OK her release, she peed a bunch in the "hat" in the potty. "The pain was gone in there," Emilyn says. "Finally."



After Daddy heard she was OK to go home, he took Allen home to wait for us. Emilyn and Nurse Cherri posed for a few pictures. We raced Beetles a few more times. Then it was time for the wheelchair ride to the car. Emilyn got to sit in the front seat of the red car! And home we went.

Thanks, again, to all the staff of St. Luke's, my friends at work who went to bat for me when I had to leave, everyone at Steve's work who went to bat for him, and everyone who called or wrote with well-wishes for Emilyn. We appreciate it! And, at last, all is well.

Second grade! What a ride!

Boy, it was an amazing last day of school for Emilyn!



Sorrento Springs held its first ever Academic Rally, where every kid in school got an award and a chance to walk up on stage, to the adulation of his or her friends and classmates. What a feel-good time it was! But not at all cheesy! Lots of singing and clapping, and the kids really shined under all the attention and praise. These teachers are amazing. You won't believe these videos!



More videos are over at DropShots.

Emilyn got four awards, signified by the four dots on her index card: Homework Hero, for turning in all her homework, all on time; Super Citizen, for doing the right thing, the first time and every time; Excellent Effort, for always doing her best; and the Primary Academic Achievement award, for K-2 kids who got all "satisfactory" and "outstanding" on their report cards. Way to go, kiddo! We are so proud!

Too cute to pass up

Great news from the Waddells... Everyone is home and happy and healthy. And they're just so darn cute!

Our big date

Well, we celebrated 10 years of marriage in fine fashion! First, there was the ballgame... The culmination of a Cardinals sweep against the Pirates!

Then some R&R in our fancy-schmancy hotel...




Then a fancy-schmancy dinner, in a revolving restaurant...



Then a walking tour through Fourth Street and the Old Courthouse!



We had a great time! Thanks to Jackie, Steve, Grandma and Joe for making it all happen. (There are lots more photos over at DropShots. Just click on any of the above to see the whole list.)

Go Big Blue!

Emilyn did great in Field Day on Thursday. The Blue Team came in second place! Here's some video of Emilyn giving 110 percent in the stilts race:

Welcome, Tyler Matthew!

Say hello to my great-nephew, Tyler Matthew Waddell. Born today, 8 pounds, 1 ounce and 21 inches long, to proud parents Derek and Caroline, and big sister Ashley. Pleased to meetcha, TW!

Anniversary month

Well, it's been a great month! It all started, as you saw below, with dinner at Bacana on the 10th. Then, on the 17th, our actual anniversary, I bestowed Steve with his new iPod and car hookup system... To date, "Steve radio" has about 11 hours worth of music on there! And I don't think he's come close to filling up 4GB!

That morning, I sprung on Steve that he had an appointment to have his car detailed... The folks at Blue Diamond were very nice and thorough. So now, Steve has a clean car that rocks!

The next day, Steve took me to Zales to shop for a ring... I'd always dreamed about an engagement ring, and now I'm getting one! I pick it up Friday...

And Thursday is our big day out, to the ballgame (hope it doesn't rain, hope they don't lose by 12...) and dinner and a night at the Millennium. Can't wait!

Thanks for visiting, Stanley!

We had a nice time with Flat Stanley, who came to us from first-grader Erin Blauvelt, the daughter of a friend of my sister's. He came in the mail -- in his underwear! -- and we were asked to dress him up and show him around town.

Hmm... How to dress him like a St. Louisan? No contest! Emilyn and I made some excellent Cardinals gear and outfitted him like a champ. Then, where to take him? Well, where else? We headed down to the Arch and Busch Stadium, and posed in front of the swollen Mississippi River. Emilyn wrote an excellent paragraph or two to go with him, which I've transcribed here:

"St. Louis is famous for its barbecue and smoked meat. It's also famous for the Arch and being the place where they invented the ice cream cone in 1904 at the World's Fair. All the pioneers that settled the West started in St. Louis. The Arch is 630 feet tall and was built in 1965. The St. Louis Cardinals (the baseball team) won the World Series recently, in 2006. This year they are not doing so well. The Old Courthouse is one of the buildings to survive the big fire.

"On Friday, I took Stanley to school. He showed off his fantastic clothes to my class. They said he looked good! He stayed in his envelope for the rest of the day."

Our visit with Flat Stanley