Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Toddler Tonsillectomy Recovery

Before Dallin's tonsillectomy I had a hard time finding information that would really help me be ready. It seemed like there were just way too many horror stories posted and not enough usable information. So here are a few things I learned.

1. Lortab burns like crazy going down!! I made a bunch of Jello shots with his meds and labelled them: LOR, IB, Tylenol so that he could take them with less burning. It worked great for the first two days and then he started just swallowing it by himself.

The makings for the medical jello shots...
2. Don't let the meds wear off for 7 days. It is worth it to wake your child up and stick to the schedule with their painkillers. If they wear off they won't be able to swallow.

3. Humidify! I put two humidifiers in his room and it helped keep his throat moist at night. He woke up in much less pain this way.

4. Rootbeer Float Pops are the best. We found that all the fruit flavored pops had too much citric acid- which burns! His two favorite pops were: Rootbeer float bars (fresh and cool on the outside smooth and soft on the inside) & homemade pops using the syrup from canned peaches and pears.

From the Schwann's site
5. Jello drinks are easier to swallow than juice and koolaid. I just dissolved the jello in warm water and then made it into a koolaid type drink. This was his go to drink for the first 4 days.

6. The scabs start to fall off between days 5-7 and the pain is worse than it was days 1-2. During those days we rotated IBprofen and Lortab. We found it was best if he didn't touch solids at all during this period. Also, be prepared for some bleeding on sheets and shirts during this time.

7. Soggy Rice Krispis make a great meal! hehe! Funny, but this is still the only solid we can get him to eat and he is on day 13.

8. Breathe through your mouth! The smell of cauterized flesh is putrid!!! Imagine something dead lying in the road on the hottest day of Summer...and that's what you get with post-tonsillectomy breath!

I am sure you can find much more info out there, but these are a few of the things that helped us deal with his recovery. It is a hard long road, but often necessary. I would definitely not take the decision lightly. Surgery is surgery- there's no such thing as easy surgery.

Best of luck to you and your little one!

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

1970's Bathroom Remodel - Tiling

So here is a sneak peak at our current project.

Thank you Kevin for working so hard with my husband on this.

Since the day we moved in we've wondered... "who installs a small corner shower in a Master Bathroom?"

Yes, they are tired and still hard at work...

I managed to refrain from crying when the pipe broke and they had to do some ripping out to repair it!!

And here we are today... still needs grouted, painted, and put back together.

Voila! A shower for two!!! Now that is a Master Bathroom!

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Basic Sewing Class

I was looking at this skirt on Make It and Love It (one of my favorite free pattern and re-purposing sites) and thought I should just teach Ashley how to make it. So, I am going to teach some basic sewing. 

Layered knit skirt

Here's each lesson plan:
(approx. 2 hours each)

Class #1
Learn the machine- thread it, etc.
Practice straight sewing on scrap fabrics
Make Cup Cozy

Class #2
Basics of following a pattern
allfreesewing.com
Re-purpose jeans into a Lunch Bag

Class #3
Measuring and cutting
Start final project


Class #4
Final Project-  A-Line Knit Skirt or Smocked Sun Dress

Materials and Cost
I will provide the fabrics for the first three classes.

You will need the following Materials:
For skirt:
1 yard knit or cotton fabric
1 yard 1 inch elastic
For dress:
3/4 yard smocked fabric
1 pack matching bias tape (1/2 inch)

*For jama bottoms (boy option)
1 1/2 yards cotton or flannel fabric
1 yard 1 inch elastic

Cost will be $5 a class (so $20 for the week)

Class times:
Monday 2-4pm
Tuesday 10-Noon
Wednesday 2-4pm
Friday 10-Noon

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Recycle fabric into a Mei Tai baby carrier

Here are the pictures I promised to post. No tutorial...since there are already so many great ones out there.



This was super easy...and even better it was free. I used the left overs from Jaden's quilt to make the body and the bottom of the boys' curtains to make the straps. Fancy, no?

Just sew a square and four straps (one from each corner).
Voila!


Dallin is happier than ever, and so am I... you can only hike so far with a three year old in your arms.

Here are the links I liked the most:
Jan Andrea- Making a Mei Tai
Jan Andrea- Man Tai
Beth's Mei Tai