Happy Halloween!

Just a quick post to show off the kiddos in their Halloween attire. They had a great time trick or treating this year. I can't believe how big they are all getting!

Violet Update

Thanks for all of your prayers! We definitely felt them this morning during and after surgery!
When we got to the hospital and met with the doctor he told us he thought the lump looked bigger. He checked to see if we had our overnight bag and told us after surgery they would move her into a room where she would stay the night. He also told us the surgery would be at least two hours not including sedation time. He said they would update us after two hours and tell us how much longer they thought she would be in surgery. At 7:26 they took Violet back to surgery and had us wait in the waiting room.
Bo went to grab breakfast - I waited just in case. When he got back I needed a break so TK and I went to get something to eat. We were just finishing breakfast burritos at about 8:50 when they called and said she was out of surgery! The surgeon said the lump was actually not in the gland it was merely dead and infected tissue under the skin. He didn't even have to get close to the facial nerve that had caused so many concerns. We were able to see her at 9:00. It took her awhile to wake up because she had been given a large dose of anesthetic because they anticipated a much longer surgery. She woke up smiling and for the most part has been in a great mood all day - the meds wore off and she was cranky until she got her reboot but other than that she has been great. We arrived home shortly after 11:00 this morning.
We are so very thankful for all the prayers you all sent out for Vi. I don't think it is merely a coincidence things went so well when they appeared to be so bad only minutes before the surgery.
Much Love,
Heidi

Violet's Story

Some of you have probably heard that Vi is having surgery this week. The story is a little bit long but I wanted to blog about it because we have had so many wonderful friends express their love and concern. So here it goes - the story of Vi . . .
At the end of January Vi was super grumpy one Sunday morning. She wasn't sick or feverish or anything just acting cranky. Well Bo and I both had responsibilities at church to take care of so we decided she was just tired and figured she would take a nap at church like always and wake up fine. We loaded the kids in the van and headed off to church. We didn't even get out of the neighborhood before she started throwing up. So we brought her home and Bo stayed with her while I took the other kids to church. When we got home from church I noticed that it looked like she had fallen and hit the side of her face, she had a purplish lump right in front of ear ear kind of on her cheek. That was the night it all began for poor Vi.
So the next day she went to the dr. who told us she just had a bug and that lymph nodes swell in some people. I was worried a week later when it was still large so I called and he said it takes about a month before they go down sometimes so just be patient. (We love our Pediatrician by the way and nothing in this post is meant to be negative toward him because he has literally held our hands through this entire process.)
A month later we still had the lump so we went in and he ordered an ultrasound which only showed and enlarged lymph node and sent us to a pediatric surgeon. He wanted to lance and drain the lump but we didn't feel right about it. After talking with our doctor we decided to wait it out and see what happens. Sometimes these lumps will form a head and break open like a boil so we were hoping for that.
A friend of mine and I were talking and I filled her in on the situation. She talked about it with her hubby and he recommended we see an ENT as soon as possible. (He is an ENT by the way) It never dawned on me that an ENT might hold the keys to our problem because the lump wasn't in the ear, nose or throat but it made sense once she told me. We went to one who ordered a CT scan. The results were not great - it showed the lump on the parotid gland as well as lumps in her chest. He told us he couldn't do the surgery to remove the parotid gland until we had talked to a pulmonologist about the lumps in her chest.
So off we went to the pulmonologist who was fairly sure Violet had TB. Well after a million tests with her and negative TB test results she called and told us we needed to find a new ENT at TX Childrens to remove the lump. This way she could have easy access to lab results and lets face it - that is really where you want your kids to have surgery anyway.
Off we went to a new ENT who had bad news for us. He knew what the lump was but thought there was very little chance of it being resolved without surgery. So surgery isn't so bad right - wrong - this lump is sitting on her main facial nerve and the chances of complications are really high. The main risk is facial paralysis of the mouth and eye on the left side of her face. We scheduled surgery with a team of highly qualified doctors for this coming Friday.
The ENT then sent us to see an I.D. doctor to see if she could find a way to shrink the lump before surgery. We have to go back to see her again but right now it doesn't appear that the combination therapy she is on is not working. We have one last visit with the ID doctor on Wed. just to make sure they absolutely have to do the surgery. She is doubtful it will be called off so we are preparing for the surgery with a lot of prayers. I have a therapist coming to evaluate her a few weeks after surgery so hopefully we can get started on any issues she might have right away. So if you see me after Friday and my child has a million stitches (did I mention this is going to be a really large scar?) you will know the rest of the story. Thanks to all of our friends and family for their support during this trial. We love you all so much and really appreciate your prayers!
Heidi

Happy Birthday E!

Today was Eli's birthday. He is growing up so fast - I just can't believe he is already four years old. Bo and I were talking the other night about how he no longer looks like a baby. This little guy is so boyish - there is no doubt he is getting big.
Eli really wanted a soccer ball cake. He has been asking for it for weeks! You will have to excuse Violet's addition to the cake (the missing frosting) I can't seem to get a cake past the girl without some evidence she has been around.

He was so excited because he got a Leapster for his birthday (pronounced weapster) He has absolutely loved playing on it today.

And who could ever imagine a birthday without being sung to by a mariachi band, all while wearing a sombrero with whip cream and a cherry on your face.
We are so thankful to have our sweet little E in our family!

Truly a Lady

As a child you know that someday your grandparents will eventually pass away. When I was little I remember being heartbroken when my Great Grandfathers passed away. I figured as I got older I would cope better with these situations - however on Feb. 27th when I got the call that my Grandma Cimino had passed away I sat on the couch and sobbed completely broken-hearted. I do however, find comfort in knowing that some day I will see my Grandmother again and have the opportunity to once again draw on her knowledge and wisdom. I wanted to share some of my thoughts on the kind of woman my Grandmother was. I want those of you that don't know the Cimino's to get a feel for the kind of influence this wonderful woman has had in my life.
At the memorial service for my Grandma my Aunt Margaret said a few words describing her mother. They were simple but described my Grandma to a prefect T. My Aunt Margaret described my Grandmother as a Lady - she said there was never anyone that was more of a lady than my Grandmother. I wasn't surprised at all to then hear my mother use the exact same word to describe my Grandma when she was speaking at the services. Interestingly enough - my mom had no idea what my Aunt Margaret was going to speak about and viceversa. As I was sitting in the services I kept thinking - the Queen of England can't even hold a candle to my Grandma when it comes to being a Lady. She was the most immaculate and proper woman I have ever met - yes she was truly a lady.
My Grandmother found joy in serving others and often volunteered in her community. She and my Grandfather moved to Pinehurst, North Carolina around the time I was born. They loved golfing and had a beautiful home on the golf course. Later they moved to a retirement community in Southern Pines, NC. She loved to read (guess we know where I get that from) and she enjoyed traveling with my Grandfather.
When I was little my mom got some old pictures from her parents and framed them and put them on the wall in our house. I remember looking at them and saying to my mom that I thought my Grandma looked like a movie star. She was so incredibly beautiful - even as she grew older she was a picture of beauty and easily could have been on television because of her beauty.
So many memories and things I would love to include that describe my Grandma. I am going to conclude with one of my most fond memories of my Grandmother. Shortly after Violet was born she had to be put back into the ICU because she had really bad jaundice. I was a complete wreck and cried the entire time she was in the hospital. On the second day she was there I was leaving during the shift change (they make you leave while they bring the new nurses up to speed) and as I was leaving I received a phone call from my Grandma. She called me to see if I was ok and check on the baby. I was so upset I just cried and cried - she comforted me and cried right along with me. I really appreciated her being there when I so desperately needed her that day. I am so sad she didn't get a chance to ever meet Violet or Juliet but I know she watches down on us from heaven and I hope some day she will be proud of the Lady I will hopefully become - she has definitely set the bar high for generations to come. We will miss you Grandma Cimino.