Learning about butterflies in Mrs.Otero's first grade class...

Matthew just drew me a picture of a butterfly.
Then after signing and dating it...asked me if it was "symmetrical".

He said that his caterpillar is in a chrysalis and wiggles and that
means soon it will be a butterfly.

I asked him what type of butterfly it will be...
He knew...."a painted lady".

I asked him what the difference was between a cocoon and a chrysalis.
His response...I don't know, that wasn't in my book.
Sounds like a fun trip to Barnes and Noble is in our immediate future.

Earling Morning BRAWL...

This morning around 6am, my dog, Zeus (yes, the one from the last story) woke me with violent barking right under my bedroom window.

First of all, just yesterday evening, he got his junk stuck in the fence. You'd think he'd quit jumping it for a while...NO. This morning, I woke to violent barking - like he was attacking something. So I leaped out of bed and over to the window only to see him chasing what I thought was maybe a rooster.

I have never seen a rooster around our house, but you never know.

I watched a few seconds before opening the window to yell at him to stop and try and scare the "whatever it was" away with my voice. It didn't work - on either one. Then after maybe a minute or two of me yelling at them, I smelled it...

IT WAS A SKUNK!

Oh my lord, the smell instantaneously filled my room and soon the whole house. All before 7am! NOT COOL!

It then took me about 10 minutes in stinky anguish to wake Michael to go make sure it wasn't dead near the house (because if it was, we'd have to smell it for DAYS).

Zeus, our family greeter, is now scheduled for a bath. Hopefully I will have time tonight. He is a hard one to avoid being the "greeter" and all...

I wonder, "fence" incident yesterday, "skunk" incident today, whatever could be next???

LOL! Check back tomorrow to find out...

Cost: approx. $11.00 in air freshners/candles

Zeus, the Fence, and a trip to the Vet...

ZEUS & MATTEW AT THE VET TODAY...

Everyday when we get home, our beautiful, full of energy, loyal dog, Zeus jumps our fence to greet us. Sometimes, after our hellos, we let him walk through the house with us to get back to the backyard.

Today was like all the other days. Zeus jumped the fence with great ease and tremendous grace to greet us. We loved on him a bit and when we went in, he went to the side of the house to jump the fence into the backyard. Once in the house, Matthew and I heard what sounded like a dog fight outside.

We ran to the side of the house only to find Zeus half over the fence with his um... "STUFF", caught between the fence boards. The fence is 4' and the boards have maybe 5mm between them. Of course, Rusty, our other dog was barking and running in circles. When I finally realized (after about 5 seconds) that Zeus was "stuck by his stuff", I panicked and freaked out yelling, "OH MY GOD....ZEUS!"

I think this frightened the poor dog because he lurched forward and "unstuck" himself. This was not only traumatic for Zeus, but for Matthew and I, too. Just the thought of it makes us both cringe! OUR POOR PUPPY!

I called the Vet and rushed him there, too afraid to look at his wounded area myself. By the way, Matthew is right here proofing everything I type for accuracy. He says, Matthew wasn't afraid to look! For the record, you know!

Anyway, Zeus is OK. He had to be sedated in order for her to check the area thoroughly. He did well and got two treats. No splinters, just slight bleeding and an abrasion that should heal without issue.

The Vet informed us that "Dog getting his penis stuck between wooden fence slats while jumping over....A FIRST FOR HER!" I don't think Zeus will stop jumping the fence. Greeting us and guarding the front yard is, after all, a VERY important job.

Tonight, please say a prayer for our handsome and loyal companion. May he heal quickly and not be traumatized by the fence incident.

Cost: $69.00 vet bill

Good deeds should be reciprocated...

Tonight, Michael went to Wal-Mart after tennis practice. He thought about his little brother and bought him a game for the wii. It's called "Mini Desktop Racing".

When Michael handed it to Matthew, of course, Matthew was delighted. He then said to Michael, "Thanks Michael, that was nice of you to buy me a game. I'm going to tell Mom to buy you something!"

Cute, ha?

Later on, after playing the game (it was kinda hard), Matthew went to Michael and asked him, "Do you know what DESKTOP means?" Michael replied, "yes, why?" Matthew said, "It's really hard! It's little tiny cars racing on a desk. I keep getting pushed off the edge! You should have got me an easier game. But it was still nice of you to buy me it."

Matthew Legs...

Matthew sees the specialist again this month. We'll see how that goes. Today he had his x-rays for his upcoming appointment. I will post again after his appointment.

Friday Morning...

I had to open the gym today. 4am comes early! There were 4 people waiting for me here at 4:00. 2 more arrived before 4:15am.

UGH! Getting ooooold...lol!

So...I was at a meeting tonight for the Senior mother's dance. It's a tradition here in Deming where the mothers put on a dance for their Senior, and get a dance with them.

Well the last meeting we had so far just happened to be tonight. It went ok; however, funny thing... We're sitting there (10-15 of us) discussing the details of the dance (the where's, what's, when's etc) when the mom running the meeting looks at me and busts out with, "that gray hair is sticking straight up and it's bugging me!"

Ya, it was mine. My hair was pulled back in a pony and one was sticking straight up. So I told her, "Sheesh, pull it then!" lol

Oh getting old is a bugger, isn't it?? I pulled it when I got home and decided to share it with you all! Aren't you lucky?

DELICIOUS!

Craig was having a little snack just a few minutes ago. Some Doritos with some bean dip. Matthew was playing the wii with Michael and having a piece of toast himself, glanced over at Craig and asked... "Hey, what are you eating?". Craig said, "Some chips and dip." He asked Matthew if he'd like to try some. Matthew said ya and ate one. Before he was even done chewing, he busted out, "DAD YOU HAVE TO SHARE THAT WITH ME!"

Craig gave him a plate. Matthew ate a few and before going back to play with Michael said, "Michael, you have GOT to try this...it's DELICIOUS!"

We laughed. It was so funny to hear. Michael, of course, responded with... "Matthew, I am familiar with bean dip, but thanks!"

Several times after the above conversation, Matthew said to Craig again... "Dad, this is so delicious."

IT WAS A MERRY CHRISTMAS

Ready for Christmas morning!


Opening one gift Christmas Eve.

Christmas morning, Santa arrived with the last few gifts and the stockings are stuffed!

They picked their "spots" and are getting loaded up!

...and they're off...

Matthew got a cool Cowboys uniform, helmet and all from Grandpa and Grandma!
Nathaniel got a 22 from Dad and Kathe!

Stockings!

He's soooo ready now!
Matthew's favorite is FOOTBALL!

With Craig home for the holidays and all three boys with us this Christmas Day...
it was truly a wonderful time. We are blessed!

Truly and totally blessed!

Happy Birthday Grandpa Nute!

Matthew helping Grandpa celebrate his 60th on Christmas Eve.

Too cute!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlXFMnNdIdY

Been a while...

(above Matthew waits for his xray on pre-op day)


...sorry. A lot has happened in the past week. Let me catch you up.

We went up to Albuquerque on December 3rd for Matthew's pre-op appointment. When we got there, we were taken to x-ray first to get an updated view of his hip. The doctor that came in first was a 3rd year resident and while looking at Matthew's x-rays from that day and prior, he made many "hmm" type of sounds. He asked us if they'd explained what the surgery entailed and what was involved. We said yes, and he then said, "Well, it's not my call; however, judging from this new x-ray, I don't think we are past the watching and waiting state yet. I am not convinced surgery is the only option at this point."

Craig and I breathed a slight sigh of relief and that doctor said he'd have that same dialogue with the Head of Pediatrics who is Matthew's doctor/surgeon. They both came back into the room and after looking at his new x-rays, she too said, "As much as I like doing surgery, it actually looks a better compared to last months surgery." She also explained again how there isn't much known about LCPD and how it's a waiting and watching game at every step. She asked us to take him back down the hall to x-ray and have his hand x-rayed so she could do a bone age test and make a better decision regarding surgery.

After looking at his hand x-ray, she told us that although Matthew is 6 years old, he has not yet experienced a major growth spurt. She said most kids have a bone age close to their age, but that it wasn't uncommon, especially with LCPD for a kid to have a delayed bone age. She said some kids at 6 years old have a bone age of 8 and are tall for their age because they have hit that growth spurt early. They just all grow on their own time. She reassured us that he would not stay little, he will catch up and perhaps surpass his peers in size. He just hasn't yet.

Matthew; however, has a bone age of 3 to 3 1/2 years. She said it's nothing to worry about, in fact, explained that in this case, it's a good thing. Matthew has not yet had a growth spurt which means his bones have 3 extra years of growing then other 6 year olds. For us, this means he has a HUGE extra window for his bones to heal during the disease process.

Typically, LCPD is found in boys ages 4-8. The earlier it's found, the better the prognosis. Matthew, being 6 and having a severe case of the disease, was on the bubble for needing surgery to try and insure a good prognosis. But since his bones are really about 3 1/2, it's like they are catching it really young.

Doctor Szalay then told us that while he doesn't need surgery right now, he may in the future depending on how things progress. He may also need a Perthes cast (pictured in a previous post). We will just have to wait and see.

So after Craig and I got done breathing a huge sign of relief and high fiving each other at the news, we turned to Matthew and said, "Buddy, woo-hoo, no surgery!"

Matthew had a sad look on his face and we asked why. His response..... "Does that mean I have to go to school tomorrow?"

Thank you everyone for your thoughts, well wishes and prayers! We feel truly fortunate and blessed to be surrounded by such amazing friends and family.

Matthew's surgery date and information

On December 4th, 2008, Matthew will have surgery on his left leg.
The surgery is called "Femur Varus Osteotomy".

We will go to Albuquerque on 12/3/08 for his pre-op appointment. That day we are also trying to schedule an appointment with Child Life Services so they can meet us at the hospital and give Matthew a "kid tour" and kind of help him understand the process, see where he will be, and answer his questions on his level.

Matthew will be in the hospital, I believe for 2 days following his surgery and then will be able to go home.

Craig has explained the surgery to Matthew somewhat since he has been through hip surgery as well. So far Matthew's only question was on 11/18/08. As I dropped him off at school in the morning, he started to walk in and then turned around and with a worried look whispered, "Mom, when I have surgery on my hip do I have to stay in the hospital all by myself?" I responded, "Oh my gosh, no way. No, no way. We will be there the whole time." He smiled and walked to class.

Today I got....

....a little dose of reality. I had set Matthew's clothes for the day out. I woke him up. He whined a little bit about his leg hurting but I reassured him it was ok and then got in the shower. While I was in the shower, Matthew whined, "Mom, I can't put my jeans on." "What?", I replied. "Why not?"

"My leg hurts and I can't bend it to put my jeans on." I told him to wait and I'd be out shortly and would help him. 20 minutes later I got out of the shower to find him lying on the bed with his pants up only to his calves.

Those of you who know Matthew know he doesn't sit and wait on anyone. He is independent and does for himself. It must've really hurt. Worse than usual. He did limp a lot this past weekend. Plus, on Saturday, we had some friends over and had a bonfire in our backyard. Matthew, Wylie and Bryce ran around and played football for a couple hours. I'm sure that contributed.

Needless to say, I kept him home today. He is resting his leg.
Surgery and recovery kind of scare me to be honest.

However, I count my blessings. There is a little boy named Joseph who is 6 years old. He played on Matthew's soccer team just a month ago. He's a super goal-scorer. A few days ago he was diagnosed with Leukemia. This past weekend he had a bone marrow test, blood transfusion, and his first round of chemo. All in one weekend. He is a sweet little boy that loves soccer, running, and playing. He's got a cute little smile and a quiet demeanor.

PLEASE KEEP JOSEPH and MATTHEW IN YOUR PRAYERS!

Wildcats honor Seniors

The Deming High Wildcats honored their seniors last week before the Santa Teresa football game. The are (in no particular order): Ky Baeza, Wesley Beris, Orlando Cabrera, Kevin Cordova, Santiago Fernandez, Adrian A. Granillo, Matthew Granillo, Anthony Guillen, Austin Hilton, Carlos Holguin, Wry Hurt, Charles Jackson, Cody Keeler, Juan Lopez, Jose Mejia, Miguel Mirelas, Michael Morrison, Johnny Pacheco, Ronnie Pardue, James Poppenberg, Michael Pratt, Oscar Sandoval, Joshua Santana, Joshua Shaw, Chevy Teague, Ricky Uribe and Miguel Zizumbo. (Bill Armendariz/Headlight Photo)

http://www.demingheadlight.com/ci_10919802?IADID=Search-www.demingheadlight.com-www.demingheadlight.com

Michael is in the top row, 6th from the left.

UPDATE ON MATTHEW'S LEGS

Well, Matthew had a follow-up appointment on Friday and it was determined that his case is severe and will require surgery. His x-rays, ABOVE, (taken this past Wednesday) show that the ball of his left femur is almost completely gone and has also moved slightly outside of the hip socket. Given this new development, they feel surgery sooner (within the next 2 months) than later would be better for his prognosis. The surgery is described below.

In the x-ray above, you'll notice his left hip (on the right in the picture) has little to no ball because of the stage it's in and also that it sits a little bit outside of the hip socket. This is the problem they want to correct.

Matthew will either have surgery in Albuquerque, NM or Los Angeles, CA. He will be either on crutches or a walker for 4-6 weeks after along with physical therapy. They say as long as things go as planned, he may be playing soccer in the spring.

Please keep Matthew in your thoughts and prayers. He loves to run and play and we hope this will allow him that with less pain and save him from having to have a total hip replacement before he is 20.

______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________

THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION WAS TAKEN FROM http://www.posna.org/. A WEBSITE RECOMMENDED BY THE ORTHOPAEDIC SURGEON AT UNM CARRIE TINGLEY HOSPITAL IN ALBUQUERQUE.

Perthes Disease

Perthes is a condition in children characterized by a temporary loss of blood supply to the hip. Without an adequate blood supply, the rounded head of the femur (the " ball " of the " ball and socket " joint of the hip) dies. The area becomes intensely inflamed and irritated.

Although the term 'disease' is still used, Perthes is really a complex process of stages. Treatment of Perthes may require periods of immobilization or limitations on usual activities. The long-term prognosis is good in most cases. After 18 months to 2 years of treatment, most children return to normal activities without major limitations.

Perthes disease usually is seen in children between 4 years and 10 years of age. It is five times more common in boys than in girls. It was originally described nearly a century ago as a peculiar form of childhood arthritis of the hips.

Symptoms

The child may show signs of limping and may complain of mild pain. The child may have had these symptoms intermittently over a period of weeks or even months. Pain sometimes is caused by muscle spasms that may result from irritation around the hip. Pain may be felt in other parts of the leg, such as the groin, thigh, or knee. When the hip is moved, the pain worsens. Rest often relieves the pain.

Diagnosis

X-rays usually diagnose the condition. The child with Perthes can expect to have several X-rays taken over the course of treatment, which may be two years or longer. The X-rays usually will look worse before gradual improvement is seen.

Perthes disease involves the patient's left hip. The other side is normal.
(Courtesy of Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children)

Treatment

Girls tend to have more extensive involvement; therefore, the expectations (prognosis) are generally poorer than with boys.

For very young children (those 2 to 6 years of age) who show very few changes on their initial X-rays, treatment is usually simply observation.

The older child is treated in order to improve the hip's range of motion.
Nonsurgical Treatment

Anti-inflammatory medications, such as ibuprofen, are used to lessen inflammation of the hip joint or synovium (sleeve of tissue surrounding the hip joint). These medicines are often used for months. The medications will be adjusted or discontinued, depending on the healing stage.
A child with Perthes disease may tend to walk with a limp due to a stiff hip. To help restore hip joint range of motion, the child may be encouraged to walk with crutches and participate in physical therapy. Bed rest in traction may be needed in some cases, however.

With physical therapy, the child will be shown some simple exercises to do until the final stage of healing has occurred.

Hip abduction

The child will lie on his or her back, keeping knees bent and feet flat. With the parent's hands on the child's knees, assist the child as he or she pushes the knees out and as squeezes the knees together.

Hip rotation

With the child on his or her back and with the legs out straight, roll the entire leg inward and outward.

If range of motion becomes limited or if X-rays or MRIs indicate that a progressive deformity is developing, a cast may be used to keep the head of the femur within the acetabulum, or hip socket.

Petrie casts are two long leg casts with a wooden bar that hold the legs spread apart in a position similar to the letter "A." The application of the initial Petrie cast usually is performed in the operating room. During the procedure, the surgeon usually will place a small amount of dye into the hip joint (arthrogram) to aid in evaluating the degree of "flattening" of femoral head. Occasionally, the adductor longus muscle in the groin must be lengthened through a small incision to permit the hip to rotate into a more favorable position.

Petrie casts keep the legs spread far apart in an effort to maintain the hips in the best position for healing.
(Courtesy of Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children)

After the cast is removed, usually after four to six weeks, exercises are reinstituted. This treatment may be continued until range of motion is returned or the hip enters the final stage of the healing process.

Surgical Treatment

An osteotomy to the left hip puts the femoral head in a better position to heal.
(Courtesy of Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children)Surgical treatment re-establishes the proper alignment of the bones of the hip. The head of the femur is placed deep within the socket, or acetabulum. This alignment is kept in place with screws and plates, which will be removed at a later time. In some cases, the socket must also be made deeper because the head of the femur has actually enlarged during the healing process and no longer fits snugly within. After either procedure, the child is often placed in a cast from the chest to the toes for 6 to 8 weeks.
After the cast is removed, the child will again participate in physical therapy. Activities will be designed so that the child only partially bears weight on the affected hip. X-rays will show when the final stages of the healing are under way.

Father and son talk about stuff...

Phone conversations...

Matthew: Dad...my football got stuck in a tree today. Darren throws really far and he threw it in the tree. Mrs. Otero tried to get it out, but couldn't. Her ball got stuck up there too.

Craig: Oh no, are you going to try and get it tomorrow.

Matthew: No. Mom and Michael are going to go to school with me to get it now.

Craig: It's dark.

Matthew: I know.

Craig: Ok Matt...call me after.

An hour later.......
Matthew: Dad, I got my football out of the tree.

Craig: You did? That's good. Im glad. I know it's your favorite.

Matthew: How'd you know I love football?

Craig: Cuz you told me and I know we like playing together.

Matthew: Remember when the Steelers beat the Green Bay?

Craig: Yes.

Matthew: And when the Giants beat the Dallas Cowboys?

Matthew: I wanted Green Bay and Dallas to win, but Grans team ALWAYS wins.

Craig: Yeah, she's crazy ha...

Matthew: Yeah. Her team always wins.

Craig: Yeah.

Matthew: I love football more than you do.

Craig: NO.

Matthew: Yeah.

Craig: Okay. I'll see you in two days. I'm excited for that!

Matthew: Me too.

Craig: Love you Bubba.

Matthew: Love you too.

Craig: Bye.

Matthew: Bye.

Field trip to the Corn Maze!

The first graders at Chaparral Elementary school went on a field trip to the Corn Maze in Las Cruces. They had a lot of fun. Here are a few pictures...

Matthew & Ernesto


Matthew & Ernesto

Matthew & Ernesto

Pumpkin Heads!

How handsome is he!?!?!?!

Giraffe Matthew

Racing a duck!

A ghost & a pumpkin. Face painting was one of the highlights!

Gettin' his face painted.

This one is the "fast" slide!

This one was the "cool, creepy" slide!

WILDCAT FOOTBALL...Deming vs. Santa T

Deming crushed Santa Teresa 56-20.
Michael was #67.

OK, OK....the last picture is goofy, but...Michael's number is 67 and when we left the game, the temperature was 67 degrees! C'mon!

Happy Halloween!

Trick or Treating at Grandma Katy's.


BOO! Grandma Katy...

Out gettin' some loot!

Mom & Matt had fun together!

OOOOOOOoooooOOOOOOO!