Our Week - The One with Olivia’s Surgeries and Jacob’s First School Dance

I polled everyone on Instagram this weekend to get a feel for how many of you actually enjoy these posts, and I was shocked that 89% of you said you do love to read these.  I’ve always done them for myself and our fam to look back on, so I’m happy that most of you love them, too! 

It was another busy, busy week for us, and heeeere’s the recap!

Monday, November 7

Monday morning, I hit the ground running with a MILLION things on my to-do list.  First on the list was grabbing our chairs and cooler from my aunt and uncle’s house.  They’d brought that stuff home after our tailgate the previous weekend so we didn’t have to walk it all the way back to our car before the game.

After that, I made a quick stop at Target, and then I dropped our Thanksgiving donation bag at the outreach center at our church.  It would have been nice to be able to do that right after I dropped the kids at school, but the outreach center doesn’t open until 9 and it closes way before pickup, so it’s always tough to get over there.

The rest of the morning was spent tackling laundry and blog stuff, and I also had some appointments to schedule, etc.  B and I had flu shot appointments at 11:30, and then after that, he and I ate a quick lunch together at home. 

After lunch, I wrapped up everything I needed to do at home, and then it was time to pick up the kids from school.  My car was filthy after parking it under a leaf-shedding tree in Athens all day Saturday, so the kids and I ran it through the car wash, and then dropped Olivia at dance.

Jacob and I headed to piano lessons next, and then when we got home, I cooked dinner while Jacob got his homework done.  B picked up Olivia from dance, and then we all ate dinner together. 

The rest of the evening was spent boxing up the Halloween decor that I’d taken down the previous week (that was STILL sitting in the middle of the living room floor) and then pulling out a few things for Christmas.  I didn’t get much done at all, but at least it was a start!

While the kids showered, I squeezed in a quick arms and squats workout, and then we all sat down and watched Lego Masters together.  After they went to bed, B and I watched some Saturday Night Live, and then we called it a night, too. 

So y’all know how we have been rolling through Vampire Diaries for a few months, right?  Well, season 4 wasn’t my favorite, y’all, and I’ve reached a point where I’m not super excited to keep watching.  Please tell me it gets better from here??

Tuesday, November 8

Tuesday, I had another very long list of things to do, so I knew it was going to be another crazy day.  After I dropped the kids at school, I had to help distribute fundraiser boxes that had come in at the school, and once that was done, I headed to Fresh Market to get some chicken… it’s always on sale on Tuesdays!  Since Target is right next door, I popped in there one more time, too, because I’ve been stalking their Christmas ornaments so I can find one in particular.  I’m hoping it comes back in stock before the end of the season, but I highly doubt it will. 

After Fresh Market, I headed home to spend the rest of the day working on laundry and blog stuff.  I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned it here on the blog or not, but the kids’ school (also my alma mater) reached out to me to see if I was interested in doing some work for them for their alumni affairs – I do get paid for it, but it’s not technically a part-time or full-time job which means I don’t have set hours and I don’t ever have to go there for it, aside from a few meetings here and there.  I’m basically just managing their alumni database for now, and eventually, I’ll be providing info to alumni who are planning their class reunions. 

I had a couple of things to update in the database on Tuesday, so I was able to do that right from home, and then I spent the rest of the day deep cleaning the countertops and toilets.  I deep cleaned a little each day all last week to get the house nice and clean before I put out all of the Christmas decor.  I like to start with a clean slate.

I grabbed the kiddos from school at 3, and then we headed home for them to do homework before Olivia’s dance class.  After Jacob and I dropped her off, we headed back home so I could start dinner.  While it was in the oven, I finally got out the Christmas decor for the mantle and got it up… Olivia was SO excited when she got home from dance.  She’s been begging for Christmas décor ever since November 1.  Haha.  I also filmed it for an Instagram Reel!

After dinner, the kiddos got showered and ready for bed, I got in an arms workout, and then we watched election coverage for the rest of the evening.  Unfortunately, it was another super close race here in Georgia, and we have to endure the political ads for another month until the runoff election is held.  Barf.

Also, please note that the date on this to-do list was wrong... I have no idea how I messed that up.  Haha.

Wednesday, November 9

Wednesday was yet another day with a long list of things to do, and I kicked it off by swinging to Walmart to grab some extra boxes of Christmas lights… we have to get them early every year because they sell out so quickly.  Walmart’s basic ones are my very favorite, so we always go there at the beginning of each Christmas season and load up!

After I was done there, I had to swing by the library to return a book, and then I went home to work on the blog for a bit and do more laundry.  It’s neverending, y’all!  Haha.

After school we had nowhere to be – finallllyyyy – so we headed home for the evening.  While the kids did homework, I got out for a quick run.  Since the time changed, I can’t get out after dinner anymore, so I’ll be doing afternoon runs instead.  I know I could do them in the morning after I drop the kids at school, but I hate working out in the morning.  For some reason, I just prefer evenings. 

Before and after...

After my run, I headed back in to make a quick, light dinner before B got home from work.  He had a tennis match Wednesday evening, and he wanted to eat before, so I had dinner on the table suuuuper early when he got home from work.

The rest of the evening was spent wrapping up laundry, doing a little bit of Christmas decorating, and hanging out with the kiddos.

When B got home, we watched an episode of Nailed It, and then after the kids went to bed, B and I watched some SNL.

Thursday, November 10

Thursday morning, I dropped the kids at school and then headed home for an hour to work before I had to be back at the school/church to watch Olivia sing at the weekly school Mass.  She and her best friend were selected to lead the choir, so I couldn’t miss that!

I ended up hanging around for a bit afterward chatting with some friends, and then I headed back home to work for the rest of the day.  I also busted out the sweater dresses for the first time this season!  Man, I love a sweater dress!

 

Thursday after school, Olivia had voice lessons, and then we headed home.  I got in a stair stepper workout and an abs workout, and then when B got home from work, he and I made breakfast for dinner. 

After dinner and showers for the kids, we had to get out in the yucky weather from Hurricane Nicole that was blowing through, because we had to take Jacob to my parents’ house where he was staying the night.  Olivia had her thyroid/ear surgeries scheduled for Friday morning, and we had to be at the hospital at 6:30 AM, so my parents kept Jacob Thursday night and got him to school for us Friday morning.

Back at home, B and I got Olivia in the bed, and then I whipped up a couple of Old Fashioneds for us as a little treat.  I was feeling extra stressed from everything coming up, and that whiskey was just enough to take the edge off.  Then it was off to bed early for the two of us, too, since we had to be up crazy early Friday morning.

 

Friday, November 11

5:15 AM came quick (how do some of you wake up at this time every single day?!), and we were up and at the hospital by 6:30 AM as scheduled.  Check-in and triage went quickly and smoothly, and then as always, we had to wait forever before the actual surgery. 

And if you’re new around here, you may not even know what surgeries I’m referring to.  Olivia has had a nodule on her thyroid since she was four years old.  They did a surgery to drain it when she was four, and thankfully, it came back benign.  However, the nodule came back within two weeks of the original surgery, so we’ve been seeing an ENT doctor four times per year to monitor it ever since. 

Each time, he does an ultrasound to measure its size, and thankfully, for the last four years, it has stayed stable.  Unfortunately, at her last two visits, it had grown exponentially, so the doctor wanted to go in and drain it again and do another biopsy. 

At her last visit, we had also mentioned to him how sensitive her right ear is, so upon examination, he discovered that the hole in her right eardrum had never fully closed up after her tubes fell out (she had tubes as a baby for chronic ear infections).  Therefore, he had to “patch” the hole.  Fortunately, he was able to do both surgeries at one time, so we only had to put her under anesthesia once.

Back to the hospital visit now – only one parent was allowed in triage, so I went back and hung out with Olivia while we waited for them to take her back into surgery.  We had been told that there were two surgeries before hers, and the nurse apologized profusely because she thought we were going to have to wait for quite some time. 

Luckily, Olivia’s doctor came in shortly after that, and he told us that the two patients in front of her were just getting tubes in their ears, and that surgery is verrrry quick – like 10 minutes or less + cleanup! – so we ended up only waiting about an hour-and-a-half or so. 

The hospital where she had her surgery is always really great – this was her third surgery there (and her fourth surgery overall) – and they always give the kids a big, sweet teddy bear that they get to take home.  Olivia had also brought along her beloved Sheepie, and both of them were able to accompany her in the operating room since Mommy and Daddy couldn’t be there.

For the first half of our waiting, Olivia and I just talked, and we played with Snapchat filters that she always loves to do, and shortly before her surgery, she had gotten really quiet, and I realized that she was crying.  Y’all.  This girl is our little ray of sunshine.  The only tears we ever see her cry are tears of joy… she rarely cries because she’s sad.  So, to see her crying silently like that just broke my heart. 

She told me that she was scared, so I snuggled her and asked her if she wanted to talk about it.  She said that she didn’t want to talk about it because it made her even more scared, so at that point, I turned on some funny YouTube videos for her to take her mind off of things, and she cheered right back up.

When the time came for her to go back to the operating room, Brian was allowed back in triage to give her hugs, and a team of four nurses all came in to get her.  They were so incredible, oooohing and ahhhhing over her and asking her questions and complimenting her and just being so kind to make the transition to the OR as smooth as possible.  Brian and I gave her kisses and then one of the nurses pulled out her phone and handed it to Olivia, and then she let Olivia pick anything that she wanted to watch on Disney+ for the ride back to the OR.  Naturally, she picked Bluey.  <3

I was a little teary-eyed after she left, but Olivia did great.  No matter how many times you send your kids back to an OR, it never gets easier.  Like I said before, this was her fourth time being put under anesthesia in her short little lifetime, which just blows my mind, but it’s still hard, y’all.

The surgeries took a little over an hour, and her doctor came straight out to us in the waiting room the second he was done.  He said everything went beautifully.  To patch her eardrum, he made a small incision under her right ear lobe, and he pulled some fat out of there, and then he used that fat to patch the hole.  She had to have three little stitches in her right ear lobe, but they’re dissolvable, so it shouldn’t be too tough of a recovery. 

He also said that the matter in her nodule seemed about the same as it was the first time he drained it four years ago, so I’m praying that means that it’s still benign.  They are doing another biopsy, so please, please keep our sweet girl in your prayers for a clean bill of health.  I don’t know when we’ll get the results, but I’m praying that it’s soon.  The waiting is always the hardest part.

Brian and I were able to go back to the recovery room and be there before Olivia woke up, and her little eyes fluttered open about one minute after we walked in the room.  The first thing she said was, “I’m huuuungry.”  Haha.  Bless her.  She wasn’t allowed to have any food or drink after midnight the night before, so she was starving.

Once she woke up, the nurse unhooked and removed her IV and got her all bandaged up, and then we were allowed to leave.  We were seriously only in recovery for, like, 10-15 minutes and we were on our way home.

We let Olivia choose whatever she wanted to eat, and she chose donuts from Krispy Kreme, so we swung through the drive-through and we were back home by 11 AM.

After she ate her donut, I got her all set up on the couch with her pillow and blanket and babies and the remote, and she watched Bluey while Brian and I ate an early lunch.  After lunch, I had every intention of decorating for Christmas, but I was just exhausted, so I lay down on the couch and let Bluey lull me to sleep until it was time to pick up Jacob from school.

He had a makeup piano lesson right after school, so he and I headed there, and then afterward, we made it home to Brian and Olivia.  My parents stopped by to drop Jacob’s sleepover bag off, and then Brian headed out to pick up Panera for dinner.

Jacob had his very first middle school dance Friday night, and I was chaperoning, so after dinner, he and I headed back out.  I was so exhausted, but I really wanted to be there for him, so I offered to chaperone even though I knew it was going to be a long day.

Dancing isn’t really his scene (unless he’s flossing – LOL), so I wasn’t sure if he’d even want to go.  I was pretty surprised when he answered with an emphatic yes, but I was also thrilled.  Before I offered to chaperone, I, of course, asked if he was okay with me being there (he is in middle school now, after all – LOL), and he was excited about me being there, too.  Not going to say no to that!! 

The dance was super casual – casual dress, nobody had to take a date or anything, and it was outside in the school courtyard, so we were thankful the rain had cleared.  The dance was technically a Sadie Hawkins dance, but from what I heard, only two girls in Jacob’s grade actually asked boys to go, so the vast majority of the kids didn’t have “dates.” 

It was dark out by the time we arrived, and the DJ already had the dance floor thumping along with some club lighting, and the kids had an absolute blast.  Jacob didn’t do much dancing, but he and his friends had a great time hanging out (and eating all the snacks – LOL), and he told me at the end of the night that he’d loved it.  I was on bathroom duty/courtyard patrol all evening, and thankfully, there was no drama – haha – so it was a great night.  I got to hang out with friends and be nosy and watch the kids interact with each other outside of school, so it was a good night.  I only got one picture at the end of the night, and it was dark outside, so it's not great, but at least we got it documented!

I was positively EXHAUSTED by the time we got home.  Brian and Olivia were just finishing up watching Home Alone 2 (which Jacob and I will be making them watch again during the Christmas season – LOL), and once that was done, we got the kids in bed laaaate.  Olivia was feeling great and only had some minor discomfort from her surgeries, but she was exhausted, and she fell right to sleep. 

Brian and I watched football for a bit, and then we called it a night, too.

 

Saturday, November 12

Saturday morning, we got up and had some of the leftover donuts for breakfast, and then I spent a few minutes of lazy time on the couch watching ESPN College GameDay.  I had tons to do around the house on Saturday, though, so around 10, I got up and started laundry, worked on dishes and housecleaning, and then I got in a cardio workout.

We had a light lunch, and then after that, it was time to decorate for Christmas some more!!!!  We managed to get Jacob’s bedroom tree up, Olivia’s bedroom tree up, my bedroom tree up, and some other odds and ends.  And I would have been able to do even more, but I filmed a Reel of me putting up the master bedroom tree, so that took longer than it would have had I not been filming.

By the time that was done, it was time to get ready for church, and then we all headed off to 5:30 Mass.  We hadn’t been to church in weeks (aside from weekly school Masses) because we’d either been sick or been out of town, so I was soooo glad to be back.  Olivia’s best friend, Aubrey, was there, and they always sit towards the back near us, so she was thrilled that she got to sit with her.

After Mass, we hightailed it outta there because the Georgia game started at 7.  We swung by Five Guys to grab dinner, and then we ate that while we watched the game.  The kids retreated to the play room to watch a movie, and then we got them in the bed in between football plays.

Georgia ended up winning and we clinched the SEC East which means we’re going to the SEC Championship game!  Woooo hoooo!  And by “we,” I mean the team.  B and I decided we’re not going to go to the game this year since we went last year.  There’s just too much going on right now, and we want to save our money for other things.  We’ll definitely be parked on the couch watching it on December 3, though! 

After the game, we watched the ends of a couple of other football games, and then it was bedtime for us, too.

 

Sunday, November 13

Sunday morning, we ate the last of the donuts for breakfast, and then we all watched a Nailed It.  I got organized for the week ahead after that, and then I did some more Christmas decorating before it was time to help Olivia take her first bath after her surgery.  We had to be careful not to get her stitches and eardrum wet, so she had to wear an ear plug and put a special ointment over her stitches.  We did a bath instead of a shower so we could control the amount of water getting near her ear, and all went smoothly!

After that, it was time to get ready to go to my MIL and step-FIL’s for lunch.  They made a big spread per usual, and then we all chatted in the kitchen for a bit, and then it was back home to get some work done and prep for Monday.  We were back to doing winter again on Sunday and it was FREEZING, so we spent zero time outside. 

 

Sunday evening, my Momma cooked, so we spent the evening at their house.  She made a delicious dinner, and we shared a bottle of wine per usual, and then it was time to head back home and start a new week all over again. 

I wish I could say that this one isn’t going to be as busy as the last three, but who am I kidding?!  Haha.  Whew!  

Happy Tuesday, y’all!