And the heavens parted...

Well, after nearly three days of trial and tribulation, Noelle is finally acting like herself again!
The surgery went very well, and Noelle was SO brave. She never really cried, only whimpered and pouted, even when the anesthesiologist took her out of my arms. You'd all be so proud: I never let her see me cry. The people in the waiting room probably thought my poor kid was going in for open-heart surgery, but at least she never saw. :D All went well and the Dr. confirmed that they were huge and we'll definitely see a big difference in her eating, sleeping, etc.
The recovery, however, has been bad from the get-go. She threw up 3 times in the car on the way home (sound familiar, Rachel?) but thankfully slept a lot when we got there. Her throat hurt so bad yesterday and today that she didn't even want to swallow her saliva. Getting medicine and antibiotics into her literally took restraining straps (aka Mom's arms AND legs). No matter how much I begged, bribed or threatened, she would not drink or eat just about anything. It's been three solid days of crying and sulking (for both of us). Then, mysteriously, magically, marvelously, at 5:00 tonight she asked for juice and mashed potatoes. She colored pictures, drank Pedialite and was HAPPY again for the first time in days. Hallelujah! I think I was being reminded not to complain about my wonderful, cheerful daughter. I missed her SO much!
Thank you SOOOO much, ladies, for all your sweet and thoughtful comments. I appreciate and love each of you. No one could ask for a better support group!

Long overdue update

Hello all! Sorry, no cute pictures (although they are coming) and no really cute Noelle stories (like you haven't heard a bazillion), just updates on the fam.

Biggest news is that Noelle will be getting her tonsils out on Monday. :( She's pretty young to get them out, but they are causing her LOTS of trouble (not sleeping, stopping breathing in her sleep sometimes, snoring, gagging, shall I continue?) We just keep repeating our mantra: This will be good for her. Anyway, prayers and positive thoughts are greatly appreciated. We KNOW they really work! :)

I got my blood tested yesterday and should find out next week what my thyroid and cancer levels are, but I'm feeling good and have managed to lose a LITTLE weight, even with my holiday binging (as I sip my peppermint cocoa).

Steve got back a few weeks ago from a trip to BOSTON! He had a great time and walked to lots of neat, historical places. He didn't get any pictures, of course, so I'm hoping some of the other English teachers will send some to me. We'll see how that goes...

OK, time for bed. Look forward to lots of posts and pics next week as I stay home with Noey during her recovery! :D

What the DUCK?

Haha, going through some old photos, forgot to post these from September. Noelle and two of her cousins, Gracie and Chloe, went to the park with me to feed the ducks and play on the playground. We had SOOO much fun! The best part of the day was finding this duck who looked like he was wearing a wig. He's a dead ringer for Einstein, don't you think?

Sunday Fun

Today we decided to take a few pictures at church, since we were all dressed up and Noelle's hair was cute and curly. :)

And now for the cutest part of the day. Tonight, Noelle pulled out her microphone and started singing a song she hears in Nursery and at home quite a bit: I Love to See the Temple. It was so darling we just had to share. My favorite parts: "The temple is a house 'a God" and "I'll prepare myself while I am yum."

Super funny

OK, just as I finished writing our Halloween post, I hear the toilet flush. Um, what the heck? I go to the bathroom to find that Noelle had not only peed in her potty all by herself, she had poured it into the toilet (with minimal spillage) and flushed it just like Mommy does. She was all dressed, and all smiles, at being such a big girl. Hilarious!

It's Halloween time!

Halloween was a very full and fun night for the Batchelors. At 3:00 there was the first playoff game for Layton high football, which they won. YIPPEE! Then we rushed home to trick or treat before it got too dark. Noelle and her cousins had a GREAT time and got lots of goodies that they're happy to share with their parents. ;) Many thanks to our awesome neighbors who gave out glow necklaces, which were a BIG hit. After trick or treating, we went back to Aunt Shelley's house for a party and yummy soup. Then we finished off the night by going to Grandpa's house for games and yet more treats. Good times, good times!

It's Tinkerbell time!

Our little Tinkerbell got all dressed up on Friday and went to her Great-Grandma's nursing home for a Halloween celebration. It was a little hard to balance 4 girls in the midst of about 50 kids, but we managed to have a great time and leave with plenty of candy. The highlight of the night was seeing a magician, who managed to eat toilet paper and spit out streamers. Amazing. :)