Weekend of July 4th, 2008 (and a lot of pics)

So, again, I have been slacking with posts on the blog....I admit. But listen; I had surgery right after the 4th and have been out of commission......ok? (See tonsillectomy post below). Recovery was not as easy as i had planned, although I was warned. Now, 3 1/2 weeks later, I am still not completely healed which baffles me. I used to get over surgery, or illness, or any ailment quite quickly. But I guess we all did. One thing is for sure... I am not 18 anymore.

Meanwhile, Savannah is talking up a storm. She can pretty much repeat anything that is said (which you have to be very careful with), and is singing the "ABC" song and "Happy birthday." She just missed having the Happy Birthday song ready for Irene's 90th Birthday. The other night, just out of nowhere, she popped up after her bath and began running around the room screaming "I naked!!" Lynn was able to get the video camera and catch some of that action which was great. Also, one night while I was feeding her, I was wearing an LSU t-shirt which Savannah pointed at and said "Go Tigers........rrrraaaaaaarrrhhhhh!" Freakin hilarious. Her teachers at school are very complimentary of her vocabulary.

On to activities: For the weekend of the 4th, Mark, Pam and Natalie came to visit. Here are some pics at our house and the Mason house in Buhl.

Anytime she can touch the water, she will. She actually got as far as an entire shoe being submerged before I caught her.

Time for tea: Savannah arranges chairs for the tea party.

Or maybe it was an egg and shovel party.




Savannah likes the big fan at Pawpaw and Granmaam's.

Walking with Pawpaw.
Pawpaw is showing Savannah the pretty flowers, which she quickly picked and ran. Pawpaw tried to explain that those that he planted were not for picking. It was entertaining.
A couple of months ago, Pawpaw Mason built the grandchildren a new swingset under the big tree beside the deck. Savannah and Natalie have been pretty happy with it.



Lynn, Savannah, Mark, Pam, Natalie, and I went on an excursion to the mall that weekend. When Savannah saw the toy plane, there was no escape. Here she is about to stand up to do a stunt with Natalie riding in the safety position... on top of the wing.
Thats better.

The "more" signal followed after every ride. $12 in quarters later, we walked around the rest of the mall.

Savannah in her floatie shark.
Savannah, Natalie, and Ava Lee in the little pool.

This is Natalie playing with dishes at our house.
The "kiss" at dinner.
After dishes, it was time to ride horses and rock rock.


The sneaky face..... Savannah about to open a drawer that she knows is a "no no."

Sav is showing off her new bathing suit that mommy got her.
Notice the tag flying in the breeze.
She was saying, " I da pool!!"

After a long day, it was time for a bath.....
and a drink of water.
I especially like Natalie's hair in this one.

Savannah Makes Weather Blog!

Most people know that if you live in Alabama, you listen to James Spann on ABC 33/40 when it comes to weather info, especially in the event of severe weather (namely tornados). Anyway, James' weather blog (www.alabamawx.com) is very popular. On Monday, Ronnie and Linda sent in pictures of the many thermometers they have showing the excessive heat to the blog along with a pic of Savannah. James Spann posted them! Very cool..... I am a weather nerd that reads this blog regularly and it was great to see a pic of Sav posted. Thank you Ronnie and Linda!

Check out the post at http://www.alabamawx.com/?p=7986

An Adult Guide to Tonsillectomy, Adenoid Removal, and Septoplasty

**CHECK OUT MATT'S BLOG FOR BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!!!! www.ozinnova.blogspot.com**

First of all, it is as bad as everyone warns. When my ENT told me I would be out of work for 10 days to 2 weeks to have my tonsils taken out, I honestly believed him to be kidding. He was not. This is a quick rundown of my surgery and what I had done......


The tonsils have been giving me problems off and on for the past year. They flare up, get infected, and cause massive amounts of discomfort to the point that at times, I could not eat or talk. This has happened about 6 times in the past 365 days. One such occasion had me go to the ENT for a steroid shot so I could sing at a show the following night. My doc made the suggestion that I have them cut out. The deviated septum was a problem that we talked about 6 months ago and something that he could take care of when the tonsils were cut. I agreed to all of it until he told me I would be out of work for two weeks. I mean seriously....who can take off two whole weeks from their job?

Apparently, if something is hurting you bad enough, anyone can. So here I am....6 days post-op with a report from my beautiful bedroom. I figured it was one of those deals where they told you you would be out of work for 10-14 days, but in reality you might be out 5 or 6. I can tell you that today is day 6 and going back on day 7 is not looking good. There are two main issues that are rather important in being able to work.....breathing and talking. I am struggling with both. The breathing problem is a luxury of having the septoplasty done the same time I had my tonsils taken out. The huge freakin stints that are in my nose are scheduled to come out tomorrow, so that will help. But then talking is very uncomfortable. Shortly after saying just a few words, the wonderful sensation of having box-cutting razor blades sliding around in the back of your throat hits you. The minutes that follow this are hell, and there is really nothing you can do about it at that point (numbing liquids are prohibited...chloraseptic, etc.) So doing a large amount of talking is just not an option. I have had a pen and paper handy to write messages to Lynn and anyone who required more than a simple "yes" or "no."

Oh yeah.....and I have lost some weight. My diet has consisted of this since last Wednesday..... ice water, some tea, chocolate pudding, italian ice, ice cream, milkshakes, and mashed potatoes.
Day 0 weight...... 199lbs
Day 6 morning.... 188lbs

ADVICE

If you are a lucky adult that has to have this wonderful procedure done, here a few tips that might help.

• Take off two weeks....if you get better sooner and are able to go back early, then great. But don't tell the boss you will be back after 2 or 3 days.
• Get all of your prescriptions filled before the surgery.... you will not feel like it post-op.
• Make sure you get all liquid meds from your doc. Swallowing small pills can be done, but there is no need.
• Don't miss a dose of your pain meds.... you will pay dearly if you do.
• Stay hydrated. I preferred ice water with small ice chips.
• Shower regularly.....a warm shower twice a day helped loosen things up in my nose and throat.
• Stock up on jello and movies.... pudding, jello, ice cream,etc. Italian ice went down good for me.
• Be prepared to be uncomfortable..... maybe I have just become a big wuss over the years and others get over this with no problem. Or maybe having the nose done with the tonsils was too much. But, I dont think I would change that decision....my philosophy was that if I was going to have to be off for two weeks anyway, why not go ahead.... more bang for the buck too. Either way, you will be uncomfortable. It is not a "restful" experience.

Anyway, that gives you an idea of what the last week has been like around here. I might do a day 7-8 update if there is any major change. Hopefully, I will just be better. Thanks for the cards and the calls. I am fine......I just literally can't talk about it.

Happy 4th of July, 2008!!

Welcome to Your Thirties, Matt

A big shout out to my brother today, who enters the world of being 30 (30 on the 30th... extra special). Happy Birthday!! I warned him that being thirty brings many changes including parts of your body that either malfunction or just straight-up stop working. In about a week, I will enjoy having my tonsils removed since they have decided that they are going to flare-up every one-two months rendering me unable to talk or swallow for about a week at a time. I have been informed that this procedure, while simple, will leave me pitifully lying in bed for a week or more, while children that have it done are playing on the monkey bars after two days. Combine this with a definite upper back and neck surgery sometime in the future, and that gives my little brother a good idea of what I am talking about.

Even a better case-in-point, my good buddy Ron Smith has a laundry list of surgeries he has enjoyed since his 30th birthday, including a surprise visit to the surgical table just this past weekend. Friday night, Ron began experiencing some pain by what he thought might be indigestion, followed by 8 hours of violent vomiting and dry-heaving. A few hours after that on Saturday morning, Ron checked into the local hospital and was asked to choose a Doctor that would remove his appendix that afternoon. That SSSSUUUUUUCCCCKKKKSSSSSSS!!!

In the words of Bruce, welcome to the party pal. Happy Birthday Matt!! Get Well Soon Ron!!!

Note** This picture was used with the full consent of one of my best friends, Mr. Ron Smith. Any reproduction of this picture for commercial use or black mail purposes is prohibited.

Beach Trip '08 Update

We are getting packed and preparing to come back to T-Town. See Parts 4-7 below. I know there will be some jealous Grandfathers when they see Pt. 6. We had a great time....thanks for the interest in the blog by the way. A lot of folks have called and said "More Pics!" We'll be home Saturday for a trip to the grocery store and a lot of grass cutting. Talk to you all soon!

Beach Trip '08, Pt. 7: Bye Bye Beach

Here are a few pics from our last day on the beach. Savannah was a trooper and had a ball. Lynn, Mom and I had a great time together and with her.

Lynn and Sav.....yes, Lynn is wearing an LSU shirt.

Lynn took these pics of the beach landscapes....very nice.

Sav said "I Da Beach" when she was ready to go play in the sand.

Cute.....the towel is nice too. Thanks Granmomma!

Worn out.

Friday evening, we took Savannah down to take a few more pics. The ones of her and Lynn are great.

Then we said Bye-Bye Beach and Bye-Bye Pool.