And Now it's November...

It's a new month, and although we're only a few days into it, it's been fairly eventful around the Hoskins' house!

We started it off by Avery having emergency eye surgery on November 1st.  The previous day, I took him in for a check up at the retinal specialist in Cincinnati.  A pressure check in the office showed that his pressure was extremely high (54), and left untreated he would be at risk of vision damage or loss.  Since no one nearby seems to feel comfortable operating on Avery's eyes, we were sent to University of Kentucky Hospital in Lexington to a specialist there who placed a new drainage system in Avery's right eye.  It's very technical, but essentially, he now  has a plate in the back of his eye and a tube inside the back of his eye that allows fluid to drain and relieve the eye pressure.  It will take several weeks for the stitches to heal and the drain to fully function, and Avery is being reassessed weekly to see if he is going to require an additional tube to control the pressure.  As always, Avery went through the surgery like a champ.  I always worry when my baby has to undergo any kind of procedure, and especially after the surgeon told us before surgery all of the risks, which included a collapsing eyeball from removing too much fluid and severe eye infection or nerve damage leading to total loss of the eyeball.  Ugh.  That doctor didn't seem to think that Avery's right eye is going to be able to see much, with his history of retinal detachment and now glaucoma, and also told us that this is going to be a lifelong battle we're going to deal with.  That breaks my heart because I feel like Avery has so little that he is able to do, and seeing is something that is really important.  But Avery is feeling pretty good, and despite a bloody, swollen eye, he seems like he is handling it all well.

Before surgery

Emerson likes to help take care of her big bro.  Here she's trying to put his eye patch back on.  She doesn't quite have it in the right spot!

Another first, this one a positive one, was Bryson's first hunting experience.  Phillip has taken Bryson out in the woods before, but this was the first time with guns involved.  They got up before dawn and went out to my grandpa's farm to squirrel hunt.  Bryson was so excited!  It was freezing cold, and Phillip said Bryson's feet were like ice cubes.  They were only out an hour or two, and they didn't catch anything.  But Bryson's eyes were wide as he told me how he saw some deer and "smelled squirrels," whatever that means.  I had to laugh when Phillip told me disappointedly that Bryson isn't much of a hunter.  He said Bryson said, "Let's lean against this tree and watch the sunrise, Daddy.  Oh, did you bring those bananas so I can have a snack?"  I think Bryson thought he was on a picnic, not a hunt, which is probably my fault.  He enjoyed it so much, though, that I'm sure with more practice and maturity, he may turn out to be the hunter that would make his daddy proud!

The hunter

Here he is prepping for the big hunt the night before.

Now that it's officially November, I'm itching to get into the holiday season.  Last year, I didn't get to decorate for Christmas besides a tiny little tree in our Ronald McDonald House room, and I purposely listened to talk radio or Pandora to avoid the Christmas music.  It made me sad to hear it and not be able to enjoy it.  I did ALL of the little bit of shopping I did online.  Basically, we ignored Thanksgiving and Christmas, and did the bare minimum for Bryson's sake.

I don't really care so much about the presents part...sure, we'll get our kids a few things, but really, Avery and Emerson would be just as satisfied with a box of paper than anything.  But I am so looking forward to enjoying my family being home together, planning family gatherings, listening to the music, hanging a few decorations, and celebrating my favorite time of year.  So with a tiny bit of arm twisting on my scrooge-like husband, I'm hoping to get started early this year, and by early I mean this weekend!  More than ever, we have so much to be thankful for, and it seems so appropriate that we make the most of this year.

On that note, I think I'll end this rambling post.  Until next time...
Bethany