Our Verrado House is Listed

Our house went on the market today for $339,000.   

It is bittersweet to see these beautiful pictures. 

Christian's Third Surgery

At long last, Christian had surgery yesterday to remove and unusual mass on his upper thigh.

He was very calm on the drive, and remained calm until the nurses started touching him to start the IV process.  Happily, they have somebody whose specific job is to come in and help the kids understand what's going on, reassure them, etc. And she was absolutely fantastic!

Everything went well, and today is the day after and Christian is back to his normal self! 

We wait one week for the biopsy results but the doctor doesn't seem too concerned. He said it look like at some point Christian had a huge charlie horse (which confuses me because the mass was above the muscle, not in the muscle).

The Return of Erythema Nodosum

Oh. My. Goodness.

The erthema nodosum is back.

Thankfully we were able to get into the pediatrician yesterday.  He agrees with the erythema nodosum diagnosis and has concluded that Christian's immune system is in high gear since getting the Hand, Foot & Mouth Disease last month and the erythema nododum is the result.

He assured us there is nothing to worry about and that the condition won't hurt Christian.   He ran some blood work to rule out a few things and those results came back as a negative.  

Doc also says Christian doesn't need the Prednisone this time around ... WHEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Christian also got a TB test on his arm, and we will get the results of that tomorrow.   The doctor expects it to be negative.  (I mean really ... who gets TB these days??).

Up next:   tomorrow Christian gets an MRI to look at a mass on his leg that has been there for a while (doesn't bother him at all).   He has already had an ultrasound that determined the mass is not fluid in nature ... so the MRI will take a closer look.

Merry Christmas!!

Happy children on Christmas!

Hanging out with Grandma Janet!

Mommy and Scarlett working on a bath bomb experiment. :)

Scarlett's new Cardinals shirt! :)

Scarlett and her new pink scooter!

Christian and his cool new scooter from Santa!

Jennifer's Christmas Gift: A Cardinals Game!

Jonathan's awesome Christmas gift to me this year was attending the Cardinals' final home game of the season!   Woohoooooooooooooooooo!!

It was my second Cardinals game, and Jonathan's first.  He got us seats right at the 10 yard line, which was fun! 

Happily, the Cardinals beat the NY Giants!   It was a shut out game ...  23-0.  The Cardinals first shut out in 25 years!   Too bad the game didn't count for anything playoff wise - ha!!

GREAT CHRISTMAS PRESENT!!   

Christian's New Skin Issue

Here we go again ... our poor Christian.

He has these mysterious red  bumps only on his lower legs.  Oddly enough, they don't bother him.  They don't itch or hurt him.   But they sure do look terrible ... like he is being abused. :(

I posted this pic (below) in a FB group I belong to, and somebody suggested "erythema nodosum," which I have never heard of.  I googled it and sure enough, sure does look like it!

• Erythema nodosum is a type of skin inflammation that is located in a certain portion of the fatty layer of skin.
• Erythema nodosum (also called EN) results in reddish, painful, tender lumps most commonly located in the front of the legs.
• The tender lumps, or nodules, of erythema nodosum range in size from one to five centimeters. The nodular swelling is caused by a inflammation in the fatty layer of skin.
• Erythema nodosum can be self-limited and resolve on its own in three to six weeks. Upon resolution, it may leave only a temporary bruised appearance or leave a chronic indentation in the skin where the fatty layer has been injured.

So I took Christian to "The Little Clinic" inside our grocery store and the nurse practitioner had no idea what it was.   He gave us an RX for an ointment and Prednisone syrup.   

I decided to start with the ointment because the Prednisone scares me, to be honest ... and the cream had no affect.  So we got in to see the NP at Christian's pediatrician's office who agreed that it might be erythema nodosum.   She said to take the prednisone.   Sure enough, with one dose, his legs looked better the next day.   The problem is that Prednisone tastes NASTY and terribly bitter.   So getting Christian to take it is a nightmare.   

But the very good news is that this skin condition is not contagious.  WHEW!!!

Hand, Foot & Mouth Disease

 

It is a Lucero Family first:  Hand, Foot & Mouth Disease. 

Christian had a few "bites" on his hands and wrists ... and we assumed maybe it was a mosquito or a small spider or something.  The next day, the "bites" had multiplied.  We were concerned that something was in his bedding so I washed all of it, got him new pillows and a new mattress cover.   But, the "bites" continued to multiply.

I noticed a few bumps on his feet, and then some redness around his mouth and I just knew it was Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease.   Ugh!! 

A quick trip to Urgent Care confirmed my suspicions.  And unfortunately, nothing can be done about it.  The condition just has to run its course.  So Christian now walks around 24/7 with gloves on his hands.   If I take them off, he complains that his hands hurt.  

Actually, I consider our family very fortunate to have only one had to deal with HF&MD.   Daycare centers are notorious for passing it around ... and both kids have been in the daycare / preschool setting. 

Update:   Took a few days, but Christian made it though.  And Scarlett didn't get it somehow - whew!!