Surgery success!

Over the Christmas break, I had surgery to remove the ganglion cyst on my wrist. It was pretty massive.


I had to be put to sleep for the surgery, which I was actually grateful for. I would not have the self control to not look and I would have most likely passed out anyway. :-) Instead, I go knocked out medically. The anesthesiologist told me I might feel a little burning in my veins as the medicine went in. I felt the burning, but didn't fall asleep. I laid there freaking out thinking "I'm supposed to be asleep! Why am I not sleeping?" Then I woke up with this giant club of an arm.



Two weeks later, I went back to the doctor's to get the club taken off and the stitches underneath removed. I didn't take a picture that day, but this is what it looked like once the steri-tape stuff came off. It turned out there were 11 stitches hiding under there. The doctor kept telling me over and over again how HUGE my cyst was. He said it looked big on the outside, but there was a ton hiding underneath too and most cysts have one stalk that goes down into the joint, but mine had three. Apparently, it was pretty noteworthy for him since he stopped and told me how huge it was at least three times during the appointment.



The scar is healing up nicely now. The doctor said I may need hand therapy to help me regain full range of motion in my wrist, but that won't start for another week or two to make sure everything is healing the way it should. All in all, a very positive experience, but next time I'll choose not to have a club for an arm over Christmas break. :-)

Time with G&G Reed

It was so fun to get to see Grandma and Grandpa Reed while we were in Idaho. They are so sweet to always let us stay with them and feed us amazing homemade meals. Lydia just loved getting to spend time with them and play with them. 

Introducing Malayna!

We drove to Rexburg the day after we got home from California to meet Malayna Michelle! She's such a sweet baby girl! We're so excited for Whitney and Ryan to get to welcome such a wonderful daughter into their family! They even let me take some portraits of their precious infant. I think I had a little too much fun. :-)

Trapped for a Nap

Well, we finally figured out a way for Collin to take a rest. While I was at my doctor's appointment to get my stitches removed, (see this post for info) Lydia woke up early from her nap. I found the two of them like this on the couch when I got home. Collin said when he went to get Lydia out of her crib because she was awake, she immediately flopped her head down on his shoulder and left it there. He eventually sat down and they rested together for an extra 45 minutes until Lydia decided her nap was actually done. I love the sweet love these two share!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas is such a fun time to do things together as a family. This year, in Alameda, California, we had lots of adventures. We got Lydia a fancy Christmas dress. 

We walked down Thompson Ave AKA Christmas Tree Lane for Family Night.

We decorated Christmas Cookies.

Christmas Eve, we continued our tradition of visiting Oakland Temple Hill. We listened to the sister missionary concert, saw a beautiful sunset, and enjoyed the lights and special spirit on temple grounds.

Christmas morning, the grandkids played hand bells with Oma until we were all ready to walk into the living room together.

They tried very hard to be patient in the doorway...

We decided that, from this point forward, rather than having the Pimentel kids buried in wrapping paper, we'd take pictures of the Pimentel grandkids in the wrapping paper to help preserve some of our dignity. Lydia thought it was hilarious!

Opa and Lydia became special buddies on this trip with all the extra time they got with just the two of them. They both looked like they were thoroughly enjoying themselves while playing together.

Merry Christmas from our little family!

Alameda Beach

After finishing some last-minute Christmas shopping, Mikey had the idea to show Lydia Alameda Beach. She loved walking in the sand, but couldn't stop watching her feet. It reminded me how lucky we were to be in t-shirts on the beach just two days before Christmas!

Piano Girls

Forget the Piano Guys. It's all about these Piano Girls. Lydia and Roxi loved playing the piano at Oma and Opa's house. They were laughing and dancing while they played.

Sharing Toys

Uncle Mike was excited to share his scooter with Lydia. She loved sitting on it....stationary. We wouldn't let her try it moving even though Uncle Mike begged.

Lydia and Roxi liked trading their tablets. Roxi showed Lydia how to work some of the apps on her iPad while Roxi played a new drawing game on the Nexus Lydia gets to use sometimes.

The kids even shared bath time. They had so much fun playing together.

Polar Express

The cold and snow has not stopped us from having fun! We found out about the Stringtown Polar Express. It's a small train ride that took us to Santa's Village where Lydia got to sit on Santa's lap and take a picture with him. Santa then taught about the true meaning of Christmas and the train ride back goes past pictures of Christ's birth. It was a fun outing to be shared with Andre, Ashley, and Maya!

Self Spoon Feeding

Lydia is exploring how to best feed herself. She tries with the spoon for a while and then decides that her hand is better suited for the job. For now, she has greatly favored her left hand in the whole process. We'll have to keep an eye out to see if she is hinting at being a lefty like her Grandpas.