A Long Over Due Stahnke Update

So I haven't posted since this summer!  So where do I even begin.  Our lives here at the Stahnke house has been beyond busy.  I started my photography business last year, and I never dreamed how busy it was going to get this summer and fall.  I feel more then blessed for all the work, but I had no idea what I was in for.  Most people go on a job interview, and they discuss the hours that they are going to work, and what the job will demand of them.  Some how I took on an, almost full time job without even knowing it.  Unfortunately, Cain and I have had some adjustments with the schedule.  The crazy thing is, now that it's cold outside I'm hardly working at all.  I guess that is why I have a moment to post.

So when we got home from vacation, I had exactly a week to get ready for Alisha's graduation party.  I haven't even had a moment to look through the pictures, but when I do, I will post some.  I had everyone say it was a wonderful party, but I have to admit I was stressed, tired, and I don't even think I enjoyed a moment of it.  My best advise to all mom's throwing graduation parties, have someone there to just be you, and do the jobs that you would do.  I thought I had a plan where I wouldn't have to do much with the food, but I was dead wrong.  It was a full time job, and I wished I could of enjoyed the day.  I guess I'll enjoy looking through the pictures when I have a moment.

Then two weeks after we got home from vacation, I got the opportunity to photograph my first wedding.  Here is a link to some of my favorite photos from that day.

http://kimstahnkephotographyblog.blogspot.com/2010/08/northeast-ohio-wedding-jamie-and-tim.html

I have to admit I was scared out of my mind that day, and lots of things seemed to be going wrong.  The night before this first wedding my daughter dropped my favorite lens.  It seemed to be working that night but the next morning just a few hours before leaving I realized that this lens was not working.  I was about in tears, but somehow I had to make due with what I had.  Then I somehow managed to lay in poison ivy at a photo shoot just earlier that week, and at this point I had it all over my legs, and I was in absolute pain that entire day.  All in all I guess the pictures turned out okay, but it was quite the way to just jump in there.  Anyways, since that wedding I have shot 6 more, and I have to say I'm getting quite comfortable with them, and I do seem to enjoy them a lot.  I already have 4 booked for next year, and my goal is to have 10.

Another thing that has kept me busy, is Andrew had to have his surgery to correct his submucous cleft (partial cleft palate) in August.  Our goal was to get this taken care of after vacation, but before school started back up.  I do have to admit this surgery was the most horrible thing I have gone through with any of my children.  Andrew had a horrible experience after the anesthesia wore off.  He kept freaking out, and no one could calm him down.  His oxygen levels were not good, and they were excepting it in the 80's but they like to see it at 95.  So we were keeping an eye on this number very closely, and me and Cain were taking turns trying to calm him down.  Suddenly when Cain had him, we watched his oxygen level drop in the 30's.  The nurse yelled for Cain to get him on the table, and it took many of us to hold him down, so they could force the oxygen mask on him.  He finally calmed down, and his oxygen level went up, but then a few minutes later, he did the same thing again.  They decided it was going to be best to put the breathing tube back in.  They explained that there is a small window to get the tube back in, and if it swells to much in there they can't get the tube back in.  We were at this very dangerous point with Andrew, so it was best to just do it.  My poor little guy even with being sedated with drugs, wanted that breathing tube out.  At this point he was in the ICU and out of the recovery room, and after he managed to pull through the drugs enough to pull the breathing tube connection out, even while being tied to the bed, they thought it would be best to give him something to paralyze him through the night.  My poor baby looked so helpless, but yet peaceful.  I felt like my baby was in good hands because he had a full time nurse just watching his monitors.

The next morning they decided to pull Andrew's breathing tube out, but nothing could of prepared me for what was going to happen.  I guess they should of learned from the day before on how strong Andrew was, and how he could pull out of even the strongest of drugs trying to sedate him.  Anyways, as soon as they backed off the medicine that was paralyzing him he pulled through immediately (it should of taken at least an hour), and lets just say no one was ready for the breathing tube to be pulled out.  The Dr. wasn't in the room, Cain wasn't at the hospital yet, and there was only me, the nurse, the respiratory person, Alisha and her boyfriend in the room.  Suddenly Andrew was in his rages, and was trying to pull out his breathing tube again.  It took all 5 of us to hold him down, while the nurse was getting approval from the Dr. to go ahead and pull the tube even though he wasn't in the room.  So the respiratory lady pulled the breathing tube, and then Andrew went from fighting with every muscle in his body, to suddenly going limp and he turned blue.  We suddenly realized that Andrew wasn't breathing at all.  They pushed the emergency button in his ICU room, and before we knew it we had about 10 people in the room, working on my son.  It was the scariest thing I have ever seen, and what was about 30 seconds, seemed like hours.  They got my son back of course, but I don't think I'll ever be the same after that day.

So if the actual hospital visit wasn't bad enough, getting home with Andrew after 3 days, wasn't any easier.  The poor little guy was having mood swings, and hallucinations while sleeping, from his pain killers.  He was in so much pain, that I couldn't get him to hardly eat or drink anything.  He also had a horrible time sleeping.  I was waiting on this little guy hand and foot for over a week, and I was going on almost no sleep.  Then they had him on a soft diet for 3 weeks.  Andrew is still dramatized about that.

Then just 2 weeks ago, Andrew went to his 3 month follow up from his surgery.  I have been concerned because since surgery Andrew has had a hard time breathing while he was eating.  I decided to wait the full 3 months for his mouth to heal but since this problem wasn't getting any better I knew it needed to be addressed.  One look from the Dr. in Andrew's mouth and he saw a problem.  He immediately sent me down to an ENT.  Luckily this ENT also did Andrew's tubes in his ears, so they had record of him already.  Anyways, the Dr. saw that there was scar tissue that grew on Andrew's adenoids, and it was clogging his air passage.  So he wanted to do surgery to remove his adenoids.  So long story short, Andrew just had another surgery this last Tuesday.  Nothing as bad as the last one, but he still didn't do great in recovery.  Andrew is still healing from Tuesday's surgery, but I'm hoping Andrew will be good as new by Christmas.

So that is where my time has gone in the last 4 months.  I'm hoping to post more often, but I'm not sure if I can keep up like I use to.  So here are a few fun pictures.  Hopefully more to come.