CWU Move In Day! Sophomore Year

Friday Anthony and I were in Ellensburg because he took his final FAA flight test and received his private pilot certificate, wrapping up his first year at college. Sunday we turned right around and headed back to campus because it was move in day! 

We rolled right into the next school year with hardly a blink of an eye.

This year, instead of staying in the Aviation Dorm, Anthony got an on campus apartment with his best friend, Owen, who is also attending CWU. How lucky the two of them get to have this experience. I am very excited for them. I think Anthony will feel a lot more comfortable and settled on campus now. 

 

Because our move in time was bright and early, we got there first, so Anthony had the choice of rooms. We figured out his furniture arrangement, then got to work helping him get his totes unpacked and his room set up. We also worked on getting out the stuff he had to contribute to the bathroom, living room, and kitchen. I brought a string of lights to hang in his bedroom to make it feel more like home, and of course, I put up his g low in the dark stars again. Anything to bring a little love and comfort to this new space. 

We had a lot of fun helping him get settled in. I'm thankful we got to have this experience with him. 

After the little bit of work we could do, Sammy and I took off for a bit and headed to Goodwill and Freddies to pick up a few still needed kitchen items, and to get Anth set up with some groceries. While we were out, Owen and his family showed up and unloaded all of his things. 

 

After putting groceries away, with Owen's family taking off and the boys wanting to finish on their own, there was nothing for Sam and I to do but to take some fun pics, give some big hugs, and hit the road ourselves. 

Anthony's apartment looks great. And not only does he get to live with his best friend, but he has another friend living in a different apartment in the same complex! I'm really hoping this will be a better year for Anth. Not that his first year was bad, just that it was hard. I'd like things to not feel so hard this year. I'm hoping this new living arrangement will go a long way in helping to calm his nervous system and bring him just a bit more peace and happiness. 

It was hard to say goodbye, but I'll admit, definitely not as hard as last year. This year felt so different. More exciting. Lighter. 

Anth wont plan on coming home as frequently this year, and he doesn't have plans to do so for the first time for about 6 weeks, when we need him home for family photos. But that's good. That's ok. He can grow and flex in independence. And I can miss him. 

With love,

Mama Hauck

Anthony's FAA Flight - Private Pilot Certificate

Anthony's flight training went into summer. He had gotten all of his hours prior to the end of the school year, however, he still had to take his Stage III ground and flight test, his EOC ground and flight test, and then his final FAA ground and flight test.

It's difficult when you feel ready to get shit done, but you have to wait to get worked into the test schedule. There were so many others in the same boat. Ready, but waiting. 

Over the summer, Anth managed to get everything done except is Final FAA test, which was the very last step to receiving his private pilot certificate. 

Yesterday, he finally did it! 

This was a big moment for him. The cumulation of all of his hard work this first year of college. I'm thankful Molly's tonsillectomy drama was over with and I was able to go up to Ellensburg Thursday evening with Anth for support. 

Friday morning we got up at 4:30 am. We had to be to the flight training building by 7 am, but needed time to get ready, pack up the hotel, and Anth wanted a little bit of flex time to mentally prepare. We arrived and then went for a walk to decompress, breathe, and get in the right mental head space. I loved that walk with him. 

When it was time, I gave him a huge hug and a kiss, told him I loved him and was already so very proud of him, then watch as my baby walked away to do this very hard thing that he has been working towards for a year now. 

I sat in the car for hours, tracking him on Life360 while he was at the flight training center taking his ground test, then while in the air taking his flight test. I was able to see him in the air as he made his final approach, which was pretty awesome. 

Then I waited some more. He had to do his after flight debrief with the FAA test guy, get feedback, and see if he passed. 

When Anthony came out of the building and started walking towards the car with a huge smile on his face, I was SO elated!!! He invited me to go watch him ring the bell and have his photo taken with his private pilot certificate. It was fun walking in the building and seeing how happy the flight instructors were for him! 

Fuck yeah, Anthony. We are incredibly proud of all of your hard work and perseverance. I know it hasn't been an easy year. I hope you feel proud of this achievement and take this momentum into the next school year with you. 

Year one - private pilot certificate - complete! Up next, year two - instrument rating! 

Onwards and upwards, baby. You've got this. 

With love,

Mama Hauck

Molly's Emergency Tonsillectomy

Ohhhhhh Molly. 

Things have been a clusterfuck recently. 

Last February Molly got sick. Terrible sore throat, insanely swollen glands, fever, sweats, chills, a rapid heart rate that was freaking me out, fatigue, and she even fainted in the kitchen. Tests came back negative for everything, including her bloodwork, though it did show an elevated white blood cell count. Not knowing what to do, she was given an antibiotic and oral steroids. Within a day she was feeling better. Wonderful. 

Now repeat this cycle 4 more times throughout the course of February through April. Every cycle came with more tests - all negative, and more bloodwork - all showing not much. A heart monitor, echo, scan, etc all showed her heart was fine. What the hell was going on? I was convinced it was her tonsils, or an immune issue. I pushed for a referral to an ENT. 

We were really worried and stressed, with each cycle came a round of steroids I knew was just going to be a band aid. I was freaking out. Finally we got her into an ENT and on the books for a tonsillectomy.....but after another appointment with the ENT, he wasn't convinced it was tonsilitis. And even it if was, he said sometimes kids go through a few cycles and then things pitter out and all is fine. He wanted to wait to see if she had 1 more cycle. Literally? Like what the actual fuck? He was always seeing her between cycles, not during her sickness. I feel like if we had been able to get her in when she was actually in the throws of death, he would have changed his mine. But fine. Ok. One more cycle, as the last nail in the coffin, and then surgery. 

You know what happened? She went the whole damn summer fine. Fucking weird, right? 

Then school starts Wednesday, Aug 26th. Molly gets 3 days into school, then wakes up with all of those familiar symptoms on Saturday the 29th. 

FUUUUCKKK. Like, FOR REAL. Ok, it's go time. 

I manage to get her into her PCP on Monday the 31st. The PCP was worried because it looked like she had an abscess on one of her tonsils. We got in for a scan later that day. Yes, there was an abscess. The PCP called and told us to go to the ER in The Dalles. We take her. 

The ER says the abscess is too embedded in her tonsil to drain. Her bloodwork shows the beginnings of sepsis. They give her a shit ton of fluids, 2 IV antibiotics, and IV steroids. It's all they can do. We need to see the ENT. We leave with her being stable. 

The ENT office is closed Tuesdays for normal scheduled surgeries. Cant get in Tuesday. We get scheduled with the ENT for Wednesday afternoon, September 2nd. 

We don't make it to the appointment. 

Wednesday early morning we take Molly to the ER in town. She is going down hill fast. We get her stable. We get word that the ENT has been notified of what has been going on, and we are asked to head back to The Dalles ER. 

We arrive and are told there is nothing to do except for to wait for the ENT to come. He has to do all of his normal appointments. We wait....literally all day. He finally arrives and we all agree its time for that tonsillectomy, much to my relief. 

We move to a surgery holding room. Molly was pretty anxious, but she was more ready to be done feeling like shit, so that overrode her fear. They take her back for surgery. Sam and I leave to finally get a bite to eat and stretch our legs. We get the call that everything went smoothly and she is in recovery. Sam and I make it back to the hospital and are shown Molly's recovery room. We wait for her to be wheeled in. 

Sam and I both decided to stay overnight in the hospital with her. The nurses were kind and brought in reclining chairs for us to sleep in. Molly was in a lot of pain, but jello and popsicles helped soothe her throat. I don't think any of us slept very well that night. Come morning, the ENT came to check in on Molly and he gave us the ok to take off. Everything went well, he was glad to get her tonsils out, and he showed confidence that this was the fix. I am really hoping he is right.

It has now been a week since surgery. Molly is doing ok. She describes the pain as the worst sore throat ever. We are keeping up with her pain meds. She went back to school today. I wish she would have stayed home all week, but the ENT said as long as she remains chill and stays on a liquid/soft diet for a while longer, that it was ok. And she didn't want to miss anymore school. She has to miss 2 weeks of soccer as it is, and can't return until the 18th. 

I really hope this tonsillectomy is the answer. 

Going through all of this has been a nightmare. Missing school, missing soccer, dealing with the drama that comes with that. Fucking school with their excused/unexcused boleshit. Let me remember to get a drs note while my daughter is in the ER otherwise you wont excuse her even though I called. That was a whole damned thing on top of her being so incredibly ill and all the dr appointments, scans, bloodwork, and ER visits. 

I'm tapped out. 

With love,

Mama Hauck