A little late on the update...

My deepest apologies to anyone who continually checked back here over the last 36 hours, thinking something had gone wrong and was genuinely concerned for the health of our child. The simple fact is, she is fine. She had her standard burst of bi-polar-ism (I really hope she's not actually bi-polar seeing as how I continually refer to it in such a casual manner) upon her exit from surgery. She woke up all smiley and happy, pitched a fit when Mommy came to get her, seemed happy to see me in the waiting room, then promptly melted down when I picked her up. All this was followed by a trip to Toys-R-Us and an extended nap for everyone back at the hotel. If I wasn't such a cheapskate, I would have paid the $10 for 24 hours of wi-fi and given you all the gory details right away. But, well, naps are free. So there.

Wednesday wasn't very conducive to blog updates either as Team Tredwell loaded the car and hit the road at 4 AM. With a cooperative three-year old and two parents determined to sleep in their own bed for the first time in 10 days, we pulled into the driveway just after midnight. South Florida to central Connecticut in 20 hours. That's the way you debate!

That gets us to Thursday. Today was a catch-up day. Catch up on sleep, cleaning, finances, yardwork, etc. Should I have gotten to this sooner? Of course. But, honestly, you should be used to this from me by now.

At this point, you're all well aware of the particulars from our check-up. I'll just add a couple notes that I failed to mention the other day.

That is a picture of the screw that was removed from Emily's hip on Tuesday morning. It's about an inch and a half long. She was walking before we got back to the hotel. It furthers my belief that this kid is unstoppable.

When Dr. Paley came into the exam room to check out Emily's x-rays and eventually discuss removing the aforementioned screw, he struggled to raise the seat in front of the computer to a preferable height. I hold this man in such high regard, yet I'm wildly immature and my mouth has always been quicker than my brain. "Really? You can't even work the stool??" I think he laughed.

I'll leave you with this. I tend to wrestle with insecurity. It's part of who I am. Some may doubt that, but that just means I have you fooled (editor's note: sucker!) Then there are moments like Monday at Paley's institute when, in a discussion with patient coordinator Caroline Eaton regarding the new website Paleykids.net which will help patients and their families connect with each other, she mentions, "For a while, your blog was the network!"

The following day, she stops by the bullpen where Kate, Emily and I were getting geared up for surgery by watching Wall-E (don't judge us.) She tells me that Dr. Paley wants me to be sure to mention in the blog that this procedure Emily was about to go through is highly uncommon for Superhip patients. At the time, I just kinda nodded. Only later did I pause to think about that.

Paley and his team make miracles happen all the time.

In my own ridiculous, sophomoric way, I get to help.

Just your standard Tuesday.

Today's post is coming at you a bit sooner than expected. I had expected to get home from Florida, harass the Director of Photography into uploading pictures from our trip, and then procrastinate for another few weeks before finally enlightening the masses about our visits to Disney World, Singer Island and St. Mary's hospital. Life, however, has a way of throwing curveballs when you're looking fastball.

Team Tredwell went into yesterday's appointment with Dr. Paley expecting x-rays, a substantial wait, a little face time with The Man himself and a date for next year's lengthening surgery. Well, we got all that and more! (I feel like I'm writing for an infomercial. I need to get some sleep. Or hire new writers. Either one.) Emily, who had been having a smashing time all week sweating her way around the sunshine state, naturally turned a corner when it was time to get some work done. X-rays came at a price, as she wailed away while Daddy struggled to hold her in place. In the end, she managed to keep it together long enough to get the pictures we needed. This was followed by a lengthy stint in the lobby/playroom as people from all over the globe waited for the attention of one of the top doctors on the planet. Emily returned to her normally charming self, organizing games of duck-duck-goose in the hallway with other kids and even attempting to rope some staff members in to the game as well. (Admit it, Caroline. You wanted to play.)

When we finally got moved to an exam room, we got a little time with our man Servando who looked through Emily's x-rays like a kid on Christmas morning. As a simple gym teacher, I don't understand much in the field of orthopaedic surgery, but I know what the words "fantastic" and "beautiful" mean, especially when they pertain to my daughter's x-rays. He was genuinely excited to see the hardening of the hip socket, creating a more stable joint and the potential for continued progress. He also noted the discrepancy had decreased by a tiny fraction as a result of last year's Superhip which was obviously good news.

When Dr. Paley arrived, he echoed Servando's earlier statements, although in a much more relaxed way (note to self: never play poker with Paley.) As he looked at the x-ray, he clearly saw something noteworthy, turning to us and asking "how long are you staying?" A brief moment of anxiety was quickly wiped away when he explained how the hip looks excellent but, in a highly unusual circumstance for a child with PFFD, the growth plate is still open. In the majority of cases, the growth plate is completely closed, meaning any extra length will only occur through surgery. In Emily's case however, there is still the possibility of more growth. Her right leg won't catch up to the left without surgeries, but perhaps the road just got a little less bumpy.

Of course, to allow that growth to occur, Dr. Paley needed to go in and remove one screw which kept her hardware attached to her hip joint. To do that, a five minute procedure was necessary involving a tiny incision, a screwdriver and a single stitch. Piece of cake! (Emily disagreed.) Still, it was amazing to watch the team snap into action as he turned from the x-rays and began doling out assignments. "Get them on the schedule for tomorrow morning. Call the insurance company and get approval. It's 4:20 right now. You have 40 minutes." Seriously, it was awesome.

And now, it's 10:20 AM. Kate took Emily in about two hours ago and we should be able to see her anytime now. She was clearly not on board with this whole idea (waking up at 5:30 AM probably didn't help,) but rallied with the help of a little medication. Nothing but smiles and giggles as they wheeled her away. This kid is incredible.

I'll keep you updated when I finally get to see her.

Oh, boy.

I'll let you guys figure out what this video is all about. I just know it's going to get crazy around here in mid-January...

Every kind of summer fun.

What's there to say? It's summer! Fill up the kiddie pool and play outside until you're covered in sweat, dirt and bug bites.

Father-daughter bonding.

That's right. Playing Mario Kart and blatantly ignoring the mess in the corner. Awesome.