Day three...I think.

Yeah, it's safe to say I've lost track of time and day at this point. Kate took Paige back to the condo last night for a night in an actual bed while I took the hospital chair/bed and watched Ratatouille on repeat with Emily. During the night, we had a parade of nurses come in and out to remove the epidural, catheter, draw blood, take vitals, etc. It does not make for restful sleep. Nevertheless, she's still in dreamland at 10 AM while I get some quiet time with the laptop.
Yesterday certainly had its ups and downs. We got her out of bed and in a wheelchair so we could wheel her down to the playroom. She was apprehensive at best, not wanting to move or get out of bed or stand or sit. There were tears and a lot of "I don't think I can!" Fortunately, she moved past it all rather quickly as she focused on her Disney princess figures, paint and a constant barrage of bubbles.
As day turned to night, she began to complain of pain and we could only guess her epidural had shifted/been pulled and therefore wasn't delivering that sweet, sweet medication that makes this part almost tolerable. It's next to impossible to gauge the pain levels of a three year old, especially this one. I've seen her take some really hard falls and get up laughing. I've also seen our bulldog brush up against her and she cried like he clamped down on her arm. Still, with the help of some movies and the now ever-present stream of bubbles, she kept it together long enough to eventually fall asleep.
It should be noted that while she was dealing with her painful episodes, Paige thought that would be a fine time to meltdown in an overtired fit. This room is about 10 x12 and on the third floor. Going out the window became a viable option after a while. Ah, but we live on to fight another day!
The physical therapist stopped by to drop off a walker. Apparently we're going to try and stand today. Should be...interesting.

Done for the night.

So, the e-mail/picture situation never sorted itself out and, frankly, I find myself channeling Lt. Col. Nathan Jessup when I say, "I don't give a damn what you think you are entitled to!" I'm kidding, of course. I love my readers. Both of you.
But the truth is, I'm sufficiently fried and I'm pretty sure Kate is getting beat up by both Emily and Paige right now while I sit in the coffee shop downstairs with the free wi-fi. So you'll pardon the tone and lack of originality.
What can I say? Emily Conquest Tredwell is a champ. Tougher than everyone you know. We finally got the band back together about 4:00 and, when we first saw her, she was talking away like she hadn't just been unconscious for several hours while stainless steel pins were drilled into her leg. She is now in her room, demanding gatorade, movies and giggling every time she presses the button for more pain meds.
Everyone's exhausted and certainly thankful to have cleared this hurdle. Unfortunately, this was the easy part. NOW we get to start four months of daily PT. And, yes, it will suck.
Keep those positive vibes coming. I'll keep you posted as best I can. And someday...pictures. Promise.

Go long!

I feel like I've been here before....
Yes, I know. "Tim, you WERE here before! Remember, last year when they took that screw out of Emily's hip? Or the year before when you were down for her Superhip? Oh! What about..." I got it. I GOT IT. Thank you. The point is, Emily is on the operating table right now, I haven't slept enough, the waiting room is crowded, I don't have a good intro and, if not for my headphones blocking out Al Roker's discussion about prom season, there might be an incident requiring police involvement. But other than that, I'm perfect!
Before we get into this, let's do a quick recap...
Remember that fundraiser Shoreline Crossfit put together for Emily? Well, big doesn't even begin to do it justice. It was MASSIVE. One of the most amazing and emotional days I've ever been a part of and that is not an overstatement. Daddy even competed against the big dogs and achieved his goal of not finishing last. Something tells me you won't see that on a Nike t-shirt anytime soon.
It wasn't long after we wrapped that event up that it was time to head south. Yesterday we spent a good portion of the day taking care of Emily's pre-op appointments. She had a brief moment of apprehension when they wanted to draw her blood (completely fair) but held it together like a champ. The promise of cotton candy AND a little time at the beach seemed to lighten the mood.
Then it was off to the waiting room to wait for a brief evaluation of her X-rays. My man Servando came in and gave us the rundown. The discrepancy is currently 10.5 cm and the goal for this lengthening will be six to eight cm. (Ok, can I have a moment here? I'll admit it. Last August when we found out her growth plates are still open, there was a small part of me that really thought this discrepancy wasn't going to get bigger. It was approximately eight cm, it had been approximately eight cm and now we're going to go for this first lengthening, knock out eight cm and be done with this whole damn thing. That is not the case, nor was it ever the case. But I made the mistake of allowing ignorance and optimism cloud my better judgement. The lesson as always, I'm an idiot.)
Anyway, the nuts and bolts of this process remain the same. Three to four days in the hospital as she recovers from the implantation of the fixator. PT to start almost immediately and will eventually move to three sessions per day. Pin turns four times a day (this is how the bone is lengthened.) Pin site cleanings once a day and 10 days before we can throw her in the ocean (salt water is good for the pin sites.)
And, as of this moment, she is on the operating table and Paley is working his magic. Candace, Paley's patient advocate, is coming out to give us updates and we're hearing things are going well.
I'd love to tell you which part of this is going to be unpleasant and which part won't be as bad, but if you're still reading you know that we've already established how smart I am. So I, uh, won't. Just know that every kid reacts differently to the lengthenings, the PT, the pin site cleanings...everything. It's a process. And we'll do the best we can.
Wi-fi is a bit spotty in here so none of the pictures I wanted to post are included. Hopefully, I'll be able to put up a separate post a little later chock full of big, bright, colorful pictures. In the meantime, check my facebook page if you want real-time updates. If I'm lucky, I'll be able to wrap this up later today.
Thanks to everyone for staying with us. We need all the help we can get.

I wasn't joking.

I'm sure some of you thought it was cute when I put up my last post about how much I like the people at Shoreline Crossfit for putting on this event for Emily. "Aw, that's nice. The people at his gym are looking out for his little girl. They probably feel bad for him. Skinny bastard can probably barely do a pushup!" (Editor's note: shut it.)

Then, thanks to the extraordinary talent of SCF member Chris Bruno, they put together this video to promote the event. Emily is on display in all of her flowery cuteness. I talk a lot but sound almost coherent (I'm serious...Bruno might be a genius.)

The video is all over facebook right now and the comments are piling up. Out of curiosity, I googled "shoreline crossfit emily tredwell" and what popped up amazed me. On the first page alone, four different Crossft affiliates had linked to the event (Elm City Crossfit, Crossfit Nor'Easter, Crossfit Strongtown and Crossfit Milford) as well as two different tumblers and a site dedicated specifically to Crossfit competitions.

Therein lies the difference. I'm not saying anything negative about your gym. I'm sure you have made friends there and the 20 minutes you spend on the elliptical followed by 100 crunches is just as good as any Crossfit wod (I'm kidding, of course...it's not even close.) The Crossfit community is unmatched. It's a great feeling when people you know and like are willing to help you in times of need. But I can't even begin to explain how it feels when people I've never even met are so willing to open their hearts to me and my family. Crossfit athletes sweat together, struggle together, fight together and, most importantly, never, ever, ever let each other down.

Thank you all for making a difference.

SCF for life.

I know I've mentioned my people over at Shoreline Crossfit a couple times in this space. If you haven't been paying attention or you've never heard of them, you better ask somebody! This is different than any gym, any fitness center, any health club...you name it, SCF is better. It's a community of people who push, prod, encourage and drag the very best out of you. I jumped on board two years ago when my basement workouts were teetering on non-existent and can't imagine how I ever got by at a YMCA. I honestly don't think I can say enough good things about this place.

Even Emily is a fan, although it's not hard to imagine why. She has tons of space to run, they have gymnastics rings to swing on and, frankly, there's nothing like a little foam-rolling after a hard day of being a three-and-a-half-year-old to work out the kinks. She frequently says to me, "Dad, we have to go to crossfit so I can get strong and climb trees!" Then she flexes and kind of growls and it's ridiculously awesome.

But then, they went and set this up. What can I say? People are just determined to make me remember that there is good out there...and, clearly, it seems to swirl around our little girl.

To everybody at SCF...I'll never be able to thank you enough. But, when Emily has two legs of equal length and is smashing WODS as a member of Crossfit Kids in a few years, that will be better than any thank-you note I could ever write.

I've got a couple minutes!

And another season goes in the books. The Daniel Hand Tigers took another step forward this year, going 14-9 and even hosting a couple post-season tournament games. Good times! While Ems will no doubt miss being able to show off for the girls, I think she's happy to have her daddy home more often. At least, until I make her eat all her dinner. Then, not so much.
While I'd like to still be alive in the playoffs, I'm happy to have a moment to breathe and enjoy all the March Madness with my girls. I do miss them during the winter.
But now we trade one adventure for another as we wrap up all the basketball-related responsibilites and prepare for Emily's first lengthening this May. It will be here before any of us know it. Guh.
So, until I'm struck with some Florida-induced anxiety (cue emotional breakdown in 3...2...1...) here are some pictures of cute kids and one tired, old man to tide you over.

Ems LOVED gymnastics. I don't think anyone has more fun than her.
Naps all around. Uh, she's breathing, right?

Emily loves Paige! Especially when she's not crying.

Baby Paige!

Go Stags!

A few months ago, I declared my undying support for Fairfield women's soccer. Well, I may have to expand that love to include every team at good ol' FU. This past Saturday, Team Tredwell was invited to the second annual Fairfield University Student Athlete Talent show, put on by the school's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (affectionately known as SAAC...yeah, I'm leaving that alone.) It appears the folks at Fairfield have a pretty good grasp on the fact that they're young, intelligent and talented and they want to use those gifts for the powers of good. So they put together some skits, charge a couple bucks and raise some money for a good cause....in this case, that cool kid, Emily Tredwell.

Before I go much further, I should ask...how many of you have gotten a standing ovation? Seriously...a room full of people standing and cheering for you? Ever make a big shot or give a good toast at a wedding or maybe just drop a plate while you were waiting tables? Well, Ems got her first on Saturday night. She's three and a half years old. To start the show, the emcee introduced her as "the real reason for all of us being here." As we walked out, the crowd you see in the top picture EXPLODED. Standing and cheering. Emily? All smiles. Waving. Like a pro. Like this happens all the time. Meanwhile, dad is trying to fight back tears and mom is holding a sleeping three-week old (yes, Paige slept through the whole evening...she needs to store her energy so she can stay awake crying all night. Good times.)

We took our seats and were treated to an evening of dance numbers, creative outfits and even a racy number from the men's soccer team. I won't go into details, but the soundtrack included Tom Jones' "You can leave your hat on." Uh-huh.

In the end, it must be said that the field hockey team's live action version of Super Mario Bros. was extraordinarily creative, but the men's cross country team took home first place with their Justin Bieber routine. HIGH comedy. And we can't talk about Fairfield Athletics without mentioning the women's soccer team who put Emily in an autographed t-shirt, brought her out on stage with them and even let her say hi into the microphone (cue hundreds of college kids saying, "Aaaawwwwww!") They tried to get her to join their dance routine, but a bout of shyness kicked in and she was quickly brought back to mom's waiting arms.

To everyone at Fairfield University...you continue to amaze and inspire. I don't know how much was raised and I'm not even sure I care. You've helped me to remember there is so much good out there, which is something I have been known to forget. My family and I will never be able to thank you enough.

Go Stags.

I told you 2012 would be big!

How do I even begin? It was a big weekend. Huge. I could tell you all about it, but why? Remember Cousin Sarah? She was there when Emily was born. She was there when Emily turned one. And she was there to help us welcome Paige Conquest Tredwell to the team Sunday afternoon. Baby Paige weighed in at 8 lbs 2 oz and just a shade under 22 inches. Oh, you don't feel like reading? Fine. She set it to music as well. Go ahead...watch it without tissues. I dare you.

If that was all that happened, that would be more than enough. But right before the weekend hit, our man Dr. Paley took his game to the next level. That won't help Ems this summer, but I'd wager heavy on the fact that her future in West Palm has taken a dramatic turn for the better.

Ordinarily, I'd use the rest of this space to fulfill my regular quota of fart jokes, but I've got a new baby to play with and you've got a handful of links to follow. Have fun. I know I will!

2012 is going to be big.

It's this time of year when I always think of my friend Joe Smyth and New Year's Day 1997. A number of us had gone to a friend's apartment at Marist College for all the end of year parties and had gotten after it pretty hard. The following morning/afternoon we watched the bowl games while re-hydrating and trying to piece together the events of the previous night. After some extended quiet time, Joe said to no one in particular, "Well...it's 1997...I was supposed to have my shit together by now."

Ahhh, how things change.

Granted, every January 1st, I have that same thought Joey had, but these days it's more about the comic relief. I'm a dad, a husband, a teacher and a coach. I have two dogs, a house in the suburbs and a rider mower. But despite my obvious standing as a pillar in the community (editor's note: HA!), it can be difficult figuring out how, in the blink of an eye, you went from being a 21-year old nursing a wicked hangover to an adult with real world responsibilities.

Nevertheless, spending my days wondering where time went seems somewhat counterproductive. We got things to do, man! My team is taking on the three-time defending state champs on Tuesday. Emily is scheduled for her first lengthening in mid-May but is slightly more concerned with changing the outfits on her many princess dolls right now. My bulldog Moose desperately wants me to play tug-of-war with the new rope Santa brought him. And, unless, Baby Paige busts out early, we'll be inducing Kate a week from today. And what am I doing? Posting on my blog for the first time in two months. Yep. Wasn't I just saying something about counterproductivity? Is that even a word? Shut up.

So...yeah. Camp Sweatpants is just a hub of activity right now. And while I had big plans for this post to be full of witty observations, heartwarming stories and other, general end-of-the-year wisdom, all the stuff going on around me makes me feel like this will quickly spiral into just a stream of curse words. Common decency suggests we can't have that.

But before we wind this down, there are a couple things worth mentioning. Emily's friend Mariel, who is just slightly ahead of us on a similar journey, is down in West Palm Beach right now. Her blog can be found here. Check it out for a taste of what's in our future.

Since this blog is mostly about Emily, we should probably mention that this kid is funny. She's legitimately developing a sense of comedic timing. She'll randomly come up to me and innocently whisper, "Daddy?" before getting a big grin and yelling "GET TO DA CHOPPAH!" It never, ever fails to make me giggle hysterically.

That's a brief glimpse into our little world. Just know that large-type events are afoot. I'll do my very best to keep you up to date with the birth of girl #2, preparations for Emily's first lengthening and all the other things that pop up along the way. In the meantime, have a safe and restful holiday and maybe think about getting your shit together.

Cold weather's coming!

It's 82 in West Palm Beach today. But this is Connecticut. And this kid is prepared.