A mystery story

[While looking for another drawing, I came across these, and found out that they were actually mystery stories Marian wrote a few weeks back. Luckily, she could still remember the dramatic plots, and read me the whole thing, as follows:]

(top left) Marian had solved another mystery. It was an airplane and a car.

(top right and right) Part one. Marian had solved a mystery. And i found a thing with buttons on it and an airplane that comed with it.

Good stuff.

My new teeth!

I like my new teeth. The doctors pull my old teeth out because they were loose [didn't want to get knocked about with the breathing tube during surgery. Marian has been wildly excited. They have been loose for forever, but, not eating much, they haven't quite come out]. The tooth fairy comed and gived me a note at the hospital. I got to take my teeth home for the tooth fairy tonight. Bye bye!

I used to have a port

Yesterday they took out my port. My port used to be over my heart. It was just under my skin. The doctors used it to get IVIG [intravenous immunoglobulin]. I'm glad to have it out.


[mom] Marian was a very sweet little patient, even though she had a bad trip (hallucinations :( ) with her premeds. The nurses let her choose one of the quilts a sweet group makes for children at the hospital. This is an exhausted Marian sleeping under it last night after we got back from Philadelphia. Besides removing her port-a-cath, she also got tubes in her ears and a full GI scope, combining as many procedures as we could under one anesthesia, as she is high risk because of her lung disease. Marian usually won't sleep with a blanket, so it was folded at the foot of her bed, but when I came upstairs to hook up her formula pump, she had tucked herself in. I have to share one more thing about Marian's surgery. She has been long anticipating the ear tubes, as the driving force for their placement was her developing deafness, rather than frequent ear infections. On the way home, I asked if she was hearing better, and this was her reply: "Yes. Usually when it's raining, it sounds like music, but now I hear the drops." She's such an artist at heart. We love our princess and are overwhelmed with gratitude that all went well yesterday. It's always so scary to turn your baby over...

I'm a doctor

When I grow up, I want to be a doctor because I like doctors and they're cool and I like them so much. And the doctors do blood tests with me a lot. They do blood tests on me. That's why I wanted to play doctor with my dad. I like playing with my dad. I love doctors so much because they help me and when I get a blood test my mom squeeze my hand or one of the helpers. The end. [mom note: Marian's technique at blood tests is excellent: she's found a "tourniquet" (a strap off of some old swim goggles) and ties that around her patient's arm before drawing blood, tapping around the inner arm for a good vein. She counts down to the "quick pinch", and holds a square of gauze on the site until bleeding stops. So gentle and kind. Looks right into your eyes...and look at that sterile technique! Even a mask!]

My picture I drew when I couldn't go to sleep

When I couldn't go to sleep, I knew I can't draw on the wall, but I drawed on this piece of paper that was already hanging on my wall [by her bed--Marian's sweet class sent her some drawings after she was out of school for several days this winter]. The picture is of dinosaurs, and each has a buddy: one has a star buddy, one has a baby buddy, and one has a heart buddy. I love it so much I couldn't believe it. It has four legs and two arms. All of them have hair and a bow. They have teeth and angry eyebrows! They're poky teeth.

I like my rock collection

I made this rock collection. I got my rocks at my old house and also at my new house. I find them on the road, and also at Pennsylvania. I made a rock collection because i like rocks and I think they're cool. That's why I made a rock collection. (note from mom: This is a completely independent effort. While I was busy packing for our Easter weekend trip, Marian found the rocks she'd collected in her coat pocket this year, gathered paper and pencil, made the numbered grid, and laid each out carefully. She's only missing 48, which is pretty good for a girl who cannot yet "read" numbers above 10--at least she understands the system!)

Felt duck

I sewed this duck over President's Day weekend when I went to visit my friends Emme and Will and Olivia. Emme made a dog. Audrey made a cat, and she will never finish it! I sewed the wings on. I sewed the body on. Mama stitched the eyes on, and I sewed on the beak.