An update- finally!

Whew!  We got in late Tuesday night after Drew's operation and the past couple of days have been busy with Dean home.  His last day at his old job was Tuesday, and he starts his new job on Monday.  So we're spending these few days trying to squeeze in dentist appointments, car repairs and house projects that we don't normally do on days that he's working.  Yesterday was spent almost entirely trying to figure out how to refinance our house.  What a mess!  It's crazy trying to make sense of these statements you get from mortgage companies.  You want to make the right decision and get the best deal, but trying to understand those forms is like trying to teach yourself Latin in one afternoon.  And you want to make a decision fast, knowing that rates change from day to day, which puts you under even more pressure.

Anyway, Drew's surgery on Tuesday went just fine.  We got to the hospital at 11am and Drew and I were going back to the holding room by 12:30.  This was the only time I cried, when they took us back and gave me these tiny little hospital pajamas to put on Drew.  We waited there for 45 minutes until we met with anyone.....but they had lots of toys, and Drew insisted on riding one of the cozy coupe cars around the room over and over again.  He stowed Brownie (his blanky) and Kitty in the back and had a blast while I wheeled him around probably a dozen times.

By the time we met with our anesthesiologist (Dr. Power) and surgeon (Dr. Brandt), I felt a lot more reassured.  They gave Drew some versed (sp?) to make him loopy, so he wouldn't care so much when they took him out of my arms.  And it worked within just a couple of minutes.  He was so funny, just staring into space and nodding his little head no matter what question someone asked him.  When they took him from me and went back into surgery (at 1:45), he had no clue what was going on!

At around 3pm, Dr. Brandt came out and told us that everything went well...it was a very standard hernia repair.  I went back and saw him right away, just as he was waking up (siblings weren't allowed in the holding room or the recovery room, so Dean and Grant stayed in the waiting area both of these times).  He wasn't in the best mood at first, and tried relentlessly to tear his IV out of his hand.  But I got him to go back to sleep in my arms, and he woke up in a much better mood.  He ate a popsicle with gusto (even though he was still half asleep!), and immediately asked for more afterward.  We were about to leave for the car at 5pm when Drew started coughing (he had a really croupy cough from the breathing tube), then threw up his entire popsicle.  Poor little guy....

We went to Star Pizza up in town for dinner (we didn't want to fight rush hour traffic heading home), and Drew was groggy/sleepy through most of it.  But he did eat some goldfish towards the end.  He slept in bed with me that night, and by Wednesday was almost back to normal.  He was maybe a little more fussy/whiny than usual, but for the most part he was playing as if his surgery had never happened.

And Grant did very well at the hospital too....he ate an entire 8-pack of chicken nuggets in the food court with Dean, and he had fun running around in the hallways.  While Drew was in surgery, the three of us went to see the amazing miniature train exhibit.....it is definitely worth a visit to Texas Children's even if you don't have a medical reason to be there!

Thanks to all of you who commented or emailed to ask about him.  I'm glad it's over, but it wasn't a bad experience at all (thankfully it was just a simple hernia repair and nothing like what some of those patients are going through).  I think it's hard to leave a place like Texas Children's (or any hospital that's just taken very good care of your child!) without being overwhelmed by the skill of the doctors and staff there.  I hope we never have to go again, but I'm very thankful that we have access to such excellent care basically in our backyard!

Drew- hernia update

We saw a pediatric surgeon last Friday at Texas Children's about Drew's hernia.  Dean was working, so my parents met us there at the hospital to help out with Grant.  My dad ended up coming into the appointment with Drew and me, and Drew's hernia wasn't apparent at first.  The doctor tried tickling him to get it to "pop" out, but it didn't work.  He just stood there with a straight face!  So she told me to leave the room, hoping he'd cry.  Of course normally he freaks out when he thinks I might leave him, but nope!  Not this time.  So she had my dad leave the room.  After about 30 seconds he did start to get a little worried.  Then the doctor sent out the resident and med student who were in the room....and he immediately started crying!  I got a kick out of that.

Anyway, the crying did cause the hernia to pop out.  So she recommended surgery, as I expected.  She happened to have an opening for tomorrow, so that's what we're doing.  Unfortunately, it's scheduled for 1pm, instead of early AM like I was hoping.  He can't have any food tomorrow, and no clear liquids after 9am.  We have to be at the hospital at 11am.  As a mom, of course I'm worried, even though I know it's a very common and routine surgery (the doctor told us that 1 in 40 boys is born with an inguinal hernia).  And it's just an outpatient surgery, so we should be leaving by 3:30 or 4pm.  But neither of my babies have ever had surgery (except for circumcision!), so I'm just a little nervous about it.  And I'm wondering how in the world Drew is going to handle not having any food in the morning!  Hopefully we can just skip breakfast altogether and neither of the boys will notice....

I'll write tomorrow night with an update..... 

His best friend

- Today the boys were playing loudly upstairs today while my parents were here visiting.  We walked to the bottom of the stairs and called to Grant, asking whether he's being nice to Drew.  He said, "yeah, I am.  Cause Drew's my best friend."

- Tonight we had been sitting down at dinner for just a few minutes when Grant got up from his seat, saying that he was full (he's been trying to do this a lot lately).  We told him he needed to come sit while we finished eating, even though he wasn't hungry anymore.  Trying to sound more upset than he actually was, he said, "I shouldn't have to put up with this.  This is ridiculous."  (I have no idea who he learned this from.  Surely not me....)  Dean told him, "even though it might be a little funny, you are not allowed to talk to me like that."   Again with a straight face he answered, "well, this is ridiculous.  And it's funny."  

Ultrasound, take 2

I went for my follow-up ultrasound yesterday morning.  Apparently what they were missing from my first ultrasound were clear pictures of the heart, and Susie was able to get those just fine this time.  I also wanted to be reassured that she was absolutely certain of the sex....I told her that one of the pictures has caused me to have some doubt for the past month!  So after she got the measurements she needed, she tried to prove it to me, even though she said she knows it's a girl.  The baby would not open her legs well enough to see, but Susie said she was getting glimpses and she has no doubt in her mind.  So I guess now I believe it completely!

Nana and Papa are here for a long weekend, so the boys are having fun being entertained (and being entertainers themselves!).  Just don't ask me about our restaurant experiences; we've been to two in the past three days, and I told Dean that I am not stepping foot in another restaurant for at least a few months.  They are so horribly behaved inside of a restaurant, it's ridiculous.  And especially frustrating when you see other kids (same ages as ours) who can sit still for 30 minutes and quietly eat their meals (allowing their parents to enjoy themselves too).  Aaah!   

A funny bumper sticker....

We noticed this while driving up in Houston about a week ago.  I couldn't agree more!

Yes, I do miss George Bush.  Heck, I even miss Clinton at this point.