Surgery Day

Right now Gavin is sleeping amidst tubes, wires and monitors, and he is minus one bronchopulmonary sequestration. Our little boy has been a trooper today. Everything went well; he is on the mend; and we should be home in a few days.

We started the day at 3:00 AM, wich was the last time that I could feed him. He went back to sleep; I did not. We had to be up at 4:30 to leave the house at 5:00, so I was just thinking too much to sleep. I wasn't anxious, just alert. We got to the hospital at 5:30 and got checked in ok. I was concerned that Gavin would be screaming by the time he went into surgery, since he hadn't eaten since 3:00, but he did really well--he only fussed once in a while. We met with a variety of nurses, anesthesiologists, and the surgeon. Gavin charmed them all. At 7:30, it was time to send him off to surgery. He did very well and so did we. We really felt comfortable and at peace with the whole process.

The nurse called us once from surgery to let us know everything was going well. Before we knew it, Dr. Saltzman showed up to let us know that the surgery was done and Gavin was in recovery. He brought us a picture of the artery that had been feeding the mass. He was impressed with the size of it: "Almost the size of the aorta," he said. The tissue that he removed was about walnut size. Gavin hardly lost any blood though the surgery. The scope worked well, except that one hole had to be wideded at the end of the surgery to remove the mass.

Gavin had apparently been very "uncomfortable" (hospital-speak for in pain) when he got to recovery, but the nurses had given him morphine and had it under control by the time they brought us in. He's been getting regular doses of morphine since then. We can tell that he is in pain when each dose starts to wear off, so we'll keep that up a little longer, but by tonight, we might try something not quite as strong. The biggest discomfort, and the thing that will determine the lenghth of our hospital stay, is a tube draining fluid from his chest. When the fluid buildup slows down and the tube can be removed, Gavin should be able to go home. The doctors expect that to be in 2-3 days.

Thank you for your prayers, everyone. We are blessed by you all. Please continue to pray for a speedy recovery!

Surgery Date Confirmed

We met with Gavin's surgeon, Dr. Staltzman, again today and were very pleased with the results of our meeting. Now that Gavin's CT scan has been read and we are all on the same page (had a little bit of trouble with that the day of the scan), we were able to talk specifics about the surgery. We had already talked to the scheduler and gotten November 2 reserved for surgery, but we weren't sure we'd get to keep that date. It turns out, though, that we can! We are so relieved to have an end in sight and we can stop wondering how long this will be hanging over our heads. Not only that, but it is much better for us, financially, to have this done before the end of the year.

Dr. Saltzman was pleased to see how big and healthy Gavin is. He is going to try to do the surgery with a scope, but warned us that the instruments are not made for infants and there is about a 50/50 chance that the scope won't work and he'll have to go in through a larger incision in Gavin's side. While they don't see babies with bronchopulmonary sequestrations every day, they do frequently open up babies' chests to remove things that shouldn't be there. (All kind of jokes come to mind, but I'll refrain.) So in other words, Dr. Saltzman does this type of operation frequently and Gavin is in good hands.

We have been told to expect 2-4 days in the hospital and Jeff and I can stay with him the whole time. Since the Amplatz Children's Hospital is brand new, it sounds like the accommodations are pretty nice. I was surprised to learn that Gavin should be able to nurse as soon as he wants to after coming out of surgery, so I will be able to hold him at least for that. There will be tubes and such to work around, but we've done that before.

Long term, we expect Gavin to make a full recovery. The surgery will remove much of his lower left lobe, but there will still be part of the lobe left, which will grow and fill in the void. He will function as a completely normal little boy.

Please continue to pray for us and our wonderful little boy. Pray that we would continue to be at peace with this and trust God and Dr. Saltzman to take care of Gavin. Pray that Gavin stays healthy prior to surgery. And pray that God works in us and though us during this time.

Bifidous Regularis

Last Wednesday night, the boys and I were headed out the door to go to church when my nose detected that Logan needed a diaper change. I hauled him upstairs, trying to go fast so that we wouldn't be late. As I instructed him to lay down on his bedroom floor and got out a new diaper, I realized that we weren't just dealing with a dirty diaper, we were dealing with a diaper explosion. I'll spare you the details and just give you a list of the things we cleaned that night instead of going to church: Logan (twice), the bedroom floor, the bathroom floor, the tub, Logan's clothes, and my socks.

On Friday, there was another incident. Not nearly as bad, but it got me wondering what was up. Logan seemed perfectly healthy except for his powerful poop. Jeff and I were both at a loss as to what would be causing these incidents.

Then today at lunch, Jeff looked at Logan eating his yogurt and asked, "Has Logan been eating a lot of Activia lately?"

Oh.

You see, last time I went to the grocery store, we needed yogurt, and me, being the bargain hunter that I am, found some coupons for Activia and bought some. I know full well what they advertise. In fact, my Dad and I have laughed over their secret ingredient "bifidous regularis." What kind of genius came up with that name? If you've never thought about it before, take a minute. You'll get it.

I wrote it all off as a bunch of hot air. Most products don't do what the marketing team claims and I was sure that this was no exception. It's just yogurt. So I didn't think twice about giving it to Logan. And he liked it. He really liked it. And ate it every day.

Even after two diaper incidents, I didn't put two and two together until Jeff asked me how much Logan had consumed. Poor Logan. I think I'll head to the grocery store now to buy some bananas. Hopefully that will counteract the "bifidous regularis." I guess sometimes you can believe what you hear on TV.

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Life is a series of changes, but for our family, last couple weeks have seen quite a few more changes than usual. Some are little and some are big, but regardless, this adds up to great fun for me. I actually welcome--and tend to thrive on--change. I love change in our routine and change in my environment. So here are some of the changes that are energizing me lately.

- Getting into the school routine.
I was concerned about the early mornings, but it's actually been quite good for us to get up, get going, and be ready for the day. It's also nice to have Jeff's help in getting out the door--something we wouldn't have if we had to leave for school later. I will certainly change my tune when the weather is 20 below, but for now, I'm really enjoying it.

- Wednesday night activities have started at church.
Jeff is still helping with the Jr High; Carter is now old enough to have a class; and I am helping with nursery some weeks and attending a parent class when I can.

- Swimming lessons.
Swimming lessons are on Tuesday and Thursday, so having to be done with dinner and out of the house by 6:15 three evenings in a row (with church night sandwiched in between swimming lesson nights) is going to be difficult. Fortunately, swimming lessons only last a month.

- Bunk beds!
Last Friday night, we moved Logan's crib into Gavin's room and assembled bunk beds in Carter and Logan's room. We inherited the bunk beds that Jeff's dad made for him when he was a kid and our boys are so excited to have them. So on Friday night all the boys, even Gavin, slept in new beds and it went really well. Nap times started out rough (It took Logan two hours to fall asleep the first day.) but are going much better now.

- Rice cereal
Gavin is now eating rice cereal and loving it! I wasn't excited about starting him on solids before six months, but we are doing it in an effort to beef him up before surgery and hopefully help him sleep a little better at night.

- Jeff did away with his goatee.
Random thing to include on the list, but my husband looks different. I notice.

-It's time to get out the warm/bigger clothes.
Last week I dug through the huge pile of diaper boxes that comprise my clothing organizational system and pulled out seasonally-appropriate, size-appropriate clothes for everyone. It's fun to get out the warm, snugly clothes and I'm getting excited about fall cooking, too.

- We painted the trim in our kitchen. One step closer to done.

- We've gotten serious about buying a minivan.
By this time next week, chances are I will be a minivan-driving mom. We've been thinking about this change since we found out that Gavin was on the way, but have managed with our mid-size SUV until now. Getting Carter to and from school has finally pushed us over the edge. I'm not enjoying the backup that happens behind me in the drop-off lane when I have to help Carter unbuckle (because his buckle is underneath Gavin's car seat and it takes some tricky maneuvering to get to it) and open the door for him while he crawls under his brother's legs to get out.

I have actually rationalized my way to thinking that minivans are cool now. Just in time. ;) No offense to those of you who drive one; remember, I am joining you.

So, anyone in the market for a 2000 Nissan Altima?

Gavin's 4 Month Check-up

Stats:
12 lb 15 oz
25 1/2 inches long

Gavin is slowing down his growing a bit, but that is on par for my kids at four months. Since he is waking more to eat at night and we want to bulk him up for surgery, we'll be starting solids soon. I can't believe it's already time for that.

We looked at the report from Gavin's CT scan and learned that the BPS is contained in his lower lobe, so we know that both lobes of that lung are there. Unfortunately, that's all the additional information we got from the report.  I talked with the doctor about our upcoming meeting with the surgeon and got some ideas on what kinds of questions we could ask, so I'm starting our list for that meeting.

The shots went well, and he didn't spit up all over the nurse when she gave him his rotovirus vaccine like last time...so it was a good visit. :)

Kindergarten

Carter had officially started Kindergarten!

Last Tuesday, we attended an open house to meet his teacher and look around his classroom. We also had a short conference with his teacher on Friday to talk about Carter's strengths, challenges, and what she could do to help him succeed. While we were waiting for our turn (a wait that turned out to be rather lengthy), Carter struck up a conversation with an aid who was working nearby. It so happened that she was to help out in his classroom a few days a week. I think she was amused by him. Leave it to Carter: he's already making an impression on the staff. :)

Carter was excited for Monday morning to come. We got him dressed up in his uniform, took lots of pictures, left the other two boys with Grandma and Grandpa (who were staying a couple extra days after dedication weekend) and he and I were on our way. He led the way to his classroom and, after helping to unload his backpack and get him settled, I left him all alone in the great big world of Elementary School. It didn't phase him one bit. He was more than happy to see me leave and get his Kindergarten career started.

I, on the other hand, got choked up on the drive home. I spent the morning thinking about what he was doing and whether or not he ever paused in his chattering long enough for the teacher to get a word in edgewise.

When I went to pick him up, there he was, holding the hand of the aid he had befriended last week, excited as all get out about Kindergarten.

On day two, Carter learned that the all-day Kindergarten kids get to have lunch and school and do gym class. We had tears. Why, oh why, he wanted to know, did he have to be in half-day Kindergarten? Couldn't we change it? Please?? With day three under our belts, the love affair with Kindergarten continues, and we are still getting requests to change him to full-day. Fortunately without tears now, though.

Today on the way home, he informed me how to say "good-bye" in Latin. Don't ask me to repeat it, I can't. But I thought, it has begun: my child knows something that I don't know. Something Jeff or I didn't teach him and couldn't teach him. This is the tip of the iceberg. An iceberg that apparently begins with "good-by" in Latin.

Dedication Day

Last Sunday, September 11, we dedicated Gavin. It seemed a little strange to be dedicating a child on 9/11, but also very appropriate. What better way to declare that we have hope and a future, that we are not afraid, that we trust God. We are reminded that God holds Gavin's future and he couldn't be in better hands. While I would like to be the ultimate authority in Gavin's life, I don't understand as well as God does what is best for Gavin and how to take care of him. Jeff and I cannot be with him always; we cannot guide the surgeon's hands; we cannot protect him from Satan's schemes. But God can do all that an more, so we dedicate him to God's care. We also dedicate ourselves to bringing him up to know Jesus and to love him. That is an awesome task in our world, but with the help of God, our church, our family, and our friends, we will do everything we can to achieve that end.

We were also privileged to have three other families at our church dedicate their babies on the same day. Three families that are near and dear to us. Families that support us, love us, play with us, and advise us. We are reminded once again, that we are blessed with a wonderful church family.

On a more humorous note, we only had two hiccups in the process. It's quite a task to try to get a four-month-old to not be hungry (but not fed too recently; spit-up is still a major issue) or tired at a specific time of day. He cooperated nicely though, and we managed it. He did, however, spit up a flood on to my skirt when I fed him just before the service. So as we sang worship songs, I swished my skirt like a four-year-old in an attempt to dry it out before going onto the stage.

Also, I was concerned about Logan behaving himself. I wasn't too excited about bringing an energetic two-year-old in front of the congregation surrounded by a stage full of tempting toys like drums and guitars. I picked the wrong child to worry about. Carter didn't try to play with the instruments, but he was very bored in the two minutes that we were up there, and Jeff had his hands full trying keep him from laying down on the stage and rolling around.

And last but not least, one of the most adorable moments of the day was watching Logan during the worship songs. He's quite the little copycat, so as we sang "I'll stand with arms high and heart abandoned..." he looked around at many people with their hands raised and raised his little hands, too. I wish I'd gotten a picture, but instead, I just teared up and enjoyed the moment. I hope before long he's raising his hands with full knowledge that he is lifting his hands to the Lord.

What a good day.