Surgery Day

Lucas looks so tiny curled up in this hospital bed. Yesterday was a rough day for him. We learned weeks ago that he was going to have to have his tonsils and adenoids removed...it all began when we noticed how LOUD he was snoring, combined with some late night breathing that was freaking Josh and I out. His pediatrician was consulted and she sent us to the ENT, who was thankfully a friend and co-worker of Josh's. But the verdict was the same; they had to come out. I was hoping we could put the surgery off for a while, but the doctor seemed to think we needed to do it soon--and before school started in the fall was the best option. We got a weeks notice that a spot opened up and we debated telling Lucas. We finally decided to tell him two days before the surgery. Josh had already brought home lots of anesthesia masks and bags and showed Lucas what the doctors would do...which was good. Lucas had a lot of fun playing with all these "toys" before the surgery. But nothing can prepare you for the ACTUAL day. I made sure we had a total FUN day on Monday--Lucas and I went to the water park, had a play date with a friend, and dinner at his favorite restaurant--The Purple Cow. As a result, I think he was pretty tired and happy the night before the operation.
The morning of the surgery, he did pretty good. He was not allowed anything to eat and only 8 oz of juice before we left for the hospital, and he didn't complain (much!) But our procedure ended up being pushed back a couple hours and towards the end he was starting to whine his tummy was "rumbly" (thanks Tigger!) He played, read books, and acted cool as ice...until we got into our own room and it was time to change into his gown. Then he broke down and cried a little and said "I want to come back tomorrow to have these tonsils out!" Broke my heart. But he quickly rallied and got into his "jammies" and by the time the child life specialist showed up with a book of pictures of the operating room, he was more his usual self.

He did wonderfully while they came in to take his vitals and get paperwork filled out, and then he was offered a movie to watch while we waited, so "Aladdin" took his attention. But I noticed he was sucking his finger a lot and clutching his "yellow mat" (his second favorite blanket...we thought it was best not to take his absolute favorite) which are his "comfort" moves.

Looking a little more concerned...

Just before the procedure finally got underway the nurses gave him some "goofy juice" (Versed) to make him woozy...and that it did. He got much quieter, grinned a lot, and eventually his eyes got very droopy. I expected him to say some crazy stuff, but instead he gave us funny looks and his speech became VERY precise....like he was thinking about each word before he spoke it. Here he is making a goofy face (his eyes look pretty glassy from the drug!)

Now came the really hard part...for me, anyway. They took him away. The surgery was only supposed to last about ten minutes--and it was swift. Josh and I darted down to grab a snack and by the time we came back up, they were done. We were able to go back to talk with the doctor within minutes, and the anesthesiologist came out to take us to recovery about five minutes after that. He warned us that Lucas did beautifully during the surgery...but coming out of anesthesia was rough. I knew this because Josh had warned me, and I saw Lucas sick and crying after he got tubes in his ears. Sadly, I don't think either of us expected the full-on EXORCIST Lucas that we encountered. He was coughing, gagging, and screaming to "GET DOWN!" out of the hospital bed. He was also very violent--punching and kicking anything within reach. It was awful to witness. I couldn't even get near him for fear he would hurt the baby. The nurses assured me he would not remember any of this and it was all perfectly normal; but I was really scared. Josh held him (and battled him!) for about ten or fifteen minutes, while the nurses continued to give him morphine to calm him and ease his pain. FINALLY, he wore himself out and the drugs kicked in. Here he was exhausted on daddy's lap:

After all of this, the decision was made to keep him in the hospital overnight. Part of this was due to all the drugs he got and wanting to monitor him more closely, and part was because the ENT said his tonsils and adenoids were so huge that he probably had sleep apnea and they always keep those patients longer for observation. Whatever the reason, I felt better knowing he was getting more intense care than we could provide at home. We had not prepared to stay--it was supposed to be outpatient, but I am really glad we did. We were moved to a nice private room, and Lucas slept most of the afternoon. When he did wake up, he was not very interested in eating much and he was very demanding! Sadly, he wanted to watch a movie...anything but "Aladdin". I fear he may never want to watch it again! We had a couple rounds of him attempting to eat, then being sick, and a rough night where he didn't sleep very well, but by morning on day two, he was able to keep down enough fluids to go home. Here he is in his hospital bed, all hooked up to machines. Notice the uneaten popsicle in a cup on the table. He tried...just couldn't do it!

Today (Day 2) has been a bit of a roller coaster. I felt like I was living with a teenager this morning--he was pretty moody and uncooperative, but I saw a huge improvement by evening. He really has not complained of too much pain...of course, on the advice of multiple friends, we have kept the pain meds flowing like clockwork. He isn't eating a ton, but did manage to consume his fair share of ice cream and pudding. And he ate a little chicken at dinner, so I feel a little better about his diet! He has smiled and laughed a couple times, so I know my Lucas is in there somewhere...I just worry he is going to be grouchy forever. I even bought him a "Superman" goody bag with toys just because he did so super during the surgery, but he wasn't too interested in it yet. But I know each day he will feel a little better and gradually we will see the old him return. Not an experience I recommend, but I feel blessed that it all went as smoothly as it did. And once again, I cannot say enough about how wonderful the employees at Children's Hospital are--truly--they amaze me.

The oil

Our trip was beautiful and relaxing...but marred towards the end of the week by the arrival of the oil on our pretty white beaches. It began as small balls dotted along the waters edge...some people didn't even seem to realize these were the tarballs. Josh had to let one family know there children were THROWING and PLAYING with balls of goo. Lucas was cute and thought we kept saying "turd balls", so that is what he called them, and not too far off the mark. They were fairly easy to avoid as you walked the shoreline, although of everyone in our group, Josh managed to somehow step on two balls. They were gross, gooey, and hard to get off your foot. Here is a bigger one that washed up at the end of the week:
Smaller balls in the beginning:
And by the end of our stay, this was what the shoreline looked like...that ribbon of brown is the oil.
It was devastating to watch this occur...we were on the beach getting family photos and we literally saw these giant clumps start to roll in with the tide. I do not see how this region will survive this mess...there were TONS of workers in Gulf Shores with hazmat suits working around the clock to clean up everything, but this was just the first days of the arrival of the oil...which started flowing two months prior to its arrival on our beach. Our family has been going to that region for vacations since 1996. We have made so many memories on these vacations, and we hope to make many more. Please God, let them find a solution to this horrible environmental tragedy.

Family photo shoot

Lucas has become such a camera hog...there was a time when he did NOT want his picture taken, but that time has passed. Now he begs to have his photo taken...at all times (he knows there is a camera in my phone, so I can't even use the "no camera" excuse.) He also likes to pose...maybe getting ideas from episodes of Top Model he watched with me? The above pose was actually pretty sweet. But with each click of the shutter, he struck a different look, which was too funny. Below was a bit of an unorthodox family photo...Josh's suggestion, but it turned out pretty cool.
The cousins (minus Alex who lost all sense of cooperation after about two seconds).
My kiddos:

More cuz shots:
Lucas looking adorable and mischievous all at the same time...
Family photo (minus the photographer...) couldn't get a decent shot of everyone looking. Thankfully this was just for fun.
Beach week photos almost over...I promise! Got two more posts and I'm done. Can you tell it was a fun filled trip?

Got Crabs?

I absolutely ADORE this shot above...I know, Lucas is out of focus, but the standoff between him and this sand crap was just too funny. This is the first time we've gone to the beach and seen SOOO many sand crabs; they were everywhere on the beach and all under our house. Specifically at night, they were easy to spot. During our family photo shoot on the beach, Aunt Tara and Lucas had fun digging up this big crab...who was not so happy to be disturbed during the day. He was extremely fiesty!

In the end Tara let him go back to his hole in the ground home--after a cute photo op. Everyone enjoyed crabbing late at night, too. We let Lucas stay up really late one evening and go down to the waterfront with his flashlight to dig up a whole bucket of crabs. (Don't worry--no crabs were physically harmed for this event--we only kept them overnight then allowed them to run free again after their evening of bucket torture).

Pool time!!

I love going to the beach...the weather is just nicer (the heat is more bearable when you have a gulf coast breeze to tone it down!), the food seems better, and you have nothing to do but RELAX. A big part of our trips to the coast are always about hanging in the pool. Lucas is a little fish--and with his life vest on we did not even have to worry about him--he would run and jump into the pool for hours. His poor toes got all bloody from scraping the bottom of the pool (in my defense--I bought him swim shoes; he just refused to keep them on). This year he decided to wear "gargulls" as he called them (goggles). Alex is not quite the swimmer yet. He enjoys splashing in the water, but you have to hold him constantly and he would cutely beg for "up and down" as featured above or "round and round" where you spin him silly. Josh ended up swimming with Alex most of the time as it wore me out and Alex kept trying to kick me in the belly. So here Josh is below during an Alex-free moment stirring up his crown and coke.
More pool pics...

Sand and sun!

Lucas had been to the beach before, so he had an idea of what to expect. He immediately took to the ocean--romping in the surf, digging for crabs and shells (more on THAT fun later!), and building sand castles. Alex was more hesitant...after all, it was the first time he had seen any of this and he is a bit of a shy guy at times. I don't think he ever really loved the surf, although we sat in it and let it roll around us multiple times. He did enjoy EATING the sand (first taste below...he wasn't impressed, yet he kept trying to eat it!)
Lucas liked to "ride" the waves in. Maybe next time we go he will be old enough to try a surf board. Not that mommy's heart could stand the anxiety that thought invokes!
He wrote his own name in the sand here...

We spent several mornings on the beach before the sun forced us inside or to the cooler pool. Thankfully the house we rented had its own pool, so we could be more comfortable and kick back with our drinks (not me, of course) and magazines and let the kiddos go wild in a restrained area (one with the added bonus of NOT having oil, undertow, and potential sea creatures who might sting or eat my children...can you tell I'm a worry-wart?) Pool shots tomorrow!

Beach Week!!

I have FINALLY finished downloading and processing all our beach trip pics. As per usual, I took waaaay too many shots, so I will be making an album of the whole trip. To blog about it, I have decided to dub this “beach week” and post a little about our fabulous trip each day.

This was a unique trip because we got to spend it with Josh’s family, who we rarely vacation with. Lucas was really pumped about getting to hang out with his cousins, Laney and Paige. We also rented a house in a slightly different location this year; in the past, we have always stayed in Orange Beach or Gulf Shores, but this year we actually stayed on the far end in Fort Morgan (technically still a part of Gulf Shores, but a little bit further out from the main strip). I REALLY enjoyed our location—yes, the drive took a bit longer, but it was so incredibly peaceful and quiet, and we had four days of pretty white beaches before the oil rolled in (Orange Beach and Gulf shores were not so lucky…they had oil the day we arrived).

We didn’t try to tackle the eight hour drive in one day this year; instead we hit Jackson halfway and then got up the next morning and went to the Hattisburg zoo. It is a nice little zoo, but the hundred degree weather plus me being seven and a half months pregnant just wasn’t a pretty combo. I enjoyed it much less than our last visit and was pleased to get back into the car and turn the air on full blast.

Everyone was excited when we finally got to our house. As soon as we emptied the cars we headed to our beach to check it out. Lucas refused to take off his Batman mask, so here is the superhero chilling in the surf.

No one wanted to cook for the first night, so we hit my absolute favorite restaurant in Gulf Shores; The Original Oyster House. For the first time in years, we did not have to wait more than fifteen minutes to be seated (this is the sad state the tourism is facing in the Gulf….so many families are vacationing elsewhere.) The food was still fabulous—I had shrimp and grits and a piece of peanut butter pie and was so full I could barely move. Our view of the bay as the sun set was wonderful as well. One thing I really noticed this trip was that everywhere you went, the wait staff or management was REALLY nice. We had excellent service throughout our trip, which was a nice treat since lately it seems like people no longer care about customer service.

The following morning, Alex woke up as the sun rose, so I took him out on the beach in his diaper and let him explore. This was my favorite shot of him romping in the sand, being a TRUE beach baby. (Normally I am not big on diaper shots, but this was too cute to pass up!)

More beach fun tomorrow!

Fourth Fun

This year was a wonderful fourth of July; the weather was perfect and we had so much great company and food! We started the day at the lake with Scott, Jenn, and Sharon. It was slightly overcast most of the morning so it was pleasant on the lake--and Lucas dove right into the water--all fears gone. We had a picnic lunch on the boat and played some more after eating (by now the sun was out full force). By early afternoon we were all pleasantly relaxed and ready for naps! Later that evening we headed to our friends annual family fourth gathering. Lucas and Steele had a BLAST. I love going out to this event--there is plenty of land for the kiddos to just run wild and play, the food is always wonderful (this year homemade veggies, BBQ beans to die for, and lots of wonderful desserts!), and the breeze was so pleasant--it was the PERFECT weather for an outdoor event. Lucas and I had made star shaped cookies on a stick for all of the kids and they had fun eating them (when they weren't falling off the sticks on the ground!)
My pictures are less than fabulous...I wasn't in the mood to twiddle with my camera and was having too much fun relaxing and watching the kids run wild (read between the lines--I was exhausted from a day in the sun and was being really lazy!) I do like this shot of Lucas pouting with Steele. They did not want to pose for pictures--they were too busy chasing parachute firecrackers, running through the colored smoke, waving flags, and in general living it up.

Alex had fun, too, although he was pretty beat from a day in the sun and we had to leave before the official fireworks began. Lucas cried half the way home--he REALLY wanted to see the show! Next year we will have to take a separate car. Daddy made it a little better, though by taking him outside in our neighborhood once we got home and letting him watch some of the local fireworks.
Notice how LIGHT Luc's hair has gotten...all this sun exposure is going to turn him into a sandy blond by the end of the summer.

Good Job Jar

I think I totally ripped this idea off from my friend Leigh; she has a great website dedicated to kid and budget friendly crafts—visit it here: http://crafty.littlerockmamas.com/

A while back she did a jar full of summer fun on her website. Lucas could probably come up with a cool jar for this, too, but I was thinking that based on his recent run of not so nice behavior it might behoove us to have a “good job jar” with the premise here being that he earned money or tokens based on his good behavior during the day.

We began the craft by using a plain old pickle jar I saved. Lucas painted it a variety of green colors (my choice since I had matching scraps of paper and ribbon) and then we added the ribbon and “good job” label (cut out on my Cricut—LOVE that tool. Have used it SOOOOO much!)

Next we had a discussion of money. This conversation cracked me up—mainly because when I began explaining how much each piece was worth he said for me to wait, ran to his room, and returned with a fistful of money he had been hoarding. This was not money from his piggy bank; oh no, this was a SEPARATE stash that he had been hiding from us. I have no idea where he got it (although I suspect that pawpaw Remedes might have given him some of it), or where exactly he had it stowed, but all total the child had THIRTEEN dollars hidden in his room. Sneaky child. We knew he was a hoarder when we discovered secret troves of Halloween candy hidden in his room after that holiday, but I had no idea he was stockpiling money.

Anyway—once I was sure we had unearthed ALL of the pirate booty, we finished our lesson on coin values and he was allowed to count out all his money and add it to his jar for a “foundation.” Then we decided on chores he would perform daily. For each chore, he could earn a quarter. In addition, anytime mommy or daddy deemed his behavior above and beyond, he could earn extra quarters. Lucas promptly announced his goal was to earn enough quarters for a new Transformer. (He picked one out at Wal-Mart that ran about 20 bucks….thanks to his secret stash of gold he was already well on his way to a new toy!)

And so far, the jar has been great. Each night before bed we award him his coins. He loves it! In the beginning we debated threatening to take away coins for bad behavior, but I decided that wasn’t fair—a good job earned should not be revoked. This was all about POSITIVE reinforcement. I do feel as though he has been a better listener and more polite this past week. Maybe the jar is helping him see that being good pays!

The Naptime Nazi

It seems inconceivable, but I think I might have one of the few two year olds alive who actually PUTS himself down for a nap. It’s been funny witnessing this over the past few weeks—on our recent vacation we began to notice that he would be up in the morning for several hours and then suddenly decide it was time to take a nap. He would begin by just casually saying “nap?” and if you ignored him, he progressed to chants of “nap NAP!” Once I actually took him in for a nap and set him down to change his diaper and he jumped up and ran and tried to climb into his crib—screaming “NAP” at top volume.

I thought maybe it was just a vacation thing—too much beach, sun, and fun was exhausting him. But it has continued since we returned home. For nap time and for bed time, he is very vocal about being ready to get some rest. Today he sweetly looked at me after quietly asking for a nap several times and said “I said NAP NAP!” Then he went and crawled in Lucas’ bed and proceeded to have a few minutes of quiet time…sadly it was not nap time and we had to get out and run some errands, so he was destined to not get the sleep he wanted at that moment.

I have no idea how long this will last—I guess I should embrace it while it does. It’s rare that you find a parent complaining “my child wants to nap. He loves his naps.” So I won’t complain—instead I will just find it amusing and hope that Alex stays as sweet and vocal about his wants forever.

Boys of summer

Above was the first foray into Popsicles this summer....thankfully we did it in the yard so the purple didn't stain everything the boys touched. Needless to say, they love any kind of cold icy treat! Below, Alex got a slip and slide for his birthday. He wasn't so sure about it (see him off to the side watching Lucas in one of the shots) but Lucas was really digging it. He looks so mischievous in these pictures! (Maybe because he is?) Ahhhh...here's to the boys of summer!!