Andrew Conquers Surgery

Andrew Pre-Op, in his cute little yellow & white striped hospital gown. Needless to say, his cuteness quickly won him many new Nurse friends!

We arrived at Children's Hospital at 6:30 a.m. and registered for Day Surgery. Andrew was all smiles. I was worried about him asking for juice and food to eat. It turns out I needn't have worried - there were so many toys to play with, he kept himself busy until it was time to go into the O.R.

The playroom on the Day Surgery ward had some pretty cool trucks to play with.

Here we are in the play/waiting room on the Surgery Ward. There were about six or seven ride-on toys for Andrew to test out, and he tested out almost all of them.

Here he is Post-Op. Surgery was scheduled for 7:45 a.m., and he was taken from my arms, screaming, at 8:00 a.m. We watched as he cried his way down the hallway in the nurses arms. At about 9:00 a.m. I spoke on the phone with the surgeon and she told me everything had gone well and had a few more instructions regarding his pain medication, bathing, and that sort of thing. About 15 minutes later, we got the call to go see him in the Recovery Room. We walked in to see him cuddled up in a nurse's arms, but as soon as he saw Mommy and Daddy, that's the only place he wanted to be.

So by 9:45 a.m. we were back up on the Day Surgery Ward. Andrew drank like a camel, ate home-made cookies (GUCK-EEE!!), and relaxed in Daddy's arms for nearly an hour. Then he was ready to test out his legs. He was a little unsteady, but was soon walking around, exploring, although he was quite upset by the IV stuck in his hand and the short leash it kept him on. Then all we had to do was wait for him to pee, and FINALLY, at around 12:30 p.m. the joyous event occured! There was great happiness as this meant the IV could come out of his little hand and we could finally go home! What a tough little guy!

Andrew Prepares for...

Here's sweet little Andrew. He had quite a day today. It started off quite innocently with the morning diaper change, which happened a little later than usual, because I've been feeling under the weather, and Andrew was enjoying his play time with his brothers so much. As I prepared to fasten his diaper in place, I noticed something strange on his lower abdomen. I looked again, noticing it looked quite swollen. I felt the area, and there was definitely a lump, and a lump that I could move around quite easily. It didn't bother or hurt him for me to touch it. However, me being the worry wart that I am, I decided to get this looked at as soon as possible, for my own peace of mind.

We got in to see the Pediatrician for 11:30 a.m. As the Doctor looked, poked, and prodded for several LONG minutes, I began to worry. The doctor looked concerned, I became more concerned. He said, "Wait here, I'll be back in a bit." When he came back, he announced that we were to go directly to Children's Hospital Emergency and he had already spoken with a surgeon there. They were expecting us. Before we go on, be assured, there is a happy ending to this day!

I was unable to reach Mike, so the boys and I took 2 buses to Children's Hospital (a grand adventure for them, not so much so for me, being nearly 7 months pregnant without a stroller!). We arrived at around 12:45 p.m. Fortunately, the weather has been so nice here that taking the bus and all the waiting involved wasn't as bad as it could have been. Also, I was happy to find some snacks in the diaper back, packed for pregnancy hunger attacks. Caleb and Joshua each enjoyed a small fruit snack for "lunch".

Eventually, we saw the surgeon, who poked and prodded as well. By now, I had heard the term "hernia" being used, and worse case scenario was that Andrew would have surgery that day and go home tomorrow. Not being able to convince the herniated part of his bowel to sneak back in, the surgeon ordered an x-ray, followed by an ultrasound. By this time, Mike had found us in one of the many waiting rooms we visited that day.

We went down for the ultrasound shortly after 3 p.m. and as we pulled back his diaper for the Ultrasound Technician, I was shocked to see the mass (as it was now known) had virtually disappeared!! Unfortunately, this did not eliminate the need for surgery, as his bowel can still pop through the hernia opening in his lower abdomen. But, for now, surgery was post-poned, and Andrew could resume eating and drinking (which he hadn't done properly since breakfast at 8:30 a.m.), and we could go home. We arrived home tired and relieved at 4:30 p.m.

Andrew's surgery is scheduled for Tuesday at 7:45 a.m. Fortunately, this is just day surgery, and a fairly routine surgery. The most common type of surgery in children is for appendix removal; hernia surgery is second. A small incision will be made and the hernia will be repaired. The surgeon did an excellent job explaining everything to us, and I understood it all at the time, but to repeat it all, would just be quite impossible with my tired brain!

So for those of you who read this before Tuesday morning, please remember Andrew in your prayers. We know he will do well as he has no other health problems. I think the biggest hurdle will be making it from 6 a.m. in the morning to after-surgery without drinking and eating! For a healthy 19-month old boy, that's going to be a hard lesson to learn! The surgeon assured us that his recovery should be easy and simple; he'll probably be back to normal by the next day.

In the mean time, we just need to keep an eye on him, checking him regularly at diaper changes, and watching to see if he's in any pain. If the bowel pops through again, we need to try to push it back in and hopefully avoid another trip to the ER, which could mean his surgery would be earlier if his bowel does not go back in.

I will be sure to post as soon as I can after his surgery, to let you know how he is doing.

I found a website that clearly explains HOW this type of hernia develops. It's the first kind of hernia, not the second. Here's the link:
http://www.hernia.org/paeds.html

Movie Night

Every once in a while, we have "movie night". Above, Joshua and Andrew prepare for the movie by cuddling together on the rocking chair.

At our house, movie night revolves heavily around the snacks...

Caleb seemed to enjoy the snacks a lot, while Joshua was totally engrossed in the movie.

Time to Play on Christmas Day

In recent years with the addition of children to our family and travelling and church, it seems that playing on Christmas Day, at least at our home, has become a lost art. Fortunately, this year Christmas fell on a Monday and we were able to spend a couple of hours playing at home with the new toys before we had to pack up and head off again. Here are Caleb and Joshua assembling their new Lego trucks. They required some help from Mom & Dad, but they really enjoyed the challenge!

Caleb and Joshua received a hockey table game from Grandpa & Grandma Voth. After we set it up, it seems that Auntie Lynne & Auntie Lorretta took over the game!! Actually, they were showing the boys how to manage all the men on the table - easier said than done! The boys were very impressed with their new toy!

The other pictures I took at G&G Voth's didn't turn out too well because of the flash. Hopefully next year....

Santa's Visit

Andrew checking out his present from Santa. He doesn't look too thrilled now, but he enjoys playing with it from time to time.
This is what Caleb wanted for Christmas!! A scooter! Wow! How did Santa know? Caleb had said the night before when we were putting out cookies and Coke for Santa, "But we didn't go to the store to tell Santa what we wanted!" Poor Santa had his work cut out for him this year - first of all, we don't have a chimney, so last year the question was "How will Santa get into our house?" and this year he had to figure out all on his own what the boys wanted.

We were watching slides from my childhood the other day and there were a couple of pictures of a coffin being put into the ground. Caleb and Joshua have already been exposed to this and so they knew what this was all about. Caleb said, "YAY! Someone's going to heaven!" Then he asked me, "Mommy, will Santa be in heaven?"
Now THIS is a look a parent likes to see on Christmas morning. Joshua was a little tougher to buy for. He kept changing his mind about what he wanted for Christmas. Some days, he said he wanted a school bus, but he already has several. We did get him a school bus, as you'll see, but I (I mean SANTA) also found a Toronto Maple Leafs bus at Zellers.
TWO BUSSES FROM SANTA!!! What more could a 4 year old boy ask for?
A toque. Couldn't find the matching Toronto Maple Leafs toque, but he loves this toque anyway. It frames his chubby little face perfectly!
Caleb and Joshua helping Daddy open...PIZZA? for Christmas?? We cleverly disguised one of his favourite snacks - a Cheerios snack mix - with wads of newspaper in this pizza box.
Here's Andrew getting into his barn. It makes sounds. It seems that every year, or maybe every two or three years, toy companies come out with a slightly better, slightly different toy that you just HAVE to buy if you're a good parent. (No, I actually DON'T believe that.) And of course, all these toys require more and more batteries. This sure is different from the Fisher Price barns we grew up with. The animals come with actual hair!! They are very cute!

Christmas Eve - PRESENTS!!

Opening at Grandpa & Grandma Bergman's on Christmas Eve - Joshua is just warming up to the giant task ahead of him.
Caleb didn't need a warm up. He had been primed and ready to go for hours. Presents...FINALLY!!
Andrew giving his puppy a hug; carrying around a little bag with some Thomas booties.
Uncle David finally made the blog. Doesn't he look thrilled? I'm sure he was as terrified as Grandma B. to be included in the pictures, thinking that I must post each and every picture I take on my blog! Just for that, here you are!
The boys got 2 DVD's - Cars and The Three Musketeers (Disney). Next year they'll be asking for a TV and a DVD player for their room.
Joshua got small Hot Wheel monster truck pull backs (among many other things). Instant hit!
Check out Andrew's feet - he got one pair of slippers (the grey) and one pair of booties (the blue). And of course, he's into the other toys, not too interested in what he got for Christmas at this point.

Christmas Eve, Pre-Presents

Here's what happened on Christmas Eve, at Grandpa & Grandma Bergman's, before we opened presents. Andrew's favourite toy, above. Grandma Bergman inflicted a scary movie on the boys instead of giving them sugar ;-)
Actually, it was Beauty and the Beast Christmas movie, but Caleb found the Beast too scary. I don't blame him. The Beast is a very angry and violent character.
Wow! Mike's sleeping! (hope you can note my sarcasm).
Grandma B. tried to get Joshua to nap with her - hehe! Joshua had other ideas. He read Grandma some books in bed. It was cute!
While the other two were in bed, Caleb played with this car. I can't believe they left the huge pile of presents alone for 4 hours while Andrew napped. They did very well!
Talk about a peaceful winter's nap. Here's Andrew napping with his puppy in the playpen. He didn't even flinch when I took this picture, and the flash on my camera is really bright & annoying!

Christmas Joy

Today was the last day of school for 2006. Caleb and Joshua partied at school. Their teacher made the blue ornaments for them. She also gave them each a Christmas card! The other ornament is from my good friend Marilisa - I have five more similar to it.

More Christmas Fun

Andrew enjoying a "long winter's nap" that was rudely interrupted after this priceless picture. Caleb entertaining his second-cousin, baby Ella. At the school Christmas Musical. Caleb's class performed the "Sugar Plum Fairy" song. The girls were sugar plum fairies, the boys were princes.
Here's our Little Prince.
And here's our star! Joshua made the funniest little star. He was the loudest child singing in his class. He knew all the words and all the actions.
This is from the Grand Finale - I was fortunate enough that Caleb and Joshua were placed by each other, so I could take this picture. It was another great Christmas concert!

Ready for Christmas...I think!

I got the idea to make a wooden Nativity scene several years ago when we were visiting my cousin Barb (mine is nowhere near as cute as that one that inspired me). A friend of hers had made the cutest little wooden scene with chunky wood figures. As I was contemplating what to do for the boys for their Advent calendar this year, I thought of a 24 or 25 piece Nativity scene. I've never liked the idea of starting the day off with sugar, and Hot Wheels cars kind of loose their appeal after a while. So I came up with the crazy idea to make my own Nativity scene.

A BIG THANK-YOU goes to my Uncle Henry for fixing up my scroll saw in record time - he picked it up one Friday afternoon in November and had it done the next day! After spending several hours cutting out the wood pieces in the chilly fall air, I tried sanding 24 pieces by hand (most of these are eight to ten inches tall, and two inches thick). It was exhausting & I was getting nowhere fast. So from a nice early birthday present I received from my in-laws, I purchased a belt sander, and during a COLD stretch at the end of November, I finished up the sanding in only another few hours. Then began the priming & painting. Joshua helped with the priming, Caleb helped paint the trees. Unfortunately, after a few pieces had been finished and put out under the tree, the boys were playing with the figures like they were WWF wrestlers. So I have moved everything out of reach, on top of our computer armoire. After all the time and effort I put into these, I find it hard to watch my STUFF being tossed around by little boys! I don't know if you can see every piece clearly, but there is supposed to be 25 pieces. One piece is the barn. And if you're counting, each wise man holds a gift, which is separate from the wiseman. Andrew has sucked on at least two presents already. Joshua helped me paint the barn as well. I used a LOT of brown paint. In fact, painting was on hold for a few days until I could get to Michael's to replenish my brown paint supply.
The brown thing in front of Joseph is supposed to be a chicken - I know, it looks more like a duck. If I ever make another (years from now!!), I will have to work on my chicken sketch. Never mind how stressed out I got over my cows! I only added the pink noses later, after I thought I was done, but I couldn't get a good cow face drawn on! I think the pink noses work well. Anyway, with Christmas baking done and my Nativity scene completed, I THINK I'm ready for Christmas. Oh wait, I still have Christmas shopping. And another Christmas party tonight. And the boys' Christmas program tomorrow at school. And another family gathering on Saturday. I'm looking forward to next Christmas when I'll have NOTHING to do...and I say that every year, and come November, I come up with yet another GREAT project to take up all my free time!

Merry Christmas to all, and find time to relax and enjoy some good Christmas baking this year!

Andrew

I apologize to my small blogging contingent for slacking off during December. I thought with all the great photo ops at this time of the year, I'd be blogging non-stop!! Unfortunately, life has been more than busy, filled with sick children, appointments, school, walking boys to school & home, Christmas concerts and rehearsals, sick children, family gatherings, Christmas baking, Christmas shopping, sick children, walking boys to school and home...am I missing something? Oh, I finally finished my Nativity scene!! That took a little bit of work.

Anyway, here's some pictures of Andrew over the last week or so. The first two pictures are of Andrew enjoying his snack - Golden Grahams cereal (a little treat we have in the house ONLY because I needed as an ingredient for a recipe I made) - in his little corner of the kitchen. After
he had finished his first little bowl full, he was pointing and screaming at the cereal box, wanting more. He really loves his sugar cereals!

Sunday School Christmas Concert

A few pictures from the Sunday School Christmas Concert. Joshua's class (Pre-schoolers) performed two songs. The top photo shows the class playing kazoo's and ringing bells to "O Come, Little Children." The bottom photo is their first number, singing "Our Little Pine Tree." Fortunately, Joshua was able to make it, but only with the help of some Tylenol. He's been running a fever and suffers from a miserable cough and exhaustion. Sure do miss the Little Energizer Bunny!!

Can you find Caleb in the choir picture? Front row, near the middle. I was surprised by the amount of words he knew for the songs, considering that he didn't go to all the practices, and the one's he did attend, he was goofing off with the other Kindergarteners and Grade 1 kids. I guess his amazing memory came in handy!!