Operation Day

I took a sick day from school to drive Carrie to the hospital Thursday. Carrie's had something nagging at her for a while and we decided it was time to deal with it. We dropped Shane off at school and reported in at 8 AM.

Ironically, one of my student's parents was there. He was missing school for an ACL surgery. I heard him shuddering and groaning as he came back from under anesthesia and poked my head out. Part of me wanted to walk over and say, "Do you need help with Geometry?" That seemed a little too cruel and surreal....., but, boy, was it tempting! I talked to his mom some when I was kicked out to wait for Carrie to return from her operation.

I didn't have to wait too long. Carrie was in a recovery room under a heated, plastic-wrap waiting for me.

Sprawlopolis came in handy for entertaining myself.

We spent about four hours total at the hospital.

We got ChicFilA on the way home to celebrate. Hopefully, it will be a quick recovery time. Carrie seems like she's doing well already.

Grandma's Hip Recovery

Grandma had a "jiffy hip" operation on Thursday. Shane, Carrie, and I went to visit her this weekend for coaching and morale support.

Shane coached. "Go, Grandma, go!" 

He ran ahead and cheered whenever she did her physical therapy: Laps up and down the hallway.

He even helped Grandma take her medicine.

1:17 in is the best part. You can watch the whole thing or skip to it, but it was the highlight of the trip for me.

Nap Time is Futile

Oh horror of horrors, can it be true? Is Shane out-growing nap time?

He skips at school. I'm sure the teachers love it. I can wear him out enough most of the time, but there are some days Shane refuses for me, too. 

He's compliant enough. Shane plops into bed when put there. However, instead of sleeping he will roll around, read, sing, and sometimes chant "Daddy, I'm awake!"

I still leave him in there. An hour of quiet won't hurt. Shane usually stays in his bed, but if he wanted to climb out and play that's a-okay. I don't usually remind him. I'd rather he stay in bed. 

If I'm lucky, Shane will slip into a snooze 30-40 minutes after I bring him up.  

If I'm unlucky, I spring him 45 minutes to an hour later. 

Nana said Shane set a record today. He laid in his bed for over two hours while everyone else (save Pop) zonked out.  

Meanwhile, Carrie sleeps more as he sleeps less. Carrie took pre-work naps all week. She started working half-days on Wednesday. I hope she'll be back up to full days next week in case a certain someone nixes his naps.

Post-Op Report Deja Vu

Same thing as last time, but on the other side.

Benign.

Hopefully, the last one, too. The surgeon said he'd never had a patient return for Round 2 of this before Carrie.

Recovery Day

Carrie's parents visited us Tuesday night on their way to Maine. Grandpa let Shane stomp tsunamis on the hotel pool steps.

The next morning, we all went to breakfast. Mommy distracted Shane and Grandma sneaked golden raisins into Shane's Raisin Bran.

Then, Shane helped us load the cars.

Shane defines help differently than we do.

Rocks are fascinating.

We parted ways shortly thereafter. Grandma and Grandpa continued on to Maine. Carrie, Shane and I turned south.

Where we got ice cream.

Real ice cream from local dairy farmers, too! I passed the Moo Thru at least forty times on my own journeys. The line could be unbelievable. At 11:00 AM sharp, it was manageable.

Carrie spent the rest of the day resting. Star Trek DS9 was her distraction of choice. I expect a lot of TV in our future.

Surgery Day 2015

Carrie is now five for five. She's had surgery five times in five years. Hopefully, next year will break the trend.

Two years ago, Carrie had a mass in her abdomen right of her c-section scar. This time, she had another mass, but on the left.

The surgery went well. It ended quickly, too. Shane and I spent a little over 45 minutes in lobby exile. Carrie returned and were allowed into recovery. Carrie slept. Shane played a game on our tablet.

When the doctor checked in, he told me the mass was in fatty tissue and not muscle this time. He said he was not worried and was off. Carrie slowly came to and was cleared a little over an hour later.

We won't know what the mass was until the post-op appointment next Tuesday.

Carrie was much better off than any of her previous surgeries. There was no nausea, chills, tears, or any drama. She was tired and sore, but that seems par for the course. We showed Shane the incision to help him understand and be gentle with her.

Thank you for all your prayers. I'm sorry I didn't write this sooner, but all is well and moving on.

Surgery Merit Badge Awarded

Carrie has had three surgeries since we've been married (pregnancy related ones excluded). Four if you count lasik while we were dating (I do!). 

The surgery was successful. Carrie is on the mend. She's tired. She's sore. She is actually following the doctor's orders and laying down. It won't be quick, but hopefully she'll be hopping around sooner rather than later. 

If you didn't know, Carrie had a meniscus tear. She hurt her knee doing something mundane weeks ago. She left it be a couple of week hoping it would heal, at first. When it didn't, she went to an orthopedist.

Carrie did a fabulous job of planning everything out. By the time I got involved she already had all her ducks in a row. Genevieve drove up to take her to the hospital and bring her home; Shane was signed up for drop-in daycare two days, Grandma slotted for a third, and then Nana and Pop have day four.

That's all for now. I've got to slip back upstairs. Shane and I have to get up early if I'm going to get to work on time.

Benign

Carrie's surgeon said it was benign.

'Nuff said.

Shane's Home!

Shane came home today! I was a little worried he'd throw a fit when he saw me, but he was happy to be back! I couldn't shake the feeling that he'd grown since I saw him last and I somehow missed it.

Grandma, Grandpa, and Sophia hung around for a little bit before jumping back on the road. It was neat to see Sophia and Shane interact. He still has a lot to learn about sharing, but she was very patient and forgiving. It was clear that everyone had a great time.

A little part of me was jealous my son had so much fun without me*, but then I squished it with gratitude and appreciation for all the family support.

I'm glad he's home.

It's hard to explain in words. Shane is exhausting to take care of after a long day of work, but there's an emptiness when he's gone. I should have been thrilled at all the free time on Saturday, but it rang a little hollow without him there. If Carrie had been gone as well, I would never have stayed at the house alone. It would have felt too empty.

Now Shane's back and the family is reunited. It's still tiring to try and keep up with his energy level, but the rest that comes after he goes to bed is much more fulfilling than the plethora of rest when he's out. I know Carrie feels the same way. She kept holding on to Shane and wouldn't let him go when it was bed time. If I had not pulled him away, she probably would've let him hang around until 9!

Tomorrow I'll drop Shane off at Nana-Day-Care and on Tuesday Carrie's going to be on her own (Pickle?).  Wednesday, Shane will be with Pop-Pop, Nana, Indy, Jama again. Carrie will visit the surgeon for her follow-up.

*Rule #? of parenting: You can't always be your child's all in all. It's not possible and it's poisonous to pursue.  

Bed Rest Buddies

Since Carrie is on bed rest, we have kept the bedroom door open to allow the cats to visit.

Max is "Carrie's cat."

I tried to take a picture of Max sleeping in our pajama drawer once, but she popped out when I turned around.

It's a good thing I have those new allergy pills!

Shane Down South

Carrie and I both feel it: something's missing without Shane around here.

When we were on vacation in Florida, it was one thing. When we are at home and Shane's not here it's another.

He's a big part of the family!

Shane is sleeping at Grandpa and Grandma's house right now. His cousin, Sophia, is also there. Her parents took their two youngest to Singapore to help with Carrie's sister-in-law's mother.

When we facetimed to say "Hello" Shane and Sophia were sitting on Grandpa and Grandma's couch with the iPad! They were totally enthralled, but sharing nicely! It sounds like they're having a great time together.

Honestly, I'm thrilled. Shane's a little young to really bond with Sophia, I think. She's old enough (4) that she can remember this time and bond with Shane. Carrie and her brother weren't the closet growing up, but I want Shane to be really tied in to his network of cousins.

A strong relationship with your family and extended family is a blessing that I want my son to be a part of.

Thank you once again to all of Shane's grandparents for the monumental effort of giving Carrie some healing time! We really appreciate it!

Looking Good!

Everything is looking good! Prayers answered!

I'm impressed with how well Carrie is compared with her last surgery. Last time, I got called in to help with a shuddering/shivering Carrie who was maxed out on pain pills. The nurses had to keep getting permission for more until the doctor called it quits. When we got home, Carrie puked on the bedroom floor after wobbling up the stairs.

This time, Carrie turned down extra pain pills and told the nurse it was 'manageable.' She's been eating, talking and resting!

We showed up at the hospital at 6:05. They wheeled Carrie off at 7:35, called me to the recovery room at 9:10, and then we shipped out and got home a little after 11:00 (I think). The doctor said that everything went well, and Carrie will find out what pathology discovered at her appointment next week.

We were surprised when the care instructions said "No lifting of greater than 20 lbs for 6 weeks." I told the nurse "Our two-year old weights almost twice that!"

Shane's going to have to be a big boy and run around on his own for a while. My spring break is around the corner, so I can help a lot then.

In the meantime, it's rest rest rest for Carrie and I'll go back to work tomorrow.

Tomorrow is Surgery Day

Prayers are appreciated.

Dan said he'd bang on our door at 5 AM when he's heading out, and the alarm clock is set for 5:30 AM as a backup. Check-in is at 6:00 and the surgery is slated for 7:30.

I'm proud of Carrie. We had sushi for dinner and lots of time together tonight. She's nowhere near as anxious I would have guessed. I didn't talk about the surgery much prior for fear it would cause her to dwell on it. Part of me is more scared than I like to admit, but the majority of the time I'm either putting my trust in the Lord or I'm too oblivious/dumb to worry as much as I should. The former would be better, but I can't help but suspect the latter sometimes.

Shane is staying over at Nana and Pop's. He's not even aware anything is going on. He's getting fried chicken, balloons and trips to the library. The only thing he suspects is that heaven is a place on Earth! Grandpa and Grandma are slated to pick up Shane for a couple of days with them later on.

Carrie and I really appreciate all of the help. We are very blessed to have such wonderful parents to support us.

I'm sure that we will need it, as the surgery will be a little more intensive than I first though. The laproscopic surgery Carrie underwent last time had her bed ridden for a few days. Tomorrow's surgery is more intrusive from what Carrie told me.

I'll know more tomorrow.

There's one incredibly cute/sweet moment I wanted to share before I sneak back upstairs: Carrie is sleeping with Shane's pillow. She pulled it out of his room before getting in bed. She told me she missed him not being home and his scent was comforting.

Being a parent brings its hardships, but it brings its joys as well.

My wife loves her boys and we love her.