Friday, July 31, 2009
The park
Today my friend and I put our babies in the swing together and it worked out really well. They had fun and gave them a little more support too.
Noah and Jack took a break from getting sand caked all over their wet swimwear to do the same thing. I can't believe they actually fit! It was pretty funny.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Sweet baby
Enjoying some tummy time. He's gotten so much more mobile since his surgery. He is learning to scoot forward, but it's still a frustrating task. He has the visual motivation to get things now and it's fun to watch. He mostly spins around and rolls a lot.
His eyes look great. The right one is still a little red, but not noticeable to anyone who isn't looking for it.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Good morning
Elliot woke up in the middle of my workout this morning, and it being the weekend, Mandy got to go back to sleep instead of staying up with him as she has to do most mornings. Rather than end it early, I decided to go ahead and finish, so I stuck him on the treadmill, tucked him in with a gym towel (it's cold in our basement) and gave him a toy to play with. Noah's monitor is nearby, just in case he wakes up too.
It's kinda hard lifting weights, trying to do so quietly and trying to smile and make faces at Elliot at the same time. He seemed very content though.
It's kinda hard lifting weights, trying to do so quietly and trying to smile and make faces at Elliot at the same time. He seemed very content though.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Going nowhere fast
You know how I know he's having fun? The pained expression on his face.
Noah seems to like motorcycles a lot, which he used to call "Daddy's boom-boom" (vroom vroom). He always points them out when they go by, and often waves to them.
His previous "rides" on my motorcycle have been limited to climbing on it in the garage, grabbing the handlebars and pretending he's on the open road. Mandy got this picture as I was walking it back into the garage. Short trip, but he loved it. His first time in the passenger's seat, too.
Noah seems to like motorcycles a lot, which he used to call "Daddy's boom-boom" (vroom vroom). He always points them out when they go by, and often waves to them.
His previous "rides" on my motorcycle have been limited to climbing on it in the garage, grabbing the handlebars and pretending he's on the open road. Mandy got this picture as I was walking it back into the garage. Short trip, but he loved it. His first time in the passenger's seat, too.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Noah at the park
Noah had the best time at the park today. For some odd reason there was no one there except us and a friend of mine and her 2 kids. The weather was perfect. High was only 80, it was cloudy with no humidity. It started to sprinkle the last 15 minutes or so, but it didn't stop him. He did scrape one knee and got a boo-boo on his cheekbone, but that's par for the course.
He and Jack played in dirt and mulch, swings, played wild, ran around with the ball, did some climbing and a little sliding. Between this and the darkness outside because of stormy weather, it made for an early bedtime tonight. It's so fun watching him play so hard and have SUCH a blast. And I love it when he's so filthy he can't wait for bathtime for a bath. And then I have to clean it out afterwards because of the dirt.
I love days like this.
Elliot is 6 months old!
Hard to believe we are halfway to the one year mark. Time can slow down now! Elliot had a good day. Got an excellent check up at the eye doctor (don't have to go back for 6 weeks - yay!) and had fun at the park. He is just now starting to sit up unassisted for short periods of time and doing well enough in the highchair I felt ok letting him swing a little. He loved it!
Elliot's 6 month stats:
Weight - 18lbs 8oz (between 50-75%)
Height - 27" (75%)
Head circ - 17" (between 25-50%)
*Note- Noah was the same height and head circumference, but weighed in at 19lbs 11oz at this age*
We are delaying his 6 month vax's another couple of weeks, because of his recent eye surgery.
Although we have started occupational therapy for some developmental delays, Elliot here has been busy just this past week trying to play catch up. He's sitting unsupported for several seconds before tumbling. He can also stand up holding onto things several seconds. He isn't trying to crawl yet, but turns complete circles on his tummy. He's rolling a lot more from tummy to back, but not much the other way. He is extremely interested in grabbing every.little.thing in his reach. I really anticipate Elliot to just take off with his motor skills now that he has visual motivation!
Now he can play trains with bro :)
Elliot's Big Day
Elliot's big day actually started the night before, as we kept both boys up late hoping they would sleep in the next morning. Elliot couldn't eat after 4:00 AM, and surgery wasn't scheduled until 9:00. Five hours is a long time to go without eating for a 5-month old.
We played trains for a long time and E can now stand up holding onto things for several seconds. He would grab a train off the tracks, attempt to eat it, then hurl it on the floor and get mad. After that, we went on a long walk with Wally and played at Border Star's playground. A cool front came into Kansas City that night and we could have stayed out forever. Unfortunately, we didn't think to bring money or we would have eaten dinner out too.
It worked perfectly to keep the boys up late, as E stayed asleep until about 20 minutes before we left for the hospital and Noah stayed asleep until we were gone. Elliot and Mandy had some last minute hugs at the house before leaving.
We checked into Children's Mercy and got Elliot dressed in his hospital gown - looks a lot cuter on a little baby than it does an adult.
We spent some time in a pre-op room, getting vitals and giving information to the nurse and anesthesiologist before surgery. We also had time to play. Elliot did so great for not eating - he was barely fussy at all, and had fun playing with the toys and with Mom and Dad.
These eyes will be fixed in another hour or so.
We had a brief consultation with Dr. Olitsky right before the surgery.
Some final hugs and kisses before surgery:
We walked him back towards surgery, and he continued to be happy as can be. The nurse decided to hold him rather than put him back on the bed, which is much less scary for a little guy. They promised us they'd gas him right away to put him out so he wouldn't be awake without us for long. They also waited to start his IV until after he was out. All little things that make a huge difference for Elliot. I still think CMH needs to change their policy and let parents be with their kids until they are asleep in the OR. But, that said, they did a wonderful job and treated Elliot like the sweet baby he is and not just a patient to be operated on.
We played trains for a long time and E can now stand up holding onto things for several seconds. He would grab a train off the tracks, attempt to eat it, then hurl it on the floor and get mad. After that, we went on a long walk with Wally and played at Border Star's playground. A cool front came into Kansas City that night and we could have stayed out forever. Unfortunately, we didn't think to bring money or we would have eaten dinner out too.
It worked perfectly to keep the boys up late, as E stayed asleep until about 20 minutes before we left for the hospital and Noah stayed asleep until we were gone. Elliot and Mandy had some last minute hugs at the house before leaving.
We checked into Children's Mercy and got Elliot dressed in his hospital gown - looks a lot cuter on a little baby than it does an adult.
We spent some time in a pre-op room, getting vitals and giving information to the nurse and anesthesiologist before surgery. We also had time to play. Elliot did so great for not eating - he was barely fussy at all, and had fun playing with the toys and with Mom and Dad.
These eyes will be fixed in another hour or so.
We had a brief consultation with Dr. Olitsky right before the surgery.
Some final hugs and kisses before surgery:
We walked him back towards surgery, and he continued to be happy as can be. The nurse decided to hold him rather than put him back on the bed, which is much less scary for a little guy. They promised us they'd gas him right away to put him out so he wouldn't be awake without us for long. They also waited to start his IV until after he was out. All little things that make a huge difference for Elliot. I still think CMH needs to change their policy and let parents be with their kids until they are asleep in the OR. But, that said, they did a wonderful job and treated Elliot like the sweet baby he is and not just a patient to be operated on. Less than an hour later, he was done. Dr. Olitsky came into the waiting room to tell us it went well, and that it would be another half hour or so for him to wake up before we could see him. When they brought us back to the recovery room, he was being rocked by one of the nurses rather than just laying in his bed. It was very comforting to see him being loved on. They immediatly let me have the chair and put him in my arms to nurse.
His eyes were swollen and a little bloody. We were told what to expect, but it is still a little heartwrenching to see at first. We were also told to expect his tears to be bloody the next 24 hours. I'm happy to say, our son is so amazing, he did not cry any tears afterwards. So we never experienced that.
As you would expect, he was pretty groggy for awhile.
After some sleep, we got our first good look at his eyes post-op. The sight is both a little shocking and very gratifying. His eyes are finally straight!
He cuddled with Mom and slept most of the day, but he quickly adapted like nothing happened.
His eyes were swollen and a little bloody. We were told what to expect, but it is still a little heartwrenching to see at first. We were also told to expect his tears to be bloody the next 24 hours. I'm happy to say, our son is so amazing, he did not cry any tears afterwards. So we never experienced that.
As you would expect, he was pretty groggy for awhile.
After some sleep, we got our first good look at his eyes post-op. The sight is both a little shocking and very gratifying. His eyes are finally straight!
He cuddled with Mom and slept most of the day, but he quickly adapted like nothing happened.
Sporting his new CMH t-shirt.
Beautiful, straight eyes.
Day 2 - Going for an afternoon hike.
Elliot had just woken up....
Day 3 - enjoying some time outside:
Day 4 - the redness is really fading out now.
Beautiful, straight eyes.
Day 2 - Going for an afternoon hike.
Elliot had just woken up....
Day 3 - enjoying some time outside:
Day 4 - the redness is really fading out now.The difference pre- and post-surgery is night and day. The afternoon of his surgery, after several hours of sleep, he woke up happy and was immediately tracking objects from clear across the room and smiling at us from several feet away rather than from several inches. Over the next couple of days, his activity has increased dramatically as he is loving his newfound vision. His world is so much bigger now, and he is taking it all in at once. Most of all, he loves watching his brother.
Thank you to all of our supportive family and friends for your prayers. They obviously worked!
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Elliot did great
This is just a quick note to everyone visiting the blog looking for an update on Elliot's eye surgery yesterday. Paul and/or I will blog about it probably tonight, but just wanted everyone to know it went AMAZING! Elliot was a trooper and spent most of the day smiling. His eyes look great and he is already focusing and watching things from across the room. I posted some pictures on facebook last night because it's really fast and easy (and blogger isn't!). Thanks for your prayers, and we'll update soon!
Friday, July 17, 2009
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