Today is not going quite how I imagined.
Somehow with everything that's happened today, it feels like it should be Thursday or later in the week.
I got back to see Micah in the recovery area just after noon. He was cranky and combative coming out of the anesthesia, was hating the giant gauze head wrap dressing, and just out of sorts. Fortunately he settled down a little bit with being held, and a small hit of morphine eventually got him to really settle down and fall asleep on my lap. Once he awoke he was ready to tank up on some apple juice, eat a few animal crackers and a jar of baby apple sauce. Then the nurse could take out his IV and we could get ready to go home.
We had a stroller along with us, so we didn't need a wheelchair to take us out, I just signed on the bottom line, picked up a token for parking garage, and hit the "Home" button on the GPS. Micah slept most of the way, except for a brief period when he woke up and whined about his dressing being too tight and then fell right back to sleep again.
After I unloaded the car, I unloaded Micah onto the sofa, and he went back to sleep until dinner time.
He awoke to eat steamed dumplings and drink apple juice. And just when we were getting complacent, thinking that all was well, Micah yanked he dressing down around his neck, giving us a peak at the new ear canal.
And me without a roll of gauze in the house or even in my bag out in the car. I'd used up the last of what I had on a house call a few weeks ago. So Thea and I made a quick run to CVS, and once we were back home, Steve held Micah, Thea fed him M&Ms and I re-wrapped his head using both the old and the new dressing.
One of the nurse called to the OR, and the estimate is that Micah will come out of surgery at 11:45 or so, right according to schedule. The time has flown by, mostly because I don't have the ability to concentrate on one thing for too long, so I've been bopping around on the computer, reading Pat Conroy's "South of Broad", drinking the unrefrigerated Coke I had in my purse, eating a banana-nut muffin the nurse offered (what do hospital's do about people with nut allergies? I was sort of shocked that there would be an Otis Spunkmyer banana nut muffin anywhere in a place like this.)
It's a quiet day around here, I asked the nurse and she said they usually have 30+ patients scheduled per day, but today there are only 16.
I'm glad I didn't save the NY Times crossword as I had originally wanted to do, I would have failed miserably at getting it done. The homefront had better plan on getting take-out for dinner tonight, I'm not going to be in any mood or any energy level to make dinner.
The OR called with an update, all is going well and just as expected. Above is a video taken this morning while we were waiting, I had a couple of others, but I let Micah play with the Flip and he managed to delete them.
What does a parent whose child is in the OR do with three hours or more of free time and a laptop? What else, update the blog.
Micah woke up at 3:00 am to tell me that he wanted to go home, and then promptly went right back to sleep. I, on the other hand, was awake for the right of the night. The 5:00 am wake up call was totally unnecessary, I was up, showered, packed up all of our stuff and woke up Micah. We were on our way to the Englewood Hospital by a few minutes before 6 :00 am and checked in at the Ambulatory Surgical Center early.
The nurse in the pediatric section called us back at 7:30 or so, paperwork for her, paperwork for the anesthesiologists, a quick chat with the surgeon. There was a nice playroom in this area so Micah got to empty shelves of just about every toy he could reach.
And then it was time for the show to get on the road. He didn't want to change into a gown, so Bunny Bear got to do it for him. I got a pair of scrubs to throw over my clothes (I'm flattered that they chose the size they did, but I looked like a green sausage), and Micah got to drive the car back to the OR.
This is when he really started to realize that things were happening that he wasn't all too keen about. Bunny Bear got an anesthesia mask, we tried to pass it off as "just like Daddy's mask (CPAP)", but he was starting to get cringy. Didn't like the EKG leads stuck onto his chest, wasn't thrilled about the pulse oximetry stuck on his thumb.
Since he was on the verge of crying (and inhaling more rapidly than his normal breathing), he dropped like stone after the first few breaths of the anesthesia gas. I got shuttled out back to the room where he'll be after surgery, and then it really smacked me over the head. I had just left my baby in a room where someone was going to be putting a hole in his head.
They have my cell phone and said that I could go out to the cafeteria, but I'm staying put for now.
Nothing by mouth. Midnight has come and gone, so we're into the final hours before surgery. Micah chattered all the way to Newark Airport, and then slept for the last part of the trip to the Marriott. Of all the stuff I've told him about tomorrow, seeing Dr. Choe again, going to the hospital, big bandage on the head, I sort of neglected to mention that breakfast was not part of the game plan, and this is a kid who eats within 15 to 20 minutes of getting up on weekdays. I've already emptied the milk that he had for the car so I don't take my eyes off of him and he downs it. I am going NPO as a show of solidarity, but I still feel bad for not prepping him.
The hotel had PPV PBS (pay-per-view PBS), so I plunked Micah on the bed and put on Curious George so I could organize a bit. We read both our Llama, llama books and I sung just about everyone Micah knows to sleep before he finally fell asleep. It took a bit of doing to get the computer to cooperate, but eventually I got my charts done and most of the mail read.
So I am officially calling it a night and packing up the laptop. Atresia repair #1, here we come.
Precious little, as it were. Monday I got a signature-required package notice. Tuesday at around dinnertime, I got on the computer, sent a message to UPS, paid a $4 and request the package be redirected the package to my work address. The computer said it would be delivered Wednesday. No package on Wednesday, so I called the toll-free number, spoke with a customer service person and was told that the re-direct information came in too, late so it would be delivered the following day.
Nothing on Thursday at the office, and a FINAL ATTEMPT NOTICE on the door at home. And when I called I was told that they had tried home, and at my office. 5:01 pm at the office. So now I have until the 27th to pick the package up at the UPS facility in Hamilton, as if the next few days have abundant spare time to be picking up a package that should have rightly been delivered during working hours.
I am going to call those losers at UPS and get that $4. It's the principle.
Brown can do NOTHING for me. That is why I use the US Postal Service, thank you very much.
Today it was just me and the kids. . .it's the last few days before Micah's first atresia repair. I would have liked to have given him a weekend in the pool since he'll be drydocked for several months after the surgery. Originally his surgeon wanted to schedule him for June 23rd, but the thought of having to deny him the backyard pool for the entire summer seemed pointless, so we got a surgery date in August.
And now that date is almost upon us.
Last night I was up until almost 3 am charting and taking care of electronic paperwork, so it was nice that the morning was overcast and the kids slept in. We got off to a slow start and then got organized to go out. We had lunch at Tiger Noodles, which was blissfully empty given that Micah cannot keep his rump in any chair for more than several minutes.
Then we cruised down Route 1 to Snip-Its to get Micah a haircut. Rather than letting whoever preps him for surgery have the first whack at shaving his head, I wanted Flo to do the honors. So now instead of the spiky anemone look, he's a cueball, shaved down to the nubs. He looks almost like his referral photo, though he doesn't have the pudgy cheeks any more.
Thea's graduated from her Leapster and now is figuring out how to operate a Nintendo DS Lite. It has Pokemon games, and she seems to love Pokemons. The amazing thing is that almost without a single shred of guidance from the instructions, she's knee-deep in whatever the Pokemon game does. "Don't bother me, please, Mommy, I'm battling. . . ."
Now we just have to get Micah hearing well enough so that he can start playing some of the Leapster games.
While we were at Target the skies opened up. Downpour, but not the kind that is over and done with in a few minutes, it just kept going and going. People and carts were bottlenecked at the exit, but when a small path opened up, we had all of our bags tied shut, Micah's BAHA in a plastic bag and we made a run for it. The kidswere in/on the cart so I just had to push and run, with the kids shrieking and laughing all the way. They thought it was a hoot.
The ride home was a wild one. The amount of rain falling was so much that the roads were near flooded. Quaker Road was closed, but that's almost a non-event, it closes after a generic heavy rain. It was when we were turning from Lover's Lane onto Route 206 and into a fast-flowing stream of brown water that it started to get a little freaky. And that's when I started to wonder if River Road would be open. . . . .
And it was, even past Herrontown Road past which the river gets closer to the road. We were following a motorcycle, which was a little scary since the water was pouring across the road. I've driven River Road once in a heavy rain, and was very glad for the CRV. This was about twice as heavy and three times as scary. Micah fell asleep as we drove through downtown Princeton. Thea was thrilled by the adventure of it all. I was just happy to pull into the driveway, unload the car and get everyone in and into dry clothes. Me included.
The kids went to sleep without complaint tonight, so I've been free to sit on the new sofa
Today we were on the move most of the day. Micah had an 11:00 am appointment with his ENT surgeon, and the office is up near Fort Lee (which somehow rings a bell from the movie "Desperately Seeking Susan"). Minimum drive time, barring traffic issues, is an hour.
Micah had a good time in the waiting room, and he was the only child there for most of the wait. It's less than a week before the surgery, so I'm not feeling like Ambassador for BAHAs and Atresia/Microtia, and it's exactly those days when people seem to want to get chatty. One lady who said she had a special education background wanted to know when we knew Micah had atresia, and I was tempted to say when we read the diagnosis on our adoption agency's web site, but she barely gave me time to answer before she was grilling me on who referred us to Early Intervention (um, no one, we knew about it and we contact them before Micah even came home) and then jumped right into what his hearing aids do and what can be done to 'fix' him. (Um, it's not a 'fix', he's not broken, dork, I had wonderful interior monologues while talking with her.)
Meanwhile Steve was getting questioned by a man with hearing aids who came in with his daughter; I tuned him out when I heard the "does he know sign language?" Aggggghhhhh. No, he SPEAKS FOR HIMSELF. It was a mercy when the medical assistant called Micah's name and we got to escape from the curious.
First we had to see the audiologist for a hearing test, then we got to meet with Dr. Choe - he's not seen Micah since May 2008, other than Micah's April CT scan. We were done with the appointments, paperwork and whatnot by noon. The interesting thing is that Micah's new auditory canal is going to be BEHIND the vestigal piece of ear cartilage that he has, and that's the norm.
Micah's scheduled to be first case on the 26th, so he and I will go up the night before and stay at a hotel near the hospital.
So now his surgeon goes on vacation, to Cape Cod, so cross fingers that Hurricane Bill leaves New England alone and he comes back relaxed and ready to make a gorgeous auditory canal.
So we came back down the NJ Turnpike to figure out what to do about the offer of a sectional couch from Thea's friend Lucas's mother. I have hated the coach in our living room since I first saw it in 1998, and once the ink was dry on the marriage license I have been plotting its demise. It has taken me more than ten years to achieve victory over ugliness. First went the ghastly pink recliner. Just an eyesore, and it cluttered up our already crowded living room. I don't even remember what happened to it, the memory has just evaporated.
Next went the unloveable loveseat. Another fuzzy memory. Gone, gone, gone. Another one bites the dust.
Then the matching chair went out to the garage.
Leaving the couch, which was probably made/sold in the era before disco died. Sitting in the living room like a big, ugly tumor waiting to be excised.
Until today.
With the help of a Home Depot flatbed truck and more sweat than I want to think about, we brought home two of the three sections and the ottoman.
And we managed it all (getting the old sofa out, renting a truck, picking up the sofas and getting them home), and got Thea picked up before daycare closed at 6 pm. And I got to go out to dinner tonight, at Santino's Bar One, leaving Steve to deal with Thea who had cried over the theoretical loss of the sofa on Sunday, and who utterly decompensated when she saw the only sofa she's ever known sitting at the curb. She managed to howl for thirty minutes, and only quieted down when she could rescue one of the throw pillows.
I came home from dinner at 9 pm and went upstairs, stopping in Thea's room to give her a good night kiss. I just about choked when she showed me the pillow on her bed.
So there is still a trace of ugliness to be erradicated. I am plotting how to get that pillow into the trash, and when it goes, victory will be mine.
Today would have been my Dad's 79th birthday.
This morning we got news that one of my mother's cousins in Germany died this morning. Marga's was always the first birthday card I received every year, until this year. Her note was short and it translates to: "How are things with you are your family? With me, it's not going so good." I wish my German was still good enough to tell her family how many good memories I have of her.
Micah got his blood drawn today. One stick, in and out in less than a minute. Much better than the last time. The phlebotomist was a guy, and looked young enough to still have photos of his senior prom in his wallet, but talent transcends chronological age.
Here we are, just about ten days out from surgery. The pre-op physical is done, faxed. The appointment for blood work is tomorrow. And Micah is coughing. Probably his version of whatever was plaguing Thea's ear earlier this week (which has responded well to Motrin and tincture of time.)
The week is over, but the weekend is looking just about as busy. Tomorrow Micah and I go to Quest, Steve and Thea are going to an open house for prospective parents at YingHua. Then the three of them are going to visit Steve's mother.
Sunday we're having a playdate for Thea's friend Lucas and his siblings, Poppy and Jasper so we have to do a little bit of preparatio for that. We're doing a birthday party theme since Lucas has a birthday this month - Thea's eager to make the all-important party bags.
Then it all starts all over again on Monday, except that one of the doctors will be on vacation. Fortunately the week will be broken up by having Wednesday off to take Micah to see his surgeon for pre-op, the next generation. I've also talked to the Child Life Specialist at Englewood Hospital to see if we can go on a short tour, even though it's not tour day (Tuesdays).
And today while we were driving home at the end of the day, I was trying to tell Micah that we're going to see a doctor who will give him ear holes just like Thea, Mommy and Daddy to help him hear better. He told me that he didn't want to see the doctor, he just wants his Helps-You-Hear (our name for his BAHAs). Great. Throw a great heap of parental guilt squarely onto my head.
Last week Thursday felt like Friday, and the real Friday felt like deja vu all over again. Today is Wednesday, and it feels like Tuesday for some strange reason. . . .
Conquered another continent, blog map-/flag-wise today. Peru, how cool is that?
Today was Micah's last day of ESY (extended school year) today. Yesterday his nap blanket came home, today the rest of the stuff from his cupboard was stuffed in a bag and sent home. And Micah got to see Dr. Bross for his pre-op check-up. The same day my assistant comes today to me to say that Micah's surgeon's office called to see if he had an appointment scheduled for his pre-op. Way to crawl up my backside. I sent my assistant back to the phone with a message that I had made an appointment on August 4th, which was canceled because Steve took the kids to the beach, so the appointment was made for TODAY. Circumstances beyond my control. . .and considering the level of detail on the form is "Breathing, yes or no? Yes? OK, you're cleared," I don't know why everyone's panties are getting into a knot.
I think Meghan went back to the parked call and told the caller that it was being handled, but without all the gory details.
Meanwhile Micah blew through his physical: he's in the 75th percentile for height now, and the 50th for weight (which is where he's been for the past two years). All that's needed now is blood work - got to go to Quest Diagnostics web site to schedule it. (Done. . .11 am, Saturday.)
If yesterday felt like Thursday, then today should have been Friday. I just want this week over and done with. And despite having a half day tomorrow, at 5 pm or so I will be on call through Monday at 8 am, and I have to work Saturday. Not fun. It's supposed to rain on Saturday, so everyone will be home contemplating their aches and pains rather than heading for the Shore.
Today I found out that one of Thea's best pals at school will be moving to Chicago in two weeks or so. Nuts. They're so cute together, they love Pokemon cards, knights (and running around with swords and shields), and just play so nicely together.
Micah is talking, talking, and cracking people up - today he came to the office andwhen I found him, he said "Hello, Daddy" knowing full well that he was being funny. Two days ago, he was sitting at my desk, drawing a picture and when Sarah asked him what he was drawing, he replied "Kitties." Except that he put a "T" at the front of the word and dropped the "K". So Sarah said, something to the effect of, "Oh, you're drawing a CAT." And he corrected her by saying, "No, I am NOT drawing a CAT, I am drawing KITTIES." Except with the T for K substitution, again. And more loudly than the first time, because she clearly didn't understand him, in his mind. He might have perfect diction by the time he reaches kindergarten or first grade, but he's not going to be living that one down for awhile.
My remote access into the electronic medical record system we use at work is not available. I am ready to spit nails, especially when I called the software company's help desk (which was ever so UN-helpful when I was trying to install the software on our previous home PC) and the twit on the other end of the line asked me in an ever so supercilious tone, "Did I know that your company's customer service hours ended three hours ago?" Well, no, since I am calling now looking for help, Duh, duh and double duh. I then had to call the office manager to find out if something or someone took the system down (Yes) and to confess that I smart-mouthed the help desk lady and when I said I didn't know that customer service hours were over three hours ago and that she was as useless as the software her company produces.
The weather didn't look too promising today: at noon the TV was sending out a severe thunder storm warning and tornado warning alert. And we had a date to visit a friend, one of those friends to love because they have a swimming pool and I have children who are part fish.
For once, rather than crumble and cancel, we decided to go forward despite the weather and make the hour drive to Monique's house. After having lunch, the weather was still overcast, but nothing else was going on so the kids suited up, we suited up and everyone was in the pool. It rained briefly after we were already wet, but otherwise the only tragedy was Micah's knocking over a really nice margarita as he was charging around the pool.
Thea can swim the width of Monique's pool on one breath and without floaties or other devicesYWCA have done some good. Micah was in a swim ring and was ready to stay in until he was completely waterlogged. And thanks to the pool's heater, no little blue-lipped child. When Thea came in to get dried off and changed, the first words out of her mouth were "this pool is AWESOME!"
My friend hasn't seen or heard Micah for quite a while, so it was nice to hear that she was impressed with his progress. Always nice to get comments like that.
Micah passed out in the car, and is still sleeping on the sofa. Thea's having a little dinner and then will be put to bed.
An interesting piece cribbed from a NY Times blogger:
http://kalman.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/30/can-do/?em
Too tired to write much, wrangled a large plastic toddler bed upstairs on my own, got the crib disassembled (after having a minor panic attack about where the tool was that takes out the eight screws that held the thing together until I remembered that once upon an August 2007 afternoon I was smart enough to put the ZipLoc bag with the tool and directions under the mattress; I remembered that it might be there just as I was falling asleep last night), then putting the room back together again so that Micah could try to sleep in his new bed tonight. Four containers of stuffed animals. Four LARGE containers of stuffed animals, A to Z, including a unicorn.
I realize that if Micah starts sleeping in his room again, I may gain reading in bed, but I'm going to loose the bathroom that's in his room, which has become the one room in the house that's almost all mine.
Oh well, there's an up-side and down-side to everything.
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