Patrick

Patrick has been such a trooper through all that has been going on with Calvin. He seems to understand and has been so great about us being away. Today, he spent a lot of time playing while sitting in my lap - catching up on Mommy time (I didn't mind a bit!). He is growing and maturing daily. I have to brag on him - he is off the charts on height! We might have a basketball player - well, football if his dad has anything to say about it. :)

He desperately needs a haircut but I kind of like the long look. His hair is gorgeous - thick and dark. I took this photo tonight and love the serious expression with the killer eyes. Patrick is just a delight; he is trusting and sweet and brave.

Keeping My Word :)

Well, it's getting late and I promised a post so here is a short one. On a side note, this is our 200th post on this blog (we are a couple posts away from 350 between the two blogs!).

We went back to Chicago on Sunday and Calvin spent the night in the hospital (with me) so he would be ready for surgery. He didn't have the best night - I think he had a bad dream a couple of hours after going to bed and then was very disoriented. He knew who I was and clung to me but it took me about 30 minutes to get him calmed down and another 30 minutes to get him sufficiently relaxed to go back to bed. I had a terrible night - more on that another day. :)

Our surgeon came to talk to us around 6:50 - he has just been fantastic to work with! Calvin woke up, so our day started then. :) He was taken to pre-op area around 8a.m. and we had to entertain him there until 9:20 - not an easy assignment. He was out of recovery by 10:30 and very mad! We expected this - it only lasted about a half hour. The surgeon removed the stitches, put one new stitch (dissolvable) in the area we had noticed, put arm restraints on, and inserted a nose retainer to help the cartilage form. Calvin has already blown the nose retainer out and we are not optimistic about being able to use it at all (usually this surgery is done when children are much younger so the nose thing is not a big deal). :)

We headed home around 12:45 and we couldn't even tell that Calvin had been in surgery. He was angry that we were leaving the hospital - he wanted to stay and play and watch the fish. We, however, were ready to be home. :) Calvin looks great and is doing better each day. I'm posting a couple of new pictures; the first is from yesterday and the 2nd is from today. I see changes every day!

Quick

We are home and well. I'll write more tomorrow.

Prayer & Yogurt

Today has been pretty good - we are so happy to have Andrew home. It's been very low-key. Calvin is lessening his pain meds which is good since he can't have them much tomorrow due to the surgery Monday.

We do have a call into the Dr. because it looks like his lip has separated a bit on the actual lip. It is not bleeding and he is not complaining about it. I'm guessing that they will just have to re-stitch on Monday but who knows. Please pray that it will not be anything serious. [Side Note: My sweet son is lying on my arm and watching Hop on Pop right now.]

Yogurt is Calvin's favorite thing and he is eating a lot of it! We've been using the Go-Gurt tubes because we can squirt them in his mouth like a syringe. This evening he ate 3 1/2 tubes (we couldn't say no - he has little pleasure in eating these days). He also ate chicken soup for those of you that are worried that yogurt is all we give him. :)

We head back to Chicago tomorrow. This week has gone fast! Calvin and I will spend the night in the hospital tomorrow night and he will have whatever needs done on Monday morning.

Calvin: After Surgery Pictures

Post-Surgery Pictures

Here are some pictures from today. Don't you just love his matching outfit? :) He picked the swim trunks to wear with his shirt and I obliged. He seems to be feeling pretty good - we've taken him off the prescription pain medication and are just using Tylenol & Ibuprofen. We'll see how it goes - so far so good. :)

Visiting Great-Granpda & Grandma C.

We picked up Patrick last Friday (after Calvin's appt.) at my grandparents' house in Rensselaer. It took us 4 hours to make the 2 hour trip due to Chicago traffic but it was totally worth is when we finally arrived! My grandma made a wonderful meal and it was just really nice to see them. My parents brought Patrick up after moving Margaret into Purdue. The boys had an awesome time playing and being caught in the "Grandpa-trap."

Calvin & Grandpa

Patrick, Nana, & Grandma

Patrick & Grandpa


3 generations - the boys, Nana & Papa, Great-Grandpa & Grandma C.

We're Getting There!

Today, I feel like there is light at the end of the tunnel! This may having something to do with having a couple hours off last night (thanks to my hubby) and getting a decent night's sleep. :) We decided to try having Calvin sleep in the pack 'n play in our room last night and it worked very well. We had to wake him up for medicine at about 3a. and he woke up again about 5:45a. but then slept until 9:20a.! He is napping now - actually both boys are which is really nice!

Calvin's appetite has increased - he even ate 7 or 8 oz. of soup for lunch (thanks, Jennie!). He brought me goldfish crackers he found and wanted to eat but was totally okay when I told him he couldn't have them, yet - he even put them away. He has been laughing and smiling so much that I've been afraid he'll split his lip wide open. :) He still has at least one dimple - I'm so glad!

I have been amazed at Calvin's good attitude and patience. He has been a great patient overall and has been steadily improving with the things he doesn't like (i.e. taking medicine).

We are looking forward to being home all together tomorrow. It's been awhile...

Movies & Sleep

Well, we are going to have to wean the boys off videos after all of this is over! Calvin's favorites are Thomas the Tank Engine and Shrek. We must have watched Thomas 8 or 9 times in the PICU - basically most of the night. Movies have been lifesavers for us - keeps Calvin distracted from pain, from rough play, and from not being being able to eat everything. I'll admit that I'm getting a bit tired of repeating the same movies. :)

Calvin will also have to adjust to not sleeping with us. He has slept with one of us constantly so we can monitor him and keep him from injuring himself in his sleep. I'm hoping to try a soft side pack 'n play in our room tonight or tomorrow.

He ate 3 tubes of yogurt this afternoon! We are going to try soup tonight. He also took a longer nap today which was great! He is starting to tolerate his medicines a little better and allowed me to clean the surgical area more thoroughly this afternoon. Hopefully he will keep up the improvements.

I'm working on catching up pictures on the boys' blog so feel free to check them out.

Pre-Op Appointment

We went to Chicago on Friday for Calvin's pre-op appointments. He was charming and overall fairly patient as we waited for the various people to come in. They do such a great job at the hospital of keeping things moving and making it as fun as possible for the kids.

Saying bye-bye to Nana before leaving Indy.

Calvin & Colleen (the scheduler) - she brought him stickers, a frog, and a beanie spider to play with while he waited.

Hanging around the room.

Being entertained by Daddy.

On our way to see Patrick after a long day. He was given the dog by one of the nurses - Ike has officially replaced Tiger.

Post-Placement Report

We had our 1-year post-placement report last Thursday with our social worker. These are the pictures we provided for Kazakhstan to see how the boys are doing. It was hard to narrow it down - they have changed so much!

State Fair

I'm still trying to catch up on pictures. :) We went to the Indiana State Fair last week. The boys enjoyed corn dogs - Calvin ate the outside and Patrick ate the inside. We had their caricatures done. They saw many animals - Calvin loved petting them and Patrick just watched from a distance. They both LOVED the daily parade! Here a few pictures of our evening.

Being silly while waiting for their grilled cheese and milk. :)

The highlight of Calvin's trip to the state fair!

Seeing cows.

Watching an airplane!


All of us after a fun night at the fair!

More of an Update

Calvin is finally asleep. You would think after going through surgery he would sleep extra but no. :) He napped for only an hour this afternoon and finally went to sleep at 10:30 tonight.

We continue to struggle with getting him to take his medicine. This is a little unusual for him but the pain medication is pretty awful smelling so I'm guessing it must taste horrible! He is doing much better about eating and drinking. He has had some yogurt and applesauce and has had milk, pedia-sure, juice, gatorade, and water. We are so thankful that he is staying hydrated.

Calvin is pretty much himself - silly, funny, and loving. He looks the same from the eyes up but from the nose down he looks quite different. His voice is completely different and it's a little weird to hear it coming from him but it's absolutely adorable! I'm sure his voice will be permanently changed but I'm not sure if this is the final version. :) I can already hear a difference in the way he says words.

I'm not sure how long the swelling will last. He also injured his eye last Friday and it makes his face look pretty beat up. :) Boys! I'm a crazy mom trying to prevent him from injuring himself post-surgery.

We will be going back to Chicago on Sunday. He will stay overnight in the hospital and then will be put under anesthesia to remove the stitches (they consider this surgery). I think his casts will also be removed then. He will remain on the liquid diet for another week or so.

Thanks for your continued prayers. Caring for Calvin is a full-time job. We are so thankful for some meals being provided! I'm not able to cook unless someone is with Calvin the whole time so basically, I haven't been able to cook at all. We are also trying to avoid eating in front of him so we are eating in shifts. Poor guy!

Patrick probably has the hardest time. He just doesn't understand why we are so busy with Calvin. This morning, I took him out to breakfast, to the park, to the library, and to pick out balloons while Andrew stayed home with Calvin. We had a great time! He is just very clingy. We are trying so hard to spend time with him and help him feel important and loved! He's being a trooper!

*The first picture was taken right after surgery and the 2nd one was taken today (he is much more swollen now then he was on Monday).

Home

We are home. We came home a day early. Calvin is doing pretty well. We are having some trouble getting him to drink enough and to eat. He can only have things through a syringe or out of a regular cup (normally this would be a novelty but now all he wants is his comfortable sippy cup). Please pray for pain management, medicine (he gets very mad when we make him take medicine), fluid intake, and wound care. I'll post a picture and hopefully update again later - he is swollen but looks great! I'm going to rest now - little sleep for about 5 days is taking it's toll.

2 Favorite Pictures of Late

Are they not the cutest?!!! (Not that I'm partial or anything...) :)

You can read some news about our trip on our other blog.

Our Vacation in Pictures

Here are pictures of our vacation. We went to McCormick's Creek and camped for a few days. We met up with my family which was a lot of fun! The boys were spoiled with all the attention.

Sporting Mommy's sunglasses.

Too cool to smile with Daddy's shades.

After shopping. :)

Also after shopping.

Calvin, the waterbug.

Patrick, an even bigger waterbug!

Hanging out at camp with Papa.

Checking to see if Mommy is still sleeping. :)

"Helping" Uncle Luke with his contacts.

Daddy sleeping. :)

Loving no shirt!

It was so hot but we went to the pool every day to cool off. Camping with kids is a lot of work. They had a great time, though!