Getting Ear Tubes

Last Friday, Luke got tubes placed in his ears.  I was so glad he was able to have it done.  We have had 3 ear infections (4 if you count that the 3rd infection lasted a month!) each month since October.  That's an infection on Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas & mid-January (even during his ear-tube surgery!).  We've tried all kinds of treatments to get the ear infections to go away & stay away, but they never would.  Lots of antibiotics and one set of tubes later, we have hopefully had our last infection.  I felt so bad that Luke was constantly having to take meds & just wasn't his happy self on some days.  Some days he would just cry.  That was upsetting.

The surgery was last Friday, scheduled for 8 am.  We arrived at 6:45 am in our Sponge Bob pj's to the registration desk.  Luke hadn't had anything to eat since midnight (that in and of itself was traumatic!), but he did really good.  We got vitals & just hung out in the hour and fifteen minutes until surgery.  It was fun entertaining a very hungry child, let me just say ...

There was another young baby girl who was also in for ear tubes, but she was older than Luke, so Luke got to go first (I think due to fasting).  While in the waiting room, Luke & the little baby would peek at each other from below the privacy curtain ... it was so cute!  Luke would get down on his belly & stick his rump in the air & just smile at her.  She would giggle back.  Just adorable!  <3

We didn't go back to the OR with him.  A nurse took him back.  He didn't scream or cry when she took him back (odd, due to his "only mommy can touch me" phase he's been in for a few months now).  About 10 minutes later, we could hear him crying ... he was all done!  The nurses had told us before hand that babies don't take well to anesthesia wearing off.  Babies are usually unfamiliar with why they feel so "weird" that they cry and cry and cry.  And Luke did just that.  He was inconsolable for about 30-40 minutes.  It was frustrating & a little emotional to say the least.  For being the mom who can console Luke just by holding him, this time I couldn't do that.  Even with holding him & whispering to him & kissing him, I couldn't make it better.  Even a bottle wouldn't stop his cries.  He just didn't know what to do.  He would drink his bottle, then pull off & cry.  Then start drinking again, then pull off and cry.  The nurse who was monitoring him, I have to give credit to.  She must have seen how frustrated I was, as she kept reassuring me that this is normal ... he will be okay ... just do what you can.  I honestly can't imagine what mothers of children who endure major surgery feel like.  This was tough.

We left the outpatient surgical hospital by 10 am & went home.  Luke slept for about 4 hours, then was up about 2 pm.  He drank a bottle & was back to his rowdy self ... he smiled, posed for pictures & videos & then proceeded to climb all over the couch screeching & grinning.  I was so very glad to see him perk back up so quickly!

(Watching Dora on TV)

Now, a week later, we are back to being sick.  This time, not from ear infections (I hope), but from a virus from some of the day care kids (oh, the joy!).  It starts with a cough (which he presented on Thursday & for sure right after daycare on Friday) and then moves into a runny nose (all day today!) and a fever (we were up to 102.9 as of 1:30 am).  I like daycare for the sociability, but NOT for the communicable diseases that are spread like wildfire to all the kids!  I think everyone who has been at daycare has had this wonderful disease.  Ugh. Currently, Luke is down to 100.2 degrees, so hopefully the fever is going away, and the runny nose is too! 

In other news ... I believe I have finally finished Luke's room!  Yes ... only 9 months after Luke came home, I have put most of the finishing touches on his room (walls, mainly).  I will take some pictures & post them.  I realize I have yet to do this for my living room, which I painted a few months ago.  It is never "clean enough."  LOL