Well....

I would like to update you on how things in the Complex Airway Unit at Cincinnati Children's Hospital are, but I don't know how they are. M2 isn't there.

I would like to tell you he is at home in his bed sleeping comfortably but he's not there either.

He is however at home, running around the living room like a crazy little boy, playing with all his new toys while watching Noggin and eating fish crackers and drinking milk!!

I guess that means he has recovered from surgery?!?!?

We got home around 3pm M does seem to be doing just fine. He is on modified liquids but is allowed to have any types of solids. He goes back to Cincinnati on Sept 30 for his follow up.

Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers. So far so good

A New Airway

Things here in the Complex Airway Unit at Cincinnati Children's have finally calmed down and M2 is finally asleep. Finally!!

After a 2 hour car ride M2's surgery was pushed back over an hour because the surgeon was tied up. M2 held up well with no food or drink and went into surgery in pretty good spirits. His surgery took about 3 hours and he was in the recovery room for over 2 hours. He did struggle while in the PACU (recovery), I have to admit, I was a little scared. They just couldn't get him to stabilize He had a very hard time coming out of the anesthesia and couldn't keep his pulse ox up.

He was transferred straight to a 'floor room' with no ICU stops and was never on a ventilator. He was on oxygen for a little while but it was at a very low percentage and he was weened off that over night. All very good things.

He did eat some pudding overnight and did keep that down but so far is not really interested in eating too much. Although that is strange for him (he IS an eater) I'm sure he has a VERY sore throat and just isn't interested in making it feel worse. All in all he is doing very well, the doctors and the nurses are all very impressed with him. The surgery appears to have worked although we won't know for sure until everything has healed and tests are run in 6 weeks.

M2 certainly has a NEW airway.

But all in all, I think he did very well, and will be just fine. As always M2 has proven that he is a strong little boy and can get through anything. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. We appreciate all the support.

It's Surgery Day!!

This is a scheduled post.
Well the day is finally here. Surgery Day. 1 day shy of exactly 17 months old and M2 is having surgery. He’s had several surgeries, we’ve done this before, we know the drill.

But this surgery is different from all others. This isn’t the surgery that he was taken to the OR from the NICU and back, this isn’t outpatient surgery either. This is the BIG surgery. The check in and stay awhile surgery. Today, August 19th, my Precious Little Sweetie gets a NEW AIRWAY! We’ve been waiting for this day for a long time.
When M2 was first born we were given hope that although he was born with vocal cord paralysis, he might grow out of it quickly. When he was 5 weeks old we were told he wasn’t growing out of it as fast as the drs thought he would and that we should have the trach surgery and go home to live a ‘normal’ life. We were told that as he grew his vocal cords might start working and he would be just fine. But he needed a trach to leave the hospital.


In December of 2008, when he was just 9 months old, those hopes were dashed and we were told there was nothing the drs could do, his cords just weren’t moving and he would live with a trach his whole life.
In March of 2009, just 2 weeks before his first birthday, we found a new surgeon at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital who told us he could perform a surgery so that M2 could have his trach removed. We were told that he might lose part of his voice, and he might get winded easily, and he might have to have some speech and occupational therapy as a result of the surgery but the trach would be out. But he was too young for the surgery. This dr wanted to see him back when he was 16 months old.
On July 20, when M2 was exactly 16 months old we went back to Cincinnati. M2 was old enough, healthy enough, big enough and strong enough. Surgery was scheduled for today, Aug 19. 8 years and 1 day after Hubby and I were married, 1 day before M2 turns 17 months old. Today is the day that changes everything, not only for M2 but for our entire family.

As you can see M2 is the happiest baby in the world. He’s my little lover. He hugs and kisses everything. He smiles and waves and blows kisses at everyone he sees. He lets his Mommy (he can say Mama, ‘around’ his trach by the way) cuddle him and hug him and kiss him constantly. If he walks past me and I’m doing something he almost always stops and hugs my leg quickly and then moves on. He makes me a better Mommy.

There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t remember the time he spent in the NICU, or the PCIU, or all the procedures he’s gone through, or that terrifying ride in the squad. All of those memories flood my mind everyday. And everyday I am brought to tears to think about how my sweet little baby has spent the last 17 months of his life. And then I realize that he doesn’t know, or care about any of these things, all he cares about is that he is loved. And he is. More than I ever thought it possible to love someone. M2 brings joy and laughter and smiles to our loves daily. I could sit and watch him dance for hours. I love to watch him eat. He has the cutest mannerisms I’ve ever seen. And no matter what he’s doing he is laughing or smiling. And those smiles carry over to everyone that sees him. He just has that effect on people.

He loves to play in the bathtub, and the sand box. Stuffed animals and pull toys are his favorite things to play with. He sleeps with 3-4 stuffed animals every night. He carries them around with him and hugs them constantly. He is way too attached to his pacifier, he takes it out to eat or drink and then puts it right back in.

He loves to ride on his rocking horse and his bull dozer ride-on. He thinks his brother’s toy kitchen is one of the best toys on the planet, and he loves all of our pets. And he LIVES in his crocs.

So today, ‘My Little Sweetie’, my little M2; with the name bigger than he is, gets a new airway. I will be the Mommy sitting in the waiting room, a nervous wreck during this 3 hour surgery, and then I will be the Mommy sitting in the rocking chair cuddling her baby with the new airway.
Please keep my Little Sweetie in your thoughts today, this is going to be a pretty big surgery. I can't wait for this to all be over and for that trach to COME OUT!

Wedded Bliss

8 years ago today I married my sole mate. He is the male version of me (although maybe just a little more laid back)!! Hubby and I have the exact same political, social, educational, religious and child rearing views. We agree on (almost) everything. I can't think of anyone else I would rather spend my life with!!
Hubby and I dated for 1 year before he asked me to marry him. He was traditional, he asked my Dad first. My Dad gave Hubby his blessing but said we had to both finish college first and have jobs before we could get married. And we couldn't live together until after the wedding! So that started what would end up being a 2 year engagement.

I had no idea he was going to propose!! I was shocked, I actually thought he was going to break up with me, not propose.

I loved everything about our wedding. I loved my dress, the flowers, the bridesmaid dresses, the food, the reception, the cake the invitations, everything was absolutely perfect. I don't think I would have changed a single thing.

This is Hubby's car, he LOVES that car. We still have it, it sits in the garage on a car lift with no tags and no insurance. I couldn't even tell you when he drove it last!!

Me and my bridesmaids....

My perfect cake...

Our Pastor giving us a blessing and a prayer. My Dad, myself and both of the M's have been baptized by him. I was confirmed by him in 8th grade, my parents were also confirmed by him, and Hubby was confirmed as an adult by him. He is still our Pastor today. As a matter of fact, he just called the house a couple hours ago to ask about M2!

I had to dig through the wedding album and scan these pictures in!! Do you believe that this was before digital???

Can't wait to give Hubby his present and spend a dinner together!!

Keep talking....

As I was walking out of M1's room last night after tucking him into bed he stops me and we have this convo:

M1: Hey Mommy
Me: Yea buddy?
M1: Megan and I are going to send each other postcards.
Me: What?
M1: We are going to send each other postcards.
Me: Ok (anything to shut him up and get him to sleep)
M1: Can you help me with them tomorrow?
Me: Sure, Buddy.

So Megan is the little girl that lives 4 houses down from us. Her parents and Hubby and I all went to school together. Her and M1 are in the same preschool class, and we pretty much see them on a daily basis. Therefore I see no reason for them to need to send each other postcards. Sometimes I wonder where he gets this stuff.

For more "The Kids Said What" visit Cammie.

Dear Nightly News Editor...

If you could make the nightly news more 'family friendly' that would be great. By family friendly I really mean three year old friendly.

You see I like to have the news on so I can listen while making dinner; usually it’s a fight to turn the channel to the news, because the news is on at the same time as Max & Ruby. And let’s face it at 6 at night after working all day and coming home to have to make dinner and work around the house all night the whole Nightly News vs. Max & Ruby is a fight I usually either don’t feel like having or don’t win. I did however win the fight last night and flipped on the News.

Last night’s news was not family/three year old friendly. I had a lot of questions to answer and I spent more time answering those questions then what I spent watching the news.

So here are some examples to better the news:

Yesterday a plane and a helicopter c-r-a-s-h-e-d over the Hudson River, everyone was k-i-l-l-e-d…..

Today was one of the d-e-a-d-l-y-e-s-t days in Iraq. Over 100 Iraqi civilians were k-i-l-l-e-d during Iraqi v-i-o-l-e-n-c-e…..

Thanks for your attention to this matter
~Mommy of M’s

What NOT to do...

The things children with trachs should not do.

1. Do not bath in a bath tub, or with other children.

Check

2. Do not where clothes that cover the trach such as, turtlenecks, button up shirts, or ties.

Check

3. Do not play in the sand, beach or sandbox.

Check

4. Do not where plastic bibs or bibs that can cover the trach and airway.

Check

5. Avoid fuzzy or stuffed toys, as well as blankets.

(yes, I know, he is too old to have a bottle, I agree, but it makes him happy. He only has it at night, and I don't want to take it from him completely until after his surgery, b/c they will give him a bottle at the hospital)

Check

6. Avoid animals with fine hair or that shed excessively.

Check

7. No contact sports or rough-housing.

Check

8. No swimming.

Yep, It's confirmed, I am so up for mother of the year!

***Please keep in mind that M2 was in NO danger at all during these activities. The swimming, baths and sand are the things we have to be the most careful of. He wears a cloth bib over his trach when in the sand box, and he is only allowed in it if an adult is sitting right there. Also he is not allowed in the sandbox if anyone else besides his brother is in it. Same rules go with the pool and bath time. Plus in the pool and bath he sits in the baby bath seat. The drs told us to keep our lives as normal as possible and that is exactly what we do, and all of these things are normal activities for our family!!!***

He Said What?

Last night I decided to take M1 to 'to store' to get his 'Big Boy Packpack' for preschool. He of course choose 'Light Queen'. As we were leaving 'to store' I ask M1 what he wants for dinner. He replies with "Well... we could go somewhere" Ok, where do you want to go, I ask. He points to Taco Bell and says "We could go to that Ringy Dingy place" If I hadn't of seen him pointing at the Taco Bell sign with the bell ringing I never would have known what he was talking about! It was all I could do to not laugh at him! I tell him he doesn't like the food there, he insists that he does in fact like the food at the 'Ringy Dingy place'.

After some discussion he decided on the 'Place with the lellow sign'. As we are sitting in the McDonald's drive thru waiting to order he repeats multiple times that I need to let him order. I told him I could handle it and order Happy Meals for he and M2. However his window was down and after I got my total, he screams "And don't forget 'to toy'!"

That kid cracks me up! For more "The Kids Said What" visit Cammie.

Baby Quilt

As I mentioned here, I had a lot of projects going on the last couple weeks. Here is the baby quilt I had been working on.
I think it turned out pretty good. I really like the colors and prints.

I did this as a rag quilt, I just really like the way the 'raginess' (is that a word??) looks! The baby girl's room is done in fairies so I picked this fabric since the critters are winged!

I delivered it to the new parents Sunday night, they didn't say to much but I think they were kind of surprised by the gift. I do however think they liked it, at least I hope they did!!

They are our next door neighbors, but we have only lived there about 1.5 yrs. Their other child is a little boy, about 6 months younger than M1. The boys are friends and have been to each others b-day parties. Hubby and I really like them, we just haven't had time to become close friends with them yet.

Now if I could just finish the other bazillion projects I am in the middle of that would be great!