Saturday, October 20, 2007

24 hours after surgery

Well, things are not much better today. Let's just say clothes are not an option at this point and still anything brushing against him is unbearable. He is afraid to use the toilet because it hurts so we continue to have issues.

Friday, October 19, 2007

Recovery update....

Sorry such a gap but it has been more complicated that we anticipated. The hernia needed a little more work and time so the overall process took longer. We are home and recovery is rough. He is really in pain over the circumcision which is opposite of what I expected. To compound things I have to travel out of state overnight on Tuesday. I am very distressed right now. He has pain meds but is still unable to tolerate anything against him. I think everyone knows what happens when a baby boy pees with no diaper on. We are supposed to apply an antibiotic twice a day - yeah right! We have our hands full and I think we will have for the next few days. The post-placement study is still scheduled for Sunday and I am completely stressed about that as well. He may just lay there with everything hanging out. More to come.

Surgery in progress!

We got Akins as prepared as we could. The hospital had provided a coloring book that showed all that would happen from the magic juice to calm him down, to putting the mask on with the puff of gas that will put him to sleep. Lorea sat down with him and read the whole book to him. We have been telling him that after he wakes up he will have a new belly button. He still seemed unsure of the whole deal and then last night he told me (it was not a question) "you will leave me there". I explained to him that he is my "goofy boy" and who would be my goofy boy if I left him there? This still did not pacify him. Finally, I got him to understand by explaining that he makes me laugh and who would make me laugh if I left him there. Keep in mind he has been left at least four times in his life. His mother left him, the lady who found him left him (unless she was his mother), The police officer left him twice at two different orphanages). So, from his perspective people leave him and they do not come back. He is certain this will be the case too.

We are at the hospital now. We got here this morning, he got his armband, a little panda bear that also got an armband that matched his and the magic juice that made him pretty high. We asked the doctor to give his panda bear a new belly button too and she said "I don't know how to do that" and she looked to my mother for help on that one. I said "that's a Grandma thing right"?

He went off to surgery at about 7:10am. Lorea, Mom and I wait.

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Home Two Months! Hard to beleive....

Let me first say that I am so incredibly thrilled that we have managed the first two months of being a family and yet truly saddened by the fact that no other children have come home yet. I wanted to be sure that everyone understands that I am still VERY aware that there are so many waiting. Here is what those families will have to look forward to in reflection of two months:

- Akins has met so many people and always welcomes them with open arms
- Akins has completed his first month of day care
- Akins has learned that chicken is the best thing put on this earth
- Akins English gets clearer and clearer everyday
- Akins has mastered riding a bike and scooter
- Akins has overcome many challenges with doctors
- Akins has learned to swim, swing and slide
- Akins has learned what so many things are the list is too enormous to even mention
- Akins has had a reunion with two of his best friends Abegail and Eman
- Akins has learned to sleep in his own bed most of the time
- Akins has learned he has two mommies and is actually starting to like it
- Akins has learned songs and enjoys a wide variety of music
- Akins mastered that darn car seat
- Akins has expressed a joy of freedom and does so often!
- Akins has learned to love animals for which he once was terrified
- Akins has developed a love of bath, shower and any other water activity
- Akins has experienced the feeling of being inside a car wash
- Akins continues to ask "Mommy what's this?" almost every day
- Akins celebrated his third birthday, including sharing and hitting a pinata'
- Akins is awaiting Halloween, surgery, our post-placement study and has begun to ask about Christmas.

Today I called Lorea on the way home and she said he is so funny. She was eating a shrimp scampi dish and he had said he wanted spaghetti so she was making it for him. He comes over and asks for a bite. She asks him if he is hungry, he answers no, then asks for another bite. She asks "are you hungry"?. He says "I'm helping you".

- Akins has learned that he is very funny!

Monday, October 15, 2007

Pre -Op Visit Goes Surprisingly Well

Akins started in with "I don't want to go to the doctor at lunch" and had a little anxiety as we pulled in to the parking lot of the hospital even though we have never been there before. I told him no shots. I was right and they actually did nothing too him at all so one point in the corner for doctor's today. Tonight at dinner he says "The doctor didn't shoot me". I guess to get shot you have to have someone shooting at you right?

Another funny scene - I am plagued with useless info in my head including things like old jingles from commercials, so I'm singing "a neat new spaghetti you can eat with a spoon...uh oh spaghetti-O's" over and over again (like it is in your head now) and Akins says "I want to swing" so I say "okay go ahead" he runs outside and a couple of seconds returns and says "Mommy, Mommy, uh oh spaghetti-O's.

Then the final one. Akins likes things spicy and refers to them as "pepa (pepper) hot". He also only ever wants chicken and periodically we try to sneak something else in on him. Lorea tried sneaking in some fish sticks in the place of chicken fingers for which he loves to dip in ranch dressing. She had made up a dip of tartar with some tapatio or tabasco in it. He said he wanted some in his sauce so she put it in his too. About half way through the meal he's complaining about the "pepa hot" and so she offers her dip to him, which is clearly much hotter and he makes the biggest frown and points at the two dipping dishes and says "pepa, pepa, pepa, pepa". Ya'can't trick the boy!