New entertainment

 Lately JHP has discovered temporary tattoos.  He'd gotten three for Valentine's day and recently used them all, asking for more.  So I found some more for him this week.  His new "ride" - Ramone of Cars fame.

 Something else I found this week:  a bubble cyclone.  All those bubbles brought him great joy (and silliness)!

The wind kept changing direction, which meant John kept changing direction, often running small circles through the bubbles.  There one thing I can say for sure about my son: if you start him running, he's likely to keep running.

-EBP-

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Lovely

The weather's been great this week after a tease of rain (seriously, just enough rain to wet the sidewalk) on Monday.  So we spent some time outside after dinner yesterday.  Since we all trekked outside, the boys thought it was time to water the plants.  It seems to me that I have lots of photos of John (of various sizes in this pose) watering the plants.

You can tell how dry it was by the evidence on his lip.  Even with a good wipe of the mouth, the milk mustache crept it's way outward.

One of John's new things to do out in the backyard is to dig in the dirt.  Last year when we got the side fence replaced, we moved the dirt from the post holes to the back edge of our foundation.  The dry/wet/dry of the last couple of years had taken it's toll on the dirt near the house.  So we backfilled and John got a new play area.  The grass might fill in this summer and regardless if it does or not, I won't complain when he is totally content to dig away.  No one sees this area and it needs to be "worked" a bit anyway.

John's taken to "calling" you when he wants to chat.  I don't remember what we were talking about, but we were "on the phone".  He learned how to "phone" from watching me in the car when Five Little Monkeys comes on.  "Momma called the doctor and the doctor said..."

The amaryllis popped open yesterday.  Monday it was closed.  Tuesday opened.  Man, it seems like just last week that I noticed the shoot coming up.  Last year, time moved more slowly or maybe the amaryllis did.  Of course, we've been much warmer earlier this year after those really cold snaps we had in Jan & Feb.  Maybe that's what did it!

Aside from his incisions and some tenderness in that area, JHP is back to normal.  His activity level is back after some slow down over the weekend.  This week has been whinier than I'd like.  Tonight he cried almost uncontrollably before dinner for apparently no reason. We are trying to teach him to control those emotions and get himself out of the pit.  Sometimes, this takes more intervention and distraction on our parts to lift him up.  Tonight we just tried our best to encourage him to stop crying and let us know if there was something we could help him with.  Eventually, dinner was enough to distract him out of the emotion.

"Crap!"  That's what I heard from the backseat this morning.  It was used in context, correctly, over some little frustration.  And Daddy heard it again tonight.  My firm response:  "Mommy shouldn't use that word and neither should you."  Daddy's response:  "If you use that word again, I'm gonna wash your mouth out with soap."  I then warned John that Daddy knows firsthand all about mouth washing and he should take the warning seriously.  What I didn't tell JHP was how Daddy knew so much about mouth washing.  (In case you don't know... JNP got his mouth washed out with soap when he was a kid for a similar offense.)

-EBP-

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Day Surgery

Early Friday morning, we made our way down to Texas Children's Hospital for John's outpatient surgery to repair is ectopic testicle and a hernia. We got there at 7am and there was plenty to keep John occupied. The waiting area was outfitted with lots of books, toys, game systems, and riding toys. John went from one to another like a little ping pong. He wasn't at all clingy and wasn't much interested in the Child Life specialist that came to talk with John about the surgery. There were too many distractions. The first time he showed any hesitation all was when they called his name to get his height/weight/vitals taken. Soon enough, though, he figured out the nurses thought he was cute and all was good.

We got called back into the next holding area for some further questioning. The nurse practitioner listened to John's heart and then we got John changed into his special hospital pajamas.

We waited here a long time, although it didn't seem to bother John. I think he as most bothered by having to share his cool little ride-on tractor with some of the other boys in the waiting room. My only complaint about the whole day was that the doctor's office had told me the surgery was scheduled for 900a, when in reality it was on the schedule for 930a. So we sat in this waiting room for almost an hour and a half. Then finally the doctor came to chat briefly and tell us his resident would bring us the paperwork to sign and that the anesthesiologist would be by, too. The both came about the same time. We asked our questions of the resident, signed the paperwork, and off he went, only to be brought back to mark the surgery site in permanent marker. THAT is what John's shown off in lieu of dropping his drawers to show off one of his incisions. And that was the second time he showed some hesitation during the process. Then we talked with the anesthesiologist, signed her paperwork, and walked with her, her trainee, and a nurse toward the doors while John rode a little red push car down the hall and into surgery. We stopped for hugs and kisses, but he was ready to move on with his entourage of attention, never looking back after he left us. Oh, to have been a fly on the wall...

Right at 40 minutes after he left us, the doctor walked into the lounge to share with us that all went well. His only comment was that the teste that was relocated is smaller than the other, but it looked to be in good condition. I guess I'll need to find out what the implications of that are at the follow-up appointment. Shortly after he left us, we were shown back into the recovery area. John was asleep on his gurney. Just a few minutes later he woke, a bit disoriented and ready to be held. He sucked down some apple juice and half a popsicle, managing to meet all the criteria for discharge in record time. But then he didn't want to go home. And he cried about it. A lot, which I suspect was a result of the anesthesia. He wanted to stay with the pretty blond nurse. He didn't want a ride in a wheelchair. So, I carried him all the way to the car, while he continued to cry. We were in the van by noon-ish and home by 1230p. Surprisingly, John didn't fall asleep in the car, although he was quiet.

Once home, I deposited him on the couch to watch some TV and eat some saltines. I moved him to his bed about 230p and he went down for his nap without much comment at all. Then I did that same. I was really beat and since I've been battling the runny nose, etc. all week, I felt it was a good opportunity to rest as well. Daddy ran the errand of getting the pain meds for John. And my lovely friend Jennifer had brought us a wonderful home cooked meal for supper that night. So I had no obligation except to my pillow!

We've kept it low key this weekend, mostly hanging around the house. We did go out to dinner last night and we went to church today. John's moving pretty well. He's still walking funny at times, tiptoeing around the house. I suspect that it's a result of the glue they used to close the large incision. Maybe it's pulling a little. John couldn't bathe until tonight. While he hadn't played too hard, a couple of days of light sweating during his sleep began to build into an aroma that I didn't find too pleasant. He's old enough to try to con you. He keeps asking to be carried "because my incision hurts" or to ask for his pain meds for the same reason, when it's most obvious that he hasn't been in that much pain. We've always suspected he has a high pain threshold. I think being a little uncomfortable will keep him from doing something silly to damage the incision.

I should note that the first three photos were shot with my cell phone camera. Guess who left the point and shoot at home? I was pretty unhappy when I realized that. Such an occasion and I left a decent camera at home! Next time I'll pack it the night before! Like I did everything else this time around...

-EBP-

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