A day at Children's Hospital

Rhys has had reflux his whole life.  We put him on meds for it at about six months.  These days he's also, consistently, constipated.  We've doubled his prevacid to twice a day.  He still throws up in his mouth.  We've taken him in to the specialists at Children's, and they are running a battery of tests.

Yesterday we spent the afternoon there so he could get scoped through the esophagus, stomach and lower intestine, with biopsies taken along the way.

We arrived early, happily, as they called as we were getting signed in to let us know they could start two hours early if we could get there.  Rhys saw his best friend Trace in the lobby as Trace was leaving.  That made for two very happy little boys.

We got Rhys signed in and barely had to wait before we were taken back to the waiting room.  We had brought him his iPad so he just played games.  He didn't like the hospital clothes and he was afraid of the blood pressure cuff.  As we sat there he got scared but dug deep and found the courage to do what had to be done.

We were visited by the Dr, the anesthesiologist, her nurse, and two other nurses.  They finally sent in a lady to help Rhys understand what was happening.  She had a mask for him to try on and she showed him a bunch of pictures of another little boy who had a procedure.  He seemed better after that.

We walked back to the OR with him.  He had chosen strawberry for the flavor for his air.  They have a stick of "smell" that looks like chap stick.  They rub it around the inside of his mask.  He freaked when we got to the room but I was able to urge him forward and help him onto the bed.  He laid down and we held his iPad so he could keep playing while he fell asleep.

After that Tracy and I went and grabbed a bite to eat.  I hadn't eaten all day since he couldn't.  The food wasn't bad but we wolfed it down because the procedure was only supposed to take fifteen minutes.  Sure enough, a couple of minutes after we sat down in the waiting room, there was the Dr.

Rhys' pictures all looked good and normal.  No scarring and no damage visible.  We'll have to wait a week to find out the results of the biopsy.  This is good news but doesn't get us any closer to fixing his reflux issues.

We waited a few more minutes and they came to get us.  Rhys was doing fine, grumpy but tired.  Mostly he just slept until release.  His discharge nurse was the only unpleasant person we encountered there, so it was a double blessing to leave.

We told Rhys we would take him wherever he wanted to eat, since he hadn't gotten to eat anything since the night before.  He chose "the bean store", which is what he calls Las Delicias (Mexican) because that is where we get his favorite food, re-fried beans.  We had a nice little dinner, with Rhys eating guacamole and lamenting that he could not have salsa and hot sauce.

Following dinner we met Cousins at Target, as they had Owyn with them, and Rhys go a toy as a reward for being so good.

By the time we got home he was hungry again but we made him suck it up, as they had told us to make him take it easy.

Rhys was a trooper, as always, and made us very proud.  Now we'll just have to wait and see what the test results say, then on to the next step.

Rhys' first day of School - 2012

Today is Rhys' first day of second grade.  He's so excited he can hardly stand it.  As is now traditional, pictures of him standing out front.

He's actually much happier than he looks in this picture.

We'll take him over to the school soon, to drop him off.

Owyn's first day of school - 2012

Today is Owyn's first day of school; he is starting Kindergarten.   This is his third school year, having two years of preschool before this. This is the first year that I have been here for the first day of school for either boy.  Every other year I have been deployed.

He's not really grimacing in pain here.  The sun is just bright.

Cops & Robbers

We got a call from day care the other day.  Owyn's teacher wanted to know what we do in our off time.  "Why do you ask?" said Tracy.  Owyn was playing cops and robbers.  His plan was to rob a bank for beer money.

I'm unspeakably proud.

Happy Birthday Owyn!

Today our little Owyn is five years old.  Like all parents, I suspect, it is amazing to us that our baby is now five.  It really does seem like we just brought him home from the hospital.

Owyn is totally psyched for it to be his birthday.  Both boys were in bed with us at 0510 this morning.  Owyn was waiting in his room, right by the door, for Rhys to get up.  As soon as we heard Rhys' door, there was Owyn's and both boys were in bed with us.  I managed to doze a little bit until 0530, but then Finn started whining to go out.  I let the dogs out, and back in.  I turned on the light and Rhys and I sang "Happy Birthday" to Owyn, who just sat there with a giant grin on this face.

Owyn had a present bag waiting for him, on the kitchen table, this morning.  It had a new Scooby Doo movie in it as well as ten of the little Monster books, which both boys love for bed time stories.  He "just loves all my presents so much".  So that was a success.

Owyn got to have some chocolate donuts for breakfast, then off to school.  Tonight Mama will pick up Owyn and go to the party store to pick out his invitations.  He is inviting ten kids from "one school" and "two school" as well as the thirteen other friends and family kids who will be there.  Ouch.  Herding cats.  After the party store Mama and Owyn will go pick up pizza for dinner, because it's not a birthday without pizza.  Meanwhile, I'll pick up Rhys and we are going to go to the Lego store and get Owyn the rest of his presents.

This will be a good day for Owyn.

Story Time

Last night, as the boys were staying with their Aunty, they got to the bitter sweet moment in the evening when it is story time.  Bitter sweet because stories are, of course, awesome, but they also mean that it is bed time.  The boys were sitting with Aunty Karm, reading their new Scooby Doo story.  Much to Owyn's surprise, people other than his parents know how to read.  "Aunty Karmen, you really do know how to read".  That was a bit of much needed positive reinforcement, I'm sure.

Bathroom antics

Mama and I are spending the weekend at a nice hotel in the mountains.  Rhys and Owyn are staying with their Aunty, in the same town.  This morning, Owyn needed to poop.  He got into the bathroom and then realized that there might be a problem.  "Aunty Karmen?  Do you know how to wipe butts?"  Happily, Aunty Karm does, indeed know how to wipe a little boy butt.

Valentine's Day

Valentine's day is always something special for Tracy and I.  Our first one, many years ago now, was an idyllic weekend at a Bed & Breakfast in Williamsburg VA.  We have been apart for many of the Valentine's days since then.  We may have hit 50% together this year.  We usually don't go out to dinner on the day, too much stress with that.  We usually get some nice steaks and some seafood of some sort and make dinner and hang out.

This year we had the boys with us.  We got some steaks and scallops.  Tracy made green beans and I grilled the meat and seafood.  Owyn ate fruit and mac & cheese for dinner.  Rhys had beans and a tortilla and hot sauce, (his all time favorite meal).  It was cold and dark while I was grilling.  I was outside in my shorts and slippers and a polar fleece and hat.  I had a beer, because you have to have a beer when you are grilling.  Rhys and Owyn and Finn all insisted on being out there with me, though Owyn came to his senses fairly early and went back inside.

While we were out there Rhys needed to pee.  He did not want to go inside.  I wish I'd had the camera.  He was standing there on the patio, bare ass shining in the moonlight as he tried to write his name in the snow. 

Tracy was able to enjoy her dinner in peace.  At my end of the table Owyn and Rhys were glued to me, eating their way through my food.  Owyn discovered that scallops ARE for little boys.  He also liked the steak and both boys ate piles of green beans.  What I got to eat was pretty tasty.

After dinner we put the boys to bed and then Tracy and I sat in front of the fireplace and drank some port and ate chocolate covered strawberries.  Then Tracy headed off to bed with her (probable) case of strep throat.

It was a good night.