Our Fun Filled Day

Ok, get ready for a bunch of photos. I promised my sister I would send pictures daily so she could see what her kiddos are doing while they have fun at Auntie Joy's house. We did not lack for things to do today.

Learning our ABCs
Instead of "Where's Waldo?" Can you find the kids in this mess?
New toy from Saturday's yard sale. He LOVES it but rarely gets to play with it because everyone else won't leave it alone.
Caleb wasn't so sure about trumpet practice time.

The little ones feeding the baby. Too cute.
Caleb is Christmas shopping from the Fisher Price catalog.
Playing ABC Go Fish
Can't keep her out of the exersaucer.

Having fun hanging out with the kiddos.

Someone's tired
Back to sucking his thumb on his first arm restraint free day.
Tatiana having fun on the princess scooter.
Does this child belong to Charity or what? Super cleaning girl.

Caleb had so much fun pushing the bike in circles.

As you can see we had lots of fun today. Hope you are feeling much better Charity. Make sure you are resting as much as you can and taking care of yourself. We love you very much!!

Do You Hear What I Hear?

That is the sound of silence..... I have successfully gotten a 7 month old, almost 17 month old, almost 3 yr old, and two 4 year olds to sleep all at the same time!!! Pretty impressed with myself if I might say so. Not so sure how long this silence will last but I am going to enjoy every second of it.

Aiden's First Word

When we all sit down to dinner, Aiden sits in his highchair to be a part of the family dinner. He usually ends up staring out the window at the dogs. Tonight we were working on him saying "dog dog" and then we all heard it for the first time. Ignore the scary mommy voice on the video and use your imagination but he does say it a few times. More like 'og og' but he was saying it in reference to the dogs.

First Baby Cereal

Today was a big day for Aiden. We started him on rice cereal mixed with formula and apple juice. He really is growing up. Here is the adventure documented in pictures.

All clean and ready to go.
First bite. Not so sure what this new stuff is. Am I suppose to play with it or eat it?
Food starts coming out his nose. Other mommies of cleft affected kiddos: Is this normal after palate repair??
This is hard work, can't I just have a bottle.
It really starts draining out his nose. Cereal mixed with boogers - YUMMY!
Maybe it is easier to just lick it off the burpie.

Starting to really get the hang of it. This stuff is messy but pretty good after all.

All done? Just when it was getting good.

I really want more, please!!!! If I do a trick with my legs will you give me more?

I'll settle for a bottle to wash it all down.

We Don't Always Get Everything We Want

Well, we had Aiden's appointment with Dr. Martin today. We were hoping he would have the stints removed from his nose and be allowed to take his 'no nos' off. We got half of what we wanted. He did removed the stints, which Aiden did not like having done, more because of being held down then actual pain from the removal. He did not give clearance for the arm restraints to be removed. He would like to give it a few more days for the palate and gum line to heal. I would rather be safe then sorry as well so we will keep them on till next Monday. He can sleep in his own bed now - YEAH!! and actually already enjoyed a REALLY long nap in the comforts of his boppy.

He has also really improved on his eating and just took a 7 ounce bottle, the most he has ever done. He is allowed to have the nipple in his mouth now, but when I tried it he really did not like it. I think it is going to be a slow transition back to having it in there, so in the mean time we will continue our target practice with squirting it into his mouth while he moves around. We are also allowed to start baby foods. I am excited to feed him his first cereal, fruits and veggies. Not sure how excited he will be. Guess we will find out tomorrow.

And now for his close up. He had just woken up from his nap and was not too happy. Gotta love the bedhead and drool.

MAJOR Blowout - and I am NOT Talking Tires

I knew we were in trouble when I walked down the hallway and could already smell the stench. At first I thought, 'Did Alexis forget to flush or something?' But then it became clear what was going on as I entered my room to check on Aiden. The smell was SO overwhelming. "Do I wake a sleeping stinky baby? or do I let a stinky baby sleep?" Well, sleep it was since he had been up off and on all night and had woken up on the wrong side of MY bed (a habit that will be broken quickly once he is out of his car seat). I wasn't ready to face the smell and decided to buy myself a few more minutes to get the supplies ready that would be needed to take care of the diaper that was about to be changed. No amount of prep time would have prepared me for what I found. MAJOR blowout!! There comes a time in every mommy's life where they have to deal with at least one blowout per child. I consider myself lucky (?) that we made it to 7 months old before this happened since Alexis and Andrew both took care of that within weeks of their birth. New list of supplies taken out. Scratch the wet wipes and destine. This required the big guns: soap, water, and a washcloth. This kiddo LOVES bath time. Maybe he did it on purpose so he could get another bath?

I had debated this morning what he should wear. His cute "Girls get in line" shirt? or his "Little Stinker" shirt? I guess I chose the wrong one when I put the girls shirt on. He fixed that quickly with this blowout and is now wearing the shirt of his choice, this time really deserving the title of Little Stinker. (Taken right after bath time before arm restraints were put on. Can't wait to be done with those things tomorrow.)

Even Alexis couldn't handle the stink. "PHEW!!" This diaper did not pass go, did not collect $200, but instead went directly to the trash OUTSIDE. Sorry Mr. Trash guy tomorrow, I hope you are wearing a mask.
I am surprised the Haz Mat team wasn't called in by one of the neighbors it was that bad. Thank goodness for Lysol deodorizer spray.

Hoping everyone has a wonderful day with no more blowouts!

Dinner Guests :)

Last night we had our friends, Darren and Nicole, over for dinner and time to chat. We don't seem to be able to get together as often as we wish we could, but had a wonderful time having them at the house. The kids love to run around and entertain them (or drive us crazy? not sure on that one). Aiden was pretty clingy to me but once he found Nicole's earrings and cell phone that all changed. Thank you Nicole and Darren for the great night of fellowship and friendship.

On a different note - Dale was changing our 'little stinker' and chose to air him out since he has had a lot of stinkers and we are trying to prevent diaper rash (gotta love the effects of antibiotics and pain meds - YUCK). He was standing there watching t.v., with his "hunk" bib on backwards. Couldn't resist the picture. What a cute pooper!! Sure Daddy won't appreciate this post but I just couldn't help myself.

Resource Fair at School

Last night was the Resource Fair at the kids' school. Since I am an active part of the PTO, I was busy selling tickets and making sure things were taken care of. Dale was able to take care of Aiden during the evening and be my back-up man if I needed something. My adopted daughter, Katee (Thank you Jen for loaning her to me), came and watched Andrew and Alexis for me. She was an awesome helper and they all had a great time playing games, making pet rocks, having their faces painted, and eating snow cones and cotton candy (oh the sugar rush!).

I am sure many would ask, "Do you really have a son named Andrew? He is never featured in the blog pictures." Well, here is his debut, showing off his muscles, weighing in at a whoping 57 lbs and 9 yrs old..... ANDREW JAMES (camera shy guy)

Here is Alexis showing off her muscles. Watch out boys, she's strong.

Alexis and her buddy, Ms. Katee. Katee, thank you for all your help. I hope you had as wonderful a time as I know Alexis did.

All three crazy kiddos. After multiple snow cones and cotton candy this is the crazy face Alexis makes.

Hoping to win the raffle, but no such luck. Maybe next year.

Info Needed for Photo Link

Sorry, I didn't realize when I sent the link that you would need more information. The customer name is JOY HOWSE (all caps) and the Access Code is: LTPP0296109090JCP

Sorry for the confusion. Hope it works this time.

7 Month Pictures

SmilesByWire - View Portrait Images

Here is a quick link to Aiden's 7 month pictures. We had them taken 3 days early since he would be recovering from surgery on his actual 7 month day (Fri, Oct 3). When I got the email today the emotions all came flooding back to see his adorable smile. He is the same little boy but has changed in SO many ways and not just physically. He is going to be a little pony for Halloween this year. That is, if he doesn't out grow his costume before the 31st.

His eating: he is doing MUCH better. He has taken almost 8 ounces from me today so far and seems to be getting back on an every three hour schedule, gradually increasing his intake. He is back to having wet diapers pretty regularly and the multiple loose BMs have slowed down. He has transitioned down to regular tylenol and only requires it about every 8 hours or so. He has really made a turn around from a few days ago.

Let me know if you have any issues viewing the pictures and I can send you an email with the link and instructions. Have an awesome day.

Dale's Quitting His Day Job

Well, he isn't, but he should. I try all day long to get the ounces into Aiden and have minimal luck with 4 ounces ALL day (over 12 hour span). Dale comes home and from 6 pm till 8 pm (two short hours), he successfully gives him SIX ounces. I guess as long as someone is able to get it into him that is what counts, but it sure would be nice if he wouldn't fight me all day long.

He has been taking less pain medication today and at this point he is only getting it when he shows he needs it instead of every three hours around the clock. This provides for more awake hours which comes with mixed blessings. It is nice to have him more awake and playful, but that requires more holding time since he isn't able to get down on the ground or in his exer-saucer. He desperately wants to crawl around. He will be ALL over the place once the arm restraints are removed next Tues. Watch out world, here he comes.

WOO HOO!!!

I just got home from my PTO meeting and Dale, the stud that he is, told me that Aiden took THREE OUNCES of formula!!!! YEAH!!!! He still seemed hungry so I offered 2 more ounces and he took them to the very last drop. So, in the span of an hour and half he took 5 ounces. Maybe, just maybe he is back on track. The fever is still there slightly but I am hoping with him eating more that it will work out of his system faster. Thank you to everyone who has said their prayers and sent encouragement to us during this phase of our lives. Your support has really held us up during this difficult time.

Post-op Appointment Today

Today was Aiden's post-op appointment with his plastic surgeon, Dr. Martin. He didn't seem too concerned about his lack of fluid intake and told us to just keep giving him what he will take. Here is Nana feeding him his favorite food, a fudge bar.


Everyone can not get over how much he looks like his daddy. Dale's little mini-me.

His newest thing: sticking his tongue out ALL the time. Dr. Martin said that some kiddos do that after their palate repair because the kid feels like their tongue won't fit in their mouth since they are used to sticking it up in the palate. Aiden used to love to floss his nose with his tongue all the time, now he just leaves his tongue hanging out of his mouth. He will eventually figure out his tongue fits in there and stop sticking his tongue out at everyone he sees.

As we waited in the room Daddy was trying to keep him occupied. "Is that a doggy I have on my head?Once Dr. Martin came in it was no longer fun and games. This is a rare photo-op with Dr. Martin. He is a man of few words and really hard to pin down for a picture. Here he is examining Aiden's palate and says everything looks great. He took the blue stitches out of his upper lip and said that the stints and arm restraints will come off after his appointment next week.

Here is a close up of his new lip without the stitches. Notice the big crocodile tear on his cheek. It took Daisy (his nurse) holding his head still, Daddy holding his arms, and Mommy hold his legs to keep him still for Dr. Martin to take out the stitches. He is a VERY strong baby and has been since birth.

Aiden has spiked a small fever this afternoon that we will be keeping an eye on. He also has been having a lot of loose dirty diapers. Dr. Martin wants us to give him a call tomorrow if it persists but doesn't think there is a problem. Might just be from the pain meds and the antibiotics he has been on the past week.

We asked him if he thought the NAM did it's job and was worth all the work. He said there would have been no way they would have been able to do it all at the same time if he had not gone through all that work. The gum line and palate had moved enough to be closed, eliminating multiple surgeries. As far as surgeries in the future? There is nothing he will need structurally done, maybe just a lip or nose revision as he grows. This is a major praise. His orthodontist, Dr. Garcia, gets tears in her eyes everytime she sees him now. We went to visit her before the post-op appointment and she just gushed all over him, showing him off to everyone in the office. They could not get over how different he looks now. She did an awesome job with him and really loves him very much. Dr. Garcia and her assistant, Jose, even came and saw us during surgery and afterwards while we stayed in the hospital.

Where do we go from here? We will have a craniofacial appointment around his first birthday, where they will check his progress and then evaluate him for speech if there are issues. In the mean time we get to start him on baby food next week after the stints and arm restraints are gone.

Sorry for the long windedness and all the pictures. Lots to share today. Hope you all have a wonderful night and continue to pray that he steps up his fluid intake.

Not Much Has Changed

Aiden is still not eating very well at all. He is barely getting 8-10 ounces down in a 24 hour period. We have resorted to force feeding him now, which is heart wrenching to have to do. He hates having his chin held down while I force the fluid down his throat. This is about the only way we have been able to get him to take the few ounces he has taken in. He is only having 1 wet diaper a day and we are constantly looking for other signs that he is dehydrated. I can't hardly wait for tomorrow's appointment to go back to Dr. Martin to see what we can do to make him more comfortable and have the desire to eat. He is still very dependent on the pain medication in order to stay comfortable. One missed dose and he becomes very irritable and fussy. I know that this will not last forever but I really hope that we are close to the end of this chapter of recovery. So, the next time you sit down to eat, please say a pray that Aiden is also eating more.

4 Days Post-Op Pics

That's some crazy hair there Mr. Handsome.











Playing Peek-a-boo with Mommy


Ready for my close up.

I Think We Have Turned the Corner

After an awful night on Fri and a challenging day on Sat., I think we have finally turned the corner. He did MUCH better last night. He went to bed around 9:00 without much of a fuss and then woke around midnight for pain meds and even took about 2 ounces of formula. He then fussed around 3 but by the time I got the bottle and meds together he was back to sleep. I was wanting to wake him to give him the pain meds but instead let him sleep. He started to wake up again around 5:15 so I got him up, gave him the meds, and then he went on to drink another 2 ounces. This morning was more of the same. He really loved the fudge bar Dale and I gave him last night. I think it numbed his palate enough that he could then eat with minimal pain. My mom gave him some more fudge bar this morning since he seemed to be fighting to eat again. He loved it!! We will do what it takes to get him through this.

The swelling seems to have gone down some more and the stitches look great. No redness or swelling at the site. I am anxious to see what he will look like once those are taken out at his appointment on Tues.

Thanks you for the continued prayers and helpful comments with suggestions and words of encouragement. Darcy, I don't know what I would do without you. Knowing I can call and talk to someone who knows what this is all about has been a real lifesaver. Thanks!!

Well, I am off to join Aiden on a nap. I am not as exhausted today, just need to catch up on those hours lost. Hope everyone has a wonderful Sunday and I promise to post some pictures the next time. :)

At My Wits End

I no longer know what to do. He has been crying since 7 pm. and it is now past 2 am. He will calm down for a few minutes and act super tired and then start screaming again. He has been given 2 dosages of pain meds during that time, offered food multiple times, rocked, walkd, and sang to. You name it I have tried it. My mom finally took him at 12:30 so I could lay down, but by 1:30 I couldn't stand to hear him cry while I laid in bed. I just want to magically make the pain go away. It is not fair that he has to go through all of this and I just wish I knew what to do. Of course I have no idea who to even contact and I dont want to just take him to any doctor at the ER to evaluate him since it is such a specialty thing. I feel like such a crappy mom since I don't know what to do. I *know* in my head that I am not crappy but it sure feels that way right now. Lord, please help Aiden to sleep. Take away his pain and give him peace. Please help me to hold it together during this time.

Drink Baby, Drink!!!

Aiden has really slowed down on his fluid intake since he came home from the hospital. I am so worried that if he doesn't start making a drastic change we might end up back in the hospital. By 6 this morning he had only had less then 2 oz. total since he got home at 2 on Thurs. afternoon. He should be having 2+ oz. every 3 hours. He was up three times during the night but really only wanted to be cuddled and wouldn't take more then 5-10 DROPS of liquid. So frustrated. When Nana got up this morning she offered to feed him for me to give me a break. That little turkey took down 2 oz for her over the course of about 40 mins. I told her that she is my pinch hitter in the bottom of the 9th inning, down by 3 with bases loaded. She definietly hit a grand slam on that one. She has since gotten him to eat another 2 oz and I got him to eat 1 more. He does seem more interested in eating today then yesterday and last night. Please pray that he will start consumming a lot more so they don't want him back in the hospital.

He also spiked a small fever late last night into this morning at 100 degrees. It is back down to normal now but we just want to keep an eye out for infection. I am sure with the fever, the sore throat from the tubes down his throat during surgery, the stints up his nose and the fat sore lip and palate, who can blame the guy for not wanting to eat. Not to mention those darn arm restraints. What a trooper.

The swelling seems worse today which I know is normal. Just feel so bad for him to see him like that. My mom and were joking that he looks like he has a little mustache from the black stitches in his upper lip, almost like Charlie Chaplain. :) Gotta find the humor in it all.

He did show his personality for the first time when sister got home from school. She can really get him laughing and I had to stop her for fear that he would laugh and smile too much and start hurting more. We got to see his dimples for the first time in 48 hours. He really loves his sister very much and it was nice to see that part of him back again.

On a funny, interesting note. During one of our late night strolls around the living room, he was looking around, and during the silence of the night all of the sudden the A/C turned on. He startled and looked at me as if to say, "what was that?" It is amazing what he can hear now that the tubes have been placed in his ears. The things we take for granted in being able to hear the slightest sound of the a/c kicking on. Now if only I could keep the dogs from barking and the neighbors from mowing their lawns during nap time, not something I have had to worry about over the past 7 months till now. They startled him from his nap this morning and he couldn't figure out where the noises were coming from. Whole new learning experience has been opened up for him.

Thank you again for everyone's prayers and wonderful words of encouragement. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

The Much Anticipated Pictures

Ok, here are a few pictures that I have been promising (maybe a few more then a couple). We got home around 2:00 and have been trying to get settled in. He took a very short nap in his car seat in his crib but then wanted to be a part of the action. We are having to learn his cries all over again since the sound so different. Thank you to everyone for your thoughts, comments, words of encouragement, and prayers. Now on with the promised pictures.

On the way to the hospital, happy as can be. "What is this little glowing thing on my toe? Too cool!!"
So excited, has no clue what is about to happen.
Taking him to the OR, not a happy moment for Mom and Dad.
First picture out of the OR.
Can you say pain meds?

24 hours after surgery, already trying to smile.

On the Downhill of Recovery

Well, right after I posted the last blog at 2, they paged us to let us know that surgery was complete and he was being moved to recovery. It was about 2:45 or so when we got to see him. WOW! The shock, the disbelief. I MISS MY BABY'S CLEFT!! Never thought I would say that. He looks like a totally different kid. I know he is mine but it is going to take a while to get used to the new face.

He did great in the surgery and they were able to accomplish every thing they set out to do. They put in his ear tubes - no more trumpet playing for Andrew while Aiden sleeps since now he will be more sensitive to sounds. They were able to repair his nose and now he has stents in there for the next three weeks or so to help the nostrils keep there form. They also closed the lip, palate, AND gum line. It was a LONG surgery at almost 5 1/2 hours. He is still in a lot of pain and they just requested orders for him to be able to have Tylenol with Codine every 4 hours instead of having to wait 8 hours. He is resting comfortably in Daddy's arms and he is afraid to move in fear of him waking up again. It is going to be a long night but worth it all in the end.

I am sure there is more that I need to report but my brain is so foggy I can't really think to form sentences right now. Thank you to everyone for your many prayers and kind thoughts. Thank you Darcy from stopping by and helping calm my fears (and for the late night phone call last night). It is great to be able to talk to someone who has been there and knows what is going on. Sometimes I feel so clueless. I will post pictures tomorrow when we get home as I don't know what I am doing on this computer.

Longest Wait of my Life!

We got here this morning at 6:45 and they did their thing and then took him back for surgery at about 8:50. We just got an update at 2:00 that he is still in surgery and they are wrapping things up. This has taken longer then expected at 5 hours and 10 mins at this point. I am a nervous wreck and just want to see my baby.