Surgery to Put Tubes in the Boys' Ears

Friday was the day we've all been waiting for for months now--the day the boys got the tubes placed in their ears.  April 5th couldn't come fast enough for the past few weeks...

Thursday, I was at work, nervous that the daycare would call me with the news that the boys were sick and/or had fevers.  They will do the surgery if the child has an ear infection--they simply drain the ear and put the tubes in anyway--but they will not perform the surgery if the child has a significant cold or a fever because of the anesthesia.  My phone rang around 10AM, and it was the daycare.  It turns out, Sebastian tripped over a chair and into a table.  He hit his chin on the corner of the table and spit it open a bit.  They told me that they washed it and put neosporin and a bandaid on it, but that it was still bleeding and that they thought I should know so that I could make up my mind if I wanted to take him to the doctor or wait and see.  And, to top it off, Sebastian had a temperature of 100-something (don't remember what) and Adrian was 99-something.  I called the pediatrician and they told me to bring Sebastian in to check his chin and to bring Adrian in too if I wanted and they'd also check boy boys' ears.

Of course, I had a super busy day at work on Thursday because of the fact I was going to be out on Friday for the surgery.  I had meetings and class literally all day.  I canceled a meeting and a class and took an 11:15 appointment with the pediatrician.  I was hoping to be back at work for my 1:20 meeting.  Luckily the pediatrician didn't make us wait to long.  Usually with this new guy we wait a loooong time.  I like him, but I miss my old pediatrician who NEVER made us wait more than 5 minutes--not even once.  It turned out that Sebastian's chin was ok--it didn't need stitches or one of those fancy band-aids that closes up the wound.  And the doctor took a look at their ears, too, to see if that was what was elevating their temperature.  He said that their ears looked better than he'd ever seen them.  So I guess that 10-day course of Cefdinir worked.  I'm glad the diarrhea and discomfort the boys had to endure was at least justified in that the antibiotic got rid of the infection!

Both boys had meltdowns as I tried to dress them and get them out of the pediatrician's office.  When I left the little room, one of the nurses said, "It happens all the time!"  I was so embarrassed.  I felt like saying, "Yeah, well not to me!!"  We got out of there and went home as fast as possible.  I fed the boys and waited for my mom who was going to stay with them while they napped until Carlos got home at 2 so that I could go back to work.  I made it to my meeting 5 minutes late, but it was all ok.  Phew!

The next morning, my mom came to the house at 6AM and we left for the hospital around 6:30.  The surgery was being performed at Brockton Hospital which, in my opinion, has got to be one of the sorriest places I've ever been.  Thank God it was just tubes in their ears because if I needed anything more serious done to the boys, you can bet I would have done everything in my power to get an appointment at Children's in Boston or Waltham.  It's like the Ritz there compared to Brockton.   Anyway, the boys couldn't eat or drink anything from midnight Thursday night until their surgery at 8:30AM Friday.  I'm not sure why they asked us to get there at 7AM to register, but we did.  And we waited and waited. They finally escorted us and a bunch of other people up to the surgical ward (or whatever you call it).  They had two bays next to each other for the boys and they had little kid johnnys and fuzzy white Signature Healthcare bears for each boy.  There was no one around when they dropped us off at the bays...we waited a few minutes and then a bunch of nurses came over to us.  I don't think I've ever met a nurse I didn't like, and after my experience on bedrest and with the NICU, well, let's just say I truly believe they are angels.

Our main nurse before the surgery was a nice woman who said she had worked there for over 30 years.  God bless her--I was there a little over 4 hours, and I couldn't wait to get out of that depressing place.  Carlos immediately started winning over the nurses with his good looks and sparkling personality, and they loved the boys.  They kept asking everyone who came in the room, "Did you see the twins??  They're so cute!"  We were instructed to undress the boys and put them in their little hospital gowns.  They had socks that were so big they looked like flippers (they had rubber treads on the bottom).

Adrian holding his mask.  

Thumper kept Sebastian company in the waiting room

 Next to us there was a waiting room with a TV, toys, and some chairs so the boys had some things to do.  But mostly we held them the whole time because we didn't want them running loose all over the room wreaking havoc.  But they were so damn good.  I don't think I ever expected those boys would behave so well under the circumstances.  They were excellent.  They didn't cry or fuss and they just played, watched TV, and cuddled with us.

I think this is Adrian??

Around 8:30 we all started getting antsy.  The boys continued to behave, but we were all wondering what the delay was.  Sebastian fell asleep on Carlos's shoulder.  I tried, but failed, to get Adrian to sleep.

Turns out the doctor had to perform some sort of "emergency" procedure, and we got bumped.  The boys were supposed to be the first surgery of the day for the doctor, but it was 9:30 before they took Sebastian in.  Carlos suited up in his big white marshmallow man outfit and the blue cap for his head and booties for his shoes.  And off they went, with Sebastian still asleep in his Papi's arms.  I don't have more photos because we realized after taking about 10 pictures that camera and cell phone use was prohibited--probably so you don't catch someone else in their hospital gown!  Oops! 

We were allowed in the operating room to help as the anesthesiologist put the boys under.  Carlos was back where Adrian and I and my mother were waiting in about 2 minutes.  He said Sebastian stirred a little when they transferred him from Carlos's arms to the operating table, but he essentially never knew what hit him.  They worked on Sebastian, and in about 10 minutes they took Carlos into the recovery room so he'd be there when Sebastian woke.  Then they brought me in with Adrian.  He actually started to cry in the operating room.  Just a little--like he knew something was up.  I tried to act interested in all the things in the room so he'd be distracted by looking at them.  But then I had to put him on the table and hold his arms down as they basically smothered him with the mask.  They told me to talk or sing to him, and I broke down for a second as I sang "kookaburra" to him.  I wasn't actually that nervous about the surgery or the anesthesia, but I guess the emotion of singing to him as his eyes started to flutter and roll got to me.  Poor pathetic little Adrian.  He's the oldest, but definitely the more delicate of the two boys.  And the one who has suffered the most from the start: no amniotic fluid, swallow issues, bad reflux, and the worst of the ear problems.  And yet he is still the more mellow of the two, with such a sweet temperament.

Once Adrian was asleep they brought me to the recovery room and I waited.  Sebastian was already awake and acting like his normal self--even only a few minutes after waking.  

After about 10 minutes they rolled Adrian in.  He was still asleep on the stretcher/crib.  When he did wake, he was crying and gasping.  I think the nurse actually described it as squeaking.  Well, it was a horrifying noise, and it freaked Carlos and me out because everyone in the area went running to his bay and they closed the bay off to Carlos and me.  I was about to start panicking when their nice nurse popped her head over and told us not to worry, he was ok, but that they all went running to check on him because of the squeaking.  My heart rate was still up, but his breathing normalized, and we all were relieved.  After a few more minutes they let me go over and hold him as he got his bearings.  They put a nebulizer kind of tube near his face as I held him.  He sobbed for about 10 minutes before he calmed down and finally stopped.  It took poor Adrian a good 20-30 minutes though before he started to act like himself again.

While we were waiting for Adrian to normalize, we met a few more nice nurses who took care of us all.  They brought us a bunch of lollypops and stickers for the boys, and there were tatoos included with the stickers...So the nurses actually put this Spiderman tattoo on Sebastian's bicep for him.  So funny!

 Then Sebastian drank 3 whole glasses of apple juice (Adrian was interested only in sipping and dribbling).  It actually may have been more like 4....Then the nurses brought graham crackers to the boys and they devoured those.  Adrian was finally feeling like himself again.  They let us go, and we were off with much fanfare and many thank yous to our new nurse friends.

When they got home, the boys had a snack and napped right away.  They slept about 2 hours and were new little men when they woke.  We went for a walk around the neighborhood, and the boys interacted in their vehicles more than they usually do.

The rest of the afternoon they played in the house, but I cannot even begin to stress what a change we see in Adrian.  The doctor said he removed a lot of fluid from both of Adrian's ears.  He had been living with fluid in there for MONTHS.  I think the pressure and the feeling of constantly having that water in there--infected or not--must have just been perpetually uncomfortable and painful for him.  He couldn't stop smiling all afternoon, and he was babbling and chatting away with us and his brother.  Sebastian was in good spirits as well, although the difference isn't as noticeable.  But the doctor did not have to remove any fluid from his ear, and he didn't have the fluid in the ear problem as bad as Adrian during all this time.  In any event, both boys were happy and content after their surgery.

Adrian says, "Pull my finger!!"

Cowboy Sebastian on his trusty plastic horse

Today, Adrian's cheeriness continued, and he is such a happy little boy that it breaks my heart.  My poor Adrian living with all that discomfort for so long!  He must feel so relieved to feel normal again....
He was significantly less of a Mama's boy today--I guess there's not as much need for cuddling and hugs when you feel good!!

I only wish that surgery had been done sooner....so glad it's done!

Breakthrough!! Adrian Is Eating with a Spoon!!

I know I'll regret claiming victory too soon, but Adrian is doing so well with his spoon! Sebastian is still a complete and utter mess at eating with utensils.  He went through *THREE* (count 'em!), yes, *THREE* shirts at daycare today.  And a pair of pants.  Oh boy.

http://youtu.be/_gp7OSzIChE

I'm so proud of Adrian!

And since I'm uploading video anyway, here's a funny video of the boys playing together.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9M5iGouRLPY

My New Love

This entire post is about my thrift store buffet find.  I am in love with this piece of furniture.  It may just be my favorite thing in the house.  And even though I already have a bar in the living room, this is the perfect supplement to store booze bottles and wine glasses that won't fit in the other, smaller, bar.  Plus, I wanted a table or something to put behind the couch.  This is perfect...It's in good shape: solid wood, good finish, not much damage at all.  I plan on buffing it up with some products I read about on Young House Love, though, just to make sure it shines in all its former mid-century glory.  Will post before and after pictures later.

In the meantime, here it is.  I haven't hung the shelves over the bar yet, so the stuff on top of the bar is just clutter until the shelves are up.  I don't plan on putting much on top of the buffet so that the piece itself stands out.  I love it!

The drawer dividers came with it! 

The view from where the buffet is.  We still need to hand that darn starburst thingy.

Time Outdoors!

 Yesterday we went to my mom's house to get the last of our stuff out of her shed.  The boys had a great time playing in her yard!

Sebastian with Papi

 They particularly loved her pig statue....Adrian couldn't get enough of it.  He sat there and pet it for about 10 minutes!

Sebastian saying hi to the piggy

Adrian with the piggy

For the past few days, we've also gotten out into the new neighborhood a bit more.  All of a sudden, all the neighbors are out, too, and we've met a lot of people in the past few days.  So far, so good--everyone has been very nice and neighborly.  There were even two little girls who set up a lemonade stand on our corner yesterday.  Of course, we went and bought some!

Sebastian likes to take Lexi for a walk.  He gets mad if you take the leash out of his hand.

Adrian in the wagon

SO FREAKING GLAD NOT TO BE IN OUR CONDO ANYMORE!!  The space in the house and the neighborhood are perfect!!!!

Training a Toddler to Eat

We continue to take the boys to breakfast almost every weekend.  Even though we are on a tight budget with the new house, we feel it's important family time.  But perhaps even more importantly, we feel the need to "train" the boys to eat in public from an early age.  I can't imagine taking them out when they are older if we haven't eased them into the experience by eating out regularly from an early age.  We usually go to Brianna's in Bridgewater, and we basically open the place.  We are there around 6:45/7:00AM!  But it's nice to beat the crowds and be out before the place is so crowded that we have to worry about annoying other people with two toddlers.  Dawn our regular waitress is so good to us, and she has a granddaughter that was born within weeks of the boys, so she understands!

We generally order pretty much as soon as we sit down!  We go back and forth between ordering the boys French toast and scrambled eggs with cheese and pumpernickel toast.  Mostly, we order eggs and toast because that's their favorite.  Sometimes they don't eat the eggs, but they ALWAYS eat their "black bread," as Carlos calls it. 

Adrian

Sebastian 

 At home, the boys are such pigs when they eat.  Just take a look at the utensil experimenting...

Sebastian eating yogurt with honey

Gross.  But at daycare, they do better.  I dropped them off last Friday after their pre-op hearing test.  It was snack time when my mom and I arrived at the daycare.  They went barging right into the room and parked themselves at the little table.  All the rest of the kids were already sitting eating apple sauce with a spoon.  And there they were, eating with a spoon and not with their hands.  Adrian especially was doing well with it.  I  guess it's because they follow the lead of the other kids at daycare, but it's like magic.  I certainly can't get them to eat with a spoon very well at home.  Mostly they pick up the applesauce and yogurt with their fingers, smoosh it everywhere, and then suck on the spoon.  I guess someday they will learn to use a fork and spoon?  Not sure when or how, but I guess it will happen sooner or later!  It just seems hard to envision right now after cleaning up their messes.

Happy Easter, 2013

Happy Easter, everyone!  We spent the day at my Auntie Mimi's house.  The weather was beautiful (finally!), the food was delicious, and it was great to see my family.  The boys were about as good as can be expected, but of course, they were a pain in the neck and very restless.  They have boundless energy right now and want to explore and touch everything.  It's not much fun to take them anywhere these days!  And I don't think they will outgrow it very soon, either.  Sort of depressing!  That said, they had a load of fun playing with all the toys that my Auntie Carol and cousin Christian brought them.  Christian had great toys when he was a kid--the boys now have a big school bus, some fun hats (we all know they go crazy for hats!), new books, a build a bear hockey bunny, a police car and fire truck, and a bunch of other things, too.  Awesome!!  Carlos couldn't stop playing with the police car when we got home.  He was having more fun with it than the boys, to tell the truth...

My mom bought the boys these little suits.  I love them!!

Adrian, Papi, and Sebastian 

This is his model pose.  We've been practicing.

Wish this wasn't blurry...

And a comparison of this year and last year...

Things I Don't Want to Forget About the Boys' Birth (Don't worry! It's not graphic!!)

1.  After I gave birth, I was SO PARCHED I ate cups full of ice cubes because I couldn't drink water.  I normally HATE eating ice.  I never do it.  But I was so thirsty it was the best "water" I ever had.

2. I had never felt so damn tired and heavy in my life as I did after giving birth to the boys.  I don't know if it was the anesthesia or the effort or both, but man was I pooped and I felt like I weighed 400 pounds on that operating table!

3.  The look of panic (!) on my OB/GYN's face when I delivered Adrian and we all realized I'd need a C-section was priceless.  I knew what she was going to say, and I actually said something to her like, "I know I need a C-section.  It's ok--just get this baby out!"  She looked relieved and jumped to it.

4.  There was a frightening moment before they did the C-section on Sebastian where his heart rate dropped and one of the nurses said, "We need to get his baby out NOW."

5. Marcy called Adrian "fiesty"the first time she ever met us, and I said to her, "Now that's a euphemism!"  And she deemed Sebastian's curl "the Satan swirl" that first week, too.  She was right on!

6.  We almost were convinced to transfer the boys to Newton-Wellesley once they moved out of the level 3 NICU.  But we loved Marcy and Judy so much after just one week, we refused to move them.  I'm so glad we didn't!

7.  I think I still can recite the entire BWH menu by heart.

8.  They let me back into my room CWN 856 even after giving birth, when I should have been sent up to a labor recovery floor (the 8th floor seems to be more for people on bed-rest...).  The nurses were so kind to lobby to keep me there since I'd already been there 6 weeks.  I'll be forever grateful to them.  Melinda was the nurse on duty the night I came back to my room and she was the one who helped me learn to pump (super important for those preemies).

9.  The constant beeping and stimulation in the NICU is imprinted in my brain like a song.  As scary as all the beeping and noises were at first (the machines beep when the lines that monitor breathing and heart rate drop off the babies' bodies), they became almost comforting after a while.  One my last few days visiting the NICU to see Adrian, I was actually purposeful about taking in my surroundings and trying to remember the sights and sounds of the place.

10. I will forever associate ABP's Harvest Pumpkin Soup with my bed rest.  It was such a great treat to get food NOT from the hospital after a while!

11. The chaplain used to come visit me on a regular basis!  I am not religious, but this chaplain was young-ish and very nice.  We just hit it off.  She'd come by to check up on me and to chat for a long time each week.  She brought me cookies one day and halloween candy another.  I forgot to get her contact info...  :(

12.  Carlos didn't believe I was in labor when I was finally actually in labor!  We'd had so many false alarms and he had a dream that I was going to have the boys on 11/27.  He was so convinced his dream was prophetic that when a friend called me to come visit right in the middle of when I was in labor, Carlos told her to come!!  I had to yell at him that I was IN LABOR RIGHT THEN and that, while she could still come, I didn't think it would be the best use of her time!

13. The day after the boys were born my family came to meet them in the NICU.  It was like 60-something degrees at the end of November and we were out on the roof deck of the NICU.  I hadn't been outside in 6 weeks, and it was like heaven!

14. My Auntie Mimi bought me a philosophy gift set while I was on bed rest.  It was the Amazing Grace scent.  It will always be my favorite perfume/lotion smell because I will forever associate it with the boys' arrival and my stay at the BWH.

15.  Despite the stress and the scariness of the time, those 6 weeks at BWH and the 2 months we visited the NICU after were some of the best days of my life. So hard to explain why, and I doubt I'd say the same if things had turned out differently.  But they were absolutely magical days...and despite being an obsessive worrier and neurotic, anxious person nearly all the time, I was completely calm when it mattered the most.  I don't know where the strength came from, but looking back, it was like an out-of-body experience.

16.  My brother cooked us a lasagna.  The next day, Carlos had appendicitis.  And my brother cooked Thanksgiving dinner and brought it to me...and I went into labor on Black Friday.  Watch out for his cooking!

March Madness

Nope--I don't follow NCAA basketball, but this has been a crazy month at home.  Lots to do, more ear infections....good thing I have been on vacation to handle it all.  Monday I took the boys back to the pediatrician--yes, they had ANOTHER ear infection (or the same one never cleared up entirely).  So more antibiotics (Cefdinir, which does NOT agree with their little bellies), and more restlessness and fussiness.  Poor things.  To top it all off, I'm now pretty concerned about their speech delay.  Adrian says mama all the time, but nothing else.  Sebastian says nothing.  Both babble a ton and can follow instructions, but they aren't very expressive in terms of actual words.  Luckily, the tubes will be in soon and they have their yearly re-eval for Early Intervention a few weeks after the tubes.  I am thinking they will qualify for services again this year because of the speech delay.  In some ways, I certainly hope they don't qualify, and they were on target at 9 months when they had a mini-eval when we switched providers after the move.  Then they had all these ear infections and slowed down...so I am hoping and praying that any delay is due to hearing loss from the ear infections and that they will catch up quickly once they have the tubes.  In any event, if they DO qualify, at least I know someone will really be monitoring their progress to make sure they don't fall even more behind with their speech.  I feel so bad for those little guys, and I wish I had pushed the pediatrician sooner.  I don't think he would have even mentioned tubes if I hadn't finally pushed for it.  I want to go back to Pediatric Associates of Wellesley if the tubes work and we aren't making weekly visits to the doctor.  They were just a larger practice and much more responsive because of the resources.  It was just far to drive to Weston/Wellesley once we moved.

Other than the tubes and ear infections, I've been busy cleaning and organizing around the house.  First off, we finally went to my Nana's to get all the rest of our stuff.  After renting a U-Haul (again), this time from a place that reminded me of the movie Deliverance (yikes), we finally have ALL of our crap in one place again.  And it made me realize more than ever we have too much crap.  I mean, if you can live without it for 6 months, you probably don't need it....I'm going to get rid of a lot of stuff.  And I already got rid of carloads of crap before we moved.  Yard sale soon!!!!

This is the guest bedroom now.  Still need to paint and hang stuff on the walls.

I finally unpacked a lot of boxes that had knick-knacks, stuff for the espresso and booze bars, carnival glass, etc.  I put stuff in the hutch.  Not sure I like the hutch and all the Mexican stuff anymore, especially in the living room.  But for now, that's where it's going.

I bought a cool 1960s buffet for behind the couch that will also hold stemware, booze, and other things to make sure that no guest is without a beverage in hand.  I will post pictures of it as soon as we move it into the living room.  I'm basically in love with this piece that I found at the Salvation Army.  It really only needs a good wipe-down.

In the basement, I still have to get rid of the exersaucers, but I got rid of all the storage containers and finished straightening and unpacking stuff.

And now, pictures of my boys.  I finally got around to finishing the frames with monthly pictures of the boys.  I wish I had been more systematic about taking pictures of them so that they would look more consistent in the frame.  But I wasn't and so I did the best I could.

Adrian

Sebastian

The boys do a ton of art at daycare.  I love it because I'm so not creative.  I wouldn't know where to start with art projects.  I guess I'd read up on it?!!  Anyway, how cute are they?!?!

Sebastian

Poor Adrian looks dazed and confused.  

 The boys are mesmerized by the vacuum...

When the boys first went into the toddler room, the teachers gave us this poster (front and back)

That's grilled cheese (albeit a burnt one) they are eating, not a brownie!

I don't even remember why he was crying.  What a face!

Sebastian like to climb in the container with all the balls 

My mom's had some major scores at the dump lately!  :)  The boys LOVE their wagon and car, and we have a swing to hang up now, too.

Mom, I hope you weren't short a few dollars after our walk....

Turns out, the boys LOVED Grandpa's corned beef!  They kept eating Papi's potatoes!

Adrian pre-second haircut

Adrian after haircut

Sebastian.  Their hair was actually really flat here because they had hats on their heads at daycare (they were playing outdoors).  This morning, they had their curls back again--just shorter now!