Check-ups all around

The past several days have been spent at home, with Max entertaining the family, while David recuperates from surgery.  It was a huge relief when David was released from the hospital so soon, but as the nerve blockers and anesthesia wore off, his discomfort and pain set in.  His first two surgeries largely impacted his lower body, such as his ability to walk and stand up straight.  This surgery, however, has made breathing and speaking painful; we are dealing with a bit of a pain management learning curve.  Such as with all surgical recoveries, each day only gets better.

The week ahead will close a scary chapter in our family's life and open a new one.  David has a post-op appointment- the last step in his successful treatment.  He will then be under "surveillance", meaning he will have scans and blood work several times a year for five years.  Max also has a doctor appointment this week- a pre-op check-up for his second surgery on August 23.  His beautiful, dimpled smile reminds me each day to be thankful for so much, but at this moment I am mostly thankful that he has no idea what lies ahead for him.





Trying to sneak upstairs (8.12.12)





Trying to make a break for it (8.12.12)


 

Max loves to show off his crawling skills (8.12.12)



 

Keeping daddy company (8.11.12)


 

Practing his typing (8.10.12)



 

Practing his swing (8.10.12)



Four years

Four years- the time it takes to earn a high school diploma, the number of victories needed to win the World Series,  and the years that David and I have been married as of today.  We have our health and our Max and those are things we can celebrate all year round.

Who is that handsome little man? (8.9.12)

The really bright side

Apparently patient beds are impossible to come by, but as it turns out that is not such a bad thing. After laying in the recovery unit for nine hours David finally got a room. His own room. In our house (where we do get the YES network)! While his nurse was attentive, it was impossible for David to sleep or relax in the brightly lit, noisy, and chaotic environment of the recovery unit. After an examination (by the doctor), practice coughs (by the patient), and some additional pain monitoring, David's surgeon agreed to send him home tonight and kindly armed me with a pain medicine prescription and her cell phone number.

David will sleep at home tonight with a single black stitch tied in a bow on the side of his chest. Like a string that Ernie would tie around his finger, the bow is a reminder that he is finally cured.

Third time's a charm

David has become an expert surgical patient, and I his faithful assistant. Upon check-in at the hospital this morning at 5:30am, David automatically recited his date of birth and I stated my name, relationship (to David), and cell phone number without being prompted. This was not our first rodeo, but thankfully it is David's last.

The surgery is complete and was successful. David is in the recovery area now and I should be able to see him in about an hour when he is transferred to a room. Apparently there is a shortage of patient beds so he might stay in recovery longer until something opens up. Perhaps the hospital rooms are rent controlled, but on the bright side he gets more individual attention from nurses in the recovery unit. Unfortunately they probably cannot help with his last request to me as he was rolled away this morning: to watch the Yankee game tonight. I doubt they get the YES network.

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Accidentally got woken up to say goodbye to daddy before surgery (8.8.12)

The teething fairy

No wonder the tooth fairy brings money to kids when their baby teeth fall out.  It is probably to make up for how much the teeth hurt coming in.  Max has two teeth en route and the tooth fairy will definitely make sure he is compensated for his pain and suffering someday.

Since David has surgery this Wednesday, we went out for an adult pre-surgery/pre-anniversary dinner last night.  Max slept the whole time we were out, but the babysitters could see that Max is an active nugget, even when he is not awake.  He sleep-scoots laps around his crib like he is training for the baby Olympics, which makes for great entertainment in the video monitor.



 

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Say ahhhh (8.4.12)





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Addicted to the Olympics (8.3.12)



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Baby food(ie)

Max has been eating, wearing, and yes, if you know him, spitting up, new foods for every meal.  Like most seven month olds, everything goes in his mouth, but he definitely gets a huge thrill when something he chews on has a flavor other than plastic.  In addition to trying beef, noodles, and a plum ice pop at the farmers market, Max also ordered off the menu at Amphora Diner. He gnawed on green beans and zucchini while getting tons of lovin' from the waitress.

As Max's crawling stamina increases, so do our childproofing efforts.   His crib mattress was lowered just in time; I found him sitting up in bed the morning after I did it.  I better hide the keys to the car now!






Good morning! (7.30.12)





 

(7.30.12)

No shoes, no shirt, no problem (7.30.12)

peaches and cream (or formula) 7.31.12

nothing is coming out, but at least he knows what to do :)  (7.31.12)

flirting with the waitress (7.31.12)


 

Beef: It's what's for dinner (or in this case, lunch) (8.1.12)


 

Ice pop for dessert (8.1.12)



Max-in-a-box (8.1.12)





Crawling

Obviously this post is about Max, not David.  After weeks of rocking on all fours only to fall flat on his face, Mr. Max took a few real crawls today!  As you can see from the very raw footage, Max is happiest in his birthday suit and motivated to get moving by his prized constellation glow turtle.  David and I are learning that while milestones such as today's crawling are exciting, each one [literally] moves Max further away from being a tiny, tiny peanut.  They also interrupt his (and our) sleep, since he thinks 2:00am is prime time to practice new-found skills.  I'm not sure which is worse.



Loving the kiddie pool.  He thinks it's a huge, wet jumperoo (7.28.12)



finger food (A.K.A. shirt food, face food, hair food, floor food) (7.29.12)



Another day, another doctor

Max, David, and I have been spending the last few days enjoying summer the way it was meant to be enjoyed by teachers on summer break- relaxing, grilling, going to the pool, taking walks, and catching up with friends.  Being able to schedule play dates without having to work around doctors appointments or worrying about bringing germs into the house is a new found luxury. 

Wouldn't it just figure that during our "dead weeks" (VHSL sports pun intended) we all wound up in the ER?  No one was the least bit injured, but Max and I were rear ended this afternoon.  Just to be on the safe side I took him to the hospital to get checked out.  He was sleeping when we were hit and didn't even wake up until I broke him out of the car seat (a la Kiefer Suterland 24-style) as if the vehicle was going to explode.  The air bags didn't even deploy; it really was very minor.  The doctor thought Max was adorable, of course, and could barley evaluate the nugget because he was trying to crawl off the exam table.  At least we would have been in the right place, had he been successful.  The worst part of the whole ordeal was just the fact that we were in a hospital.  Again. 

Farmers market (7.25.12)

standing in the kiddie pool (7.26.12)

comfy cozy (7.26.12)

(7.27.12)

Seven months

Max is seven months old today!  He squirms around and makes noises like crazy.  I can't help but wonder what on Earth this little nugget is trying to say!

David continues to gain strength and enthusiastically returned to work for basketball camp.  He has a bye from doctors appointments for the next two weeks until his pre-op testing on August 7 and surgery on August 8.  We want to stay away from hospitals and doctors' office for as long as possible.

Mezmorized by kids playing basketball (7.23.12)

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Three course meal on a medium-boy plate (7.24.12)

Weekend fun

Max had such a busy weekend playing with friends that he literally fell asleep while he was eating.  Nothing beats a happy baby.  Except, as you can see, several happy babies!

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Familiar faces

David had a couple of doctors appointments this afternoon, but we actually managed to have a pretty nice day.   First, we got to sleep in and escape rush hour traffic into the city.  Second, David didn't get poked like a pin cushion.  And third (my personal favorite), we got to see our old friends at Georgetown Hospital.  Believe it or not, David was looking forward to seeing his doctor, and I was excited to bring Max to visit David's nurses at the infusion center. 

David's scan confirmed he will need a nodule removed from his lung.  The surgery will be on August 8 and will probably only require one night in the hospital.  On August 9 we will have two things to celebrate: David being cancer-free and our fourth wedding anniversary.

BEST nurses ever!! (7.19.12)

New toy! Thank you, Craigslist. (7.19.12)

Firsts

Our family took a trip to the barber this afternoon and someone got his first haircut.  Since chemo.  As you may have noticed from the photos, David's hair is making a come back.  Sure, he just got cleaned up around the neck, but it is a milestone on the road to recovery.  He is also able to re-introduce some fat and dead animals into his diet, so for the first time in weeks he enjoyed dinner.  Max's hair remained in tact, but he did visit his daddy's school for the first time.  Hopefully the photo below is the first of many, many, many times he will "play" on the gym floor.





(7.18.12)



Will I always be this happy at school? (7.18.12)







Half court shot! (7.18.12)







First time swinging with Sadie (7.18.12)



Home is where the Max is

Dark and early this morning, around 12:30am, our family came home.   You know you are back in the DC metro area when you are in standstill traffic on the beltway at midnight on a Monday.  Max slept comfortably the entire ride while David and I listened to the sound of his [extremely loud and fast-paced] breath.  A few hours of sleep in his own crib and a couple of bottles later, Max enjoyed spending the day being reunited with his toys and friends, as well as discovering the swings in our neighborbood.  As per doctor's orders, David continued to walk to get relief from abdominal pain.  He has doctors appointments on Thursday to discuss the next (and final!) steps for treatment. 

Max is now fast asleep, and for the first time in nearly a month, far enough away that I will actually need to use the baby monitor.  What a difference your own bed and familiar surroundings make- for everyone. 

Toys are more fun when you can sit up! (7.17.12)

Max was SO excited to see his friends! (7.17.12)

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Exploring the house from a new angle (7.17.12)