Sliding By

Things are progressing quite well! We gave Wesley some ibuprofen the day we came home from the hospital, just in case. He has never acted like he felt any pain so we have never given him anything since the first dose. For a day or so he would fuss to get down and play and then fuss because he couldn't crawl. It didn't take him long to figure it out. Now he slides along the floor. You can see the wear mark on the bottom of his cast. We thought of several excuses* to tell strangers when they asked what happened (thanks Keri for tipping us off to be prepared). Shark attack in Mexico, reaching into the garbage disposal, fixing the lawn mower. I have used the first two. By far the best is to tell them the truth.

Stranger: Oh what a cute little a boy and what a big cast! What happened?!
Me: He got his thumb cut off.
Stranger: (quite shocked) Whoa. How?!
Me: A scalpel I guess. Whatever it is that surgeons use.
Stranger: (more shock and great confusion)... um... what?
Me: (laughing to myself at the hilarious situation of putting some stranger in an awkward position. I know... so funny.) He was born with two thumbs and they removed one.
Stranger: (why did I ever open my mouth) Oh that's nice.

I don't have a great video of him doing his slide. This was after the first day or two and the only reason he is fussy is because he wanted the camera (which is why it is so hard to get a good video clip of the slide). The clip below is low resolution on purpose so it would actually upload but you'll get the idea.


Jason: Here are a few pics for you (Jay, I thought you might want to see a photo of Luke driving his tractor, the little farmer boy who cultivated your front yard up in Logan during the weddings):

*Some of you are asking yourselves how Vic and I could possibly be related. : )

That was the MOST fun I've ever had!

"Ok, maybe it wasn't the most fun I have ever had. But I am very happy to home now." - Wesley

It really wasn't too bad. Jason and I went to bed around 11:45pm last night after packing the bag and preparing everything for each of the kids for the next day. I got up shortly before 3:30am to nurse Wesley one last time before his fast began. And then Jason and I couldn't go back to sleep. Finally we got up and read and showered and everything else to prepare. Leah came this morning instead of spending the night. Wesley woke up around 6:30am so we grabbed him and immediately loaded him in the truck and left. His surgery was at UNMH. They have a brand new building there that is beautiful and very inviting. Wesley was distracted from the fact he was getting hungry by all the toys and new places to crawl around and under (lots of chairs in the waiting room). They called us back and we got him undressed and they took his vital signs. By this point he was starting to get cranky that no one was feeding him. They let him push buttons on the monitors for a little while and then Jason pulled him around in a little red wagon to help occupy him and forget his rumbling tummy. Soon after they gave Wesley a sedative to calm him down and help him prepare to be seperated from us. It wasn't long before he was reclined back, legs sprawled, arms and hands hanging over the edge of the wagon and saying "Dada da da da" over and over again. He looked very relaxed and quite happy (read intoxicated). I walked along side him holding his little hand and his thumbs and kissing them over and over again. I couldn't help it. I just love them so much. Finally it was time for him to go back to surgery. The sedative made the separation very easy. Jason and I gave him one last kiss and then they pulled the little red wagon through the doors. I did fine (read cried) and then we went to get a bite to eat and wait. Roughly 2 hours later they were finished and we got to speak with the doctor about how it went. He said it was perfect and everything went beautifully. They removed the radial side or the outer thumb. That was the one that did not bend much and the doctor said it was common when there are two thumbs that the outer radial thumb won't have the flexor tendon so it doesn't bend. That was Wesley's case. They ended up putting a pin in his remaining thumb to help straighten it out since it was become somewhat crooked. In two weeks we will have the cast removed, x-rays, and then maybe another cast for two weeks after that.

We got to see Wesley after that in recovery. He started to flop around and I mean literally flop. The cast is so big and heavy that every time he tried to move his arm the rest of his body would follow. They let me pick him up and hold him until he awoke. He had some IV tubes, an oxygen tube that we had to keep blowing in his face (it wasn't strapped to him), and oxygen meter strapped to his toe, and then clothes and blankets that were half on since now nothing fits over the cast. I think we will be cutting some shirts here soon. Wesley took his time to wake up. They used general anesthesia for the operation and it takes time to shake it off. Now that I held him in my arms, I was able to take a little nap too. Wesley would try to wake up, try to open his eyes and then fall right back to sleep.

Around 1:30pm or so he finally woke up, looked around and said "Da?" He seemed confused with the unfamiliar faces of the nurses but mostly confused why his arm weighed so much and why he couldn't get the big white thing off. A few more papers and to sign and instructions and finally we got to go home. No special meds other than over the counter Motrin for a few days. Kids are amazing that way- they said if you give them stronger pain killers they usually wind up more cranky from the side effects than they would otherwise be with simple OTC pain reducers.

No clothes yet but we have already started to decorate the cast. Allie was the first to leave her mark.
(Jason: Thanks to all for including our little boy in your thoughts and prayers...)

Wesley's Surgery

Tomorrow, Friday the 20th, is the day set for Wesley's hand surgery. Please pray for him. I am sure everything will go smoothly but I still can't help feel anxious about it. We will miss his sweet little thumbs. Tomorrow it will just but a thumb.

We'll give you the update tomorrow afternoon. We will leave here at 6:30am. Leah Jeppson is going to spend the night and then drop off Allie at preschool in the morning and Luke at a friend's house. It is outpatient surgery so we should be home some time in the afternoon.

Such a sweet boy!

Except of course when he is not. Peggy asked me after the car incident where I was when Luke was drawing on my car with a ball point pen. My response was that I ask myself that EVERY time! But I think you should all know, in case you don't already, how sweet Luke really is. He does not mean to be bad. He does go to time-out and he knows how to count to twenty very well from doing it so many times while standing in the corner. The thing is, he really is so sweet and good so much of the time. He will quietly play with his wooden train tracks, always puts his toothbrush away, likes to throw away his own diapers and he likes to have clean hands. He is really good about not touching anything and will hold his hands up like a surgeon until we can get them washed. He loves Wesley and always wants to play with him. Allie for that matter too. And so really for so much of the time he is so good and so easy. He is just... curious. And he loves art.

So I guess that is just what happens. One moment he is quietly entertaining himself. The next... heaven help us.

By the way you are probably wondering about the photo of the sippy cup. I saw him, lying under the kid's table one morning while he was still in his pajamas, nursing that thing. There was something strange about it and about his guilty smile when I looked at him. My sweet boy- that is honey in his cup (not apple juice). At least he did not leave a sticky mess while filling it up. Which is kind of miraculous in and of itself. Can you even look at honey without suddenly everything getting sticky?

7 Years Ago Today!

Two little lovebirds-wearing sunglasses
Winking at each other and making silly passes

First came love
Then came marriage
Then came 3 babies in a double jogger carriage.

Devil's Kitchen

We were in our living room chatting on the phone with our cousin Maureen when we started hearing some unexplainable noise. It was popcorn kernels on tile. Luke's special dish "Eggs Mischievous" was not detected until we went into the kitchen.
Apparently, he had to make room for his new condiment drawer. For all those who would question- just you wait or just you remember!
We had a babysitter as kids who worked in my dad's law office. Her name was Yvette and we did not care for her so much and in the end she did not care for us too much either. Apparently she decided not to come back after she emerged from the shower to find the aftermath of an Easter egg and wet paper towel war. She put Erin in charge who must have led the revolt. My poor parents- they must have been so embarrassed but it sure made a great memory for the perps. Hopefully Luke does not have any Easter morning ideas swirling around in his genes...

Allie was serving hard time in her room for not helping clean and she redeemed herself by surprising us with a clean room.

We love each of our kids so much and enjoy telling them so. They bring us so much joy even if it is three steps forward one step back at times.

Without egg in his face, here is our little Wesley before bed tonight.

A Little on Allie

Tuesday was the Spring Sports Assembly at the high school where Allie attends preschool. For part of the assembly they invited the preschoolers to do a dance- the "Cha Cha Slide". The kids did great! We expected some of the kids would not go out, some would go out to the center of the gym and just stand there and then some would actually dance. Well all minus 2 kids (who stayed in the bleachers) danced! It was so fun to watch them and the hundereds of high school kids went crazy cheering and clapping! I sat in the bleachers with Wesley and Luke, video taping with all the other moms, cheering with all the other "teenages" (as Allie calls them) and silently crying with tears running down my cheeks. Wow, I never thought I was going to be that mom! I was so excited and proud of her and it was so fun to see her out there dancing. When I asked her later about how she felt, if she was nervous or what, she said "I was scared but I was brave". Yes, doing something even though you are scared is very brave.

Although fear has nothing to do with it I have had a hard time playing Barbies with Allie. My Barbie doll never seems to do the right thing or say the right thing. Allie very clearly and quickly lets me know. You think by now she would rather play with someone else.

Allie has really been attracted to jewelry lately. Earrings in particular. She put stickers on her ear lobes and wore them to preschool the other day (and they actually stayed on the entire day)! We were talking about it in the car. She was asking about when should could get her ears pierced. I said that Jason and I would have to discuss it and that who knows, maybe when she turns 8. Allie responded "Let's make it 6". She's quick.

And if you didn't know, her favorite color is light blue. During Christmas, while playing in the garage at Kelly and Erin's house, we played the colors game. It is one we used to play in the swimming pool growing up. The person who is it has their back turned to everyone else and begins to call out colors. When your color is called you have to try to make it to the other side of the room (or pool) either really fast or stealthily. We limited the colors to the basics- red, orange, yellow, green, purple, pink, brown and black. When it was Allie's turn she turned her back to us and yelled out "sparkly blue". We reminded her the ones from which she could choose. She turned around again and the next color she called out "Light blue"!

And speaking of Christmas, I wrote this down because it was so funny and I did not want to forget it. This was the conversation overheard between Reed and Grandma Payne.

Reed: Grandma, why are you so shaky?
Grandma: I am old and sometimes old people shake.
Reed: Oh. Is grandpa new?

Will he reach 3?

Luke has sunk to a new low.