Exploratory Surgery

This morning, Jule had exploratory surgery to check out his adenoid site. He has been so unhappy, has not been sleeping, and has not been drinking; so we and his doctors agreed that it was necessary. Everything looked good. The ENT did find more adenoid tissue that he could have removed, but he decided to leave it alone since Jule has had a hard enough time as it is (WISE man!). Jule woke up from anesthesia very peaceful and drank an entire sippy of juice before we could get to the car. I was so glad that he did not wake up screaming again! It is so hard to see him like that.

Yesterday, the ENT's office called and told us to be at the office by 6:45 am. I was concerned that Noly may have to go with us, and I didn't want her to see him screaming and upset because I didn't want it to upset her. I prayed about it as I walked from my office to the bathroom, and when I walked into the bathroom, I got a text. Elissa texted me to ask if we needed help with Noly. Talk about a quick answer to prayer! That lifted such a weight off my shoulders. Kevin took Noly to Elissa's after dropping Jule and I off and was back at the ENT's in time to wait on Jule's surgery. Everything went so smoothly, and I am so thankful for that!

Since the surgery didn't answer any of our questions, we still need to find out what is wrong with Jule. We talked to the ENT and decided to stop his antibiotics because he was on 4 different ones from 12/7/09-1/8/10 for ear infections. Then, he went back on amoxicillin on 2/8 and has been on it ever since. I want to see what he does when he gets a rest from them to see if his happiness returns. I also wonder if he suddenly won't drink his milk because the first surgery made it taste funny to him? So, we're trying to switch and see if he drinks more. If none of this works, we'll go back to the Pediatrician to explore further possibilities. I'm praying he is back to his normal self (minus the ear infections) soon!

Jule

Well, it has been 9 days since Jule's adenoid removal, and he is still very fussy. We took him to the ENT on Monday, and he said we may have to put him back under and get a look at the adenoid removal site if he doesn't stop crying. He should only have had pain for 2-3 days. The weekend was very difficult with fevers and screaming episodes. We barely got any sleep and ended up calling Kevin's parents and asking them to take Noly. We just couldn't give her any attention with all of the attention Jule needed.

I really don't want to have Jule put under again if we can help it, but I also want to do what is best for him and what is necessary. It is breaking my heart to watch him suffer...to see him in pain, and there seems to be nothing much we can do for him. He wants to be held non-stop, but that's just not possible. I'm praying for wisdom and insight into what is hurting him so that we can help him feel better. I would gladly take his pain if it would bring him relief.

Snow Day

Look, Mommy, it's snowing!

I can make a snow angel...

And a snowman!

Ok, what in the world is this cold, white, powdery stuff? Why in the world did you bundle me all up and bring me out to see it? When are you going to take me back inside?

Only Jule

So, if you've been reading my blog for long, you will know that Jule is a very expressive baby/toddler. Namely, he will scream at the top of his lungs when he wants you to know something. I think most people think I'm being dramatic when I talk about how he screams, but a poor new ENT's office got to experience his screaming firsthand yesterday.

Jule has yet another double ear infection that did not really respond to an oral antibiotic. I took him back to the doctor on Friday, and he gave him an antibiotic shot on top of the oral meds. I emailed the ENT who responded quickly that he had an opening for tubes on 2/26...two weeks later. I talked to our Pediatrician at church Sunday, and he said he would try to get him in somewhere sooner. Jule screamed for a long time when he woke up from his nap Sunday, and he was up a lot crying through the night Sunday night. Monday morning, I gave him Motrin, and we got an appointment with a nearby ENT to check his ears. I thought maybe he would get tubes within the week.

We got to the office around 10:30, and everything was ok for about a half hour. Jule smiled and flirted with all of the other patients. He read books, climbed in and out of chairs and giggled when I kissed his cheeks. Then, it happened. I guess the pain meds wore off. He started to scream the scream that only he can do. After over an hour of me pacing the floor of the waiting room with my 32-lb toddler, the nurse finally came out and took us back into a room (even though they still weren't quite ready for us). He continued to scream to the point that I could not talk to the nurses or doctor because none of us could hear each other. The major thing I heard is, "We need to work him in today!" They looked fairly horrified at the level of his screaming, but I told them this was normal for him when his ears hurt or when he is uncomfortable.

So, at 12:30, we ran home, which was all of 5 minutes away, and got his blankey in an effort to calm him down. We were back to the ENT's by 1:30, and he was in surgery to get tubes and to have his adenoids removed by 2:30. He woke up around 3 and screamed for most of the next three hours. He would fall asleep from exhaustion and probably from the after-effects of the anesthesia, but then he would wake up and scream uncontrollably. It broke my heart because I knew he was hurting, confused and exhausted. We finally got him to drink some strawberry koolade around 6:30, and he began to perk up. He also devoured some goldfish crackers. After that, he played happily for a little while. He fell asleep on the couch around 9 and only got up two times in the night. I'm hoping these tubes stay in for a whole year and that his ear infections stop.

Today, I feel like I could collapse, but I'm so relieved that he has some relief in sight! Hopefully, tonight will be very low-key, and he can play rest so he can fully recover. Sweet Jule!

I'm an Aunt...Again

My little nephew, Eli Mason, was born today at 4:10 pm. He was 7 lbs 14 oz. He was born at 36 weeks 2 days and is in the NICU with a little help for his breathing. I am praying he does much better than Jule and gets out tomorrow like the doctor's expect! He has a lot of hair and is a real cutie. I'm just a little excited : ) Congrats to my brother and his family!

Crayon Hearts, Cupboards and Tents

We have all been sick for about two weeks now. After having bronchitis, we now have ear infections and upper respiratory infections. Since it's only been a month since Jule's last month-long double ear infection, I need to email his ENT to check to see if he may need tubes after all. While I was resting this weekend, Daddy helped Noly make a tent. Notice it's complete with functioning door! She was very proud of it and was very upset when Jule got up from his nap and ruined it : )

Jule had an adventure of his own. He discovered that he could crawl into the cupboard and play. He even had a little book in there with him and was contentedly reading. He is growing so quickly that he didn't fit into the 2T overalls that I put on him this morning! He's only 19 months old!

Noly and I made crayon valentines for her classmates. It was a ton of work peeling the paper off of all of the crayons, but it was worth the work because she loves them! The only problem is she keeps thinking they are to eat. Maybe I should make sure the teachers know they are not food?

Today is February 9th, which is my ex-husband's birthday. Why is it that dates you don't care to remember are etched in your mind for what seems like forever? Oh well, it doesn't really bother me or affect me.