Family photos & October fun

It's family photo time! I work with a very talented photographer and asked that she do some family photos for us. Since I love the Bay Area so much, I thought some very casual outdoorsy shots would be really great (especially since we may not be Californians for much longer). I know Owen won't remember our hikes through the redwoods, but hopefully we can revisit and show him when he's a bit older. For now, we have some photo evidence.

We also went to a pumpkin patch with Jes and Bob and family! We climbed hay bales and rode a tractor trailer through a pumpkin patch. It was a lot of fun, and Owen loved picking out his first pumpkin.

At the top!

I like this one.

Just my size!

Peek-a-boo

Best way to get around!

Bob and Piper on the hayride!

Jes and Colin learning about pumpkins

Owen: Ten months

It's been a nice while since his surgeries, and Owen has been happier than ever. He's definitely still working on some frustrating milestones--mainly teeth, and crawling/walking--but overall he's quick to laugh.

I can tell he's learning so much each day, and he seems to catch onto things more quickly now. There are still some things that he just can't quite figure out, but we're definitely getting there. He's eating like a champ, and could group quite a bit into his "favorite foods." He likes to feed himself honeydew melon and small bites of cheese. Who doesn't? After 10 long months of pumping every three hours, I've finally been able to drop a couple pumps and get 6 hours of sleep--in a row. I feel like a new human being. I'm still getting up once at night, but it's not so bad.

Baby tricks: He waves goodbye and gives high fives. His vocabulary is a much more refined "daddy" and yet no "mama" quite yet. He just laughs and says "dada" again. He can get around pretty well, but mostly backward. We're working on crawling and walking at the same time now and he's pretty eager to be on his feet walking around. He can stand for a few seconds on his own, but I don't think he'll be walking on his own just yet. He just loves to hold hands and wander around the house.

One of my favorite things is to sit and read with him. I used to be able to read stories, but now the books are expected to be a bit more interactive. He likes to turn the pages, feel the fuzzy spot, or open the various flaps. I love that he remembers what to do. Hopefully we'll get to revisit our Dr. Seuss books when he's a bit older, but for now, we like short books.

He looks more and more like a toddler every day. It's bittersweet to watch each stage pass. I'm enjoying this phase so much, but I'm excited for what's next.

Honeydew melon: new favorite food

Surgery #2

Morning distraction walk

Well, we made it to our scheduled surgery date without another trip to the ER. Definitely a good sign! This surgery is an outpatient surgery and his recovery time should be just a day or two. He gets to come home only a few hours after surgery!

His surgery was scheduled for 11:20, so the morning challenge was just keeping him happy without feeding him. The break in our usual routine helped to distract him, but he was getting a little more irritated with us as the morning went on. Honestly, he did so well. We were able to be with him all the way up to the point when the anesthesiologist put the mask on to put him to sleep. Ugh...that was a little bit difficult because the mask scared him a little. I know it isn't painful, but all of our anxiety is heightened already. It makes it harder to see him get so upset.

Nick and I spent the surgery time eating lunch in the cafeteria. The wait seemed to take forever. We were given a time frame for this type of surgery without any complications, and that number might as well have been chiseled in stone. Any longer and our imaginations were going to run wild. Of course, that's exactly what happened. We paced, we sat in silence, we argued a little, and then paced some more. We moved to different waiting rooms. I know I started down the "what if?" path a few times during our wait.

When we finally saw the surgeon, he said Owen did great and would heal just fine. He confirmed that the hole was pretty big, which oddly made us feel better as well. Since this surgery was an elective surgery, we definitely had doubts on whether we made the right choice. (And oh, God, what if there's nothing wrong at all and we exaggerated the whole thing!)

When we finally had clearance to go see him, he was not excited about being in recovery at all. We had to wait a while for the anesthesia to wear off, but we were able to feed him right away.

Hat buddies

We've been home a couple days and he's completely bounced back to his normal happy self. It was lovely to have gone through an "easy" surgery after the first one, but I'll be happy to go a little while without seeing any more doctors.

Since he's been home, we went on a fun hike and beach day with our friends Jes and Bob and their family. It was a beautiful day!

The lineup on the uphill climb

Beach time!

The water is cold!

Best. Day. Ever.

Owen: Nine Months

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Official stats: 20 lbs., 15 oz. (somewhere in the 75th percentile)

29.75" tall (somewhere in the 98th percentile)

Head still HUGE (47 cm) (somewhere in the 95th percentile)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We spent the weekend at a small festival called the Solano Stroll. It's a street festival that highlights area restaurants, music and arts. We used to live in the neighborhood so I love going back to see what's new on that street. It also brings out the best in Bezerk-eley. My favorite? The mirror-ball rainbow man in 90-degree heat. This guy earned his tips.

Owen says, "Is this guy for real?"

New hat!

We're still doing well as we get closer to surgery #2. I'm really anxious for the surgery to be over, but I really don't want to go back to the hospital. Nick and I both agree that it's the right move, but it doesn't stop us from questioning the decision constantly. We're watching Owen extra closely to make sure he doesn't get too upset, and we're trying to keep him from too much tummy time. Who knows what can help or hurt him? We're just hoping to do whatever we can to avoid another incarcerated hernia. One more week...

Labor Day Weekend

It's a 3-day weekend and we're going to make the most of it. No crying! Only fun!

I've always wanted to go to the Berkeley Botanical Gardens and somehow we just haven't ever made it happen. It was a beautiful day and it just felt like a good day to go see some plants. And trees. Why not?

Without knowing quite what to expect, we originally brought the stroller. After discovering that the gardens were a little more exciting when we had more freedom to hike around, we ditched the stroller and decided to go with the Bjorn. He still loves being carried with me. We'd hop down steps, touch different plants and leaves and flowers--so much to see! He absolutely LOVED it. On paper, you wouldn't think that a botanical garden would be very exciting for a 9-month-old, but we had a blast. Nick could hop down steps ahead of us, and we could hop down steps to catch up. Owen would squeal with laughter, and it echoed through the Berkeley hills.

The next day, we decided to check out the Oakland Zoo. I absolutely adore the zoo. I've been looking forward to a zoo trip with Owen since the day I found out I was pregnant. This time, we took the stroller and headed out into the madness of Labor Day weekend zoo trip.

I suspect the reason I wasn't a fan of the zoo on Labor Day weekend was the same reason Owen thought it was the best weekend ever to be at the zoo. So many kids! It was a zoo within the zoo. Who cares about the amazing animals? The kids were far more entertaining. So, despite my efforts to point out the awesome giraffe or beautiful elephant, Owen wanted to check out the girl with the pink polka dot dress. Much to his delight, the little girls found him equally irresistible. "Look at the baby. He's so cuuuute!"

Watching all the kids

Photo bomber blocking the smiley croc.

Petting the goats!

This one is more Owen-sized.

Giraffes!

Mama's favorite: the elephants.

Back to the ER

I love the swing!

Owen has been recovering really well from his surgery, and he's back to his happy self. It's been a week and a half since his hospital stay, and I got a call from daycare this afternoon that Owen was upset and won't sleep. I asked the standard list of questions to judge the severity, but being this upset at daycare is definitely unlike him. He was still eating well and not vomiting or showing any other signs of sickness. Nevertheless, I called Nick to establish a game plan.

Our plan was to take him in to see the pediatrician before elevating anything to ER status. Nick made the calls while I brought Owen home. Nick met us at home and we did our own check for signs and symptoms. He was obviously in pain or at least discomfort, and then Nick and I discovered he was swollen again in his abdomen. According to the docs, he was not supposed to swell anymore. The offices were closed for the pediatrician, so we quickly packed up for another ER visit. On the way, I called the hospital number for post-surgery questions, and they confirmed he should be brought in right away. They said a doctor would be ready to see him when he arrived. Oh no...here we go.

Owen had calmed a bit and fell asleep in the car. I wasn't sure if I should try to keep him awake, but I kept a close eye on him to make sure he was OK. I expected this ER experience to be much quicker and more focused. We called ahead, and he already had a history; diagnosis should be easy, right? It was a lot of hurry up and wait, much like the first trip to the ER. He didn't have to get poked or pumped this time, just an ultrasound and a few different doctors' examinations. Owen's mood had improved considerably after an hour or so, and the swelling had gone down almost completely. It started to feel like we just overreacted and we both imagined a problem. Still, Owen used to swell all the time before the first surgery and it never caused him pain. We couldn't afford to "miss" something again. This had to be something.

After a few hours, the surgeon's assistant came to check him out and assured us that it could not be a hernia. She could not, however, explain why we saw swelling in the area. Before being discharged from the ER, we had a chance to speak with the on-call surgeon, and he confirmed the exact opposite: Owen had a hernia on the right side. His left side had been fixed by surgery and was doing well. The right side had not healed the way we thought it had. At this point the bowel was not stuck, so emergency surgery was not necessary. The surgeon recommended scheduling elective surgery to take care of the issue before it escalated to an incarcerated hernia.

So, now we wait. The surgery is scheduled for September 18th. This time, it will be out patient and Owen should bounce back within the day. Our instructions were to avoid "excessive crying" since any pressure and pushing on the abdominal wall could cause the bowel to get stuck. Of course, excessive crying is easy to avoid in teething babies. *sigh*

Owen: Eight Months (and a hospital stay)

Eight Months

Two bottom teeth!

What a "birthday!" Sadly, Owen spent his eight-month birthday in the hospital feeling pretty miserable. We took the above photos after we spent a few days at home so we could continue the trend of taking his photo in the same spot. He's grown so much, but this time I think he's gained more height than girth, plus two bottom teeth! He said his first word, "Dada," but we have yet to hear "Mama." I hear a lot of "g's" and "b's" and sometimes "m's" in his babble, but we don't have another confirmed word just yet. We've been working on his tummy time, and he definitely has a lot of strength and will use his arms to scoot a bit. No crawling just yet. I'm anxious; I admit it. I know he'll get there, but I do think he'll be a less frustrated little Bug when he can be more mobile.

We spent six days in the hospital, following Owen's emergency incarcerated hernia surgery. At the start, we thought Owen had a bad stomach flu. He had been vomiting and refusing to eat, but otherwise had no secondary symptoms--no fever, not lethargic, no diarrhea. The doctors advised trying some Pedialyte and to watch for dehydration, but otherwise he should be OK. With puke in my hair and a sick baby in tow, I made a Target run for Pedialyte (Nick was out of town). I definitely felt like I earned a "Mom Badge" that day. After a 24-hour sick day, he seemed to be feeling much better and he went back to daycare.

After a couple days, Owen was sick again, same symptoms: vomiting, refusing to eat, no fever, diarrhea, or abdominal pain. I spent the night trying to help Owen sleep and keep hydrated, and I made an appointment to see a doctor first thing in the morning (Nick was on the redeye back from a work trip in Hawaii). I had a few suggestions on what could have caused all this, and I was so sure it had to be food related. Or maybe he had a stomach flu and caught it again from sticking everything in his mouth. Maybe. We were definitely aware of Owen's hydrocele (which he had been diagnosed with months ago) but our warning signs for that becoming a hernia or anything of concern were that he would have a fever, abdominal pain, and possibly diarrhea. The doctor sent us home with a urine test for a possible bladder infection, but otherwise it was probably a stomach bug.

Nick arrived home early afternoon that day, and we spent the day trying to make sure Owen was able to keep some liquids in his system, good rest, and just watching him closely. He was still fairly himself in between naps. While he was awake we could still get him to smile, and he didn't seem too distressed. That evening, we had absolutely no luck keeping any fluids in his system. Even touching his lips would cause him to vomit. He couldn't sleep, and soon became lethargic. Nick and I knew it was time to take him to the ER.

We arrived in the ER around 8 p.m. I feel like we had to wait an eternity to be seen. Owen was awake and not crying at all, so it almost seemed like it wasn't serious. We met with the front desk nurse for a few minutes before starting the tests.  They tested him for hours, and it became more worrisome as the night progressed. They had to catheterize him to test his urine, and then he had to have his stomach pumped. When he didn't fuss for either of these painful procedures, we really became worried. He had a few x-rays done, an ultrasound, and then a surgeon came to see us. He explained that Owen had an incarcerated bowel and needed immediate surgery. If the bowel had died, it would be a very serious matter and would require subsequent surgeries and a very long healing process. If not, the surgery was expected to be more routine with a few days to heal. In an absolute blur of reality and a quick understanding of what was about to happen, we signed some papers and sent Owen into surgery at 2:30 a.m.

ER tests

Feeling icky

Going into surgery

Nick and I waited in the empty cafeteria for our pager to buzz indicating Owen was ready to be seen. They said two hours at best. We both knew we would have to call parents, but I just didn't want to make that call. When someone calls at that hour, you know the news isn't good. And I knew my relay of the information would be difficult. I couldn't hold it together, but I did as well as I could. At that point, Nick and I had both been awake in some form for the past 48 hours. After talking with both sets of parents, we passed out in the booth for just a few minutes.

I heard a very soft "good morning" and jolted awake to see the surgeon in front of me. He reported that the surgery went well, and Owen was doing just fine. He wasn't quite ready to be seen yet, but the bowel had not died, so it was the best case we were hoping to hear. When the pager finally went off, we gathered our things hand headed up to see Owen. Poor guy. He was still pretty out of it, but awake and not nearly as distended as when we brought him in. The tube used to pump his stomach was out, but he had an IV and a few other non-painful attachments to monitor him. After the nurses gave the OK, we were wheeled into the recovery room where we would spend the rest of our hospital stay.

Surgery recovery

Waking up from anesthesia

According to the doctors, Owen was expected to have a quick recovery and get back on his eating schedule within a day or so. All soiled diapers were a success story--they indicated the bowel was working and healing just fine. After a day of successful soiled diapers, we got the OK to start feeding him again. We started slow, as directed, with just a couple ounces. We added a couple ounces each time, never actually giving him a full feeding. This was the start of the longest night of his recovery. Owen started vomiting again, and his tummy was very distended. When they measured the circumference, it was 53 cm. To compare, when we left the hospital, he measured at 46 cm.

First bottle after surgery

Owen was pretty uncomfortable and upset, and was having trouble sleeping. I tried holding him despite all the tubes and machine connections, but it was difficult. I don't have the strength or the mass to really hold him comfortably while he's arching his back and hooked up to all kinds of monitors and IV's. The doctors explained that is was not uncommon for this type of setback, it just means the bowel was "asleep" as they call it, and it takes it a while to wake up. Although the bowel wasn't stuck anymore, the muck inside the bowel wasn't moving along just yet, so feeding him was just filling him up again.

Still not feeling well

We were given the option to pump his stomach again, and to keep pumping to make sure the bile and other mucky stuff would stay out of his tummy. He would keep hydrated by the IV. The difficulty was that inserting the tube is pretty painful, and it also meant that we'd be keeping his stomach empty. In other words, yes, he'll feel better, but he'll be hungry all the time. *sigh* We opted to insert the tube again to help him sleep and lower his pain.

It was awful. Owen was much more awake for the tube insertion this time, so we had a better taste of how painful it really was. The tube originally wasn't sucking anything, which didn't seem right to Nick or me. After the nurse left the room, I noticed Owen doing a funny thing with his tongue, and I peered in his mouth to see the tube was looped inside his mouth. After another round of readjusting the tube, we finally had results from the pumping. No wonder he was so uncomfortable! Ugh...

Lots of muck upsetting one tiny tummy

Now that we were taking so many fluids out, the doctors also wanted more fluids to keep him hydrated through the IV. A second IV was needed, so we braced ourselves for another round of pokes. I'm not sure how many times the nurses tried, but he had been poked in every single possible spot, and no luck with a second IV. I reached out an touched the hand of one of the nurses who was trying so hard to get a successful IV.  It was a rough night for our nurses too. We were all trying so hard, and it felt like the night that would never end.

It was soon suggested that we might need to catheterize him again to make sure his bladder was doing OK, but by that time, we had all had enough. The catheter could wait. We decided to increase fluids on the one good IV, and try a second one only if this IV goes bad. No catheter unless we don't have a wet diaper by tomorrow. Nick pulled our night nurse aside and asked that she help us all get a few hours of uninterrupted sleep. After all that, I honestly started to go into a zombie state. I was still maintaining my pumping schedule to the best of my ability, so I just collapsed.

The rest of the recovery was long, but progressively better each day. Owen had to keep the tummy pump in for two days, which also meant that his arms had to be braced so he wouldn't take the tube out of his nose. We did have to put a second IV in, but they brought in "The Nurse" who had a lot of success with difficult baby IVs. She was successful, and both IVs stayed in the rest of our stay.

Too many tubes, tummy distended

Steve the Stegosaurus keeping watch: thanks G&G Mostek!

Nick and I never left his side. Although our room accommodated two patients, we never had a neighbor overnight. We had a few recovery neighbors during the day, but they were in and out within a few hours. Nick and I alternated days to go home for a few hours to shower and get a few necessities. Owen slept pretty lightly because he was hungry all the time, so we ate in silence while keeping the room as dark as possible.

It wasn't all bad. Owen was definitely getting better, but it was just a waiting game. Nick and I spent a lot of time trying to see his smiles, and working on getting the first post-surgery laugh. No luck until my friend Jes and her family came to visit and brought their two kids. Colin, her two-year-old, was playing with a balloon in the room and Owen laughed. It was amazing. AMAZING. We didn't show it immediately, but it was a pretty emotional moment. We missed his laugh so much.

First walk around the floor with Daddy

On day 5 we got the OK to feed him, and the tummy tube came out. Owen must have made quite an impression on the hospital staff because 5 or 6 surgeons came to our room to announce that he had the OK to eat. It was a glorious announcement. We had to feed him in very small increments, which was probably more frustrating for him than not feeding at all, but it was progress. After a check 24 hours later, we got the OK to go home on the sixth day after surgery.

Finally...food!

Feeling better

Mama feels better too

Our favorite nurse, Cassandra

Let's take these off!

Since we've been home, it's been really great. No setbacks so far, and Owen seems to be healing just fine. We stayed home for a couple days with him to get us all back in the groove, and he went back to daycare without a hitch. He's back to being our little Bug, and he's very generous with the laughs. Now he has normal baby problems: teething, growing, crawling frustrations, being tired, and probably being bored sometimes. And I welcome it.

Going to get ice cream

No ice cream for me?

Showin' the big grins

Block party: love big dogs!

I do want to say thank you for all of the messages, gifts, visitors and overall support we received from our family and friends. We weren't expecting to be in the hospital that long, so it was nice to have small breaks to unload and fun surprises to help us along the way. Nick, Owen and I appreciate you all in our lives.