Tonsilectomy

Elijah is recovering well. Thanks so much to family and friends who called or sent cards. We appreciate your thoughts and prayers. Times have certainly changed since Eric and I had our tonsils out 20 years ago. Total time in the hospital with Elijah before, during and after surgery= 4 hours. That's it.

The hardest part was waiting with him in our pre-procedure cubicle. Our spot was a small curtained area in a large room where about a dozen of these curtained cubicles house patients both waiting for surgery and those who have just come out. Needless to say there was plenty of crying to be heard from the families around us, mostly babies who had gotten tubes put in, but that made him a little nervous. They took him back to the operating room in a wagon, which was good because otherwise I'm sure they would have had to drag him kicking and screaming. He just kept asking to go home.  Watching him roll away in the wagon was heartbreaking, but I held it together for his sake until he was out of sight.

The actual procedure takes about 30 minutes, and we were summoned back from the waiting room to help him come out of the anesthesia. They had me sit in a recliner and put Elijah on my lap while he came out of his sleepy fog, and it wasn't a gentle awakening. He was disoriented, confused, scared and emotional, but it was so good to be able to comfort him.  I was thrilled that they let me hold him during this time.  I can't imagine how scary it would be for a child, coming out of anesthetic alone on a bed. He fell asleep in my lap in recovery for about 30 minutes and when he woke up he was completely focused on getting out of there and getting home as quickly as possible. He wanted the IV out of his arm and his pants and his shoes on. He was incredibly thirsty and drank two juice boxes and a glass of water while we were at the hospital and was very scared that they had left cotton balls in his throat (which they or course hadn't, but that's what it felt like to him).

That afternoon he did a lot of sleeping while Papa and Daddy worked on building the play set in our back yard. Since then he has been gradually eating and drinking a little more each day. They gave us pain meds, but we're sticking to Tylenol because after one dose of the stronger stuff, he was miserable.  He just cried at everything for no reason.  He said his throat didn't hurt but he just felt like crying and didn't know why.  He asked not to have that pink medicine again.  The first night of sleep was a little rough but they warned us to get him to take small drinks every time he wakes up at night for the first 2-3 nights as it's the dryness of the incisions that is most irritating to the throat.

AND, I'm also thrilled to report, that after only a week, he is sleeping so MUCH better at night.  No more waking up every hour or two.  He seems more rested and alert already.  Woo hoo!

Couples Retreat

Spouse and family ministries at the seminary sponsor a couples' retreat every year. We've been looking forward to it since we first heard about it, and everyone we've talked to who has gone in previous years has told us to make sure we sign up. We went out to dinner with the Summers' and Jacksons but unfortuntately didn't have our camera with us at the time. Next was a fun filled evening of ballroom dancing back at the hotel with a live band. They even taught us a few dance steps and Eric danced.. really well.
Our friends Tom and Cassie ended up looking like our twin couple for the evening, and we really hadn't planned to match. Rachel, between Cassie and I, is married to one of the band members and he is the worship minister at our church. We have all become good friends in our new Wilmore home.
Here's a little snapshot of the dance floor. It looks pretty sparse in this picture, but there were definitely songs when the dance floor was full.... of seminary students.... dancing. Does that seem strange to anyone else? Strange or not, it was a lot of fun and I think I've got Eric convinced to take ballroom dancing lessons someday.

Elijah's Birthday

No one has to tell Elijah to say "cheese." What he's really thinking is, just get this picture part over with so we can eat the cake.
Elijah wasted no time unwrapping his presents, and they really were in a gift bag too, not just the Walmart sack.
A Batman car and...
A Batman helmet, kneepads and elbowpads that Isaiah is modeling for everyone. Also included- the Spiderman sunglasses. We are ready for spring.