Logan's First Day of School

I think I can say without a doubt that I have gotten butterflies in my stomach and had trouble sleeping every night before the first day of school since Kindergarten.  And yes, that includes college, six years of teaching in the classroom, and now Logan's first day of "school."  I'm not sure why I was so anxious about taking him to daycare this morning, but I definitely questioned our decision a couple of times in the last few days.  Does it make sense that I was more nervous about how the workers would take care of him and meet his needs than about how Logan would behave in a new environment?  He goes to the nursery at the YMCA pretty frequently and does just fine, but that's only for an hour at a time.  I was pretty confident that he would be his usual happy self, but you never know...

There are so many rules at a big daycare...it took a little more preparation than just dropping him off at Sally's in his pajamas : )  His diapers had to have his name written on them, his bottles had to be pre-mixed, his clothes had to be labeled with his initials, etc.  I'm just glad I have the summer to get this routine down!  His lead teacher Melissa, is very sweet.  She has her degree in Early Childhood Education and seems to be willing to do for him whatever he needs.  She also reassured me that it was okay if I called to check up on him during the day.  The center also has Internet monitoring so as soon as I get the code I can watch him at home on the computer.  I called after about two hours (I know, I know...I couldn't resist) and guess what he was doing? NAPPING.  I was like...are you sure you have the right child?  Melissa said that they had taken the kids outside on the swings for awhile and he had started to yawn out there.  As soon as they came inside, she laid him down and he went right to sleep...for 2 hours!!! I hope it wasn't a fluke, but that was pretty awesome on the first day.

I went to pick him up around 2:00, so it was about five hours total.  When I dropped Logan off that morning, I knew I would not have to worry about a long tearful goodbye with him running to the door begging me not to leave.  I was able to walk easily out the door and he didn't even notice.  The funny this was when I picked him up though...as soon as I walked in, he turned and saw me.  His lower lip immediately began to quiver and he started crying.  I wasn't sure if that was him not wanting to leave his new friends or because he missed me (I think I'll believe it was the latter).  So...all in all...day one was a success.  Logan didn't miss a beat and I got a haircut, went to the gym for an hour, and worked on a couple of school assignments.  Thank you everyone for supporting me and reassuring me that it was okay to take this time for me.  I think it is going to be good!

Catching Up

It's been awhile since I've had a chance to sit down and write without interruption...I'll just fill in the most important happenings of the last three weeks or so.  Along with pooping on his own, Logan has had a few other "firsts"!  Olin and I didn't know quite what to make of the curly mop on top of his head (he was starting to rival the Donald)...so a few weeks ago we took him to Snip-Its hair salon at the Avenue in East Cobb.   For the 90 seconds that he actually sat in the chair and the $20 that we paid for the "cut", I think I'll give my talents a try next time (it can always grow back, right?).  Olin didn't want them to the frat curls around his ear/neck so that will probably be a good place for me to start...not front and center : )  



Another first....Two of Logan's bottom teeth finally decided to poke through! Thank goodness...I was giving him until 18 months and then we were headed to a dentist for x-rays! Boy, are those little suckers sharp though! I can't feel anything else, up top or in the back, but it's exciting to know that there are really teeth under there!

We also had to say goodbye to Sally on Friday, our wonderful babysitter (Don't worry Sally...I will bring him over soon so you can get some kisses!)  Sally has been such a blessing to our lives over the last year.   Without her and her friend's advice to ask the doctors more questions, we never would have gotten Logan's diagnosis as early as we did.  It is so hard to leave someone who has been such a big part of Logan's life (and ours), but I know Sally will bet there to continue to watch him grow and be his third "grandma".  She has been everything we could ask for in a person to care for Logan.  And she's not off the hook...I put her on our emergency contact list at daycare : )

 It was a hard decision, but we think it will be for the best...Logan is going to start "big" daycare this summer.  We are going take him to East Cobb Prep (sounds way more Ivy League than it is) two days a week starting next Tuesday.  Sherri (our PT) agreed that he will benefit from the stimulation and from being around other children.  When I visited the daycare, the woman was very understanding of Logan's situation and agreed that we would start him off in the 6-12 month classroom.  The kids in there are doing more of the same things that he is and the workers will also keep to his schedule...so it's not a set lunch time, snack time, etc.  He just isn't ready to be in the 12-18 month room with walkers and circle time ...plus we need to work on his self defense skills if a "bully" decides to picks on him : )  He'd get bulldozed in that room.  East Cobb Prep will also let Sherri come in to work with Logan during the day.  The workers can get an idea of the exercises they can do with him.  Fortunately, Sherri already works with a few clients there so it will be no big deal. 

At first, I felt a little guilty to send Logan to daycare when I am off work for the summer....we could be saving a chunk of money.  But in the end, Olin and I discussed that my sanity was more important than a few bucks in the bank.  From experience last summer, I know that the days get very long when it's just Logan and me.  Sure, we can go to the park and the pool, schedule playdates and library time, but Logan has to have help almost with everything.  It's not...go to the park and let him run around while I watch from a bench.  He has to be carried or put in a swing...he's just not very independent at all yet.  I know he'll get there, but we still have some work to do.  Additionally, I'm taking my last two core classes this summer to finish my Masters degree.  I should be done with these by late July and then only have the Practicum left during the fall....Graduation December 2011!  So, having two days a week to work on school will also be helpful.  It's taken a little time and reassurance from friends/family, but I don't feel guilty anymore...it will be good for him and for me.  I'm confident he'll thrive in a social setting like that.

All things considered...we're doing pretty well.  It's such a relief to have Logan's surgery complete.  I'm so glad we did not wait until now to do it.  Olin and I had a great little vacation this week (without Logan).  We spent 4 days in Hilton Head just relaxing and reading on the beach, playing a little golf, and shopping...all of my favorite things! We were so fortunate to have both sets of grandparents (and other relatives too) to watch him while we were gone.  As wonderful as it was to just be alone as a couple, we really did miss Logan.  Hilton Head is such a family place and we couldn't help but feel like something was missing when there were kids running everywhere around us.  Hopefully we can get him to the beach soon...I know he would love the ocean breeze and the warm water, and probably eat alot of sand! 

Fortunately, I think Logan is beginning to understand our summer sleeping schedule : )  It has been a struggle for about 6 months getting him to go and stay asleep.  I finally asked his pediatrician what she thought about giving him a supplement of melatonin before bed.  Olin and I had read some articles about special needs kids needing it to help them sleep.  I think the doctor was a little reluctant to try it with him because he is so young, but I explained the lack of sleep was not helping anyone involved.  So, every night about an hour or so before bed (usually with dinner), Logan gets a little "cocktail."  We laugh because it feels like we're drugging him or something...which we are not...melatonin is a completely natural hormone that helps regulate sleeping patterns.  So, we take a quarter of a 3mg tablet, crush it up on a spoon, put it on some baby food, and let the magic happen!  For anyone who has seen the movie "Flowers in the Attic", it reminds me of the evil mother who sprinkled rat poison on her kids' cookies pretending that it was powdered sugar.  I know...bad association, but you get the idea.  Last night he slept for 13 hours and I didn't pull him out of bed until 9:15!  Ahhh, got to love summer life as a teacher!

(I have lots of pictures to share, but our computer got a virus right before we left on our trip.  All of my documents, pictures, etc. are gone (well, hopefully just hiding).  We'll know for sure in a couple of days.  Note to self...need to back up our files next time!)

The Beginning of Great Things to Come

Probably the coolest thing that Logan has ever physically done happend last night.  I know I was pretty excited when he started crawling down the track a few months ago, but this was even more thrilling.  It gives me hope that bigger and better things are in store (and not too far away)!  Logan has this Fisher Price toy that is like "Rock Band" for babies.  It has a little guitar, keyboard, drum, and horn right in front for him to bang and hit.  There is mirror with blinking lights and all the fun sounds/songs you could imagine.  This toy has been a life-saver since he has about 5 months old.  Even when Logan couldn't sit up on his own, we would prop pillows around him to keep him upright.  Eventually, when he could sit on his own, but would still fling himself backwards on occasion, we just kept the Boppy pillow behind him as a safety net.  Now, he's sitting on his own 100% of the time, and there doesn't have to be a pillow in sight.  About a week ago, I was in the kitchen making dinner and had left Logan in the family room sitting in front of this toy.  I peeked around the corner to check on him, and what did I find?  Oh, just Logan lying with his back on the ground, with his arms wrapped fully around the toy which was crushed on top of him.  Was he crying?  Absolutely not.  He was grinning ear to ear and sucking on the mirror : )  Such a tough guy!

So...last night while I was upstairs, Olin yelled up to me that Logan had just pulled himself from sitting "Indian style" to his knees.  I thought...No way! I had to see it for myself.  Logan was sitting about a foot, maybe a foot and a half in front of his Rock Band stage.  Then he reached out and grabbed the side and the keyboard part with each hand.  With all his might, he pulled himself face to face with the mirror.  Then somehow, he turned his legs just enough to get to his knees.  I won't pretend it was effortless or graceful (he banged his mouth on one attempt), but he did it nonetheless! He did it.  I have never seen a kid, much less his parents, more excited about an accomplishment.  He was sooooo excited about this new trick he had discovered...he could hardly contain his excitement.  It was awesome.

I am hopeful that this transition move will just lead into many more new things that Logan will begin to try out physically. First pulling up to knees, then to his feet.  I can't imaginen how cool that will be!  The video is a little long, but totally worth it (in my opinion)! Go Logan!

A Fresh Start and a Dirty Diaper



The night before...



Wow...so much has happened in the last week or so, I'm not sure where to even start!  I feel like we are living a different life now that irrigations and ear infections are over...I don't think I realized how stressed and anxious I was about the whole situation.  Now that the anticipation of the surgery, the actual surgery, and the recovery are complete, I feel like our out of control roller coaster is finally coming to a stop. 

According to the surgeon, Logan's surgery could not have gone any better!  Although, the day before the procedure, we were questioning if it would even take place.  The week of the surgery, Logan's ear infection flared up (even with tubes), he had a runny nose, and he was vomitting until late Thursday afternoon.  The pediatrician had put him on Augmentin for his ears, but we think that it was upsetting his stomach.  Either way...I was in a panic that they would not do the surgery if he was still sick on Friday.  Luckily, he kept down his last bottle Thursday night, and seemed to be on the way to recovery the next morning.  I had worried and worried that Friday morning would be a battle since Logan was not allowed to eat formula or solids after midnight and only clear liquids until 9:00.  We arrived at the hospital around 11:00, but the procedure wasn't scheduled until 1:00.  I don't know why I was worried though... our little angel never cried or fussed the entire morning.  He was smiling the whole time and showing off some of his new crawling skills in the big bed.  All of his grandparents made it to the hospital in time to give him kisses before they wheeled him away to the operating room.  I wish I had taken a picture of that scene though.  He was dressed in this too big bright purple gown with space ships on it...his hair was all curly and poofed up in the front, and he had is right arm holding on to the side of the bed like "Okay, that was fun, but where do you think you are taking me now?"  Pretty adorable.

 

In the waiting room...still happy

The surgery was expected to take 3-4 hours so we packed as many magazines with "William and Kate" on the cover as we could find and got comfortable in the waiting room.  Exactly three hours later, the nurse reported that Logan was out of surgery and she would take us to our new room.  When Logan first came back to us, he was completely out of it.  Occasionally, he'd open his eyes for like five seconds, and then the weight of them would pull them shut.  It was at least three hours before he was semi-alert and reconized us (he was on some pretty strong pain medication at that point).  If you've ever had to stay the night at Scottish Rite, then you know that there is only one futon like bed in the room.  It's defnitely a tight squeeze for two people.  Logan was not the happiest camper that night so I ended up sleeping in his "cage" next to him.  It was literally like our own little prison cell three feet off the ground.  It was actually was good to be in there because I could ask what medicine they were giving him and be right there when he'd wake up crying.  Needless to say, it was a long night (well, make that two nights...although, Olin slept in the cage one night too!)



Coming out of surgery



Saturday and Sunday came and went with lots of cafeteria food (albeit a little food poisoning for Olin), some visits from friends and family, and tons of POOP.  It was crazy...Logan began "going" almost immediately after he came back from surgery.  We probably changed at least three dirty diapers that night.  You have never seen two people more excited about poop than me and Olin.  I mean, it has really been since like the first few days as a newborn that Logan pooped on his own.  I can honestly say that in sixteen months, I never had to change a dirty diaper in public! I swore I would never complain about changing poopy diapers again, and so far, I haven't! 

 

Asleep in the wagon after a trip to the Koi Pond and cafeteria



It's just so good to see Logan feeling well.  You can just tell he feels better.  I can't imagine what he must have felt like for the last almost year and a half...constipated all of the time...pretty miserable.  The only bad thing has been the diaper rash.  His poor little butt is so red.  It's like someone who has never worked out and has blisters on their feet from not being used to exercising.  His bottom is not used to the constant sh*t that is coming out of it.  It will probably just take a little time for his skin to adjust...until then, we are stocked up on diaper cream!  He had three incisions made on his stomach...one in his belly button, and one on each side of his tummy.  You can't even see the belly button scar anymore, and the two other ones are healing great.  After just one day, Logan was only taking Tylenol for the pain.  For such a little guy, his strength is pretty amazing.  Of course he had a few fussy moments over the weekend, but for the most part, you would never have been able to tell that he'd had surgery just a few days earlier.  Although one doctor got our hopes up for leaving on Mother's Day, we didn't get discharged until Monday.  They just wanted to be sure he was eating and keeping everything down okay.  When we got home, it seemed almost like a dream...or a movie that I had watched of someone else's life.  Logan was doing so well...until I'd smell his dirty diaper, or he'd lift his shirt to show off his new scars, I would forget where we had spent the last three days. 



Check out my scars ladies!





Ready to go home!



I cannot tell you how happy I am that everything went so well for Logan, and that it is over.  I'm still in awe that removing just six inches of his intestine was the trick to getting everything to work properly.  I asked Olin if we should have a burial ceremony for the irrigation catheter : )  I think both of us still have a tiny bit of doubt that this poop extravaganza will be short-lived, but I think it is here to stay!  YAY!   

Thank you all for your continued support and prayers over the last few months.  Your kind words of encouragement have helped lift us on our low days.  We are so thankful for the wonderful doctors and nurses at Scottish Rite who took care of us, and we are so thankful for sweet little Logan and his new and improved colon : )



A quick healer

Set for Surgery

This Friday, Logan will be having his "pull-through" surgery to fix the symptoms of his Hirschsprung's disease.  Our appointment is not until 1:00, so it should be interesting withholding food and drink from him for at least 8 hours before the surgery.  Typically, his procedures are done early in the morning, but if we didn't take the 1:00 time slot, we were looking at waiting until next week or later to get this done.  At his pre-op appointment last Thursday, the doctor was pleased with how empty his colon felt.  I guess Mommy and Daddy are getting pretty good at colonic irrigations : )  Only a few more left to go...yay!

His surgery will be done at Scottish Rite, and should take around 3-4 hours to complete.  I think it takes so long because the doctor has to do multiple biopsies of the intestine to figure out where the bad part begins/ends.  This tissue has to be sent to the lab and looked at so he knows where to make the cut.  Logan will also have four incisions in his belly where the doctor will go in laproscopicly.  Those should heal quickly.  After the procedure, the surgeon says we should see immediate results if all goes well.  They will keep him in the hospital for 4 days, we think...to watch for infection and make sure he has motility.  While the doctor says the risk for infection is very low, they will still keep him on an antibiotic. 

 

It sounds weird to say that I am "excited" about the surgery, but I am just hopeful and ready for all of this to be over.  I just want my baby to poop like everybody else : ) and I promise never to complain about changing a dirty diaper if this surgery is successful.  It is very different this time going into the hospital for an extended period of time.  When Logan had his exploratory surgery at ten days old, we had no idea what we were in for.  We had no idea what was wrong with him in the first place...the problem was...neither did the doctors.  We waited and waited trying to get some answers.  That part was agonizing.  This time is different because we understand the procedure and have a light at the end of the tunnel!  I realized today though that I actually have to "pack" for this little trip.  My mom said to think of it like a vacation.  Hmmm, not so sure about that, but I'll try.  It is a little scary, but I am very confident in Logan's doctor, and I know there will be so many people who will be praying for him.  A week from today, I hope we are bringing him home and laughing at how many dirty diapers he's had over the weekend!

Easter 2011