Month: February 2011

Chuck Versus The Lost Shout Out

This evening, The Civee and I were watching Chuck and something caught my eye.  One of the supporting characters obtained a keycard with some familiar numbers inscribed on it:

As if that reference to Lost wasn’t enough tonight, later on in the episode, they turn the card over to a familiar face:

Seeing the numbers was cool.  Seeing Francois Chau (who didn’t only play Dr. Chang, but also provided the voice of Quick Kick on the old G.I. Joe cartoon) was a nice touch.

Chuck isn’t Lost, but it’s a good, fun show, which is all I ask for.

King Tom

Hope Knows Who I Am

Now that her cleft palate has been repaired, Hope is theoretically able to make all sorts of consonant sounds she was not able to before.

She’s been saying things like “Ma-Ma” for a few months, even when referring to The Civee.  Last week after the surgery, she started making a few “Na-Na” sounds, making her able to sing along to Hey Jude.

But today marked the greatest day for Hope’s growing vocal skills.  We were playing after I came home.  And she unleashed a “La-La” and “Ba-Ba.”  But to top it all off, she said “Da-Da.”

I’m very proud of her.

Nevermind the fact I was holding a stuffed giraffe when she said it, but the foundation for greatness is there.

King Tom1 Comment

Recovering With Hope

Yesterday, Hope, The Civee and I returned home following Hope’s surgery to repair her cleft palate.

We went to Children’s Hospital early Monday morning.  And by early, I mean we were the first family in the surgery waiting room- we were even assigned pre-surgery bed number 1.  The surgery, which was performed by the same doctor who did Hope’s cleft lip repair, went well.  The wait seemed like it went by quickly, especially compared to the wait during her first surgery.

After surgery, however, was another story.  Hope was clearly in pain, and for a baby who likes to move around, not enjoying being hooked up to the IV and other monitoring tubes.

The doctors gave Hope a lot of pain medication.  And there were points when she was clearly affected by the drugs- looking up at the ceiling, letting her eyes roll into the back of her head, staring at her hand, watching it as it moved.  And despite the fact that these drugs were supposed to make her fall asleep, they didn’t.  Hope would sleep for a half hour or so, wake up and be hyper for a few hours.  Hope didn’t sleep much Monday afternoon.  Or Monday night.  Or after midnight Monday.

While the hospital staff took good care of Hope (and us- I have to say they have some of the best apple juice I’ve ever had), the recovery room wasn’t exactly what I’d call babyproof.  It being a hospital, we didn’t want her walking around on the floor.  The crib/bed was really high off the ground, and as I mentioned, she was hooked up to an IV which would get tangled the few times we let her on her own.  The thing that calmed her the most was if The Civee or I took her for a walk to go look at the fish tank in the lobby.

And perhaps for Hope, once again, the worst part of the recovery phase of the surgery is having her arms confined in arm restraints (which, the hospital calls “Welcome Sleeves,” a euphemism much like “convenience fee” or “image enhancement camp“).  We haven’t had a meltdown yet, but she’s clearly happier when her arms are free of the “welcome sleeves.”  Sadly, the doctor put the kibosh on my idea of baby boxing gloves (or something similar), saying he didn’t want the chance of anything going in her mouth.

Following a palate repair, babies aren’t in the mood to eat (or do anything else).  But Hope took just enough milk Monday night and was alert enough that the doctors were fine with sending her home.

From the second we got home, Hope seemed much more comfortable.  She was able to walk and crawl around (more on that later).  She was able to eat again.  And most importantly, she’s been sleeping.  She took a few large naps during the day yesterday and today.  She slept from 7:00 last night until 10:00 this morning.  The Civee and I put her in her crib around seven tonight, and we’re hoping for a repeat performance.

As for food, Hope can only have pureed foods or liquid.  Her milk/formula intake has been pretty light, but so far she’s had apple juice, apple sauce, cream of broccoli soup, Jell-O and ice cream.  Today was the first time she had either Jell-O or ice cream, and I have to say she really enjoyed both.

Overall, she’s happier at this point than she was after her last surgery.  Sure, she still has to wear the “welcome sleeves” for a few more weeks- but that hasn’t stopped her from playing, or walking around.  As you can see in the video below (I apologize for the poor editing), she’s already working on her zombie walk for next Halloween.

And I should add that The Civee and I really want to thank everyone for the kind words, prayers and help.  We really appreciate it- it’s made everything a little easier.

King Tom7 Comments

Hope’s Ready for Round Two

Last week, I was on the phone with our medical insurance company to ensure everything was good to go for next Monday, the date of Hope’s second surgery, to repair her cleft palate.

The insurance rep asked me what Hope would be undergoing, to which I replied “a palatoplasty.” “Ohhh, we don’t cover that,” she immediately shot back, “typically, we don’t cover elective cosmetic surgeries.”

It’s a good thing her computer quickly told her that a palatoplasty is a necessary procedure to give children born with cleft palates normal speech and eating functions, or else I would have unleashed a torrent of words unsuitable for a blog that my daughter may read one day.

Yes, Hope’s next surgery is scheduled for Monday, a day The Civee and I can’t wait for, yet at the same time, we wish we could push back.  Last August, Dr. Pearson and his team did a great job with Hope’s first surgery.  The Civee and I couldn’t be happier with Hope’s smile.

At the same time, it was rough.  The first few post-surgery hours (days, actually) are unsettling- from the moment when she unhappily first wakes up from the surgery to the nights of restless sleep afterwards.  Additionally, the surgery had other temporary, if negative side effects- Hope’s sleep was off for a while and other things were, well, let’s say backed up.  And while Hope won’t have plugs in her nose for six weeks after the surgery, she’ll still have to wear arm restraints for three weeks, which she absolutely hated.

Considering the fact that she’s making all sorts of noises, walking around the house, sleeping and eating normally, not to mention just being a happy little person, The Civee and I are not anxious to see what effects the post-surgery period will have.  Unlike the surgery to repair her cleft lip, there won’t be any visible signs of something good happening (take that, insurance rep!).  And while the surgery will allow her to eventually speak and eat normally, Hope will still need speech therapy and will be back to soft, pureed foods for quite some time (although we are planning on letting her have as much ice cream as she wants).

The other thing (as I’ve mentioned) that we’re not looking forward to is the arm restraints.  The doctor says she will need them to keep her from putting her hands in her mouth.  But last time, she was very irritated at the fact that she couldn’t move her arms.  I had an idea the other day for a way around this which I plan to ask the doctor before surgery- baby boxing gloves- big enough to keep her from putting her hands in her mouth, but covering just her hands, allowing her full motion with her arms.

Even though she’s facing surgery next week, Hope is a strong, lively little girl.  The surgery will help her in the long run, and while she may be out of it for a few weeks, she’ll be back to walking, eating normally and being a happy little baby in no time.

King Tom7 Comments

The Rockingest Lullabies Baby Will Ever Hear

Around this time last year, The Civee and I were shopping in some store for babies or expectant parents when I saw a display of CDs from Rockabye Baby.  The company takes music by popular artists and converts them into lullaby versions.  This particular display had lullaby versions of songs from The Beatles and U2.

I took a few pictures with my cell phone and was planning on writing a blog entry about the CDs.  I was going to say how it was a shame that the U2 version didn’t have a version of the greatest U2 song ever.  Or about how it was a crime that there was no Weezer lullaby CD.  But we were expecting a baby and trying to buy a house and all so I didn’t exactly get around to it.

Well, it’s a year later and the Rockabye Baby version of U2 still does not have Lemon.  They are, however, coming out with a Weezer lullaby CD.  On behalf of parents everywhere, it’s a relief knowing this injustice has been corrected.  The tracklist for the Weezer version is actually pretty good (with the exception of Beverly Hills), containing mostly songs from their first two albums, plus an early B-Side.

Hope already likes Weezer.  And it was established pretty early on that she rocks.  But we’ll probably end up getting her one anyway.  However, I won’t buy the U2 version until they make Lemon into a lullaby.

King Tom2 Comments