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.

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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.

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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.

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A Lost Sign of Spring

It’s around this time of year that the signs of spring start popping up, making winter in central Ohio a little less dreary.

Spring training means baseball (yes, even pre-season baseball) is here.  The days getting longer sets the stage for grill season.  And for the past few years, the new season of Lost has always started right around the first week of February, carrying through right up to the beginning of summer (which in addition to giving me something to watch, has given me something to write about).

Well, the past few days, I’ve been looking forward to the beginning of baseball season and have noticed the days getting longer.  While I’ve thought about Lost, I haven’t really felt like I was missing anything until I read an essay on the New York Times’ Website written by Carlton Cuse, one of the head writers of Lost:

After “Lost” ended last May, the first thing I wanted to do was go someplace far away and clear my brain. But I quickly discovered there was a big difference between getting away and leaving the show behind…Right around now a new season of “Lost” should be making its heavily promoted debut. Instead, three years into the show my partner, Damon Lindelof, and I did something that had never been done before in network TV: We negotiated an end date.

After reading the article, I haven’t been able to stop thinking: Shouldn’t we be getting a new episode of Lost next week or so?  And then reality hits me: the show is over.  So no, winter is going to last a while longer and there won’t be any new episodes of Lost to lead us into summer.

On the show, mostly everyone got a happy ending.  A large percentage of the questions were answered.  And I’m still (obviously) a fan of the show.  But it was such a huge event for the last six years that it’s odd not to have it anymore, yet it’s still around.  A few weeks back, a number of people won  money in the lottery by playing Hurley’s numbers. Apparently, last night on TV there was a Lost reference on 30 Rock.   Also, yesterday, I found a rather odd tie to Lost: if I worked at my current place of employment 80 years ago, Kelvin’s grandfather would have been my boss.

Back in December, I finished watching the whole series (it took a few months to do it).  It was enjoyable watching it again without the mysteries hanging over my head like the sword of Damocles.  To be able to concentrate on the characters again (even Kate), even knowing what would happen to them, was fun.

It feels like this time of year is missing something without new episodes of Lost.  I could always pop in a DVD and watch an old episode any time I want.  At the same time, not having the show continue frees up parts of my life.  And with a baby, there’s plenty to do.  New signs of life and all.  Isn’t that what spring is about?

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Weezer Continues to Dust Off the Favorites for Memories Tour

A few years back, I went to a Rentals concert here in Columbus. The highlight of the show was easily the band (which included Rachel Haden) covering the Weezer B-side I Just Threw Out the Love of My Dreams, which featured Haden on lead vocals.  While the song was the highlight of the show and enjoyable, it wasn’t what I would call a great rendition.  But back then, the Rentals were the only band performing the song at all.

Weezer’s current tour, the Memories Tour, features them performing The Blue Album and Pinkerton on back-to-back nights (and of course, they’re not stopping in Columbus).  In addition to playing the complete album with some other hits, the band is also throwing in some seldom-played B-sides, like last month, when they played Jamie.

Over the weekend, in Vegas, they performed another rarely-played (if ever) B-side, I Just Threw Out the Love of My Dreams, featuring, you guessed it-Rachel Haden.  Thanks to the magic of YouTube, video of that performance is online.  And yes, it’s better than when the Rentals played the song:

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Baby Bigfoot

For the past three or four weeks, we’ve had a situation similar to a Bigfoot sighting around our house.

Hope has been walking.  But only when the cameras were off.  If I had the camera on, she would either just sit there or crawl around. I spent a lot of time sitting around and playing with her with one hand on the camera waiting for her to walk, while she would do anything else.

But yesterday, I finally got my video proof:

The fall into the Ottoman didn’t hurt.  She’s actually started to walk up to things, rather than walk to a few steps away and fall the rest of the way.

Because of the cold weather, The Civee and I spent most of the day inside yesterday, organizing and babyproofing.  We put up a few gates and I think we have a system that will work.  But it’s only a matter of time before Hope figures out how to climb.

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Bumper Stickers Don’t Last Forever

On the way home from work today, I was driving for quite some time behind an old Volvo.  And when I say old, I mean one of those Volvos that passed the 500,000 mile mark back during the 90s.

I’m guessing this car had had quite a few owners, because in addition to its age, there were a number of bumper stickers that were obviously covering up other bumper stickers.  And a few of these top-layer bumper stickers were peeling away, revealing the stickers the car proudly displayed during a previous regime.

One of these peeled-away top layer stickers had one of those “Know Justice, Know Peace”-style sayings.  But the middle was torn away and what was beneath it was visible.  The lower sticker looked somewhat familiar, and it wasn’t until I was stopped at a light that I was close enough to see what the mystery sticker once was-it was a Weezer bumper sticker.  It was just the band’s name, but not in the traditional Weezer font.

At first, I wondered why someone would ever want to cover up a Weezer bumper sticker.  But then I thought maybe the power of rock was too powerful for whatever sticker attempted to cover it up.

Either way, it was the fifth time I’ve seen a car (that wasn’t mine) sporting a Weezer bumper sticker.

I’ve had four cars and three of them have had Weezer stickers (or window decals).  My first car, an ’87 Buick Century Limited, was my aunt’s car that was handed down to me.  It didn’t have any bumper stickers or other decorations for two reasons- I wasn’t sure the car would last much longer and when I got the car, Weezer was inactive and band bumper stickers (and other merchandise) was hard to come by.

The Limited lasted me until aught-three.  The first car I bought, a Mitsubishi Mirage had a Weezer bumper sticker, not to mention a Trogdor the Burninator bumper sticker and a WOXY window decal.  The two cars I’ve (or, more accurately, We’ve) had since then have had identical Weezer window decals.

Other than that though, I don’t have much of a desire to adorn my car.  I wouldn’t want to put something on there that at sometime in the future, I’d have to remove or clumsily cover up with another sticker.  Seeing the Volvo made me realized that bumper stickers don’t last forever, but sometimes they last longer than you want them to.

Oh, and also, don’t doubt the power of the Weezer logo.

King Tom3 Comments

We’re Still Here

If you were to go through the recent posts of this blog, it would appear that little is happening in the Kingdom.

The last few posts have been Hope-related, and even those have been few and far between.  For an update, she’s still growing and amazing us every day.  She’s taken a few steps and has a great little drunken walk (without the actual drunkeness).

Other than that, it may feel like not much else is happening.  The weather is horrible, which isn’t surprising considering it is winter.  But for an Island native like myself, I get sick of the cold as soon as the temperature dips below 40.  Combine that with the short days and it feels like not that much is going on this time of year.  When the weather is nice and the days are longer, The Civee, Hope and I usually go out after I return from work and go for a walk or run before cooking dinner and settling in for the night.  These days, I get home, hang out with Hope and the Civee and make dinner.  So it feels like there’s not much to write about.

Also, for the past few years, both Lost and 24 started in January.  Sadly, neither of those shows will be back this year.  Without those twice-weekly automatic topics, the blog may feel lighter on content, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing going on.

I’ll keep posting, especially when something new happens with Hope.  And I’ll keep an eye out for other things to blog about too.  But until then, we’ll still be here.

I should add The Civee thinks this is a weak entry.  I don’t disagree.  She suggests I withdraw it until I have something stronger to write.  I suggest she get her own blog.

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Clapping And Standing

The other day The Civee noticed that Hope was banging two bottles together in her hands.  For a few weeks now, she’s been able to clap.  Yesterday, she started clapping while standing.  Then it hit me- our baby is now a multitasker.

Around this time last year, I was blogging about TV shows that are no longer on the air (this one, this one or this one), the day The Civee and I spent cleaning out the basement at our old apartment or quirky methods of measuring the size of babies during pregnancy.  Obviously, a lot has changed- we now have a new basement that’s somewhat in order and Hope is a lot bigger than your average butternut squash (not only is she bigger than one, but she eats them too).

I’m sure there will be a lot of new things for Hope this year.  Her next surgery is scheduled for early February.  She’s on the verge of walking.  She’s trying all sorts of new foods.  I’ll be blogging about all of those things.  And maybe if I have time, I’ll blog about some other things too.

King Tom2 Comments