a trick-or-treating kangaroo

Lucas went trick-or-treating for the first time Friday night. Yes, I said Friday night. For some reason, our county decided to trick-or-treat on Friday night because Halloween fell on a Sunday. We went with it! The last 2 years, we just dressed Lucas up and gave out candy. This year, we went door to door in our little cul-de-sac. It was perfect for a little guy. He seriously had a blast. He would scuttle up to the door, ring the doorbell (if he could), and say, "knock, knock, trick or treat." He got to go with his cousin, Ryan, too. They were quite the duo.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

recovering...

I was too tired to blog last night, so here's an update on Lucas's surgery. I'm happy to report that surgery went well and no tears were shed at the hospital. He's pretty well back to himself today. For the first time (unlike the previous 3 surgeries), Lucas was not the first surgery of the day. So, instead of arriving at 6 AM, we arrived at 8:15, so we hit traffic on the Schuykill. He was the second in line for surgery, so we had to wait until the first surgery was over. They didn't actually take him back to surgery until about 10:30. That was the longest part of the day - entertaining a busy toddler for 1 1/2 hours. Right before surgery he was pretty out of it, thanks to the giggle juice, so he didn't really mind when they came to take him back.

We said our good-byes, checked in at the waiting room, and headed to the cafeteria for some grub. When we got to the cafeteria at 10:40, it had just closed at 10:30 to prepare for lunch. So, we waited until 11:00, got something to eat and then headed back up to recovery waiting. We promptly got an update from a nurse who reported that Dr. K was done with the first ear, and was starting the second. A half an hour later, we got called back to recovery. Because of how he woke up during the last surgery, we let him sleep for 2 hours, hoping he would wake up more pleasant than hysterical. It worked. He was a tiny bit cranky while the nurse removed his IV, but as soon as he got his sippy cup, he was a happy boy. AND he didn't vomit at all either. It was a much better recovery.

So, we headed home shortly thereafter. He didn't have to pee to be discharged like he did in June. He did, however, pee plenty on the way home. We wondered why he was so fussy near the end of our trip home, and when we got home, we figured out it was because he was wet to his knees. Although he certainly has the language ability to tell me things like that, he just doesn't. He's a boy.

He had an uneventful evening at home, and went to bed pretty easily. However, a few minutes after I put him to bed, he was calling for me at the door. He had scratched off some of his dermabond. I think it was itchy for him. It wasn't bleeding, so we put a bandaid on it and he went back to bed and he didn't touch it anymore. He spent a quiet day at home today, recovering with daddy. He got to have a bath tonight too! We don't have to technically follow-up with the surgeon, because his CI surgery will be our follow-up!

Here are some pictures from our day:

playing doctor

stamped by the surgeon and ready to go

bossing around Elmo & doctor bear

getting cozy before surgery, thanks to giggle juice

sleeping off the anesthesia

doctor bear got a hospital bracelet too!

Now it's time to start worrying thinking about CI surgery. Somehow I can't believe that we're going to go through it all again. I know it will be worth it though. We have an activation date: December 9! His first activation was January 9, so that will help me remember. It will be 1 year 11 months to the day. Thanks everyone for your prayers and well wishes. It meant a lot!

pumpkin fun

hay tunnels...

digging corn...

hayrides...

pumpkin pickin'...

pumpkin posing....

pumpkin painting...

CI pumpkin...

barrel riding...

positioning...

decorating...

pumpkin fun 2010!

before THAT surgery...

As excited as we are for Lucas to get a 2nd cochlear implant, we haven't begun to think about it much yet. Why? Because he has another surgery scheduled for this Monday. When we met with his CI surgeon about the 2nd implant, we also inquired about his "ear pits" that discharge and sometimes get infected. He decided he wants to remove them prior to CI surgery.

For surgical purposes, they are classifying these ear pits as branchial cleft cysts. I would love to take a picture of them, but they're almost too small to photograph. It looks mildly similar to this, although Lucas's placement is slightly lower and more to the left.

this is not Lucas's ear...

They're really quite unnoticeable. In fact, when we took Lucas to see the geneticist for testing, the doc missed them during his examination. I had to point them out to him as being "abnormal." The pits are a congenital birth defect, and were at first thought to be just divots. But, the holes are actually canals that lead to sacs, and they drain, and sometimes even get infected. The infection part is worrisome, as he needs no extra risk of infection in his head. That's why they're being removed.

Surgery is on Monday. I got our arrival time this afternoon... 8:15 AM. I am thankful for the early time. I'm actually pretty nervous about this surgery. After his last surgery in June, I have concerns about how he will react to the anesthesia again after surgery. As he ages and develops more language, he becomes more aware too. 4 months ago he didn't ask too many questions, but I don't know how he'll act this time. I've gotten out doctor bear and the doctor kit, and we're going to role play. That's the best I can do to prepare him.

Your prayers for an easy procedure and a quick recovery are appreciated. I'll blog about how it goes.

home, sweet (new) home

We are pretty well settled in our new home. We will be there three weeks on Friday. It has been a bit of an adjustment for little Lucas. We had our other house well baby-proofed, but we have had to double our efforts in this new house. Almost every door knob has a cover on it, we have locks for all of our cabinets, pantry, refrigerator, and we were forced to anchor his new dresser to the wall, because it almost toppled over on him. He has been less "destructive" this past week, but we're still glad the house is extra safe for him.

He just started sleeping through the night again. I had quite a few long nights sleeping on the floor, using his  bear as a pillow and 3 of his blankets to keep me warm. I had to get him a new night light, because he was pulling the traditional light out of the socket and making me very nervous. Luckily he never broke a bulb, but I wasn't willing to take that chance anymore. This one also sheds less light, and I believe it has contributed greatly to him sleeping through the night again! Here's what it looks like when it's lit. It's cordless too - you just have to charge it during the day. I love it so much, I want to buy it for every mommy I know!

Lucas is enjoying his little pre-preschool class three times a week. He comes home every day with a fun art project and new language. He seems to be doing well in the classroom. Members of his "team", both current and transitional, are observing him in his school environment to see what his needs are. His IEP transition is going pretty smoothly also. Last Friday began his testing, and after a few more evaluations, we will meet for his formal IEP meeting. I can't wait to make my book!

Lucas helped Daddy build a bookshelf last weekend, and was just thrilled to use real tools! (he looks so serious & grown up here!!)

He thinks it's pretty fun to ride his "motorcycle" around the house. He uses it as transportation too, to get him from one room to another.

He likes our new driveway too... especially in the rain with an umbrella four times his size...

He has asked us to get one of these, but that will just have to wait. It sure was fun to play on it at the farm show though!

We were sad to leave our old house for about.... an hour. We love it here soooo much. Seriously though, that house holds a lot of memories. I can remember my highest of highs and my lowest of lows in that house. Every event in our life as a family so far has occurred in that house. Lucas celebrated so many firsts there too, especially with his CI. But, we are ready to move on, to start over, to spring forward, to create new family memories. There's no turning back!

Lucas is getting...

* A SECOND COCHLEAR IMPLANT!!! *

Barring any insurance problems, Lucas will be bilaterally implanted with a Cochlear N5 implant in his left ear on November 22, 2010. Surgery will be at CHOP with with the same surgeon who did the first surgery. We are excited, nervous, anxious and just so incredibly thrilled to give him surround sound! More details to follow, but we just wanted to share our very exciting news!