The Aftermath

I will write in more detail about Katie’s surgery in an upcoming post, but today, I just want to check in so folks know I’m alive and that we’re maintaining. I wouldn’t say we’re thriving, but we’re not going under, so I count it as a win.

We owe a massive debt of gratitude to the folks behind Baby Toolkit for their absolutely lifesaving gift of Dinner Done!. Not having to worry about food shopping, prepping, or really cleaning up after has been such a blessing and a gift. I strongly recommend searching out similar services in your area and putting their phone number on speed dial. When someone is in a really bad place, this is a gift that can make a HUGE difference in their quality of life as they go through whatever their struggle is.

Katie is doing well, but having a lot of difficulty sleeping. I think part of it is fear, since the last time she went to sleep she woke up to a great deal of pain, but part of it may be residual effects of the anesthesia and the intubation. I know it took me a few weeks to work through the additional air in my system after she was born last year. The only way she will sleep is in her swing and only after she has been held and swayed for a while. P thinks we’re spoiling her; I think she’s been through something hugely traumatic and needs some extra nurturing while she recovers.

Her hair would do a Marine proud. It’s roughly an eighth of an inch all over (except at the actual incision site, which is covered in steri-strips). The first day home she couldn’t roll over or crawl, but by day three she was doing both. Yesterday and today, she was cruising from one piece of furniture to another. Took a couple of tumbles. She cried, but cheered right up. My heart stopped, but all is fine.

She’s eating like a champ and has gained back almost everything she lost post-surgery (she went in at 18 lbs; came out about 16.5 lbs and is now almost back to 18 lbs). This is why they were so adamant that she be strong and healthy, and gain weight prior to surgery. Makes sense now.

Ben has dealt with all of this reasonably well. He was very frightened when he came in the first day. He came running over, very excited, but saw Katie’s head and stopped cold. By yesterday, when my mother came to visit, he explained to his Nana that she “cannot touch Katie’s head” and was reasonably protective of her. He’s saying some things we’ve not heard him say before, but nothing that’s really out of order for a four year old. Although, yesterday, calling Katie “stupid Katie” got him sent to his room to cool off.

I’m ended up turning over the classes I was teaching after a very long weekend of very little sleep. So, I am not working until next week. Well, some course prep, but not much else (except some holdover course design issues, that are in the process of being resolved). So, we’ll spend the next few days off doing things that need doing. Planning for November and December homeschooling. Making new charts for Ben. He likes his routines on charts where he can see them, so I oblige. I have some holiday planning/birthday planning to do.

Katie has her follow up appointment on Monday, where hopefully we can get clarity on when she can start being around people a bit more. We have been in virtual seclusion for over a month now, and we’ll have to decide how much exposure is acceptable and whether we need vaccines for flu and H1N1 or not. I likely can’t have them, but can the rest of them? We don’t know. So you know, I believe strongly in vaccination as it’s a means of protecting people like me who cannot take them — so it’s a wee bit self-serving.

In any event, we’re here. We’re hanging in there. I’ll talk more about the surgery and the immediate following time soon. I still need to process my feelings and thoughts on it a bit more.