Settling in Before Baby

Things are going so great right now.  Kyrie is doing fantastic.  His potty training progress is sloooow... but it's in the right direction.  With each week that passes, I can see the progress he's making!  And I'm not even sure "potty training" is the right phrase.  He is potty trained.  That is not an issue at all.  It really just has more to do with regulating his digestive system.  The urge to go still comes pretty out of the blue, and he panics about getting to the bathroom on time.  And he is still only going small amounts at a time, but again - slow progress is still progress!  I'm so proud of him and how far he has come.

He will occasionally complain of his surgery sites hurting.  His steri-strips are all gone.  This was a big ordeal, of course, because they are a type of adhesive.  But once I could see his incision was healed underneath, I started putting coconut oil on them every night, and eventually he was able to pull them off on his own without any pain.  He was VERY proud of every one that came off.  He saved them for David and I on the counter.  Which is basically like saving a used bandaid, but whatever.  Little victories, right?

So his incision sites are looking pretty good.  One is a bit more raised than the other and I'm concerned there may be some scar tissue build up from the colostomy.  Maybe that's a thing, and maybe its not.  We'll find out at his next follow up appointment in a week and a half.  And while they cause him a little discomfort sometimes, he mostly seems back to normal.  He plays rougher than I'm comfortable with and very rarely naps.  So I'd say he's feeling pretty good!

David and I have been trying to get as ready as we can for baby girl to make her arrival.  It feels like everything with the boys is going perfectly, so there is no better time to throw in a little more chaos with a new baby.  We've got her nursery set, clothes washed, and car seat in the car!  I'm all caught up at work and this week I'm doing my conferences early.  I have a long term sub set up who is spending all her free time shadowing me.  Without getting paid (say whaaatt??)  I think she is going to be fantastic with my sweet little first graders.   So after Wednesday, report cards and conferences will be set and I'll be 100% ready for lady girl to get here.

So since everything is ready, I'm sure I'll go late.  I've felt like I'd go early all along, and now I'm worried I've set myself up for disappointment!  No matter when she makes her arrival, I'll be ready to meet her.  I want to enjoy every last day of this pregnancy, so every time I feel her move, I've been praying for her and her delivery, and her brothers as they adjust to her joining us.  Ezra has been SUCH a mama's boy lately.  He wants to be held by me.  He wants everything to be done by me.  David will try to simply put him in his chair or car seat, and he'll yell, "No!  Mama!"  So his world will definitely be rocked.  David and I will just have to be sure to set individual time aside for each of the boys when the little lady is home.  Fourth babies are used to that, right?  That's what baby wearing is for :)

So we're pretty excited for her to come.  Once she's here I'll probably post once or twice from the hospital while I'm only in charge of myself and one tiny baby.  But then once I'm home I'll probably never blog again.

Because.... you know.  Four kids four and under, y'all.

Bring it :)

2 Weeks Post Operation

It feels so good to be two weeks post op.  We are home, and happy and slowly recuperating.  I've written this post twice since we've been home and never been able to finish it.  I read two drafts I started but never finished.  We're just crazy busy all the time between work, the boys, and bathroom trips.  But things are good.  And we have a lot to be thankful for!

Big Picture - Kyrie is doing AWESOME.  He feels good most of the time.  He's pooping multiple times every day.  He's now able to go potty without pain.  His incisions are healing beautifully.  And he has more energy every day.  He was cleared by his surgeon to get back to regular activity and to take a bath and soak.

So excited to be packed up and ready to leave the hospital!

On our way out! 

I feel like we've jumped over many, many hurdles in his recovery.  Up until a few days ago, he really struggled to pee.  According to the surgeon, since his surgery was so close to his bladder, it is likely that his bladder was spasming and causing him discomfort.  This made it really difficult for him to pee, and caused him a lot of pain.  There was really nothing we could do for him.  We couldn't even put him in the tub to try to offer him relief that way because he wasn't cleared to soak his incisions yet.  We had a couple really rough nights and days trying to help him go. And how does one help another pee?  Seriously, we felt pretty helpless for our boy.

Twinners.  How do I have the most handsome kids in the world?  

Kyrie has also been struggling with some pretty severe "diaper rash".  He is pooping multiple times a day.  Prior to his surgery, his bottom hadn't seen any action for months because of the colostomy.  So now there is lots of stool coming through, and wiping a gazillion times a day.  I can't even begin to explain how bad this rash is.  Imagine you fell off your bike and skinned your knee.  You have raw, exposed, bleeding skin.  Now imagine it's on your bottom, and you are still going multiple times a day and having to wipe that raw, bleeding skin.  Sometimes 6 times within in hour.  It's torture.  Torture for Kyrie, and for me (or whoever is helping him in the bathroom.)  We've been using all sorts of creams, but no barrier cream sticks to exposed, broken skin, so it's been difficult to protect his bottom.  Thankfully, we are at a place where it's slowly healing.  But as long as he continues to go as often as he does, we will be fighting this battle.  I think we will be buying stock in Extra Thick Desitin cream.

Two boys playing so carefully together.  With, you guessed it... letters!

And then there is the fact that he goes multiple  times a day.  This is a blessing beyond any other because it is something he was never capable of before.  He's been very successful in this area, which is awesome.  But it's exhausting for Kyrie and us to spend so much time in the bathroom.  He can spend a significant time in the bathroom and think he is done, and five minutes after snapping his pants he's in a panic over having to go again.  When he has to go, it gives him a tummy ache, so he sort of freaks out about it.  He's afraid he's not going to make it, and obviously nobody likes a tummy ache.  So while the "going" is so awesome, it's also been tricky.  It keeps us from being able to leave the house with him very often.  We ventured out to dinner this weekend with Kyrie for the first time, and we had to race to a bathroom 3 or 4 times in the hour and a half we were out.  This has also kept Kyrie from getting back to preschool.  He's so ready to go back, but can't really do that without some pretty significant bathroom support.  We're hoping that next week Kyrie's Papa can go with him to preschool, and then hopefully back off from that support.  It's so hard to know what he'll need and how his body will continue to heal.  His surgeon thinks his body will start to regulate itself and he won't have to go so often.  But if it doesn't, we may have to try some other strategies and medication to help him go on a more normal basis.

Alphabet ducks.  For real.  

Kyrie's attitude is awesome.  He is SUCH a tough little guy!  He has been really good at taking it easy and not playing too rough.  Even when his brothers do.  Now that he is cleared for more activity, he's still taking it slow, which is so good for his mama's heart.  He is still waking up a couple times a night.  Sometimes to use the bathroom.  Sometimes to tell me he needs me to tuck him in.  One time he came in, gave me a hug and a kiss, and went right back to his bed.  He just wakes up and needs a little reassurance I think.  Which is fine.  I'm 9 months pregnant, so I'm up that often to go to the bathroom anyway.  He is so careful of his incisions on his tummy.  His incisions have steri-strips covering where his stitches were.   The surgeon said we can start taking those off now, because he's healing great.  But if you recall Kyrie's feelings about adhesive, you can imagine how that process is going.  The top incision rubs on his clothes enough that all but one has loosened and came off on their own.  The bottom ones don't get bothered much by his clothes and probably won't come off until we peel them.  This will be a bit of a problem.  They haven't even loosed up in the tub.  So we're working on that.  Or not really, but it's on my mind.  It's just not a fight I'm willing to have with him right now after all he's been through and I keep hoping they'll just start coming off.  He'll play with them and they'll come off.  I know better, but I'm hopeful.

Reunited in the tub!  And so, so happy to play together with their bath letters!

We're so thankful to have the surgery and hospital stay behind us.  And we've got another four weeks before the baby comes to focus on Kyrie's recovery before our home gets into crazy mode again.  Although - I guess it's still in crazy mode.  Maybe it always is.


Yesterday at a school event, one of my student's parents asked me if I'm nervous about adding in the fourth child.  I'm not, I told her.  Not at all.  That doesn't worry me a bit.  New baby, no sleep, labor and delivery, helping the boys adjust... yes.  That normal stuff will be tricky, but I know it will be fine once we get in our new groove.  Because we are in such a great place.  My three boys are incredible.  Kyrie is slowly making such great health progress.  My job still fills me with joy - even with how busy I am at home.  And this baby is going to be so loved by her family.

This one is just funny to me.  He came out of his brothers' room this
morning saying, "Hat!"  Weirdo!!

So we're praying for a more regulated digestive system for Kyrie.  For his diaper rash to go away and stay away.  For continued healing and health.  And for a healthy baby girl to be born with an easy delivery.  But we're also praying prayers of thanksgiving for a healthy little boy, three brothers that adore each other, and a beautiful fourth miracle on the way.