Everett Alexander: 101st post :)

Wow. The last post was our 100th post, and I missed it. I really was planning on doing something monumental with that post. Well, I guess I'll have to wait until our 125th. It will give me some incentive to keep posting. At this rate, KP might be 5, though. :)

They have been talking about Thanksgiving at school this week, and KP's teacher asked everyone what they were thankful for -- KP said "cars". Everyone (including his teacher) was shocked that he didn't say "choo choo trains". So, here is how our conversation went the next morning:

   Mom: Did you talk about Thanksgiving in school yesterday?
   KP: hai
   Mom: What are you thankful for?
   KP: ummm.....trains
   Mom: Anything else?
   KP: ummm....no.
   Mom: So, you're just thankful for trains?
   KP: hai

So I guess that settles that. :)

We spent the week oversanitizing KP's hands, and doing everything we could think of to keep him healthy, and it appears to have worked. So, it looks like we are on for surgery this week. Here's the breakdown in case I don't get to post again.

Tomorrow (Monday) we have our preop appointment with KP's hand doctor. I'm pretty sure this is just her chance to see if he has grown any, and to make sure that he doesn't cough in her office like last time. We will also be doing our check-in and registration with the hospital since we will be arriving so early on Tuesday morning -- here's a side note -- in all of the surgeries that we have ever done at MCD (and you know there have been plenty), I have never been given the option of doing that part the night before. We have had very early call times, and I don't remember ever being given the option of checking in the day before. I could be wrong, and my memory could be faulty, but I just don't remember it. It's a nice change, anyway.

Tuesday (Happy Birthday, Candy) - we are arriving at the hospital at 5:30am for prep. What this really means is that we will show up so that they know we still want surgery, and we will spend 2 hours in the play room until the OR is ready for us.

Surgery is scheduled to begin at 7:30. It usually takes him a little longer to get down, just because I think it takes a little more, he fights it, and we won't give him goofy juice because it is like trying to lightly sedate a rhinoceros. So, I'm thinking, in reality, surgery will begin around 8ish.

The initial estimate was 2.5 hours, but I think that the doctor has added some things and we are now looking at 3.5 hours....crap. I just realized that I probably should have called his GI and Pulmonologist to see if they wanted to hop in on this one because he has a couple of scopes coming due. Oh well. I always forget to contact the masses. Anyway, around noonish he should be waking up with a cast. Woo hoo (does the sarcasm read here?).

He will be spending the night in the hospital. Right now it appears that we are scheduled for the general floor (gag), but they may change their mind and send us to PICU (yay). Either way, the little man should be out of the hospital by Wednesday unless there is some unknown complication.

We have been showing him pictures of kids in casts, and telling him he will look like Astro Boy when he wakes up. I hope that will help cushion the blow, but you never know. Tomorrow I will ask his doctor if she can cast Paul so that he won't feel so bad. That can't be a new request, so we'll see.

I will try to update facebook regularly on Tuesday, so check there for updates. Just don't get nervous if you don't hear anything for a while -- this is a long, and very exact procedure that we are undergoing.

On a brighter note, here are a few pictures from this week: