Saturday report

Well, we are home from the hospital! Cainan was released yesterday late morning and we were home by 1pm. It is nice to be home. Cainan was happy to see his toys and even see his sisters! He didn't have fever since Wednesday evening, so we got to leave. Yeah! After 4 nights and 5 days in the hospital, we couldn't get out of there fast enough. I know it isn't that long, but it is hard to entertain a toddler that long. He was so bored - we all were. Cainan didn't do as well this surgery as he has in he past. It seemed to take him longer to recover from the anesthesia, and just had generalized grumpiness. He got a little better each day, but he doesn't want to eat much. He will take Pediasure, and is on a liquid diet until Monday, but doesn't want much else. He doesn't want to move his jaw much - I think it is sore from the holding his mouth open during surgery. I am trying to work it during meal times so it doesn't get more stiff, but he resists. He just wants the food to slide down his throat like it always has, but now with the palate in place, he is gagging more. It is weird! He never did that before, and it is new for him.

He still has a terrible cough. It is all in his throat from the tube from surgery, but it is annoying him as well. He coughs a lot when he eats and that doesn't help either! Poor guy. The cough is the one thing that hasn't really improved.

So the palate is done for now. He does have a small hole from his nose down into his mouth, so thin liquids still come through his nose if he coughs hard or sneezes while he eats. The doctor said that is the hardest part to close, and since Cainan's surgery was challenging, he couldn't get it all the way closed. So we will have to have a revision in the future. I am sure we will talk about that when we see the surgeon for his follow up appointment in a few weeks. I am sure it will be a year from now - from what I understand they like to have the palate heal for a year before messing with it again. He will still have the nose and lip revision in the spring, though. We aren't out of the woods, but still have a break for awhile. Now we can just let him heal and enjoy his first Thanksgiving and Christmas with us!

He is doing well. Getting back to himself and playing. He doesn't seem to mind the arm restraints, and since this surgery is on the inside of his mouth, we can take them off for bigger intervals because we aren't worried about him touching the sutures. He isn't allowed to put toys or his hands in his mouth, so if he is out of sight, he has to wear them. But the little breaks make him very happy. He is easy going about them anyway, so it isn't a big deal. I am not sure how long he has to wear them. At least two weeks. Beyond that, I won't know until his appointment on the 27th. He is taking the pediasure well, and we are working through getting some baby food, cream of wheat and other liquids in him until Monday.

In other news, here are some updates:
Arlington - said something funny. You know the "Bee Movie" that is out? Mat took her to see it, as I have posted before. Anyway, we were talking about some things she wants for Christmas and she said, "hey, I know something I want - the NUMBER ONE Bee Movie!" Advertising works for Arlington!

Arlington had also made a get well Card for Cainan. It was really cute. She wanted to make one because she said she missed him while he was away and sick. Very cute. She also made one for Finley because she didn't want Finley to feel left out. It was a card that said "I love you" since she wasn't sick, she told me.

Arlington is also learning to tell DIGITAL time. She is figuring out numbers - she can count to 100, but doesn't always recognize the numbers out of sequence. Today she finally got it, and could read the clock correctly. She was so proud of herself and we were proud of her too!

Finley - has some new words. She says "sticker", "mommy", "diaper", "Finley". She can count to three, kind of. If I say "one", she will say "two, three". It is cute. I remember Arlington started the same way. I could never get her to say one. I would say one, and she automatically would say "two". Finley is the same!

And our bad baby got into some chocolate this morning. Thank goodness for her big sister Arlington always keeping an extra eye on her! Mat was making breakfast while I was getting Cainan up, and Finley was walking around. All of the sudden, Arlington said, "Finley has chocolate on her face". Mat went around the corner, and she had gotten into my purse and was sucking the chocolate off some milkduds I had from the movies the previous night! She was covered - her face, hands, clothes. She went running when she saw Mat had caught her, laughing all the way! That one is trouble!

Cainan - he has learned to point to things he has noticed. It is cool to see. He is becoming more aware of his environment. He is also doing a lot of dancing. He marches around and will shake his head back and forth. He even spins in a circle! It is really cute. He loves music and singing.

Here are a few pictures from our last days at the hospital and today at home. ENjoy!