Flashback: Andrew's Big Day

In mid-October, an ENT specialist confirmed something I both expected and never expected: Andrew had persistent ear infections and would need tubes implanted. I had tubes put in as a child, so I anticipated that those problems might be passed on, but never did I associate Andrew's general grumpiness with ear infections.

Without hesitation, or even a call to Jeff, I signed up for an appointment at one of my favorite places, Legacy Emmanuel Hospital in Portland. Andrew was born at this hospital and the Randall Children's Hospital is beautiful. I felt guilty that Andrew had been uncomfortable for so long and the ENT (who I really do like) added to my guilt when he said, "he [Andrew] had probably thought the pain was supposed to feel that way". And of course, the doctor warned that ear infections could affect language development. So, with a solution in sight, Jeff, Andrew, and I made our way to the hospital in early November.

Andrew had the first appointment in the day surgery wing, which gave him first dibs on the large assortment of cars. He and one other little boy took turns trying all of them out. I'm sure Nathan would have loved to be there, too.

Andrew was in a good mood while Jeff dressed him in his surgery gown.

I held my cool until the moments we waited in the pre-op room. There were other families of little ones, likely all waiting for similar procedures. One mother next to us was crying, which sent me into tears. Fortunately, the medicated juice Andrew drank was pretty effective on his empty stomach and he was a loopy, smily guy, even while the nurse carried him away.

Having ear tubes implanted only took 15 minutes (I hadn't even finished my coffee) and the doctor was pleased. In another few moments, the nurses invited me back to see Andrew, who had a hard time coming out of anesthesia, thrashing about and crying. Soon enough, he was declared fit to go home and off we went for a day of rest.

Within days of the procedure, Andrew's temperament changed for the better. He was happier and more fun. Jeff and I were astonished at the positive changes in such a short amount of time. In the time since, many others have remarked on how much happier he seems. He loves to sing and dance, and is learning new words every day.

Comments

Christmas 2020

Have yourself a merry little Christmas Let your heart be light From now on Our troubles will be out of sight As a result of the pandemic, the model train festival we typically enjoy this time of year was canceled (thus no pictures with Santa). We missed family and friends this year. The fun energy of the last few school days before Winter Break was not quite the same over Zoom. I missed singing carols in church during month of December. As the season progressed, I couldn't help but reflect on other times in history where celebrations were small and often just a nuclear family. Times and places where travel was too difficult or too expensive to justify leaving home. For those generations of families, the traditions were as simple as reading the Christmas story together or baking a special bread. In so many ways that was our Christmas this year and by seeking the joy in each moment, we found our hearts lighter. We visited our favorite local tree farm to find THE TREE. We...

Tradition

At no other time of the year do I think about "tradition" more than during the holidays, from Thanksgiving through Christmas. I do like the sense of timelessness that traditions afford, reminding us of past Christmases and the people or places we cherish most. As much as I love the traditions of years past and years to come, I think it's healthy to miss or change traditions every now and then. My own childhood was filled with traditions for Thanksgiving and Christmas, as was Jeff's, but I also recall the experiences when traditions were put on hold or changed, sometimes intentionally, and sometimes for reasons beyond our control. I suppose it's the same for all of us as we grow, move, lose, and gain. Not that I go out of my way to disrupt any plans for my family now, but rather, to remind us that life doesn't always go the way it has before and we can enjoy the time together no matter what. Having our own family caused Jeff and I to decide on what would be...

Embracing Joy

I made a goal not too long ago to write something about once a month or so. As November winds to an end, I have been feeling pressure to put something down. Trying to steer clear of a simple Thanksgiving post, I've noticed something else that has stuck me as we head into the Christmas season. The joy, excitement and wonder that children bring to just about everything. Photo courtesy of Erin's Instagram page We hosted Thanksgiving this year and in order to make room for everyone, and have everyone at least in the same room for dinner we did some serious rearranging of furniture. We moved a couch basically into our kitchen and used our front room, our library, as we call it, to add a couple tables so everyone could eat more or less in the same room. While this chore was not at all remarkable, the reaction to it by Nathan and Andrew has stuck with me. We had moved all the furniture prior to the boys coming home from school....

The Davolts

Search This Blog