The consultation went well and the doc said he'd schedule our little man for surgery that same week for an inguinal hernia repair and the big "C". He told us that we couldn't feed him after midnight and that he could have pedialite up until 2am (his surgery was scheduled for 5:45am).

It should be a crime to ask new parents to be anywhere that EARLY in the morning! Steve and I were zombies the entire night taking turns getting some shut eye and waking Wyatt for his final feeding. He generally eats every 3 hours (except for the few and far between times when he forgets who he is and slumbers a whopping 4 hours). So needless to say it was nerve wracking...we looked at Wyatt like he was a ticking time bomb. We knew that at any moment he'd realize we were starving him and allowing someone to cut him open, and nip a piece of his lil wee wee off.

Miraculously, he did really REALLY well. He calmly sucked his soothie while Steve and I took turns cuddling and rocking him (we were stunned to find that since his last checkup, AND THE 6+HRS OF NO FOOD...cuz we all know surgeries never start on time...he gained another 1/2 LB! Yep, our little 2 month old is the size of a near 4 month old!! And ooowee is he heavy!!).

The surgery lasted about an hour and they then called us back to be with him while he was coming out of anesthisia. The moment I saw him, I swear my heart broke into a million pieces. I've never heard him cry like that. I held him like a little china doll, so careful not to bump or move him. All the tubes and monitors hooked up to him were a little intimidating and it made my efforts of consoling him ineffective. They ended up giving him a double dose of Demerol which knocked him out for a few hours.

I know they say that it hurts you more than it hurts them. How am I to believe that when every time I shift his body as I'm holding him, he screams? He ended up having TWO inguinal hernias that both needed to be repaired (He can thank his daddy's side of the family for that! Steve, his father and I believe his grandfather, all had hernia surgery as infants) and while the doc was at it, he gave him the big "C". Due to his age, we had to stay in the hospital with him for 23 hours of observation. Three days after surgery and he was back to his cooing and farting self...albeit, a much less farting and more pooping self....lots and LOTS of pooping..I guess having your intestines put back where they belong really helps! He was a total champ!!

UNTIL...

I've never seen a circumcision done with a Plastibell and from what I've read, it's pretty old school as the procedure takes longer to complete and longer to heal. I found a video online (which I'll spare you of...it was pretty darn grusome).

Wikipedia says:
The Plastibell Circumcision Device is a clear plastic ring with handle designed for male neonatal circumcision that has a deep groove running circumferentially.

he adhesions between glans and foreskin are divided with a probe. Then the foreskin is cut longitudinally to allow it to be retracted and the glans (the head of penis) to be exposed. The Plastibell comes in 6 sizes. The appropriate one is chosen and applied to the head. The ring is then covered over by the foreskin. A ligature is tied firmly around the foreskin, crushing the skin against the groove in the Plastibell. Then the excess skin protruding beyond the ring is trimmed off. Finally, the handle is broken off at the end of the procedure. The entire procedure takes five to ten minutes, depending on the experience and skill of the surgeon.

The ring falls off in 3 to 7 days leaving a circumferential wound that will heal over the following week. Typically, the glans will appear red or yellow until it has cornified.

WARNING...GRAPHIC IMAGE

Shown below: Two incisions where the inguinal hernias where repaired and the Plastibell is around his wee

Yes, I just posted my sons family jewels on the internet...I warned you!!

I dare say that if, IF, we have any more boys, I will do whatever I can to avoid this procedure. Why? Well, last night I got up with Wyatt to feed. I did the usual ritual, changed his diaper, fed him his bottle, then proceeded to burp him. He tends to get a bit fussy when he can't get a burp out, so I usually stand and bounce while I pat his back. Well, apparently his diaper shifted when I did this and the ointment that was protecting it wasn't as thick due to the shift. The dry part of the diaper ripped the Plastibell almost completely off and Wyatt screamed so hard that his entire body turned purple!! I laid him down to check his diaper (it had been a week since the surgery and circumcision) and found the Plastibell dangling by about a 1/4" of skin...STILL CONNECTED! His poor little wee was bleeding and I was completely beside myself.

We called the surgeon and he advised that we should soak him in a bath and put another diaper on...that it would fall off by the end of the following day. Well, it's almost 9 pm and that piece of skin is hanging on for dear life!! Wyatt is now totally gun shy of diaper changes...seriously don't blame him.

Proud Daddy

Wyatt's 7 week checkup...

We took Wyatt in for his 6 week checkup (yes I know, he's actually 7 weeks) and man has our little guy grown! He was 7lb 6oz and 19" long when he was born and by his 2 week checkup he was 8lb 4oz and 21" long...and at his 6 week check up he weighed in at a whopping 12LBS and 23" LONG!!

We noticed a week or so ago that he had a puffy area above his lil wee wee and were sad to find out that he has to have hernia surgery soon :( The doc noticed what she thought was a heart murmur so she wanted to have that checked out prior to the surgery taking place. We went in for an EKG and an Echo today and it seems that all is well. He does have a slight heart murmur, but should grow out of that. He goes back again in 3 months to check on the progress. We are trying to get a consultation setup for his hernia surgery tomorrow morning. I have a flight scheduled for tomorrow evening with Wyatt...so if the verdict is that he needs it ASAP, then our trip will be postponed a bit.

I'll keep you all posted on his progress! In the meantime, enjoy a few pics...



Here's our little man all hooked up to the EKG machine. He did great through all of them! Can't believe how much he's grown from the pictures below!



I kick myself for even posting this one...but I just couldn't help but laugh at myself! I remember being sad that Jim and Anne's friends, Ron and Kathy, weren't able to make it to the hospital to see Wyatt...Anne informed me that they did! And this picture totally explains WHY I don't remember their visit....DUDE, COULD I BE ANYMORE STONED??!! (Don't worry, I know it looks like my head shrunk and my body exploded...but i'm looking much better these days...I mean, anything would be an improvement from this! lol)



Here is my mom with Wyatt...




And here's Wyatt mimicking mommy's "stoned" expression :)

Have I mentioned the farting????? This kid is constantly grunting one out while asleep, awake...doesn't matter. No amount of burping has helped prevent it. We've even tried gas drops, and homeopathic drops and tablets...nadda! How long should this stage last???

Oh my goodness, can I just say that I thought this raising a baby thing would be so much easier than it actually is! I've had to bid farewell to sleep...eating on a regular schedule...and all other household chores.

We try really hard to have him in bed by midnight so that he only wakes one other time during the night. I go to sleep at 9ish and Steve feeds and puts him to bed. This way, I can usually get a good 5 hours of sleep before he wakes to be fed, changed and burped again. Too bad Wyatt hasn't agreed to our routine...he likes to throw a wrench in the mix every chance he gets!

I honestly can't wait until he's sleeping through the night (for the most part)....and kinda wish I could skip to the toddler stage. Although it's so fun to watch him grow and cuddle with him, it's hard when he's awake and just staring at you, blank faced, expressionless. Or when he cries and you've tried everything possible to calm him, with no success. My sister says that the day they smile at you melts your heart....I'm so looking forward to that!

Until then, please pray for us! We need all the help we can get!

PART II

Being home from the hospital was tough and I depended on my mom and Steven so much to help me through. On my 3rd day home, I ran a fever and had chills and body aches. The doctor thought that it may have been a reaction to the pain medication in combination with the hormones that are involved in a let down. It lasted for several hours and then went away, but only after leaving me with a fever blister that occupied almost my entire bottom lip.

The next night, the fever was back with a vengeance. I'd had a migraine headache all day and around the same time as the night before, I ran a fever of 105.3, had chills, body aches and couldn't stop the shaking. I called the doctor again and she informed me to rush to the emergency room as soon as possible.

Once there, they ran some blood cultures, a urine test, an ultrasound (to make sure nothing was left behind from the c-section) and a chest X-ray (to rule out mastitis). Come to find out, I had a UTI from the catheter that was given to me during labor. I was prescribed an antibiotic and was sent home.

The next night, the same signs began to show up again. I had a lower temperature, so I figured it was my body fighting off the UTI. The next morning, the ER called and said that my blood cultures came back positive. I had a blood infection and needed to get to my doctor as soon as possible.

I'm finally over all the infections and am still trying to heal from the incision. Getting up from the ground and sitting up from a lying position are still very difficult, but the incision looks great! Hormones are still up and down...I get overwhelmed very easy and the simplest thing seems to bring me to tears, but I've been told that will soon end.

I love watching Wyatt grow. We just attended his 2 week checkup and he already grew 2 inches and gained a pound and a half! His little cheeks are so chubby now :) He's such a little lip magnet, you can't help but kiss him! He makes these adorable little squeaking sounds when he eats and if he gets impatient for food, he snorts when he crys!

Here's a picture of Wyatt's first bath:

Wyatt's Nursery:

Such a peaceful sleeper...