Mr. T Goes Under the Knife

Since I officially recovered from rotavirus, mommy and daddy decided it was time to have tubes put in my ears. They were running out of antibiotic options, and the ENT specialist said it was just a matter of time before I got another ear infection. YUCK. We went to the Reston Surgical Center at 6:15 yesterday morning. I really liked it because there is a magical door there. It opened every time you walked in front of it! It provided a fabulous opportunity to practice my skills as an escape artist. Daddy and mommy say I was a very brave boy because I didn't even cry when the nurses carried me back to the operating room. The anesthesiologist put me to sleep without having to stick me with any needles at all! The surgery took about eight minutes in all. I was rather grumpy when I woke up, but you probably would be, too, if you hadn't eaten in 14 hours. The nurses gave me a cherry Popsicle (more sugar than I've ever had in my whole life), and I felt a little better. I felt a lot better after mommy bought me some breakfast at Chick-Fil-A on the way home. I ate all of my mini-chicken biscuits and hash browns...plus a yogurt and a granola bar! Needless to say, I am working really hard on putting back on the pound I lost to the rotavirus.

I feel like a new baby now that I can hear. I ran around the house playing with everything in sight yesterday, and mommy and daddy started to wonder if I would ever stop talking. I'm eating mommy and daddy out of house and home, and the dudyas are getting NO rest whatsoever. Strange, but I think I heard mommy say she was going to call the doctor and see if he could take the tubes out so I'd settle down again! She thinks she is SO funny.

The Wrath of Rotavirus

I had been warned that rotavirus was pretty bad, but no one told me I would have explosive, uncontainable poops every 10-15 minutes. For the most part, I could handle it. I spent most of my time in mommy's lap watching Blue's Clues and The Wonder Pets. Mommy, on the other hand, was about to crack. Last Wednesday was especially bad. I pooped three times during lunch. Every time, mommy changed my diaper; but the third time, it ran out the diaper, onto the high chair, and into a puddle on the floor. Mommy stripped me, toweled me off, and carried me up to my bathroom, all the while praying that Winston and W wouldn't try to "help" clean the floor. As soon as she stood me on the bathroom floor, I pooped again. She hoisted me into the tub, where I pooped yet AGAIN. While mopping the floor and draining the poop bathwater, mommy frantically called my Nana to beg her to come help. Sure enough, Nana was on a plane less than 24 hours later, and mommy has never been so happy to see her!

By the time Nana arrived, I was doing much better. We had a big time during her visit. We didn't go out much, but we had a great time bonding...and it was nice to have someone other than mommy cart my butt around. She spent a lot of time playing outside with me, which was tons of fun. Now I know why the dudyas are always standing at the back door! There is a whole world of fun in the back yard waiting for me to explore. Now that I am officially rotavirus free, mommy stands little chance of containing me.

Another Day, Another Illness

As if the ear infection and hives weren't enough, I somehow managed to contract rotavirus last Friday. I threw up in my bed Friday afternoon and again around 10 that night. I couldn't go back to sleep, so mommy held me all night. She felt like my heart was racing, so she actually got dressed to take me to the ER, but ended up waiting to go to the pediatrician once daylight arrived. We sped into the pediatrician's office, where they whisked me into the ambulatory room. Mommy thought my vomiting and green diarrhea were yet another symptom of my allergy to the rocephin antibiotic. The doctor, however, thought it was rotavirus and promptly sent us to the Emergency Room at Loudoun County Hospital, Virginia's answer to Seattle Grace.

Thanks to my heart rate of 195 and the severe dehydration, I spent five hours in the ER on IV fluids with my beautiful nurse, Kim, and the equally lovely Dr. McCabe. Around 4:00, I still hadn't perked up. Dr. McCabe said there was one bed in pediatrics left and it had my name on it. A nurse wheeled daddy (who decided this would be a good time to hang out with me on the stretcher) and me up to the pediatric unit, where we were greeted by our new nurse, Tricia. She was so nice (and again...quite pretty) that I didn't mind when she told me I would be put in an isolation room. Every time a nurse or doctor came in the room to examine me, they had to wear yellow suits, gloves, and masks! I did, however, mind when Tricia told me that I would have to have more blood work. Yuck - I am NOT a fan of having needles put in me.

Mommy sent daddy home to take care of Winston, W, and the house, while she stayed with me. The coolest part about being sick has to be that mommy slept in the crib with me. I never knew mommies could sleep in cribs; and I bet mommy didn't know that before, either! By Sunday afternoon, I had turned a corner. I was playing peekaboo with my reflection in the mirror, and I even got to go on a walk around the hospital. Sure, I was still having explosive poops that blew out of even the most industrial diapers; but I was able to drink fluids on my own, which meant that I could go home!!! We ate dinner at the hospital, and then mommy and I drove home. I was so excited to be back under my own roof. I walked all around the house, making sure my toys were still in place, and making sure the dudyas hadn't gotten too used to my absence.

It was nice to sleep in my own crib for a bit, but I got a little crampy and spent most of the night in bed with mommy and daddy. I was feeling well enough to eat breakfast this morning, so mommy gave me--at the doctor's recommendation--some yogurt. BAD MOVE. It was bad when I threw it up all over mommy and myself while she was rocking me. It was really bad when I spewed some more in mommy and daddy's bed. It was worse when I hosed the chair and blanket in the family room. It was just beyond words when I nailed the ottoman in the master bedroom. I think all of the yogurt is gone now, so I've been resting most of the afternoon. I just figured you'd be missing the blog, so I thought I'd fill you in on the latest. Please pray that I get well soon...and that all of this furniture comes clean.

Hoppy Easter

The Easter Bunny came to see me! He brought me an Elmo See-N-Say, a new cell phone, my very first crayons, and a Thomas the Tank Engine. I must have been a really good boy - or he just took pity on me for enduring six weeks of ear infections! After church, we celebrated Easter with the Weber Family. Mrs. Weber made what looked like a great meal, but I was too busy having a "this-is-what-happens-when-I-miss-my-nap" meltdown to eat any of it.

Since then, I've spent a lot of time at the doctor's office. My ear infections still have not gone away, so yesterday the doctor started me a three-day round of rocephin antibiotic shots. It isn't too fun, but mommy let me have pizza for dinner, which made me feel a little better. After today's shot, however, I broke out in hives. Guess I'm allergic to rocephin. I go back on Friday for another follow-up; and I get to go to an ENT specialist next Wednesday to see what he thinks. Good thing mommy and daddy have insurance!

Day at the Park

Mommy took me on a date with her friend's daughter, Elizabeth, today. We all went to the Clemyjontri Park for a picnic and some serious playground action. I have never had so much fun in my whole life!

Here Elizabeth and I are on one of the slides. It was my first sliding experience...and I didn't understand why I couldn't just walk down it.

Studying the planets...in a bunch of different languages.

This is a lot bigger than the Fisher Price School Bus I have at home!

Exploring the belly of a train engine - just like Thomas!