Cleared!

Maverick has had a pretty uneventful recovery in the hospital. Neurosurgery cleared him yesterday but we've been working through some urology issues (most likely a result of messing with the spinal cord) and got their clearance this morning. Maverick and mom were home in time for lunch with the brothers and Grammy.  Now we get to have a low key week and go for a follow up appointment next Thursday. 

Recovery Road

Surgery time was 7:30 am yesterday which meant an early start to our day.

 Arrival at 6:15 to do all things pre-op, including a sweet batman drawing to mark near the incision site. 

 

Took about 4 hours from the time I kissed him in the OR to him being in the Recovery area. 2 hours there and then we were ready for our room for the remainder of our stay. He's been on flat bed rest since which has meant no holding of this sweet boy.  Pain meds, IV fluids and antibiotics have been constant but we are working on eating and drinking. Also today he has had more energy and is interested in playing. 

We continue to monitor incision site healing and work towards increasing movement this afternoon. 

We're here!

So it's been a while since the last post, sorry about that. Life with 3 kids, loads of appointments, work travel and summer fun means that I'm too tired to do much besides work, family time and sleep. I'll work on some catch-up posts. 

In the meantime, big update is Maverick will be having a tethered cord release tomorrow. We expect a min of 4 nights at the hospital and need to closely watch the incision for infection and/or swelling. I'll do my best to post some updates throughout the week. All prayers and good thoughts are appreciated for a uneventful surgery and recovery!!

Cruising

Maverick has become quite the master of his Zipzac chair and it's fun to see him enjoying his freedom with it.  This video was probably taken about a month ago but gives you a good idea of his ability to maneuver it.  Other news from a mobility perspective - he has figured out how to army crawl and while not speedy, can get himself from one room to another just fine!

Sunshine State

We decided to take a little family vacation to Florida for a long weekend in November. The plane ride down there was uneventful and all the boys were well behaved. They even got to sit in the cockpit at the end.

 

 

We spent a couple days with just us in the Ft Myers and Marco Island area. Enjoyed lots of swimming and playing on the beach. 

 

 

 

My parents joined us 1/2 way through so that was fun to spend time with them too!!  They watched Maverick so we could take the older boys on an airboat ride in the Everglades. 

 

 

  

Josh and I had a nice dinner out too!

 

It was a wonderful time away with the kids!

Cast Take #2

On Sunday evening when I returned from a work trip, I noticed that Mavericks foot had slipped back about 1/2" or so in his cast. 2 main concerns with that: foot position itself and no longer getting the stretch we wanted for the tendon; and pressure sores on his foot on the areas rubbing against the cast. Put a message out to the dr, they called back on Monday morning instructing us to go to UW clinic right away to evaluate it. They cut the cast off and were pleased with the progress so far (way better range of motion). Since the cast was off, they sent us across town to get fitted for a new AFO. Once that was done, we had to go back to the UW clinic to get a new cast put on until next week. Baby boy was a trooper throughout most of our day (~7.5 hours), considering poor nap and not very many bottles. Silver lining in all this is that hopefully his new AFO will be ready when his cast comes off and with the new cast, they were able to get stretched a little bit more.  

Bad news is that he doesn't fit into the Zipzac chair very well. 

 

Thankful

There is so much to be thankful this year:

•  my husband who has endless patience in his stay-at-home days, his willingness to cook and clean and his humor he brings to all situations 
• Jaxon who is independent, a generally good helper, fantastic big brother, and sweetest boy who wears his emotions on the outside 
• Jaeger who is strong minded, persistent, inquisitive, and lover of all things cars and transportation. 
• Maverick who is the biggest fighter showing strength and optimism in all that he has to endure, his newly-found appetite for all things food, and his quirky dislikes including stuffed animals and collared shirts 
• My family who is always there for us and such fun to spend time with 
• And all the friends present in our lives

And to end this, a picture to show joy amongst the mess!