A Visit with the Surgeon: Henry's Post-Operative Appointment

We took a trip out to Hinsdale today to see Henry's surgeon. This was our first visit since leaving the hospital one week ago, and since Henry doesn't like to open his mouth and show us his stitches, I was kind of nervous about what the doctor would find. I think Henry was a little nervous, too.

The doctor, who is obviously a hypnotist or something, simply asked Henry to open his mouth, and, low and behold, Henry opened up nice and wide. We've been asking Henry to open his mouth all week without any compliance whatsoever. Since I was holding Henry on my lap, I got to see his stitches, too. They looked pink! I couldn't believe how much he has healed. There were so many stitches, though. My kid must be a quick healer.

This was Henry's reaction when the doctor said that he had to eat a soft diet for another week. Oh, and I took my iphone away from him so I could take a picture. 

The doctor said that Henry's stitches were looking secure, meaning that the airway between his nose and mouth is no longer open. We've already noticed he sounds less "nasally" and the doctor told us that it is possible we've been hearing more sounds. (We had been wondering if it was just wishful thinking.) We'll go back in a month to see how Henry is doing, and he can eat a normal diet after one more week.

We think that Henry got his cool hair from his Auntie Mandy, who sported a similar style at age two.

It was so cold outside yesterday that we let the boys have a paper snowball fight indoors. I hate cold weather, and going outside would involve getting dressed. I believe I have changed out of pajamas exactly two times in the last thirteen days. The boys had quite a bit of fun trying to hit daddy in the face with the "snowballs."

Henry is pretty much off of the painkillers now, and he doesn't seem to be in any pain. Check out how he's running around happily.

After Henry's doctor appointment, Nick made a real snowball in the parking lot. He was rather proud of both his Spiderman hat and his snowball.

There is one post-surgical complication that is a little bit frustrating. Since his hospital stay, it has been nearly impossible to get Henry to sleep unless he starts out in my arms. Since the boys share a room and Nick has to be up for school in the early mornings, we have the choice of letting Henry scream it out or giving in and letting Henry snuggle with me. Snuggling has been winning so far, and Henry has us all twisted around his adorable little finger.

Henry knows exactly what he's doing. 

Tomorrow I head back to work. I miss my students, and though I worry a little bit about Henry, but I am thinking that everything will be just fine.