The Eye Procedure

Everything went smoothly with Luke's eye procedure and I couldn't be more happier with the results. I'm sure the boy is grateful that I'm not wiping his eye anymore.

He had no reaction to the anesthetics they gave him and surprisingly he didn't sleep forever after the surgery. I thought for sure he would be out for an hour or more, but 15 minutes after the doctor and anesthesiologist told us everything went according to plan they were ushering us to the post-op room where Luke was waking up. His nose itched a lot for half an hour or so which we were told was a side-effect of the drugs. I could deal with that.

Luke was a really good and brave boy. He did not cry at all - just fussed a bit about the IV they had in his foot that he wanted out when he was awake (they put children to sleep with gas first and then put the IV in). I couldn't blame him for that because those things can be a bit uncomfortable.

I only took one picture while at the hospital and it was on my phone. This is Luke in the scrubs they gave us to have him wear. One of the waiting rooms had a little kitchen set. Luke loved putting stuff inside the fridge and so he was not interested in getting his picture taken.

Weeping and Goobering

Luke is going to have an eye procedure done. The Ophthalmologist calls it surgery, but it doesn't involve a scalpel or stitches so I'm sticking with "procedure" because it doesn't sound as scary, but we do have to take him to Swedish Medical Center and he will be asleep for it. Why is he going to have this done you ask? Well, Luke as a blocked tear duct. If you've ever noticed that his right eye seems weepy it's because his tear duct doesn't drain the eye so then his tears spill out so it looks like he's crying and it also pools and gets a bit goobery in the corner near his nose. I have to wipe his eye and he does not like me to do it. When I'm at home or he's with my parents, we use a warm washcloth.
So I've learned that this is fairly common among infants and the tear duct blockage should clear up and function normally on it's own within the child's first year. If it doesn't clear up and the child is over a year then it has to be helped along, which is the case for Luke.
I started noticing Luke's watery eye last September. The reason I remember the time frame is Chris and I were visiting his family in Oregon and I thought it was the drier weather and dust that was causing the eye weeping. When Luke's 9 month check-up rolled around I talked to his doctor about it and she told me how to massage the tear duct which should help it open. That didn't work. When Luke was sick after Thanksgiving we took him to the doctor and he was prescribed eye drops. That didn't work. Since I had read and was told that it should clear up on it's own I just figured I'd have to deal with it for awhile. When we went in for his 12 month check-up it hadn't been an issue and so I totally forgot about it. Around June was when Luke's eye started doing it's thing again...tearing and getting goobery. By the end of August I was thinking, "This has been going on for a year and I've got to do something about it." One of my friends told me her son had the same problem and he had to have surgery to have his tear duct opened so I thought I had better look into that. I called Luke's primary care physician and she referred me to the Ophthalmologist.
Visiting with that doctor she theorized that Luke's tear duct could be narrow which is why it's not draining properly. So, a silicone tube will be inserted into his tear duct which will be left in for a few month to help it get bigger. To have it removed will be just a normal visit. I'm sure some tweezers can find it and pull it out lickety-split (I hope).
Am I nervous? A little. The more I think about it the more I think I should be more freaked out than I am. Why am I not freaking out? I'm sure I will be at that state when we the day arrives. Wish us luck!

In a nutshell

Here are some of the things we did this summer.

Went swimming.

Played with friends.

Went to Cascade Locks, Oregon

Did a lot of driving.

Went camping with family in our awesome new tent.

Saw an old mining town.

Dehydrated pears - yum!


Canned peaches with my sister SueAnn (not captured via digital camera).

July 4, 2009 (another belated post)

We had family in town for the 4th of July weekend. Chris's mom came to visit and brought Rachel and Jackson. (Oh, and I can't forget Uncle Bob) We rode the ferry over to Bremerton so Uncle Bob could show us the navy base since he was once in it, but I don't think he was actually stationed there. Since I'm not familiar with the area, as I never go over there, (nor is Bob) we didn't do much else. We ate lunch and then turned around an hour later and got in the line for the ferry to head back to Seattle. Fortunately, there is a great water spray park right next to the terminal...we had to kill an hour and a half.
When we got back to our place, the kids and I headed to the pool at our complex to swim while Chris started the BBQ and Bob made the food.
About 8:30pm we all piled back in the van and headed to North Everett for the fireworks display. We waited for quite some time because they didn't start until 10:15pm. Luke was asleep before we even got there, but woke up right before they started. The only pictures I have to go off of that night are those those on Chris's phone. Bob wandered off and left the van locked so I couldn't get our camera. Luke did learn a new word that night. He now says, "Whoa". It's so cute.

Father's Day June 21, 2009 (belated post)

Happy 2nd Father's Day to Chris!! Sadly, the weekend wasn't so happy. There was this "bug" going around that we caught it went through the family like this: Luke ---> my dad ---> Auntie Christina ---> me. My mom and Chris were spared, but I had it father's day. Another sister and her daughter got it while we were on our trip to Utah later in the month. Luckily, it was only a 24 hour thing.

While the holiday wasn't super spectacular and the rest of the family avoided my parents house like it had the plague I still managed to get Chris a few gifts. The one I'm most proud of is the Spourk. This lovely little dity is going to save my silverware from the depths of Chris's car. Now if he can only remember to use it. I'm thinking of investing in a few more so he can have one for each day of the week (or if he doesn't bring it in from his car I have another to use).

What lazy days?

I totally wished I had more time to spend in this wonderful weather we're having this summer. As a full-time working mom I don't often get the chance to kick back and relax. When I get home in the evening it's dinnertime, bathtime, and then bedtime. I really don't get a moment to slow down until 9pm, but since I've been up since 5am wanting to do anything for myself (updating my blog for example) isn't high on my list of things to get done for the night. Weekends are filled with errands, laundry and household chores. Summer is my favorite time of year and lately I haven't had the time to relish in it.

There have been some weekends where I've taken a vacation from everyday life. At the end of June, Luke and I took a road trip with my mom and sisters to Logan, Utah for a family reunion.
My sister Christina I spent a day with some of my old roommates from college which was fun. Unfortunately, I wasn't so good at capturing the moments spent with them which I'm now regretting.
It was a fun reunion and good to see the extended family. It's fun to see everyone, however, living in Washington we only saw these aunts, uncles, and cousins once a year so none of us sisters know anyone really well. I know my mom enjoyed it and loved catching up with her cousins. She has another reunion, again in Utah, in August that she and my dad are going to.
We stopped by my old stomping grounds, Utah State (Go Aggies!!), and got a shot of us at the bull. Next trip we'll make it up to the "A" on old main hill.

We also had a barbecue at my aunt and uncles house in Tremonton and Luke got to me some more cousin friends. These are actually my cousins kids kids. Since my 1st cousins are older than my oldest sibling, their kids are closer to my age these are their kids...but we're all family so cousins are cousins, right? He loved watching these two little guys. Daxten is in red and Jager is in blue and both are 2 years old. Luke was as big as these boys and the only difference was you can't understand what he's saying. Luke is a chatter-box. I really wish I had some sort of translator that I could plug into my ear so I could dicipher what he's saying all the time.

Next post....4th of July. I'll find the time to add it.

Who lets their kid sleep like this?

I came home from work one evening and found Luke asleep on the couch. Nice, dad. Looking at it postively, he would have landed on his feet first instead of his head (thank goodness). I still think his bed would have been a better option for nap time.