Bath Boy

Noah has recently discovered laying on his tummy in the bath.  For a little boy who used to have a trach...this is pretty HUGE!

 

He also loves to paint with colored shaving cream.  Perhaps a Monet in the making...

  

Lately, Bubs has taken to running around with his hoodie towel on after getting out of the bath.  He likes to pretend he is Superman...but I think he's more like a streaker!

Just Add Water

We've talked about how much Bubs loves to splash while taking a bath in the sink.  We've also shared his first experience in a big boy bathtub.  We decided after that bathtub experience that the kitchen sink would do just fine for the time being.  And it did...until...we were no longer at home.

Over Christmas, we spent time with Grandma and Grandpa in Rocklin and had to give Mr. Man a bath in their tub.  Once again, he HATED it!!!!!  Bubs refused to sit down in the water and cried and pointed out of the tub over and over again.  Noah is such a stickler for routine and takes for-ev-er to adapt to anything new.  I knew that if we wanted him to take a bath in a tub by the time he was twelve years old, we had better start training now.  {I might be exaggerating just a bit}

Since the beginning of January, Bubs has taken a bath in the tub every night.  And every single night, it has been the same...

Step 1 - Refuse to sit down.
Step 2 - Cry non-stop.
Step 3- Wag finger in the air and then point O-U-T of the heinous tub.

We tried everything we could think of to make it more agreeable for him - more water, less water, different toys, no toys, playing in the tub before adding water, etc.  Nothing seemed to work.  Mr. Man just HATED the tub.

That is...until...two weeks ago.

Bubs had a bath in Nana and Pop-Ro's tub and took to it immediately.  He sat down and started playing with the boats that Cuz Jonah left in the tub.

WHAT?????

So if Cuz Jonah says it's cool to play in the tub, then you're gunna do it?!?  I truly wish I had known that earlier. Note to self...peer pressure is not always a bad thing.

 

Now, Noah looks forward to his nightly bath {and so do his parents}.

 

He loves playing with his Fisher Price Noah's Ark as well as some squirting toys.

Every night, Bubs seems to be telling me how much fun the bath is. 

Bathtub + Noah + Water = FUN!!!!

Splish-Splash...the proof

We've previously talked about how much Noah LOVES his bath and how much he loves to splash. Here is the proof!

Big Boy Bath

Kc and I decided a few nights ago that we would try to give Noah a bath in a real bathtub...a big boy bath. Mr. Man just loves his bath time in the kitchen sink and we {make that I} were hesitant to make any changes to said routine. My little man is quite the stickler for routine.

Daddy-O filled up the tub {not too much}, brought in his tub toys {that currently live in our kitchen sink}, and added his current favorite ball {a red wiffle ball}. At first, Noah WOULD NOT sit down in the tub. It took brute strength from both parents to get the little man to sit on his hiney. As the tears flowed down his cheek, he spotted the red ball floating around and quickly grabbed it. Everything is better with a red ball in your hand {if you can't have Charlie, that is}.Noah was definitely not a fan of the tub. We were able to lather up our Little Stinkpot and rinse him down {although rinsing his hair was a bit tricky because water cannot drip past his trach} before the tears started to flow again. Whether the tub was too big, too echoey, too low to the ground {Mama's knees agree with that one}, or too confined {we have glass doors}, Mr. Man did not have as much fun as he normally does in the bath. I'm glad we tried out the big boy tub, but for now, I think we'll continue to take baths in the sink. Noah Man sure is happy about that!

New Game

We all know about Noah's fascination with the bathroom. There truly are SO many fun things to play with in such a tiny room. Well...he has combined that love with his love of throwing toys over small walls and created a new game.

This afternoon, he crawled all over the condo and gathered as many toys as he could {twelve to be exact} and threw each of them in our cast iron tub. He got such a kick out of the loud sound each toy made as it crashed into the tub.The piece de resistance was Charlie. Once he made it in, Noah despirately wanted to join him.So...Mama put him in the tub with all his toys and Noah proceeded to throw them all out.When the bathroom floor looked like this, he knew his work was done.Noah was SO proud of himselfthat he decided to do it all over again {three times}. What fun!

Bath Bags

Noah is not allowed to get his fingers and arms wet which makes bath time a bit of a conundrum. After several days without a bath, our little stinky guy was in desperate need. We decided to wrap his arms in zip-top bags and tape them securely.
Mr. Man DID NOT appreciate our attempt at keeping his arms dry. I don't think I have seen Noah cry this much during a bath since his very first one after being born.
We see the plastic surgeon on Friday and hopefully the wraps will come off and my little Stinkpot can have a proper bath.

Splish-Splash

Noah LOVES his bath!!!! He continues to take his nightly bath in the sink - it's easier on Mama's back and knees as well as much safer for his trach.
Recently, he has learned the joy of splashing. Noah raises both hands above his head and lets loose on the water below.
Last night, there was more water on Mama, the floor, the walls, and the ceiling, than was left in the sink.
We're going to have to start taking baths outside!

First Bath

After Noah got his casts removed, we were finally able to give him a proper bath. At first, he wasn't sure if he liked the feeling of water all over his body. After a few moments, however, the smiles began to show. He decided that bath time was pretty good...until Mom pulled out the soap and washcloth. Like most boys, he would rather play in the water than get scrubbed behind the ears.

NICU Cribs...

Today was a relatively quiet and uneventful day in the NICU except for the occasional heel prick for a blood sugar test or the suctioning to clear my trach. So, since I didn't need to make any scheduled trips down to surgery, I thought this would be the perfect time to give you a tour of my new Crib. Once my real estate agent showed me the location two days ago and I instantly fell in love.
The first stop on our tour is the upper West Wing. My Mommy and Daddy come up here a few times a day to gather gear and prepare for my trach suctioning. I don't spend too much time up here alone when the nurses are around because it seems they frown on the idea of me performing my own trach suctioning. I tried to argue the subject, but apparently it's written in the Room 1 association fee contract.
Second stop is the basement. Most of the other cribs I had my eyes on had basements, but this one was especially large. The nurses and I are able to store our equipment, personal items and fish (sterile saline drops). I apologize for the mess.
Adjacent to the basement, Nurse Lourdes installed a new jacuzzi. Today was my first dip in the water since my birth date. I can't say I enjoyed it, but Mommy mentioned how good I smelled after I spent time being scrubbed. I suppose this is why people call it a chick magnet.
Just south of my crib I constructed a wonderful lounge area where Mommy, Daddy and I spend quality time while we eat, rock and take wonderful naps together. From the lounge and my crib, the view out the window overlooks the valley and the snow capped mountains. It's absolutely amazing.
Thank you for stopping by to check out my new crib in the NICU.
Peace, Noah out!

Happy Birthday!!!

What an amazing 36 hours this has been. Let me back up and start at the beginning.

Kc and I got to the hospital early Wednesday morning. I was already contracting on my own and 3 cm dilated. Our Dr. broke my water at 8:00 a.m. and started some pitocin to get my contractions a bit stronger. Boy were they strong! I gave in at around 10:00 a.m. and had an epidural. By 1:30 p.m. I was 10 cm dilated and began to push. Needless to say, after over three hours of pushing (with several breaks in between) the Dr. had to use a vacuum to help pull Noah out. He was born at 5:59 p.m. He was 8 pounds 4 ounces and 20 inches long.

My first reaction was one of utter disbelief. Noah was finally here! I looked down at my beautiful son and thanked God for our miracle. The first sign that something was not right was Noah's lack of crying. Very quickly he was surrounded by two nurses, a pediatrician and a NICU doctor. Everyone kept telling us that his color was good and he was breathing on his own - he just couldn't cry. He was wrapped up like a little burrito and his Daddy brought him to me. I was finally holding my son. What an amazing feeling. I felt a blanket of love wrap around the three of us.


About an hour later, our pediatrician came in to check on Noah (after his first bath which he DID NOT like). He did a very thorough exam and expalined to us that there were several things he was concerned about. Noah's trachea is very narrow (that explains his inability to cry) and he was having difficulty breathing. He also has an imperforate anus. Noah's right eye was fused shut and the pediatrician was unable to determine if there was an eyeball under the skin. He recommended that we transfer Noah to Valley Children's Hospital as soon as possible.

At 2:00 a.m., Noah had his first car ride - and what a ride it was. He was transported to Children's Hospital in an ambulance. Some day we will tell him stories of when he rode in an ambulance and he will be disappointed that he was too young to remember. Kc followed Noah to the hospital while I stayed in recovery. Noah was immediately seen by several physicians at Children's Hopsital. What a blessing to have such an amazing facility only a few miles away!

After an incredibly long night, Kc came back to the recovery room and filled me in on what was going on. My Dr. discharged me at around 10:00 a.m. so that we could both head over to Children's Hospital. We were met there by both sets of grandparents and our pastors and friends. We were able to pray before we went into the NICU to spend time with our son.

Noah is undergoing his first surgery tonight - a colostomy. He will have a colostomy bag attached to his abdomen for several months which will allow him to have bowel movements. After coming home for a nap and some dinner, Kc and I will head back to Children's Hospital this evening to see Noah and get more information from the doctors who saw him today.

Kc, Noah and I are on a journey together. We are learning to walk along this path that God has planned for us, trusting in His infinite love and wisdom. Thank you all, once again, for your kind words and prayers. We couldn't do this without you.

As soon as Kc (who has slept a total of 5 hours in the past three days) wakes up from his nap, we'll post some photos of Noah. Please keep us in your prayers as we spend the next several weeks traveling back and forth to Children's Hospital.