Collin's EGD & pH Probe

Early Monday morning we went over to the hospital and Collin had his EGD (Upper GI using a camera probe) and had a pH probe put in his nose to monitor his reflux. With his heavily scarred veins they did have to stick him twice to get a vein, but he was out at the time so didn't feel it. We were in and out in about four hours, and although it was fairly fast, Collin did not do well in Recovery. He never seemed to get comfortable and refused to drink anything. Luckily the nurse got permission from the anesthesiologist to let us leave even though he had nothing to drink. Once we got him in the car he was fine, and I sat in the backseat while my mother drove my car home. BTW, there was NO space for me in the backseat between those two carseats and had to sit at an angle just to get my butt on the seat! Gives me a new appreciation for my daughter having to sit there when we travel.

Once we were home I had to document his coughing, gaging, spitting up, sneezing, irritability, sleep, and feeding schedule until 6:30 AM Tuesday morning. Then I got to take out the tube and rush back to the hospital to return the data device by 7:30 AM. Woo Hoo, getting up at the crack of dawn two days in a row after no sleep. I was paranoid that Collin was going to wrap the tube around his neck in his sleep, so I checked in on him every two hours. It didn't, and I used some footy pajamas that have the snap at the neck to keep the tube out of the way (a little trick I learned in the NICU). He did great with the tube and Cyrus spent the night with my parents so I could focus all my attention on keeping only one set of hands away from the tube.

I was really impressed by how well Collin did once we got home, and whenever he tried to scratch or pull at the tube I scratched his nose for him, which he thought was a fun game. Whew! He ate well, slept well, and over all was less stressful than a typical day with twins. Funny, even when he has a tube down his esophagus taped to his face, carrying a data pack that he was not supposed to play with (uh-huh, yeah right!) it was easier than taking care of two kids at once! We will get the results of the test in two weeks and will see the Gastro Dr in six weeks for a follow-up.

Collin had a blast playing with all the toys in
the pre-op area, especially this piano tiger.



Not happy in Recovery. :(



Wagon ride to the car! Yea! It was the first time
he had really calmed down since the surgery.



Playing in the sink before brushing his teeth at bedtime.
Look at that CD player sized device he had to carry around!
And yes, we took the hospital gown home, b/c Mommy wasn't thinking
when she dressed him in a sweatshirt to take him to the hospital.

Happy 2nd Adjusted Birthday

Today is Collin and Cyrus' 2nd birthday... if they had been born on time. It seems so long ago since they turned two and only now are they "caught up" with their due date birthday. Happy Adjusted Birthday my sweet boys! Cyrus is pretty much a typical toddler, caught up is most respects. Collin can say "mama,"and uses some sounds to convey words like "mm" for more and "uh" for up. He is trying to pull himself up to standing on his own and can come up to standing using only my legs (while I am sitting on the floor) to stand up. He is trying really hard and getting closer every day. But other than that, he is getting caught up too... amazing little boys. What a great birthday present for their adjusted birthday, happy little miracle boys.

Collin got his new glasses today, and looks ever so smart. I knew his old glasses were too small for him but to see him in these, they look, well, huge. But he smiled immediately when the lady put them on him and didn't even try to take them off. He is having his upper GI & pH probe surgical procedure Monday morning. That will be fun. Uh-huh. We finally got approval for Speech therapy through the hospital today, and will start in a week or two. Insurance allows us 20 sessions and the therapist recommended we do one session a week instead of two since we have a limited amount. Essentially intense therapy is good, but prolonged therapy is better, so it begins.

Cyrus is doing fine, his hernia scar is healing nicely. He has started doing this head butt thing (like the kid in Parenthood) where he likes to butt things, well, mostly people with his head. He crawls up behind Collin and butts him in the back, then they both laugh. He butts me in the face, making me wonder if my nose is about to bleed. I don't know when it started, but he has made it his new favorite thing to do for the past couple of days. He is also talking more than ever, loving to point out every blonde girl he sees and calling her Gaia, even girls on TV and on billboards. He has learned the concept of push and pull, but calls them both "push." Today he wanted to play tug-of-war with this foam strip.

Cyrus is reaching for Collin's Blankie. No reason, he just wants what Collin has.



Collin at the Eyeglasses store with his fancy tortoise shell glasses.
The same shape as his old ones, but they look so BIG!

Cyrus being sassy as usual. Hey everyone look at me!