Considering David Wayne

David Wayne, aka the Jolly Blogger,  is my friend.  We spent some time together at RTS Orlando.  But we got to know each other much better when we both served different churches in Winter Haven.  I was often a beneficiary of he and Lynnette’s hospitality.  They even put up with my dog, except for when he peed on their Christmas gift.  Actually, they handled that in their typically gracious manner.  I was very disappointed to learn they would be moving to MD.

Their move to Baltimore paid off when I was stranded in Baltimore one Christmas Day when the Albany airport was closed due to snow.  David came to the hotel to bring me home to enjoy fellowship and a hot meal (and I had not had anything to eat all day).  Again, graciousness and hospitality.

David was the one who encouraged me to blog.  He understood how isolated you can feel in Winter Haven.  He may regret that encouragment.  I did tell him to let me know if I said anything really stupid or crossed any lines.

Ever the good guy with a hearty laugh, David recommended me for a position recently. 

Why am I going on about the JollyBlogger?  My friend learned he has colon cancer.  He’s going to spend Christmas Eve on the operating table.  Not quite what he and the family were thinking Christmas would be like last week.  So, I’m asking those of you who share our faith in Jesus as our Prophet, Priest and King, to pray for David, Lynette and their 3 kids.  Ask for mercy and grace.  He’s no superstar pastor, but he’s the kind of guy you’d want for a pastor- a heart open to Jesus and His people.  (here is more after the video)

I love that movie.  And that scene…. how can you not be moved.

Update: The surgery went well, and David is recovering.  But, they found 2 large tumors on his liver (which is NOT good), nodules in his lungs and his lymph nodes  have been infected.  Bekah is making updates on his blog.  Please continue to pray.

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CavSon Update

Not the soft food diet!

Yes, some info on CavSon.  I only said “most”, not “all”, of the CavFamily updates would be on my Facebook page.  This one will be in both places.

We have noticed the fistula in CavSon’s hard palate (anterior) getting bigger.  More food has been stuck up there (easily removed though).  Last week the raman noodles I made with our stirfry were hanging out of his nose.  Yeah, that is very exciting to behold.

With our deductible paid, and the fact that we have no spare money lying around in the mattress, we realized that IF he needed another surgery, it would be best to have it done before the end of the year.  We pushed up his follow-up visit, and the surgeon quickly determined that another surgery was called for.  The tissue in his mouth has had time to heal since his surgery in April. 

With a trip to NY planned for mid-December, the surgery will take place before Thanksgiving.  If you can remember, that means a long night of not sleeping in the hospital.  So excited about that.  Nor am I looking forward to comforting him in the recovery room again.  It won’t be as bad this time since it is only a palate revision- instead of a palate reconstruction and lip revision like last time.  But still, it will be tough on the little guy.

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Considering Season-Ending Injuries

First it was Tom Brady.  His knee injury ended his season and their hopes for a return to the Super Bowl.  Prior to Monday’s game it was announced that Laurence Maroney was done for the year with a shoulder injury. His injury is not as crippling to the team since they have plenty of running backs.  If Sammy Morris did a bigger number on his knee than he did on the Bronco’s defense (racking up 138 yards in the FIRST HALF), then New England is in trouble.  But if he bounces back, Jordan comes back, and they don’t have to rely on an undrafted rookie free agent, the Patriots’ running game can still be very productive.  That means that Matt Cassel can be productive despite his superb ability to take a sack instead of dumping the ball off.

During the game Rodney Harrison was carted off the field.  Word today is a torn quadriceps, and he’s done for the season- and perhaps his career.

Football is a brutal sport.  The Patriots are not the only team to suffer so many season-ending injuries.  They can quickly put a cap on championship hopes (unless that player is Jeremy Shockey).  There are no guarantees in life, and especially in sports.  Injuries are part of the game, and affect the outcome of many a game or season.  They humble us, or should.  They display the fleeting nature of life, and the precarious nature of success.  They also provide obstacles that can build character, or reveal weakness of character.  Injuries also allow someone else the opportunity to rise to the occasion (think Tom Brady or Lou Gehrig).  Life is just as unpredictable of those sports we follow.

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Considering the Patriots’ Greatest Fear

After going 0-4 in the preseason without any snaps taken by the NFL’s 2007 MVP Tom Brady, the Patriots (and their fans) greatest fear was an injury to their quarterback.

Photo by Jim Davis of Globe staff

That didn’t take long.  On their second series a defender rolled up on his left leg while he was completing a pass to Randy Moss.  Out, gone, start praying people.  One sports injury expert, Will Carroll, suspects it is his PCL.  Strain or torn, who knows.

Amazingly, the Patriots pulled off a victory without their leader (17-10).  They benefit from a weak schedule early on, so perhaps they can remain competitive while Tom’s knee heals.

Update: Multiple sources are saying it’s a torn ACL, and Tom is done for the season.  They reportedly have FA QB Chris Simms coming in tomorrow.  That’ll be quite the drop off!  This could be quite the long season.

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Get Well Soon, Yaz!

Yaz in his final year

Red Sox Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski is recuperating after a triple bypass.

#8 is the last man to ever win the Triple Crown in the magical ’67 season (giving birth to Red Sox Nation).  It was a different era because .326, 44 HR and 121 RBIs won’t get you far these days.  But that magical September push for the pennant was amazing.  I was too young to have any memory of the Impossible Dream season, but watched Yaz play from the mid-70’s until he retired in 1983.

He’s not always remembered outside of New England, but there is a reason he holds a special place in the heart of all who are part of Red Sox Nation.

Yastrzemski was elected to the Hall on the first ballot in 1989. He has often shied away from celebrity and rarely made public appearances, but drew a big ovation when he threw out the first ball before Game 1 of last year’s World Series, won by Boston in a four-game sweep over Colorado.

Yaz finished with 452 career home runs and 1,844 RBIs. He had 3,419 lifetime hits and batted .285. He also won seven Gold Gloves, expertly playing the caroms off the Green Monster.

Yastrzemski is one of five former Red Sox players to have his number retired by the team. His No. 8 is painted on the facing of the right field grandstands at Fenway, along with those of Williams, Carlton Fisk, Bobby Doerr and Joe Cronin.

All the best to one of the greats!

Ted & Yaz (Globe file photo)

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Considering Our Strange Little Life

There has been plenty going on to occupy the CavFamily.  For one thing, we have put our home on the market.  We did this to preserve our equity since the prices are only going down, and we probably won’t get this much for at least a few years.  We hope to be moving elsewhere soon.  If I receive a new call, we’ll have a headstart on selling the house.

This means lots of work.  We have been “de-cluttering”, which mostly means packing up unnecessary items to create the perception of more space in the home.  The real estate agent is hopeful; our home is priced competetively and the market for smaller homes is better than for larger homes.  I got plenty of work done Friday and Saturday- to which CavGirl commented “You’re a workhorse, daddy.”  She picked this phrase up from Jon & Kate Plus 8.   The excess stuff is gone and the home is ready for the virtual tour photos.

With a vacation coming up, we also had to “de-dog” the home.  He is a shedding machine.  As a result, the prospect of asking our neighbors to not only let him out, but being able to vacuum the home on a moment’s notice if an agent wants to show it and how he might respond to strangers means he needs to go on vacation.  Just not with us.  Former neighbors agreed to watch him while we are away.  But, they now live a few hours away.  So, on a trip to visit family they stopped by last night to pick him up.  CavGirl was not quite down with that.  Tired and hungry, she had a mini-meltdown because the dog is gone, temporarily.

It was a good thing the dog is gone.  Shortly after putting the kids to bed, CavWife realized it was getting warm in the house.  The A/C was not working, period.  Not even the fan or heat.  I think the lightening storm must of wiped out the thermostat and a nearby fan used to create white noise for sleeping children.  It was a long, warm, sticky night in the house.  We had some doors and windows open.  No telling how the dog would react to the various noises and critters outside.  I didn’t get much sleep, crashing in the living room since it had better airflow.  Thankfully, the forecast says that it is only supposed to get to around 88 today.  Much better than 95+.  But I passed on the shower in the hopes that the A/C guy has it up and running around lunch time.  Then I take CavBoy to his re-evaluation for his hearing.  They wanted to see how the better tubes affected his hearing.

Saturday was a long, tiring day.  We had the joy of going to another wedding.  We sat with a friend and her 3 year-old.  CavGirl, CavBoy and their friend had too much fun.  We should have gotten a babysitter since I got so stressed out at the noise and endless questions.  I found them a huge distraction but the people around us didn’t seem too put off.  At the reception, I was able to spend time with a guy I rented a room from while getting my 2nd degree from RTS.  He also rented a room to the groom.  Like CavSon, he was born with a cleft-plate, so we spent time comparing notes as it were.

We left the reception around 2, after CavBoy’s diaper seems to have sprung a leak.  Too much to drink for that boy.  So we had to slip out the back quietly.  He crashed on the short ride home, but CavGirl was another story.  Her whining was a preview for the evening.  All my parenting tricks failed.  Nothing seemed to get through to her and grew increasingly exasperated.  It was a good prelude to my sermon on Sunday on how God loves us enough to discipline us.

This morning, our speech therapist called to say he wasn’t coming.  We requested a new speech therapist, but wanted the transition to take place when we went on vacation.  He decided “what’s the point”- ah, our son’s well-being…  We don’t want him to go 5 weeks without speech therapy.  This therapist seems to have little experience with cleft-palate kids (though he talked like an expert).  His recommendations were about 180 degrees different from everyone else’s.  He also refused to take his personal history as a recently adopted kid into account and determined his progress in 4 sessions was insignificant.  I’m not sure why he was informed of this change now, but I’m not liking how he bailed on CavSon today.  So now we are looking for a new therapist with experience working cleft-palate kids locally.  As if we didn’t have enough happening.

So, I have now escaped to my ‘office’ for cooler air and a quiet atmosphere.  Much needed for my sanity.  My stay here will be much too short.

Update: The A/C repair cost about $160.  It didn’t look good at first, but it turned out that the transformer and relay had been blown out by a power surge.  Had it taken a direct hit by lightening, the whole shebang would have to be repaired costing about $1,600.  So we are thankful!

CavSon’s hearing exam came back as borderline normal, which is great news.  He’s had a rough day since he didn’t sleep well.  He was crying most of the way home, even when I held his hand he was not comforted.  Not the best thing for my shoulder.

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New Ear Tubes

Apparently CavBoy’s eardrums were rejecting his ear tubes.  They were the “old school” kind.  It was time to insert the ‘high tech’ kind (yeah, I have no idea what all that means).  Today was the day, and it started very early.  At 5 am the sounds of Charlie Peacock’s West Coast Diaries Vol. 1 woke me far earlier than I want to be awakened.  But we had to be in Orlando by 6:30, so I had to roll out of bed and stumble into the shower.  Yes, the no-longer-dripping shower.

At 5:30 we were out the door, CavBoy and me.  Early morning did not help me when it came to reading the directions later on.  This meant I went in circles for awhile, growing more frustrated by the moment.  In the hospital complex, they had less than adequate signage.  As a result, I ended up missing the reserved parking (thanks in part to a big truck blocking my view).

Paperwork was sure to follow, and it was.  In the paperwork I brought with me, I did not have all the answers I needed.  But, after a few quick calls home the preliminary round of paperwork was done.  Out to move the car and place the parking permit on the dash.  Since I had to drag CavSon with me … I was irritated.  The fact that I’m not a morning person didn’t help.

Next we went into a minuscule office so I could sign the release forms.  CavBoy has now perked up and it into just about everything in the tiny office.  I’m sure she had heard my “I think you need a bigger office” comment a few times.  Wrongly suspecting he’d made ‘boom-boom’ (as a friend says) I was looking for a bathroom to change him.  No need, I was escorted to his room for pre-op.  He was not happy to see the little heart rate monitor they attach to digits.  He hated having it attached to his thumb for his major surgery.  They put it on his toe this time to change it up.  But it was only on for a few moments.

The anesthesiologist came in to prep me.  They have him a valium-type liquid, turning him into a sloppy-drunk sailor.  He couldn’t stand or walk.  It was mildly amusing to me, but certainly not to him.  Time passed quickly in the private room as the surgeon showed up and soon he was off to have the procedure done.  It took about 15 minutes, of that.  They waited for him to wake up before bringing him back.

They should have kept him longer, but I don’t blame them.  He was like a raging drunk.  He was quite angry- like the return of the terror of the first 6 weeks or so.  He still couldn’t stand, but fought off a diaper change and change of clothes.  He repeatedly pushed me away and, of course, was screaming most of the time.

He seemed to keep the juice down, and totally pounded the second cup.  Still screaming and squirming, they escorted me out the door.  I wish they would have let us stay so he could calm down since it is a one hour drive with a screaming child.  But they wanted this to be a private nightmare.  I tossed him into the car seat and refilled his cup.  Since he then tried to rip it apart, I took it away which prompted more anger.  I think he started to turn green at one point.  This prompted me to call CavWife to ask for prayer.

Back on the highway, still screaming, I soon heard the juice come back up.  Big decision…. pull over and prolong the nightmare or keep going to minimize this visit to Hades.  I took the Bad Parent Award and pressed on.  It was just juice folks.

At the 40-45 minute mark he finally stopped screaming and crying.  When we got him we was nearly himself.  Still wobbly, he was more interested in being comforted.  Then the ‘boom-boom’ came.  I didn’t care, I’d survived my visit to Hades, I mean Orlando, … and CavWife took care of this one.

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Adoption: 6 Month Post-Placement

Although it has only been just over 5 months since CavWife brought CavBoy home from China, we just had our 6 month post-placement appointment with the social worker. It was a good time to remember how far he has come, and how far we have come as a family.
The first month was incredibly difficult on the whole family as he adjusted to everything and we adjusted to him. As I type, the kids are playing “going to the wedding”, a result of going to “Uncle” Morgan’s wedding last weekend. They packed their bags for the hotel room. The 2 of them usually play very well together as CavGirl revels in being the ring leader, I mean older sister. She has all the makings of a Red Leader 1.
Last night on the short ride home from a friend’s they were serenading us from the back seat. It was mostly nonsense. Last weekend, CavGirl was shouting song lyrics like “your love is better than life” (Newsboys) and “I am a friend of God” (from a worship CD CavWife plays often). CavBoy can’t quite do that yet, so it is interesting to hear them ‘sing’ together like some childish opera in a strange tongue.
CavBoy has grown 2 1/2 inches and gained 4 pounds in his 5+ months with us. This despite his liquid diet post-surgery. This is still a fistula in his palate which the surgeon thinks isn’t a major problem, but the speech therapist thinks is. They can duke it out … the surgeon is one of the most respected surgeons for this in Orlando so what do I know.
Speech therapy is going slowly. But this morning he was doing more of the noises in Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You?. That is good news. He’s starting to try, which is a start. It takes him time to start trying something- climbing into his car seat, into his booster seat for meals, etc. I realized the other day that I tended to pull him out of his car seat. I thought, “Dude, the kid can climb out on his own!” and now he does. Now, if he can just start using those expulsive consonants…
That is the main area of improvement- trying things. He still seems overwhelmed with new experiences (he was utterly traumatized by the merry go round at Cypress Gardens) and places. But he’s beginning to try more things like climbing up a playset and going down the slide last night.
Another area of improvement is handling his anger. He had horrible tantrums at first. But his trantrums are now pretty sedate for a 2 year-old. We are so thankful since those tantrums made meal time in particular quite difficult. Now meal time is stressful because it takes forever for him to eat as he plays and procrastinates. At least he isn’t eating us out of house and home anymore (that’s now CavGirl’s job).
We have some concerns about his hearing. He tested with some minor hearing loss, but that might have been related to the fluid in his ear. The ear, throat & nose specialist wants to put in larger tubes. These tubes would not fall out, but would have to be removed. However, they should aid in relieving pressure on his ear drum and preserve his hearing (but probably not his singing).
When I think of all the doctor’s appointments and bills I can become overwhelmed at times. But I wouldn’t trade the time and money back. He’s our son and an important part of our family. The boy stays!

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Here, There and Everything

The last few weeks have been just that.  It has been good that I am not working because I feel like I’ve been all around central Florida.  I have taken CavSon for doctor’s appointments and testing in Lakeland and Orlando.  I’ve gone to meetings about job openings in Tampa.  Lunch with pastors in Avon Park, preaching in Avon Park.  I brought the laptop to the Geek Squad in Lakeland (reason for the decrease in the number of posts, and lack of pics of the family).  Gas is $4/gallon and I’m driving more than ever.  This weekend we all head up to Brooksville for a wedding.

CavSon may have some mild hearing loss associated with the frequent ear infections experienced by children with cleft palates.  Next week I bring him back to Orlando to make sure his left ear is healthy.  Our surgeon expressed some concern about that ear.  He has begun speech therapy (no driving, the guy comes to our home).  We are trying to work on the expulsive consonants (b, p and so forth).  He has to learn how to use the muscles in his mouth.  Much of what he says is a slur of vowels right now.

CavDaughter is going everywhere on her new bike.  A friend down the street got a new bike for her birthday, and decided to give her old, smaller bike to our daughter.  She is excited to be riding it, though she has not yet learned how to use the brakes.  This makes for some interesting moments.

She’s trying to “sow her oats” as only a 3 1/2 year-old can.  We are having to address an increase in disrespect and demandingness.    This can make for a long day.

While I’m in my borrowed office, I try to look for work on-line.  Not terribly exciting.  It confirms my internal call as I await a new external call.  I’m trying to keep up with what is going on in the world (theological, political, sports etc.) but am falling way behind since I can’t surf at night.  Perhaps this is good for me.  I’m not reading as much as I’d like, either.

The return of rain also means the return of mowing season here in Florida.  My brown desert hath bloomed all green.  I will need to put in increased lawn time now.

Put it all together and I feel quite harried and pressured as the future intrudes on my present.  I’m looking forward to a few days away from it all for the wedding.  Perhaps it will clear my head and heart.  But until then, I’ve got to work on a homily.

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Considering Old Friends, Head Trauma & Laptops

Been a busy week here at the CavHome while I try to prepare for Sunday’s sermon.  We were delighted to have Dr. & Mrs. Probst join us for dinner on their visit to Florida.  They spent nearly 4 years in London while Chris worked on his Ph.D. in history.  It was great to see them again.  The last time we’d seen them in person, we told them we were expecting.  So this time they got to meet the 2 CavKids.  After putting the kids to sleep, we spent a few hours on the back porch catching up and telling stories.

Chris and I have a fairly long history together.  We’ve been on 2 mission trips together, co-lead a Bible study together, shared a house together, spent 2 weeks in England & Scotland together, I officiated the beginning of his wedding ceremony, he was one of my groomsmen and we enjoy some lively Boston/NY sports debates.  So, it was great catching up.

The next morning I brought CavSon to his appointment in Orlando, and gave the car-less Probsts a ride to Orlando.  CavSon really enjoyed them too, playing well with Mrs. Probst.  He cried when we dropped them off.

Friday night I took a road trip up to Orlando (Winter Park, precisely) to join the Probsts, Stephens, Smiths, Tom & Mitch for dinner at PRs (a Mexican place).  For 3 1/2 hours we laughed and enjoyed each others company.  All of us guys were in the same Bible study for years, and I heard about “how long we were in Genesis” among other things.  Tom remembered the odd messages I would have on our answering machine even way back then.  4 of the 5 guys also went on Mission trips together too.  So, we’ve got some good history together.  I really miss being in a ‘band of brothers’ like that.  That has been harder here in Winter Haven.  Many of my pastor friends moved away, and there aren’t many guys my age.

I was a “joy stealer”.  A few of them were excited about the inroad the movie Facing the Giants was making.  It was made for almost nothing and has grossed about $30 million.  It’s even being shown on a Turkish airline.  That doesn’t make it a good movie, just an influential one.  It (inadvertantly?) communicates that all will go well if you just give your life to Jesus.  The coach goes from having a disgustin house, dying car, barren wife and horrible team to an improved house, new car, pregnant wife and winning team because he re-commits himself to Jesus.  Yes, I’m cynical… but there are some false expectations that are created there.  You can like the movie and still be my friend 🙂

Anticipating lots of traffic, I took CavWife’s car so I had access to a CD player.  On the way to Orlando I was able to enjoy Perfecta by Adam Again.  Very good, though not their best album (probably that honor belongs to 10 Songs By or Dig).  Lots of loud guitars and extended songs with jamming.  Gene Eugene’s lyrics here are mostly indecipherable, at least to me.  But there are some very good songs.

On the way home I tried to listen to the Celtics-Pistons game.  Reception was sketchy until it finally became unrecognizable.  So I turned to Tonio K’s Notes from the Lost Civilization.  This was his 2nd post-conversion album and was produced by T-Bone Burnett.  It has lots of surf music guitar and Hammond B-3 organ on it.  His humor is less acerbic, it was a very enjoyable album.  I wish someone would have picked Tonio up after What? Records went under.  I was supposed to see him in Boston after the release of this album, for $1.04 (it was sponsered by FM104 WBCN which used to be a great rock radio station in Boston).  I guess 1.04 people bought tickets, because the venue seemed closed.  Great disappointment, especially after hearing of his wild stage shows.

CavDaughter has been experiencing all kinds of head trauma.  Yesterday afternoon, just before her nap, she was singing “Ring Around the Rosie” while spinning around when her head slammed into the corner of the end table.  Just missed her eye, but it swelled up and is a nicely colored bruise.  Then this morning she was not paying attention while eating breakfast.  She tumbled off the chair and the back of her head slammed into the low-lying marble window sill that is common here in FL.  Lots more crying and drama!

The laptop’s issues have returned- the screen flickers on & off.  Since this is the 4th time- it is declared a lemon.  Back to Best Buy to pick up a replacement, just as the extended warrentee expires.  But I needed to delve into new technology so I could back it up.  Yes, a new external hard drive.  But then the wireless card disappeared.  Coincidence or causation?  I don’t know.  But I’ll have to set up the new laptop.  So … I’m not sure when I shall post next.  Here’s to finding one that still has XP instead of Vista!!!

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Nearing Normal

I’d include a new photo, but I can’t seem to insert photos on the laptop, only the PC.  How very strange.  Nothing I’ve tried to resolve it has worked.  And now, back to our regularly scheduled program.

CS has been home for 2 days now.  We were not sure what to expect.  We heard some horror stories from some people.  A few mentioned that it completely threw off the children’s sleep patterns.

The night after his surgery he woke up frequently, often needing some water.  The second night, our first back home, I slept like a rock for about 9 hours in the back bedroom.  CW was happy since I snore louder and longer when I am in such a state of exhaustion.  So she had CS duty that night.  He woke up about every 2 hours.  Last night he didn’t wake up until 6:20.  So, he is pretty much back to his normal sleep pattern.  Big sigh of relief there.

One family we know said their son was going to have his surgery in June.  The doctor recommended putting casts on his arms rather than restraints.  Sometimes kids do figure out how to get free.  The first 2 weeks are probably the most important, so he won’t pull at the stitches on his lip (creating some ugly scar tissue) or put something in his mouth that will damage the repaired palate.  He is adjusting fairly well to the restraints.  He’s able to do most things.  We feed him and help him with his cup.  We give him some freedom around bath time as well.  I do get concerned when he’s running around.  It is a bit hard to break your fall with arm restraints.  But he’s doing well.

He was still a bit “off” from the anesthesia (we think) when he got back.  He is back to being his usual self now.   He had a rash on his torso yesterday.  We think it was the penecillan.  He’s still on his tylenol w/codeine, but should go to straight tylenol tomorrow.  The pain and discomfort seem to have improved greatly (this was another reason he was waking up so much).

The 2 of them have been playing outside.  Sometimes I cringe, fearing that he’ll get hurt.

CW is now the Magic Bullet Queen.  She loves using it to puree his food.  She even pureed a biscuit yesterday.  It has been a big help.  He’s able to eat most of what we eat, just with one extra step.  Okay, we also have to spoon feed him.  And sometimes CD as well.  She doesn’t want to feel left out.

 

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Home from the Hospital

If I have to do this again … shoot me.  I told CavWife this must have been payback for the China trip.

Yesterday morning I was up at 5:30 after not sleeping all that well.  CavDaughter woke me up twice, so that didn’t help.  Since I’d watched the Red Sox beat the Yankees late Sunday, I didn’t watch the come from behind victory against the Indians.  I was a good boy.  But tired even before loading CavSon into the car to head off to the hospital at 6 am.

He really did great yesterday morning.  I thought he’d become super-whiny since I couldn’t give him anything to eat or drink.  But he was in a good mood until crashing at 10:30.  I brought one diaper with me.  Shortly after arriving I noticed some leakage so I traipsed off to the men’s room to change him, seeing a sign that they had changing tables in there.  Sadly, 1. some guy occupied the bathroom for about 10 minutes, and 2. the changing table was in another bathroom.  I also learned they decided to save money on toilet paper and had an ample supply of sand paper in its place.  At approximately 8 am the magic moment I had feared came.  I asked the lady at the desk for a new diaper.  She directed me to the bathroom with a changing table!

A few minutes later they called us back for him to change.  A series of nurses checked in on us to make sure we didn’t need anything.  Very friendly people.  They put in a Barney video for him.  His first Barney experience.  I wanted him to hate it, but he liked it.  Blues Clues was not received quite as well.  He was restless and the surgeon was behind schedule.  I had not read a page of listened to anything but Barney.  Sadly, I’d left my headphones in the car.  After wearing him out he was ready for a nap when the surgeon came by to go over final details.  He was off for surgeon, happily waving ‘bye-bye’.

I spent the next few hours reading half the PCA Book of Church Order, which nearly put me asleep.  Then I went to the car to grab my lunch, once again forgetting the headphones.  After reading some of my novel, I gave up and went into the children’s waiting room which was empty.  A recliner was a great place to nap until the surgeon woke me up with the good news that he was in recovery.

I joined him in recovery, holding him until he was ready to head to the pediatric ward.  No reading, no sermons.  Up in pediatrics, he was doing pretty well.  But between the phone calls, crying and nurses talking to me I actually heard about 10 minutes of Grahame Goldsworthy.

Before he could leave in the morning he had to be drinking and eating.  He was pretty thirsty and quickly took care of the first.  For dinner he had some applesauce and babyfood bannanas.  Paydirt!  We just had to make it through the night.

My dinner was late.  A friend was bringing me dinner, but circumstances conspired such that he arrived at 8 pm, when visiting hours ended.  But we went off the cafeteria to talk.  He brought me a Joey Bag o’ Donuts and a beer from Moe’s.  He figured I probably would need one.  Oh, a true friend.

I was back in the room by 9:30 and started to watch a movie on the DVD player I borrowed.  After about 20 minutes I faced the fact I would not finish the movie.  I was in bed by 10, so very un-Cavman-like.  It seemed that every time I was close to falling to sleep something happened: a monitor alarm went off, he woke up and couldn’t get back to sleep, a nurse came in, he was thirsty ….  It was as if they had some special detection device.

When the surgeon arrived he found everything in good order and the wheels were in motion for discharge.  He enjoyed his breakfast of applesauce and scrambled eggs.  He also had time to work the floor, flirting with all the nurses.  One of the interesting things about the hospital that I learned as the transportation specialist pushed us in the wheelchair is that they don’t allow child patients out via the parking garage, where I was parked.  So, I had to leave him with the specialist while I went to get the car and drive to the other side of the hospital instead of 150 feet in the parking garage.

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Preparing for Surgery

Assuming all goes well, and CavSon does not get sick, he will have surgery tomorrow.  His palate will be repaired, his lip scar touched up and tubes put in his ears.  It is outpatient surgery, so barring complications he and I will be there less than 24 hours.  I’ll be spending the night with him and need to bring things to keep me busy.

1. I’m loading up my MP3 player with some lectures by Graeham Goldsworthy and Piper & Chandler from the Text & Context Conference at Mars Hill.

2. I’m bringing the PCA Book of Church order to brush up “just in case”.

3. I’m bringing The Path to True Happiness by Martyn Lloyd-Jones and hope to finish it.

4. I’m bringing Jungle Pilot which is about Nate Saint.

5. I’ll also bring a novel.

Maybe I should bring my glasses since I’ll be doing so much reading.  I think the laptop will be staying home so CavWife can use it.  I’m not sure if they have wireless service there at the hospital.  Hmmm, I wonder if anyone I know has a portable DVD player.  I’ll have to check on that prospect.

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Considering Upcoming Surgery

CavSon had better get used to being confined, so to speak.  His surgery is next week.  His soft palate will be corrected in out patient surgery.  He has a high threshold for pain, but becomes VERY whiny when he sees a scab.  So it will be interesting to see how he responds.  We are not sure if he will need arm restraints yet.  After the surgery you really have to protect the palate, which means no sucking (which would be a new experience for him since he can’t really develop suction).  However, he is used to having much of his hand in his mouth.  You don’t want to risk damaging the palate with the fingers.

He will be on a soft food diet for 6 weeks.  He’ll love that too.  While CavDaughter enjoys cookies, chips etc.  he can’t.  I’m not looking forward to any tantrums that may produce since he won’t understand why he is being deprived of food he likes.

Another possible concern is reports we’ve heard from other families that sleep patterns are greatly disrupted.  He sleeps very well.  Actually, I figure that if the time change from China didn’t really disrupt his sleep schedule, this shouldn’t either.  But you can never know for sure.

I am reminded of Romans 8 which includes many incredible themes, including the adoption as sons of the elect, the groaning of creation and the sufficiency of grace in the midst of any circumstance.  Verses 28-29 pertain here.  These difficult circumstances of his (painful surgery) are being used to restore wholeness and health.  The surgeon is going to hurt him, but not harm him (at least that is the plan).  God often brings difficult circumstances, painful things, into our lives as part of the process of conforming us to the likeness of His Son that He might be the firstborn of many brothers.  The Father may ‘hurt’ His children, but the goal is to heal them, not hurt or destroy them. 

Until Tuesday we have to pray that he doesn’t become ill.  That would postpone the surgery.  He hasn’t been sick since we brought him home, so it would be odd if he became ill.  But, we specialize in odd around here.

Yes, CavWife loves the messy face pictures.  Perhaps you can join me in praying that she will be able to resist that temptation in the future.  Until then, enjoy.

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My Girl is Growing Up

We bought her a “big girl bed” about a month ago.  It would have been sooner, but with the adoption there was enough change going on.  We decided to wait a little longer.  She picked out the comforter with her mom.  But, we kept the crib up thinking she might slowly transition over.  No way, Jose!

So before I left for my trip last week we told her that the crib was coming down after I returned.  She seemed excited about this, and wanted her brother to have her crib.  We borrowed one for him.  So Tuesday morning I took the cribs apart.  She wanted to help, so I let her use the Allen wrench and put bolts in plastic baggies.  This was a huge improvement over her previous attempts to help me.

So last night was the night.  She often rocked against the side of the crib, now it was against the wall.  She can rock hard, so I had to talk to her about it since I didn’t want any picture frames to fall on her head.  Soon it was after 9 pm and she was still rocking.  I was the one designated to go in.  At first she wasn’t very communicative.  Being the expert counselor that I am I asked some questions and discerned that she was sad about her crib.  “It’s okay to be sad.  Change can be hard.”  So I held her for a few minutes, prayed with her and she dropped off to sleep.  (I honestly don’t know where this sensitive parent thing came from.)

That is until about 12:45 when I heard her screaming.  She was on the floor.  CavWife had put pillows in there thinking they would keep her from rolling out.  But they acted more like a ramp allowing her to more easily clear the side protective rail.  No harm done, but hopefully lessons learned.

Yesterday we were able to schedule the surgery for CavSon.  2 weeks.  Amazingly, it is now an outpatient procedure, meaning he’ll be in the hospital for less than 24 hours.  I’ll stay overnight with him.  “You make him laugh” was CavWife’s rationale.  I don’t think he’ll be laughing.  She’s also concerned that CavDaughter may be frightened and wants to stay home with her.  She’s thinking of that Curious George DVD when he goes to the hospital and she was frightened.  CavWife is afraid she’ll be worried/scared for her brother.  So CavSon and I may head to Florida Hospital (S. Orlando) alone.  But, his ‘boo-boo’ will be fixed.  It will be painful, but it will restore God’s intention.  There’s a lesson there, but I’ll let you figure it out.

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CavSon’s CMS Appointment

We sent this out as a family photo.

The evaluation with the cranio-facial team went well.  It was a bit overwhelming at times.  There were anywhere from 1-4 specialists in the room at any given time.  That was pretty overwhelming for me at times- too many conversations to follow.  It felt like dinner with my wife’s family.  This would be why she felt at home.  My job was to keep CavSon reasonably quiet while not being examined.  The plastic surgeon wants to do the surgery ASAP.  We are to call his office tomorrow and try to set up a time for it.  Life is pretty complicated right now.  There will be lots of changes in the next few months, and we aren’t sure precisely what many of them will be.

At least I’m not this guy!  I’m currently watching the Simpsons Movie.  Homer’s ability to consistently do the wrong thing is absolutely amazing.  So, compared to him … I’m  a pretty good husband and father.  It is pretty funny.  Utterly pointless and irreverent, but really funny.  Hopefully I won’t wake up the little girl.

However, my wife just doesn’t get the Simpsons.  But we still love each other.

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My Breakdancing Boy

Okay, he really isn’t breakdancing.  He’s falling down while trying to walk in adult shoes.  But I thought it looked cool.

It is hard to believe it has nearly been 2 months since he entered our home.  Overall he’s fitting in well.  He and CavDaughter get along most of the time.  Just like siblings.

He no longer gorges on food.  He’s picked up some more words, but still prefers to just point and grunt.  He has trouble staying still when you change him, which can become very frustrating  when you are in a hurry.

He is doing well when we leave him in the nursery at church.  Our main complaint would be the whining.  But most kids his age whine.  That and how he can’t make up his mind: he’ll want to be helped up on the couch, then down.  Then up.  Then down.  Repeat ad infinitum.  Oh, and he likes to step on your feet.

Tomorrow (Thursday) we bring him for the monthly CMS cranio-facial surgical team evaluation.  CavDaughter gets to spend some time with a friend in the morning while we take him to Orlando.  The evaluation should take 2 hours, and we’ll get the dictation in about 2 weeks.  It will be the treatment plan for the next year.  I’m hoping he only needs one surgery this year, but we’ll see.

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Considering What Not to Eat

One of the great past times here in central FL is eating out.  Between tourists and retirees who are tired of cooking, a large number of restaurants exist to satisfy people’s need to feed.  We’ll routinely see lines outside of restaurants after 8 pm- on a weeknight.  In our community, this is aggravated by the relative “lack” of things to do.

This is a big contributor to American waistlines.  Until the age of 35 I could literally eat anything, and as much of it as I possibly could- with no effects on my body.  Then … I got married.  It took me awhile to adjust to a new reality as my body changed due to age, change of lifestyle and some bad problems.  Thankfully, we really can’t afford to eat out much.  I like getting my money’s worth at a restaurant, but that can put a big burden on your belt, and result in needing to buy bigger pants.

Men’s Health has listed 20 of the worst meals, by category.  You may want to check out how many of these fat & calorie burdened meals you enjoy.  Maybe it is time to consider your eating habits.  Glutteny is one of those “civilized” sins you rarely, if ever, hear about.  We think it doesn’t harm anyone.  But a parent’s gluttony most likely affects the eating habits of their children (most likely to either extreme).  It also affects the cost of health care here in America.  Many of us are not good stewards of our bodies, and even worse serve our bellies (a form of idolatry).  It seems a victimless sin, but it really isn’t.  As we glut our bodies our souls shrink.  We feel satisfied, forget God and die inside.  Christ can restore our relationship to food, too.

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Gotta Love the Stomach Bug

Her hair points to the sky, the place she wants to be.

Sorry, ripped that off from a lyric on Daniel Amos’ Vox Humana album.  A fine mid-80’s piece of work that was. 

It was a long weekend, made longer by a stomach bug.  CavDaughter suffered with it most of last week.  CavSon seems to be immune thus far.  I started symptoms on Saturday.  By God’s sheer grace, I had a remission while fufilling my pulpit supply duties making me think it was done.

I filled the pulpit at the congregation where we currently worship.  They let me have an office, so I have a key.  This was their Family Camp weekend, so a large portion of the congregation was enduring the odd weather this weekend (tons of rain & a tornado warning Friday night, very breezy & cool Saturday, and downright chilly Sunday morning) as well as the ever-glorious time change.  I don’t sleep well camping, and that would have thrown me over the edge.  As it was I slept horribly this weekend.  But I digress.

So… the pulpit supply was the guy who essentially opened the facility.  The guy who runs the Power Point was sick, so I quickly figured it out and trained one of the elders to use it.  I discovered they wanted me to do the pastoral prayer just before the worship service.  As the opening song began, the people were looking quite sparse- lots of empty room.  By the time the song was done, the sanctuary filled up nicely.  The service went pretty well (here’s the sermon).  Next thing I know, I’m the guy who is locking up too. 

About an hour after heading home, I knew I was in trouble.  CavWife went to Blockbuster to get some “chick flicks” and we ended up watching Rush Hour 3.  Don’t waste your time or money on that dog.  If I went back to see the credits it must have had either a 12 year-old or 4 Alzheimer patients writing it because it was uneven and only sparsely funny.  Not enjoyable at all.

So after the kids went to bed we sat on the couch and watched some of The King of Queens, season 3.  Sometimes you just have to laugh.  And there were more laughs per episode than in the entire RH 3.

Over the weekend I started reading Revival and Revivalism by Iain Murray (so far very interesting) and an early biography of U2 called The Unforgettable Fire.  That has some interesting background on Dublin for us Yanks.  Hopefully I’ll be good enough to go fishin’ with the bros-in-law Tuesday, stupid picture or 2 sure to follow.

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Considering the Dangers of Environmentalism

The push is on to get you to buy and use compact flourescent bulbs.  They do use less energy.  But it is reductionistic to have that as the one criteria.  As one who worked in the men’s department of a store as a teenager, they make colors appear differently than they do in natural light.  Not a huge concern, but here is one that should be a huge concern.

“Compact fluorescent lamps contain small amounts of toxic mercury that can vaporize when the bulbs break, creating a potential health risk for infants, young children, and pregnant women. If a lamp does break, follow these cleanup procedures:

Keep people and pets away. Open windows, and leave the area for 15 minutes before beginning the cleanup.

Do not use a vacuum cleaner, even on a carpet. This will spread the mercury vapor and dust and potentially contaminate the vacuum.

Wear rubber gloves.

Carefully remove the larger pieces and place them in a secure closed container, preferably a glass jar with a metal screw top lid and seal like a canning jar.

Next, scoop up the smaller pieces and dust using two stiff pieces of paper such as index cards or playing cards.

Pick up fine particles with duct tape, packing tape, or masking tape, and then use a wet wipe or damp paper towel.

Put all waste into the glass container, including all material used in the cleanup. Remove the container from your home and call your local solid waste district or municipality for disposal instructions.

Continue ventilating the room for several hours.

Wash your hands and face.

As a precaution, consider discarding throw rugs or the area of carpet where the breakage occurred, particularly if the rug is in an area frequented by infants, small children or pregnant women. Otherwise, open windows during the next several times you vacuum the carpet to provide good ventilation. SOURCES: Maine Bureau of Remediation and Waste Management; Mercury Policy Project  Article copyrighted by the Globe Newspaper Company.

The bottom line: these things are dangerous for your health and the environment.  Some states do not permit you to put intact bulbs in the trash because they can obviously break, and spill mercury (imagine hundreds and thousands of these breaking in your local landfill).  Which is a greater threat to us, carbon gases or mercury?  Pick your poison.

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