Day 10

Looking Good! Ivan loves to be outside, so we've been spending lots of time on his swing. I can strap him in and keep him contained - always good for my sanity! The stitches are already coming loose. Can't tell if any have fallen out yet. They are like heavy fishing line. We are guessing there are 150-175, that's a lot of sewing! Thankfully he doesn't mind getting them cleaned and medicated(3 times a day). We've added even more padding to the inside of his helmet.
Added a picture of Al, you can see how fast their hair is growing (plus he's kinda cute!) PS. Got Al pre-enrolled for kindergarten. He is so excited, he's jumping out of his skin!

One Week

Can't believe it has already been one week since we were sitting in the waiting room, anticipating phone calls from the operating room nurses.
His stitches look better each day, the redness is fading, we still can't believe how neat and clean it is. We have tried to count stitches, but he won't hold still long enough! We are anxious to see those big beautiful brown eyes, they are open almost half-way. The swelling in his head is decreasing, we've already added padding to the inside of his helmet.
He is so happy, it is fun to watch the changes. His attention span is much longer than before. He'll sit and look at books for 10 minutes rather than just one or two minutes. He is very talkative, he names everything he sees. If we don't respond, he gets louder and more insistant. It is pretty funny since he was so quiet before. He has more patience when playing. If he can't make something work, he keeps trying, rather than screaming and throwing.
Physically, he hasn't slowed down much. He'll play hard for an hour or two, and then he'll rest for a couple hours. They said, no running, jumping or climbing. After only a week, we've already broken a few rules. It is just about impossible to get him to slow down.
After dropping Al off at school, we ran to the grocery store. I've never been so excited to run errands. It is nice to get back to normal.

We are winding down on our first full day at home since being released from the hospital. We all woke up late this morning and Ivan began to amaze us again. He was wide awake jabbering like a mad man and ready to eat. His eyes were less swollen and the bruising seems to be stopping as well. The helmet has been a little bit of struggle but it has to be on if he wants down to play. It puts a lot of pressure on his head.

He wants to run everywhere already which makes us a nervous wreck. He is so happy to have all of his toys. He does not know where to start playing, but always seems to go back to his cars and books. We were able to go outside today to swing and enjoy the sun.

We are amazed that 5 days ago that "His head was cracked open" as Alex says. I do not know if we are out of our minds, but it seems like he is already changing. The attention span has increased, the frustration and the anger have all subsided.

We are officially home. The boys are snoring away in their beds. We'll write tomorrow when we have some energy. Just wanted to get some new pictures added.

Out at Last

Dr. Singhal's nurse said that she would put in for our discharge at 12 but she said that it never goes that well so plan on late afternoon. As usual things don't go normal with Ivan. We were on our way home at 12 and it would have been earlier if they would have had Ivan's helmet size in any color but pink. We had to wait for one to be brought from CMH South. We are back together as a family which makes Al happy!
We are staying at Linda and Jerry's tonight and plan to head home tomorrow mid day. It is kind of nice because we have some help with Al since we are so tired. We are so blessed by your thoughts and prayers.

Can't wait to have everyone meet the new round-headed Ivan!

Home

Good Morning! Ivan had a rough night, but a very good morning. He pulled out his last IV (feeding tube). Around 5:00, the nurses were getting ready to start a new one. They told us that if he would eat and drink we wouldn't need the line. He started asking for apple juice and Cheerios, he ate enough and drank 6hrs worth of juice. He is completely unplugged now! What a relief.
We got him dressed and carried him around the hospital for a long walk. He talked to everyone we passed. When we got back to the PICU, we went to the play room for about 20 minutes. Ivan was alert, talkative and very happy. He is worn out and sleeping very peacefully now.
We just got the ok to go home today. We have to get his helmet fitted, get his meds, learn how to clean and dress his suture and all the usual check-out procedures. Looks like we will be leaving from the PICU (he never did get his own room). He will have a follow-up visit with Dr. Singhal in two weeks, a 3D cat scan in 6 months and one each year for four years. He won't have any long term restrictions. He has already been released for his speech therapy.
Once we are home, we'll send more pictures.
lots of love and blessings

Pictures

I do not know where to start. He made so many strides. We started off the morning by finally getting to hold him (Yeah!) In the late morning/early afternoon we were able to get him to eat some crackers that stayed down. He still is not eating or drinking what he needs to in order to go home but we are hoping that tomorrow will be a different day. The afternoon was very busy with him having lots of people coming to give their love and wanting to see his round head. I think everyone will be amazed at the pictures.

The exciting news of the day came when Ivan got to have his "Hat " (Ivan Terms) off. It was amazing to see how good it looked. The scar was clean and neat, so much better than we expected.

When Al first saw Ivan's new head, he was mad because, "I don't look like Ivan anymore." He wanted a scar too! He asked if he could have one, so we grabbed a black marker and drew a line on his head! He was so proud!

Tonight Mom and Dad let him sleep while we watched the KU game in the lobby. (Not sure Dad could have been quiet enough to watch in Ivan's room). After the game we took him for a walk around the PICU. He waved at all of the nurses and even got to see some balloons but did not go as crazy as usual. He was loving getting to see some other sites. This could be a long night for Mom and Dad, we were unable to get into the Ronald McDonald room so we will probably be sleeping in the lobby. No big deal as long as he is sleeping well.

The top picture was taken on Tuesday, the day of surgery. The bottom picture is from this morning. Looking good...

happy spring!
Ivan had another good night. We got to hold him for the first time today. He ate a few Cheerios and some yogurt, good news, until it came back up a few minutes later. His drain tube fell out early this morning while he was fighting with the nurses that were taking his blood. They decided to leave it out for now. He is down to only two iv's. He has been more alert today. Still in the PICU, hoping to have his own room today. (Daddy wants to watch the KU game.) We'll let you know if we get moved. Slowly making progress.
Again, we are hoping to send pictures later today. The USB ports on our laptop aren't working.
We are so proud of him, can't wait to show off his perfect, new round head.
We love you all, we are feeling so very blessed...

Al is here with us. He thinks Ivan looks "fantastic"! The three of us just got back from the cafeteria, now we are hanging out in Ivan's room. Al had a million questions about all the iv's and tubes and monitors. He was very relieved to see the nurses taking good care of his brother. He was thrilled when Ivan blew him a kiss goodbye.
We've been trying to get him to drink some water, but he isn't interested.
Talked to Dr. Singhal earlier, Ivan's recovery is staying on schedule.
Ivan was a little more alert this morning. He was asking for Alex and he kept asking us to sing to him. Each time he senses a nurse coming near, he fusses and says, "all done". His breathing is quieter than yesterday.
Hopefully we will be in a new room later today. Also hoping we can send pictures.
While we were at lunch, Grandma and Grandpa hung out with Ivan and said that he started to suck his thumb for the first time. That is a good sign!

5:00am

We went in to see him this morning and the PICU nurse said that he had a good night. She had to turn him around a couple of times because he wrapped himself up in the cords and we had to laugh because he is such a mover at night. As for us we were able to get a little bit of sleep. We sure are glad that they have the Ronald McDonald Room. What a great thing for parents.

We are hoping to be able to add some picture later today so everyone can see his new round head.

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Keep the prayers going for our little Bear!

7:00pm
Ivan has a beautiful brand-new round head. It is mind-boggling! He is in the PICU resting peacefully. He is pretty swollen, but already his eyebrows are longer and thinner, and the slits of his eyes are much longer than before. He has tried to open his eyes a few times, but they are starting to swell closed. The nurses have already taken out two of his IV's, they said all his labs and vitals are perfect. His recovery is right on schedule. Tomorrow he will move out of the PICU as soon as a room becomes available.

Chris and I were able to get into the Ronald McDonald Family Room tonight. We have our very own little room, with a big bathroom and shower down the hall.
So many blessings, we've lost track...
Thanks for the many, many prayers. We love you all...C,W,A, and I

Is anyone out there? Send us comments, we'd love to hear from you!

1:15
Just got done visiting with the doctor and Ivan is in waking up. He did great and he was probably feeling pressure. They say that we can see can see him around 2:30. He is such a fighter. We will give more updates later tonight.

Keep the prayers going!

Chris and Wendy

8:51 Just had a call from the nurse in the operating room and they had started the surgery. They said that he is doing good! Mom and Dad are doing OK now but it sure was tough this morning seeing him be so happy knowing what he is going to feel like later. They say that the surgery should last between 4 to 5 hours so we will update when we know more.

Keep Ivan in your prayers for us!

Chris and Wendy

Just got back from the hospital. They took another blood sample. They are double checking his blood type before they do transfusions tomorrow. Al said if the nurse goes near Ivan again, we need to call him right away. He said he will come up to the hospital and tell her to leave his brother alone.

Surgery is at 7:30 am. We'll add another post as soon as possible.

Grocery stores, parks, playgroups, library, church... we didn't go anywhere. It was a long two weeks, but after lots of Clorox wipes and Wet Ones, Ivan has stayed healthy. They warned us that even a little runny nose would postpone his surgery.

His first outing was a family trip to the barbershop.

Dad and Al decided to shave their heads along with Ivan.

Needless to say, we got quite a bit of attention .

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