Big Day!

Leo gets his bandaging removed tomorrow afternoon, and I am so excited to:

1. See his little arm, neck and chest again!
2. See how much he can move his arm, and where are new starting point will be
3. give him a much needed haircut!
4. give him a VERY much needed real scrubdown bath! Spongebaths are just NOT cutting it anymore!
5. not have him look like an amputee, and have people cringe and make anguished,sad, or pitying faces when they see him. (Or have them look at us like WHAT did you do to your child or how negligent were you?)
6. be able to dress him in his own clothes and not Sam's oversized shirts to fit over his arm bulge.
7. Not have him fall or stumble and tumble forward onto his face because he doesn't have his arm to brace him.

All those minor annoyances aside, he has honestly been doing GREAT. Little kids are resilient and he pretty much goes about his busy little day and has worked around it nicely. He hasn't seemed too upset by it at all in general. These 3 weeks have given me a glimpse into what it might be like to be a parent of a special needs child. I've noticed so many looks and gotten a lot of questions as we've been out and about. I have to say, I was one of those people who would make a sad face and say "Oohh, poor little thing!" and now I realize how grateful I was to friends who DIDN'T react like that, (Krissy A, you especially) who acknowledged the surgery with me but treated him just like normal, with positive reaction. The negative, wistful, pained expressions made me feel guilty like how could you have done this to him, and was really not warranted because he is doing well. I would never hold it against anyone for reacting the other way because I think it's natural, and like I said that's probably how I might have reacted. It just gave me a little insight into how parents of special needs/handicapped children might want their child to be seen. Anyhow...

On the way home, since I'll have Robbie with me, we also have to stop at Children's and get Jimmy's adenoids x-rayed! I have been holding on to the lab orders which our pediatrician gave us just prior to Leo's surgery at Jimmy's 7 yr old check up. She said it's not urgent, since we had the surgery coming up, but we need to check him out since he has enlarged tonsils, which may also mean enlarged adenoids and be the culprit behind chronic congestion and the nasal quality to his speech. She thinks he might need to have his tonsils and adenois removed. You hate to have to have your child be put under for any reason, but at least if we have to do that it will be a very quick and easy surgery in comparison?! Ay ay ay.

Well, looking forward to freeing Leo from his bandages- I'll post on his progress!