Part One of Bowel Management: Testing

With all that has happened in our hometown the last 6 days...

I haven't been able to share much about our visit to Cincinnati Children's Hospital...

Though I was apprehensive and scared...

It was honestly the best thing we could have done for our little boy...

There were two parts to the Bowel Management program...

The first part was testing to determine if any additional surgeries would be needed...

Aidan was a trooper and withstood a contrast (barium) enema and x-rays were performed to determine how things were moving inside his colon...

He impressed doctors and nurses with his upbeat spirit...

With barium however is that it is difficult to pass all the enema at once and every 15 minutes or so afterward he had a soiled diaper...

The constant wetness caused a burn-like diaper rash Aidan calls "owies"...

We tried going to the Zoo...

We had fun...

But had to cut it short due to Aidan's discomfort...

The next day a second "test" was scheduled...

Exploratory surgery and a biopsy under anesthesia...

It was by far the most difficult day for all of us...

Aidan was unfazed during his enema...

X-ray...

And while we were waiting...

But as soon as we told him we needed to put on his hospital gown...

He broke down...

All I could was hold him...

Which as a Mommy is never enough when your child is hurting...

After his gown was on...

Things moved quickly...

We met with the surgeon...

Comforted him as he breathed in grape gas...

And in less than an hour the procedure was finished...

We met with the surgeon again and he assured us Aidan's initial surgery was done well and further removal of the colon would not be necessary...

GREAT NEWS...

Our baby was discharged soon after...

Discharge instructions included little to no activity for the rest of the day...

However anesthesia isn't going to keep Aidan Kale from being the same energetic boy...

Thursday evening I was overcome with relief...

Testing was over...

We were able to get into the Ronald McDonald House...

And our little boy had an excellent chance of success...

With so many people praying for and thinking of our little family...

We felt incredibly blessed...

Joplin...

Our hometown, Sunday evening, May 22nd... 

We celebrated my Mother-in-Laws 59th birthday...

 Six blocks from St. John's Hospital...

(Photo courtesy Mark Schiefelbein/AP Photo)

Not long after she blew out the candles...
We huddled in a door jamb...
 Bodies shielding our boys...
Sirens blared...

Windows shattered...
 And trees in the front yard were ripped from the ground...

My children had just returned moments earlier with Papa from playing at their favorite park...

(Photo courtesy of Sean Steffen/The Morning Sun)

Leaving because it began to rain...

Hours before my husband and I had eaten lunch at CiCi's Pizza in this shopping center...

(Photo from Mom of Two Boys)

But eerie feelings of what we escaped...

Are nothing compared to what our family almost lost...

This is what's left of my Grandparent's home...

(Photo from Mom of Two Boys)

This is where my 78 year old Grandpa laid protectively over my 73 year old Grandma...
As an F-4 (upgraded to F-5) tornado roared...

The arms of our Heavenly Father surrounded them in this small hallway...

(Photo from Mom of Two Boys)

Between the living room...

(Photo from Mom of Two Boys)

And spare bedroom...

(Photo from Mom of Two Boys)

Until the 6 mile long monster moved on...
 And my Grandparents emerged...

Grandpa with minor cuts...

(Photo courtesy of Kansas City Star)

Grandma in shock...

(Photo courtesy of Kansas City Star)

Both shaken...
Yet very much alive...

As the dust settles...
 We become fully aware that our family is among the lucky ones...

My Grandparents who have worked their entire lives to pay cash for what they own...
 Will start over with little more than the clothes on their backs...

But they will do so holding hands...

Just as they have for the last 58 years...

Weathering life's storms...

A testament to those who know and love them...

As the death toll climbs...

We start to rebuild...

And wounds begin to heal...

(Photo courtesy of Grant Deardorff)

I ask you...
To please keep the families of Joplin in your prayers...

 

The Rough Times...

I have taken hundreds of pictures over the last ten days...

The places we have visited...

The laughs...

Cheesy smiles...

The good parts...

But there have been other times...

When my arms were full of a scared little boy...

And I had to stay strong...
 Even though I wanted to cry...

There are no pictures of these times...

My brave little boy breaking down when we had to put on his hospital gown...

The way I climbed onto his bed, sat him in my lap, buried my face in his hair...

Holding tightly until his tears stopped...

Kamden patting his brother's leg saying "it's otay"...

How completely powerless I felt as they put a gas mask full of grape air on my baby's face...

He fell limp in my arms...

And they wheeled him away...

The day he had yet another uncomfortable test...

Producing diaper rash that resembled a severe burn...

But he forced smile...
 And complied...
 Impressing everyone in the room...

We are leaving Cincinnati tomorrow...

We came, we saw...

But I must honestly tell you...

It is only because my almost four year old little boy is far stronger than I...

Through all he has endured...

That we conquered...

No picture will ever reflect that one simple, priceless fact...

And I could not be more proud...

Our First Day in Cincinnati...

It seems like we have been here FOREVER...

But just last week we spent our first day in Cincinnati at Entertainment Junction...

The World's Largest Indoor Train Display...

With over two miles of track {25,000 sq. ft.}...

And plenty to do...

 The boys bounced, climbed, slid, and crawled in the children's locomotive themed playground...

And even I was impressed with the detail of the scenes as we traveled through U.S. History...
It was a great way to start our week and a must see if you are ever in the Cincinnati area...

Cincinnati: Our Trip Begins...

We left for Cincinnati last Monday...

A nine hour trip that took twelve...

But we took our time...

Letting the boys stop and play...

Getting rid of their excess energy...

Here are some of the best pictures capturing just how much fun two boys can have...

No matter where they land...

It didn't take long for the boys to get FILTHY...

And find an very large beetle {yuck}...

In the end our hour or so stops...

Proved to be just what our boys needed...

To keep them from killing each other...

And keep me from killing them...

But more important than anything...

We made it to our destination safe and sound...

Ready for the week that lay ahead...