A Little Mid-Day Update

I just got paged and got an update from the operating room. Looks like everything is going well. Dr. Tse (pronounced “Jay”) is still working—he’s a very meticulous doctor, for which we are so grateful. I just told my mom that if there is one person in your life whom you want to be known as very “meticulous,” it’s your plastic surgeon. Hooray for Dr. Tse. The nurse also said Matthew’s vitals are VERY stable and he seems to be peacefully resting, totally unaware of the major reconstruction going on in his mouth.

I talked with the Ear, Nose & Throat surgeon about 2 hours ago, and she had successfully placed the tubes in Matthew’s ears. She also said that there was a significant amount of fluid in his ears, which was probably affecting his hearing in a major way. She thought when he woke up, he’d finally be able to hear normally . . . wow, what an added bonus to today’s many procedures.

Mom and I are sitting in Starbucks. I just finished a cappuccino, and Mom is drinking some tea. She’s playing cards. I was reading, and now I’m on the computer for a few minutes. We’re looking out at the sunny Seattle sky and the brilliantly changing leaves (I still see red and orange leaves out there!). Being in the hospital is not my favorite thing in the world, but today feels manageable and pleasant. I’m really glad Mom is here with me—she’s a good companion for a day like today.

More soon. I’m going to add a couple photos to this email—taken last night as we were preparing for surgery. The first two are at the dinner table. The other is right after his bath. I had to wash him with this soap called Hibiclins—it’s slimy and has to sit on his skin for five minutes. Fun times.

And I tell you, for the life of me I can’t get any pictures of Matthew when he’s smiling. He is actually a very smiley kiddo, but the minute I pull out the camera, he gets this ultra-serious look on his face. Last night was no exception. But there he is, totally unaware of what the next day would bring for him. My only consolation right now is that he’s still blissfully unaware. In a few hours, he’ll wake up and have to start dealing with pain and healing, but right now I hope he’s dreaming of something happy and glorious. ZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Messy from yogurt!

No smile, but he's got animated hands.

After the bath. He actually LOVES baths--he just hates cameras!