Lookout!

We have a crawler on our hands!

I knew Rylan was going to start crawling any day now. We've been working on it with the physical therapist and he looked ready. The whole time we were home in Chicago I was waiting to see it. He got on all fours, started rocking, but didn't go anywhere except backwards.

Well we got back to Boston in Monday and on Tuesday it officially happened. Rylan didn't go far but he moved forward. He's doing more of an army crawl but I'm sure in time the real thing will happen.

Our little boy is growing up!

Kryptonite

By no stretch of the imagination do I think I'm Superman, but I clearly understand what it means to encounter kryptonite. I've been very fortunate that the only side effect I've endured post surgery is nausea/fatigue. Each evening the nausea hits me like a ton of bricks and I'm rendered useless until the bout is over. Fingers crossed this runs its course in the next week. So kryptonite is to Superman as food is to Scott. I truly can't wait until I can eat Fox's pizza or a kick ass steak. :)

In terms of unsung heros one person comes to mind - my wife. She equally embarked down this rabbit hole of unknown. She unselfishly took the plunge with me knowing that she would need to take on the role of a single parent post surgery (re: caring for our two young kids) and taking care of a 3rd child (i.e. me).

I wish I had a picture that illustrates this - when we landed in Boston the wheel chair guy was waiting for me. Chris strapped Rylan to her front in a carrier, pushed a Snap-n-Go, carried multiple bags and pulled Acadia in her car seat that we attached a roller board to. Right behind was her hubs in a wheel chair with everyone in the terminal staring at us. Thankfully our good friend/neighbor Jay was waiting in baggage claim to get us home.

Thank you sweetie for being my hero and just think we're nearly at the halfway point - in three more weeks I can lift things greater than a gallon of milk.

Hi Ho Hi Ho

It's off to work Scott goes.

Today is Scott's first day back to work after surgery. The goal is for him to gradually get back into the swing of things without tiring himself out too much.

I know it will be good for him to be there and out of the house, but it was nice having him home. Both me and the kids are going to miss him.

This first pic isn't from today, but it is what Scott wore. I think he's trying to get extra sympathy.

I can't figure out how to rotate the other picture, but it's Scott's note that he's ok to go back to work. Go figure, he forgot to bring it so I sent him a picture of it.

My boys

Two of the three "kids" (I now include Scott as another child) are asleep so I'm finally able to catch up on the blog. It's been a crazy few days, but everyone continues to do really well.

We've had some great visitors...

And I even managed to get Acadia and Rylan out for a walk (Acadia dressed herself)...

We got to see Kirk, Krupa and Jaisal too. We didn't get any pictures, but they have a couple on their blog. It was great to see all three of them together and especially great to see Jaisal play and smile.

Here's to a wonderful holiday for everyone!

Firsts

We've had a couple good days on our end. Scott continues to get better, though he's quickly learning he can't do as much as he'd like. A walk to the park yesterday gave him a bit of a setback. Thankfully an extra dose of pain medication fixed it.

He's enjoying things as if it is the first time...like eating simple foods and seeing the kids. Here's some pics of Scott enjoying both. This whole experience has definitely made us step back and appreciate the little things.

Thankful

I wanted to take a moment to say thank you to everyone for your thoughts, prayers and words of encouragement - without them our strength and speedy recovery wouldn't have been possible. While it's not possible to individually thank each one of you - please know we sincerely appreciate having you in our corner through this.

It's hard to put into words how this experience has changed me - the only word that comes to mind is thankful. Thankful for my family, friends and co-workers. Thankful for strangers who have lent their support/help. Thankful for the simple things like health, a child's hug/smile or your wife holding your hand.

All of our lives are so busy and packed, but take a moment and enjoy the simple things in your life that at the end of the day give us the greatest joy/happiness.

Please continue to send your thoughts are prayers to our godson - he's a tough kid with some heavy lifting ahead.

It's about 8pm and ready to head to sleep :)

Scott

Progress

Another good day for Scott. He had some visitors and was able to take a real shower (thankfully the shower came first!)

He's working on decreasing his pain medication, which is tough, but even with that he was able to walk around really well. We were able to make it to Water Tower today (his choice, not mine) and even do a little shopping.

Jaisal continues to have breathing issues but his liver is doing well. Please continue to keep this little guy in your thoughts as he needs all the help he can get.

Ups and downs

Scott continues to get better. While he's still in a lot of pain he's pretty mobile and is able to do a lot of things without help. He can't eat much, but other than that he's hanging in there!

Jaisal's having a bit of a rough go though. He's having a hard time breathing and his medications aren't keeping him as relaxed as they would like. We spoke to Kirk a little while ago though and the "good" thing is that the doctors are saying that they can manage that aspect. Hissing liver seems to be doing well too.

Scott's next check up is Friday and hopefully after that we can move to the burbs and settle in one place for a little while. Our kids have been troopers through all of this which has been great!

Checking in

Thanks to everyone for checking in. Scott's doing really well and is currently making laps around the hospital floor. His NG tube (tube from his nose to his stomach) came out this morning and he is able to eat a little bit.

Some have asked how I'm doing and I'm doing well too. I'm making trips back to see the kids during the day which is a nice break. It was hard to leave them last night, especially when Acadia wouldn't let me go, but they're in great hands (my mom is there with them).

And as to why the procedures were in different hospitals, I think it's just because Children's can focus more on Jaisal and has a team devoted just to this. Northwestern is one of the largest transplant hospitals so that was best for Scott (since he can't be treated at Children's).

There's a chance Scott could be discharged later today which seems crazy. We're taking it one step at a time and we'll see how it goes.

Two rock stars

Both Scott and Jaisal are out of surgery and doing well. Scott sat up for awhile and even did a little walking. Now he's going to try and get some rest while he can between all the late night vital checks. I'm so proud of everything he's done.

Jaisal's surgery was about 6 hours which was quicker than we all thought. He's also recuperating and resting. The little man surprised us all and was able to breath on his own after everything too.

Someone is definitely looking down on these guys!

More updates

Scott's still in recovery but doing really well. I was able to go and see him for a few minutes even though visitors aren't usually allowed. I guess he was asking for me for awhile and getting anxious while waiting. Thankfully Kirk was able to go with me because he did a great job of keeping us both together! Hopefully soon Scott will get moved to a room and we'll be out of the waiting area.

As far as Jaisal goes, his liver is officially out and now the fun starts getting Scott's in and making sure it all works properly. Keep sending lots of good vibes and prayers as this is the tough part.

Surgery update

We just met with the surgeon and Scott's surgery went really well. He'll be in recovery for a few hours before we can see him but it looks like all is well.

Moving along

Scott's surgery is just about over and Jaisal is ready and waiting for Scott's liver to get there. Let's hope they don't get stuck in Chicago traffic!

The wheels are in motion

Scott's surgery has started. I'll update as soon as I know anything or have news.

Daddy day

Yesterday we took full advantage of having Scott around with a full on family day.

We started out at the Shedd Aquarium and between Scott and Acadia I don't know who had more fun.

After that it was a round of visits from all the grandparents. The kids had a blast playing and Scott and I enjoyed the extra hands on deck.

Scott enjoyed his last day that he's able to hold the kids (he can't lift anything for 6 weeks). I think after everything that might be the hardest part of all of this.

Thoughts, Prayers and Posititve Energy

Whatever you got, we'll take!

Most of you know, but in case you don't, on Monday, December 12th, Scott is going to be a living donor for our godson Jaisal who needs a liver transplant. We're leaving tomorrow and spending at least the next two weeks in Chicago while we prepare and then recover from all of this.

We didn't start telling anyone until recently, knowing that something could change at any time. Well, we're about as close as we can get and we know we can use any and all support!

I'll be updating the blog while we're away so you can track both Scott's and Jaisal's progress. You can also check on Jaisal by visiting his blog www.jaisalsjourney.blogspot.com

If you could keep us all in your prayers it would be greatly appreciated. We're hoping that this creates a happy and healthy holiday for one special little boy.