Arlo is fourteen months old now, and even though we still like to call him our baby, he’s not a baby anymore, really. He’s skinny legs and arms and walking everywhere and trying desperately to communicate with us. He understands so much, and is trying to tell us things with signs and pointing and animal noises but almost no words.
We were trying not to be worried about his lack of proper words - after all, developmental milestones all have such wide windows of normal. But the ear nose and throat specialist (ENT) we visited last week was worried. He was also worried about Arlo’s sleep apnoea and restless sleep, his darth vader mouth breathing, and his difficulty chewing food. He put a little camera up Arlo’s nose (now that was fun) and looked at his adenoids, and said that if he could take them out tomorrow he would. We were shocked, and really pushed the ENT about whether this was the most conservative treatment he could suggest. He said crankily, ‘I have offered you the most conservative treatment!’, and we later found out that he has a reputation as one of the most conservative ENTs around. It’s pretty clear - Arlo really needs to have his adenoids out, and next Thursday is the big day.
It’s a bit scary, but mostly we are just enormously relieved that something is going to be done to make life a bit easier for our baby toddler. We are also tremendously grateful to Owlie from enough grows who is going to somehow mind Huey plus her own two gorgeous girls so that both bean and I can be there when Arlo wakes up from the general anaesthetic. How lucky are we!
PS Preserved lemons are good with Moroccan food, and they are also great with fish and chicken. We like to chop it up finely and mix it with cous cous to eat with salmon cutlets (baked in the oven). Yum!
PPS The synchronous one sleep day continues - we hardly know ourselves!
Aye. That’s some news. I’m glad, though, that he’ll have both of y’all there when he wakes up. A child in my class had his tonsils out and on the recommendation of my art therapist friend, his parents made him a book - the story of his surgery - that named some of the things he might see at the hospital and gave a brief narrative of what would happen to him (not the surgery part, just the pre and post op stuff). His mom and the hospital staff all felt he handled things very well for a toddler and were pleased with the book idea. Some hospitals here have what’s called a Child Life Specialist - my friend is one - people who are trained to support kids and their families. I think it’s not yet a very popular idea, but the hospitals that have them LOVE them. Do y’all have something like that? I’ll be thinking of y’all Thursday.
I’m glad the lemons are good - I love them.
Comment by starrhillgirl — September 28, 2008 @ 8:21 am
They are called play therapists here. What an interesting job. Hmm… Do I feel a career change coming on?
Comment by baybeasts — September 28, 2008 @ 2:20 pm
Oh, poor Arlo. Not very good 14 month birthday news. I hope the surgery goes well and that he is somewhat relieved. And, that’s nice that you have Owlie to help out.
That salmon/couscous/lemony-goodness recipe sounds yummy.
Comment by Erin — September 29, 2008 @ 6:54 am
ouch! good luck on Thursday.
Comment by Ika — September 29, 2008 @ 8:05 pm
he’ll be in good hands, both during the procedure and especially when he wakes up.
Comment by J-Le — September 29, 2008 @ 8:43 pm
Poor Arlo - now im a bit worried - Toby our 2O month old says very little.. understands everything but we barely get a mum. Hope it goes well for him.
Comment by Tori — September 30, 2008 @ 10:48 am
Hope all went well with the surgery, dear ones…
Thinking of your little man.
Comment by The Muriels — October 3, 2008 @ 7:34 pm