Before & After

Clark's surgery went well.  We were in at 7am and on our way home around 9:30.  Very quick business and seemingly, a success.  As you can see in the pictures, he had 2 extractions.  They also placed caps on the two remaining front teeth on the top.  The teeth there were weak, but weren't abscessed or as degraded as the two they removed.  His doctor also put sealants on his back molars on the top to protect them from decay.  All of his bottom teeth looked great.

Clark slept most of the day and has been eating his soft diet well.  But he won't be able to drink from a bottle (his milk concoction) for several days.  Please pray that we don't lose ground with his weight gain.  Again--thank you all so much for the prayers.  Everything went smoothly today and we know it was because God was with us.  <3

Baby, you're a firework.

Clark's 2nd birthday & cowboy themed party, was a success.  We all had a blast and ended our night by shooting fireworks.  The cake was done by Viola's Custom Cakes in Killeen, Texas.  It was perfect and delicious!

 

By the time some of you read this, we will be in Austin for Clark's surgery.  I'd like to request your prayers and ask you to send good thoughts Clark's way for a successful surgery.  

The teeth

Clark is scheduled for surgery on January 18th, the day after his 2nd birthday.  Last year, on his birthday, he had surgery to remove the body cast.  I was hoping that this year we could turn a new leaf, one with no surgeries and fewer medical issues.  One can dream, right?

The reason for the surgery is extraction of the two teeth you see above.  They have no enamel and have abscessed.  Clark has just come off a round of antibiotics to treat the abscess, but the infection is still there.  He will likely have to have another round.

We love Clark's dentist.  I searched hard for a great one.  Yes, we have to travel about 120 miles round trip to visit him, but it's well worth it.  He's been selected as one of Texas' Super Dentists 5 years in a row and he really is that awesome.

The surgery will be done at Dell Children's Hospital in Austin and hopefully, this 3rd time will be a charm for us at Dell Children's.  So far, we're 0-2 with our visits there.  (The NG tube fail & the ER trip for the abscessed teeth.)  Not that our experiences were necessarily negative, they just weren't successful.  This time, we really can't afford for it NOT to be a success.

He will be put under general anesthesia, which is a big deal.  Especially when you only weigh 20 lbs.  (Remember when I was saying this back when he only weighed 4 lbs!?)  I am reassuring myself by saying "At least he weighs 20 lbs!".  But, I take comfort in (1) God and (2) This is a children's hospital with nurses and anesthesiologists who are accustomed to working with children.  All of that said, of course, I'm still nervous.

In other news:  Clark is 20lbs 12oz!!!  This is HUGE.  Huge-er than huge.  It's a really big deal.  The P&P (prayers & pediasure) are working!  The "pediasure" is actually now a 337.5 calorie middle-of-the-night cocktail of Peptamen Jr 1.5, Peptamen Jr w/ fiber and Duocal, but either way---it's working!  At this rate, we might see 18-24m clothes sometime this summer.

As always, we appreciate every prayer you send up on Clark's behalf.  He wouldn't be here without them.

Tooth stuff

A few weeks ago, Clark had a lip infection.  His lip was swollen to about 4x it's normal size and he was treated with antibiotics, which made it go back down...but not all the way back to normal.  This week, we noticed the lip was swelling again and then the night before last we noticed a lump above his right front tooth on his gums.  The lump kept getting bigger and bigger until eventually you couldn't see 2 of his teeth.

Yesterday, we took him to see his pediatrician about it, who was very worried after she examined him.  She wanted to admit us immediately, but said that she thought it would be a good plan to either see his dentist right away or go to the ER at children's hospital.  We opted for the ER. 

That ended up being a bad idea because here we were, for 3 hours, surrounded by people who know virtually *nothing* about the mouth.  Going to the dentist first would have been the better idea.  Luckily, the ER called Clark's dentist, who said come over right away.

The dentist explained that what was happening was the body's way of rejecting the teeth (these are the two that do not have enamel, due to the high level of antibiotics he was given at birth in the NICU).  SO, he prescribed antibiotics and scheduled Clark for surgery next month (the day after his birthday) to remove the two infected teeth.

Please pray that this infection (which was diagnosed as an abscess) goes away quickly and for a safe and uneventful surgery for Clark.  We've known that these two teeth were going to be a problem ever since they grew in, since they didn't have enamel.  His dentist was hoping that the solution would be as simple as a cap, but unfortunately, that's not the way it turned out. 

Thankfully, so far though, Clark has had no signs of infection other than the lump in his mouth and has been eating normally.  Well, normally for Clark.  Although, he has gained a few oz.  He's just shy of 20 lbs.  He'll be 2 in a few weeks and wears 12 month clothes, which are quite loose in the waist.  He's a very skinny little guy.  Prayers for weight gain are very much appreciated, also.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Quick Clark Stats:

 20 lbs 3 oz

31.5" tall

World Prematurity Day

but those who hope in the LORD
   will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
   they will run and not grow weary,
   they will walk and not be faint.
 Isaiah 40:31