Annual Family Picture Adventures.

This year we decided to use the self timer on our camera for our annual family picture. We decided this because every time we had someone over that could take the picture, 1 or more of us was already in our pj's, or had made their Sunday clothes really dirty, or had fallen asleep, or it was much too busy. (This time I did have my pj pants on, but changed back to my skirt for the picture, haha) 

Setting up the camera...

Had to get it juuuust right... 

Still not perfect... can you tell we were getting impatient? haha

Everyone smile... uhhh Lydia, that is the wrong expression, we said smile! haha! 

Oops, forgot to set the self timer... 

Aha! That's better! Except for Ryan, he didn't want to smile anymore... And Lydia's soother, sigh... These are the days... 

Ian's 3rd Surgery

Ian is scheduled to have his 3rd surgery tomorrow. It is to put his intestines back together so he can poop in his diaper again (no more ostomy bag!)

 We hope and pray the surgery is successful, and his recovery is short so he can come home asap. At this time he has been admitted to the hospital and he is fairly upset, he doesn't want to drink anything for the nurses (they got him to drink 10 mls, but that's it) Matthew is there now and going to try get him to eat. Ian won't get dehydrated because they have him hooked up to tpn (IV nutrition) but he will be much happier and have a much better night if he eats and fills his tummy. 

Love this little boy so much! and MISS HIM LIKE CRAZY!  

Ian at the hospital. Checking out his new mobile Mommy bought for him - he seems to like it.

Diapers please!

Oh, I'm SO ready to be done with ostomy bags, syringes to empty the poop out, letting air/gas out... I'm thankful there is such an appliance, but diapers are OH SO much easier. (don't really save much money on diapers either, cuz he still pee's)
 Here are a few pictures of the process it takes to change the Ostomy bag... It is changed as often as 2 hrs, but I've had it stay on as long as 72 hrs once. I normally change it every 24-36 hrs. It takes me anywhere from 15 - 40 mins to change. It pops off whenever, wherever, so you can't really schedule in ostomy bag changes- they just happen. Sometimes that means at 4am it's ostomy bag changing time, sometimes that means you may have to change it while you are out...(haven't had to yet). To my friend that has had 2 babies with ostomy bags (one still has it) You are amazing!! I'm so happy the plan is for Ian to only have it for a little while, much shorter than your babies have had/have them. These thing are not easy!

The set up - (this was at 4am) The following pictures were taken at a different time - I forgot to take pictures after I took this one haha! 

This one wasn't so messy. I've had them pop and the poop go right into his sleeve. eewww.  Notice his arms are wrapped up tightly - he gets to suck on a soother too, but he still kicks and cries.

See it's coming off .

With a bunch of soaking with a sponge tipped applicator to take off  so it doesn't rip the skin. (was given a bunch of the sponge tipped applicators from the hospital. ) Then clean the skin really well so the paste and wafer will stick.

The paste - has to be put on clean skin - and it has to be applied smoothly and can't have any clumpy spots. Not so easy when Ian kicks his leg and it sticks to the paste, then I have to smooth it all over again :-P

The wafer. I warm it with a warm magic bag (sticks better when nice and warm)- Normally it's round but because Ian is so small it has to be cut to fit his little body. The little hole is for the stoma (intestine) - I use a hole puncher to make the hole. Much easier than trying to cut it with scissors.

Applied. Now hopefully it stays. The white oval ring on the bag  is sticky and sticks onto the wafer. You can't see it very well but on the far left of this picture at the bottom of the ostomy bag is a little cap, that is where I empty the poop with a syringe the times the bag hasn't popped off yet, but the bag has poop in it. 

Now after applying everything, I put a warm magic bag on him and the bag/wafer - don't pee! lol (He REALLY likes this part.)

Done. Now it's time to put a diaper on him, dress him, clean up and find out what little Lydia has been up to... she has figured out that unless it's a real emergency, Mommy doesn't come and check on her....