Dr. Smith the Surgeon

On Friday, we went to visit a pediatric surgeon to have Gabe evaluated & discuss if and when we wanted to have surgery. Dr. Smith was very nice & very knowledgeable. After a fairly quick examination, he diagnosed Gabe with a communicating hydrocele. This means that Gabe still has a tube that normally closes & shrivels up before birth. This tube is causing fluid from the abdominal cavity to enter his testicle and has caused the enlargement. The fluid cannot get back out, & the tube will not close on its own. So, surgery seems to be the only recourse. Waiting too long could result in a major hernia or cause further enlargement. David & I decided the sooner the better, so surgery is scheduled for 2:30 pm on Thursday the 16th (this week!). He will be checked into the hospital at 12:30 & the surgery should last around an hour or so. He cannot nurse after 7:30 am & can have water/pedialite until 10:30. I'm sure Gabe will not be very happy about this so we will probably arrive with one grouchy baby!!!

Otherwise, Gabe seems to be doing very well. He weighed 13 lbs at the doctor's office & has started to wear 3-6 month clothes. They are still a little big on him, but I'm sure he will be growing into them very quickly!! He continues to smile and talk quite a bit. He loves to just hang out on his changing table & talk away at me. He has been rolling over for several weeks now. It seems to be hit or miss depending on where he puts his arms & how much patience he has. He has finally started to hold onto things besides fingers & hair. He will now shake a rattle or the plastic baby keys for an extended period of time. He also has a little temper & is not afraid to let you know (with loud, high pitched screams) when he is not happy about something.

David has been doing very well with him during the day. They spend a lot of time hanging out on the couch talking or playing & enjoy napping together. :) I can't really ask for more when Gabe is dressed, fed, changed and entertained every day. Most days I even get dinner out of the deal!! Gabe definitely loves his Daddy, & it is nice that someone else can also calm him down fairly easily when he cries. I'm very glad that we do not have to take Gabe to a sitter all day.

I came home one day to David snoring while Gabe watched TV.

Gabe playing on the kitchen floor while I washed dishes & picked up.