Sunday, April 10, 2016

10dpo--not what you think!

How funny that I get to use the abbreviation dpo to mean two different things. It used to be "days past ovulation" as the only meaning I know. Now it means "days post op". I guess this means I am in the process of fully accepting that we are done having kids. I really didn't come on here to write about being done with kids, but sometimes that happens. Perhaps at the end I'll get back to Jon being 10dpo.

Tomorrow, or rather today since it's technically Sunday, Lucy is 18 months old. I can't believe that she is this old already. How did I go from being newly pregnant, finding out just after Firefly's would-be induction date, to having a toddler who is running and kissing and playing and hugging and speaking? I just don't understand where all that time went.

I do have to admit that there are times where I am sad that we are done. When I see how much Lucy loves babies and that she won't get to have a little brother or sister is when the sadness is the strongest. Gus never asked for a sibling, and a large part of me hopes that Lucy won't either. But then I think about the time, stress, fear and money involved in just conceiving, much less carrying to term, and I am okay with being done. I know I still have a lot of grieving to do in this area and emotional exploration, but I've been avoiding it and just trying to enjoy having Gus and Lucy both here.

Not sure why, but I guess that needed to get out, because I originally came on here to write about Jon. When he wakes up later today he will be 10 days post op. Again, where did all that time go? I was pretty exhausted in the beginning, and just within the last two days it feels like I don't have to be the primary person in charge of making sure Jon is doing what he's supposed to be doing (breathing exercises, drinking water, taking walks, taking vitamins and med) and eating (3 meals of 4oz each and 3 protein shakes between meals). Now that he's off pain meds I think that has helped me feel like I don't have to pay as close attention as I was immediately after surgery.

Jon is still on a full liquid diet for a few more days. Originally we were told he'd be on full-liquid until April 14, but he has his 2w follow-up on April 12 (12dpo), so they may adjust the date he transitions to the next food stage. Having Jon eat foods different than the rest of us hasn't been that difficult, but I think it's because his diet choices are so limited. He usually has oatmeal, applesauce, pudding, sugar-fee jello, cream soup, yogurt and protein shakes every day. Some days he throws in a sugar-free popsicle! So, because his choices are so few it feels "okay" that he's not eating what we eat. I'm not sure how I'll feel when he starts purees.

When he starts on purees, which he will do for 2 weeks, everything he eats needs to be the consistency of mashed potatoes or thinner. But, he'll get to have "real" food, just blended up. I joked with him during his recovery that I'd look up how to puree a steak and he could have that as his first pureed meal, but I'm pretty sure that's not what he'll choose for his first pureed meal. I'm actually not sure what his first meal will be, so hopefully he'll get some more clarification at his appointment on Tuesday about how he's supposed to transition to purees. Is he fine to jump right in or does he need to add one food at a time to make sure his stomach tolerates the digestion of the harder-to-digest foods (meats and veggies)? I guess we'll find out on Tuesday.

1 comment: