The funny face Challenge....

Cassie LOVES to take pictures, and well... we're not always in the mood to pose, so it has evolved into the funny face contest!

(At least that's what it LOOKS like to me when I upload the photo's from the camera!! HA!)


Jeremy

Cassie

Jordan

Moody Gal, yep... that's me!

Jordan still competing- Cassie being so cute!!

And the winner of the funny face contest is.... PaPa!!

Yep, that's Jeremy's Dad-

He's extremely competitive- so he went all out to win this one!!

(In case you see this, I'm just kidding Gary- You're not extremely competitive... just a sore loser. HA!!! HA!!)

Wild and Crazy Cranium!!

We had a couple of nights of fun filled Cranium! Guys against the Gals!!

You can see Jeremy cracking up, his sketch was pretty funny!

Jeremy knee deep in a Sense-o-sketch! (man I HATE those!! - but they are always FUNNY!)
Jordan doing the "Cameo" - just like charades- NO TALKING!!

Jeremy's mom just LOVES the "Sculpt-a-rades" (HA!!)

I think my father in-law was in trouble for one of his many comments on her performance!! (he's the one behind the lens in this picture!) LOOK OUT!! (HA!)

Gabe just loved playing Cranium- so much EXCITEMENT!


Jeremy's Dad & Sister doing the "Copy Cat"

Ok, above is the "Beg".. there's no picture of the "Borrow" and well...


I used Cassie for the "Steal"

As silly as I look, my talented mother in-law GOT IT!! Girls Team RULES!!

It was really a lot of fun- there really is never a dull moment with Cranium!

Another tooth bites the dust!

Gabe lost another tooth!!

Gabe Loves his Uncle Jordan...

Auntie, Uncle and Gabe

Gabriel, Jordan, and Cassie.

Busy, Busy, Busy! and then some!

I am sorry it has taken me so long to actually sit down in front of this thing for more than a minute. Gabe is back in school and is finally feeling better! I'm been subbing every chance I get, in fact I am working a half day today and can't spend too much time on this or I'll be running late! Jeremy is doing great too, he's all settled into his new branch and starting to get back into his normal rhythm.

We had a visit from Jeremy's family over the holiday break and I have a few pictures to share. We also got some new toys and stuff, and I have plenty of that stuff to share too! With that said... I promise to post more pictures soon!

Here's a quick few of my favorite guys

La-La-La Dooby-Deeeeeeeeeeee!

CHEESE!!!

MY GORGEOUS GUYS!

Little Man having a giggle.

Cracking up at SpongeBob,

sticking out his tongue like Mommy does when she laughs!

With simply the threat of a tickle, I OWN HIM!!

(ha-ha-ha-HA! ... evil laugh)

Posing for Mommy!


Like I said I'll post more later! Hope everyone is doing well!
XOXO!!

Long time no Blog...

Wow, it has been a journey lately!! I will fill you in on the details this weekend when I have time to sit down and actually spend some time updating everything- for now here's a cute picture of Gabriel....

Something really great I happened upon...

This is a vocabulary quiz site that donates 10 grains of rice for every correct answer... Check it out!!

I am addicted, I love working on vocabulary- I know I'm a dork but.. the more words you know, the more ways you have to describe and understand the world around you!! Plus it's a game!! I love it and they are combating world hunger!! Win-Win!! I hope you all enjoy it! Play a few questions everyday- better the world and better YOURSELF!!

We're home-

There's still a lot of work to be done- he's going to be in outpatient rehab several times per week we also have a bunch of follow-up doctor's appointments- I'll fill you in on the details more towards the weekend, right now we're just trying to get settled back in and get into a new routine with all the exercises, stretches, postures, and new goals. We are also still working on healing and getting back his strength!! Talk to you with more details this weekend - PROMISE!

Changed rooms, udated information...

10/26/2007
Hello All!!
If you wrote down the information before... check it out again- Gabe's room changed. We're doing really well, Gabe spent an hour today in a mobile stander and is really excited about starting to get up in the walker/gait-trainer and maybe even into the pool!! We went #2 on the potty for the first time since surgery today and we got to take a shower in his new room!! YEAH!! Very exciting stuff!
I'll try to update again soon!!
Love ya!! xoxo!-Kari


10/28/2007
Gabe is doing really well in therapy and is tolerating his new surroundings like a champ. He got up into the Gait-trainer, and while it is very slow going he is able to move it on his own! They are changing around his goals and we may get out sooner than expected. I'll keep you up to date- as soon as I learn anything new.

10/31/2007
Gabe had a great day today- he really liked all the weird stuff they had going on at the hospital today due to Halloween- he didn't want anything to do with the party however. After a long day of therapies- I walked him over there just to see what all they were giving away and Gabe said 'NO" as we walked up. The music was a little loud and all the "spooky" stuff wasn't exactly winning him over. But he really did like seeing the way they had the hospital all decorated and seeing some of the staff in silly costumes.

They are talking about a week from Friday as Gabe's discharge date. So we'll be getting out sooner than expected! I'll update again when I know for sure.

11/5/2007
Doing well, He won't be getting into the pool- they are doing their yearly maintenance this week- so it's drained and stripped. We're going to talk to them this week about what goals are left for Gabe as we approach his discharge this Friday- We're trying to figure out what else they want him to accomplish this week. His team meeting is today so we'll get more information later today or tomorrow.

11/6/2007
Well, they came after team meeting and said they'll let Gabe go home on Wednesday!! We're really excited!! I'll write more after we get home!

Day two and getting things rolling...

We had evaluations all day today. He's doing really well and is raring to go!! Gabe did some weight bearing for the first time since surgery and tolerated it really well. He still has a long way to go to get all of his stregnth back and could deffinately use to put on a few pounds... but that's why we're here!
Keep us in your thoughts!

Getting settled in...

We are getting settled into Gabriel's room this evening and all is going well. I will know a lot more about what his program will be tomorrow after all the evaluations. We are most likely looking at 3 1/2 to 4 weeks. They are very happy with how he is healing and excited to get him going in therapy!

CHOP (Children's Hospital of Philadelphia)
34th Street & Civic Center BLVD
3 West Room 310-1
Philadelphia, PA 19104

The phones are on from 7am until 9pm
His room phone number is 215-590-0310
It's probably best though to call my cell, that way if we're at therapy or otherwise unavailable you can leave a voicemail. You can always call the home voicemail also. Jeremy will most likely be home evenings during the week and I will be home weekends- but we will check the messages frequently.

Keep us in your thoughts- he's got a lot of work ahead of him!!

xoxo!-kda

at home until the 23rd

Gabe is doing great - the doctor said he couldn't have asked for it to look any better in the x-ray. The pins/screws are all placed perfectly, and the bone is beginning to grow/fuse very well.
We decided however due to the pain that Gabriel is still experiencing we are going to wait until the 23rd to start Physical Therapy. The most important thing is that he has a successful run of therapy and with him still experiencing some pain- he most likely won't respond to therapy in the beginning and may not be able to participate all together for up to a week and a half... at which time they would send him home to finish getting his strength and wait for the pain to subside a bit. We decided it would be smarter to just take him home and let him have the additional time to heal and for the pain to fade. That way we won't have the possibility of being sent home or him not getting the full benefit of his Physical Therapy.
Anyway, I'll post more updates later. Just wanted to post a quick one with the information about if he was being admitted today or not and it is NOT.
Love you!!

Tomorrow is the big day

Things are going well- tomorrow is Gabe's second follow up and if all goes well- he will end up being admitted to inpatient rehab after our appointment. We'll be there for about 4 weeks is what they think. I'll post an update after the appointment- probably late afternoon.
Love ya!

Some hanging at home pic's

He's got his smile back!!

Check out my HUGE pillow!!

Yeah MOM- I KNOW, I KNOW... I AM SO CUTE!!

Another picture of my HUGE pillow!

He's such a good boy and puts up with my annoying picture taking like a champ!

Just in case you were wondering- YES! he does still have legs under all that stuff!!

Good News from Doc-

Dr. Flynn says Gabriel is healing very well, the wounds look good and so do the bone positions-etc. Now we go back on October 9th for another x-ray to see if the bone is fused/grown in completely. If it is he'll be admitted to inpatient rehab that day (for four weeks) if not- then they will send him home for two weeks to let the bone completely finish growing/fusing- then come back for inpatient rehab.
Gabe is still in some discomfort and I think very tired of not being able to get into his walker. I know he definitely is being a trooper about not being able to go anywhere. (we have not received clearance to travel yet) So- we've been apartment bound for quite a while. I'll update again closer to the weekend and let you know how everything else is going- we've gotten a lot of good news lately and just had a visit from family so I have some stuff to share- but I need to get back to Gabriel for now.
Miss & Love you ALL!!

Gearing up for Friday

Well, Gabe is doing well. (HA!) He's off the Oxicodone now and is just on Muscle relaxers and Tylenol. He's such a trooper. I still haven't tried to move him on my own yet. Jeremy comes home for lunch to help me get Gabe out of bed and into his wheelchair. He's still up about 2-3 times a night crying but I think now it's more about forgetting that he's hurt and he tries to move and hurts himself. He does still get a muscle spasm here and there but they are getting to be rare. Friday is our follow up and I hope to find out what comes next and when we'll be going in for intensive rehab. Anyway just wanted to check in. He's actually doing really well- laughing and singing, counting along with Sesame street again and getting back to our sweet little man!
Thanks for all your cards, well wishes, and prayers!!
Kari

Doing well!

Sorry I haven't posted since last week! Gabe is doing much better and is sleeping less so it keeps me more busy. He's still up in the night quite a bit, but not sleeping as much during the day. He's got his appetite back as well as his sense of humor! We'll know more Friday about what his recovery is going to look like up until we go to inpatient rehab. Anyway, just wanted to drop a quick update.
Love & Miss you all!!
Kari

getting his rest and working on recovery

Gabe is doing well, he is watching a lot of cartoons, playing and snuggling with mommy- and being an all around adorable little man. We have our follow-up appointment at the Ortho clinic on September 28th down at CHOP. We'll have more information for everyone then.
Love you- until tomorrow!!
Kari

Good Morning

The evening went pretty well, Gabe is getting better and better each day- I'm sure this is too much information for most, but if grandparents read these they always like this kind of info... Gabe finally pooped last night! LOL With fasting for surgery, then anesthesia, then being on all these narcotics... It wasn't looking good for a while there- but he did it!! Enough about THAT!

Gabe is now tolerating laying on his side which makes it much easier on him and on me. I am able to do more of the changing, cleaning, etc by myself that way- it also takes the pressure off of his little back and butt!

Anyway, I need to get back in there- I just took a break to go potty and decided to post an update.

Thank you to those who check in with our blog!!

As time is going by and we get Gabe home, the worry is LESS the work is MORE. Thank you so much to those of you who have checked with the blog for updates and especially for those of you who occasionally leave us comments of encouragement and well wishes.
Now that Gabe is home- I will continue to update on his progress at least daily, and will also add posts when something important or interesting comes up. This blog has become an invaluable tool for me since I can communicate with everyone with one message. I can't imagine what I would do if I had to contact each person individually- well, I'd be on the phone all day and unable to take care of Gabe!!
So it is with the most sincere thanks that I leave this post.
I'll try to post an update about Gabe as soon as I get him settled in after dinner. If not, I'll post sometime in the morning tomorrow.
Love ya!
Kari

such violence from muppets I never did see...

Gabe (a little drugged up on pain medicine) has decided Bert deserves a butt whoppin' ala Ernie!

This was the first time Gabe expressed any interest in playing since his surgery- we were so excited to see him being silly- and I think it's hilarious how the medicine seems to have brought out a bit of a violent streak! : ) I appologize for laughing so much in the video- I couldn't help it, it was the perfect combination for me- it was so funny and I was so happy to see him having fun.

Enjoy!!

Happy to be home...

Here's a couple of quick pictures of our little guy shortly after getting HOME!!

He's loving getting the recliner all to himself!

His eye is really looking good now too!

I love this silly boy face! Sticking out his tounge when he giggles- just like his Mom!

More CHOP pictures...

Gabe's room (Gabe is sleeping)

ok, here's the other direction, this was a very big and comfortable room.

He had his own TV and playstation

The floor he was on was decorated with colors and shapes

and tons of thank you "cards" from other patients


They had all kinds of ammenities:

Laundry room

Living room

Toy "parking lot"

Play room for smaller ones

Play room for bigger ones:

I'll post more later- I need to get some rest, I am so tired. Anyway, I'll leave you with one of the first smiles we saw...

He's just so cute!!

Pictures from CHOP

Here's some pictures from our stay at CHOP

Gabe getting a puppet show from Daddy...

In case you were wondering: abductor pillow and multi-podus boots

Daddy keeping an eye on his little guy...

Discharged and headed to the top of Paperwork Mountian!!

Well, the process has started- we'll be doing final medications, discharge instructions, transportation paperwork, etc.- the next time I post....WE WILL BE AT HOME!!!
Until then- Kari

Going home today!!

As I write that I hope I haven't jinxed us (sad that I sometimes believe in that kind of stuff!) But, with that said..it looks like we'll get discharged sometime today. When the Ortho guys did rounds this morning they were very happy with how everything looked. Gabe is getting much better about letting people look at all his wounds and the only time he even fussed or cried is when they removed the tape- which I am sure had to hurt.
I will post more info as I get it- and I have some really cute video and pictures to post of our stay when we get home. Thanks for all your well wishes and prayers- again I can not express how much they truly meant to us.
xoxo!
Kari

tonight or tomorrow...

He's doing really well- he's handling transitions much better. It still hurts of course- he had major surgery, but he is handling it very well and is really beginning to understand that it will hurt a bit during the move but it will be all better when we're done.
The medicine is completely under control now. He's on a good rotation, one that allows him some lucid time as well as plenty of rest. We are going to talk to his Physical Rehab doctor however about increasing his muscle relaxer as the spasms have returned but not with nearly the frequency or severity.
So, it really depends on how busy the Ortho team is with surgeries. They may release him tonight, or sometime early tomorrow.
I'll post another update later if I find out anything new- If they are releasing us tonight, I'll just update after we get home and settled in.
Love, Kari

bit by bit...

Doing good- transitions are still a little rough (bed to chair, changing the dressings, rolling over, etc) but as long as we time them with when the medicine is really working they are manageable. He's doing good over all- now we just need to incorporate the routine stuff like really eating good, going to the bathroom (between the epidural and anesthesia- well, enough of that talk- I'm sure for most of you that is TMI... (too much information) :)
Anyway, as I was saying- it's time to incorporate back in the normal daily things with all the regular med's and pain med's then they might actually let us leave this joint some day!!
Thanks for all your messages and well wishes- it does really mean a lot to us & really goes a long way to brighten our days in this place. (while very lovely and kid friendly-it is not home)
Until tomorrow!
Our Love- Jeremy, Kari & Gabe :)

Doing good...

Gabe is doing pretty good- he is as a matter of fact ASLEEP in his chair!
We were all over the place earlier and tired him out. He really likes exploring all the cool stuff they have for kids to look at and do in the hospital. We went down and explored most of it our first time out. We also went to the gift shop and got an Elmo balloon and he also picked out Bert & Ernie puppets. He's going to get a puppet show from Daddy when he wakes up.
It seems like we have the pain under control for right now- we just have to wait and see how he tolerates transitions and eventually small tasks.
All in All things are going well- I'll try to post one more time tonight, but if not- I'll be sure to post an update tomorrow after rounds.
Love ya!
Kari

Up and at 'em

Well, he had his "bath" and we got him into a reclining wheelchair and out and about. He is still a little out of it but he has re-discovered his love for mashed potatoes and is all about taking rides in the wheelchair. At this point I am pretty sure he wants to sleep in it so he can go immediately upon waking up! We're getting the pain meds figured out and all seems to be well- keep us in your thoughts and prayers! I'll update again later tonight- I have to go now it's time for dinner.
xoxo!! Kari

doing good! Looks like maybe Monday

He's doing good on the new pain medicines, he ate a bit and is now sleeping again. I have a feeling the combination of drugs is going to keep him pretty sleepy. I'm going to give him a little bath this afternoon and get him in a wheelchair for a little walk. It's looking like Monday he'll get to go home. Dr. Flynn isn't back until Monday and I don't think the Ortho Dr. who is covering his service this weekend wants to make the decision about Gabe's discharge. It's fine with me, I like the idea of having some time at the hospital on the new medicines- just in case Gabe has any weird side effects. But- as I said so far so good- He's just sleeping. I'll update again after his little bath and excursion.
xoxo!Kari

Bye Bye Epidural!!

So far so good- the epidural is gone (for about an hour now) but it takes a while to wear off so the next hour or so will be the real test if the oral medicines are going to be enough to keep him comfortable. He's still on Valium- they added Tylenol & Oxicodone- so he should be loopy and in no pain. We just need to make sure he can handle the medicine without getting sick, or having trouble breathing. (which so far he is doing just fine)
I will check back in later- I want to be with him in case the pain comes back- just wanted to let you all know the epidural is out- which is one of the first steps toward going home!
xoxo! Keep him in your thoughts as he transitions over the next day or two, we hope it will go smoothly!
Kari

pain in the butt- or in the hips rather...

Well, I will start by saying things are still going well- however, Gabe is having some pain issues, he was doing so well they were skipping a lot of the "as needed" medicines. He was sleeping like a baby (a good one that sleeps a lot :) Anyway, he woke up and the pain started and took quite a while to get all medicines on board to give him some relief. He's doing much better now, honestly he's completely drugged up and out of it- which is probably the best. Who wants to be awake figuring out if it hurts?? Not me and definitely not Gabe. Other than the pain management stuff today has gone by quickly and quietly- wait... it's only 4pm. Today I guess has not went by too quickly :) (Ortho came in at 6am to change bandages- so that's why it seems later I guess.) Anyway, I want to get back in there with little guy- I like to watch him sleep and make sure they haven't drugged him up TOO much :) It's a mommy thing- (except that I keep catching Daddy doing it too!)
Keep up the good work- the thoughts and prayers definitely help!!
-Kari

Epidural comes out tomorrow

The "Pain Team" was just by to see Gabe and has decided to wait until tomorrow to start to ween down and remove his epidural. That means most likely he will not be going home tomorrow- probably Sunday at the earliest. He is fairing well. Mostly sleeping right now, which is good- lets his body work on healing. He asked for breakfast so I better get back- I want to be there when the food gets there so he can eat right away. I'll update again later.
Kari

dreesing change went well

The Ortho team came in and changed Gabe's surgical dressings around 6am. He was a really good boy and everything looks really good. He's still on a lot of pain medication (and still has the epidural) but they seem to be working pretty well right now- not too many "boo-boo" complaints. The muscle spasm part is pretty much over, he may get some later on here and there but the typical "post-op spasm window" has basically passed.
I'm getting him some breakfast right now and just thought I'd let you know how things are going. Keep little guy up there in your thoughts & prayers, there's still a long road until it's time to go home.
Love, Kari

Doing well...

Gabe is doing pretty well- he's sleeping and has been drinking and eating "light and easy" foods- we will probably start "real" foods tomorrow. His spirits are picking up- he's starting to ask for things (eat, drink, and Sponge Bob...HA!) We are pretty encouraged by the fact that I caught him singing the "ohhhhhhh" in the Sponge Bob theme song just before I came out here to post! He's getting his personality back- and as sweet and adorable he is, that is a really good thing!! It would be a different story if it was my personality (Kari) HA!!!
Thanks for your thoughts and prayers, and messages- ALL OF IT- is appreciated more than any of you could know- Kari & Jeremy

gradually getting better...sleep helps!

We are moving in the right direction that's for sure. He has been napping on and off all day. Has had two pretty long and restful naps- very good for him! I gave him a little "in the bed bath" and we changed all his bedding. He has just started eating again. 4oz apple sauce around an hour ago as well as a half a bottle of apple juice. We just ordered him dinner and when he wakes up he'll get to work on that. They'll be changing the dressings tomorrow when Ortho does rounds- so we'll learn more then. As for now he is sleeping soundly and so is his Dad! I just wanted to post a quick update. This are going well here, just keeping a close eye on him for infection, etc.. and so far so good!! I'll post again tomorrow after we hear from Ortho. Good night!!
xoxo! Kari

Finally REALLY sleeping

Just checking in really quick- Gabe is finally REALLY sleeping. For just about an hour now with no interruptions. The first time he fell asleep- no lie: phlebotomy came in to stick him for blood work!! Then he fell asleep and they came in to check his wounds etc!!! Well he's been asleep for a while now with no real interruptions. He still wines and whimpers some while he's asleep and cries at the slightest noise over the intercom or as the helicopter lands directly in our room (slight exaggeration, but life flight goes right out side his window before it lands!!)
Anyway- just wanted to update everyone really quick while we had a second- keep up the good work...(the thoughts and prayers seem to be working! :)
xoxo! Kari & Jeremy

morning...

Well, he finally got some real sleep (at least I think he did, because I fell asleep for almost an hour) He has kept down about an ounce of juice and this mornings Valium- so hopefully the muscle spasms will subside as the morning progresses.
He seems to be doing better, he's very interested in the fact that he has a catheter now- and his biggest suggestion is "off"
As far as things go, we seem to be coming around the corner of the worst of it, just hoping we can get him eating and drinking more, hopefully soon- I know that's the first step to getting rid of that horrible nauseous feeling. I will check my email a few times during the day if you need to reach us otherwise, cell is still best- or you can email/text me on my cell phone at:
kari.anderson@vtext.com or Jeremy on his at anderson.jeremy@vtext.com
Please only use this with small messages- it sends it as a text to our phones (thanks)
Thanks again for all the positive thoughts and prayers; Gabe can really use them- and we are truly grateful for each and every one.
Love,
Kari & Jeremy

Rough Night...

Just taking a quick break for linens and thought I would post. 1:23 am and just got him to sleep. He isn't sleeping more than a minute or two at a time- muscle spasms are a real problem the first night they say. I just feel so bad for him because he can't keep his pain med's down, he keeps throwing them up before they really have time to start working- especially the one that should help with the muscle spasms!! Hopefully that won't be a problem as we get him to keep some liquids down... Keep us in your thoughts and prayers- our poor little guy can really use them during the recovery process- xoxo, Kari

Computer access

I have computer access right across from Gabriel's room- so I will be able to continue to post updates- Just wanted to let you know. I will check email periodically also. Thanks again for your continued positive thoughts and prayers!! xoxo-Kari

Out of recovery and in his own room...

Gabriel is out of recovery and in his own room now. He is in 4S05 (4south room 05)
He is doing well. He is pretty out of it and deffinately will benifit from some sleep and rest. As I said before the surgery went well. The doctor is very happy with how the hip looks and with all the muscle lengthening and the releases he is at a very small angle. (which is amazingly good!)
He has an epidural for pain and is on a couple other pain med's so don't worry about pain- they have it under control. He needs his rest, especially today and tomorrow. They will start to ween him off the epidural and onto different pain meds as the days go by- we will be here at least 2 days- we could be here as many as 5 days- we'll see how things go. For now we just have to watch for infection or other problems but everything looks really good right now.
I need to get back to his room- I just wanted to post this final update for today. If you want to contact us- cell's are best. Eventually you can call the room (he has a private room) but right now he needs the quiet to rest.
Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers- please continue to keep us in them as we make it through these days of recovery... THANKS!
That's all for today!
Kari

Hour Five and we've hit the finish line!!

The nurse came out for our update and said they are closing as we speak!!
Now they just have to clean him up and wake him up- the doctor should be coming out to give us the low down soon- The nurse said he did just great!
I'll try to post again with the doctors comments but it's going to speed up a bit from here so I may not post until after Gabe is in recovery and awake.
We're almost there!!

HOUR FOUR...We're in the home stretch!!

Our update this hour was very good- they just started the final part of the surgery and should be finishing up shortly. Everything is going as expected and there very happy with the progress. Gabe is tolerating both the procedure and the anesthesia well. The doctor will be out to talk to us once they are finished and we may post another update at that time- if not it won't be until Gabe is up and in recovery- then we will try to post again.
We just wanted to take a minute to let you all know he is doing well!! Thanks again for your thoughts and prayers!!
Kari & Jeremy

3 hours down and Looking Good!

The "update" nurse came by and said she spoke with Dr. Flynn and all is going well- and so far according to schedule- He is tolerating anesthesia well (blood pressure, heart rate, etc... all good!!)
Keep the thoughts and prayers coming and we'll update again later-
Kari & Jeremy

2 hours and all's well

The "update" nurse says he's tolerating everything well and that the doctors say everything is going according to plan at this time. (so far.. so good!)
We'll check in again-next time we hear anything.

Procedure start time: 9:08AM

So they took him back there at 8am, then all the getting him to sleep and prepped takes a little while. The actual surgery began at 9:08am, so look for more information between 1 & 2 pm. Love you all and thanks for keeping our little guy in your thoughts and prayers.

They took him back at 8am

They took him back to the OR at 8am. The surgery lasts between 4 and 5 hours, We'll post updates if we get any but we're looking at afternoon before he'll be done. Keep our little guy in your thoughts and prayers- Kari & Jeremy
This is our surgeon:
http://www.chop.edu/consumer/pat_care_fam_serv/staff_profile_page.jsp?id=20702&lid=27754&idlist=null

Surgery on Sept 12, 2007

Gabe's surgery details:
Our arrival time is 6 am which means Gabe will most likely be in surgery around 7:30am. We will try to post periodic updates - the surgery is supposed to take around 4 hours, so we will definitely be posting updates as soon as he is out of surgery and in recovery. If you need to get a hold of us for some reason cell phone is best, we will check our voicemails periodically also. Thanks for your warm thoughts and prayers- they are great appreciated!!

Quick Update

Just a quick update-
Gabe's surgery went really well! He's doing great. The eye doctor said everything went perfectly. It's a little scary looking (all the blood-shot-ness... but his eyes are already working together!) It will be about two weeks for all the redness to be gone- but the doctor says it will be completely healed within a week. Gabe is being a real trooper- especially since we are watching him like hawks and not letting him rub his eyes!!
FYI- Gabe had Strabismus surgery to correct his esotropia of the left eye:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esotropia
Be careful if you're squeamish... this link explains the eye surgery
(there are pictures)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strabismus_surgery

The Gastro-Doc also said everything looked great! While they had him under for the eye surgery the doctor did an endoscopy with biopsies. He said everything looked good- no inflammation or any physical indication of distress. We'll get the biopsy results on Monday- I'll post an update. Just in case you were wondering...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endoscopy