Bath Day = Busy Day!

We started off the day a little behind schedule. The boys' cousins Bryleigh and Tyler slept over last night so we did something we NEVER get to do by ourselves...we went out and got doughnuts for breakfast! YUMMY! I had to wake Lucas up at 9:00 to put him in the car so we could go get them, but he was in a very good mood especially for being woken up and taken right out! If only he'd eat the doughnuts. Hopefully soon.

After everyone finished eating, it was bath time! After bathing Joshua and Bryleigh, it was Lucas' turn. We got our new bath chair in a couple weeks ago, but it's so big that he and Joshua can't really take a bath together anymore. Also, the tub has to be almost completely filled with water, which is very scary. We have to be very careful not to get any water around his neck or the opening of the trach because it will go directly into his lungs and we'll be back in the hospital again. He really loves bath time, but until we got the chair, he was pretty much in and out because he thinks it's funny to slide into the water. He really enjoys the water and I can not wait for him to be able to play in the tub and go swimming without getting so stressed out!

Think that's the end of bath time? Think again. By the end of the bath, he's usually ready to be suctioned again from moving around so much. Then we have to clean the trach and his g tube. I have to use sterile q-tips (which are a pain in the rear to find), sterile water and dial antimicrobial soap (also pain in the rear to find--thank God the hospital gave me a full bottle or I'd be up a creek). Some people only change trachs once a month, but we have to change Lucas' out one to two times a week. He produces a lot more secretions than the average trach patient. We never figured out why, but it was so bad in the beginning, we'd have to suction him 10 times a day some days. So if the trach needs-a-changing, sometimes we'll do this now also, if not, we have to change the ties that hold the trach in. He's been drooling so much lately, he's got a constant rash on the skin around the trach hole so we have to use some prescription cream to soothe the skin--you can't just use anything around there. Bath time for Lucas usually takes around 30-45 minutes on a good day. If he's fussing or squirming a lot, almost an hour. Usually by the time we're finished with a bath, it's almost time to get lunch together. Then before you know it, it's after 1:00 and time for a nap.

Nap time is my "me time". This is when I get to clean the house, pick up dishes, take my bath, cut the grass and occasionally take a break. It works out good when they take naps at the same time, but when this doesn't happen, things just don't get done. You have to just not stress over it, because there's probably been a handful of days out of the year when I actually got to accomplish everything I need to. Oh well, I'd rather spend the time playing with my babies anyway! Speaking of, nap time is almost up and there's still dishes in the sink! ;)

My cool new bath chair