Hydrocele

Elliott had a surgery on February 26th, 2014 to correct a hydrocele (see below). We chose Dr. Burns from Seattle Children's Hospital Bellevue Clinic and were very happy with the care.
Here is Elliott in the waiting room before his surgery:

The recovery was fast. 4 hours after the surgery you would have never known he had been under general anesthesia that morning! He was jumping around, playing with his new train set, laughing, etc. The first hour coming out of anesthesia was rough, which is to be expected. Elliott kept flopping around moaning confusedly and saying he wanted to go home. He became unreasonably distressed when his Otter Pop kept getting smaller (as he ate it). He cried, "But I want a BIG one!" while motioning with his hands a 3-foot popsicle!
About the hydrocele - It is an accumulation of fluid in a tube around the testicle. I first noticed it when he was about 1 1/2 years old. I actually thought he had only one testicle, because you could only see one enlarged ball. That was actually the hydrocele and the normal testicle was the small one. It was most noticeable when Elliott was warm or in a bath, which is why it took so long to notice! (because he never bathes! and it is always cold here!). We made an appointment with Dr. Burns who explained what was going on. We ended up doing the surgery about 7 months later.

I have 2 boys

I'm up for a night time feeding for Arlin, my 1 month old baby boy, and I must say I am officially bonded to him for life :)
With Elliott, as well, (who is now 2 1/2 years old!) it was around 1 month when I realized how much I loved him and felt like he really was my own boy forever.
Now, I have two boys forever! Plus Adam :)

I crush at the sight of Arlin! His face is still full of mystery for me: what features are familiar? what features are from which family members? What will he look like later?  His cheeks look fatter than yesterday, again! I made him, but I'm learning to know him; an eternal, happy process.

My dad made a simple comment I find adorable and always makes me laugh. When family was in town, I was commenting on how cute Arlin's little newborn behaviors are. Things like arching his back to stretch, frantically rooting for milk, attempting to hang on to my breast or shirt, and grunting in a satisfied way. My dad said, "He's happy!" and it struck me how true it was and how grateful I was to know he was happy. What a confusing reality he just began. I'm glad he is happy.

It kills me when I see his tiny face poking out of his blanket laden car seat with his small hands resting under his chin like a bunny. He is so cute I can't take him seriously but he has this look on his face where you can tell he is trying to catch sight of something familiar and make sense of his world. Preciously heartbreaking.

These are all physical thoughts, but what is his personality? He already has differences than Elliott. He seems more calm - but it could be that Arlin uses a pacifier :)

Arlin's Blessing Day

Thank you, family, for visiting us for Arlin's baby blessing. 

The name Arlin Douglas Barlow was chosen to honor Adam's two uncles who died as teenagers while ice skating on the Snake River in Idaho. Uncle Arlin was named after an earlier family member, Arlin Henry Bates. If you have a few minutes, read the history in that link - Arlin lived a good life and raised a happy family.