Four Tonsils

Yesterday we all got a very early start to the day as we had to have both Ben (who will be 7 in just a couple weeks) and Tom (who will be 5 in just a couple weeks) to the hospital by 6:45.

After dealing with strep throat in our house time and time again, they were both going to have their tonsils taken out.  After Walter had his tonsils removed last fall, both he and Sam seemed to have broken the cycle.  But Ben and Tom continued to have problems.

So the doctor recommended we get rid of them.

The tonsils, that is.  Not Ben and Tom.

To the left are the boys as we wait to be called back to the pre-op and recovery rooms.

Below are the last photos of their mouths before their tonsils were yanked out.

Here’s Tom (he looks like he was crying, but it’s just early morning season allergy stuff):

And here’s Ben:

Once we got in the pre-op room, we were pleased that they had two chairs set up side by side so we wouldn’t be running from room to room.  Jennifer and I both took off from the radio show today because we really didn’t know what to expect, plus Lily was there with us, too.

Both boys thought the tiny little robes were quite funny.

Ben and Tom got snuggled under their blankets, fresh from the dryer, and watched some cartoons as they waited for their turn under the knife.

Here’s Ben, sucking his thumb *sigh*, which is probably one of the main reasons why he seems to be an instigator of colds and strep throat in our house.

And here’s Tommy, acting like it’s just another regular day, that is until…

…the nurse eventually brought in the happy juice.  The happy juice would make the boys relatively relaxed while they were brought back to surgery and eventually given a gas mask.

And here’s what they used to bring them to surgery – A Red Ryder Wagon:

Ben got his happy juice about 20 minutes later.  It mellowed him out greatly, as you can see from the photo below.

And here’s a look I hope never to see on my son ever again, especially once he’s in high school and if he comes walking in past curfew:

After about half-an-hour it was Ben’s turn for surgery and they came to wheel him away in the wagon:

Tommy returned a few minutes later and wasn’t feeling too hot:

Once he had his dinosaur and a popsicle, he was doing a little bit better:

Ben returned shortly thereafter and they watched more cartoons as they came out of their drug-induced stupor.  Within a few minutes, Tommy was talking at regular volume, acting just like normal, and seemed to have zero effects of having just had his tonsils removed.  Jennifer and I were completely stupified about this.

When we got home, Ben couldn’t even make it to the couch before he passed out:

Tommy, however, grabbed the new wooden gun Grandpa made for him on Easter, and went out to the garage freezer in search of the endless supply of ice cream and popsicles we’d promised him:

This morning they’re both doing great.  Ben woke up at 2AM and asked for pain medicine, but this morning, neither of them wanted pain medicine.  They just wanted the pink amoxicilin that they both love.  And now they’re watching Star Wars Episode IV and I’m immensely jealous of the lazy day ahead of both of them.