<\/a>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.<\/p>\n After dealing with strep throat<\/a> in our house time<\/a> and time<\/a> again, they were both going to have their tonsils taken out.\u00a0 After Walter had his tonsils removed last fall<\/a>, both he and Sam seemed to have broken the cycle.\u00a0 But Ben and Tom continued to have problems.<\/p>\n So the doctor recommended we get rid of them.<\/p>\n The tonsils, that is.\u00a0 Not Ben and Tom.<\/p>\n To the left are the boys as we wait to be called back to the pre-op and recovery rooms.<\/p>\n Below are the last photos of their mouths before their tonsils were yanked out.<\/p>\n Here’s Tom (he looks like he was crying, but it’s just early morning season allergy stuff):<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n And here’s Ben:<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 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.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n Both boys thought the tiny little robes were quite funny.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n And here’s Tommy, acting like it’s just another regular day, that is until…<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n …the nurse eventually brought in the happy juice.\u00a0 The happy juice would make the boys relatively relaxed while they were brought back to surgery and eventually given a gas mask.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n And here’s what they used to bring them to surgery – A Red Ryder Wagon:<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Ben got his happy juice about 20 minutes later.\u00a0 It mellowed him out greatly, as you can see from the photo below.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 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:<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n After about half-an-hour it was Ben’s turn for surgery and they came to wheel him away in the wagon:<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Tommy returned a few minutes later and wasn’t feeling too hot:<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Once he had his dinosaur and a popsicle, he was doing a little bit better:<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Ben returned shortly thereafter and they watched more cartoons as they came out of their drug-induced stupor.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Jennifer and I were completely stupified about this.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n When we got home, Ben couldn’t even make it to the couch before he passed out:<\/p>\n