The day after surgery, Ostin was discharged from the hospital and we drove from NYC to our home in Concord, MA. Ostin had adjusted to the car seat and was still rather drowsy, so the car ride went well. I had imagined he would need a few days to recover and would be “lying low”, but that certainly wasn’t the case. We soon found out Ostin is very active and into everything! Although he is almost three and a half, his behavior is more similar to a curious, experimental, defiant two year old who is now in a whole new environment and making up for lost time.

Ostin’s first discovery, the pantry in our kitchen where most shelves are in his reach and he went exploring. Next stop, the cabinet with a “lazy Susan” and all the spices and other ingredients he needed to shake and spread on the floor. We quickly realized we’d need to install child proof latches immediately! Things were moved to higher spaces and we learned our carpets are targets if he is without a diaper.

Soon it was time to give Ostin his medication which would become routine twice a day. We needed three adults to administer two medicines (antibiotic and steroid) in the mouth, drops in his eye, and an ointment on his lid, and it is still a challenge. Ostin goes “all out” in not letting any medicine enter his body…we hold his head, his arms, his legs and have a small towel under his chin for when he’s successful. Despite the reward of a little toy afterwards, Ostin continues to put up a good fight. During the day, if he sees a dish towel around, he associates it with medicine and yells “no vitaminos!”

After dinner, we helped settle Karla and Ostin into their new bedroom…it was nice to be home.