Surgery aftermath; Loki's cheesy smile (photos)

We have been home now for over 24 hours, and things are finally back to normal, after two weeks of mayhem. Well... normal by our standards. Physically, Loki is fine, and is tolerating his feedings, although at a slow rate and not yet at full calorie concentration.

Mentally and emotionally, though, Loki is clearly different. Although this most recent procedure was the mildest one, Loki is much more self-aware than even a month ago, the time of his previous surgery. This time, when he slept in the hospital, he would occasionally wake up and look around nervously. Once Mom would say, "I am here, Loki," he would fall over and go back to sleep. During these two days of recovery, Loki has been extremely clingy. He cries easily when put down or walked away from, and quickly stops crying once picked up. Clearly, Loki was more traumatized by this hospital stay than the previous ones. Hopefully, this was the last night that he will spend there.

In better news: Dutch people sometimes comment that Americans are quicker to flash a fake smile for a photograph. Many of them find this to be cheesy. Loki seems to have learned how to flash a quick, fake smile of his own. When we pull our a camera and call his name, he often does a particular smile, with his brow scrunched down--NOT his normal smile. Once the camera is down, he stops. See these:










Notice anything in common?