He did what???

When Ashton was a baby he had 3 characteristics that didn't go unnoticed:

1. His eyes. I'm very fortunate that Brads blue eye gene dominated my brown eye gene which left me with 3 very blue eyed boys. Couldn't be happier about that. 

2. His head. Ashton had a huge head from the second he entered this world which may be why both my other deliveries welcomed the epidural. When he was a baby and toddler I could only buy him button down shirts. If I did get a regular shirt to go on him, it was very traumatizing to get off for both of us.  Now I realize his large head was just due to his super smart large brain. Couldn't be happier about that. 

3. His belly button. I was 19 when I had Ashton and certainly not a belly button expert. I had no idea his belly button was abnormal at all. I knew it was huge, but I had never seen a baby with an outie belly button and thought it was just that....an outie that would shrink down into a smaller outie. Made sense in my 19 year old head. Then at one of his routine check ups I learned it is in fact not normal for an outie belly button to squish in and out, or be as big around as a 50 cent piece. I was told he had a hernia. (his stomach muscles aren't closed quite all the way which leaves a small hole behind his belly button. Fluid, or tissue, or intestine will poke through the hole which makes these particular belly buttons squishy).

Two years later it was a little smaller but still about the size of a large grape. I was told it was fine and it should be gone by the time he was 5, but if it wasn't then they would do something about it. It was the same. Fast forward 3 years and a different doctor we were sent to a children's hospital to have it checked out by a surgeon. Better to be safe and have it looked at now before it did become a problem. Turns out he wasn't pleased it was not closed by now, and while not an emergency wanted to get him scheduled to have it fixed. So glad we have a doctor that goes the extra mile to make sure my kids are healthy and doesn't brush off a hernia that sticks around 8 years. Couldn't be happier about that. 

That said, I have been a little sad about the fate of Ashton's belly button. I love his squishy belly button. Good thing we can still squish Syphr's.

The patient with his super cool belly button

He let everyone have a last opportunity to squish his button.  Such a nice kid.

Surgery was yesterday. After an almost 3 hour wait, and 12 hours without food for the patient, we walked down the elephant hall where we had to say goodbye and leave his new belly button in the hands of Dr. St Peter. The anesthesiologist gave him some banana flavored sleeping gas and the next thing Ashton knew he was waking up with a gauze filled belly button. The surgery only took about 30 minutes and according to Dr. St Peter everything went perfectly. Couldn't be happier about that.

A few seconds ago we removed the gauze to see what lies beneath.....

It smells a little, is a little swollen and bruised, but still is super cute. HERE IT IS!: