How to tell when Sammy's asleep

Well, there has always been one sure fire way to know when Sam Bam is sleeping.

He snores.

Now I don't mean cute little snorish baby noises.  No, I mean he snores like a grown man.  You'd possibly believe somebody was sawing trees down at night if you didn't know it was produced by our sweet little fellow.

His snoring is how I know he's fallen asleep at nap and night time.  Oh he's easy to get down, most of the time anyway.  I tell him it's almost sleep time and then just pick him up a few minutes later.  By the time I get upstairs I usually hear that tell-tale sign, snoring.  Ditto if he falls asleep in the car, or on my lap during other kinds of play- all of a sudden I hear snores.  And it's how I know he's still sleeping whenever I check in on him, just listen at the door for the snore!
But the problem is it's also the thing that keeps him awake or wakes him up repeatedly.  He gets all wrapped up in these big snores and wakes himself right up!  So he's not getting a good night sleep.

But all this changed last week.

You see, when we first met WeiChe we knew something was not quite right, since little babes usually don't produce those noises.  He's had some minor respiratory things that we've gotten cleared up but he was still snoring.
So back in October we had his adenoids removed because, as his ENT stated, they were "ginormous" and tubes put in his ears because of ear infections.  We hoped this would clear up any remaining issues.  One of the recovery room nurses told me that the snoring would just stop after a day or two. 

But it didn't.
Apparently his tonsills decided that they needed to fill up that space that the adenoids were previously occupying.  So after more visits to the Dr and trying various things to shrink the buggers we had to have a tonsillectomy.
 
Now if you've never experienced one of these little surgeries...well let me tell you.... it has not been pleasant and there is nothing minor or little about it.  We spent a night in the hospital, which for a 23 month old is pure torture.  And once home he's been just, well just not himself.
 
I keep remembering this cat  we had when I was growing up.  It was a sweet little kitten, really loving and cuddly.  But it got sick with a real bad fever.  It eventually got better but was not ever quite the same sweet cat.  It became....something different.  The only way I can explain Sammy's recovery is that late at night, after being up with him for hours and hours trying to rock, sing, and persuade him back to sleep,  well I wonder if this is going to turn out like that cat.  Have I removed the very sweet essence of my baby along with those tonsills? 

I suppose if he wasn't so smart and strong-willed and could more easily just go with the flow it may have been easier on him.  But he's so unhappy with being in pain and not being able to control it that we've had some pretty miserable days and even worse nights.  Let's just say NO SLEEP.  At All!  I know it must be terrible pain and discomfort that he's experiencing and my heart just aches for him.
.
The road to recovery has been long and painful these last 9 days and I only hope that what everyone tells me is true - that this will make such a difference for him when he's all better.  And I kid about the cat thing, as we speak he's returning to my sweet, easy to be with baby. And he's been sleeping! 
Both signs that he is getting better each day and that the pain is subsiding.  Hallelujah.

But best of all - no more snoring!

So now, how can I tell when Sammy's asleep?
Well I can't very easily!  Since he usually falls asleep on my shoulder I have to sneak up to a mirror and peek into it.  "Sneak and peak" because if he's still awake he'll think it's time to play peek-a-boo in the mirror and then a whole new can o'worms is opened!  Or I have to find another live body that can speak or nod to let me know his eyes are shut.  Sometimes he falls asleep while we read, and then I have to contort my neck to see his face and make sure his eyes are shut tight.  Or if we do make it into the bed before he falls asleep I have to stare at him for a very long time to ensure his eyes are indeed closed.  And during the night...oh yes, I have to check his chest for movement about 200 times since I can barely hear his noises anymore!

I just wanted to share this because I obviously haven't had time to post anything more and certainly haven't been taking many photos...the two of us in our pj's lazing around just isn't fun footage to share and the by-lines not too exciting.  But with each day I see that spark of feeling good growing with Sammy so I am sure we'll be back to our busy bustling lives in no time!
J