Laughter with a chance of tears

Surgery was early Monday morning. We had to arrive at ACH at 5:30 am so we drove to Little Rock the night before and stayed at our hotel (where I spent 19 nights while Grant was in the NICU). Grandma and Papa came too and Grant was so silly the night before. He loves his Papa, just looking at him makes Grant laugh, smile or giggle usually. Here's some pics of him playing cowboy with Papa's hat.







He was laughing so crazily and for so long. It is so great how babies find everything so fun and hilarious. We gave him a bath the night before surgery and tucked him in for a quick sleep.

Before the bath

He usually sleeps till 7 am and wakes up once to eat but I had to wake him up before midnight to get one last meal in before surgery and then wake him up early to get to the hospital at 5:30. Since I am crazy paranoid about being late, we got there 15 minutes early. Drives my husband crazy but I didn't want to be late. Here we are in the ambulatory surgery waiting room...so early.




We were in the prep center room for about an hour. Our sweet nurse let Grandma and Grandpa come back to see Grant even though the "rule" is only two visitors per patient. I got him changed into his cute little yellow hospital PJs.






He really didn't fuss even though he hadn't eaten since midnight and the OR nurse didn't come until 7:30. Grandma rocked him and held him until he fell asleep though. I think after surgery though he was upset with Grandma because she rocked him to sleep and then he woke up later in pain. He wouldn't look at her after the surgery when she tried to hold him. It was so sad.



Surgery got started at 8:25 and we got a call at 9:10 that the doctor was finishing up and they would be out soon to talk to us. The first thing that Dr. O said when he saw us was that Grant is sure a little people person. He was smiling and talking to all the people in the OR before he went to sleep. The surgery went perfectly and we could go back to see him soon. Well about an hour and half later we got an update that his IV had come out and they were having problems restarting it. Not good news to my ears (as a mommy and a nurse myself). We got back to see him and he was out of it but not crying. He snuggled up with me and his nurse helped to put his shirt on since his IV was still out. They said they had tried TEN!!! times. Even the anesthesiologist that started it in the OR after he was asleep came back and tried twice and couldn't get it. I was pretty upset that had poked him that many times but I know he had to have an IV for his postop antiobiotics. They finally called IV team and that nurse got it on the first try with the veinlite, "magic eyes" as she called it.





That night in his room was the longest night ever. I held him and he could never get comfortable. His nurses were alternating his pain medications but nothing seemed to help him rest. He would wake up every 20-30 minutes and I would have to reposition him in my lap or burp him and he would sleep a few more minutes. Around 3am he slept for about an hour, so I finally got a little sleep. It was definitely a long night for both of us and his poor little, raspy hoarse cry was so sad. He had a CT scan early the next morning and since it looked good and he never had any problems holding down his food we were discharged by 11am. The 4 hour drive home was hard on him though. Thankfully Grandma came to stay the week with us and showered him with love and constant attention that helped him through the worst days of pain. Grandma seems to be his favorite when he's really grumpy or hurting.

At home, sleeping on the couch with Cloudy

Everything is good, and he's getting better everyday. I hate that he had to have another surgery but I am thankful for it too. Praise God for each day and I am so thankful for Him and His love for Grant that is even greater than mine. I am finding normalcy finally in our "abnormal" life and not looking at his legs so often and mourning all that won't be or may never be and thankful for all that is and that can be. God's peace is the perfect peace. Grant isn't limited except for the limitations I think of or if he believes he is limited or disabled one day.