All is well

We survived the surgery...mostly with flying colors. My plan to wake up Max at 5:45, right before we got into the car, didn't quite work out, as he decided that 4:30 was a good time to awaken. Four AM was the cut off time for giving him juice or water, so we couldn't appease his "signs" for juice or even water. I ended up packing up all the kids, and driving them around for 30 minutes while Melvin showered and it was finally time for us to leave.

Children's Hospital is the best. There was an incredible area for kids to play, and each staff member was incredibly kind. One came and spoke to us to explain exactly what they would do during the surgery, then the anestesiologist (sp?) spoke to us about putting Max to sleep. Then a nurse came and helped prep Max and took a picture of our family, then the doctor came and explained everything again. Each person was just so pleasant and explained everything so clearly and with compassion for our concerns.

I ended up taking Max into the pre-operative room. Because he was only getting tubes, he did NOT need an IV (thank you Lord), so I felt better about the forthcoming experience. Max sat calmly on my lap and played with a Mickey Mouse toy they had in the room. As they put the mask over his face, he didn't even struggle to get it off. He was mor interested in the toy and bubbles they blew for the couple minutes it took for him to finally fall asleep. I was so amazed by his cooperation that I didn't even break down when the took him away. I even thought to myself...wow, can I have some of this stuff for bedtime!!!

My mind, however, quickly changed when he woke up. When I went into the recovery area, they didn't even need to tell me what room to go to, as I merely needed to follow the sound of Max's screams. It took a LONG time to calm him down. For almost an hour, he just screamed and screamed and screamed wriggling all around in my arms. He stopped for a moment to take some Motrin, and eventually he settled down. Hearing your child scream for so long, even though you're holding him in your arms is quite heart wrenching. But once he snapped out of it, Max was back.

He fell asleep briefly on the way home, but if I hadn't been so exhausted from the whole experience myself, I wouldn't have even known that the little monster had had surgery that day. He was his absolutely normal self....causing as much "damage" to my house as always. I was quite relieved, knowing that the experience didn't scar him. But a tiny part was hoping he'd at least be a bit drowsy, or at least a little more low-key, preferring to cuddle up and just watch Barney with me, instead of emptying all the cabinets as usual. But that's Max for ya!!!

I'm relieved that the surgery is over. The doctor said he had what they call a Gummy Ear, causing him not to hear so well. It was as if he was walking around with ear plugs in his ears. So I'm hoping that now that it's all cleared up and he's hearing better, he'll start saying actual words...instead of going around saying syllables of Ba and Da, expecting me to guess what he wants. And once the words start coming, maybe the screaming will be lessened...maybe.

A special thank you to all who took the time to pray for us during this time. Your prayers certainly worked.

Below is a picture of Max today...being his normal self, eating a PB & J sandwich while trying to climb up the back of the chair.