Try saying that 10 times fast.
We are home! Hurray!
I debated even dedicating a blog post to this horrific experience but then I decided that Ava might want to pull this up when she's a Mom and her children are complaining about a paper cut or something like that.
We arrived at the hospital at 9:00. We only told her the night before that she was going to get her tummy fixed. None of us really knew what we were in for at this point.
Excuse the I-phone pictures. What kind of weird parent would I be if I had brought an actual camera??
They took her back at 11:45 and the long wait began.
I cried, James comforted, then we watched a few episodes of Lost to TRY to pass the time
It felt like forever.
Judson and my parents came to visit which was the bright spot of the day.
The waiting room was a pretty happening place.
4 hours later the Dr. came out and told us that he was pleased with how the surgery went.
He said that the tube leading from her kidney to the blader was the size of a pin hole.
He had no idea how it was draining at all.
It was another hour before we were called into recovery to see her.
That's when the real fun began.
James and I went back to see her.
I was so excited, expecting to hold my sleepy girl while she rested.
When we saw her, her face was swollen and her nostrils were flared. She was gasping for air and moaning in pain. I just kept my eye on the monitor that had the numbers on her vital signs.
Oxygen was low, heart rate was way up. Her lips were blue and she was making sounds that I had never heard her make before.
Scary business.
Somehow, it's the hospital's rule that only one parent is aloud back in recovery.
James and I both knew that I would not cope if I was separated from her so i stayed.
It was two hours before she was stable enough to move to a room.
Girl has trouble coming off of anesthesia.
That night was just terrible.
She was so confused and was in a lot of pain. Her poor throat was so swollen from the breathing tube that she couldn't move her mouth to eat or drink. She just kept saying how hungry and thirsty she was. It's a terrible feeling when your child is in pain and you can't help.
All the girl wanted was pudding and so I was running up and down the halls screaming for pudding and a spoon.
Look at her sad, sweet little face.
We are freaky Disney people and thought it was perfect to get her the princess from the new movie Brave since it came out on Friday and since our girl was so Brave.
The next day started rough but was much better by about 2:30. She stared eating and acting like our Ava....swatting at the nurses when they were bothering her and playing on PBSkids.com.
Mimi, Papa, and Judson came again to visit and bring us dinner.
The hospital (especially children's hospital) is such a sad place to be.
We met a couple whose 8 WEEK old daughter was going into her 5th surgery.
I overheard a women in the play room sharing with a nurse that she had lost her faith in God because of all they had been through with her child's health.
I know it sounds cliche, but we are really so lucky. So many have it worse.
We were discharged from the hospital today after breakfast.
Ava is clearly exhausted but, if you know Ava, you know that she wants to go go go.
This will be the major challenge in her recovery.
Right now she is sleeping. Daddy and Judson are too.
Everyone has been so sweet and supportive with prayers and encouraging words.
I am sitting here looking at beautiful flowers on the table and bright balloons by the couch. There is a meal coming to us later. We are really really blessed by you all!
