December Daily {6th}: Surgery

Today was Grayson's big surgery day.  We had to be at the hospital at 6:00 AM, so we got up around 5 & got ready, but left G asleep.  We just got him up right before we had to go and put him sleeping in the car.  He woke up a little as we got out at the hospital and then all the way once we were finished at the registration desk.  They called us back and took his vitals, checked on his cough, did a nebulizer treatment, and talked to us about what was going to happen.  At first he was pretty tense & nervous, and didn't want anyone touching or talking to him.  He warmed up though and we got him gowned up and playing with a pin wheel they gave him.  It was time for him to take the "cocktail" that would give him temporary amnesia so he wouldn't remember the experience of being taken away from us.  The nurse said that most kids hate that & to try & get it done quickly.  Grayson likes surprising everyone though-no matter what the situation & how we may think he'll react-and took it super fast like a champ.  He got to pick out a bear someone had sweetly made for kids at the hospital at that point.  He totally picked the one I would have picked-such great taste! (:  He even spelled his name for her at this point "g-r-a-Y-s-o-n!" {He emphasizes the Y because for the longest time he spelled it graoson}.

About two minutes after taking the medicine, he started acting kinda loopy.  Singing random songs, putting the pinwheel right up to his face, and being super spacy & silly.  I wished we could hang out with him for a while!  They were ready to take him though & so I told him where he was going and he was totally starting to zone out.  We kissed & loved him and they took him-no crying involved-back to surgery.  Still one of the hardest things ever.  Both Zac and I were about to cry, so we just held hands & walked out to wait.  My parents & my sweet uncle Bob came to wait with us & the time passed quickly.  Dr. Lee came out to give us a report & said the surgery went well and things looked good.  We visited with her for a minute about what to do afterward and then she said they'd come get us soon.  About 15 minutes later they gestured for us to quickly come and Zac and I ran back.  I could hear him screaming as soon as we got in the doors.  We found him and I took him and with both Zac and I holding his arms, he was still super strong and wanting to rub his eye.  It was hard to see him like that, but I was glad to see him fighting and see that nothing could take away his super strong will.  Because nothing was calming him down, they put a little more sleepy drug in his IV and decided to let him wake up a bit more.  He slept & whimpered in my lap for a while & I kept oxygen in his face because his levels were low.  My folks & Bob came back to visit and then Jen came too.  After about an hour he was okay enough for them to send us home.  He was sad and wanted to rub his eyes, but once he understood that he couldn't, he did really well not to.  He kept saying, "Ow ow ow!  I want to go home.  I don't like the hopsital."
We got him in the car & I sat in back with him.  Totally reminiscent of driving home from the hospital with the boys when they were newborns.  He was asleep again in seconds & super sensitive to any light, so he slept with his favorite brown blanket on his face.  I slept most the way home too.  We got home and he fussed a tiny bit and then fell asleep again and continued to sleep almost all day.  Taylor had Beckham here and said he was good and we put him down for a nap and Z & I slept too.  The rest of the day was spent just cuddling, sleeping, chilling, and more resting.  Grayson didn't open either eye all day or night.  He just didn't want to.  He took his medicine great, slept a ton, and around 3 or so, started feeling good enough to talk to us about it.  He was so good about not touching his eye and just impressed both of us so much.  Our friend Jill & her two kiddos {Gray's friends Cora & Maverick} visited with cookies, Mom & Dad Pete came with a new combine for Gray, Taylor & Talon stopped by, Grandma Cleaver stopped, Em & Layne sent balloons and many friends called.  Thank you for the support!  We had the lights dimmed and Gray was just up on the couch in his jammies and would talk to people with his eyes shut.  Super cute boy.  He slept through everything too.  Beckham was loving the opportunity to play with Grayson's balloons & anything else that he wouldn't be able to if big brother was feeling good!

 

Toward the end of the night I noticed he was getting a fever, so I stripped him and left him on the couch.  A while later he woke up and was being so cute & cuddly toward both of us and kept offering squeezes.  He asked why his eye was hurting and told us he wanted to rub it, but he was understanding about not doing that.  Then he cuddled right in next to me while I was reading & a little bit before we were heading to bed and proceeded to puke all over {our brand newly cleaned couch!} the only thing he'd had in his system all day-apple juice.  Poor kid.  He was such a great sport & we got him cleaned up & put to bed.  I slept with him and Zac and Bex slept in the other room.  Turned out that both boys were up a few times, so it was another long night.

So grateful the surgery went well.  Grateful for the priesthood.  Grateful for children who we care about so fiercely.  I'm thankful that Grayson is constantly full of surprises and handled everything with such a brave and positive attitude.  He acted much older than his 2.75 years.  We are so thankful for him and his determined and sweet spirit.  He keeps us on our toes, but I wouldn't want him any other way.  And, glad the surgery is behind us and recovery is in process.  (: