Our Brave Boy

Noah had his ear tube surgery yesterday. We were so anxious, with this being his first surgery and all, but we were also excited to ease his ear pain. We waited patiently in the waiting room while Noah played with blocks and stacking rings. Every time he would stack one he would tell himself, "Good job!" Once Noah was bored by the waiting room toys, he started to mingle a bit. He was walking from person to person, hands behind his back, making small talk. That's my son...social butterfly. Finally, it was our turn. The nurse called us back to the pre-op room where they took Noah's vitals. We spoke with the nurses, anesthesiologist, and Dr. Edmonds. Everyone was so friendly and reassuring. Finally, they were ready to take Noah to the operating room. I wasn't sure how I could stay strong if he started to cry. However, I didn't have to think about it too long. Before I knew it, I was hugging and kissing Noah goodbye. He took the nurse's hand and walked with her right out of the room and down the hall to the operating room. I peeked my head out into the hall to watch him. I'll never forget how he looked- his favorite stuffed animal we call "Ducky" tucked into the crook of his left elbow and his right hand holding the hand of the sweet nurse. As he walked into the operating room, I saw my brave boy look up at all the bright lights. Greg and I made our way back into the waiting room to let Grandma know how it all went. I made myself a cup of coffee, sat down, and was taking my first sip when I saw Dr. Edmonds coming down the hall. They were finished...surgery began at 8:24 am and ended at 8:31 am. We went into the recovery room to find Noah lying on a crib stretcher, still hooked up to monitors, and very fussy. He was still drugged up and did NOT like the heart monitor on his finger. After about 25 minutes of us comforting him and trying to get him to drink some water, he started coming around. He was very annoyed by the heart monitor on his finger and after they took it off, he was a much happier boy! Then, we were ready to go home!! Noah slept most of the way home. He immediately wanted to eat when we got home as well. After some cinnamon applesauce and a banana, I decided he needed to rest. I made him a cute, comfy pallet on our couch and we were all sitting with him. Noah decided he had other plans...he was ready to PLAY!!! He was all over the place! Needless to say, Noah was back to his old self in no time! I am so thankful to all of our friends and family who were thinking about us! Hopefully, this will be the beginning of NO EAR INFECTIONS!!

Eyes wide open...

Noah woke up at 3 am this morning. As usual, I woke up when I heard him babbling. However, normally when I hear him I try to ignore him and get my much needed sleep. For whatever reason, this morning, I had my eyes glued to his baby video monitor. I saw him pick something up off of his mattress and put it in his mouth. I watched as he seemed to be chewing on it. I went in Noah's room to check on him and found a bolt that had come loose from his bed railing in his mouth. I took Noah into my bed with me and as we snuggled, he slept, and I counted my blessings. Thank you, Lord, for waking me when Noah wakes. Thank you for giving us the wisdom to buy the "expensive video monitors" that most people thought we didn't need. Thank you for giving me the motherly instinct that lets me know when something isn't right. Greg and I know three people that have lost their precious babies this year and we are so thankful to be granted more time with ours. New moms....invest in the video monitors....I believe it saved our baby's life.

Here is the link to the monitor we have:

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2437590