Tubes

Today is the day, the day that is supposed to mark the end of these chronic ear infections and antibiotic rounds and steroids, the day Dr. C puts tubes in Sam's ears.  We arrived at 7:00 am sharp at the surgery center and walked right through to our room.  They gave Sam a gown and a leg band, and he was such a brave little soldier, smiling and waving at all the nurses.  Quite the lady charmer!

 But, since he's only 11 months old and his patience is very short, he soon got restless and began to whine and cry.  Here is the face Mommy saw the most today...

 Then Daddy came to the rescue.  After dropping K-bug off at school, he came by to play "Where is Daddy hiding?" with Sam and sneak me a Frisco breakfast sandwich from Hardee's.  Does that man know me or what?! This is a brief moment sans crying just before surgery.  

The nurses came in to take Sam for surgery soon afterward.  They said it would only be about 10 minutes and they would be back.  He didn't have the have an IV.  No sticks, no needles.  They gave him anesthesia through a mask since the surgery was so short.  Tubes in, sinuses cleaned out, and back in my arms in 20 minutes total!  

...then he started to stir. Have you ever wondered what a grizzly bear acts like when he first comes out of hibernation?  Groggy, and hungry, and just plain grouchy?  It was kind of like that.  I could tell Sam was dizzy and confused from the anesthesia.  He would thrash around in my arms and cry with his whole body, but his eyes would still be closed.  This was the maddest I have ever seen him, EVER!  The anesthesiologist and nurses assured me this was all a normal reaction to the medicine and procedure, and he was not in any pain.  Huh, could have fooled me!

After 20 minutes of angry crying, we were released to cry all the way home.  And so we did, both of us.  Him because he was still mad about the whole thing, and me just for sympathy.  When we got home, I pulled out the big guns...food!  Banana puffs, apple juice in the sippy cup... still mad.  

Even though we are trying to break Sam from bottles, I had to do it.  I gave him a bottle and for the first time in about an hour, he settled down.  Now, he is sleeping soundly in his bed, and Momma is ready for a nap too!  Praise God for a surgery that went well and a peaceful sleeping boy!