Update and stuff

Drew's surgery went amazing well.  I knew it would and you knew it would but until it was over I had to hold my breath a little.  We went to bed the night before and I said to Chris, "Are you worried?"  He said, "About what?"  OMG.  Please.  "About Drew, dumbass."  I didn't say the dumbass part but I thought it.  He said, "Not one little bit."  Chris is the KING of making everything notabigdeal but I trust him completely and this put me at ease quite a bit.

We arrived at 6:30am on Friday morning and she was immediately called back. Chris went with her and I walked Lauren around the hospital halls.  He came out at 7:15am and she was already put under.  He said she never cried and never appeared scared.  She put on her hospital gown, laid on the table and took a deep breath from the mask and was out.  She's an amazingly tough little girl.  She's just like her daddy.  Chris and I sat and played with Lauren for maybe 20 minutes when the nurse came out and said, "Mrs. Peters, she'll be waking up soon, would you like to come back?"  Here's where my Mother of the Year behavior begins.  I said, "Um, no.  He'll go."  I have such an intese fear of throw up that I just couldn't go back until I knew she was going to wake without getting sick.  I know nobody likes it (hear, see, smell) but I have a FEAR of it.  It's called emetophobia and it's real.  I sweat, my heart races, I get tunnel vision.  With Chris being a firefighter and gone for 24 to 48 hour shifts, my biggest fear is not him being injured, it's that one of the kids will throw up while he's gone.  Ok, getting off topic.  So, as Mother of the Year I sat in the waiting room but told Chris to come get me as soon as she was awake and it was sure she wasn't going to be sick.  He came to get me a few minutes later.  I walked back and she was sitting in a cozy bed with her own little TV on a swivel arm watching Curious George's Christmas Special.  She saw me and BURST into tears.  She had been eating a cherry popsicle that fell to her lap when she saw me.  The nurse got us a big recliner and got her out of bed and I just held her while she cried for nearly 30 minutes.  She just kept cupping her mouth saying that it hurt.  The nurse assured me it was completely numb and that what "hurt" was probably just the weird feeling of it being numb.  I kind of don't think so.  The way Drew was behaving I know she was in pain.  Within an hour of waking up from surgery we were in the car on the way home.  She cried all the way home and I twisted myself into a pretzel to be able to reach back and hold her hand all the way home.  She needed it.  She needed me.  She hasn't needed me in a very, very long time.  When she does need someone it's always daddy.  I even said to Chris, "I hope it doesn't hurt your feelings that she wants ME today."  He replied that he was just glad that finally some of my Drew needs were being met.  And they were.  Unfortunately it took surgery to get her to need her mommy.  We got home and Drew laid on me for over an hour while we watched some horrid Dora Christmas thing on TV.  I thought for sure she'd fall asleep but she never did.  She popped up and went about her day as if nothing had happened.  It was CRAZY.  Surgery at 7:20am, home at 9:00am and up riding her bike at 11:00am.  Her eating hasn't been effected and aside from a crooked, swollen smile she's exactly as she was before. 

We got lots of well wishes, cards in the mail and ecards.  Thank you for all of them.  I kinda feel silly for being somewhat worried now that I know it was such a minor thing.  Here are a couple pics of that day, and a few others.

Here's her new frenulum.  Sorry if it's a little graphic. 

 Drew, eating animal crackers and drinking apple juice just a few hours after.

I love this one.  William got home from school and Drew was anxious to show him her stitches.

Playing outside that afternoon.

Other stuff:

William didn't have a Christmas party at school on Friday.  He had a birthday party for Jesus.  This is how he came home from school.  He's still wearing his hat during the day.  Love it.

The kids' Christmas program from last week.  This was William's first time doing this sort of thing.  He was a superstar.  A superstar who is desperately searching for mommy and daddy in the crowd.

Drew, in the back row, singing like an angel.

Lauren was a champ during the performance.  Here she is, loving her daddy.

Lastly, our house has been hit with pink eye (all three kids, six eyes total), an ear infection for Drew in addition to her surgery, and two new teeth and a cold for Lauren.  Have you ever seen such a sad picture?

We're all on the mend as of today and we're looking forward to Santa visiting us in just a couple days.  I am looking forward to a quiet Christmas and enjoying it with my children and husband, as well as our parents and Uncle Cory who will be visiting for just a few days. 

And another HUGE thanks to Tracy for taking William at 5:45am on Friday so both Chris and I could be with Drew.  She's a lifesaver.