Surgery, Therapy Dogs, Improv Theater and a Baby in a Laundry Basket

Ari had surgery this morning. The doctors came and got him from his hospital room at 9am to transport him to the O.R. They let me come with him down to the Operating Room, but first they suited me up:

When we were traveling down to the Operating room, I felt like I was the one about to have surgery. I guess that's because Ari is like an extension of me.

We got to the Operating Room. He cried at the unfamiliar stark white surroundings. I held him while the Anesthesiologist sedated him. I was terrified. He was going under general anesthesia. He fell asleep quickly. As soon as I saw him on the Operating Room table I could feel a lump in my throat. I wanted to cry.

"Okay, mom." Said the Anesthesiologist, I was glad that she spoke because it stopped me from crying, "We'll show you to the family lounge now." One of the nurses walked me to the family lounge where I could wait for the surgery to be over.

It was the longest 30 minutes of my life. I tried to distract myself by looking at silly websites on my phone, i.e. damnyouautocorrect.com, but I was a nervous wreck. Finally, the doctor came to get me and told me the surgery had gone well and walked me to the recovery room where Ari was sleeping in a metal crib.

He woke up pretty quickly and wanted me to hold him.

I made the mistake of asking one of the nurses when he could eat bland foods like crackers. He heard "crackers" and said:

"Crackers? I want crackers!"

The nurse replied:

"Not yet sweetie, you need to drink a little bit first to see if your tummy feels okay."

"CRACKERS!" He demanded.

After much cajoling, he drank a cup of apple juice, small sips at a time. Then he bugged the nurse until she gave in and gave him a pack of saltines. I promised him many more crackers when we got back to his room, and I delivered on that promise.

Meanwhile, my other child has been sleeping in random household items at my friend's houses. Thank you Zahir and Mint!

Samara in a Laundry Basket: Wil's Brilliant Idea

Samara in a Drawer

She loved the laundry basket, but I hear she got bored of the drawer.

While Ari has been at the hospital he made friends with a therapy dog named Hudson:

And saw a show by an improv theater group called Only Make Believe:

These guys were awesome! They performed an original show for the entire Pediatric Unit in the play room here. The kids were very much involved in the show; there was a ton of audience participation. OMB were wonderful with children. For more on Only Make Believe, click here.

Ari is feeling much better. He's sleeping at the moment. I was told we could go home tomorrow afternoon. Here's hoping!

Thank you to all of our friends and family that offered kind words, transported breast milk, gave us a place to stay, and much much more while we've been going through this challenging time.