yet another hospital update

seriously?

seriously.

i'll be honest. i'm ready for a hospital update sabbatical. because this whole experience is starting to get old.

however, one thing that does NOT get old? talking about my freaking awesome kid(s).

just in case you were wondering, buz and i had an awesome anniversary yesterday. per tradition, we went to a local mexican restaurant, talked about our marriage, highs and lows, exchanged cards and gifts. and having exorbitant amounts of chips, salsa, tamales, and frozen beverages. ahhh...to be with my man.

then, we headed to starbucks to watch the video i made for buz. (for the record, i tried FEVERISHLY to get that slide show uploaded to my blog or my site. but after working on it for DAYS, i had no success. so i had to upload to crappy YouTube. i would apologize, but you probably didn't care.) he liked it.

then, we headed home and relieved our RAD babysitter.

oh! question. she is graduating from high school. i am SO hoping she's not reading this right now, but does anyone have any really cool and hip graduation present ideas. to say that this precious senior means a lot to us is an understatement. we ADORE her. even goo does. and trust me -- that's saying a lot. so we want to get her something great. (kathy? suggestions?)

(man, i'm all over the place.)

anyway, let her go home, and i gave him my gift. well, the blog was one of my gifts. but my husband's love language is not words of affirmation, so really, the blog was for me. but because i'm so romantic, my gifts to him this year were new pillows and a really comfy mattress cover. i'm cute. i know.

so this morning...

she couldn't have anything to eat or drink after eight o'clock this morning. and she got up at 810. buz took big h to school while i entertained goo.

NEVER in goo's little 2.75 year life have i EVER had want breakfast. ever. i mean, she eats breakfast. don't get me wrong. but she has NEVER actually asked me for it.

until today. well, of COURSE she did.

and wanted a drink. and asked me over and over again for drink and breakfast. so i'm admitting it here. i lied to my daughter a lot. that we couldn't have anything just yet. that we didn't have any orange juice. that we would have something in a little while. little while meaning after you have SURGERY, sweetheart.

finally, daddy came home from taking big h. that softened the thirst/hunger blow. she picked out her outfit. cherry pajama tops, stripey too-tight target clearance pants, and orange crocs. and some dora princess panties. and grandma, you'll be pleased to know that she insisted on carrying her fancy pink paris purse. she's an accessory girl. makes a mama proud.

we headed there and played on their "toys." with the swine flu scare, they have removed all of their toys from the waiting room. i get it. kind of. but luckily, these things provided the perfect amount of entertainment.

we headed back to pre-op. and oddly enough, we had the same pre-op RN. who is awesome. we also had the same anesthesia nurse and anesthesiologist. God is so good. we hung out in pre-op for a while. she got to watch a couple of dora's. daddy got her a little diego toy from the store earlier today as a little treat. and he became fast friends with ariel. she did great.

then, the anesthesia nurse came and got her and said to her, "oh, hey goo. who's that? mermaid? cool. want to come see a cool laser light show with me?"

and that, my friends, was the big departure i was so worried about.

God. is. good. period.

so buz and i went to the parent consultation room and prayed over our sweet little lady. he checked on the status of brett favre maybe coming back AGAIN while i checked awesome twitter and facebook responses.

doctor and came and told us it went fine. and then, the recovery nurses knocked on the door, and when we opened it, we saw her. there, as little as she could possibly look, on the massive-looking gurney, just limp, but resting peacefully and comfortably.

thank you NO VERSED.

i got to hold her and rock her.

let that sink in. i got to ROCK HER. my very sassy, full of life 2.75-year-old daughter. it was heaven on earth. (and you'll notice that i was wearing my customary surgery/procedure t-shirt and khakis. i can't help it. it's a tradition now. i have no idea what i'm going to do if something happens to this shirt. i mean, please. it's only twelve years old.)

they took out her IV and everything else that she was connected to. put on her sunglasses. and we were ready. and surprisingly enough, the sunglasses were truly for medicinal purposes, just not just to look glamorous. her eyes will be really sensitive to light for the next couple of days.

she stayed awake the entire way home. just dazed and confused. we stopped and got chick-fil-a. we got her home, and the three of us watched dora together and ate our chicken. and home girl ate every last bite of her nuggets AND fruit. and she slurped her lemonade dry. that's my girl.

i put her down for a nap around 1:45-ish. buz took a nap too. i stayed awake so i could receive our meal for tonight. (which by the way...OH MY. yummy. she doesn't read my blog, but i am giving her kudos.)

then, i hit the hay. i woke up to the phone ringing at about 315. and people, i'm almost positive i was in REM sleep. because i heard her say hello a couple of times. and then i hung up. because i didn't know what to do. because i was in ANOTHER WORLD.

i looked at the caller ID, and it was the friend who had picked up big h from school. somehow i called her back. still not sure how. and had a very lengthy conversation with her. one where i insisted i was NOT asleep. bless my heart. we decided that one of us would go get big h around 445 or so.

yeah, buz woke up and woke ME up at FIVE O'CLOCK.

so i called her back in a panic, telling her that buz was ON HIS WAY, I PROMISE!! and then she had a good laugh because she knew instantly that i was asleep earlier. apparently, she enjoyed our conversation.

and at 5, goo was still fast asleep. i woke her up and loved on her. we had dinner and played together. we took a bath, and big h could NOT STOP looking at and commenting on her eye. trust me -- it is again NOT for the faint of stomach.

so we read some stories together and got jammies on. big h insisted on batman (shocker), and goo wanted to be supergirl (read: big h's old superman jammies that he outgrew). i put her to bed.

and then. then, the best part of my day.

(i promise this NOVEL of a post will be finished soon.)

i had already shut the door when big h said, "mom! mom! she forgot her new diego! can i go give it to her?"

now, let me say that i would normally say no in an instant. because once we put her in her bed, she's there for the duration. and she doesn't do well with distractions. but my gut said that this was important. for her. and for him.

the conversation that followed:

H: goo! do you want your diego?

G: yes.

H: here's your diego. can you reach it?

G: yes. tuhn-syoo, big h. (that's thank you.)

H: oh, you're welcome. i love you. sleep good, k? don't yet the bed bugs bite."

(at this point i'm cringing because she's never heard the whole bed bugs thing.)

big h gets to the door and says i love you again and blows her kiss. let the record state that i have NEVER seen the boy blow a kiss. then, he decides that's not enough.

H: goo, can i kiss you good night?

G: yes.

H: can you stand up so i can reach you?

G: yes. (she's a woman of few words at nighttime.)

kiss

G: i love you, big h. night night, big h.

H: i love you too, goo. night night. you have a good rest, k?

and he walks out the door to find his mama lying in a pool of her own cheesy melty mess.

i love those two.

so. to recap. because i know you're dying to just finish this thing already. goo? rockstar. hoss. total champ.

shocker.

no, really. it IS a shocker. i really had doubts about her. but she nailed it today. bravery and courage at their finest. and i couldn't love her any more.

and her brother? yeah, well, ditto for him too.

and my husband?

let's just say some days i can't get over how blessed i am.