"The Other Side"

Parents who have been through skull surgery refer to post op as, "The Other Side". 

We are there.

Hallelujah. 

Grant's surgery went really, really well. I'll be completely real, watching him be wheeled away I felt like my heart had been ripped out of my chest. God bless him for smiling as it was happening because it was a much better way to start "The Wait" than crying would have been. However after a couple of hours, I started getting antsy. Closer to three hours in, the concierge in the waiting room called in to the OR allowing me to talk to a nurse. 

She let me know that they had a hard time getting one of his IVs started so they got a bit of a late start. She also said he took really well to the anesthesia, his surgery went fabulously, and that Dr Tomita would be out to talk to us within half an hour. 

After explaining what he did to Grant's skull, I asked Dr Tomita how I could explain it in really simple terms cause I'll be honest, it's quite complex and nothing short of miraculous!  He said to picture a crab. He cut quite a large piece out of the top of his skull (like a crab shell) and then made multiple cuts into the skull (like crab legs) to open up and round out his cranium. He then was able to put the big piece back with a tiny, dissolvable stitch to keep it in place. He said the tissues will reconnect within a few days so that, "The piece won't be floating around". Over time, new bone will grow and eventually fuse together. 

Wow. 

Waiting to go back to see Sweet Baby Grant felt like an eternity, but when I finally got to see him I was overwhelmed with emotions. Gratitude, relief, humility, awe, a little heartbreak, but most of all love. I felt whole again. 

We have the SWEETEST nurse taking wonderful care of Grant (and me) and she  and I both have been humming along to the Third Day Pandora station we've been playing all afternoon. 

He still has two IVs and a catheter which seem to bother him when he has bouts of irritated restlessness. He's had some stretches of peaceful sleep but they don't last incredibly long. Not allowing myself to be fearful of the multiple cords and wires, I was SO THANKFUL to get him back in my arms. 

 

We "woke up his tummy" with a bottle of infant pedialyte which he held down well. Praise God!  

His crib has been personalized a bit with a special verse from a friend and a picture from Big Sis Mallory who can't wait to come see him. 

While we don't know exactly what the next hours and days will hold, we do know the scariest part is over and we know that God is good all the time!