Hayden is bilateral!

Today was Hayden's big surgery day. It actually started last night when we took the girls to their friends' house for a sleepover. Hayden asked for and got to have ice cream before going to bed. A real treat! We were hoping that he would sleep late, but no, he was awake and playful at 7 am. I let him play as long as I could to avoid having to say no to waffles. He couldn't eat past midnight. We were able to avoid feeding him, got dressed, and were off to the hospital a little before 9 am.

Hayden's surgery was scheduled for 12:30 and we had to be there at 10:30. We were told to be at the main hospital, but then were moved to the Clinical Care Center. That's where he had surgery last year so we were happy to move. For the next 2 hours, Hayden played and just enjoyed himself. He even decided that this was the best time to go sit on the potty. What a big boy!

The surgery was a little late, starting at 1. Right before he went back to the OR, Dr. Vrabec and Jody came back to answer any questions we had and see our little guy. He was loving on his Grover and wanted to him to get his picture taken too. Hayden told us he loved us and went with the teddy bear of an orderly back to the OR with some tears, but he was a good boy. Jason and I spent the next 2 hours reading and talking about our kiddos. Hayden's doctors came out at 2:20 to tell us he was done and everything went well. Yeah!! I was nearly in tears I was so happy!

Soon after that, we went back to recovery. Hayden was already stirring and didn't want the bandage on his head. We quickly got him in my lap and he calmed down. I knew he was uncomfortable, but he did so well. After drinking an apple juice and his entire sippy cup of water, he threw up...on me. Fortunately, I brought an extra shirt! He was just so good, I don't think Jason and I could have been more proud. It was a long day and he made it.

We all left the hospital at 5 and were home an hour later. Hayden threw up one more time in the car, but he was ready to eat when we got home. I got him changed and cleaned up while Jason made his waffle. I ran to the store and Hayden ate 2 more waffles. When the girls got home, Hayden did have moments of playful behavior. After that, he just wanted to rest with me and has been sleeping since.

It's been a long day, one we have worked towards for months now. I'm so thankful to Hayden's team of doctors for doing this surgery for him. His future is just a little brighter now that he's bilateral. He needs to heal over the next 4 weeks then will get activated. That's when the external part is turned on. He can then move on with therapy and improve his speech even more than it has already, hopefully. It's an exciting time for him!