On the road to recovery

Our very own sweet Brie had her tonsils and part of her adenoids removed this morning, and Tony and I are pleased to report that she is doing very well.

It's not easy for a little one...you can't eat or drink anything before surgery...so luckily, Brie slept until after 8 a.m. today.  We arrived at the hospital at 9 a.m.  There was quite of bit of checking her vitals, asking Mom the same 10 questions over and over, and (me) reassuring Brie that an endless supply of popsicles were in her near future.  It helped that the nursing staff was wonderful in getting Brie whatever she wanted, including a sticker, having her heartbeat checked (a very fun part of any doctor's visit, according to Brie), and a REALLY fun dollhouse that made lots of lifelike sounds!

Brie was an extremely good sport about all of it, though she's still Brie: she outright refused to wear the hospital-issued gown.  I mean, why did she bother taking the time to pick out a cute outfit this morning?!  I was able to sell her on her own pajamas (cupcakes on top, stripes on bottom), but a peekaboo gown with dime-sized Velcro?  No way.

The hospital let Brie participate in the pre-op, which definitely helped her feel comfortable and happy while there.  She not only got to pick a movie to watch while they administered the anesthesia, but she got another one during recovery.  (Monsters, Inc. and The Little Mermaid, anyone?)  They also let her choose the "scent" of her laughing gas (she picked strawberry)...who knew such a thing existed?! 

They wheeled Brie into the O.R. without any fuss (phew!), and the nurses brought me back to see her when she was waking up.  Surprisingly, she wasn't too cranky or out of sorts; rather, she was determined:  You promised me a popsicle!  How funny that she remembered right away.  She wolfed down a grape popsicle in 60 seconds flat and then chased it with a juice box...a great start to healing.  (:  One movie and another popsicle later, we were headed home!

The next week plus will be an adventure in pain management and hydration, but we're up to the challenge.  We're just so thrilled that her surgery is over and we can look forward to Brie having better breathing, less snoring, and speech that (finally) involves breathing in and out of her nose.  Talk about a breath of fresh air!

Sammy reaping the benefits of Brie's surgery: popsicles galore!