Welcome to the New Year

We started off this year with big to do’s!  First, the kids went back to school on January 2!  I love being with my kids, I love playing with them, I love seeing them play with each other and hang out and I especially love when all 5 of us are together doing fun, even boring, family things.  That being said, I was more than ready for them to be back to school and back on a routine!

The routine didn’t last that long,  Brendan had his third, yes that would be the #3, set of ear tubes put in on Tuesday January 3.  Poor kid, he was all excited walking into the hospital, the ride up on the elevator to the day surgery floor, even checking in and chatting at the nurses station.  I started to think, my goodness he is doing really well with this, he’s not that freaked out.  Well, as soon as they lead us into his room, he caught sight of that hospital bed and the death grip on the door jam was applied.  The cucumber coolness was gone, and it was panic mode now.  I had too physical remove his tiny hand pick him up and start comforting him.  The poor nurse was trying to get vitals and listen to his chest…good luck lady! 

He was able to settle down and collect himself, and then the team came in to collect him, and just at that moment the panic was about to spring out of him again…in walked the white knight (that would be Bryan.)  Brendan got a good snuggle for Daddy as we walked down the hall to the “drop off” area.  We hugged and kissed up and handed him over to his nurse and off they went as the big clunky metal doors shut behind them.  Now this is obviously not his first surgery, and it wasn’t that major either, but I started to tear up.  You never get used to that feeling of handing over your child to be put under anesthesia, and Lord knows that Brendan has done it one too many times. 

Normally a set of ear tubes takes all of about 10 minutes to put in, but this time Brendan was also going to undergo an ABR, Automated Brain Response test.  It is a very thorough hearing test that gets the best picture of what, if any, hearing loss he has.  The test takes about an hour, and it was a long hour. 

Just when I was starting to think that it was taking too long, here comes our little guy in the arms of his nurse, right back to us.  He was oh so drugged and sleepy, but everything went very well!  His hearing is in the normal range, which was a HUGE relief to us especially after so many ear infections!

Poor kid…

Brendan had his best bounce back out of anesthesia that he has ever had!  He was eating and drinking and then when we were discharged that kid walked himself right out of that place!

Hopefully now with the ear tubes in his speech will improve at light speed, and his head dunking in the tub will slow down!