Hayden - adenoid-free for 12 hours and counting

So here's the thing. Hayden and I went to North Bay to see the Ear Nose Throat specialist and have his tubes put in and adenoids removed. We stayed at Carol and BJ's house overnight last night, got up at 6am this morning, and were at the hospital for 7am. He got to wear a really cute little pair of scrub-like pj's and was super cute! Jake and I had explained to him about his operation over the past few days, but of course he didn't really get it. He said he did though. After we waited and read a bunch of books from Anya's library and he weighed himself about 20 times on the large scale next to his crib/bed, the anesthesiologist and two nurses came to get him. I wasn't allowed to go with him into the prep area, so I said goodbye and they wheeled him away in a little green wagon. He looked a little nervous, but he had his Dragon Tails toy that Jake had given him for Valentine's day, and a little monkey that Anya lent him. About 30 minutes later Dr Prinja came out and said he was done and it had gone perfectly. Hayden was just coming out of the anesthetic and I'd probably be allowed to go see him once he was more coherent. Another half hour later instead of being called in, I saw two nurses pushing Hayden's crib/bed/gourney through the big double doors, and Hayden sitting up in bed with blankets and his little stuffed friends still watching him protectively. He had an IV, which the nurse had told be they put in after he was asleep. Smart thinking! I'd wondered about that. We settled back into the ward, and I told him how brave he was. He stared into space. He had bloody crusty nostrils and some blood on his lips. The nurse brought him some water and wanted him to drink a bunch of it to induce vomiting, but he only managed one swallow. Later he managed one swallow of apple juice. Later again she brought him a freezie and it prompted him to want more water and more juice, so he drank a bunch. When the nurse came back to take out his IV, she thought it had stopped bleeding and a minute after she took the pressure off to take out the tweety bird bandaid SPLOOP blood squirted from his hand. She quickly covered it from Hayden's view and reapplied pressure, but he turned ghost white. She told him to lie down while she finished up with the bandaid. A couple minutes after she left, he puked. The nurses had told me that during the surgery some of the blood and other stuff goes down the back of the throat and is swallowed, so that is why it's good he threw it up. It helps them feel better faster. And there it was. I rang for the nurse because it was going everywhere (is this too gross?) and she came with a nursy friend and they were both soo happy he'd thrown up! She cleaned him up with a few warm wet cloths and towels, he put on his regular clothes and 10 minutes later we were in the parking lot! The difference in him was amazing after the puke. He went from dopey drowzy zoned-out Hayden to the regular inquisitive happy Hayden in no time flat! While he was recovering he had told me several times "I just want to get out of here" in his super quiet little Hayden way. Poor baby. ("I'm not a baby, I'm a big boy!") We went back to Carol's house and he played quietly and drank some juice slowly and I made jello (which I just remembered I forgot in her freezer and am calling her right now to inform of such) and he ate a few animal crackers. Carol went to the store and picked up his four (!) prescriptions for me, because I was super tired. She also (smart girl) picked up some ready-made jello and some yummy sandwiches and salads for our lunch. Then we packed up and headed home. Sage and Jake and Tilly all greeted us with kisses and jumping up on us and squeals of happiness. Hayden played and seemed his chipper little self. He'd dozed off and on during the 1 1/2 hour ride home. He has tylenol with codine for pain, ear drops, nose spray, and antibiotics. So far (knock on wood) he's not protesting any of these treatments. We have him booked off daycare and school this week, but I predict he will be able to attend by the end of the week. We will see :)