Operation: Operation! :)

3 years, 3 months, and 2 weeks ago, when my first little bundle of joy entered this world, she had an umbilical hernia. 

9 months, 4 weeks, and 2 days ago, when my second little bundle of joy entered this world, she had an umbilical hernia. 

According to my google research, this only happens 10% of the time.  I would have to have 18 more kids WITHOUT hernias to meet this statistic.  Hmmmm....

But I digress....

The difference between Tanner and Ellery is that while Ellery's little hernia healed up within a few months, Tanner's has persisted and persisted and persisted.  It closed quite a bit, but over the last 18 months hasn't really closed much at all.  So, nearing the end of 2010 (and, thusly, nearing an insurance deductible reset), John and I decided that if she was going to have to get it fixed we might as well do it on United HealthCare's dime (it's all about the Benjamin's, right? :) 

Henceforth, today was the day Tanner will always remember as "the day I got my belly fixed."  :)

We hurried downtown to be at Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children (a nice, brand spankin' new facility!) by 6:30am, which - let's be honest - wasn't really all that difficult given that one of my kids is usually up by 5:30am (damn time change).  I took Tanner and got there early; John dropped Ellery off at our neighbor Jacque's house (shout out:  Thanks, Jacque!) at 7am, making it just in time to see Tanner before we wheeled her back to surgery.

When TK and I got there, of course they thought she was a boy (the price I pay for choosing such a cool name :)  As a result, she had a blue rocket gown waiting on her.

Blue rocket gown, pink princess bag.  That's my girl :)

For being such a big, brave girl, Tanner got a special "Sparkle Sleeping Beauty Barbie."  Big stuff.  We played Leapster, played in the play room, and played with Sleeping Beauty until the doctor, nurse, and anesthesiologist came in and said it was time to go.


Blurry subjects, snazzy outfit, altogether a great pic :)

Tanner went back into surgery around 8:30am and I got to go back with her until she was asleep.  Both times (now, and when she got tubes in her ears) there was a moment right when they were putting her to sleep that the tears were *just* behind my eyeballs, but I never did cry.  Something about them putting your baby to sleep and seeing her wiggle and shutter as she goes under wrenches your heart a bit, I suppose. 

The procedure was supposed to take about an hour (which, as it turns out, was just enough time for John to find us coffee and breakfast).  Before the hour was up, the doctor was out telling us how well she did, and even said she was the best kid she'd operated on all week :)  *awww, my little princess.  At least she's good in public. :) *

Apparently, some kids wake up really fussy, angry, and grouchy.  Not ours.  She wakes up asking 1):

"What is this red light on my fumb?"

And 2): 

"Can I have my punkin pie yet?"

Yep, that's our girl. 

She had to tolerate apple juice before she got the privilege of her pie, and knowing that fact she GUZZLED down her juice like only a true Harvey descendant can.  That girl was on a mission to get her pie.  And when she finally got it, she enjoyed every last bite.

Once we were home, I was expecting a nice, quiet, movie-watching, couch-laying day.

Juice, couch, Bubble, and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs - sounds good to me!

That fallacy lasted about 30 minutes, and before we knew it, Tanner was climbing on furniture, trying to pick up Ellery, and bouncing around.  Argh.  She was acting like she hadn't just had belly surgery, while I was feeling like the one who had been under anesthesia earlier today!  My tiredness was overwhelming, and when the kids finally went down for a nap, so did I - a nice 2 1/2 hour experience that, I continue to contend, just made me more tired.

Tonight before bedtime, I made Tanner take some pain medicine (evidently it tastes yucky, she's never refused a med before), and we put a dressing on her belly because it was oozing a bit (take it from the nurse, paranoid grandparents and great-grandparents - it is nothing out of the ordinary :) 



She wasn't sure about it, but thinks it's kindof neat now that I wrote on it :) 
It looks all cute with Ellery's little hand in there, too - what you can't see is the next frame where Ellery is trying to rip the dressing off.  Oops.


Here's to hoping the pain medicine lasts through the night ("but it just hurts a little bit, Momma.  I don't want to take that medicine!"), and that Ellery sleeps past 5am.  A mom can dream, can't she???  :)