Surgery and Hospital Stay

Wednesday morning was Hollister's surgery. We were at the surgery center at 6:30 am. Man, it was early!

Playing in the waiting room.

He had some pre-op stuff done.

They have a cool wall that is a chalkboard. It is huge. He enjoyed playing on that. It was quite messy though.

He did not like the hospital gown though and cried so much they let him keep his own pajamas on. Notice one picture WITH the hospital gown, one withOUT.
Once he was asleep, they made the switch. When they took him back, he went berserk! It was so sad and tough on us.

We went to a waiting area and did just that, waited. Thank goodness Starbucks was right across the street. My sweet hubby made a run over there for some yummy coffee.

The doctor came and saw us about 45 minutes later, said all went well. There was quite an infection in his left ear. I was not surprised. We had to wait until recovery was over and then they brought him to us. He was the most precious boy ever.

He just slept in his Daddy's arms for an hour. When he started to wake up, it was kind of tough, but for the most part, he was good.

Blood Pressure and heart rate monitor.

After being in that room for 2 hours, we were transported to Dell Children's Hospital. It is connected via underground tunnels. It was kind of cool.

Once we were settled in our room, we pretty much could do whatever we wanted. Hollister could go anywhere we went, etc. I was hoping he would nap, but of course no such luck.

Hollister and Goofy checking out the bed, but not sleeping!

Trevor went to get us lunch and Hollister thought it was for him. Like I said, we needed him to nap, so we could eat and sleep.

He said he was hungry so we ordered pancakes and mac and cheese from the cafeteria. He could eat, as long as it was soft. He completely amazed us with how much he ate. We kept being told, "Don't worry if he doesn't eat, just keep him hydrated, even if he doesn't eat for a week." A week? Not my kid! He was eating a few hours after his surgery. he knows he needs to keep up his strength.

Pancakes, mac and cheese, jello and Powerade!

The hospital had great resources for us. They had wagons to pull him around. They had a great playroom with tons of stuff. They had a library with free books and videos to check out while you were there. They have a beautiful healing garden with amazing colors and waterfalls. They have a colorful "butterfly" wall, that you can touch. It would change colors and butterflies would appear. They have an interactive toy with balls, that is crazy amazing. The balls go through all these mazes, make noises, etc... it is really cool. We really weren't that bored.

Anyone shocked that he found the tools? Or the loudest toy in the playroom? Didn't think so.

It took Hollister a really long time to take a nap. He feel asleep while eating his second serving of pancakes and mac and cheese. It was late, which meant he'd be up late, just like home!

Finally!

He had an IV most of the day for help with fluids. At first he hated it. He tried ripping it out, but after a while he was used to it and even careful about getting it tangled when riding in the wagon or playing.

The diagnosis is good. He'll be hopped up on meds for a few days and restricted to a soft diet for 2 weeks. He also is not supposed to run... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA or be "too" active for 2 weeks.
He has to be out of day care for a week, which he will enjoy. We are splitting that time up, plus we have the weekend, so that is helpful.

One of the cool features this hospital has. Definitely "Austin". This was right before we left, he had to take his picture by both guitars!

We'll do some follow up check ups and if we keep our fingers crossed, our ear infections will be a thing of the past, as well as his snoring and drainage problems

.

Thanks for the fun get well balloons from our family in New Mexico. He LOVES them!

Trevor and I commented while at the hospital how fortunate we feel to have 3 healthy kids. I am thankful for a great hospital and all the resources available to us when we need them. But, spending just one night there, reminded us to be thankful everyday for what we have!