Reese's Big Day

Thursday, August 4th, 2011, is a day that I would like to say is behind me. No more looming heart surgeries in our future, no more waiting, it's over.....and Reese did beautifully. We were at the hospital bright and early on Thursday morning -- we had to be at the admitting office at 7am. Reese had not eaten since 9pm the night before, but she woke up rather chipper and didn't seem to mind that she didn't have breakfast of juice before leaving the house. My parents met us there and between all of us, we kept her distracted very nicely. We explained to her on the way to the hospital that we were going to take pictures of her beautiful heart and that she was going to have lots of guests and get lots of goodies. She was content with this explanation, so we didn't go into it any further. We were put into a room rather quickly, and the revolving door of hospital personnel began to come and see our sweet girl. Reese was to be the 2nd heart surgery of the morning (wish we could have been the first and gotten it over with), she was scheduled to go back around 10:30 or 11am, and after talking to the nurse anesthetist and our heart surgeon, that plan seemed pretty solid. Around 10:30, we got a call in our room that the first heart surgery was going to take WAY longer than they had anticipated, so let Reese have some juice and keep her as content as possible. By this time, we had LOTS of visitors. Between friends and family, the time really did go by quickly, although, it wasn't until 2:30pm that they actually came to get her. It was also up until this point that I held my self together very nicely. No crying, no moping, just visiting with friends and playing with Reese. When her nurse walked in with a syringe of Versed, that's when it hit me, it was time. Right behind her was the transport team, and that was all it took to send me over. I did not let Reese see me get upset, and by this time, she had already taken her Versed and was beginning to get "loopy" and talk crazy. Joe managed to keep her distracted and actually carried her to the OR doors. This was the hardest part by far. She never cried, never got upset, never even let out a whimper, but it was so hard to send her off without us. The transport team was awesome, they know exactly what they're doing and whisked her away with no hesitation. We watched her go and then waited for the next 2 and a half hours for her to return. Once we got the call that she was in recovery and had done beautifully, it was as if the weight of the world was lifted off my shoulders. I could breathe again. I couldn't wait to see her. We had to wait about 30 minutes before they would let us back into the recovery area --they finally called our names and I think I RAN to the door! She was so pitiful looking. There's nothing like seeing your baby hooked up to oxygen, monitors beeping constantly and connected to more tubes than you can count. She was VERY out of it and woke up agitated and confused. Joe and I talked to her and held her hands, and slowly she began to wake up. It wasn't long before they took us back to our room -- still lots of visitors waiting on us there!!

Reese got more presents than you can imagine -- it reminded me somewhat of Christmas morning!!

Her Bravery Beads -- the nurse gave these to her when we checked in. She loved them and they have been re-strung over and over and over!!!

I didn't take any pics of her in recovery, mostly because I don't want to ever see her like that again. Once we got back to our room, she was still very upset and confused. She had to lay flat for 6 hours and that was a chore all on it's own. My poor sweet baby.

After a LONG nap, and some of the anesthesia had worn off, we were ready for some chocolate pudding......yummy!!

At 10pm Thursday night, they made her get up and walk a lap around the unit. She was less than thrilled, but actually did really well. We made a very slow lap and then came back to the room and had chocolate ice cream! This always makes for a happy Reese!!!

The next morning, Dr. M's nurse came in and did an echo cardiogram to make sure everything looked ok. Reese was very cooperative and did just as she should. The device (a septal occulder) was in place perfectly and everything looked great!! Another wonderful blessing!!

After her echo, she wanted pancakes for breakfast! She ate all her breakfast and was in such a good mood!

Daddy taking us for a ride around the unit while we waited to be discharged!!

Reese must have gotten 15 balloons during her hospital stay. The saddest part -- we left them all at the hospital when we left. Reese was not happy about this when she found out =(

Making a lap with Papa.....look, no IV pole!!

We are outta here!! Reese would not be transported out in a wheelchair. She wanted to walk like a big girl! Joe ended up carrying her most of the way!

When we got home, we were so surprised to see our front door all decorated!!! Reese's friends from school did this for her -- seriously one of the sweetest things ever!

More presents!!

Thank you so much to everyone that came to sit with us at the hospital, sent flowers or gifts, or simply prayed for our sweet girl. You have no idea how much it all means to Joe and I. We definitely could not have gotten through all this without the help and support of all our friends and family. Reese is doing so well. We go back to the hospital on August 19th for another echo cardiogram and an xray. She has not missed a beat during this entire process. The hardest part about the recovery is making her "take it easy" as the cardiologist would say. Kids are so resilient -- it's amazing. Reese, we are so glad this is behind us and you are doing so well -- we love you so so much sweet angel!!!