Sigh...

We are all breathing a huge sigh of relief around here. London finally got her surgery and is doing well. She seems to have the most difficult time at night though, so I'm going to make this brief because I'm pretty exhausted.

[In admitting]

Sweet baby's checking to make sure Daddy's okay.

We were so (VERY!) nervous.

[Pre-surgery play room]

I love to watch a kneeling baby, busy exploring a new toy.

{Especially in a peek-a-boo back hospital gown}

Look at those cute little piggies under there!

[In recovery]

So the surgery went really well, but oh, how I wish I could've taken her place on that operating table. I was a nervous wreck the whole 4 hours and kept London's blankets and Hoo Hoo snuggled up close the whole time so I could smell them as I prayed for my baby.

We were so happy to be reunited with our little one after the surgery. She had an epideral in though so we weren't allowed to hold her.

Melt.My.Heart

She was so calm and peaceful. We kept readjusting her to the center of the bed but within minutes she'd unnoticeably ease herself off to the edge again. She just wanted to be close to her mama and daddy. It was so sweet.

[In pediatrics]

We did our best to keep her entertained with books, movies, toys, singing, etc. and managed pretty well. The hardest part was trying to get any sleep because dr.s, nurses, interns, residents, the pain management team, childlife specialists, etc. kept barging in and refused to speak quietly. I finally stood guard by the door {literally} to filter traffic just so London could get some rest!

This DVD player has come in handy so many times! It was given to us this summer

{by a dear friend}

so we would have a smooth flight home from Utah.

It was so very thoughtful and we've been able to appreciate it again and again.

We love you Redd's!!

There are a few reasons why I posted this picture. It shows several points of interest about our hospital experience:

-You can see London is all red and swollen. She had a reaction to the meds and was really itchy and miserable. Poor thing.

-After a day and a half, they took the epideral out and we were finally able to hold our baby. It was such a pain though with all the catheters and IV cords getting tangled and pulled on. Makes me lightheaded just thinking about it!

-Thursday and Friday, London started having these terrible bladder spasms. It was awful. She was in so much pain and I was completely helpless as to how to help her.

-We had a couple bad nights (I mean reeeally bad nights) of her screaming and thrashing in pain. That red tube there is a catheter and the color running through it is a result of the trauma.

-Those M&M's were a desperate attempt used to calm her down (didn't work).

-Andy's in his scrubs because he would come visit us straight from school. It's just a few metro stops from Hopkins.

Check out the dreads.

Seriously, she had like 5 or 6 going on.

I guess 4 days of laying on your back'll do that to ya!

So we think the worst is over and it's all just recovery from here. Thank you all so much for your sweet concern. The past 6 months have been some of the most difficult in my life. But we've felt so much love and support through it all. Really. Every call, every card, every email, every prayer offered on our behalf was so much appreciated. We loved the beautiful flowers (thank you Traci! thank you Melanie!) and the meals (thank you Erin!). Thank you Lisa and Steph for the beautiful necklaces you made me and my children when my dad died. Sheryl, I cherish the bracelet you gave me. Lori, I loved the flowers you brought when I miscarried last month. And Amy, that homemade applesauce was amazing! Lis and Darice, I still haven't forgiven you guys for moving away but I know you two always got my back. Ü We are truly grateful for such wonderful friends and family who take such good care of us.

P.S. I didn't just make her snuggie for that dorky family picture. It really came in handy in a cold hospital room with a figety baby wearing nothing but a thin hospital gown.