Surgery Day

Monday, September 30, 2013, was the day we had anticipated for months. We approached this day with excitement but mostly dread. Thrilled that this would be the first huge step in Marlee's journey to hearing but anxious about a long surgery.

The day before surgery our Sunday School class blessed us with a bag full of goodies for the hospital. We are so thankful for friends who have been with us throughout this year and who have met so many of our needs.

We spent that Sunday afternoon recovering from the birthday bash the day before! That night Marlee took her pre-op bath and went to bed, thankfully, with no idea of what the next day would hold.

This is the promise we clung too...

Thank you, Mrs. Manley, for this beautiful gift!

Monday morning we arrived at Lebonheur at 8 am with surgery scheduled for around 10. One other surgery was scheduled before Marlee. Because that surgery went long, Marlee's did not begin until noon. That meant 8 whole hours without food or drink for Marlee! Luckily, there were some toys in that hospital goodie bag to help keep her occupied. She actually did really well. We spent some time in the play area and she even fell asleep for twenty minutes before they came to get her.

We were banished to the play area for a while because this little girl wanted nothing to do with that crib :).

She watched a little TV with her daddy. 

She cuddled with her very nervous Mommy!

Things began to get a little desperate, so we handed over the phone :).

For those who have asked, I did bring Marlee's matching yellow bow, but, unfortunately, I was not feeling festive enough for bow wearing... (I guess I could have brought a blue bow to match those socks!) :)

This is the part where she finally fell asleep. My stomach was in knots by now just ready to get the show on the road. Too much waiting!

The nurses woke her to take her to surgery but let me hold her until we got down the hall. Even then, I did not have to put her in the bed. Instead, I gave Marlee to the anesthesiologist who my friendly baby girl went to without hesitation. :) The anesthesiologist had such compassion in her eyes when she took Marlee as I asked her to please take good care of my baby. Ugh. I pray I never have to do that again! I am thankful that Marlee's is not a condition where she has have to have multiple surgeries.  

They took her at exactly 12:00 and the waiting began. The next six hours actually went by pretty quickly. Our families waited with us.

Hunt always makes us smile. :) He knew he was there to see his "Marmee!"

              

The anesthesiologist called twice from the operating room to update us. We were thankful when the first ear was complete. If there had been a spinal fluid leak (a possibility with Marlee's cause of hearing loss) they would have only been able to complete one ear.

What a wonderful relief it was when Marlee's surgeon, Dr. Macdonald, came to tell us everything had gone well! We went to see Marlee in recovery around 6:00 p.m. We were not directed right to Marlee but could hear her as soon as we walked through the doors. Two nurses were trying to calm her down, and it was an incredible feeling for her to relax immediately (even if momentarily) in my arms. 

 Nothing was funny at the time, but we laugh now at that huge diaper they put on her!!

My baby was hurting and not even the pretty pink color they chose for the bandage could make it better...

The next 8 hours were the worst. I was not prepared for her to be in so much pain. I thought she would be out of it, but after three doses of morphine, she was still beside herself with pain. I have heard that every baby reacts so differently. The only good thing was that I had lots of snuggle time with my baby who has never been a snuggler. 

Around 2 am, she calmed down enough to get in the crib. She stayed calm as long as I was right with her. 

I will have to apologize later for being a cover hog! Poor baby! She was probably wondering what kind of mommy takes all the covers?!?!

Oh, and you can also see that she had pulled the pink bandage off of her head by this time!

Marlee was feeling so much better the next morning. She was still groggy and swollen but not screaming!

It was hard to believe that they took the bandage off the very next day. 

And can we just take a minute to look at those chunky baby legs?! :)

Here is a video of her waving at us!

I was so glad to get her dressed in her own clothes and back to sleep. (I covered her up this time!)

Then it was time to go home!

We left the hospital exactly one year after we took Marlee home when she was born.

I posted this on Facebook after we left the hospital:

Leaving the hospital on October 1st, 2012, I could not have known what the coming year would hold. Leaving the hospital on October 1st, 2013, I can say with confidence that God is who he says he is. He is faithful. 

"In my moments of fear, in every pain, in every tear, there's a God who's been faithful to me.When my strength was all gone. When my heart had no song, still in love he's proved faithful to me. Every word he's promised is true. What I thought was impossible I've seen my God do."

The next week was filled with more snuggle time. Marlee would only fall asleep next to me on the floor. 

She also had lots of play time. She was dizzy the next few days, but she didn't know it! I followed her everywhere to make sure she didn't fall!

Before Marlee's surgery, I looked at other blogs about children with cochlear implants. It helped me to know ahead of time what her incision would look like. (that's why I am including this picture) Each incision was about 4 inches long.

She started feeling much better within just a few days. We just can't thank you enough for all of the sweet words, cards, and gifts!

Thank you, mostly, for all of your prayers! Marlee loves you all and we do too!!

Marlee is ONE!

I love to plan parties! Every year I look forward to having friends over for a Christmas or New Years party and again for the fourth of July. Because of our year with Marlee, we were not able to have either party. I was disappointed, but that just meant that I could spend lots of time thinking about my girl's big day!  She will not remember her first birthday, but after the year Marlee has had, she needed to be celebrated! Not to mention, it was much more fun to think about her party than the surgery coming two days later. It was the perfect distraction that called for lots of crafting and many trips to Hobby Lobby with my mom and my girl! 

Marlee has affectionately been known as "Marlee Bug" since she was a ladybug last Halloween. So naturally, the theme of her first birthday party was "Cute as a Bug." 

I was so excited to find these cute invitations!

The party was at my parents house, so I spent much of the week decorating at their house. I went over again Saturday morning while Greg made sure Marlee had a good nap! He brought her over at party time!

Here are some pictures of the decorations inside my parent's house. 

It was perfect day to crawl through the"Caterpillar Crawl", jump in with the "Rollie Pollies" or "Say Bees" at the photo booth!

For lunch we had P"bee" & J sandwiches shaped like butterflies, Caterpillar Kabobs (fruit kabobs), Veggies "From the Garden", "Bug Bites" (chick-fil-a nuggets), "Snail Shells" (tortilla roll-ups), Hot ham and cheese sandwiches (they had a cute name but I can't remember it), and we "dug in" to some Captain Rodney's Dip.

Marlee also enjoyed some sweet potatoes :). 

Then it was time for dessert! Cake, cupcakes, cookies, and brownies!

She was very excited to see her cake and really wanted the candle!

We sang "Happy Birthday" and even blew bubbles while we sang!

She loved the cake and ate it like a true lady!

She wanted nothing to do with the birthday hat that took me weeks to make!

One of my favorite memories of the party is Marlee sitting in her rocking chair as we opened presents.  I never dreamed she would stay in one place for so long, but she did!

It was a wonderful day! Marlee had such a great time celebrating with all of her friends and family!

Happy 1st Birthday Marlee Bug! We love you!

And thanks to my Uncle Tim for taking all of these pictures...and many more!! He also made her one year video that I would love to share when I figure out how to put it on the blog :).