happy birthday, little peanut

How about we make a deal that we'll just pretend it hasn't been a week and a half since my last post? Sound good? Great!

We're heading off this morning for thanksgiving with my family, but I had to post a few shots of the birthday girl. J has to work this Thanksgiving and we are so bummed to leave him behind. We had a little family party last night, even though it was a little early so that daddy could be a part of the celebration.

Sadie was excited about her birthday decor.

Not 100% sure about the candle and certainly very curious about the pudding.

It didn't take her long to warm up to the gooey chocolate, although I think she enjoyed having the braces off her arms almost as much as she enjoyed the pudding!

Yeah, she was digging it!


J jokes that Sadie is like a little monkey/puppy combo these days and he is so right! Sadie will crawl over to me when she wants to be picked up and nuzzle herself into my ankle. She also hoots and hollers and claps her hand on command. She's crawling everywhere now and pulling up a lot. She especially loves the laundry baskets because she can use them for balance and push herself around. She is completely delightful, and I am overwhelmed with emotion at this day. The year since her birth has been the most refining of my life this far. I needed her because I need God's grace, and she has shown me just how desperately I cling to control in my own little kindom. What a blessing to see God's goodness and mercy in her precious face and spunky ponytail!

Happy birthday, Sadie Bess. We love you so much!

thoughts on re-entry

I'm never very good at re-entry.

Those blurry days after having a baby or spending time in the hospital for a surgery feel awkward to me. I feel a little too tired and a little too unaware of how to answer questions appropriately. It always seems to be a slow process of coming back into life and reality.

J headed off to work this morning leaving me with the kids by myself. We've had family here to help us with all the logistics of life for the past week and a half so today was my first day "back," if you will. Bo had a fever yesterday so he's home from school and Sadie had her post-op appointment with the surgeon this morning so it was definitely back to real life! I am thankful that we still have meals from our church family this week; that is a huge relief.

This morning, the surgeon said that everything looks good for little Sadie. Her mouth seems to be healing nicely and he was encouraged to hear that she has been content and seemingly pain free. We do have to leave her arm braces on for another two weeks to insure that nothing goes in her mouth. Additionally, she must continue eating all pureed foods for that amount of time. Anything that she could push or mash on her palate can create a hole and that is definitely an unpleasant scenario. Please pray that the eating continues to go well. Sadie watches the "big" kids eat with much interest and anticipation so I am trying my best to keep her interest in her bowl of mush!

I also thought I'd let her give a little update on how she's doing...

the thumbs up says it all!

I'd say she's feeling pretty good!

surgery recap

We got to the hospital mid morning on Wednesday and Sadie was turning on the charm.

Despite the fact that her little belly was completely empty and she was poked at every turn, she was super chill. I kind of felt a little sorry for her because I know that she had no idea what was coming!

The surgery took about two hours and then we waited an additional hour for her to wake up from the anesthesia. It's always difficult to head back to recovery, and it broke my heart to see her there. She was swollen from all the fluids and totally out of it. She was also very agitated and obviously in pain. With her first cry, I burst into tears. It was such a different sounding cry. I don't really even know how to describe it, but I was just so overwhelmed hearing a noticeable difference. I didn't expect it.

Our nurse informed us that there were nine admissions into the ICU and that it would take us a while to get a bed there, so we ended up hanging out in the recovery area for over three hours. I wish I could say I was relieved when they finally took us up to the critical care unit, but I was dreading it. Sadie was drugged and in pain and overwhelmed, but as we headed onto a floor of really sick kids I was overcome by God's goodness to us. Few things are harder for me than seeing sick kids.

It was a long night in the ICU and Sadie would cry the most pitiful cry every time we tried to put her down. J and I tagged back and forth with sleeping and rocking her. We were so excited when they told us we could go to a regular room mid morning on Thursday. The biggest concern at this point was that Sadie just would not drink. anything. It was a battle to get her to take any sort of oral medication. We tried every trick and tip in the book but the girl just did not want to drink.

It took most of the day Thursday but by Friday morning, Sadie seemed to be coming back to herself. She was playing and giggling.

The cup was a great toy, but she still wasn't interested in drinking anything from it!

We enjoyed a few wagon rides around the hospital and had big fun exploring the playroom and a few new toys!


Friday around lunchtime Sadie took a few reluctant drops of milk that I dribbled into her mouth. I started cheering and clapping and crying as I watched her open for the milk and swallow. I'm sure she thought I was completely crazy, but I danced my way through the two ounces that she took! She continued to take a few ounces of milk here and there, so Saturday Sadie got to have her first taste of food. Everything has to be completely smooth and pureed, but she was positively squealing with each bite.




By Sunday, Sadie was back to her old self...eating, playing, exploring. It was getting harder and harder to keep her occupied in that room because she felt so good!

When they told us we could go home Monday morning we were so excited! I got Sadie all ready to go and packed up all our stuff and then decided I needed one more shot of Sadie in her bed. We called her our little monkey because she looked like a monkey in a cage.

Can you tell she wasn't all that amused?

Yeah, she was definitely ready to head home.

And man was she happy to see some of her favorite toys and to actually crawl around for a bit.

So far, it's been a relatively smooth transition back to a new normal. We have our follow up with the surgeon Monday and we're hopeful that he will feel like all is healing nicely. If you could please continue to pray that the feedings will go well, we would appreciate it. It's more and more difficult to keep Sadie interested in pureed foods when she sees the big kids eating and feeding themselves!

We are home!

I have 3.2 seconds to type this update because all of the kids are awake and it's almost time to pick up Bo at school. We got our discharge orders this morning and were home just before lunch time. Needless to say, we are all glad to be home!

I've got pictures and hopefully a more lengthy update coming soon. It was such an encouraging week to see how God answered so many prayers. Thank you all for your encouraging words, messages, texts, and emails. I have been terrible about communicating for the most part, and I really appreciate the patience and grace.

More to come...

the update from the Hospital

Emily's phone is giving her trouble so it sounds like you're going to hear from me (Sarah) just a few more times :)

Everyone was able to rest last night and Emily was extremely thankful!

Please pray for Sadie to begin taking fluids. She is having a hard time and this is integral to her recovery. Also, they are going to start trying food tomorrow and we are praying for an easy transition and minimal pain.

I just received this photo from Emily...looks like Sadie is doing some strolling to brighten her spirits...

Thank you so much for continued prayers!

They are back with Sadie now...

...I just got the text and could not be more thankful!

I am sure Emily will be in touch as things progress and thank you for all your prayers today!

Text from Em

"She is in recovery now and we get to go back in an hour or so when she is more awake."

Praise God!

an update from the hospital -- surgery is underway!

(a blog update coming to you from Aunt Sarah -- Emily's sister)

Em requested two specifics in regards to prayer....

1. That Sadie's breathing would be strong upon exiting the surgery therefore allowing them to remove the breathing tube as quickly as possible
2. Pain management for little Peanut....Em said the balance of protecting her airway and managing pain is a tough one, and we want her to be as comfortable as possible without compromising her ability to breath

And I would just like to add an extra request for Emily and Jason. They are incredible parents with strength and stamina beyond what they even realize. The post-op process is a long road and I am praying they will have endurance and peace that only can come from our Heavenly Father.

Thank you for your prayers!

Surgery

Surgery for this little peanut is Wednesday at noon.


I hope to be able to post an update, but I am realistic enough to know that will likely not happen.

Surgery is at noon, and we anticipate it will take a couple of hours at least. The plan is that we will spend Wednesday night in the Pediatric ICU. Because the surgery involves Sadie's airway, they like to monitor patients very closely for the first night. After that, it could be up to a week in the hospital for recovery.

We would covet your specific prayers for the following:
A smooth and seamless surgery, especially in regards to the anesthesia and Sadie's airway.
Limited time in the hospital.
Quick adjustment to eating and drinking for Sadie [if she's unable to get adequate fluids and nutrition, our hospital stay will be extended.]
Sanity for my mom who is managing the older kids.
Health for the older kids as infection for Sadie presents some risks.
Rest and peace as J and I manage the physical and emotional reality of not being in control.

Bubbles

I'm twittering around the house tonight trying to accomplish seven tasks at once. Preparations for Sadie's surgery on Wednesday are in full swing. I've got quite a few more loads of laundry to get through before I'm ready, but we're getting there.

Sadie is pure delight, and I find myself just stopping throughout the day to watch her. I see the calendar say November and I just cannot get my mind around the fact that she will be one. The depth at which my soul is connected to her seems far deeper than a year. She's taught me so much about so many thing, and I am still learning what it means to hold God's gifts with open hands.

Her favorite new trick is blowing bubbles, and boy is it the cutest thing ever! J got a few shots as we watched Bo's last soccer game of the season on Saturday. She gets so focused on those bubbles!