Starting the Year off Right

What a week it's been....Can I just say that again? What an incredibly emotional, busy, not-enough-time in the day, exciting turn of events, want to hold and kiss my baby kind of week it's been!
Let me back up just a bit. I love this time of year...reflecting on the old and looking forward to the new a fresh start and outlook on life. Last year was quite the year in our family. One we will continue to learn from the rest of our lives, as we look back and reflect upon the things that happened in our family. The year 2011 will always be ingrained in my heart. But I will honestly say, after the holidays I was ready for the new year and positive that great things will come in 2012.

This week started out...just like any other. It was nice to have Stephen home for the new years holiday on Monday and we worked like mad to get all of Christmas decorations down and packed away and the house cleaned. I was looking forward to a long-awaited trip to see my family and hopping on an airplane later this week to go and visit. We squeezed in Andrew's therapy appointments, knowing that we'd be gone and missing a few times. Then Wednesday morning came. Andrew woke up after sleeping through the entire night. (Something I'd been waiting for, for a very long time). After his morning feeding, he was throwing up and very drowsy. What wonderful timing, I was hoping to finish up the laundry and pack the suitcases. But my little boy was sick...or so I thought.
All of the signs and symptoms of having the flu are the same signs and symptoms of a shunt malfunction. So after throwing up again and having no fever, I got on the phone called the dr. This little boy would only sleep if he was in my arms and then even when he was awake he was not himself. We rushed right into the dr.'s office and after her exam she called his neurosurgeon. She immediately sent us to the hospital. So Stephen got off work and met me and we drove downtown Chicago to the children's hospital. They got us right in and did all sorts of CT scans and X-ray's. After an hour in the emergency room his neurosurgeon (who just happened to be the doctor on call--thank goodness) came to talk to us. She had looked at all of his images and knew that surgery was an emergency. Within minutes he had an IV and we were being wheeled up to the OR and met with the Anesthesiologist. Most shunts typically last 2-3 years, Andrews however decided 7 months was good enough. We knew we'd be making out insurance deductible every year for the next few years, but January 4th? Really? We went three whole days? Stephen and I just have to laugh. How GRATEFUL we are for insurances.

Waiting in the Emergency Room with a sick little boy

Wheeling us up to the operating room

Waiting in the empty parent room that night at 11:00pm, those where the longest two hours.  But as I sat there, I reflected on the last few days or weeks and wondered how long this shunt had not worked.  All that pressure in his head made sense. He has been more whiny than usual and the previous day during OT his therapist pointed out how he wasn't really using his left side as much and turning his hand the wrong way to grab things. Stephen noticed the same after work.  All the little pieces to the puzzle seemed to come together. How grateful I was that I didn't hesitate a bit in taking him into the doctor and that she sent us to the hospital to get everything checked out. Also, I am so grateful that his neurosurgeon was the doctor on call. She knows his background and has been a key support in getting all of his doctors and therapist set up out here in Chicago. Had we gotten on a plane and flown to Utah, who knows what would haven happened. Yes, I am sad that we had to cancel our trip to Utah and am very anxious to get out there soon.

Andrew right after surgery...a little drugged up on Morphine

Andrew is doing incredibly well. Back to his happy little self. What an amazing difference it made. They sent us home the next day less then 24 hours after the surgery. Stephen and I are playing nurse trying to keep his stitches covered, clean and little hands away until his incisions are healed.

Stephen has more of a stomach then I do and is willing to help take the bandages off for the first time. THANKS Daddy! 

Hopefully 2012 can be less eventful in our family.  So what a way to ring in the new year. huh?  Life is full of lots of unknown surprises! Happy New Year!