I didn't get myself to bed particularly early Tuesday night. In fact, it was somewhere around 12:30. At 4:49 a.m., my eyes shot open and darted toward the clock. Phew! my alarm hadn't even gone off yet and I had a few more minutes. I allowed myself to doze off a bit. Connor was sound asleep by my side. For the second or third night in a row, he insisted on sleeping next to me. I don't sleep as well because I am constantly aware of him being there and I wake up periodically to make sure he's not too close to the edge or something. my alarm buzzed. my dad switched the light in my room on and i looked up and nodded as if to say, "it's time."
I got up, threw myself together, got some coffee and a granola bar ready to go, then ran back into my room to grab a couple of books for Miss Kiera. I gathered everything together in one spot, then went to get her ready. I changed her from her sleeper to her cozy two-piece jammies that function rather well as an outfit. Snatched from sleep, she was dazed and not entirely sure what was happening, but still her regular happy self. I struggled to get everything together and get myself out the door, juggling the books and my coffee in one arm and holding Kiera in the other. once at the car, of course, I finally thought to put the books into my oversized purse that I was carrying. Buckled Kiera in and turned the car on to get the heat going and defrost the windows. We arrived at the hospital right on time. Whew! Now the day could really begin.
They took us back almost immediately. I put her in her gown and we sat together. We talked, played, observed, and occasionally checked out what was on the televesion. Then...darkness. The whole room turned to black in an instant. Quickly the generator kicked on, but power was limited. As information trickeled in, we waited. Would she still have her procedure today? With the hospital on a back-up generator and her ENT unable to get his car out of the garage because of the power outage, all we could do was wait. I quietly hoped that things would settle, the power would come on, and we would get this procedure over and done with but I didn't speak any such thoughts aloud. Instead, I waited as patiently as I could.
A few minutes after 7, Kiera's daddy walked in. You know, it meant the world to her. As any woman I know would say, sometimes, you just need your daddy there. We took turns holding her and entertaining her. I got out one of her new books that plays music then later her new Babar book. The clock ticked. Finally as 7:35, the power came back on and we were ready to roll. When all was said and done, her procedure started less than 30 minutes later than it had been scheduled for and all worked out just fine.
kiera went off with her stuffed zebra. her mommy and daddy headed out to the lobby to...wait.
I had taken notebooks in case the opportunity arose to write. I had also taken a book to read. I called my parents. Dad had gotten Connor on his way and all had gone well there. Mom was ok. I would talk to each of them again later. I read for a few minutes while I ate my granola bar and sipped my coffee. D sat nearby. I decided that since we had taken the time to get along so well in front of Kiera, it was worth the effort to at least attempt conversation. I think we did great. We talked about the kids and different things from their lives. We talked about a couple of television shows. We talked about Connor and his television viewing...and his newfound fascination with zombies. Before we knew it, the doctor was there telling us all had gone well and Kiera did great. Some time later (thought not all that much later), a nurse came and got me. only one of us could go. I was the one. hearing sweet Kiera call to me as she saw me walking over to her was the sweetest sound. She perked right up. She grew irritated with the blood pressure checks. Each time the cuff tightened, she grew increasingly bothered. By the last one, she could settle down, it kept tightening, so she freaked out even more. There was nothing I could do. The nurse wanted one more check. The nurse finally decided that she didn't need it that bad. I finally got Kiera calmed down. The nurse went to get her clothes from D. i got Kiera dressed and ready to go. D carried her out. The morning excursion was done.
A little later, I took Kiera for a nice, long walk. She fell asleep in the stroller and I kept walking. It was almost two miles and it felt so good. She allowed me to put her into her bed when we got home. When all was said and done, she had napped for about four hours, some of the time in my arms.
I did not expect to be so calm through all of this but I was. My anxiety was low. My patience was high. A lot of people were keeping us in their thoughts and prayers today. I credit that for how things went. I could not have done it without the prayer support. That is for sure.
I had been told to avoid over-stimulation. Ha! Despite my best efforts, she was gung-ho and ready to roll in typical Kiera fashion. She swept the kitchen floor three times! She played and wrestled with her brother in the early evening. She wasn't feeling 100%, but she was giving it her all. I think we could all learn a little from this spunky not-quite-two-year-old.
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