Right Now

Jonas is in surgery right at this very moment. It's already been a very long day, and we've got a long way to go. The poor kid couldn't eat breakfast this morning or have his usual snack. He kept rubbing his tummy and pointing to the kitchen; it broke my heart. Zack was able to take him and Molly for a walk while I finished packing, so at least he got some fresh air. I put his shamrock shirt on him, and off we went.

We got to Children's Hospital for check-in at 10:45am, and then we were taken to a holding room where various nurses and doctors came in to check on Jonas and talk to us. We had to sign a bunch of forms, answer the same questions over and over (which is fine-they are very thorough here), get his head marked on the spot they'll be fixing, and try to keep a hungry and tired two-year-old entertained for a few hours. It was exhausting, but the hardest part was yet to come.









We put on coverall outfits and hairnets and masks at about 2pm (Jonas is wearing Zack's in the picture), and we got to walk back and be with Jonas while they gave him the anesthesia in the operating room. He was super scared when Zack had to lay him on the table and when they put the mask on him, but he fell asleep rather quickly, and I'm glad he didn't have to get any pokes while he was awake. We kissed him goodbye, I rubbed his pointy little head one more time, and then we had to leave. So hard.





They spent about an hour getting him ready. Yesterday the nurse told me they wash his hair/head for like 45 minutes and use an entire bottle of shampoo! He had two IVs put in, as well as an arterial line for the blood transfusion he'll probably need. One fun fact...we found out his blood type is B+, so that's our theme for the day (be positive!). The urologist already finished his circumcision, and we got a call about 20 minutes ago that they had started on his head about ten minutes before that (so at about 3:30pm), and everything was going fine so far.

So now we're expecting to wait at least another three hours before he's out of surgery and in recovery. We're all set up in a private room in the waiting area (hooray!), since his is a longer procedure. We've got our computers, snacks, pillows, and phones, so we should be all set. I'm definitely looking forward to him being on the other side and seeing what he looks like.

Everyone here at Children's Hospital has been so nice and helpful. The nurses and doctors are extremely friendly and reassuring. And everyone has fallen in love with Jonas. I don't think I'll ever get sick of hearing how cute he is or what a great personality he has, even though I had nothing to do with it! Anyway, that's the update for now. Sounds like all is going as planned; we're just waiting for it to be over now. Goodbye to Jonas's pointy little head!