Discharged Home

We are home.  Obviously, no one is more relieved than our baby girl, but Mommy is a close second.  This was not our easiest experience and most of our difficulty was attributable to Hip Chick's personality and age.  

At nearly 2 1/2 yrs of age, Hip Chick was old enough to be aware of what was occurring to her, but too young to comprehend it.  This added complication to tasks ranging from dosing medicine to positioning to labs and clinical assessments.  Mommy was especially affected by repetitive, middle-of-the-night cries of "I am stuck" and "I need help."  This resulted in two very sleep-deprived and stressful days and nights, with marginal improvement on the final day.  We were most surprised at her refusal to participate in Scottish Rite's weekly pet therapy yesterday morning.  Two adorable, small dogs were brought to our room to play and she wanted no part of their snuggles- a far cry from her cheers to romp through the dog park last week.

During her surgery, I had spied a collection of fairy figurines.  While these types of occasions don't exactly warrant a "collectible," I thought it a charming idea to provide a treasure from the collection for each of her big procedures- more as a reward than anything else.  She has developed a bit of fandom toward faries and mermaids, so this seemed to be a perfect "first collection" for her.  Thanks to a couple of trips to the gift shop, Hip Chick now has the three above, for her bravery during traction and each of her surgeries thus far.  

Despite the description of her hospitalization above, the transition home was far easier than anticipated.  She relaxed while watching her favorite movie with two new friends.  This was followed by a peaceful three hour nap.  After waking long enough for a fruit smoothie and extra fluids, she settled into her room and slept seven hours overnight.  

Today, it feels like our daughter has started returning to us.  She took her new, grape-flavored pain medicine with a big "AHH" this morning and enjoyed a small breakfast.  She insisted Daddy let her kiss him before he left for work.  We have a lot of work ahead, but hold high hopes now that the surgery and hospitalization are behind us.