After the zoo we were off to NeeNee and Uncle Jared's house for dinner and conversation. Once we got there Nathan began playing with Mattie, the Dryers beagle. Which confirmed to Brandon that Nathan needs a dog : ) Nathan got a bath, dinner and a bottle and was off to bed. We stayed up and chatted for a while and then hit the sack too. Nathan didn't sleep so well in the pack and play and was much more cozy in bed with us. Secretly I was hoping he would wake up so I would have an excuse to cuddle with him all night. 4:00 a.m. came to quickly but we knew we had to face the day.
We arrived at The Children's Hospital by 5:30, got checked in and we were back prepping for surgery by 6:30. Many nurses and doctors came into meet us and Nathan to reassure us and give us a run down of the events that would be taking place. Nathan was wonderful! He did great when nurses would check him out. He would just look and you could see the wheels turning, wondering what they were doing, so cute. He played with his Grandma and Grandpa Ahrenholtz, read some books and cuddled with us. At 7:40 a nurse came to get him to take him back and he waved bye-bye and we stood stunned. He has been rather clinging but not this morning, he went right to the nurse. I know it was God telling me that everything would be fine. Thinking about it makes me tear up, goodness. Once he left we shed our tears and bucked up and went to have breakfast and attempt to take our minds off of the surgery. We were blessed to have both sets of Grandparents, Aunt Rene and our Pastor Brad Eakin sit with us while we waited.
Nathan pre-op playing and having fun
It was after 10:00 a.m. when the doctor came out and explained what they had done during the procedure. Nathan had a kink in the "tube" that allows the urine to flow from the his left kidney to his bladder. Once the kink was cut the bladder relieved a large amount of fluid. The problem was a little more serve then they first thought. They had to put in a stint to make sure things didn't swell and close up during the healing process. We will have to return to The Children's Hospital in 6 to 8 weeks to remove the stint. It will be an outpatient procedure, they will need to put him to sleep but he should be good to go after a few hours.We were moved to Nathan's room around 11:00 a.m and that was when Nathan was finally starting to come out of the grogginess. My parents were his first visitors and he was so happy to see them. It was cute to see his reactions to all of his guests. He loves all of his grandparents and aunts and uncle. We just love to see him interact with them. Nathan was smiling and laughing and enjoying his company before his afternoon nap. He didn't have any bad reactions to the anesthesia he was given. He had 8 oz of juice, 4 oz of formula and had a few yogurt melts, less than an hour after he woke up from surgery.
As the day progressed Brandon and I learned how to change the dressing covering his drain. Nathan finally went to bed around 8:30 p.m. and Brandon and I soon followed. Unfortunately our night was interrupted at midnight, 4 a.m. and 7 a.m. by nurses coming and going. I understand it was necessary I just wish Nathan could have got a little more sleep. On Wednesday morning we were discharged around 10:30 a.m. Nathan was fast asleep before we reached the interstate and didn't wake up until Cheyenne. We were all happy to be home. Nathan had a ton of energy when we got home and was so excited to play with all of his toys. We put him down for a nap and you could just tell he was relieved to be in his own bed. Home sweet Home!
We are so blessed that everything went well and that he is continuing to heal. We are so grateful for such amazing friends and family members that continue to support us. Thank you! Thank you! We can't say it enough.