Here are some pictures of Tate towards the end of the road trip to the hospital. He cried, then he chilled, then he fell asleep.
We got into our room in cardiology. Tate was weighed and measured. (14lbs. 3oz.). Then I answered some health history questions, and then the iv team came in. This was news to me, i thought he'd get a drink to sedate him, not an iv. (yikes!) Here he is after being weighed but before the iv. So sweet. So unaware.
It took them 
(This picture was after the IV was placed and he was calming down in my arms. No meds yet, just his eyes are like that from all the crying.)
(Here he is all hooked up getting ready for his echo.)Then they got started on the echo. They let me hold him while they started putting the meds. in his IV. His head and limbs started to get heavier so they had my lay him on the table and started the echo. The sonagrapher started and they had to keep giving Tate more and more meds b/c what they'd given him wasn't knocking him out all the way. He kept putting his hand on the wand and was trying to "help" the sonagrapher. She said it was the cutest thing in the world, she's never had any one do that before. She thinks for sure he wants to be a sonagrapher when he grows up. Finally they gave him enough meds to put him to sleep. By that time the echo was pretty much over with. Then he had an EKG done while he was still in that room.
(His nurse moving him upstairs to recovery)
(Out of it in recovery)
We were in recovery from about 1:45 to 3:30. They let him sleep it off a bit, because they said the meds. they gave him cause hallucinations (oh great). He slept a long time because they gave him a lot and he didn't really fall asleep until they were almost done.
When he woke up they let me feed him. He was so hungry! He ate great, then we were allowed to leave. The nurse took his IV out and gave him this little mini-cast thing to wear for 20 minutes. We went down to radiology and Tate got his chest x ray. Then we were free to go! If his dr. had been there we would have then received the results of his tests, but Dr. Judd is never there... so we wait. She suppose to call in the next few days.
Tate all packed up and ready to go!Then we went outside to get some fresh air. Four hours in a hospital not fun.
Tate was still a little out of it. Some nurses had commented on how smiley he was after the meds wore off, but he didn't seem smiley to me at all. Probably b/c i'm used to his normal everyday smiles, which didn't compare at all to his weak, half sedated smiles.
Ryan took the big kids to chuck e cheese while we were at the hospital, so we had to wait 20 minutes while they drove to pick us up. They had this little garden/fountain area at the front of the hospital. So Tate and I hung out here while we waited. I had to hang on to him while I took these pictures, because he was still dizzy from the meds. and top heavy. at least they said he would be for the rest of the day, so I didn't chance it.
While I was at the hospital with Tate I was alone. I had my phone but didn't get any service there. So most of the texts I tried to send didn't go through. I had nothing to do because I left my computer and book in the car. I had lots of random thoughts run through my head and decided to "text" them to myself for memory sake and to give me something to do with my empty arms. I thought I'd type them up all here, so I can delete them out of my "drafts" section on my phone.Text 1: I hate this. Tate's making cute noises. He's sleepy. Not sleepy enough. He wants to do the ultrasound himself. I keep hoping this is all a bad dream. A bad dream gone terribly wrong, and all I want to do is wake up and have it be over. They keep calling this a "pre op echo". They asked if his surgery was in the next couple days? Ummmm NO! Still having trouble sedating him. He's a fighter. He wants to help.
Text 2: Its beautiful watching his heartbeat on the echo. Makes me tear up. Flashback to watching his heartbeat on the prenatal ultrasound and crying sobs @ the beauty of it. Did I know some how? Did my spirit know some how on some level? Mother's intuition?
Text 3: Did I mention I hate this? Dr. Judd is never here so we won't get the results for a few days. i've thought of asking a different dr. to come tell me the results. They'd probably say no anyway. Can't decide if I'd rather live blissfully unaware for a few more days or do I really want to know now?
Text 4: He's in the spider man room.
Text 5: .9 versed, .6 nubain, 12 Ketamine
Text 6: In recovery now. Tate's sleeping away. Sure now you sleep.
Text 7: I love you Tate.
Text 8: None of this stuff is fun. sitting alone. lost in my thoughts. in recovery. lots of kids here after same day surgeries. Sad. Kids shouldn't have to go through this stuff. I was a lucky kid. Never having to go to the hospital until I had a kid of my own. What if Tate needs surgery? I don't think I can handle it. Can I hire someone to do it for me? Only problem with that is I can't stand to be away from my Tate. I think I'd even try to watch the surgery from those little upstairs rooms they have on Grey's Anatomy. Being in the dark would be nice but worse at the same time. Its almost 3pm, Tate's still out. Nurse here for discharge info. Even though we'll still be here forever it seems.
Text 9: Is this pre op? When's his surgery? They ask these questions so casually. Like its no big deal. Its quite shocking to a parent who's still 110 percent hoping for no surgery.
(See... totally random... don't judge....)
And just to show you.... Here he is today(5/2/09). Happy and eating his normal diet again. Life is good.
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