very very very (too) early this morning i took the babe to have her first operation: grommets. it is possibly the shortest operation known to mankind … but i was still a scared little mama. upon reflection, the whole thing is quite surreal really. we woke up, we drove to the day surgery clinic, i handed the babe over to the anaesthetist, twenty minutes later i was comforting my little babe who was completely disoriented, uncomfortable, and all of a sudden she could hear everything crisp & clear. the twenty minute wait is what gets me – the thought that at that moment she is asleep (forced), under the knife & I am not with her – gives me goose bumps. sheeeeeeeesh.

i am thankful for a few things:

- prayer. many many many of my family & close friends were praying for our little girl. i know this is the only reason why she did not complain before the op having fasted since 6pm the night before, and the only reason she has not complained after the op even though she is probably in a world of discomfort & quite frightened by all the noise. i also know this is the only reason that i am still sane – we only found out on tuesday afternoon that the operation was going ahead.

- feeding & crawling. i am so incredibly glad that i am still able to feed my baby. it was a source of great comfort for both of us when she woke up. i am also glad she is still crawling (albeit, she has already taken more than 4 steps on her own several times !) because the nurse said she will have ‘drunk legs’ for the next few days.

- grandparents. always there. always care.

here are a few pics of our little adventure pre-op:

she was none-the-wiser about what was just about to happen.

here are some pics post-op*:

all in all this was a pretty good experience. i am really happy for the babe that she will (hopefully) have no more ear infections, no more antibiotics & that she will be able to hear everything beautifully.

have you had a similar experience?

xx

* yes … it is a bit cruel to take pictures of the babe while she is in pain, but an old friend used to say to me that it is always good to take pictures of both the good & the bad. that way you remember those significant events in your life. and you can have a laugh about it once the pain has passed. (this friend would always take a photo of me when i took a really big stack skiing … embarrassing yes, but good to see after a hard day skiing!).