Monday, April 5, 2010

say cheese!

This was a day I would not want to repeat.  Now that it’s over, I’m glad we did it, but it was a really tough morning.

It started out great.  Look how excited she was!

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And she loved putting on her gown, specials socks, and “clown hat.”

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Even though a few people warned me that it would be difficult to watch my daughter slip out of consciousness, I still was not prepared for it.  She jerked around and tensed up her face and clutched my hand even harder as she slipped into never neverland.  I left the room crying and wondering, “What have I done?”

Watching her wake up was even more painful.  She was borderline hysterical and nothing we tried would console her.  She didn’t know where she was, she was in pain, and she was freezing.  She kept yelling, “I want to go home!  I want to go back to the Dubs!”  Again I asked myself, “What have I done?”  It took about 30 minutes to calm her down.  I held her in my lap, wrapped in layers and layers of heated blankets.  I asked her if she’d like to take a nap with me later that afternoon and she said, “How about right now?” and then promptly fell asleep in my lap.

When she was coherent enough, we left the surgery center with a popsicle in hand.  She licked the stick clean, even though after the first bite, she exclaimed, “This tastes disgusting!”  (Might have had something to do with the fact that her lip was still oozing. . .)

We came back to our friends’ house (the infamous Dubs) who have been so gracious to take care of us while we’re here in town.  She rested, carefully drank a smoothie, and watched The Princess and the Frog.

She was pretty clingy to me the entire day, but became more and more herself as the day wore on.  By the time we were getting ready for bed, she was laughing at how funny her lip looks when she says words with B’s or P’s in them because her upper lip is still very swollen (and will be for the next couple days).  She couldn’t stop giggling as she said “big blue bumblebee bug” in the mirror.

And here is what my beautiful girl looks like now:

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I can’t believe what a drastic change it is already, and the surgeon said it will be a couple weeks before it really “settles down all the way.”  You can see the edge of the stitches (which apparently looks like a dead bug) and the swelling in her top lip.  She’s still a little loopy in this picture, but isn’t she gorgeous??

So, what HAVE I done?  After watching Berkeley look at herself in the mirror for the first time post-surgery and get the biggest grin on her face, I don’t have to wonder anymore.

19 comments:

Megs said...

This post made my cry and smile. She looks so much like Kendall in the last picture. I am so happy that she is done with the surgery and so happy that she loves her new look. I will miss the old Berks but can't wait to get to know the new Berks :) Give her big hugs for me please.

Stephanie@Soggy Runner Girl said...

So glad everything went well, I saw your post this morning and thought about you as I know how hard it is to turn them over into the doctors hands. HAppy that it is over for you both! She is and always was beautiful!!!

Erin said...

I am so glad everything went well! Berkeley looks beautiful, as always!

Alyssa said...

Wow, what a day! Thanks for the updates. We hope Berkeley feels like herself soon! :)

Melinda said...

So glad she did so well!!! Those eyes are killing me!

Molly said...

I know how hard that is, watching your baby go under. I'm glad you can both put the day behind you and are pleased with results! Happy recovering!

jan said...

I didn't think it would make that much difference, but it is amazing! I'll bet she likes seeing her teeth when she smiles. One thing is for sure, Grandma Jan is grateful everything went so smoothly and I can't wait to see those girls next week. love you all

Ann said...

I thought she was so beautiful before and now she is even more beautiful!! What a huge difference this will make in how she feels! Glad it went well and she is feeling better!

Rachel said...

Yes I know how you feel! Watching your kids go under anesthesia is extremely painful. I've gone through it 4 times with Connor and once with Braydon. (mostly ear tubes) Hopefully no more! Her lip looks great! That's awesome that she is so excited about it!

jessie said...

I'm so happy to read that everything went so well! :) Maybe it was pregnancy hormones, but I totally teared up reading this update! I'm just SO happy for Berkeley because SHE'S so happy! :) And yes, she's gorgeous - but that goes without saying, right? :)

jessie said...
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The Kerr Family said...

She was gorgeous before and she's gorgeous after! We're so glad that everything went well and that you all survived. We can't wait to see Berkeley's new smile!!

Anonymous said...

I am glad you found a good doctor and that, even with the hard moments, it all turned out well.

Jen said...

Aw, Mer--she was a beauty before, but I'm sure she'll be so glad she had the surgery! I know what you mean about how scary all that is--Jonah had adenoid surgery when he was 3, and they're just so out of it and inconsolable when they wake up. It's really upsetting, isn't it? I'm so glad she's feeling better.

Unknown said...

She made it! She looks beautiful as ever. I'm glad you made it too!

The Dahle Family said...

I agree with you, Mer, I can't believe what a drastic change it is already. I really didn't think you'd see it so soon after surgery, what with the swelling and stitches.

Ah, so nice to have the surgery day behind you. Enjoy your recuperation week, Berkeley--make the most of the special treatment while it lasts! We can't wait to see you guys in July!

jrae said...

So glad to hear things went well and your little girl is fine. That sounds so hard to go through as a mom.

Marliese said...

What a rough day. I can relate a little. But sounds like Berkeley is a resilient little one.

She's a doll. Enjoy your stay in DC!

Leslie said...

Amazing. what a difficult decision and surgery to go through, but look at the results. She was beautiful before and is beautiful now.