UNBELIEVABLE RECOVERY

After hearing MANY horror stories along with very firm instructions and warning signs from the doctors and nurses, I totally expected a week of agony for Isaiah and prayed so hard that he would drink enough to stay hydrated. Answer to prayers, soldier boy or freak of nature are just some of the many thoughts I have had since Zaya's surgery!! The kid came home and although I thought he would be sleeping off anesthesia for hours, he had different plans. The boy ate applesauce, 2 popsicles and drank 2 sippy cups of white grape juice WHILE playing with cars, chatting on the phone and flipping out because I wouldn't let him go outside to play. I then believed the pain medication I gave him had an adverse affect b/c he was so freaking hyper and NOTHING like the hospital staff said he would be. They called in a different medication to use that evening and just said to keep him calm and not running around. RIGHT? Hey let's hop the boy up on steroids which make him super hungry, hyper and irritable THEN give him some pain meds that INCREASE the hyperactivity and you expect me to keep him calm! OK! Then fill him with juice, pudding, jello, popsicles, applesauce, slushies and ice cream for a little extra kick!! I think the withdrawal from sugary soft foods may be the worst we get. Don't get me wrong I am esctatic that his post-op status is amazing but I am still waiting for the other shoe to drop since I have heard some awful stories. I just keep saying well now that he can actually breath and he doesn't have rotten food in his throat he probably feels so much better than the pain is almost worth it! The worst part right now is just chasing him and listening to him scream while I put in the ear drops other than that you wouldn't believe he had surgery two days ago if you saw him. The first day he ate 5 popsicles, jello, apple sauce, bunch of juice, 2 slices of cheese pizza (w/o the crust) and a cupcake. Unbelievable I know! We actually even let him go to the end-of-the-year football party the night of his surgery since he was just his normal self and had asked ALL day if he could go to the "football birthday party". I told him he could go BUT if he ran AT ALL or jumped AT ALL he had to go home with Mommy. As we were walking into the party he was walking REALLY slow with his arms stretched out to the sides as if walking on a balance beam. When I said, "Hurry up baby it is cold!", he responded with, "No Momma I can't go fast or you will make me miss the football birthday party!" Him eating pizza at the party was "ify" for me but the doctors said he could have pizza as long as it was soft. I was very scared I would regret that decision into the wee morning hours if he woke up in pain. I was told MANY times to make sure I gave him his pain medicine AROUND THE CLOCK and to even set an alarm to WAKE HIM UP and give him medicine. Ok the plan was to wake up at 3am and give him a dose that would last until 8am.......yep you guessed it I did NOT wake up at 3am. I woke up at 5am scared to death to wake him up for fear he would be in pain. Luckily unlike Elijah, Isaiah is not to hard to wake up. I woke him up and said I need to give you some medicine baby. In his sweet sleepy gruff surgery voice he says, "Otay Momma!", took his medicine then laid back down. I starred in awe at my sweet sleepy little boy when he lifted his head and grumbled, "tan I *garble garble grunt garble* for my birdday?" then laid down. Unsure of what in the world he said, I simply replied yes and while walking out of the room in love with this sweet baby of my mine he sits up and says, "Momma I wuv you buncha bunches! See you in da morninG!" Wake up to morning two.....throat a little sore but I believe it was from sleeping and not drinking for several hours. He was hungry but didn't want anything I gave him so I just told him to keep drinking until he felt better. I wondered if this was the beginning of his little surgery downfall.....NOPE I cleaned all morning while he watched cartoons and played with his cars then after his nap he ate. Yesterday he ate ice cream, jello, a little applesauce, about 5 popsicles and 2 bowls of macaroni and cheese. I think the worst part is going to be getting him back onto a regular diet because he is totally in love with the whole "popsicle as a meal" idea!! They say days five through seven are actually the worst b/c the scab will fall off and the throat will basically be raw but I have high hopes for our little soldier boy that he will continue his march in recovery!