Update

Whew! What a LONG day. First off, Brayden's surgery went great. Everything went smoothly and pretty much perfect. The doctor was very pleased with how well Brayden did and how smooth surgery was.

Last night was a long night for me. I'm pretty sure I got all of about 2 hours of sleep. I woke Brayden up at 1:30am for his final feed before surgery. Then at 5:15am we woke him up and put him straight in the car seat. He woke up but was (surprisingly) content for the drive to the hospital. We arrived at UNMH at 6am to check-in. We were called back around 6:30 where we were briefed on the surgery and met with the team that would be with Brayden during surgery. All throughout this time Brayden was in cheerful spirits. He was laughing, smiling, kicking, and playing. This was a huge help to relieve some stress that Brent and I were feeling. In between he did fall asleep in our arms for brief periods of time. He only became fussy when they had to draw blood, but I would too if I woke up to being poked by a needle! Finally at 8:00am they came to take Brayden from us. We gave him sweet little kisses, told him how much we loved him and off he went. I think it was at that moment that I broke down into Brent's arms.

Around 10am we were called to wait outside the Pediatric ICU where we would be able to see our little guy. He looked really good, much better than I anticipated or pictured. He was a little fussy but a small dose of morphine helped ease his pain.

Since then we've just been hanging out and letting him rest. He's hooked up to all sorts of machines with IV's and monitors ect... It seems the IV is causing him the most discomfort. He's still waking up from the anesthesia so he hasn't really been eating. A short while ago the Doctor came in to check on him and stated he expected him to be really waking up here around 6pm or so and that I would probably be in for another long night where he'll be catching up on meals.

He's a big, strong guy and expected to have a quick recovery. We're expecting to be here at least till Wednesday. I'll be staying the night with him tonight and Brent will go home since only one parent can stay the night.

When we have more news we will continue to update on his recovery process. Thank you everyone for all your thoughts and prayers! We are so thankful for everyone who has been there for support. We love you all!