The Moment We've All Been Waiting For

So, before we knew it, after all the personal struggles and financial hardships, the big day had finally arrived. Time for the Mod Quad! The alarm went off at 6 a.m., but my husband and I had already been talking about how we hadn't slept a wink for about half an hour. We tried to be quiet, which is impossible in a tiny hotel room. The baby was sleeping right next to the bathroom, making it quite a challenge to get ready without waking her. We knew she would be hungry - she's always hungry- and so we wanted to let her sleep as long as we could before the long day ahead.

I was a mess. I didn't feel good, and I was crying for my baby. For her pain, for her many struggles in her short life. I knew it was the right thing for us to do, but I was so afraid for her. None of knew what to expect that morning. I spent some time throwing up, and that seemed to help a little.

The baby woke, and we put on our brave faces and left for Memorial Hermann Hospital. The day before, someone had shown us where we were expected to be at 8:30 that morning, and the admissions paperwork was pretty much already done. We had paid every red cent we had to our names the day before, and had no problems while we waited. And waited. And waited. And then, we waited somewhere else. This place had toys, so that was easier.

During our time in the playroom, our daughter was distracted by new toys and children, and I was able to fill out the rest of the forms. We were visited by the anaesthesiologist, the doctor, a nurse, and the therapist who made the splint. We felt well taken care of, and no one made us feel silly for being completely freaked out.

Just when our poor baby couldn't take another moment of having an empty belly, a savior brought what they called "happy juice." It was just what everyone needed to loosen up before surgery.

About 15 minutes after taking the stuff, our daughter couldn't stand up. That was okay with her, though. She thought it was hilarious! She stumbled around for awhile, and then settled into my lap, happy to be with her mommy in this beautiful place full of colors.

A few minutes later, "they" came to take my baby. Some people with a bed on wheels and masks on their faces. It is SO hard to let your baby go, to let them take her behind the doors. But, they let us put her favorite lovey next to her, and we let them take her. It was to take about an hour for the surgery, and we could wait "out there." We opted to go to the cafeteria, which actually has okay food and decent seating, but neither of us really ate anything. If we tried, it didn't taste like anything.

We waited. We read. We fidgeted. We stared at the walls. I listened to a lady on the phone for awhile. She was offered a job, but had already accepted another. That was interesting. There isn't a lot to do while you are waiting but wait.