Bittersweet

I'm hanging out at home tonight with Sammy while Dan spends the night with Elijah in the hospital. It was really difficult for me to leave the hospital this afternoon. I have never spent a night away from Elijah while he has been in the hospital. One thing made it easier, though. Sam! My cute, chubby Sam. When I picked him up from daycare, he grabbed onto my shirt and wouldn't let go. I think he was pretty happy to see me, and the feelings were most definitely mutual. I can see that this ordeal is affecting him a little bit, too. He isn't eating well during the day (when he is away from us), and he is exhausted. I could see it in his eyes right away. He was asleep by 6:00 tonight.

Elijah's blood pressure is definitely a worry at this point, and it is the only reason he is still in the hospital. He is now on two blood pressure meds, one IV and one oral, and he is just barely keeping his BP where the doctors want it to be. The goal is to wean him from the IV med, but he is still on the max dose so we need some answered prayers. Dan and I are extremely grateful for how well E's recovery has gone so far, so we can't really complain about this hiccup. Being totally sleep-deprived and drained, though, makes every little issue seem insurmountable.

If you saw Elijah right now, you would NEVER know he just had open heart surgery or that he is dealing with high blood pressure. He is full of energy and appears to be feeling like a million bucks. Anyone who steps into his room will most certainly get their ears talked off and will leaving giggling and smiling.

I'm not allowing myself to feel much tonight. I assumed I would have my usual post-hospital breakdown upon arriving home, but apparently I'm not ready for that yet.

Here is an exciting thing! Elijah got to take his first post-surgery walk last night through the hospital! Dan's mom snapped these cute photos..





I'm so proud of my amazing boy! BOTH of my amazing boys. I will be one happy mama to have all of my boys at home together again.

Thanks so much for the prayers! Please continue to pray for that darn blood pressure to cooperate.