Eat Your Heart Out, Humpty Dumpty!

Angelee's surgery was supposed to be between two and four hours.  It ended up being a little more than three and a half.  When the surgeons got in there, they realized that her little growing body had been calcifying -  making bone - to cover the exposed brain area.  The surgeons decided to take out the new bone (it was uneven and would give her a bumpy head, and also the old pieces wouldn't fit back in properly) and use the new as to fill in gaps or holes.  This they did successfully.  They screwed the bones (new and old) into place using screws and plates that are absorb-able.  In a year, they won't be there anymore.  Freezing skull pieces until you need them.  Disappearing screws.  How cool is that?

As Angelee came out of the anesthesia, she was fussy - but only for a moment until she'd fall asleep again.  When she really started to wake up, she looked around, looked at me, looked hard at the bed, and fiercely said, "Down!"  She noticed the despised oxygen monitor strapped to her big toe, stuck it up in the air, and demanded, "Off!"  Yup, she's back! 

When I left the hospital later this afternoon, she was drinking all the apple juice she could get her hands on, stealing Daddy's slushies, and watching Enchanted.  She likes to hold his hand, and still freezes up when strangers enter the room.  She's talking and moving around in her crib, and told me in no uncertain terms that she had an owie on her head.  Poor little sweet girl.  It's such a relief to be done with the surgery, and have her awake and alert again.  It is so much better than the last time!

They said she could be going home as soon as Saturday.  Wow.  A huge thanks goes out to Dr. Riva-Cambrin and all the wonderful people at Primary Children's Medical Center who put our little girl back together again today.