I Am So Proud!

Mama Bear finally put her foot paw down and said, "It's time to sleep!" He is literally exhausted, and so are we. I just had him say goodnight to all his toys and his beloved portable DVD player, borrowed from one of the nurses. We said prayers and I tucked him in. I'm now settling myself in for the night, right in front of the monitor, to watch those levels.

I really am so very proud of this little guy. He has been through so much. I know (and how I wish) that if it were me laying there after spending over a week being tested in just about every form possible, having blood drawn daily, IV's changed 3 times, giant x-ray machines, CPAP machines being pushed into my face, strapped down on a gurney and raced into a helicopter, covered in sensors and stickers for sleep studies, echo cardiograms, EKG's, vitals checked once an hour and tons of wires wrapped around me, I'd be really. sick. of. it. all! Kai has taken it all in such stride.

Many of you have reminded me over and over that God has big plans for this little boy. I believe that. With all my heart I can see it. He will overcome his speech impediment. He will overcome every obstacle in his path. He will do something big with his life. His perseverance and resiliency is astounding. He's a survivor. He survived an orphanage that was incredibly scarce of basic human needs. A place where the sick just got sicker and where a nanny that he learned to love tried to give him whatever little she had to offer. This little boy that lacked complete stimulation for the first 22 months of life, now has a soaring spirit filled with unyielding determination. I am so honored and blessed that God chose me, of all women, to be his earthly mother.

We received absolutely no notice when they walked in, two hours earlier than scheduled, to tell us that they were taking Kai to the O.R. The fear in his eyes as he was rolled, once again, down the white, sterile-looking hallways that led to the pre-op area was heartbreaking. We waited in the pre-op and went through the routine of meeting with the doctors, as he sat there pretending we weren't in the room. Daddy gave him his Blackberry and let him take pictures which made him smile a bit. A few minutes later, he was giggling away on his Versed cocktail and minutes after that he was whisked away while waving goodbye to us.

When it was over, we learned that he had lots and lots of fluid in his ears, which we knew from his earlier tests when they told us he had a moderate hearing loss. Tubes were placed releasing all that fluid and his hearing was quickly restored. The doctor removed as much of the adenoids as possible, but there was a bit under the now infamous flap that he couldn't get to.

Right now, the most important prayer requests are that the removal of the adenoids, once and for all, was the cure to the sleep apnea issue. Also, his oxygen levels (saturation) need to remain ideally above 95, but the doctors will accept 93. Thus far, while I've been typing this, he dipped down to 89 for a quick second, but I've been diligently watching and for the most part, it's remained in the high 90's. I've been praying hard all night. In the end, I know God is in control and I know He loves my baby boy, more than I ever could. I know He's watching over Kai and His angels surround him. I pray that He continue to protect him and that this be the end of this saga in our lives. As my dear friend, Terryn said, "My prayer is that our family gets hit with a huge wave of complete boredom!"

As always, I can't sign off until I thank you all and ask God to bestow His abundant blessings upon you for being such loyal friends and for loving and praying for our sweet little man.

Hugs,