High Five

Danielle and I arrived at the hospital early today so I could have some time with Lawson before his surgery. Brian stayed home to get Lacey off to daycare and mom felt like she could handle the stress of the day best at home. Brian got there early enough to spend some time with Lawson before his surgery. I got to hold him again and was actually happy that they were late in starting so I could spend more time with him.

They came to get him at about 11am. We were lucky enough to get a special room while we waited. The NICU has a room called 'Care by Parent Room', which is designed for families that are bringing their baby home. It is set up with comfy chairs, a television, and a bathroom so that parents can 'practice' with their baby for a day before they actually take him home. We were allowed to wait there during his surgery. We got regular updates from his nurse, Kelly, and were thrilled when she came to let us know that things went well and they were finished after only a few hours!

Dr. Rice, his surgeon, came and talked to us soon after and was practially beaming. Considering the previous conversations we had with him, it felt amazing to see him so positive. As you know, I had asked for prayers after learning of the surgery from Dr. Rice last week. He was kind, but serious and blunt, telling me that Lawson had about a 50% chance of surviving the surgery. So seeing him so truly giddy made my heart melt. I realize that it is probably not giving such a wonderfully talented surgeon his due respect by using the word, giddy, but I really can't come up with a better word. His words exactly were "it couldn't have gone better!" He only had to remove one lobe of the lung and was able to remove the sequestration, leaving the lower lobe. The lower lobe is not completely healthy, but seemed well enough to leave for now. There is a possibility that it may need to come out later, but at this point Lawson has one healthy lung and a portion of the other.

After Lawson was safely back to his room we were able to come and see him. He was a little swollen, but looked awesome considering what he had been through. Everyone seemed upbeat and I got a chance to chat with the Respiratory Therapist who had been with Lawson during his surgery. He made me feel so good when he said, "Dr. Rice gave me a high five." His face told me that that was a pretty big deal. :)

The next 24 hours are critical, so please keep praying for us all. We are so grateful to everyone for their support, prayers, and words of encouragement! It has meant everything to us to know what a huge cheering section Lawson has. I am amazed daily by the outpouring of love from our family, friends, aquaintences, work associates, and complete strangers.

Here's a video of Lawson after surgery sucking on his breathing tube. Let's hope that means he'll be good at feeding! :) Just click the arrow button to play.