Surgery Day!!!

Today's the day!! My baby is going in for surgery. I know it's a routine procedure and blah, blah, blah....but this is my baby we are talking about!! The mom side of me doesn't give a rats ass about routine. My baby is going to be taken away for a brief period of time by two strangers and I just have to sit and watch them go.
I keep thinking of the scene from Steel Magnolias when they are in the cemetary and M'Lynn says her mind knows, but would somebody please explain it to her heart.
Of course....Kenna is wide awake. She's watching tv, playing with her Easter stuff and finishing up her apple juice, she has about 5 more minutes before she can't have have any liquids. I just want to sit and hold her but she wants to play.
I'll update more later.......

What a great experience!!!!

We dropped Camden off at the neighbors and as soon as we pulled away I felt like I was going to throw up and I was pretty shakey. I was able to calm myself down and was okay for a little bit. I started thinking again and I got upset but was able to compose myself before they noticed(I hope).
We got to the center and was so impressed. There were different toys for kids to play with in the waiting area and also two XBox systems. They called us back and they took Kenna's vitals and gave us jammies for her to change into. Then a nurse practitioner came in and went over her history and explained a few things to us. She then took us to the waiting area where there were a bunch of toys, a tv and another game system set up.
A volunteer came over and asked Kenna if she wanted to do a craft. They made a cute little basket together and then colored. After they were done they went over and played with Mr. Potato Head.
Dr. Dahl (the ENT) came out and talked to us and explained what would happen and asked if we had any questions.
A nurse came over to give Kenna some Versed(it's used to relax the patient or make them fall asleep before surgery and to block the memory of the procedure). Once she took it she had to either be in one of our laps, in a bed or in a wagon. She chose the wagon, I think because she saw another boy in the wagon. I was hoping she would want to be in our laps but she knew she could still play in the wagon.
A Child Life Specialist came over and talked to her. She showed her the mask they use to administer the gas and let her hold it and put it on her face. She also got to choose the flavor of gas. Then she let Kenna pick a doll that had a hospital gown on and helped her color a face on it. By this time the Versed was kicking in. She wanted to lay down and cuddle with Tiara(her baby she brought). She would start talking and then get really loud. At one point she tried to sit up and said "I'm in a wagon", as her head wobbled a little. It was pretty funny and we were all laughing, even the nurses.
I knew the anesthesiologist would be coming out soon to take her away but I was actually pretty calm about it. Kenna was very comfy and we kept saying I love you and when I asked her who she was she told me Princess Kenna....that's my girl.
Dr. Loo came out and introduced himself to all of us and explained what was going to happen. They would take her back and give her the gas, after she was asleep they would put the IV in and give her liquids and medication. They would also insert a breathing tube. He asked if she was ready to go and if she wanted to go fast or slow...she said fast....and off they went. I got a little upset but not like I thought I would. I felt very comfortable and knew she was in good hands.
We gathered up our stuff and went out to the waiting room. They had muffins and bagels and coffee, hot chocolate and juices. I drank some coffee and then decided to go find the gift shop. It was driving me crazy just sitting there. I found the gift shop and looked around a bit and then headed back. They had finished with the surgery and everything went great, one of would be able to go back with her after they removed the breathing tube. After they moved her to the recovery area there could be two people back there. About 10 minutes they came and got me to be with her.
I walked back there and she had rolled over onto her tummy. She looked so tiny laying in that big bed. I checked her out(it seemed like she was wrapped in tubes but they were just going across her from when she rolled over) and made sure she was covered up. We rolled her over to unhook her from the monitors and headed over to the recovery area.
She woke up as they were hooking her back up but then went right back to sleep. Matt came back and we pretty much just watched her for about 15 minutes. I was getting a little worried because her oxygen level was dropping below 90. I asked the nurse about it and she said the anesthesia makes it hard for them to breathe normally. As long as she was able to bring it back up above 90 on her own she was doing fine. Each time she brought it back up but it was still worrying me a little.
Once we were able to get her to stay awake we started giving her a slushee. Her face was swollen and you could see where the tape was under her eyes. She did a really good job of eating the slushee and soon we were able to get her ready to go home.
Overall, it was a terrific experience!! I was so impressed at how child and family oriented they were.