Kiel and I have been mentally preparing ourselves for this day for some while. We knew halfway through my pregnancy that our little boy would need a series of surgeries. Accepting that our beautiful little baby needed open heart surgery was a tough pill to swallow. Fortunately, we have had an amazing two months at home with our bug. There were moments where we truly forgot that he had a heart condition at all. This passed week, the physicians confirmed that it was now time to proceed with surgical intervention.
This morning, around 8:45 am, we walked Alec down to the OR. With tears in our eyes we kissed his little forehead, and we assured him he would be okay... which we knew he would. It was one of the toughest moments of my life for sure, but I had faith that everything would be okay. (After all, he has the best cardiac team in the world). We waited patiently with family for our updates, and before long (not too long at all), the nurse came out to tell us that they were finishing up. By 11 am, the surgeon had come down to meet us. He explained that all went smoothly, and that Alec was in recovery and doing well. We could finally breath a sigh of relief.
Surprisingly, Alec looked incredible post-op. He has a small incision down the center of his chest and one small drain. His color is perfect, and his beautiful lips are a vibrant shade of pink that I've never seen before. His vital signs have been stable, and his lab work looks good. His oxygen levels have been higher than they've ever been, and he is only on a very small amount of supplemental oxygen. As I look down at my beautiful son, I am humbled by his strength. He has already been through more in these last two months of life, than I have in twenty eight years. This kid is absolutely amazing, and I couldn't be more proud.
I know that things have pretty much gone perfectly so far, but the road ahead may have it's challenges for sure. I am trying to stay cautiously optimistic about Alec's recovery and I realize that some days may be better than others. The biggest hurdle has already been cleared, and we are just looking forward to the day where the doctor tells us that we can take our son home. I cannot wait to be home.
I cannot begin to thank our family and friends for all the facebook posts, e-mails, thoughts, and prayers. Our support system is truly amazing. I seriously believe that the reason Alec is doing so well is because of you all.
xo
