Day 3 of Chillin' and a Photo Journal of our Week

We are on day 3 of chillin' at Hyatt Hospital. I am still so very thankful to be here in our own hotel room, not cooped up in an actual hospital room taking turns sleeping on a hard cot by Lilly's side. I am so thankful that Lilly is perfectly content keeping herself reclined, just playing with little toys, letting us read her books, coloring, watching TV, eating, napping, and basically giving us no trouble at all. Every now and then she gets a little blue and says "I want to go home. I want to get out of bed. I miss Anna and Jared and Tad." But for the most part, she is the model patient recovering from a major surgery. She is not complaining of any pain at all (well, except some minor tummy issues related to a GI tract that has been slowed down and does not have any gravity assisting it), and she is down to just motrin every 6 hours during the day.

Tom and I have each been able to escape the room at least a couple of times each day to go work out in the hotel's fitness room, go for a walk outside, do laundry, or run to the store for essentials. Today, I managed to get in a 5-mile run on the treadmill and later went out to find the Greek food festival around the corner from our hotel. Yummy Greek dinner for us tonight!

But I have never felt so very lazy in all my life. Lilly and Tom are both better at this business of resting and sitting than me.

Tomorrow is the big day that we can let Lilly try sitting upright. If she does that with no pain in her head and no apparent leakage of spinal fluid from her back, she can try standing up and walking around. We are hopeful we might even be able to go to a local Germany bakery recommended by one of our Niceville friends who attended college in Birmingham. (If Lilly isn't up to it, one of us will run out for take out!  Thanks, Lisa, for the recommendation!)

Since we have had a lot of time on our hands, Tom took some time this afternoon to get the photos off of my phone & camera, and uploaded images from the CDs we got from the hospital of the 3D reconstruction of Lilly's spine from her CT scan this week. So, here are a few snapshots from our week (the first two are not for the faint of heart):

This is a view of Lilly's ribs and spinal column, looking from the front towards the back.

This next one is the same view, only from back to front...

This is Lilly, after successfully enduring (and, more importantly, holding still for) her CT scan and her x-rays on Tuesday.  I was SO proud of her for being brave and not crying during either!  

This is on our way at 0 dark thirty to Surgery on Wednesday morning...sleepy girl yawning in the pre-dawn darkness.

Sitting with Mama in the waiting room before surgery.  We are all tired and anxious.

Post op, here is Lilly in recovery, groggy and foggy, thirsty as could be, and most happy to see us.  She is awake here--her eyes just tend to disappear when she smiles.

Here is Lilly in the PICU (with her new fluffy bunny from the Mignacca's and her beloved "Baby Kit" Bitty Baby in a doll-sized hospital gown by her side), resting comfortably.

Here is Lilly on Thursday, after spending a night in the PICU.  This photo is several hours after we had arrived for the morning, and just shortly before she had jumped through all the hoops to earn herself a stay at the Hyatt.  She must have been hungry, because as she ate the dry, hospital cafeteria chicken strips she said "Mmmmmm....Mom, who made these??"  She also discovered, for the first time, tater tots.  Another "Mmmm" and a request for "more ketchup!"  Before she could finish her lunch, Dr. Oakes' nurse, Andrea, had arrived to sign her discharge papers (as well as Baby Kit's discharge orders).

Logistically it was a little challenging to keep her completely flat from the PICU down to the car, into the car, from the car to the hotel room bed.  But, with the help of a little red wagon (they have hundreds of them in the hospital) and some hospital pillows they let us take, we managed.  Here we are waiting for Daddy to pull up in the truck.

Lilly was a little incredulous that we were letting her ride in the car lying down on the back seat, with no seat belt.  We were just thankful the hotel was just around the corner!

And this is where Lilly has spent the last 36 or so hours...in her cozy sleeper sofa at the Hyatt, surrounded by toys, stuffed animals, books, blankies, and LOVE.

The next few photos are from Lilly's perspective...she got ahold of my iPhone and I thought it was funny to see life from her perspective on her bed!  yes, that's the ceiling.  Next time I bring things to stick up on the ceiling!

And the TV...hasn't been on as much as I thought it might have to be...she is good at being entertained in many other ways.