Elliana, the patient patient

It all began at birth. A cute little belly button sticking out a bit too far, but cute nonetheless. As Elliana grew, she began to pull at and play with her belly button...knowing it was different than others, and yet,  still comforting to her. 

At annual check ups, her pediatrician would inspect and say time would shrink it up, and that if it wasn't smaller by age four, surgery might be needed. We brushed it off as it seemed merely cosmetic and didn't want to alter our baby girl for any reason. 

At the 5-year annual check up, we were sent home with a surgeon referral and information about how not fixing the umbilical hernia could lead to problems for her own pregnancy (many, many, many years from now). Given Elliana has only ever wanted to be a Mommy, we knew we had to get that cute little button tucked in a bit. And so, surgery was scheduled. 

Operating Day had come. I admit, I was nervous and worried. First of all, the poor kid could have no food or water for HOURS before surgery. Normally, that isn't a big deal but Elliana is a creature of habit who LOVES breakfast and sucks down the water. I scheduled surgery for 9:45 am thinking that she would have few waking hours without food. That was a great plan...until the surgery got pushed once we were there, just a few minutes before our scheduled time. It was pushed to 10:30, then 11:15, and finally we were in the OR about 11:55. Elliana was a saint! Never complaining or whining, even though I myself was starving and parched, Elliana maintained a sense of calmness and patience that I can learn a lot from. 

We passed the time reading the entire 4th book of the Ivy & Bean chapter book, made bead necklaces, played on the iPad, and of course enjoyed some Disney Jr (a luxury we haven't had at home for quite some time). 

We were able to walk with Elliana into the induction room and be with her right up until she was asleep. It's hard as a parent to watch your baby be under anesthesia, but Elliana was amazing and did perfectly. I know the Lord was watching over her holding her hand when we were unable to. 

T.J. and I spent the next 45 minutes nervously talking to each other, calming each other down, and praying silently. We never used to be the nervous type (well, I wasn't) but something shifted in us both all those years ago when we suffered through the ectopic. We suffered together and relied heavily on the Lord to get us through. And yes, although we are more anxious now...we are also more grateful than before. We know just how fragile life is. 

Elliana awoke from her sleep peacefully and God answered another prayer by her doing so. Perhaps I am older and wiser and know the complications that can happen during surgery now, or maybe I just watch too much Greys Anatomy, but either way...I know that there is no such thing as routine procedure when dealing with the human body.

Before long, her pain was manageable and the sweet girl was asking for food and drink. She loved having a special popsicle for breakfast (in her mind, in reality it was about 2:20 pm). And I had never been so happy to see her eat and be herself. 

We've spent the last few days being super lazy, filling up on crackers and Sprite and lots of Disney movies. Yesterday Elliana even completed an entire Lego house on her own, and by mid afternoon Maya and Elliana were fighting again, a sure sign that Elliana was healing nicely. 

Thank you Lord for this minor procedure being so minor, for this sweet girl healing so quickly and for proving yet again just how faithful you are! Thank you also for blessing Elliana with such patience and sweetness as she experienced what could have been a scary situation for her.