Vanessa's tonsil removal and me thinking out loud.......

Thought I would share our tonsil removal experience with you. Some of my friends and family have asked how Vanessa is doing and how she handled everything and this is the best way to describe it, plus a little of me thinking out loud.

So, yesterday Vanessa had a tonsillectomy done. If any of you have gone through this with you child, you know how anxious and nervous you are for your child. Usually, they go through the surgery with no complications and you get to see your child soon after they come out of the anesthetics. This is what happened to us when we saw her for the first time after surgery. The nurse comes and gets Mike and I from the waiting room and walks us down(what seemed like the longest hallway ever) towards our daughter. I can hear her little voice crying and saying"mommy, mommy, daddy, I want my mommy". Heartbreaking to say the least. We get into her room and she looks up at us with the saddest eyes and starts crying for us to hold her. She wasn't crying hystrically or anything just small sobs and whimpers. It was the hardest part of the whole process. Hearing that sweet voice, in an unusual place with a pain she has never felt, calling our name quietly as she sobbed....I thought Mike was going to punch the next nurse or Doctor that walked in, he hated to see his little girl in so much pain. We get into the car and all this child wants is chicken nuggets, which she can't have. So, she settled for eggs, pancakes, chocolate milkshake and orange juice. After going to walmart to get her a few movies(Mike would have bought her a new house, camaro, just about anything she would have asked for) we get home. Vanessa is pretty much herself. Playing, singing, hugging her new "friends" that she received for being in the hospital and of course eating lots of popsicles. She then wanted a nap and asked me to lay down with her, which I did.

As I am laying next to my daughter, she gently strokes the side of my face and twirls my hair. She rolls over to get closer to me and says " you are my best friend ever, I love you to the moon the back." As I am fighting back the tears that are sure to follow those sweet words, she then says " I'm sorry I cried today, it did hurt, but daddy and you made me feel better by loving me so much." Now, as you can imagine, I was trying hard to hide the fact that I was crying at her sincere sweet words. My voice cracks as I say" oh sweet baby girl, you did a great job today and you are a very brave girl. I am so proud of you and I love you to the sun." She rolls over and falls asleep.
Which gets me thinking........

 I am watching her sleep and I realize how fast my kids are growing up and how in a few short years Jordan and Alyssa will be heading off to college with Brandon not to far behind. I am a stay at home mom(thanks to my hard working hubby) and this gives me an opportunity to spend more quality time with my kids, but it also means that I have a responsibility to my husband. He does and should come home to dinner and a clean house, laundry done and me out of my p.j.'s. My kids do come first and they are definitely more important than a dirty floor, but there is enough hours in my day to do both. Everyone lives their lives differently and should live however they want too and do what makes them and their family happy. Bottom line, when I come to your house, I do not judge you nor think any differently of you if you have laundry not folded on your bed and toys all over the floor. I sure hope you don't think I am any less of a mom because I don't..... I look at every day as another opportunity for us to be a family, enjoy each other and be together even though I may be a little picky or OCD for a lack of a better word, on the cleaniness of my house. I do run a tight ship. I like and have a clean house and I expect my kids to pick up after themselves and do their chores. I respect them and they respect me(most of the time, they are pre-teen and teenagers).

With that being said, I have 4 amazing kids and I love them all the same but for different reasons. Alyssa is kind hearted and would do anything for anyone, she is the least selffish person I know. Jordan has a great personality and is very sweet to his momma, we joke and have a lot of fun together. Brandon loves to play football and is super smart, he can pull all A's without even trying. Vanessa is just a bowl full of laughs and constantly keeps me on my toes, she is my little buddy. These are just a few examples, but you get my point.  My children know how much I love them. We play games, we try very hard to eat dinner as a family whenever we can, we go outside and toss a ball around, blow bubbles, go on vacations, help with homework, read books and we laugh a lot etc etc.....But like Mike, I also have a job to do that includes more than just playtime and spending time with my kids. They are not being neglected nor do they feel I do not spend enough time with them. If anything, I am teaching them responsibility and respect for not only the family aspect of life, but also the importance of being organized and clean.  A clean house is a happy house, at least in my household, but there is a lot of fun going on too:-)

Grandma and Vanessa