The hardest day of my life!

That's what last Thursday was for me...I'm pretty sure for Chris as well! I'll start from the beginning but try to not get too crazy long on everyone, I know I can tend to do that. Corbin doesn't have the best mouthful of teeth, we found that out a few months ago. Over Thanksgiving, one of his molars broke off and started to expose the nerve. I spent a good portion of my morning that day (Thanksgiving Day) on the phone with an incredibly kind, caring and wise dentist, only to find out later the next week that he was located over an hour away from us. So the hunt was on for a new dentist, and that was not easy. After being turned down by numerous dentist for numerous reasons, we finally found Dr. Kron. She is wonderful!!! And she's smart...not so much social (although she is wonderful with the kids), but that is a great things when it comes to doctors and dentist right! :-) So I felt like I could really trust her to do the best thing for Corbin. Well, 3 days before Christmas another molar on the other side of his mouth broke off as well. Things were getting kinda crazy now!

We scheduled surgery for January 15 and I prayed that it wouldn't be too painful up until then. God was so gracious to him because he really did not have any pain. He was very nervous though and it took a lot of encouraging daily to help him not really worry about it. The surgery was early so fortunately he didn't have to be up too long thinking about it that day. When we got there he was already crying and shaking because of his nerves. It just broke my heart because he truly was not throwing a fit, he was just scared to death about it. I just kept praying for him out loud with him and silently in my heart the whole time they were checking us in. We finally got into a room and got him all dressed in his hospital gown and they took us to the holding room. There the anesthesiologist came in and told us how it all was going to happen. He made the mistake of telling us in front of Corbin that he was not going to be asleep when they took him into the surgery room. At that point when he left, my sweet Corbin just lost it. It was the most heartbreaking, soft sob I've ever heard in my life. He was literally begging me to stay with him during the surgery, asking why I couldn't be there the whole time. A fit would've been easier to handle at that point because with this, he was just tearing my heart into pieces. Needless to say I lost it and just sat there and held him and cried while he cried in my arms. He didn't know that I was crying, but that was truly the hardest moment of my life to not be able to do for my child what my heart was aching to do. Chris was strong at this point but when they came to take him away...he lost it. Now I can count the times on one hand that I've seen him break down like that and it is heartbreaking as well! It was the first time I have felt completely out of control with one of my children! I understand that our kids are always in God's hands and we really don't ever have control of them, but to some degree there is a false feeling of control that is there when they are with you. When you see them wheeled away from you though to be put to sleep for surgery, all false feeling of control gone as you knew it!!! It was a lesson I'm sure I needed to learn in handing my children over daily to God in everything they do. It also gave me an all knew deepened sympathy for all other parents whose children are sick or have to go through surgery! I thank God for that and pray He will use that for His glory.

The surgery took right at two hours, the longest two hours of my life! When I saw Dr. Kron walking to us, it was like the whole world was in slow motion and she couldn't talk fast enough. She said he did great! Praise God!!! They were able to do all that they needed to do and we were able to go back to the holding room where he was beginning to wake up. There have only been a few times in my life where I've had that nervous walk through a hospital, wondering what to expect...after my grandfather's accident that left him a quadripelegic, after Chris' college room mate was in a car accident that left him in a choma, and now this...I didn't like any of those times. You know the feeling. When we walked into the room it was like relief just swept over my shoulders, just to be in the room with him again and see his sweet face. Sweet little angel was so pitiful looking and as precious as I've ever seen him all at the same time. He was BARELY awake but when the nurse asked him how old he was he said 5 and she asked him what his favorite color was and he promptly exclaimed red. Chris and I both just giggled and smiled. Such a smart little boy! He was so glad to see us and just wanted Mommy to hold him again, then he started to get sick. He threw up a few times at the hospital and then continued to throw up until about 10pm that night when we finally got some medicine to help him stop. Finally he was able to go to sleep and sleep all night. By the next morning he was up and telling me how good he felt and why he needed to eat and drink something soft to make his tummy feel better but not hurt his teeth. He never once complained about his mouth or had to take any pain medication. I could not have been more proud of how he did through the whole ordeal!!! Such a trooper. And he LOVES his stuffed horse that they gave him at the hospital, made by a volunteer! I pray this is the worst he has to go through with his teeth, Lord willing!
Watching cartoons with Daddy while we waited.
Trying to be as brave as he could!
He wanted Mommy to sit in the bed and hold him the WHOLE time! I wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else!!!
Such a good attitude after surgery!
Daddy chillin' in the bed next to him, trying to make him smile...it worked! :-)
Trying to watch cartoons in recovery...
but he just couldn't stay awake yet.
The nurse told him to not look out his window on the way home or it might make him sick...he was a champ and kept his eyes closed (trying to sleep but he was sick off and on) the whole way home!