Our sweet Emily had her tonsils removed this week! We checked in at 9:00 a.m. and after the normal paperwork, were ushered into the pre-op room to get her situated. There, on her bed, was a teddy bear provided by the Good News Bear Den. She immediately named him Thomas. Each person involved in her surgery came in and introduced themselves, which I thought was really neat, and the nurses were great! I kept waiting for Emily to start getting nervous and perhaps cry, but then I realized that that would be my m.o. She was so incredibly brave and never once showed a sign that she was afraid. She was a little more quiet than usual but I think she was just taking in everything around her. Fortunately David took these shots using his phone because I thought I would be overkill Mom if I brought my camera in.

Afterwards, of course, the pain kicked in and my heart just broke as she cried. Her poor little voice was so hoarse. To quote Dr. Henderson, "her tonsils were huge!" and "when she laid back, they almost completely obstructed her airway." This was a relief to me because I am not fond of unnecessary procedures. At least I felt that we had made the right decision. But that was barely enough reassurance as I tried to comfort her. On the way home, all I could think about were the families that have to endure watching their children go through painful medical procedures and the hospital that becomes their home away from home. I am so thankful that this was just an ordinary in-and-out procedure and a temporary condition. But my heart goes out to parents and children who go through such trials on a regular basis.

Now, we are waiting for Emily to heal and return to her normal, silly self. It's so different to see her without any animation. She gives us a glimpse now and then but again, I realize that this is temporary. Thank you for your prayers as she recovers. Our God is good all the time!