well, that was easier than expected

I really didn't know what to expect, I suppose, but I never would have guessed how excited Liam was to go to the hospital to have his thumb fixed. It took him well over an hour to fall back asleep after we got him out of bed and into the car at 1:30 this morning. I am sure some of it was nerves, but mostly, he just was happy to go.

Once we were at the hospital, he wanted to see all that there was to experience. Coloring sheets! Crayons! New socks! Soft jammies! And this was at 5:30 AM. Let's just say that Gabe and I aren't quite so animated this bright and early in the morning, especially after a 4 hour drive. 

Once the nurses and other technicians began filing in and out, taking vitals, marking charts, asking questions, a bit of trepidation crept in. He cooperated. Barely.

Then the nurse suggested they give him some happy juice before wheeling him off to the OR without us. Best decision ever. Within five minutes of drinking the stuff, Liam requested/slurred to lay down. Once he was in bed, he giggled, smiled, and lolled his head around the pillow like he'd had a few too many drinks. When the time came for us to part ways, he smiled and said goodbye, muttering indecipherable sentences to the nurse who rolled him down the hall. 

According to the surgeon, once they were in the OR, Liam went to sleep just fine with the gas mask before they gave him an IV and intubated him. Once they got going, the procedure took 20 minutes and was a complete success.

Recovery took awhile. He woke up incredibly groggy, disoriented, and upset about the IV set-up on his right hand and enormous red cast on the left.

But once he calmed enough to eat a popsicle, everything became much more tolerable. That red blob under the towel is his cast-covered hand and arm.

As soon as the IV was out and we walked out the main entrance with his new giraffe softie tucked under his good arm, he was happy happy happy. After stopping at Whole Foods for some yogurt (his request), he slept almost the entire drive home. And he has been in a remarkably good mood ever since.

We'll go back in two weeks for a check-up and to have his cast removed. Keeping that thing clean and dry in the meantime will, undoubtedly, be the most difficult part of this whole ordeal.