Small Price to Pay.

A year and a half ago, Haylie had surgery to fix a problem with her kidneys. It is called "reflux" and is actually quite common in little girls. Usually the problem corrects itself without the parents even knowing there was a problem. Haylie's did not correct them self and she ended up with some major kidney infections. One time she woke up in the middle of the night screaming. She said that her sister, Sydney, was covered in bugs. Then when I tried to pick her up to comfort her, she ran from me screaming that I had worms all over me and that daddy had lady bugs all over him. I thought she was just dreaming. When I finally picked her up she was so hot it actually hurt me to touch her. We rushed her to the ER and they told me that she was hallucinating. Her temp was at 105.5.

This happened off and on for a while so we scheduled her for a non- invasive surgery ( no cutting). We thought that had fixed the problem. Not so. The fevers came back. So then we were faced with a tough choice. Re-do the previous surgery and see if it works this time, or do a more difficult surgery ( cutting required). It was a particularly hard choice for me because I had to have the same surgery when I was a kid. I know the ups and downs of recovery and the scar that it leaves ( not a fun scar to have when you are pregnant!).

We decided to fix the problem once and for all. One last visit to the hospital, one last I.V., one last catheter. Haylie is a trooper and actually likes the doctors and nurses, and for some reason, the hospital food. But enough is enough when it comes to the fevers and I.V's.

As her surgery day grows closer, I realize that the decision to have the surgery was not the hardest thing I would have to do. Sitting and waiting for the surgery to get done would be the hardest. It was difficult! 3 hours of waiting and worrying ( and a bit of crying). But that was not even the most difficult part. The hardest thing was......( this is a warning for any parent who has to take a very young child into surgery)..... what the parents are asked to do. With Haylie's previous surgery they asked both of us to go with Haylie into the surgery room and wait with her while they put her to sleep. They do this with a mask that delivers gases that make the kids drowsy enough to put in an I.V. with the general anesthetic. they warned us that she might shake a bit and that it was normal. NORMAL? It was like watching your child go into a coma right in front of you and you can't do anything about it.

So this time Anthony told me he couldn't stand to see that again ( the big softy!). That left me to take Haylie in and watch all that again. This time they did it different....not better, just different. I had to hold Haylie on my lap as they put the mask on her. So instead of just watching her slip away, I had to feel her slip away. That is when I lost it. Through a chocked throat and tear filled eyes, I kissed my little girl and Told her that I loved her. Then I was rushed out the door and back to the waiting room where Anthony just held me for a minute.

The surgery went well! The surgeon said it was good that we did the surgery now. Apparently her Ureters ( the tubes that go from your kidneys to the bladder) were not in the right place and that was why she kept getting infections. That is also the reason the last surgery did not work. My daughter is a freak of nature just like me. I had extra Ureters ( don't ask....just call me a freak). I finally had an answer to why things were so bad with her. There was a reason, I was not just a worrying mother.

Well all is well now. Haylie recovered very well! We have been home for 2 weeks( which she was supposed to be staying calm for....ya right). She has a scar from pelvic bone to pelvic bone. But it is a small price to pay for the peace of mind that your child will not have to face those problems again.

Thanks to everyone who prayed for us and thought of us during this time! We love all of you!

Daddy and Haylie- prep time

Mommy and Haylie -OR time

Recovery room....teddy makes everything better!

Haylie's favorite nurse.