Seeing Straight

We have re-emerged from life at the children's hospital. Jacob made it through his eye surgery although he is in a bit of pain and can open his eye only slightly. His doctor told me that if Jacob is unable to open his eye, I had better give him a call. His eye looks more like a slit at this point than an oval but it is still open. Please, no more trips to the big city this week.
The kids are all back together again and quite happy to be reunited. At the moment they are playing a game in which both of the younger boys are dogs and the twins are the owners. I don't think that Joseph quite understands his role. We are also recovering from a cold that hit us hard on Sunday but mercifully spared Jacob. Thus, his surgery was able to proceed. He told his doctor that mommy had prevented a cold by giving him lots of gross plant medicine (Deep Immune, St. Francis Herb Farm). It really works.
I brought a giant Jane Austen book with me to the hospital but, strangely enough, we knew three of the patients and their families from life in our last small town, and thus the book served as nothing but dead weight in the diaper bag.
The highlight of the day for me was that I was able to accompany Jacob into surgery until he fell asleep under the influence of strawberry-flavoured gas. I was suited up in cap, gown and booties. I didn't have to don gloves but I was manhandled by a volunteer so that I didn't touch anything and contaminate the OR. Perhaps there are parents that just feel the need to run their fingers over the scalpels on display. The one inconsistency with this process was that Jacob was allowed to wear his running shoes into the OR. He jumped onto the surgical table leaving dirt all over the sheet. He then swept it onto the floor with his hand and lay down. I shyly queried if he should take his shoes off and the nurse said, "It's up to him." Hmmm, maybe mom germs are far worse than kid ones. Anyway, it was wonderful to be able to hold his hand as he drifted off while naming the trains from Thomas the Tank Engine. At one point, the anaesthesiologist asked me about the patch of eczema under his lip. I responded, "Someone likes to eat snow." Jacob, not yet sufficiently drugged, murmured through his mask, "Don't talk about it." Mommy has already begun to embarrass her son. The minute he was asleep they rushed me out of the OR and guided me back to where Dave and Joseph (also in need of sleep meds) waited.
We then ate lunch in shifts. I took Joseph to the cafeteria but switched to the lobby as the caf was filled with doctors and medical personnel with whom I suddenly felt quite shy and a little embarrassed that my baby was about to eat pizza from Pizza Pizza for lunch. The lobby was far less intimidating.
After lunch, Jacob's doctor came out to tell us that all was well and a little while later I was called in to be with Jacob as he woke up. I arrived to find a sore and tired Jacob who, through tears, asked if he could please go home. He then requested "Do-a-deer" and we passed the time with song until we were moved to the final recovery room where we could all wait until discharge. Jacob consumed a few popsicles, immediately felt nauseous and was given Gravol intravenously. He then slept until discharge.
We spent supper and the night with good friends. Thank you to Jacob's godparents. Dave also treated the little man to a Dairy Queen treat and some alone time with Daddy. All is well and, if the eye stays open and uninfected, on the road to recovery.
One last thing: immediately prior to surgery I was asked to identify which eye was the one in question.
"Left eye, mom?"
"Umm, yeah." I was suddenly overwhelmed by my lack of spatial sense and brought my hand up to Jacob's eye and checked to see which of my hands was wearing a wedding ring.
"Are you sure?"
With a desperate glance at Dave who nodded calmly, I responded with assurance, "Yes, left eye." The nurse then took an indelible marker and left an X above Jacob's left eye. See, Mom, it's not just in Nova Scotia.