little mama plus two: warning: adorable pictures ahead

what a day! Raef was scheduled for surgery today which was to take place at noon. i was more than surprised when it actually did happen at noon. my mom (Carol) came down today to be a support person for us during and after the surgery, and thank God she did. we're so lucky that our parents can be there to support us during this time. my parents have been amazing; all of them!

Reid's parents also came home today to spend some time with us and to meet Raef! i'm so happy that he's finally gotten a chance to meet them. grandma Toni and grandpa Gary were so elated to see him, i could just see it in their eyes. their tears were very telling.

like i mentioned in an earlier blog, the surgery's purpose was to repair Raef's patent (open) ductus arteriosus. an open valve near his heart that just wasn't helping his condition. the surgeon made a very small incision below his left shoulder blade and, working around his lung, took a titanium clip and clamped it around the ductus arteriosus. Raef already has titanium forever implanted inside him, just like mommy. we match. lucky for him, his little staple won't set off alarms in airports. below is a picture of the x-ray taken right after his surgery. you can see the clip (and his big belly).

Raef got through the surgery like a champ. what a little fighter. the nurses were impressed with how good his blood gasses were after the surgery (they were a little worried about it beforehand), and the surgeon said that he behaved quite well for him. what a good boy.

all in all, it was a good day. i know that this doesn't mean that we won't have any more bad days, but i'll take the good when it happens. i'll be realistic about there being more scary days ahead. i won't like it, but i'll deal with it somehow. i know that it'll probably be a couple of days before we really see the results of the surgery. the little guy was still groggy when we left the hospital tonight so hopefully he's more alert in the morning.

on another good note, they were able to take his bili-lights off of him today because his bilirubin level was very good compared to the day before.

thank you, everyone who is saying prayers for us. i'm aware that people i don't even personally know are praying for us, and for that, we are blessed. our Heavenly Father is really embracing us, i can feel it. the social worker in the NICU today asked me how i can be so positive during this time, she wondered if i had a strong faith or support system. i have both! God is good. people are good.

we've received so many well wishes, prayers, and other types of support these last few weeks and we just want everyone to know that we love you, we're thinking about you, and we're thankful for you. God bless, and good night, and enjoy the pictures.