"Meeting New People"

I mentioned Friday that the Babe had a minor procedure.  It required sedation, and she did really well.  Here are a few funny things, plus one or two serious, about the day. 

En route, she was wondering where we were going.  We avoided telling her anything about what we were doing (how do you tell a toddler she's having minor surgery?!).  So as we were approaching our exit on the highway, my husband mistakenly told her we were going to meet new people.  Well, duh!  That is now her new code-phrase for doctors.  Quickly we tried to change the subject.  Once we got to the surgi-center, the Babe started talking about being at the dentist.  She's never been to the dentist before, and I have absolutely no idea how she thought we were at one.  I don't want to scare her from future dental visits, so tried to explain we weren't at the dentists (don't know if that stuck or not). 

Prior to her being taken in for the procedure, the nurse gave her a sedative.  Have you ever seen a drunk two-year-old?  It certainly relaxed us momentarily as we laughed at how happy she suddenly became, as well as her movements.  She was sitting in my lap, and would go from resting her head on my shoulder to slowly bowing forward, or vice versa.  It was as if everything went into slow motion for her, and her limbs were very relaxed.  At one point, she was having a conversation with the nurse forehead to forehead as the Babe smiled really big at her (minutes prior, she wasn't particularly happy with this nurse either).

Besides the waiting, the worst part was watching some virtual stranger carry my child away from me.  However, as soon as we got to rejoin her post-op, the Babe immediately sat up and moved as rapidly as she could to get to me.  She's been a bundle of energy ever since we got home yesterday.

Here's the serious point for other parents of allergy babes.  Post-op we were told she would be given juice or water, and could also have popsicles.  We told them the juice/water combo would be great, but no to the popsicles.  Unless we could review the packaging, many popsicles are made on equipment that has also run products containing dairy.  The popsicles may just be made of fruit juice, sugar, and water, but they still pose a hazard to our dairy-allergic child.  While this facility handles many children, including those with allergies, this was one risk that they may not have realized on something that seemed so simple. 

The Babe continues to amaze us with her energy and resilliance.  Yesterday and today have been just like any other day, with the adults trying to keep up with the kiddo!