Have you ever had to live a countdown of days that had you feeling like you were rushing towards a doomsday event?  We have been on that train since last February!  Mark had a consult with a dental specialist as he had several cavities between his teeth.  It is not that we have been neglecting them at all.  In fact Momma was nearly bowled over when she got the news that there was so much work to be done that it required general anesthesia.  When Mark opened his mouth during Momma's regular inspections there was nothing evident.  However the X-Ray's do not lie.  I blame it on the sugar laced Nestlé's formula that they use in China.  So we planned for the procedure with great apprehension.  Now generally the procedure with anesthetic is given at the dental office with the support of a "911" call if things go wrong.  Momma being a Nurse and Poppa aware of the death of Joan Rivers over a simple endoscopy, had us booking the surgery in the safe confines of the local hospital.  Now Momma has a history with this particular establishment as it was about forty years ago while training to be a Nurse that she fainted and smacked her head on said operating floor!  So needless to say another visit was filled with great angst.  Well September 4th was the actual date and here are a few of the moments we captured during this event.

 We arrived at 8:45 and were ushered into the waiting room to wait for our turn.
 Thankfully the television kept Mark entertained for most of the time. He also brought a few toys to play with.
 The "Johnny gown" still is as ill fitting as I remember them to be.  The back crack will not close and they only come in formal length. It was also so hot that Mark wanted to take it off and just gad about in his underpants!  Momma rolled up the sleeves instead and tried to keep him busy.
In the end I rolled up the bottom and at least brought it above his knees and tied it in a knot in the back.  Someone needs to design something better than this.
 Mark was his usually sunny self and was especially happy that Momma said that GiGi was allowed to come as well.
 It's always a good day when GiGi is there to help you along.  She is a well worn and faithful friend.
Only one parent was allowed past the operating room door so Daddy and Mark were playing peek-a-boo through the door every time someone pushed the button to open it.  Finally a sweet Nurse went and told Daddy to just step inside and stay with us!  That is why the hospital employs Nurses...they are the voice of sanity when rules make no sense at all.  Daddy and Mark were happy to be reunited even if it was just for a few short minuets before we had to let our little man get pushed down the hall. How can you let your child go off with strangers when everything in your being is screaming grab him back and run away from this dangerous unknown.  Simple dental surgery you say....well Momma is a Nurse and knows that there are many things that can and do go wrong!  Not having any medical history at all for this son of ours even caused the anesthetist to take some time to reflect on her approach.
 In the end it was full steam ahead!  Mark demanded the blue hat and mask that he had seen in the information booklet they had shared in the pre-op appointment.  They also gave GiGi an armband on her neck with Mark's name on it and insisted that she go to the OR with him!  The Doctor said that he wanted to check her teeth as well.  So this is the final photo of our brave little boy headed off to surgery with his best friend GiGi riding along.  Momma stood and watched until they went into the room and closed the door.  It seemed an eternity that I stood outside the operating room doors leaning on the wall but Daddy assured me it was only one and a half hours.  Thankfully he scooted away and brought back a coffee for Momma or she may have landed on the floor just like she did forty years ago.
When Mark arrived in the Recovery Room Momma knew that he had done so.  The wail of angst and outrage that came out of him was like none other.  Momma flew up from the wall and said "that is Mark" at the same time the OR doors opened and the Nurse was beckoning me into the Recovery Room.  Mark had pulled his IV out and was thrashing about in a sitting position attempting to throw back his head to let out another yell of outrage when Momma pulled him up safely into her arms.  The change in his demeanor was instant and profound.  He dropped his head onto his Momma's chest and fell into another deep sleep.  Thankfully the Nurses had enough sense to realize that this boy for all of his bravery and polite responses to their attentions, prior to surgery, in the end needed his Momma more than anyone else in the world.  God love them for knowing that I was standing vigil outside their doors and that they had the good sense to get me quickly to the Recovery Room to offer assistance to them and comfort to my son.  Had I been sitting in the formal waiting area one floor above, Mark would have suffered needless anxiety and distress while the Nurses fought with trying to settle him and hold him down.  In the end they told me they were amazed at how strong he was.  So mighty little Mark slept for hours in the comfort of his Momma's arms and poor Daddy who was found white as a ghost in the hallway still outside the OR doors was also quickly ushered in to reassure him that all was well.  And then we waited and waited and waited while our little man slept in peace.  When he finally decided to come around it was at home in Momma's bed.  Only by 10:30 p.m. did Momma know that the worst had passed and he was complaining of being hungry and thirsty.  All was well in the world!  So now Mark is thrilled with his new "silver" teeth.  Six molars are capped, two root treatments and his back permanent molars are coated with a type of resin for protection.  Hopefully this will be it until he has his adult teeth to protect for the rest of his life.  So now that we have weathered the unknown and are reassured that there are no contraindications to general anesthesia we should be ok for the next go round.  Hopefully that will not happen soon, if ever!  Momma spent all day Saturday nursing a headache and getting over the sheer stress of yesterday.  As I said some days just suck the life out of you!