My little patient

Binyam is doing pretty well.

His surgery took just about 4 hours yesterday. After an hour and a half the nurse (who has taken a few of my classes, this felt like a huge blessing to me to know someone in there with my baby) called to let us know the doctor was still on the first foot. The doctor had actually never seen anything like Bini's foot. The anatomy was just different, so he was taking his time so that he would *hopefully* not have to have any more surgeries. The nurse called out a few more times to let us know things were going along.

When the doc came out he explained the difference in Bini's foot and let us know he was happy with the procedure. Doc said Bini might still have a bit of a kidney stone shape to his foot but it's probably something most people won't even notice.

We got to go see him a few minutes later. Unfortunately, he had already opened his eyes and freaked out a bit that we weren't there. But this was him.

He did ok in recovery, they even let all of his siblings come back and say hello. He cried just a bit when Dailah came back, I'm assuming because we all do that when we're in a tough spot and someone we love so much finally comes to us. He was going to be transferred to the other hospital in the ambulance and since he's a bit more attached to me we decided I'd go. Zach left to take our stuff to the room and I waited with him for the ambulance. Well, a few minutes later he started freaking out (probably coming off the anestetic). Pulling at his casts, swinging his arms, flailing, crying. Ugh. I started ugly crying and asking the nurses to give him something to calm him down. When they wouldn't I just started to lift him up. "Well then I need to hold him, he needs me to hold him." The nurse started to scramble around unhooking him from various wires.

The second I had him fully in my arms rocking in the chair he calmed down, he was still silently tear dropping but he was calm. Full breath in, full breath out, this was the first time I thought he might be ok.

The medics came and he started panicking again when they put him on the bed. BUT, he thoroughly enjoyed the ambulance ride, even giving me a handful of smiles I had yet to see.

When we got to his room we decided I'd rock with him. He threw up a little bit (mostly phlem) and then settled down. Quick funny story, when we first got to the room he was in pain so the nurse came in and gave him morphine. Once it hit he looked at the nurse, gave her a little smile and then shook his fingers and his head (it's a classic move of his for those that know him). It means simply, "I like you, I like this business you're throwing at me." It.was.hilarious.

He's done pretty well since then actually. I can certainly tell when the meds are starting to wear off. Though he doesn't have the verbage to tell me directly, he starts crying more and arching his back a bit. We finally came up with "little owie" or "big owie" and that seems to be working. The only problem is he doesn't ever tell me when it starts to hurt, only when it's bad so he has to wait for the medicine to kick in.

Yesterday we did have a pretty hilarious moment when he had to go to the bathroom really bad and there was not a nurse in sight. I'm pretty sure I broke an IV stand when I was pulling it with all my mama strength so that he could just get one freakin break in the day go to the bathroom.

Had a pretty rough night, which is to be expected obviously. I had to be touching him at all times but I rolled off the bed a few times and then tried to just pull my bed next to his and put my arm around him. This seemed to work just fine but I kept sleeping through his first whimpers and so by the time I heard him crying he was in a lot of pain.

But now we're awake, he's watching some cartoons, eating some chocolate pudding (the only thing he'll eat).

I've been humbled by the outpouring of love and support. We have an amazing community both locally and globally who were surrounding our little guy in prayer, what an awesome feeling. We even got a note from the director of the care center the boys were in. "Here in Ethiopia all of the staff members of care center 2 are praying for Bini. Let God Bless Him!" That was just awesome.

I think all of that led to him looking like this today.

Last night I texted Zach, "Thanks for agreeing to adopt these boys with me. I can't believe how much I love them already." I surprised even myself how natural it felt to snuggle in with him, how easy it felt to insert my motherly instinct into his medical care. How easy it was to carry him to and fro the bathroom, with his wee getting on my pants and toes and thinking nothing of it. How I didn't hesitate when he patted the bed next to him-soaked with urine-and asked me to cuddle.

So good to see him a little more like himself this morning. He is one strong freakin kid. And precious and loving and a stealer of hearts.