A Chronicle of All Things Connolly: Declan Boy's Surgery

On Monday, my boy had to have surgery. It was one of the most challenging experiences I've had as a mother. I was very emotional leaving Inara, especially because I was anticipating the surgery the next morning, and I was feeling anxious about leaving my son with complete strangers and trusting them to take care of him.
The surgery he had to have is a very common one for boys and at Dornbechers Children's Hospital, in Portland, they perform one of these surgeries almost every day of the year. I had also had surgery last June so had been through the whole process myself...however, when it is your small child...it changes everything.
We decided to leave Inara here in Medford, which turned out to be an excellent idea in the end. So after dropping her off with my mother-in-law, Sean, Declan and I headed up North. We stopped at one of our favorite places, Bridgport Village to have dinner and walk around, and even play for a bit! Then, we checked into our hotel room and settled in for the night, expecting an early morning and long day ahead.
Monday morning we packed up and headed to the hospital to check in for the surgery. I was still a bit emotional, but things got easier as the morning progressed and we talked with the nurses and doctors. Everyone was amazing and made us feel at peace. We even got to make bracelets and a necklace while in the waiting room. They also have a monitor with color coded bars so you know which phase of surgery your child is in.
Now that we have been home for a few days, I am thankful for the staff at Dorbechers and for the advancement in medical technology which enabled us to have such a smooth and easy experience.
Declan is healing beautifully and even though he has to rest and not play too vigorously for another week or so, he is carrying on as usual.