Julia's all fixed up! :)

{this photo was taken yesterday--we took some kid portraits in the gorgeous fall weather}

Just wanted to thank you for all the thoughts and prayers for us today, and let you know how everything went. This is all copied from an email I sent out to some family and friends earlier, so you can just skip this if you've already read it--although I added a little bit at the end. :) Julia did GREAT. We were so proud of her! She was a bit shy of everyone at the hospital, but she was very brave and remained cheerful through all of the pre-op stuff. She was especially excited when the anesthesiologist informed her that she could have a popsicle for "breakfast" after she was done getting her teeth fixed. :) And she even got to pick the color (purple)! By the time they wheeled her to the OR, the "silly juice" had taken effect and she was very quiet and "out of it." Once in the ER, they gave her some "magic air" (gas) to put her to sleep, then inserted the IV. I really appreciated the anesthesiologist--he talked about everything in very kid friendly terms, and was so kind and laid-back! All the nurses were awesome, too. Even though we weren't specifically in a pediatric unit, all of them really knew how to work well with little ones!

The surgery took about 2 hours total. Jim and I passed the time in the waiting room by reading (we had brought some books). It was actually a very nice chance to read without interruptions! Of course, we got to people-watch, too--always entertaining. :) Before the surgery, Dr. B was optimistic that he might only have to extract 1 tooth and be able to fix the others, but things were worse than he expected in there, so he did end up extracting 3 of her lower molars. He also capped 4 of her top teeth that had damage and/or cavities. Two of the back molars that he capped have gold caps, which she is quite proud of. ;)

She did well coming out of the anesthesia (didn't get sick or anything) although she was a bit upset about her mouth feeling different. And she was still kinda out of it. By the time we got
home, though, she had perked up a lot, and has spent a lot of time eating popsicles and mashed potatoes. :) She needs to eat soft foods for a few days, but the dr. said she will adjust quickly to the loss of those teeth and will learn to compensate for them. She does have one stitch (I think it's just one) in her upper gum from where he was capping her front teeth--I think he had to readjust her teeth a bit in the process--and that was bothering her at first, but now she seems to
think it's interesting, rather than bothersome. I'm not sure if that will fall out on its own or if the dr. will pull it out when she has her post-op appt. with him (which will be next Tuesday morning). He left all her lower front teeth alone, even the one that's a bit loose, which I was thankful for. They seem to be healing themselves and haven't turned color or anything, so they will likely be fine.

Anyway . . . that's probably more than you really wanted to know about our day . . . but hopefully now the drama is over for a while. :) Thank you all so much for your thoughts and prayers throughout this day. I am very glad to have it behind us . . . and so thankful for the grace and peace that God gave us throughout the whole day. I woke up feeling rather nervous this morning, but by the time we were settled in at the hospital I felt complete peace and calmness, and I know that was a result of having so many people praying for us today!