Getting back to normal...slowly but surely

My mom left this afternoon...boo. It's amazing how clean my house got (and stayed) while she was in town. The night before Aiden's surgery, she asked me over the phone what she could do to keep herself busy to burn some of the nervous energy she would have while she waited for updates about Aiden. Since Ethan was going to be at school, she needed something, preferably not shopping (or she'd blow all her money) to keep her mind off things. Busy work. So I didn't hold back...I suggested that she could clean our bathroom.

I thought maybe she would laugh and ask if I was serious - but not my mom - she didn't bat an eye. Not only did she spend 3 hours scrubbing in there, she also changed our sheets, dusted, vacuumed and cleaned our bedroom. There aren't many people I would let clean my bedroom. But my mom? Go for it.

I can't begin to tell you how nice it was to come home from Dallas to a clean house. And when I say clean, I mean top to bottom. She even decided our Wet Swiffer wasn't sufficient enough to deep clean the tile floors so she purchased a Shark Steam Cleaner and conveniently left it behind as a "gift". Now if this would have been a gift from my husband for our upcoming anniversary I would not have been as excited, but in this instance, this gift is right up my alley!

Oh and the laundry. I call her my laundry fairy because what would take me a week, she has washed, dried, folded and put away in less than a day.

Having my mom here has taken a huge burden off of us in more ways than just keeping the house tidy. When she called to tell me she was booking a flight to come down during Aiden's surgery, I burst into tears. Ricky and I had been discussing our plans to bring Ethan along with us to Dallas and although we knew we could make it work, it would have meant splitting our time with Aiden while at the hospital (because kids are not permitted in the PICU) and quite honestly, it would have been a lot to handle. However we knew we could not ask or expect anyone to spend the money to fly down to bail us out.

The fact that we didn't have to ask - she just offered - was such a relief.

Not to mention the fact that my boys just love having their nana here. There is something about her hugs, her storybook voices, the way she makes lunch and how she tucks them into bed, that makes having her here so special. The best part? I know she enjoys being here as much as we love having her. Thank you mom! We love you!!!!

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We are exactly 1 week post-op. I am SO beyond relieved to have this surgery in the past. Finito. Complete. We can check this off our list and pray that we don't revisit any more operations in the near future...

As of this morning, Aiden has been able to open both eyes without having to physically pull down the lower lid for vision. This means he has been able to get around on his own, eat on his own and has all around just been happier. Wouldn't you be if you were finally able to see after a week!?!

I have so many thank-you's to write and I hope to tackle that task this week, but in the meantime, please know how much our family appreciates EVERYTHING everyone has done for us, big and small: prayers, sharing our blog for awareness, sending Aiden and/or both boys treats to put a smile on their face, meals to make our lives easier, heartfelt cards and sweet words of comfort, etc.