Ms. R update!

Tomorrow marks two months since Ms. R's tonsillectomy and adenoid removal.

All things considered, I feel like she's made so much progress - specifically in the "sleeping" department.

Before surgery --- this sweet child was tossing and turning, up and down, restless and sleepless.

She was chronically EXHAUSTED.

Her beautiful eyes were surrounded with dark circles and she just didn't look or feel well.

But - things are a changin'!!

I'm not going to put sugar on the first month post-surgery.

It was pretty rough.

We expected the first few weeks to be brutal (which they were!!), but it then spilled into the next week and the next.

She still wasn't sleeping great.

I was growing a bit weary to be honest.

Was this actually going to help her??

But now - TWO months later..... I can say with a resounding YES... she is sleeping much better.

She is still that kid who struggles to settle at night.

Truth is - she'll probably always be that kinda kid.

It's just how she's wired, but we're blessed we can put her to bed and she can more or less wind herself down with books and quiet play.

Prior to her surgery... it seemed as if she just never wanted to really settle into bed.

She would literally just fall asleep when her body gave out.

Now - she will play, read, etc for a little while, but then get up and turn out her own light and put herself back in bed.

This is miraculous given where we were a few months ago.

She NEVER wanted her light to be turned off.  She actually wanted it on all night long!

And now - once she's fallen asleep ... she pretty much sleeps through the night.

She might cry out once or twice because she's a sleep talker, but it's NOTHING compared to "before".

And, we even have some nights where we don't hear one peep from her.

I truly believe she is breathing much better, making it easier for her to stay asleep once in that mode.

The recovery from this surgery was one of the most painstaking things to go through.  She was immensely depleted.  She didn't eat for the better part of 10 days and the meds really got to her tummy and her mind.

But - day by day, week by week and now month by month .... we have seen change.

We have seen a miracle in her little world.

I feel like she's still finding her new normal with how much sleep she actually needs.

Some days she'll sleep 3 hours at nap time.... and perhaps I shouldn't allow her to do that because it makes for a late bedtime, but seeing her sleep with ease... it's hard to interrupt that kind of peacefulness.

As a result ... I feel like my body is somewhat adjusting to these changes, too.

It wasn't until about a week or so ago I actually started to notice myself sleeping more soundly, more hours at a time - waking less throughout the night and waking up in the morning feeling more rested.

I think my body has also been going through a transition period of it's own.... waking up every hour or two for the past few years has really messed with my ow sleeping patterns.

Looking back ... from where we stand now, this was a really good choice for Ms. R.

It wasn't an easy decision by any means, but seeing her sleep soundly and reap the benefits from being well rested has helped her light shine brightly again.... and we are SO THANKFUL!

That smile and those bright eyes ... it's what we've been praying for!!

With love,
Cuz I'm the mama!