Joy

I recently had an outpatient surgery, nothing major, just something that had to be done to get rid of a cyst that was causing a lot of pain.  This was my first procedure as a mom. Let me tell you how things would have happened if I was not a mom, and then I will tell you how they actually happened.

If I wasn't a mom:
I would have asked Tyler to go to the hospital with me and stay in the waiting room for the 4 hours that I was in pre-op, surgery, and post-op. After waiting, he would then drive me home and take care of me day and night with me only getting off of the couch to move to the bed at night.  If I wanted a blizzard, he would have gotten me a blizzard.  I would have had a few days, painful days, on the couch watching season two of parenthood feeling guilt free.

I am a mom, here is what happened:
I didn't want Tyler and Daley to sit in the waiting room for all of that time, so Tyler and Daley dropped me off and Tyler came back to pick me up when it was over while Daley stayed with my father in law.

Surgery went great, my nurses, doctors, and anesthesiologists were awesome.  They all knew I was breastfeeding and made sure to not give me anything that would bother Daley.  They all asked about my sweet girl, and I gladly told them about her, ending each time with, "She's a lot of fun!"

What would have been a selfish time of recovery was instead a time of taking care of my sweet Daley girl, through the pain.  Tyler was working, and to be honest I had no idea that amount of pain I would be in; had we known, he probably would have taken some time off. People would text and call to see how I was doing.  You know what I wanted to say to them..."I am fine, but please come play with my baby.  Please let her squeal and talk and giggle like we do everyday.  Please love on her...forget about me.  Just make this a good day for Daley."  Thankfully, Daley had some play dates with her grandparents and my friend Jessie came and loved on her for a bit. Tyler would hurry home from work to take care of his girls, and he did a great job!

I am not trying to sound like a hero, because I think any mom I know would have had the same attitude.  It is just crazy to me to think about how different life is as a mom.  I didn't want my pain to take away from Daley's joy.  I pray that that continues to be my outlook as a mom.  I am going to have painful days, painful circumstances, that is life.  Thankfully I have a big God that will be with me through tough times.  I want to rely on God in tough times, and protect my family in prayer when my circumstances may not be ideal.  I want Daley's joy to be fueled by my love for her, to be fueled by Tyler's love for her, to be fueled by Christ's love for her.  I want Daley's joy to be contagious!