Surgery: a week later

It has been one week since my surgery. And what a week it has been. There have been many wonderful moments and of course some not so good moments. Here is what I know for sure, God is still good and He is my healer! I praise Him for all the blessings He has given this past week and even praise Him for the hard times. I know He has given me strength to get through this and is using the hard times to prune me and draw me closer to Himself. Glory to Him and Him alone!

I have so much to be thankful for! Instead of sharing the not so good moments I will follow my positivity strength and share the blessings! It is more interesting anyway! :) It is easier for me to make a list so bear with me, my bullet points and descriptions.

*Successful Surgery:God used Dr. Tate to successfully remove the cyst from my body (and unfortunately my left ovary too). It ended up being the largest cyst she has seen in a pregnant woman and was very glad to get it out.
*Went home same day as surgery:Dr. Tate said that the surgery went so well that she really believed that Baby Lee and I were ready to go home. So I recovered for awhile on the Labor and Delivery floor and then went home on Thursday evening. Praise the Lord!
*Incredible Nurses and Hospital Staff:God truly blessed me with such caring and kind nurses and staff on my very first hospital stay. From the first person we talked to in Surgery Admissions (Jemna, who had Dr. Tate do the same surgery on her) to the nurse who cared for me in Labor and Delivery (Irena, a hilarious Polish woman) God took incredible care of me through these precious people!
*Absolute peace through pre-op:I cried on the drive to the hospital on Thursday morning (as i read an amazing email FULL of scripture from my best friend Kelly) but once I got into the hospital and went through changing into the "gown", getting my first IV, meeting my anesthesiologist and OR nurse, waiting for surgery time, saying "see you later" and kissing my wonderful husband, seeing the operating room (it was so bright in there) and then finally "falling" asleep, I didn't feel scared or nervous. Your prayers were answered-I had absolute peace!
*Hearing Baby Lee's heartbeat:it was the first thing I asked about when I woke up in recovery. I will never forget that moment even though I probably wasn't all there. Irena was by my side, already checking to see if I was having any contractions and found our precious baby's heartbeat. I was so relieved and happy that I started crying and hyperventilating. The nurses had to calm me down. It was one of the most beautiful moments for me. Later in the day, my Mom and Grandma got to hear it for the first time. That was another beautiful moment for me, seeing my Mom's ear to ear smile!
*Having Mom and Grandma here:I cannot explain in enough words how much it meant to both Ryan and me to have them here! They were a great support to Ryan when I was in surgery. And they hardly sat down, constantly serving us by doing laundry, making meals and cookies (YES, I got my chocolate chip cookies), helping me get up and lay back down, grocery shopping, helping me walk, giving Ryan a break and making me laugh even when it hurt! Here is a pic of the 4 of us(Baby Lee was included too) the night before surgery.
**side note: isn't my Grandma Peterson gorgeous? she turned 85 on Monday August 23. She doesn't look a day over 55! I love these women so very much! I hope I take after them as I age!

Back to the blessings:
*Phone calls, emails, text messages, meals, cards and gifts: So many of you have called, emailed, texted, brought a meal, sent cards and gifts and come by to visit. This has meant so much to us. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
*Healing: it has been slower than I had hoped but God is healing me everyday! I am slowly going off my pain medication and sleeping better at night. Continue to pray for complete healing and restoration so that I can get back to my full, fun schedule. To be honest, it has been difficult to rest. I know I need it and I know that when Baby Lee comes I will be begging for rest. But right now, I feel that I have so much to do and not enough strength or energy yet to do it.
*Ryan, the love of my life: with me incapable of doing a lot of things on my own, he has graciously and lovingly helped me with EVERYTHING this past week! I thank God so much for him and his unconditional love for me! He has been my greatest support and I have fallen deeper in love with him through this experience!

Let me say this again, we so appreciate your prayers! God has answered in amazing ways and we praise Him! Thank you for your love and support! It has truly carried us through some hard times. We love you!

One final thing: My next doctor appointment is on Thursday Sept 2. We are praying for a clean bill of health! I am ready to be on the Tabor campus the following week!