So Christmas...

kinda sucked this year.

Sunday, December 20th, Hayden begins to complain about his neck hurting.

Monday, December 21st, Hayden cannot move neck at all - worried mom takes him to the emergency room to rule out meningitis and strep. Doctor orders an x-ray, pokes and prods and sends us on our way.

Tuesday, December 22nd, Hayden vomits four times in one hour - back to the emergency room (this time at a children's hospital) where Hayden is poked and prodded a bit more and sent home.

Wednesday, December 23rd, Hayden's neck is suddenly swollen about the size of a golf ball so Mike takes Hayden back to the emergency room. This time they swab his mouth and figure out it is strep (duh!) and give him a muscle shot in the leg with some antibiotics. The doctor promises us he'll be good as new within 24 hours.

Thursday, December 24th, bump on neck is larger and now red, so for the fourth night in a row, we head BACK to the hospital...where he is finally admitted because the strep has infected the lymph nodes and regular antibiotics wont work.

Friday, December 25th Santa came to the hospital! Hayden was loaded up with toys upon toys upon toys...though he was too miserable to care at all about them. He had surgery to remove two abscesses from his throat and jaw area, and a tube the size of a McDonald's straw is sticking out of his neck. The tube must be left in for three days and he must be hooked up to an IV for antibiotics.
Saturday, December 26th - Feeling better after having a doughnut:

Monday, December 28th the tube comes out. We have to keep him in there for another 24 hours on the IV.

Tuesday, December 29th he FINALLY gets to come home! We have the family over so Hayden can open all of his presents, and there were a TON!

Honestly...I'm so heartbroken that I didn't get to see the look on his face Christmas morning after Santa came. The look on his face that I got to see was one of pain and agony. My little boy had been suffering for nearly five days. Five days that should have been filled with singing Christmas carols preparing goodies to leave out for Santa, followed by five long nights in an unfamiliar bed being poked by unfamiliar people. He had to have an IV in three different places. It was so pitiful to watch him plead with every nurse that came in. He would say "Please don't do anything else to me".

He won over every single nurse on that floor, though. He even scored a few extra toys because he was the cute one :) One night while a nurse was helping him go potty, he looked up at her (after having been given a nice dose of Tylenol with Codine) and said very matter-of-factly "You have pretty eyebrows". He's always been a little flirt.

I do know one thing...we will be slowing things down around here. I will appreciate my little boy so much more. When he calls my name and needs me, I will be less hesitant to put down what I am doing and more hesitant to pick it back up again. I love my stinky boy and am so impressed by his strength. He really is my hero.

Below are some pictures for you to enjoy: