3 weeks...

It is nothing short of a miracle that Max went from this...

...to this in 20 days! Amazing! He loves showing off his scar and lifts up his shirt to show everyone that comes over to our house. 

It is hard to believe that 3 weeks have gone by since Max's surgery. His recovery continues to amaze all of us. He is no longer taking pain medication. I still feel like I should give him a little Tylenol before he goes to sleep, but he really does not need it. He continues to take aspirin daily, along with his other prescriptions twice a day (a diuretic, a heart arrhythmia medicine and a blood pressure medicine). He is back on his normal schedule and our family is falling back into our regular routine. 

All the glue, tape and bandages from surgery have all been removed and his scar looks amazing. The top of his sternum does protrude out a little at the top of the incision line, but we hope that will flatten down as it continues to heal. We saw his pediatrician this week and she practically started crying when she saw Max. She just could not believe how healthy he looked. We were all clapping and cheering when she checked his oxygen levels and it instantly read 96! 96! Are you kidding me?! Prior to surgery we were happy to get above 80, now he is in the mid-upper 90's! It is going to be a busy summer for me chasing after this kid. He now has more energy than he knows how to handle!

We see Max's cardiologist in 2 weeks. Until then, we will continue to send out thank you notes to the many, many people who found ways to provide service for our family. Max (and Morgen too!) received so many fun surprises from people. He now has a new stash of stuffed animals, coloring books, board games, crayons, stickers, jammies, puzzles and other toys. Multiple people provided meals for our family which was delicious and a blessing to avoid the cafeteria. We also received many encouraging cards in the mail, help with babysitting Morgen and a variety of other sweet acts of service. 

Overall, our family felt extremely loved and we will forever be grateful for all the help. I don't know the right words to summarize the past 3 weeks, but I do know my heart swells when I see my Mighty Max chasing after his brother and smiling up at me with his twinkle eyes. I know his body feels so good. His little spirit was not dampened at all by this surgery. If anything, he now has more magic and energy to share with everyone he meets. 

I love you baby!

Dr. Lacey (Max's pediatrician) and Nurse Sadie- they came to visit Max in the hospital. Max's primary care physician is actually his cardiologist, so his pediatrician did not need to come check on him at the hospital, she did because she loves Max and was worried about him.  She brought him a new game and variety of other little toys for him and Morgen. We love her so much and could not believe how sweet it was that she made a personal visit for our family. 

This is the poster I sent to the nursing staff that took care of Max in the hospital. I traced Max, added a little caption saying, "Thank you" and wrote out all the nurses names on hearts to decorate (just like his room was decorated). We loved all of our nurses and wish there was more we could do to thank them for taking such good care of Max.