Pre-op Appointment

Today was Lucy's pre-op appointment. We first met with a patient care technician that just asked us basic questions and took Lucy's weight and height. She is 27 1/2 inches long and I think she weighed about 16 lbs. and 8 oz. If that's true, she has lost a few ounces since her last pediatrician checkup, but since that time she has also started crawling non-stop so I guess I can attribute that little weight loss to the increased activity. Right? :)

Then a nurse came in and just talked over the procedures with us. Basically, she can't have any breastmilk after 1:30am, and she can only have clear liquids like water or Pedialyte until 3:30am. Then we're supposed to give her the caffeine at 5am, and have her at the hospital at 6:00am and then the surgery is going to start at 7:30am. So it sounds like I won't be getting much sleep Thursday night/early Friday morning!

The surgery is supposed to take 5.5 hours, and then it usually takes them about an hour in ICU before we can go see her. That's a long time without my baby!!!! But she will be out of it all that time so it's not like she will know we're not there.

We saw the waiting room today for the family while she is having surgery, and it's a lot louder and more crowded than I thought it would be. Of course it was in the middle of the day today so it will probably be different at 6am Friday morning, but still ... I will definitely be bringing a book and my computer because we can't really leave the waiting room all that much and that's a long time to just be sitting there. Plus, I think I will need some distraction.

They had to take her blood today and that was no picnic because they always have a hard time getting a good vein. After poking around a lot, they finally got enough blood and sent us home.

It was nice to talk with people today that could tell us what to expect. I feel just slightly more ready for the surgery now. I'm just ready for it to be over.

If you want to pray for us on Friday and beyond, here are a few things that I definitely know we'd like to lift up to our Father in prayer:

• Pray for an easy morning with Lucy on Friday and that she won't be super cranky because she's hungry, and that she will go with the nurse easily and with a happy spirit so that my mommy heart can rest assured. (and I won't start crying!)
• Pray for the anesthesiologist to have perfect understanding and wisdom as he doses out the anesthesia.
• Pray for the neurosurgeon (Dr. Wrubel) and the reconstructive surgeon (Dr. Mackay) and the nurses and technicians as they work on Lucy. Pray that the atmosphere will be calm and that God's spirit will just be resting on everyone.
• Pray for Lucy's recovery -- it's very common for the baby's heads to swell up and their eyes swell shut. Just pray for minimal swelling, and no complications as her head heals and as she comes out of anesthesia after the surgery.
• Pray for Wesley and I because I know that seeing our baby with a swollen face/eyes, a bandaged head, and disoriented from the anesthesia is going to make us super sad. Just pray that we'll have grace what lies ahead in the next week!

I really can't thank you enough. I know that Lucy has been covered in prayer since she's been born and we feel the support behind us, like a wind pushing us towards the finish line.

I'll try to keep the blog updated on Friday and the next week as the surgery occurs and we're in the hospital.

To leave on a happy note, here's a picture of my very active little girl with her best (canine) friend, our dog Nina. They are too funny together.