pre-op day

Ellie didn't get a single nap in bed today.  Most of her naps were cat naps on me in between appointments/consultations...

She  actually slept for a few moments on the x-ray table.  In the photo below, she is passed out in a booth in the hospital cafeteria while R & I grabbed a quick bite earlier.  Bless her heart, she is exhausted.  And possibly overtired which explains why at 10pm she was still squealing in her hospital bed.  Thankfully, when Ellie gets overtired, she can't sleep but is still happy - rather than just a sleepless screaming baby.

Cuddling with daddy in the x-ray waiting room

After our evening on "pass" tonight, we returned to the hospital room to find this on the bed.  It's her hospital gown.  I had hoped to dress her in pink in the morning but she'll be wearing this ginormous gown.  It will swallow her little 13.2 pound body!  At least it is cute and has little faces all over it.  (I hate the ones with hands & feet.  It just rubs me the wrong way.)

Oh my, this is a rough picture.  Ellie asleep on me just before our anesthesia consult

We were given a pass to leave the hospital this evening which was wonderful.  We spent about 4 hours away with Will.  I played a Buzz Lightyear video game with Will.  He spent probably an hour tickling and wrestling his Daddy.  We also ate a family dinner together.

And sweet Ellie girl got to lay practically naked for the last time for the next 3 months on her play mat.  I took off her tape and splints and she just lay on her mat and actually kicked some with glee.  I'm sure it was glorious for her to be so free.  I dread confining her to a body cast but know when she is free of it in 10-12 weeks, she will do some serious happy naked kicking.

One last tummy kiss from big brother before she is in body cast

Mommy & Ellie in matching hospital bracelets.

We both agree that we would prefer matching silver jewelry.  

While on our pass tonight, I also nursed Ellie in the bath - it was the last real bath I can give her until the end of April/early May.  I can hardly type that without crying again.  My emotions see-sawed throughout the bath from crying to happy as I watched her just enjoy her time in the warm water.  I will so miss that.

I rubbed lotion all over her sweet body and savored the smell of her fuzzy hair (Noodle & Boo shampoo, I love you), the feel of her soft baby skin, the way her bottom fits so perfectly in my palm, how warm she is, the feel of her tummy as it becomes full, 

3 months in a body cast, in the grand scheme of things, isn't really so bad.

But in the scheme of mommyhood, that's a long time.

More on that later I am sure.

Right now, I am exhausted for a long day of pre-op consults.

Here's the scoop for tomorrow:

1:30am- it's the last time I am allowed to feed my precious Ellie love.

6am - R will come back to the hospital (he is not allowed to stay here overnight.)

Hopefully, he'll be able to comfort E as I am fearful that she will be frustrated with me when I wake her up but don't feed her

7am- the nurses take E to surgery

8am - surgery begins

it should be over sometime between 10-11am hopefully

During surgery, Will will go to the child life playroom.  I didn't know this until today but am so excited for this opportunity for him.  The child life specialists will teach him through play about spica casts!  They have a little spica and dolls and animals that can wear it and I think it will be so good for him to work with them learning all about spica through play.  I am so grateful for this opportunity for him and know they will do a much better job teaching/explaining it than I could.  Plus, I think it will make seeing Ellie in spica less shocking for him.

Sweet boy, this morning, he kissed E & said, "Have a good surgery, Ellie!"

We're told that they may do general anesthesia plus an epidural.

We're also told that besides the hip surgery they might redo her heel cord surgery that was first done in October.  (It wasn't fully successful in October and makes sense to go ahead and do it when she has to be in a cast anyway.)

We're also told that generally, there is a 90% success rate.  It's a little lower with Ellie's diagnosis.  Statistics don't do much for us but we are hopeful it will be successful the first time.

Thank you for praying for our Ellie girl and her doctors (4 total in the room I believe), nurses, and our anxiety, overwhelm, etc.

The doctor said the hardest part will be seeing her in spica.

I'm dreading it.

Thank you - your support, texts, comments, emails, etc have meant so much today - sometimes we've read them outloud to each other inbetween appointments or while sitting in waiting rooms.  Little bits of encouragement go a long way.

On an unrelated note, this made my heart so happy today:

Will played with his friend, Beau, earlier today.  Beau wore his soccer shinguards the whole time in an effort to be like Will - he was pretending they were his "zancos" (prosthetics.)  

How cool is that?  Love that kid!

Good night- off to sleep a few hours before nursing my little love one more time without spica.