Today is the day!

One last time of looking at the ticker and seeing the days count down.  0 days.  It's time.  April 16th - a date I will likely never forget. 

Oh dear friends, I can tell you have been praying!  I feel it in my very soul.  My heart and spirit have been calm today beyond anything I could ever have expected.  I know it isn't me but my precious Lord.  Thank you faithful friends!!!  I wish I could hug and respond to each one of you.  I appreciate so very much your love toward our family.  I am moved to tears every time I read a note, a prayer or a special effort for my family.  I am so humbled that you would do this for us!

I am trying not to think on the specifics of what is going to happen.  When I do I can feel fear start to crowd in.  My mind starts reviewing the "risks" and "statistics" and I start wondering if my precious baby is going to die.  I just don't want to think on this.  I can't.  Oh, I am so very thankful for my precious little girl.  She is in my arms right now.  Sleeping so peacefully. 

One additional thing to add to your prayers is for  Eliana's skin.  She is really reacting to the tape we have used for her feeding tube.  It was a mild irritation at first, but has really gotten bad over the last couple of days.  I switched sides for her tube on Fri as it was looking irritated.  The side that it has been on since is very irritated - red and even "crusty" in spots.  I removed her tube after her last feeding to give her skin some time to try and heal.  I know though that it will need to be covered again soon.  Please pray that they would be able to use something that wouldn't hurt her.

It's about 2am here.  Yes, I know I should be asleep.  I am tired, but who can sleep?  We'll be getting up at 5am and leaving around 5:40.  We are to be there at 6:15am.  We will need to check in and do some pre-op things - vitals, meet with the anesthisiologist, sign another consent and hand her over.  I was told we would not be allowed to take her back to the OR due to her age.  Then we will wait.  The prep for surgery can take about an hour.  She will have numerous IVs, tubes, etc to get placed and started.

Eliana has had her last feeding before surgery.  Can you pray that we won't experience delays so that she doesn't get hungry.  And that if we do have delays that we will be able to give her some clear fluids. 

We have several friends joining us tomorrow while we wait.  My other children will be home with my parents.  I am thankful for all of the support we have - here close by and many others from afar.  What a gift you are to me and my family! 

We are planning to take a laptop with us and will try to update as often as we are able to (if we can get a connection). 

With much love,
Leslie