Just Another Stepping Stone

Emotions are running high today for me. Tomorrow is the big day for Alex. The hospital will be calling this afternoon with his arrival time and surgery time. I spoke with a nurse in the anesthesiologist department to go over his health history etc. yesterday. She explained to me that Eric and I can be with Alex up until the moment they wheel him off to the operating room. I had tears in my eyes as she was telling me this because that moment is going to be really hard for me. I have to be strong for him up until that moment then I feel like I can release my emotions for a bit until I see him again. The surgery should be 1.5-2 hours with 45 min in recovery before we are able to see him. It is going to feel like a lifetime for me. I just pray that everything goes as planned.

This week has been busy with preparation for our house guest, getting things ready for his surgery as well as making sure Evan is all set.

We have had to make room on our main floor so that he has enough room to sit in the wheelchair they are going to be sending him home in. He will be in that chair all day for a month. I want to be sure he is comfortable. I have had to wash bedding to make sure it is good and clean for him after his showers which he began last night. He has to be showered in an anti-bacterial soap for three days prior to the surgery to reduce his chance for infection near the incision sites.

Laundry piles up in our house quickly, so I am trying to get caught up on that as much as I can before tomorrow. I don't want to come home to 8 loads of laundry on Monday. :)

As I mentioned, my sister in law Tappy is coming up from Georgia to stay for the weekend with Evan. We are all very excited to have her here but no one is more excited than Evan. I am really happy that he will have a full three days with her to have ample one on one time. He is looking forward to it and I know he will thoroughly enjoy his time with her.

Yesterday I volunteered in the classroom like I do every Wednesday. Mrs. Bowers handed me a manila envelope full of cards that the kids made for Alex with a strict note for him to NOT open until after his surgery on Friday. I held back tears because I know how special each and every one of those cards are going to be and I cannot wait for Alex to see them. His friends care about him so much and  they were all telling me how much they are going to miss him. I am so happy he has so many friends who care about him, help him daily and love him.

I know I care for Alex daily and it is different than caring for a typical 7 year old like Evan. Alex depends on me and he will have me as his full time care giver for the next 4-6 weeks. I am just worried that I will cause him pain while changing his diaper or trying to carry him upstairs for bedtime. I am worried that because he is non-verbal he cannot tell me what is going on, what hurts, why he is uncomfortable etc. I am worried that he won't be comfortable sleeping. I know these are all valid reasons to be worried, but I just want people to understand where I am coming from I guess.

This is all for now. Eric and I will keep everyone posted tomorrow through Facebook and Text message. Please keep us all (but especially Alex) in your thoughts and prayers tomorrow and in the coming weeks as he heals. This is just another stepping stone in our journey.