Pre-Op, Cheetah Dresses & Family Time

Today’s post is one where I got started writing late, I have tons of photos, and lots to cover, so I’m gonna keep the writing short when/if possible…

Knocking on Grammy’s door first thing this morning after waking up!

Then we got dressed and ready to head over to the hospital for pre-op. Again, only one parent is allowed in for pediatric patients due to covid, so I went in again today, and it was honestly pretty rough.

In the first waiting room, waiting our turn, watching tv.

A little apprehensive of the first nurse, but she had Pua (the pig from Moana) and her new panda from IKEA she named Luli.

EKG…

We were shuffled around to see the anesthesia, the surgeon’s nurse, Emmie got blood work and x-rays, and we were there nearly four hours. In the middle of that, she had a little meltdown (and wondered why Daddy and Grammy couldn’t be with us), but some chicken tenders and chocolate milk in the cafeteria helped perk her back up!

Absolutely everyone we met was extremely nice. From nurses to receptionists, everyone loved her, and people kept giving her little gifts. These are all the things she got while we were there: a tiny cheetah pillow that matched her dress, a little “Ugly Dolls” keychain, a dolphin book and matching tiny dolphin, and a big stuffed kitten.

She snapped cuddled up in Grammy’s bed today, and woke up refreshed and super excited. She quenched her thirst with some chocolate milk again, and was ready for some fun this afternoon. Like opening up another new present or two, and getting to have some outside time.

Thank you to Christi and Kinley and family for this gift full of fun activities!

Less than a half a mile from the Ronald McDonald House, is a 200-year-old Live Oak Tree. I personally love Live Oak trees, so I knew we had to go see it while we were here. Emerson and I were actually wearing matching leopard print dresses today, and I figured that would be a good place to snap a couple photos of the two of us. And it was a beautiful tree of course!

Then we went about a half a mile in the other direction, to head to a park that had a playground. By that time, Papa had come to join us, and Nana and PopPop met us there as well!

We went to a nearby restaurant called High Tide Burrito Co., for an early dinner. It was kind of tricky finding a place that was close by, that was doing dine-in seating, and would also have (and allow) a table for a party of seven, but this place fit the bill.

Nana asked if Emerson wanted to help her eat her dinner, and Emerson said sure. Nana meant “did Emerson want to eat a few bites herself,” but Emerson thought she physically needed help, so she grabbed the fork and started feeding Nana!

This giant art installation was at the little strip of stores next door to our dinner place, and Emerson thought it was the coolest thing ever. She kept asking to go see the colors all throughout dinner, and then once she saw them up close, she decided they were rockets. She kept wanting to take over a new family members to show them her rockets!

We had a quick video call with Megan and Bo and the triplets, while they ate dinner, with the babies covered in spaghetti!

Then we went back to the “who-tell” for a little bit more play time with Grammy and Papa before bedtime.

We let her open one more present tonight, and she chose the one from Mommy and Daddy. In addition to the Kindle Fire tablet we gave her a couple days ago, we also got her a few books, some stickers, some temporary tattoos, a couple tiny figurines, and her very own chapstick which was maybe her favorite part!

We got to see part of this pretty sunset from out on the patio while doing some of the bubbles she opened earlier today.

She wanted to get “bassert” with Papa, and chose this giant cinnamon roll and chocolate milk. Nothing like a little sugar overload right before bedtime, right?! She only ate five or six bites of it, but still, that was enough sugar for her tiny self!

When it was finally time for bedtime, we let her open even one more present again tonight. This was the other half of her present from her Sunday school teacher Mrs. Shirley and her husband Mr. Bert. (We gave her the first half a couple weeks ago which was the pediatric nurse dress up costume.) They got her a book about a girl who had heart surgery, and calls her scar a “zip line,” which was really cute but made me cry for about the fifth time today.

Since the video call with Aunt Meggie and Uncle Bo had been so chaotic earlier this evening, we video called him again right before bedtime. Emerson wanted to show them all around our “who-tell” room and some of the things that she’s been getting. Then they prayed with her before we hung up, and I cried again.

Please continue praying for us all day tomorrow. We have to be at the hospital at 6:30 a.m., and surgery is scheduled to start by 8:30 a.m. It will last for about 4 to 5 hours, and then she will stay admitted in the hospital for at least 4 to 5 days, all just depending on how her individual recovery and healing is going.

Today has already been an extremely stressful and emotional day, and my nerves are just about shot. Tomorrow is going to be even more difficult, but I’m glad that I have a great husband to go through it with, and a great family who’s supporting us from both near and far. We appreciate everyone’s prayers more than we can possibly say. The love and support we have felt has been overwhelming, in the best possible way, and we can’t say THANK YOU enough!💜