Tomorrow is the day!

Grace has a tendancy to keep a vice grip on her sister's neck while posing for pictures. I have been so proud of her, we have been using m&m's to bribe Sophie to hold still and use her inhalers (working like a charm, gives me hope for shots!) and Grace has never once asked for candy herself as she watched her sister get them with her medicine 4x a day! She just cheered her on and encouraged her every step of the way!

Taken tonight with our prayer warriors, the Kerkstras, they come pray with us before every surgery! We love them dearly and cherish their faith and care!

Thank you for your prayers this past week, her lungs have improved and we are proceeding with surgery. The house is a bustle getting ready for another big surgery tomorrow. I think I got all my yucky emotions out last night and I was crying in my bed and then Craig and I held hands and recited the 23 Psalm in the dark together. Shall we say it again together now...

The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want
He makes me lie down in green pastures
He leads me beside quiet waters
He restores my soul
He guides me in paths of righteousness
For His name's sake
Even though I walk
Through the Valley of the Shadow of Death
I will fear no evil
For you are with me
Your rod and your staff
They comfort me

You prepare a table before me
In the presence of my enemies
You annoint my head with oil
My cup overflows
Surely goodness and love will follow me
All the days of my life
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.


See don't we all feel better from what ails us. So today I kept pretty upbeat and it seemed like a pretty typical Monday. And I got to talk to my Momma who is out of town so that helped! Of course now I am just in getting stuff done mode so it's easier to not think about the "hard part". I was just saying to someone that of course we have been through this a half a dozen times and so that makes some things easier. But when it gets right down to it, I want to throw myself down on the table and say "cut me instead" to save her from pain. It's hard for my head to explain to my heart, that it will be ok. As a mom, you just HATE to see your baby suffer. But about four times today she came to me with the bottle of lotion and begged me to put it on her mole so I know she would like relief from the itching that comes with it so I am eager to get as much of it off of her as possible.


So getting down to the details. Surgery is at 11:55, we will go there at 9:55, she has to fast on foods at midnight (so she may be getting up and having a snack soon!) and then gets a breakfast of juice, popsicles, and/or jello jigglers before 8 (her big sister is kind of jealous of the breakfast selection). Hopefully she does as well with the fast as she did last time. Surgery may be longer than usual if they do three expanders and they never tend to be on time anyways but I will update as able when we are out. Thank you as always for your faithful prayers, my little Sophie is a tough cookie and I know she is brave and will come out strong on the other side of this, and I have a feeling her Momma will too!
Amanda