Preparing

My subject line says it all. I have spent this week making preparations for Savannah's surgery. I have researched my heart out, and I have even found a support forum in which I am now a member. I have talked to the orthopedic specialist, my pediatrician, and other people on the support forum who have and/are going through the same thing. There are so many things we will be needing in order to properly take care of her after the surgery. My list keeps growing everyday, and it sometimes overwhelms me to look at everything we need, exspecially since there will be more than what is on my list so far. Here is my list as of now:

Diaper Changing

1. Diapers - two different sizes, possibly Huggies overnights (waiting till we are trained at the
hospital).
2. Poise Pads - (I have to put one these inside the smaller diaper for extra protection).
3. Cotton Roll - like they use on perms ( this is to seal up her leg openings to help prevent
leakage in the cast).
4. Waterproof Tape - to go over the edges of the cast in ALL openings to protect her skin.

Clothes

1. Onesies -two sizes bigger than what she can wear now so they can fit over her cast.
2. Shirts - big enough to fit comfortably with cast
3. Dresses - also big enough to fit comfortably with cast.

Bathing

1. Washcloths - she has to be sponged bathed while in the cast ( 12 weeks at least). This is going to suck because she absolutely loves the bath. * I am still researching this to find out if there is anything else I can get to make bath-time easier for her. *

Toys, etc

1. Wagon - Something to help transport her room to room in that cast.. mom's on the support
forum suggested this.
2. Beanbag Chair - another thing suggested by the support forum (a neighbor of mine is
loaning us one.
3. Videos, etc - I'm getting her some for Christmas (hopefully this will entertain her some). * I am also still researching what other special toys I could get her for Christmas. She will not be able to play in her walker or jumperoo both of which she loves... gotta get her some things she can actually use to entertain her*

I am sure there is going to be a lot more things added to the list. There is so much that has to be done to prepare for this. I just want her to be as comfortable as possible.

You know, sometimes good can come out of horrible circumstances. I am finally getting to stay at home with my baby (my dream), yet this was not how I envisioned it. I am still grateful though that I am going to finally be at home with her. I am really excited to be able to have extra time to really bond with her, although the circumstances do suck. I just have 6 more days of work before I am home with Savannah.

Another good thing that has come from this: We have been trying to decide which doctor at the pediatric clinic we wanted to choose permanently. My job made it very hard for us to see the same doctor with each visit and I hated this. We've been trying to make a decision, and we finally did last night. We received a phone call out of the blue from the doctor that saw Savannah her first 3 months of life. He said he was checking her file to see how she had been doing with her check-ups, and he read about her hip and the surgery. He was calling to see if there was anything we needed or any questions or concerns he could help answer. I talked to him for about 15 minutes, and he answered a lot of questions for me. He was so kind and compassionate, and I felt really comfortable talking to him. I just couldn't believe he called us out of the blue to see how we were doing. I've never had a doctor do that before, and I knew after talking to him that God had just sent us the answer to our doctor problem. We now feel that this doctor is the answer to our prayers.

There are still so many emotions running through me. I can still cry at the drop of a nail. I have moments where I deal with all this really well, and I have other moments where I just feel very sad and helpless. I am really scared about the surgery and the anethesia. I just want the surgery part to be over with, so we can move ahead. I feel overwhelmed at times, I really really do. I know that Matt and I both are strong, and I know Savannah is too. I also know that we are going to make it through all this, but it's still a lot to deal with right now. The road ahead is going to be hard, no doubt about it, but one thing is for sure...the grace of God will get us through it.