Boston or bust...

Boston called yesterday and we are scheduled for surgery on March 6th (Lord willing of course ;-)!  We have pre-op appointments on Monday the 4th, a sedated echo and MRI on the 5th, and the surgery on the 6th.  It actually feels "real" now, since we have dates!  My sweet prayer warriors, we really need your prayerful support as we embark on this exciting and hairy journey.  At this point, David, myself, and Grace will go out to Boston together on Sunday, March 3rd and I will return home on Saturday, March 9th (while David and Grace stay in Boston).  There is no way to know how long Grace will be in the hospital (it all depends on how quickly she recovers from major open heart surgery, if there are any complications, etc).  She could be there as little as 2 weeks to 6 + weeks.  We are planning and assuming that it will be closer to 6 weeks, just so we are prepared (as much as you can be prepared for something you are clueless about and have no control over :-).  While I know that this journey will not be easy for anyone in our family, God has already shown up in so many ways, reminding us that He is in control and He has got this!  Just one example of that is how he has used a sweet friend and her sweet sister (who I hardly know) to remind us that He sees and He hears us when we call.  I was praying, asking God for peace and wisdom about how we would manage all of the logistics as it relates to our trip to Boston, and on my heart at the time was a deep desire for David and Grace to be able to take a non-stop flight to Boston for safety reasons (there is always a concern with pressure change, so being able to go up and down just once, instead of twice, and the risk of infection as it relates to being on two separate airplanes and in another airport for a layover, etc); however, the only airline miles I was aware of us having were with Southwest (which is certainly our favorite airline, but they don't go to Boston non-stop)...  long story short, God used our sweet friend and her sweet sister to cover that concern by randomly calling us just minutes after I had been praying about this to offer us her miles to get a free, non-stop flight to Boston on Continental (United)!  Thank you Deborah and Stacey for being the hands and feet of God!

We humbly request that you lift us up in prayer as we fight this battle (completely in God's strength) for our little Gracie's life and for the emotional and spiritual strength/maturity of Abigail and Andrew as they continue to learn (along with us) how to rest and trust in God's goodness even when it is scary or lonely.  One of the things I'm most grateful for in life is how much our family LOVES being together.  Ever since David and I began dating (back when we were just 18 years old), we have spent every available moment together.  By God's grace we were never forced to have a long distance relationship, travel a ton for work, etc, so when we have to be apart for even a couple of nights it's painful.  I completely realize how lame and mushy that sounds, but it is truly part of my prayer request.  Will you please pray that we would all do well being apart for such an extended period of time because even as I type this my heart hurts and tears fill my eyes at the mere thought of our family being separated for so many weeks.  The reason that David will be the one to stay with Grace, while I'm home with Abigail and Andrew, is because A and A just do so much better when Momma is there when they go to bed and wake up in the morning (even though they adore their Daddy).  I trust that Grace won't remember this experience much, but A and A most certainly will and the last thing that I want them to feel is abandoned in any way.  I'm also afraid that I'm going to totally disappoint A and A when they realize just how boring I am compared to David (and I think that I can be pretty fun :-).  They are used to having a ton of time with their Daddy who has endless energy and all kinds of crazy ideas for entertainment (making obstacle courses around the house, building crazy forts, dressing up to have serious wrestling matches, etc).  I can't even be in the room while he wrestles the kids because I get too nervous that someone is going to get hurt, so how am I suppose to supply ALL of that physical fun for the kids in David's absence? Can you believe I seriously worry about this stuff?  I don't want to bombard you with prayer requests, so I guess I will leave you with those for now :-).

Please don't forget to pray that this little honey stays healthy leading up to her surgery, that the Dr's in Boston can perform a successful biventricular repair and that there are absolutely no complications!  THANK YOU!!!  (((BIG HUGS))) for each of you!!!