Arriving at the Hospital

We arrived at the hospital this morning at 10:15. Gracie was met by many helpers and doctors. Megan, the Child Life Specialist, came in and talked to Gracie about her day. She did a great job preparing Gracie for surgery and what to expect afterwards. Megan was quite impressed with how prepared Gracie was, thanks to our friend, Julie. Gracie has become attached to a gorilla that Nana bought her at the zoo. She calls her Lulu. Megan dressed Lulu with a hospital bracelet just like Gracie's. Lulu even got her own hospital gown that we took off of the doll Julie gave her. They were both dressed for their big event. Gracie was given the medicine Versed (sp?) to help her relax. It worked very quickly! This medicine also helps her not remember the details leading up to her surgery. We gave her a million kisses and sweet whispers before they rolled her off to surgery.

We are all now hanging out in a private waiting room. They are supposed to call us 3- 4 times. They will call us first once they begin the surgery. We should receive that call any moment. Then, they should call once every hour during the surgery to give us updates. They warned us that today would be a long, hard day. We are sure that today will be hard on all of Gracie's fans, too. She is so loved. The only thing better than feeling love yourself is watching other people love your child. Thank you all.