Getting Ready

Now that we have a date to actually go to St. Louis I find myself a little nervous. Scratch that a LOT nervous!! I know that this is just the eval appoiontment and where we will make our surgery date but it just feels like how I felt when I was waiting on James to be born. Excited but scared to death as well!!

James of course is going along at happy as can be. We are starting to get used to this new intensive therapy schedule. 7 therapy appointments in one week is harder to get used to than I thought it would be but James and I are working it out. The days and mornings that we dont have therapy he and I try to stay in our PJ's and just rest at home. I think James is starting to think the car is another room in our house as much as we are in it! LOL

I have been doing a lot of pre-op reading about what James needs to be doing (ideally )to get the most out of the surgery. I find that the St Louis Children's website has LOTs of get info. But for those of you that know me know that i can get a little obssesed with research as well. I am doing my best to keep it to a "normal" level but when they are talking about cutting your child's spine open for 5-7 hours it is hard not to. I have gotten lots of encouragement in my reading that James is making great progress toward what he needs to be a independant walker. Of course we know that James will not be leaving St. Louis a walker. It will take time...and lots of it. And even then only God knows what is in store for James. My goals for him is that he will be able to interact and play with his peers. A BIG one is potty training. I want him to be able to sit on the potty because that leads to independance later in life. Right now his little legs and hip are so tight that he cant open them wide enough to sit on the potty. I think if they were looser he could be potty trained.

I thank you for your continued prayers for us. They are SO needed and I hope you will lift up me and Josh as we start to wrap our heads around this surgery.