Update

We just got a page telling us she's on bypass.  Keep up the prayers.

Lunch and a surprise

Matthew and I decided that lunch was a priority after Caroline was taken back for surgery. While we sat eating our lunch, you'll never believe who we saw.  Caroline's surgeon!  I know he has to eat, too.  But I was so shocked to see him in the cafeteria...instead of the OR.  Matthew and I just looked at each other like "are you seeing this?"  Let's hope that some bum isn't in the OR.

And it begins...

The team just took Caroline back for surgery.  She was a little angry because she was hungry, but we sent her off with a smile.  Please pray that all goes as planned.  

The Big Day

After our pre-op appointment yesterday, we were scheduled to be the first case of the day. In the evening, the NP called to say that a newborn needed our timeslot... We are praying for the other family that all goes well.  Now, surgery is scheduled to start around noon.  This is pretty terrible for us (I'm trying hard not to be selfish), because Caroline loves to eat.  She is already hungry and getting increasingly fussy by the minute.  Please pray that we can keep her calm long enough to get her handed off.  

Pre-Glenn Curse

I don't even know where to begin to update everyone on what is going on in the Duncan house.  Yeah, it's a lot.  We moved into our new house in Hampton Roads (that's just a fancy way of saying we live in the Norfolk area, along with the other million Navy families) over the Memorial Day weekend.  Getting settled is harder than it looks, and I find myself still surrounded by boxes full of things I'd never miss if they just got brought out to the garbage bin.  Matthew left Sunday for school in Rhode Island, and we are having a hard time trying to arrange a way for him to get to DC in time for him to see Caroline before surgery.  I have been fighting an uphill battle since Matthew left, and if it could go wrong...you'd better bet that it has.  I had to call a plumber on Sunday night because Parker ran the jogging stroller into the water pipes in the garage.  The water main had to be shut off, and I'm pretty lucky that I was standing nearby when it happened.  Parker thought it was great, he had "mud puddles" to stomp in.  Yesterday, we all went out in the evening for a post dinner walk. When we got home, I realized that I had locked the keys in the house.  So, without my wallet, keys (obviously), phone, diapers, juice...you get the idea, we went begging from the new neighbors.  I found someone that was able to lend us a phone and a phonebook so my very embarassed self could call a locksmith.  At this point, Caroline was really sweaty (not a good thing with a heart baby) and I was entering panic attack mode.  More than once I considered just breaking a window, if that tells you what kind of fun situation it was.  We all survived and the first chance I get, guess who is taking a monster fieldtrip to Home Depot to make some copies...me!  
While the hits just keep on coming, the one constant, looming always somewhere near is Caroline's Glenn.  She and I are leaving before the sun rises on Monday morning to make it to Children's for her pre-op appointment.  I was told that this "appointment" could take up to 8 hours.  After being subjected to every test known to man, Caroline gets to go stay at the Washington D.C. Ronald McDonald house with me.  I am stressing about this because like any home away from home, I have a hard time controlling germs and contact with anything that could potentially get her sick.  Catching something that close to surgery would make her recovery much harder, so I'm planning on being "that Mom" with a full tub of Clorox wipes and a suitcase of our own sheets and blankets.  Please pray that Caroline has no complications, and that we are able to get in and out without any major hiccups.

Congenital Heart Walk

The Congenital Heart Walk took place Sunday, just three days after Caroline was discharged from Children's National.  We were excited to see quite a few nurses and doctors that knew us by name (I'm not so sure that's a good thing...but we'll take it).  Last time I checked, the DC metro area had raised close to $68,000!  This was only the second year, so I was impressed with the results.  Thank you everyone who donated, and thank you even more for the prayers.  Parker was excited to get out and go on an "adventure", although it was hard to explain why we were driving somewhere to go for a walk...

As we continue to wait for word on when Caroline's Glenn will be, moving has taken up most of my worrying energy.  We will be in the new place by Saturday, and Matthew will have exactly one week with us until he reports to Rhode Island for school.  I can only speculate that surgery will take place while he is away...thank you again to those of you who will be watching Parker, again.  The Glenn has been labeled the "drive through" surgery.  Recovery times are much shorter and outcomes are more on the positive side.  That being said, it is still open heart surgery.  And as hard as it was the first time to hand her off, I'm trying not to think about how hard it will be this round.  We really know her now, not that we didn't love her before.  Now she smiles at us, and sings us songs.  She is very much a part of our family.  

Reality Check

As we wind down our first overnight stay in the CICU since Caroline's Norwood, I find myself sitting in the dark, contemplating her future.  Today sucked.  Standing by that hard metal jail cell of a crib tonight after such a traumatic day, looking over my girl with sweat stained hair, I realized that this is our normal.  This is Caroline's reality.  And it's a hard pill for me to swallow.