Everything's bigger in Texas!

We've arrived in Dallas without any troubles at all...and without two of our passengers too! Turns out Ricky and I had to make an executive decision for Ethan to stay behind at Nana's house (which meant Nana stayed behind too), because on Sunday he was running another fever and ended up throwing up later in the afternoon. We were all extremely bummed.

It was so very hard to leave my little guy (and my mom, my best friend) behind. We were so looking forward to marking this surgery, one of Aiden's last for several years, with a "family" trip to actually enjoy some of the sites of the Dallas area rather than just seeing the bland, stifling walls of the hospital the entire time.

And one of the other main reasons we had wanted to bring Ethan along this time was because we had planned on having a "play date" with our friends, the Gorman's, and their two kiddos John and Rory Cate. John is Ethan's age and I'm sure they will be fast friends...when (and if) they finally get to meet!

Speaking of the Gorman's, they have really outdone themselves this time. They have single-handedly given truth to the phrase "Everything is bigger in Texas" - especially when it comes to hearts. Not only did they graciously allow us to use their car again, leaving it at the airport for us to pick up when we arrived, they, along with some of their dear friends, pulled together a GIGANTIC amount of goodies for our stay. Our countertop and fridge are full of snacks and drinks for both Aiden (Crunchies, crackers, juice) and Ricky and me (homemade cookies, chips, fruit...beer/wine).

And in addition to things that will fill our tummies, they also included toys and books to help pass the time, and lovely notes letting us know that half of Texas was thinking of us! We feel very "at home" surrounded by it all.

A Texas-sized "Thank-You" to all of the awesome families that helped to make our stay a little brighter!

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The week's schedule is as follows:

Monday - arrive in Dallas, dinner with the Gorman's

Tuesday - pre-operative appointments throughout the morning and afternoon, then relax at the hotel in preparation for our early wake-up call

Wednesday - be at the hospital by 6am, surgery scheduled for 7:30am (will last approximately 5-6 hours), spend night in the PICU during recovery

Thursday - hopefully be moved to regular pediatric floor for the night

Friday - possibly discharged, but may stay one more night for monitoring

Saturday - fly back to NKY

Sunday - spend Mother's Day with my family before heading back home

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We also want to let everyone know that the emails, comments, cards, texts, messages and mail that we've received these past few days means more to us than you can imagine. Your encouraging words, thoughts and prayers really help lift our spirits and help us to keep a positive attitude. We appreciate each and every one of you - friend, family or stranger!

Please check back throughout the week (and several times on Wednesday I'm sure) for updates. I'm off to try and get a little nap while Aiden snoozes too!

Love, The Skees