surgery...

Hi Friends (:

Evie had her appointment with the neurosurgeon yesterday... and while I can't say I'm surprised at what he said, I can't say I'm exactly ready for it either.

In a nutshell, babies have all of these plates that form their skull, and between the plates are sutures. These sutures stay open so that as a child's brain gets bigger, the skull has room to grow. Well Evie's front 3 sutures are closed (craniosynostosis) which is why her head seems to be growing up instead of round. The problem with Evie's skull isn't really the shape, but the fact that pressure is building up in her brain. Her main soft-spot has been bulging for months, because as these sutures close more and more, her brain doesn't have anywhere to go but up.

The neurosurgeon is recommending doing a "decompression" of her skull, which is surgery. Basically they will make a wavy cut from one of Eve's ears to the other across the top of her head, and open the closed sutures. They secure them with dissolvable plates and screws. The shape of her head will change, and they will move her forehead farther forward.

The good news is we have heard nothing but wonderful things about the neurosurgeon. People come from out of state to see him. He has very good people skills and made us feel comfortable with the surgery process. We will go to a cranio-facial clinic at the end of May and schedule surgery in June which puts it past the birth of our new nephew (yay!!!!!) and my little sis's wedding. It's actually remarkably good timing (God is good).

The bad news is, I'm scared. I haven't gotten the wind knocked out of me since I was a kid, but I had a few flashbacks today... a not very nice mix of nausea and chest pain in one swift kick. They will shave Evie's head, cut it open, peel it back, and cut her bones apart.

And the great news??? God is good. Evie needs surgery. He will take care of her. He already has.

When Eve is upset I rub her head. I love her soft little whispy baby hair.... and if you know my kids, you know that ANY hair is not to be taken for granted (: I will be accepting donations of beanies and hats to cover Evie's scar for the next three years or more until she has hair to cover it. (:

Lyla and I just started reading the Jesus Storybook Bible tonight, and after God created everything it says
"God saw all that he had made and he loved them. And they were lovely because he loved them."
I trust God with Evie's life, I really do. With every fiber of my being I know that he has healed her body and kept her living here with us. She is lovely and loved... I am lovely and loved too. We are both wrapped in the love of our creator. Boy do I need that. I'm going to breathe that in when I start to lose my air. Thank you Jesus Storybook Bible (:

Love you friends (: In case you haven't felt it lately, you are lovely and loved too (:
I will update soon.