Pre-admission day

We spent 4 hours at Children's Hospital today going through the pre-op testing and registration. We are so impressed by all of the physicians and staff there. We already held them in high regard - our 2 yr old son receives many services there and we've always been pleased with our experience. Today was no exception. They do an excellent job of helping parents understand the details of their child's situation and putting them at ease. Children's Hospital Ranks among best in the nation.

Dr. Pirooz Eghtesady will be preforming the surgery. He spent 45 minutes with us going over the details of the procedure. We feel very comfortable with his knowledge and his beside manner. The surgery will take 5-6 hours. It is truly amazing what they are able to do. They will use some of her own tissue to repair the hole in her heart. She will be in the Cardiac ICU for a couple of days following the surgery. We were pleased to find out that she will have her own room and dedicated nurse there, and that we will be able to be with her around the clock. We will be called in an hour or 2 after surgery, once she is in the CICU room and situated.

They prepared us for what to expect when we first see Corinne following the surgery. She will remain pretty sedated until sometime Tuesday morning. She will be hooked-up to many wires, tubes, etc, which the doctors say will be more stressful for us than for her. She will gradually be disconnected as she requires less monitoring. After she is stabilized she will be moved to the step down unit. We expect to be in the hospital a total of 5-7 days.

Grandmommy (Allison's mom) came in from Nashville around noon and picked up J and Meredith from a friends house (thanks again for watching the kids, Sheri!). They met us at the hospital for lunch so we could pick up J's new glasses while we were there. He looks so grown up with them. He seems to be adjusting to them well. We just need to work on keeping them on his face and out of his mouth. Meredith has been a big helper with that so far.

We appreciate your continued prayers. Surgery is scheduled for 7:30 am Monday 1/5. We will try to give brief updates as often as we can.