Today was the day.  It has been a day!  Most of it is to be dealt with between us and the hospital.  So, for here, we are going to focus on the most awesome stuff.

We’ve counted down the days…

And finally reached zero!

Emmie had her CT scan around 12:30 today (March 30…yeah it’s late tonight).  While sitting in radiology waiting for a little while, they came and told us they were taking her straight to the OR and we were to wait in her day surgery room.  We got up there and waited a little while longer.  Dr. Chern popped in.  They were prepping her.  It was time.  His exact words were, “it’s almost too good to be true.”  We laughed and told him no.  It’s not too good to be true.  God’s hand was all over this.

The fusion is taking beautifully.  Every piece is right where it needs to be.  While we were all extremely nervous that we were removing our “reassurance,”  we all knew it was time to let her stand “on her own.”

Except she’s not.  She is and has been bathed in prayer.  And God, as always, is holding on to her tightly.  He knows what is best.  We just get to watch Him work.  Sometimes with us yelling and screaming in the background.  Other times while we cheer.  While others we hit our knees to pray.  Our marathon.

After waiting what felt like forever, but of course was only an hour or two, our Emmie came back.  And holding her close, so close after so many months of ducking, dodging and awkwardly cradling,  well, that’s a feeling I can never come close to describing.

You would not believe how light she feels.  We all agree that she looks like a little girl now and not the baby from eight months ago.

She got to wear a “real” dress.  Not a pillowcase dress but a real one.  Oh my heart.

She was very woozy from the meds and still quite unsure as to where her halo buddy was.

As we were leaving, Dr. Chern stopped us and  told us that tomorrow we could wash her hair.  With real shampoo.  He also said that older kids will tell them that they feel very unsafe when the halo comes off.  Unsteady of their feet.  Unsure of how to move.  We definitely think Emmie is going through all of that in her almost two year old mind.  Not a lot of smiles in the hospital, but she brightened up riding in Papa’s toot-toot (his truck that we borrowed for the trip over) and eating her traditional after hospital Chick-fil-a meal.

We couldn’t stop smiling as we ate and watched her.  She turned her head slightly (just her head…not her whole body). Then got very still and turned it the other way.  And then did it again and again.

Our hearts are overflowing with thanksgiving to God for our amazing girl.   She’ll stay in this brace for about five to seven weeks and then we’ll move on to the next big step of going solo. We can take the brace off to put a new shirt on underneath it.  But that will be all.

Papa and Grandmere graciously agreed to watch the Super Sibling Sidekicks and I’ll have pictures of their escapades later.  Ge and Granddaddy graciously agreed to wait out the chaos with us at the hospital.  Their reward was making them bend down on Emmie level to get a good picture.

They love me and would do anything for their Emmie.

We got home and our mail included two absolutely adorable shirts with the cutest sayings that are most appropriate for Emmie.

When I found similar cute sayings for another disorder, I put out a plea for ideas on who or how we could make these.  My high school friend, A, told me she would do them.  As a gift to Emmie.  Now to decide which one she is wearing tomorrow.  Because she can wear a shirt.  A real shirt.

Again, saying thank you for the prayers is nowhere near enough.  We are so grateful for each and everyone who has lifted our amazing super hero up.

She’ll go back in two weeks for x-ray and check up.  Then, we are hoping to go back three weeks later (other activities are keeping us from going in four weeks like he requested).  That will be the TSLO brace (what she has on now) decision time .  A year plus of wearing some type of neck brace and then nothing.  I can almost imagine it now.