Feelin' Bubbly

Well...here we are again.  Tomorrow Zac will have his third round of tissue expanders removed!!  I feel so fortunate to have my entire family with me this time.  Traveling alone with Zac is not fun...actually, traveling with Zac and the entire family is not fun either LOL.  We landed at Chicago Midway this afternoon and for the first time, I felt an overwhelming feeling of familiarity.  Not the kind of familiarity that says "I'm home!"...more like the kind of familiarity that says "ugh...this place again..."  No disrespect to Chicago...I am sure it's a great city, if you are visiting for any other reason in the world.  I mean, there is a TON of stuff to do...if you are up to it...and sadly, due to Zac's condition - we usually are not.

I was pretty proud of myself today - introducing Bruce to my normal Chicago routine....get off the plane, roll Zac and carry-on luggage to baggage claim, schlepp luggage to the rental car (sometimes by shuttle...ugh), drive to hotel area, eat at Portillo's (baked spaghetti...YUM!!), pick-up necessary long-term items at Target - head to the hotel for the night.  I can't believe I've been here enough times to actually establish a routine.  It seems just like yesterday that I was the 'new' mom to all of this and I was meeting Beth Nagel and her son Sully for the first time...Beth seemed like a pro to me and I was in awe of how open and fabulous she was, I longed for her radiant glow as she talked about Sully and the progress they had made...now...I am a pro!  LOL  Okay, okay, well, no one is ever a pro at this process...no matter how much practice you have, there's always a little zinger that gets thrown in.  I just hope I can pay Beth's kindness forward and someday be the mentor for someone else that she has been to all of us.  We love you Beth!

Showing his muscles and 845cc in his front expander!

845cc front; 765cc back

Zac is up for the 2nd surgery on Dr. Bruce Bauer's schedule tomorrow - expecting us at Highland Park Hospital at 8 a.m.  Zac currently has 845cc of saline in the front tissue expander and 765cc in the back tissue expander!  This is the first time that Zac has ever had more than one expander and although I am not excited about going to the hospital tomorrow...I am highly anticipating the results.  Zac was in amazing spirits today though a little crabby from the plane.  We played the Gummy Bear Song, one of his favorites on YouTube, over and over tonight until he started to yawn.  Tomorrow I will be arming myself with lots of cars and lots of Elmo and Chuggington on the iPad.  I pray that he can stay in good spirits once we arrive at the hospital.

Please pray for my little guy tomorrow - prayers for a successful surgery and a fantastic recovery with little discomfort.  Pray for Dr. B as he touches four children tomorrow and changes each of their lives in an amazing way - I pray that God will guide his hands over our children for phenomenal results.  Good night all!  Thank you for your prayers, positive thoughts and support.  If it weren't for you who have supported us with the cookbook and our fundraising efforts, I would be here alone with Zac and tomorrow would be much more difficult for all of us.  In His Name - Amie