Just right around the corner...

Saturday was the most beautiful day weather-wise.  X and I took Graydon on a "date" on a gondola tram across the East River to Roosevelt Island (a long sliver of an island between Manhatten and Queens).  It was so much fun because it was quiet with open spaces over there.  So very relaxing!

Later we went to Central Park, and apparently half of NYC also goes to Central Park on Saturdays, but we still had fun.  The boys got balloon swords and played "explorer" all over the rocks.

Case taking a break.

This is maybe my new favorite picture of my sweet boy, Graydon.  He will turn 4 years old next Wednesday.  I feel really bad about him missing out on a normal birthday party experience.  He has been saying lately, "I miss my friends and my cousins in McKinney, TX."  Poor guy.  I love him so much.

Monday we took Graydon to the 9/11 Memorial.  Case stayed home, due to naptime and our ever-present need to keep him clear of germs.  Thankfully Granddad volunteered to stay back with him.  It was the wettest, sloppiest day ever, but we came out with all our rain gear on and survived.  Graydon and I are standing in front of the only tree from the original site that survived the attacks 10.5 years ago.  Amazing!

The North Reflecting Pool (with the new Tower One being constructed in the background). 

It was emotional explaining to Graydon what happened here.  He kept saying that the bad guys "made the wrong choice."  But that sweet boy got a smile on his face and said, "but it's okay because they [referring to the innocent people killed] are alive in Heaven!!"

Even more emotional was our pre-opp appointment today for this adorable boy.  The nurses were describing how everything will be.  I was surprised when she kept listing off different tubes that will be coming out of him in all these different places.  Seriously, there is a tube in almost every orifice, in addition to 3-4 coming out of his chest!  He will go straight into the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), of which MSKCC does not have.  So he'll go "across the street" in an ambulance after surgery to the Cornell University Hospital and will be there for 2-3 days, or until he can breathe on his own.  He will also be kept sedated for 3 days.  All of that news just hit me hard and I definitely felt raw.  It's just so sad to see your baby like that.

After he is awake and breathing on his own, he will come back across the street to MSKCC and will go to their pediatric observation unit (POU - they pronounce it like "pooh" and it kills me.  Seriously, they want me to keep a straight face everytime they say Case will be in the "pooh?"  Can they not call it the P-O-U or pronounce it "po?").  Once he is there it will be straight into hard-core recovery.  They want him to start walking again by Day 4 or 5.  Poor baby.

It's just all very overwhelming.  When taking the picture above I kept thinking, "this is the last cookie he'll eat for a very long time!"  I just want him better and I want everyone to go home.  But I am trying to focus on the task at hand - get Case cancer-free (or closer to that) and better!

We welcome all prayers from all walks of life - so please pray for our little boy.  We are praying for no complications and that he recovers speedily.

 Please pray for his amazing Dr. La Quaglia to be guided and inspired during surgery.  Dr. La Quaglia is definitely a believer in God.  Every time I say something like, "well, you are the best.  That's why we are here."  He says, "No.  There is only one best," and points up.  He is amazing.  He takes NO credit for the amazing life-saving skills that he has.  He is most definitely a very honed instrument that God can use to save our precious children.  I am just so grateful to this man for being humble enough so that he could be inspired, instead of being cocky and giving all credit to himself.

I will try to have my brother post a short update on this blog after surgery (which will be late Thursday night or Friday morning).  Until then, my friends, let's just keep praying, because this is all way beyond you and me!