A Big Surgery for a Little Girl

Catherine, today was your two week B'day. It was a big day for you. The doctors put your organs back in place and built you a new diaphragm. You didn't have much muscle there, so they put in a patch and stitched it to your ribs. The surgery took about 3.5-4 hours. The doctors said your little lung was bigger than they expected (from now on, we'll call it your big little lung). This will help in the days ahead.

Before you went in for surgery, you woke up more than ever before. You were moving around and were relaxed. You found your mom and I. You were probably thinking, "that's a little blurry." I hear your eyes aren't focusing yet. But you seemed to recognize our voices and rest when we touched you on the head and hand. I wondered when we left if that would be our last memory. It was a very very sweet one. As I left, I tried to hold onto every moment (I wanted a video camera to soak up every detail). It reminds me of the way I felt the day I married your mom. It was a beautiful day, and when I stood on the altar, I tried to memorize her gaze, her smell, and her every move. Like you were today, she was stunning.

As we waited, your mom and I got icees and sat on UVA campus. We just talked about how much fun it was to interact with you. There was an unexplainable peace as we waited. A calm in the storm, of sorts. We talked about how, if you pulled through, we would bring you to the same store one day. We would take you to the bench we sat on as we waited for you.

You still have a long road ahead. We will be here when you wake up, my love.

Daddy