Tomorrow we will be making our way to St. Louis, Missouri and we will arrive on Friday.  One week today Evelyn will be having her life changing surgery, Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR) with the amazing Dr. Park at the St. Louis Children’s Hospital.  Time has flown by!

Even though we have been getting organized for days, it doesn’t feel like it is all really happening and I bet it won’t hit me personally till we are at the hospital on Monday for our pre-op appointments.  I was able to get some tips from other SDR families on what to pack for Evelyn (and Wes) which was helpful!  In addition to fun activities and games to play, I have packed a few Easter decorations and items from home to make our hotel room feel more “homey.”  We have been reading about St. Louis and all the fun (and many FREE) things to do there.  Checking the weather daily which looks to be staying above freezing (practically Mexico after this winter).  We have packed clothes and footwear for both winter and spring and printed all the documents needed.  Other than grabbing the things we are still using and packing the van, we are more or less ready.

I have been trying to prepare Evelyn mentally for what’s to come.  It is hard to know how much to share with a four year old because you don’t want to scare her or confuse her.  The other day she said she wanted her legs to stay “glued” on.  She thought Dr. Park was going to remove her legs and put new ones on.  We quickly corrected that idea!  We have been reading a few books about hospitals including The Berenstain Bears: Hospital Friends and Franklin Goes to the Hospital as well as Sir Dr. Park and the Dragon, Spasticity.  Hopefully these help her wrap her head around the idea of surgery and the hospital stay and in a positive light.  I know she is excited for all the TV she will get to watch. 🙂

We will be sharing the details of our stay in St. Louis the best we can, so be prepared for more Blog posts  (visit our site or subscribe to our e-mail list)!  If you want to see more frequent updates and pictures, join our Keeping Up With Evie~Evelyn’s Life Changing Journey  Facebook group.

Thank you for your support, your positive thoughts and prayers and joining us on this journey!

The journey begins…