I feel like an emotional mess this morning.  I’ve been working all night – third 12 hr overnight shift in a row – and have had way too  much time to think.  The closer I get to going home this morning to get Ryan ready for school then get Travis out the door, the more reality hits me.  This surgery on Travis’s foot wouldn’t be a big deal at all if Ryan wasn’t following him to the OR only four days from today.  I’m simply not ready, and I don’t want to put him through all this but I know it’s to improve his quality of life.  And Travis will be in pain which bothers me.  We have help – family, friends, meals, lot of people thinking and praying – but I still have the pressure as the mom and only functioning parent to organize everything.  I have been pretty good until this morning but I know we’ll get through it just like we get through everything else.  It just feels like we have a lot on our plates in a very short time.

It doesn’t help that Sidney had a “friend” say something very rude yesterday at school.  The girl was making fun of one of Sidney’s best friends so Sidney did the right thing and stood up for her friend.  This girl making the rude comments has been to our house numerous times and was a friend of Sidney’s up until this point.  She called Sidney some very mean names then said “If I could, I’d punch you in the head so you’d end up just like Ryan”.  Talk about a dagger to the heart.  I am still completely angry that she has such a mean-spirited heart to say something like that to Sidney who was supposedly a good friend.  Poor Sidney was absolutely devastated.  I just kept telling her she did the right thing by walking away and that no one who is that mean deserves to be her friend.  Junior high is such a hard age.  And to add the stress of her dad going to surgery today then her little brother in four days just makes it all worse.  I hate knowing I will be in Omaha all week in case something is said again.  This girl knows Ryan is going to surgery and I’m concerned she will continue to bully Sidney when all Sidney needs right now is friends to surround her and support her.  Please pray for this girl; she obviously needs it.  And pray for Sidney that she would stay strong and be surrounded by positive girls.  It’s hard to watch your kids go through these tough times but even worse when there is already so much stress at home.

Travis’s surgery was moved up today so we have to be at the hospital at 8 am now.  I will update when he gets out so you all know he is doing fine.  Once I get him home and settled, I have to take Ryan for his pre op appointment at 3:30 to have blood drawn and his assessment faxed to the hospital.  

We appreciate your prayers.