Surgery update

I just got my third call from the nurse (they call about every hour to update the families in the waiting area). They just finished putting the AlloDerm (tissue matrix to help the tissue grow into the hole) in and are starting to place the tongue. This was only supposed to be a 2.5- to 3-hour surgery but I had a suspicion it would go long. I'm supposed to get another call in an hour. Emily's doing great...of course, she's asleep and can't chat everyone up!

A funny thing about Emily: she likes to push things around when she is stressed or nervous. I didn't realize this until her second surgery. When we came in for her first, she wanted to push a Little Tykes car around like a shopping cart while waiting to go back for surgery. She made numerous laps around the surgery wing.  She did it again once she was mobile after being admitted, pushing her IV cart around the hospital wherever she could go. It finally clicked at the second surgery that she had done the same thing in Ukraine, pushing a baby stroller in the orphanage around and around. Now I understand why and made sure she had the opportunity to take laps with the car again today. Surgery is nearly empty so it was easy for her to make lots of laps, first with the car and then pulling a wagon. I figure this is a pretty good stress relief tactic (better than some of the other ones in our family) and she can continue it as she gets older by pushing shopping carts around stores, as long as she doesn't decide she needs to actually buy things!