Our "Save the Date"

This wait was shorter than most. Thanks, in part, to D'Amato's care coordinator at Shriners. And perhaps the daily voicemails I left her.

Coincidentally, Beth knew of Willa before we knew of her. She happened to see photos of Willa's purple birthday party on the Facebook page of a friend she went to school with and lived with at one time. This friend happens to be the mom of one of Willa's little friends. They happen to be our ex-neighbors from the orange house. We happened to have met this neighbor after her little lady was born, a few months before Willa was due. Upon learning that she was a nurse practitioner in the NICU at OHSU, we didn't expect to literally lean on her and love her as we did (and do) during Willa's first 5 weeks of life. Coincidence after coincidence...

Besides becoming "pro-waiters" over the past few years, we've also learned how to push. We've learned how to be the parents that doctors want for their patients, but we've also learned how to form relationships with the doctors caring for our kid. Turns out that people will go out of their way to help someone they feel a connection with. I'm no stranger to that phenomenon.

The Child Life at Shriners (where Willa will spend 6-8 weeks preparing for surgery) can take Willa as soon as early December. Meaning that she would be there for Christmas. Which would be FAR less then ideal.

Ask, and you shall receive; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. (Matthew 7:7)

So I do... Can we wait until after the holidays? Can we plan for her to be home before her birthday? Can we wait long enough to seek the second (or third? fourth?) opinion from the pediatric orthopedist at Seattle Children's in December (next available?!)??

"Yes, of course," she says, "that would completely reasonable," she says. Ask, and you shall receive. You'll receive a yes or no, but we receive both a "yes" and a date. Our date is early January -- early January to start the 6-8 week stay at Shriners preparing for surgery, then hopefully home before Willa's 4th birthday on March 11th.

She's planning a pink party this year. ;) Whatever you want, Brave Girl.