Happy St Patricks Day! Today is the big day. Thatcher is healthy and happy and woke up at 5:00 am this morning for "THE FIRST DAY OF THE REST OF HIS LIFE". He was very happy and funny this morning as we took his chest x ray and got his "designer" hospital jami's on him. The anethstesiologist was fabulous and Dr Hawkins talked with us extensively about the risks. I held it together past the part about how babies can die from this surgery and they can have complications later in life and even if he doesn't have to cut across the valve, there is still a high chance that he will need it replaced. Then in the hallway when we handed him over, Ryan and I stood in the hall and let it all out. We didnt really know where to go after that. I felt like I had cut off both my arms and left them with perfect strangers to take care of. It is 9:00 and they just updated us that he was on the heart and lung machine and they had started with the incision. It is going to be a long day ahead of us. I will add to this post as I am able. Thanks to all of you for your well wishes and thoughts and prayers. God Bless.