We are here at the waiting room in the U of U hospital.
Sarah was extremely calm and optimistic this morning.  I was a nervous nelly but tried to pretend I wasn't.  I didn't sleep much last night but every time I looked at her she was sleeping soundly and peacefully.  She hasn't slept well for weeks so I was surprised that she was finally able to.   We said goodbye to the boys who are spending the day with Sarah's aunt Diana who is at the house for the next month.  They were sweet.  They all gave their mom a hug.  As we were pulling away 4 year old Wesley came out on the porch and waved.  He was smiling but I saw a little tear drop from his eye.  I'm not sure how much he really understands about what is happening today but he can sense the seriousness about what his mom would be doing.
We arrived at about 10:30 where we were admitted into a room for Sarah to change.  We met with a few nurses who did their thing.  Our anesthesiologist Dr. Talmadge Eagan met with us and was very positive as he started her IV.  Then Dr. Randy Jensen, Sarah's neurosurgeon, came in to give us a debriefing.  He said that after looking at last nights MRI results that he really doesn't have a lot of answers for us at this time.  The tumor is resting right on top of the brain stem.  Until they get in there and examine it there is just no way to know whether it will come out easily or not.  Basically, the outcome could be anything from simply peeling at away and taking it out to a more difficult process of slowly removing it piece by piece.  He says it is very likely that her symptoms after the surgery will get a little worse before they get better.  I'm sure the swelling and disturbance from the surgery will irritate things in there.  He also said it is very likely that Sarah may need some, or a lot of therapy after the operation to recover.  There is a good possibility that it will affect her speech, vision and overall motor skills temporarily or even permanently.
None of this seemed to phase Sarah's good attitude.  She was smiling and joking around like always, even teasing our surgeon about not messing up.  She was so excited, as ironic as that sounds, to get on with it.  We said our goodbyes and they took her in at around 11:00 am.

I've been pacing a lot, trying to relax, watching the clock....

Around 12:30 the Operating Room nurse called me and said that they had just begun the surgery after an hour and a half of prep.  It's comforting that they know what they are doing and taking the time to do it right.  She said Sarah was doing great.

Again at about 2:45 the nurse called to let us know that they had gotten into the skull and brain and had the tumor in sight.  They were about to attempt to take a piece of it for testing.  I'm assuming that the results of the test will determine the level of aggressiveness they will utilize for the remainder of the operation.  She said that Sarah's vitals were all good and everything was going well.

That's about it for now.

Thanks for all the prayers and support.