Time Flies

I cannot believe that the surgery will be next Wednesday. One unit of blood is ready to go thanks to a dear friend, and another unit will be ready to go after Wednesday when my sis comes over. I have to call tomorrow to schedule the pre-op stuff and to see if we can do a hospital tour around the same time. The tour is more for Simon's sake as we remember too well the process and facility. If we are lucky, we will be able to do all of this either Friday or Tuesday, when we will be over that way anyhow. On Friday morning, he is finishing the hearing test, and on Tuesday, we will be going over to check into a room (either at the Ronald McDonald House or a hotel). I debated whether to get his hair cut beforehand, but I think that I will save the $20 and have the surgeons shave it all off. It will grow back before the staples even come out, and then the scar will be hidden before long.
Everyone keeps asking if Simon knows what is about to happen. I really do not know how to answer that question. We read books about Curious George going to the hospital and Franklin going to the hospital, and I talk to him about what will happen when he goes to the hospital. I am sure that he is listening, but I do not think that he has enough of a frame of reference to comprehend. At 4-1/2 years old, he is a bit young; and matters are more complicated due to his speech delay. He is very familiar with hospitals and various machines, but I have no idea how to prepare him for the aftermath. He will have staples from ear to ear for a few weeks, and we will be putting all kinds of gunk on the incision. His entire head will swell up for a few days with his eyes swelling shut for a short time. How do you explain all of this? The answer is that you really don't. He has seen pics of himself from the first time through, but I don't think that he relates the baby to being himself. Even if he did, he would not remember what it all felt like. I really hope that we will be able to make him as comfortable and happy as possible through all of this. They say that it is harder on the parents than the kids, but is it really?