Pre-cath fun done! There was the expected amount of hysterics (Sammy's and mine), but he really was such a brave little man. We were sent first for x-rays, then blood work, then an EKG and an exam. He even did well while we talked over what to expect tomorrow with the Fellow, learning to blow bubbles and playing with his Blues Clues toys.

We were done by 11, which was nice. We had lunch, Sammy got his fill of Disney TV in the cafeteria (what hotel doesn't have Disney and then charges $10 for a 24-minute On-Demand episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse?!?!?) and has been napping since 1:30.

We report back tomorrow morning at 7am for his cath. They expect it to take 1-3 hours. Jay and I will be able to be with him until he's sedated and ready to go, and then we will be there when he's waking. Since we're first case, there's a better chance we could go home tomorrow, but I'm not getting my hopes up. It all depends on whether or not they'll need to do work while they're in there.

And thanks, Shannon, for commenting with all sorts of explanatory information. Here's her comment:

For those who might want to know more, I did some digging on Wikipedia in the course of blogging my "Send good thoughts" blog entry, and have provided a bunch o' links to things like the Fontan procedure, HLHS, etc: http://geekhabitat.com/1208/send-hugs-positive-energy-prayers/

The short answer is the heart cath is being done to determine if Sammy will be a good candidate for the third of the three staged surgeries used to treat (not cure) HLHS. The first ("Norwood") is done shortly after birth and is mandatory; the Glenn (aka bi-directional Glenn, or Hemi-Fontan) is the next phase , and Sammy's had that already as well. The Fontan is the completion phase of the Glenn. If you're short on time, just read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fontan_procedure, specifically the "Indications" section. It explains why a cath is done prior to it, as well as why the procedure's used at all.

Your thoughts and prayers and positive energy really do carry us through. Thanks so much!