This week Bobby is going to have surgery at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia to correct his atrioventricular canal defect. The survival rate for the procedure is better than 99%, and the prognosis is generally very good.

We had originally expected to have the surgery today, but a newborn needed complex emergency surgery, and we got knocked off the schedule. While we're disappointed, we certainly want the newborn to get the best care possible, and we want the surgical team to be rested and ready for Bobby's procedure. We don't yet have a new date, but expect it to be in the coming days.

Bobby's doing fine. We're staying at the Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House, which is great and has lots for Isabel to do. And Julie's sister Anne has very kindly come here to help us with Isabel this week. We're very impressed by the hospital and the care that Bobby's getting, and we feel good about the decision to come to Philadelphia.

A lot of people have asked us if there's anything they can do for us, but we're really OK, thanks in no small part to the Ronald McDonald House and its staff, volunteers, and donors. While you may not be able to help us directly, if you wanted to donate some food or take some time to volunteer at your local Ronald McDonald House, you could help a lot of families that are in similar situations.