Looks like today is the day!

Becca text me on Sunday and said that baby Annie was doing well... just liking to be held all the time : )  Otherwise she was doing very well.  She had gained weight that day - yay!  She seemed to be calming down and did not seem to be in pain like she was before... praise the Lord. 

On Monday, she was sent for another echocardiogram to check her heart and Becca said everything looked GOOD!  They are weaning her off of her blood pressure medicine and had already stopped a diuretic medication that she was on... another praise God!  She is also back to nursing every other feeding too... yet another answer to prayer.

Today, Tuesday, I received a text from Becca that said 'looks like today is the day : ) one more good diaper and they will decide.'

So let's pray, right now, for this:

• ONE more good diaper!
• for Annie's vocal cord to heal completely
• that through the doctor's that performed her surgery, the Lord has made her heart perfect and will never need another operation ever again
• for baby Annie to be successfully weaned off ALL the medicines
• that her recovery will be just as speedy when she goes back home
• and for her mommy, daddy and the rest of their family -- give them everything they need to be all that Annie will need in the days and weeks to come

We also thank you, Lord, for the being with them every step of the way.  Bless everyone who has so faithfully lifted this family up in prayer in the past few weeks.  May baby Annie forever be a reminder to us all of your unfailing love for us.  Thank you for your grace and mercy.  We pray that all the days of our lives we will glorify and honor You in all we say and do.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

I will update of baby Annie's progress once she is back home.  Thanks for all your prayers and for following this blog for her.  I know how much her family has appreciated all your love!  God bless.

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Jeremiah 29:11

Update as of Friday Night...

Sorry for giving you this update so late!  I have been a little under the weather the past day and a half myself... thankfully it's just sinuses or a cold, nothing major.

I talked to Becca briefly last night over texting and she said that they had a pretty rough day.  Annie was super fussy and difficult to console, which is sad for her and Joe.    

They did do the swallow study and saw no problems at all with her swallowing... praise God!  The only thing being affected by the damage to her vocal cord is her cry.  It is still hoarse and not very loud.  The doctors said that it will eventually just heal on it's own.  They are still using the slow-flow bottle nipple, but Becca said that she will be able to return to nursing as soon as the cardiac team feels Annie is ready.  I know she is looking forward to this after having to pump all this time.

I asked Becca how her eye was doing and she said it seemed fine... it is still a litte red but not bothering her all.

I hope to talk to her again tomorrow and will update you all as to how the rest of the weekend went.  Let's just keep praying for Becca and Joe as they care for their precious baby (and themselves) and for a quick, complete and total healing for baby Annie.

Hope everyone enjoys the rest of the weekend... God bless.

Big day for baby Annie...

This morning started out like the past few days for the Lazorick's... wake up and get ready to go see Annie in the ICU.  Becca's eye was a little red so she sent Joe on his own to check with the nurses to see if it was okay that she still come in.  It took him an hour to come back because Annie was upset and whimpering -- Joe said he could not leave her like that, so he stayed and held her soothie in again.  The nurses advised her that it would be best if Becca got it checked out first just to be on the safe side....

So off to her family doctor she went.  They were unable to determine whether or not it cold be pink eye, so they gave her an antibiotic.  They also instructed that she should allow 24 hours of antibiotics before going back to visit Annie.  Not such good news for a mommy.  Becca somehow managed to find a positive to that though -- she has not been getting much sleep and also developed a clogged milk duct.  So she was going to take advantage of the time and take care of herself. 

She told me that Annie had gotten the chest drain removed.  Baby Annie was ready for that thing to come out whether the doctors thought so or not -- she apparently almost wiggled it out herself.  She is continuing to eat seemingly unaffected by the damaged vocal cord; however, they have been using the slow-flow bottle nipple.  Becca said she thought that the swallow study would be done tomorrow to make sure there is no problems with her eating. 

So that was this morning... then I got a text later this evening from Becca that said that baby Annie is OUT OF THE ICU!  

So praise the Lord!  She is back in her regular room with mommy and daddy -- with assistance from the nurses.  Becca still is not able to touch or tend to her until tomorrow around noon (that is when she will have been on the antibiotic for 24 hours).  So Joe is going to have a long night ahead of him, but they are so happy to have her back with them.  

She has nothing more attached to her except for her heart moniter and some oxygen.  No more tubes in her.  No more morphine.  She is on an oral medication to keep her blood pressure down -- which she will just do outpatient check-ups for to eventually ween her off of those.  Baby Annie needs to be handled with care because, although her sternum is all stitched back together, it will take some time before that bone actually grows back together.  She also cannot really cry right now due to the damage to her vocal cord -- she just whimpers Becca said.  But she was wide awake and alert and staring at her daddy : ) 

What seemed like a "this stinks, but I'll make the best of it" day, turned into a very good day for them.  They have their baby back with them and how quickly she is recovering!  Prayer is amazing and God is so awesome.  It has been such an honor to see how much he has blessed this family in such a short amount of time. 

Let's continue to pray for the following...

• that Becca's red eye and clogged milk duct clear up quickly
• for baby Annie's swallow study tomorrow -- no issues that require any alternative feeding methods at all
• that the damage done to her vocal cord is minor and heals on it's own very quickly
• a speedy, complete and total healing for baby Annie
• for Joe and Becca as they care for her during this healing process
• that her blood pressure would come down and no more medicines will be needed
• for God's will to be done and favor with regard to Becca's maternity leave
• that baby Annie's Turner Syndrome test will come back negative

Thanks everyone for following this blog for baby Annie... the prayers are working and I know Joe and Becca have felt God's love through his whole time.  I will update again tomorrow after Annie's swallow study and first night back with mommy and daddy! 

Hope everyone had a blessed week.

Another update, another prayer to add...

I spoke to Becca this afternoon when she took a quick break from the ICU to take care of some mommy duties...

She said that Annie was not going to be getting the chest drain off today.  She was a little fussy this morning and due to moving around it began to drain more fluid.  So they will leave it on for now.  They thought her fussiness was most likely due to pain, but even with two seperate injections of morphine she did not get drowsy.  Her daddy then had to hold her soothie pacifier in her mouth for an hour : )

Apparently, they have found there is some damage that was done during surgery to baby Annie's left vocal cord.  Becca did say that with surgery on a small baby this damage is very common, usually minor, and most likely will just resolved itself over time.

They had an ear, nose and throat specialist in with her today to observe her as she eats.  Annie did take half an ounce the first time it was offered but there is no real way to tell yet if she was able to swallow it with no difficulty.  They are planning on doing an x-ray as she feeds to see the extent of the damage and if it is affecting her swallowing; however, they cannot do this until the chest tube is removed.  Becca was thinking this would probably happen on Friday.

In the event that the x-ray shows that there is any difficulty swallowing as a result of the damage, baby Annie will need to be fed with a slow-flow bottle nipple.  She of course asked if there was any chance this would cause any problems with her speech later in life and they said it was very unlikely.  All-in-all, this does not sound like a big deal but let's just be praying that it is minor enough not to need the slow-flow bottle nipple and that Becca can resume nursing as she was before the surgery.

This afternoon her blood pressure was still higher than they would like to see it -- so they will continue to try and bring it down with medication.  She will not be able to leave the ICU until it is down to a level that the doctors are comfortable with.

Praise God that Becca and Joe have managed to get some sleep through all of this -- and we pray that they continue to do so.  Once she is out of the ICU and back in her mommy and daddy's care, I suspect she will be demanding their attention around-the-clock.  Although they are anxious for her to get out of the ICU, at the same time they are fine with her being there as long as she needs to be.

One last thing to be praying for is Godly wisdom, guidance and favor for Becca concerning her maternity leave.  She is hoping to get it extended but needs to be able to keep her benefits as well for Annie.

Hope everyone had a blessed day. 

Day Two of Recovery...

I got a text this morning from Becca saying that yesterday was "pretty good".  Baby Annie was pulled off the ventilator, praise God.  She said that was difficult for them because she was whimpering and they were unable to hold or soothe her... she said that part was heartbreaking. 

Annie's blood pressure is still a little high and Becca said it is doubtful that she will get out of the ICU today, she is just not ready.  She still has a chest tube, which is used to drain blood, fluid, or air and to allow the lungs to fully expand (thank you, Google) -- but Becca anticipated they will be removing this sometime today as well.

Joe and Becca are really hoping that she will be out of the ICU on Friday.  She said that she just cannot wait to hold her and see her little eyes. 

Let's just keep praying for the same things... quick recovery according to God's perfect timing, peace for Becca and Joe and plenty of rest, no complications or set-backs, that baby Annie's blood pressure would go down and complete restoration.  Let's also praise God for having this sweet little baby and her parents in His loving arms, taking care of their every need and restoring every cell in baby Annie's little body as she recovers. 

I will update again when I hear from Becca.  God bless.

Isaiah 55:8-9 "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not My ways." This is the LORD's declaration. "For as heaven is higher than earth, so My ways are higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts."

Jeremiah 30:17 "For I will restore health unto you, and I will heal you of your wounds, saith the Lord."

Matthew 7:7-8 "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened."

John 15:7 "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you."

On the road to recovery...

Praise the Lord, baby Annie's surgery is over and she is on the road to recovery.

Surgery began at 11:30 this morning and I got a text from Becca in the 2 o'clock hour saying that she was off of bypass and they were going to be closing her all back up soon.  Once she was done, Becca and Joe got to run down and see their baby, give her a quick kiss, and then had to leave her again so that the doctors could get her all stabalized in the ICU.

Becca said that she is covered in tubes and still on a ventilator, which she will most likely come off of tomorrow.  Each baby is different so they are unsure how long she will be in the ICU... of course they are hoping it is only for a few short days.  From what I read in the link that Becca sent with the diagnosis, babies tend to bounce back and recover rather quickly from this surgery.  So let's be praying that is the case for baby Annie.  Her blood pressure was a little high following the surgery, but it sounded like from Becca that was to be expected.  They will be trying various pain meds and things over the next couple days in the ICU in order to get her completely stabalized.  For now Joe and Becca are unable to hold her, but they are able to walk down and sit in there with her as much as they want. 

I will keep you updated as she updates me, but in the meantime here are some specifics we could be praying for:

• that the ventilator will come off tomorrow with no complications
• that they are able to get her blood pressure down to where it needs to be
• for Godly wisdom for the doctors to know just what pain meds will do what Annie needs
• discernment for Becca and Joe as there is a lot of unfamiliar medical terminology and information being exchanged right now with the nurses and doctors
• that they are able to hold their baby girl very soon
• that Annie's stay in the ICU be short and that she would have a speedy, complete recovery
• that Annie will have a restriction-free, heart-healthy life, no further treatment ever necessary
• peace for Joe, Becca and the rest of their family as they go through the recovery process
• that Becca and Joe are able to get some sleep over the next few days 

One other thing we can be praying for is that the Turner Syndrome test that they did on Annie when she first got to A.I. would come back negative.  Becca said that it would take a few weeks to get the results back. 

I know how much they have appreciated everyone's prayers, so let's pray them through what's left of this process so they can finally go home with their perfectly healthy baby girl. 

God bless.