Mark held Victoria after I did. We both loved on her like never before. She is a sweet baby and so easy to love.
Our parents watched as Mark and I loved on our little bundle of joy. They cried as much as we did. I’m sure it’s hard to watch your own children go through such a difficult time with their own little baby. Their hearts broke for us.
Mike Cook came back with us in the unit and prayed over Victoria and over us. It was such a powerful prayer. Our spirits agreed with him in his prayer, lifting Victoria up in earnest.
After our prayer, the surgeon came over and talked us through the procedure. He was very detailed in all he said and explained it very well. We signed a consent paper so Victoria could be released into his care.
A few minutes later Mark handed Victoria over to our nurse to put into a little transport unit. We walked down the long hallways and finally came to the area where we had to say goodbye to baby Victoria. They opened her unit and we gently rubbed her arms, legs and chest. We told her that we loved her and that we were praying for her. We cried as we left her and turned into the waiting area.
We are at a point of surrender today. There is nothing we can do physically for her, although we wish we could. But, we can and will be lifting her up to our Heavenly Father. We love her so much and our heart aches for her this morning, but we know our Father loves her even more. We pray His angels watch over her and protect her. We pray that the Holy Spirit guides Dr. Knott-Craig as he gently repairs her heart. We pray that God gives him so much wisdom and knowledge in how to best fix Victoria’s heart. And, finally, we pray that God gives Victoria such strength through this entire process. We pray that her heart is strong and her body remains stable.
We pray all of this, but above all … we pray for God’s will. We don’t know His thoughts or ways, but we pray that He will help us to understand all that He is doing in our lives.
May many people be touched by this little angel … Victoria Jayne.
We are arriving to the hospital early this morning; 6am to be exact. Victoria’s surgery begins at 8am, but we’ve been told that she will be taken over to the surgical unit near the North Pavilion by 7am or 7:30am. I believe that will be the longest walk that we and Victoria’s grandparents will ever take.
Please pray that as we walk with Victoria down those long hallways to her surgery that with every step God will comfort us and give us hope in the wonderful life He will give her with this heart repair. Pray that He will give us strength that we cannot understand and peace beyond our comprehension.
Thank you for all of your prayers and thoughts. During this time of uncertainty, you have shown us so much love. You have been a huge source of encouragement. We cannot imagine going through such a difficult time without the family of God lifting us up.
May God receive glory from all that He is going to do. We lift Victoria up to Him and pray His richest blessings on her life. May God use her to bring many to His kingdom!
Ma Ma and Daddy love you, Victoria!
As I sat with Victoria in the RNICU unit last night, the realization of her fast approaching surgery hit me. I felt myself feeling emotional as I thought of all that her little body was about to endure. It was hard leaving her knowing that I had limited time with her before surgery.
This morning the reality of it all came again when the nurse practitioner came over letting us know of all of the pre-op things that would be happening. So far, they have taken an x-ray and have also drawn blood for some tests. I’m sure there will be more little things to be done during the day keeping us busy and on our toes.
Our parents are coming into town today around 5pm for the surgery. We are thankful for their support and for such wonderful friends who will be keeping Elyssa and Natalie during our absence. It means a lot that our parents can be here and I’m sure they would not want to be anywhere else tomorrow.
Surgery is scheduled for 8 am tomorrow. We will be informed later this afternoon what time we need to be at the hospital in the morning. I’m sure it will be early. The surgery itself will take 2-3 hours not counting the prep time or time right after the surgery. We will be looking at a long day.
The cardiologist’s name is Dr. Robb Romp and the surgeon’s name is Dr. Knott-Craig.
Please, especially, keep the surgeon and nurses in your prayers as they prepare today for surgery tomorrow. Pray that God gives them the clearest of minds and the steadiest of hands as they perform such a delicate surgery on Victoria. Pray that all goes amazingly well.
Above all, we pray for God’s will and strength. We know that He is in control even though things seem chaotic at times. He has never been surprised by any of the recent happenings in our lives. He has never left us or been late in showing up! We praise Him that He loves us and knows exactly where we are. He sees baby Victoria in her little unit and has been right with her every step of the way.
Thank you for your prayers and we will be sure to post another update at the end of the day today. We love you all!
Victoria’s surgery date is set for Tuesday morning, probably around 8am. Thanks so much for your prayers! We love you all!
