Elyssa:
Momma loves you so much. I miss you more than you can imagine. I’m so sorry that I have to be away from you for so long, but I know you understand that I’m with Victoria at the hospital. I know you can hardly wait until her heart is all better and she can be well. It will be great knowing that she will be able to play with you one day!
Thank you for looking after Natalie for me while I’m gone. You are such a good helper and big sister. Be a good girl for Mee Maw and Paw Paw, okay?
Natalie:
Hey boo boo! Momma misses you and loves you a whole bunch! I will be home before you know it! I hope you feel better soon so Mee Maw and Paw Paw can play with you more.
I bet when I get home I’ll hear you say words you have never said before. I’m sure you are growing like a weed!
Be good and don’t let your sister beat up on you! I love you!
Victoria:
I am so glad that I am able to be here with you during such an important time in your life. I love you so much and pray for you all during each day. To be able to hold you yesterday was the best Mother’s Day gift ever! You just get well very soon so I can do that all the time.
Daddy and I pray for your healing and your surgery. May the hands of the doctors be so steady as they repair your little heart. May your body react wonderfully to all of the work that is done on it and may you be so strong after the procedure is done.
I love you so much and am thankful that God gave me such a precious gift in you!
Mother:
I love you. You are such a wonderful mom and friend. You cannot begin to imagine how much of a help you have been to me. What a blessing you are to my life and to the life of Mark and the girls. You make having to be away much easier. Thank you for sacrificing of yourself to minister to me in such a crazy time. I could not ask for a better mother and I pray that I can be such a blessing to my kids one day. Happy Mother’s Day!
Upon arriving at UAB we stayed at the Double Tree right next to the building that Victoria was staying in. I thought you might like to see what it looks like!
For the next few nights we are staying in a beautiful home about 20 minutes away from the hospital. The owners of the home are out of town for a few days. They have so graciously opened their house to us until Thursday and we are very thankful. We slept so soundly last night that we overslept a little this morning. We have been so tired that I’m sure we needed it. Being at the hospital all day gets tiring.
A student minister from Hunter Street Baptist Church is the one who connected us with the owners of the home we are staying in right now. AND … another minister bought some grocery items for us and even gave us a gift card to Publix for any other items we might need during our stay. What a blessing!
Victoria is rooming at the Hillman Building here at UAB. From what I’ve been told, this was an old hospital that has been renovated. The UAB campus is huge so I think it is really cool that this older building still is used. It’s a very beautiful building.
UAB says “welcome home,” even though it’s only temporary!
Those were the words of the cardiologist, Dr. Romp, yesterday when we saw him in Victoria’s unit. He and Dr. Toms agreed that she is doing well and has remained stable since her little episode upon her arrival.
The nurses do try to keep her calm when she might seem to get worked up. Her “worked-up” state looks like she is squirming and cannot get comfortable. If I look closer at her while she is squirming around, sometimes she looks like she is trying to get her medicine tube out of her mouth with her tongue, and of course, this movement causes concern for her ventilator remaining in place. When she continues this “squirming,” that is usually when they give her a little something to calm her back down. Her moving around and getting upset also causes her heart rate to usually change. Her heart might start to work harder and that is what they are trying to avoid right now. To have her comfortable and relaxed before surgery is the main goal.
We’ve been told that Victoria’s surgery is scheduled for Tuesday unless some other baby comes in, in need of emergency surgery. So far, Victoria is the only baby scheduled for surgery on surgery. She would, most likely, have a surgery time of 7am or 8am. It’s was encouraging to know that all of the doctors and surgeons involved in her case met yesterday morning to talk over every detail of her heart. They are educating themselves on her and getting prepared for her repair. This is very comforting to us.
At this point, they are not giving her any extra oxygen, which is great. She is just breathing the same amount of oxygen that we all breathe. They have also been trying to wean her off of the ventilator a little at the time. She has been tolerating this just fine.
Our parents are contemplating driving up for the surgery on Tuesday. We let them know that they didn’t have to come, but I know they all want to, if possible. Mrs. Syble Parten has offered to keep the girls so my parents can come up if they like, so it’s wonderful to know that Elyssa and Natalie will be in great hands. Mrs. Syble is like a grandmother to them, so they would feel very comfortable with her.
We sure miss our other two little girls, but God has given us incredible strength to be here and remain focused on why we are here. He has given us peace in knowing that our family is taking great care of our two precious ones while we are away. As we have seen in the past few days especially, He is so faithful to give us exactly what we need when we need it! God is good!
