Surgery has been scheduled

  Just breathe.  I really thought I was ready for surgery.  Turns out, I was wrong.  Twenty weeks of knowing she would need surgery was not enough time to prepare.  Actually, I don't know if any number of weeks would have prepared me.  She is scheduled for surgery Monday morning.  Doctors have said it should take about three hours, then they'll move her into the Pediatric surgical heart unit (It's called Pshu.....sounds like, pee-shoe).  This weekend has already been a little rough, so I can imagine Monday is going to be quite emotional.  I'm thankful to have Mike, he's been my rock through all of this.

  Anyway,  enough about me.  Let's get to the important stuff....Lucy.  As of Friday night, she has surpassed the four pound mark at four pounds and three ounces.  I spoke with the cardiologist on Friday morning and due to her growth they will be doing the entire hybrid procedure at once.  They were originally planning to do it in two steps.  We are very happy about this because it means only one recovery.  Average recovery time is roughly ten days, so we're hoping she doesn't need much more time.  Monday morning we will go in a couple hours before so we can each hold her.  Then we will walk with her over to the operating room.

  Friday night she gave us a treat and was awake for a full hour while we visited.  It was amazing seeing her eyes and watching her look around.  Mike said that when I spoke he could see her trying to find me.  I guess reading to her has paid off.  We are lucky she finally closed her eyes and fell asleep because I know we wouldn't have been able to leave.

  Saturday morning was a little different.  Aunt Erin came to visit and meet Lucy for the first time.  However, Lucy was having a rough morning.  The nurse told us her vitals were not stable (oxygen levels and respiratory).  Also, since she has started to be awake more she is aware of her breathing tube and hates it.  Due to both of these, they decided to sedate her. They gave her some morphine and later in the afternoon started her on a morphine drip.  We were told that Lucy is quite the atypical hypoplastic baby as most are sedated almost immediately after birth.  She has been a trooper through her first two weeks!  They also said that the changes are her way of telling the doctors she is ready for surgery (at least one of us is ready).

If we could ask for specific prayers as surgery approaches:

-strength for Mike and I as we wait through surgery

-God's watch over the cardiologists and surgeons as they perform the hybrid procedure

-For Lucy's strength and quick recovery

-God's hand over the entire process