Cardiology

Dressed up to go home from the hospital yesterday.

Meredith's mom came by the hospital and brought this duck toy bin for the girls. It was a hit!!!

On our way home with all of my helpers.

Snug as a Bug in a Rug in her Carseat

First of all, thank you for your comments, e-mails, prayers and phone calls. Who knew we had so many friends?? We appreciate you more than we can describe. If I haven't returned your e-mail or phone call (for the last 6 months), please forgive me. I promise to catch back up soon.

So, we're home from the hospital now. Caroline was discharged yesterday afternoon and all six of us (a full minivan worth!!) were proud to come home together. The big girls have been beside themselves adoring after their new baby sister. It's been absolutely non-stop since then. We had dinner at my parents' house last night and came home in enough time to crash everybody into bed after a very long day. Caroline (and I) had a good night. She was up several times to eat, but I was happy to help with that since her interest in nursing is pretty new. Her ability to eat and put on weight will continue to be a prayer request in the new few months, but I'll get more to that later... (warning, this might be a long one)

The six of us loaded into the van early this morning to get Grace to VBS at church. I made a much needed trip to Target; Caroline and I rested in the van while Scott, Shelby & Julia played at the park, and then we all enjoyed lunch at 5 Guys (our family's newest food obsession). All of that before we then picked Grace back up and dropped the kids off at my parents'. Whew! True to form for the Braddock family. No rest for the weary. :)

Scott, Caroline and I headed to Birmingham this afternoon for a visit with the pediatric cardiologist. Caroline's heart related statistics have been running perfectly healthy since her birth on Friday. Her pediatrician actually mentioned "Maybe we have a little miracle child on our hands." She (and several nurses) heard and saw no evidence of a heart defect. We headed to Birmingham with guarded optimism that maybe they were right.

No dice. The cardiologist confirmed Caroline's "complete AV Canal defect" and told us to expect surgery in 4 months.

Basically we received the exact same information today that they've already told us multiple times. However, I have to confess that I was really praying for a miracle. I had tried very hard not to let my heart get ahead of the facts, but the disappointment that I felt this afternoon let me know that I didn't really do a very good job.

I love my sweet baby girl. She is a beautiful treasured gift from my generous Lord and I am so grateful. Yesterday I was telling my dear friend that I finally truly have peace about her medical conditions no matter what diagnoses the doctors give us this week. I'm trying to remember and reclaim that peace again tonight.

So, I'm going to end today with some prayer requests. First, that Caroline will continue to learn to nurse well. She's kind of lazy with it so far, but every day is getting better. The doctor today warned that weight gain is likely an issue down the road and I need to work on putting some meat on her bones. (He obviously hasn't seen pictures of Julia at 6 months old!! I apparently produce high-octane breast milk!!!) I also pray for my sanity as we walk out the next few weeks. I'm not very good at staying at home with my kids. We tend to climb the walls and drive each other nuts at home. However, Miss Caroline will have to stay isolated a little longer than most newborns - weeks longer potentially. No trips to Wal-Mart or church anytime soon. This very well might make me lose my mind. It's so much easier (what isn't?) when Scott is at home, but he returns back to Delta on Friday. I'm praying for grace to get through the days at home and the energy to make it fun for all of us. Third, I'm praying that Caroline will remain symptom-free for many months to come. She is currently doing crazy well and I pray that continues. Finally, I'm praying for the peace that passes understanding in processing all that is happening and what the doctors are telling us. We expect results from the chromosonal tests within the week and I expect that this will be another emotional journey to walk through. Peace and grace for today - that's the prayer.

Whew! Still with me?? Maybe this is what happens when I don't blog for several weeks... I'll try to remember that. Thanks for reading. I'm going to try to tank up my sweet sleeping baby so that hopefully we'll get longer stretches than last night. Off to bed. More to come tomorrow.