It is April 15Th. This date doesn't hold significance for just tax day anymore...it is the day 1 year ago that Lilyann had her open heart surgery. It is truly amazing to see the progress that Lilyann has made since her open heart surgery. She was wearing a feeding tube and considered failure to thrive...and now she is a healthy 20 lbs 13 oz and eating like a big girl. She is walking, jabbering, pointing, trying to get Dakota's monkey and milk, and so much more.
All I can say is that we are all truly blessed.
Enjoy the slide show...there were so many pictures that I wanted to share, but I chose a select few of Miss Lilyann.
Things that were hard to bear are sweet to remember.-- Seneca
You can become blind by seeing each day as a similar one. Each day is a different one; each day brings a miracle of it own. It’s just a matter of paying attention to this miracles.-- Paulo Coelho
Adding this to today's post:
It is from a journal post that I made on my mommy group
I was up last night making a slide show of Lilyann over the last year...and all the memories starting coming back. Lilyann was diagnosed with a Congenital Heart Defect. It was repairable by surgery or on it's own...it was just a wait and watch situation. But after about a month of her diagnosis, Jed and I decided that surgery was the best thing for Miss Lilyann. It is a hard decision to make as parents, but we feel it was the right decision. Lilyann wasn't growing and she wasn't eating. It was as if time stood still for her since birth...no progress whatsoever. We set up the surgery date...and as the date draws closer (March 6, 2008), Lilyann is hospitalized for Failure to Thrive...and while there, she tests positive for RSV...So, Lily is now sporting a feeding tube, on a continual feeding pump...and coughing up everything we are feeding her. So her Surgery date is cancelled. She needs to be stronger to have her surgery. It is rescheduled for April 15Th. Lilyann is sent home from the hospital and we have a long 6 weeks ahead of us to keep her healthy and eating so that she can still have her surgery in April.
April 15Th comes...we are in Dallas, TX...waiting to be checked in...Lilyann is not happy because she is hungry...we meet the nurses, they check her vitals, give us a gown for her to change into...and go over different things with us. Then on to the holding room...we meet the anesthesiologist...and he goes over everything that he will do and how long it will take, etc. (alot to take in at almost 7 in the morning). And then we hand out little Lilyann over to the nurse...Nothing prepares you for that moment.We sat and waited for almost 5 hours and finally the surgeon comes out to see us...tells us what he did and then he tells us when we can see Lilyann...and then we turn around and there is Miss Lilyann--cords, IVs, plastic covering her body, and nurses and the anesthesiologist all around her..taking her up to the PICU. It was sight that I wasn't prepared for..but the good news was that Lilyann was breathing..and she was doing great!!This was the first step to Lilyann's recovery...and she truly had a miraculous recovery...thanks to all those who prayed for her.