6 years ago...

It was this time, 6 years ago, that we found out about Lily's congenital heart defect.

It was incredibly puzzling. Lilyann was my first baby over the 6 pound mark (7 lbs 1 oz). Her sonogram pictures showed she possessed the cutest chubby cheeks. I was so excited. This pregnancy was so different than my last. While pregnant with Dakota, I dealt with high blood pressure. So much that, my Dr admitted me to the hospital one day for observation. I was 36 wks 1 day. Dakota arrived the next day....just shy of 4 weeks early. He was a skinny little baby. (6 lbs 2 oz) So after dealing with high blood pressure and an early delivery, I just knew this time was going to be different. And it was. I carried Lilyann to almost 39 weeks; and when we left the hospital, she was healthier than her mommy. But 7 weeks later proved different.

We were pushed by Jed's aunt and mom to take Lilyann to see the pediatrician. Lily slept almost all the time. She barely woke up enough to eat. And when she wasn't sleeping, she was crying. My sweet baby and I didn't know what to do. After our visit, it was true...there was nothing I could do for her...but pray.

We got the news that I don't wish on any parent....Lilyann had a hole in her heart. I remember calling my mom after that appointment and just losing it all. I was devastated...this was MY baby girl. She was PERFECT when she was born...why MY baby girl???

Here's my blog post from 1/23/08:

"we received the results yesterday that Lily has Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD) which means there is a big hole between the left ventricle and the right ventricle. This hole is allowing the oxygen and the blood to mix ---making Lily very tired..and exhausted. She cant seem to finish an ounce of formula without falling asleep...so she isnt gaining weight. She has only gained about 1 lb since she was born. We are seeing the pediatric heart specialist in Dallas tomorrow...so we can talk about treating this."

Lily's treatment resulted in open heart surgery 3 months after her diagnosis. It truly was one of the best decisions we made for Lily. A tough one, but a good one.  At that time, I couldn't understand why things like this happen to good people. While it was quite the trial for Jed and I, we learned so much. We learned that "all things work together for good". We learned that prayer is a powerful tool. And we learned to lean on friends and family.

God knows what He is doing. We might not understand it all...but He knows.

Lilyann is now a healthy 6 yr old. She loves going to school and learning. Now, she can have her stubborn moments but I think that's a good trait for a Heart kiddo. She has Fight!! I pray that Fight stays in her all through life and she uses it to help out others.

Just a little something from me while I think about life and how far we've come.

-enJoy