In ICU

Today has been the day we've dreaded for so long and it's now over... Jovie is doing sooo well in ICU. She still has the respirator breathing for her but they believe that her breathing tube will be able to come out tonight. She has been waking up and looking at us for a few seconds at a time but otherwise has slept peacefully. 

I was afraid to see her with all the crazy amount of tubes and IVs but it was so much better than I thought. I really felt like the amount of love I feel seeing her just makes it all okay. 

She has beautiful pink fingers and toes. Her skin is just glowing. 

This is her oxygen level at 98%. I am stunned... She's doing so much better than they even thought. They expected her to be at about 85%.

Every part of this day has been exhausting. It's probably a really good thing we can not stay bedside while she is in ICU.   I just said goodnight to our precious tiger baby — it hurt to leave her. We are staying in a hotel .5 miles from the hospital. We need a really good nights sleep, ready to be there for our girl tomorrow. 

Update 2

Jovie Ming is done with the surgery now and is getting settled in ICU. We just spoke with the surgeon and he said everything went as well as it could. He went into detail about the repairs they made in her heart. The best news is she is not using a pace maker; her heart has found it's rhythm and she is at 100% oxygen level. I can not tell you in words the way I feel but I am more than grateful for this news. I know that it's still not real and when we get to see her will be incredibly hard. We hope we can go back to the ICU by 3:30. For at least the rest of today and tonight she will stay sedated. I can not wait to see my sweet tiger baby's pink lips and toes. 

Update 1

This morning went as planned. They gave Jovie medicine that made her very sleepy at about 6:30 and at 7:30 they took her back. She was so tired and after we gave her kisses she left without even really knowing it. The sweet anethesiologist took her back in her arms so we just handed her off and Jovie didn't even know. I felt like I needed that same medicine so I could let her be able to go. I cried in Cody's arms and then had to go to the bathroom and throw up. 

It's so unreal that we are waiting while our daughter is in this building on a bypass machine pumping for her heart while surgeons make the repairs to her heart. We've received 2 updates and both have been that things are going well and they are still making repairs. 

Waiting is so hard. Thank you all who are praying, texting and emailing us. 

Surgery Tomorrow

Today we spent the day at the hospital getting ready for Jovie's surgery tomorrow.  This is more overwhelming than anything I've ever done. It was just an incredibly hard day. We met with nurses and doctors one after another describing in detail the surgical proceedure, every risk involved and all to expect when we see Jovie in ICU tomorrow after it's all done. I tried my best to hold it together in front of the doctors but all I really wanted was a sound proof room to go and scream and cry and get out this crazy feeling I'm having as the time ticks closer. See I know this surgery is not only necessary for her LIFE, but we will get an active little girl... A PINK little girl very soon. 

We have to be at Egleston at 6am in the morning and they will take her back to the operating room at 7:30. We heard different times for her surgery. We were told the surgeon will take 5-6 hours and we were told to expect 9-10 hours that she will be away from us. Whatever the amount is, we know it is not a small surgery and however long it takes doesn't matter as much as what they find as they operate on her and that everything goes smoothly. 

We heard today that the piece they are putting in to act as her pulmonary artery will need to be replaced by open heart surgery in 3-5 years from now. There are also many more times that she will have to do additional work on her heart through her main artery (catheter).  I know that I need to focus on tomorrow but I also know God needs to make me strong from this. There's more hard times ahead. 

My dear friend just sent this to me tonight. 

I  know God can do exceedingly and abundantly more than I can even think or ask. I am praying we will receive an unleashing of God's peace through this. Not little drops of his strength or a trickle, a powerful explosion of release as if a dam has burst to release a river of his peacefulness. 

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

At the doctor for Ian

Today was Ian's appointment with the pediatric gastrointestinal doctor. I don't think we've shared Ian's "special need" on the blog, partly to protect his privacy and partly because it's just not fun stuff to talk about. 

Ian was born with esophageal atresia and anal atresia. In layman's terms he was born with a hole between his esophus and trechea and the opening to his anus was missing. He underwent surgery in China that saved his life. When he was brought to the hospital his lungs were filled with fluid and he suffered from severe pneumonia. A very special nurse, Ms. Zhu at the hospital in Pingdingshan, advocated for him to find people to monetarily sponsor him to receive the necessary surgery to save his life. He spent 80 days in the hospital and then went to an orphanage in Beijing. (The pictures above were taken by nurse Zhu).

We wanted to get Ian in front of a specialist to find out what this means for him. The doctor told us today that continence will be problem for Ian. We already suspected he had no control over his bowel movements. Right now that means a lot of diaper changes, but as he gets older this will be much more of an issue for him. We hope we can find the answers to help him.

We've also noticed a rattle in his chest after he eats or drinks and this may mean he still has a hole between his esophus and treachea, allowing fluids to go to his lungs. If he does, that will mean surgery for him in the near future. 

We will have several tests done to find out exactly what's going on with Ian. The signs could point to him having a syndrome called Vater or Vacterl (we were told by the doctor not to google, wise advise) so I don't even know what that could mean. We are taking things as they come. We are not surprised by this report today though. The doctor kept saying Ian was a project; he didn't mean it in a bad way, just that there were a lot of things to figure out for him. We will do everything we can to enrich our children's lives and finding them the medical care to help them. 

Jovie was just happy this doctors visit wasn't about her. 

We are sharing this today because we have felt the complete outpouring of love and prayer surrounding Jovie's heart. Our friends and family have prayed on their knees and shared our bitty girls story with  other prayer warrior friends and we don't even know how many people are lifting her up but IT IS GOOD! And God is answering our prayers. 

Let me share our good news... Jovie's blood coagulation was abnormal, meaning it wasn't clotting the way it should,  putting her at a greater risk for surgery. We asked our friends to pray for her when we found this out on Thursday last week.  We had more blood tests done on Friday to find out why it was abnormal. Today her blood work came back, and she is NORMAL now. The doctor said "keep doing what you're doing;" prayer was the answer he had for this change in her blood. God heals - he is the great physician and I love that Jovie's doctor recognizes this too. Jovie is set for surgery next Thursday as planned.

As we draw closer to heart surgery, it is getting harder and harder to think clearly. In my mind I am trying not to think about it, but it's always there. There's a lot we have on us with this, but Cody and I rest in the assurance that we are not alone. 

I'm looking forward to six weeks from now when our family is on the other side of Jovie's surgery and enjoying the summer together. Very shortly our little Jovie Ming won't have to fight to keep up with her crazy sister and brother! (: