Okay you guys...God is showing up in this hospital room, on this hospital floor, everywhere. Please don't stop praying because our God is Big!
YouYou slept for awhile after she had cried for so long. She started to wake up and then just a few minutes later my friend Elizabeth showed up at the door with some of the yogurt drinks that YouYou loves. I asked her if she wanted one and she nodded her head yes!!! And do you know what? She drank the entire bottle (3 oz)! We had offered her everything under the sun prior to this and everything was..."Ma" (Cantonese for "No"). So to have her finally drink something made this mommy so happy. God knew I needed this. Thank you so much Elizabeth! I so enjoyed our visit.
After she ate the yogurt Nurse Donna, my mom, Elizabeth and I then took her for a walk. This was the first time she has walked since surgery and she probably took 20 steps or so. She was wobbly but she did pretty good holding our hands! Again...God knew I needed this. He is so kind and merciful. Then we were able to give her her first sponge bath and we washed her hair with this waterless shampoo stuff (really cool). And then lo and behold she ate some wonton soup (they had given her some medicine for her mouth at this point).
I thought the afternoon couldn't get much better but then my three handsome men (well, 1 man and 2 boys :) showed up. I don't think I even realized how much I had missed the boys. They were extra cuddly with me which was just what I needed. We spent some time together and then Aaron let me take a short nap while YouYou slept again. Then my friend Connie showed up and I got the best squeeze hug...not that this is all about me, but again, this was just what I needed. While Connie was there the nurse practitioner came by and took out YouYou's chest tube...YAY!!! She cried so hard while it was happening but I think she was just irritated. She has been much more comfortable since it was taken out (just like you said Dr. Chambers...thank you for your encouragement :) YouYou went back to sleep after this and my mom stayed with her while Aaron and I took the boys to eat at Milo's. It was so nice to be outside the hospital for a few minutes and enjoy time with the rest of my family.
Oh God, you are my God, and I will ever praise you. I will seek you in the morning, and I will learn to walk in your way. And step by step you'll lead me, and I will follow you all of my days...this is the song my boys always want me to sing to them at night and it is the song in my heart today.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
A 2 hour cry fest...
She just cried for 2 hours straight. I cried with her and for her. This mommy needs some prayers or the staff here is going to think I am unstable. I'm really trying to be strong for her but I feel like I'm failing miserably. I cannot stop the tears. I feel like we lost some ground on our attachment because she doesn't want me to hold her or comfort her. I'm holding her some despite this, but it is hard for her to get comfortable on me with all of the things that are still attached to her. We'll get it back, I know, but it is hard. I know she is just 2, and she is just mad at the situation. I would be mad too! She probably felt fine before the surgery and now she is hurting and doesn't understand why. We know why, we know she had to have surgery, but how do you explain that to a 2 year old?
She is finally sleeping again. The Dr. has ordered some iv fluids because of her mouth issues. He thinks she is slightly dehydrated and the fluids should help her feel better. He had said that we should really try to get her to eat and be more active today (he said this yesterday), but after he saw her a few minutes ago he said to just let her rest and let her mouth heal...basically give it another day before we push her too hard. They are going to come and remove her chest tube in a little bit, and that should make her a little more comfortable.
She is finally sleeping again. The Dr. has ordered some iv fluids because of her mouth issues. He thinks she is slightly dehydrated and the fluids should help her feel better. He had said that we should really try to get her to eat and be more active today (he said this yesterday), but after he saw her a few minutes ago he said to just let her rest and let her mouth heal...basically give it another day before we push her too hard. They are going to come and remove her chest tube in a little bit, and that should make her a little more comfortable.
Saturday Morning update
Good morning everyone. It's me, Erica (it's funny that I have to identify myself on the blog now :) We had a pretty good night last night, our first night in a regular room. YouYou only had one long crying spell and then a few moans and groans throughout the night. She even took her medicine and had her stat's checked in her sleep. I completely understand the constant checking during the night...at this point it is actually reassuring to me to hear that her "numbers" are looking okay. But I did have to put my foot down when someone came by this morning at 3:50 am to take a chest x-ray. Well really all I had to do was ask if they could come back later because she was sleeping...so they came back at 6:15 and I had to let them wake her up.
Hollie and I were a sight to behold last night. She was curled up in a recliner for most of the night, snuggled up with the giant purple elephant that she brought for YouYou on Thursday. I went back and forth between the fold out bed and the foot of YouYou's bed, but for the most part we slept okay (probably in part to the Tylenol PM). I was shocked at one point around 11:00 pm when YouYou started crying and we couldn't calm her and I went out to the nurses station in my pajamas, no makeup, wild hair and all...to find Dr. Romp (her cardiologist) sitting alone at the desk. I'm sure I "shocked" him as well :) Anyways, he ask the nurse to get her some Tylenol with codeine and then came by the room later to check on us again.
I had to say goodbye to Hollie this morning, although I really wasn't ready to have my friend go. She has been a great cheerleader, exactly the kind of friend I have needed at this time. I keep hearing the uncertainties and negative (and negative probably isn't the best term I just can't think of another one) things that the Dr.'s are saying and she keeps reminding me to listen to the positive things as well. This is exactly what my husband is doing too...so Hollie was just his "fill in" while he has been at home with the boys. I will be honest here and say that I have been hoping that each time we speak to a Dr. that it might be the time when they say something REALLY positive, like, "WOW...she is doing remarkably better than we ever imagined"!!! Now I don't want them to lie to us, but that has been my hope. A mommy just wants to hear that everything is going to be okay. But you know what? My true hope is not in what the Dr.'s can tell me. It is in Jesus Christ. I know He has brought YouYou to us, to this hospital, at just the right time, and I will continue to put my hope in Him. He is not surprised by any of the things the Dr.'s are seeing or telling us, and He alone is my strength.
I want to thank so many people right now, but I'm afraid of leaving someone's name out and hurting someone's feelings. So if you have come by, brought snacks, helped with the boys, prayed for us, called or texted us (even if I haven't been able to call you back), commented on the blog,...please, please, please know that I am so very grateful.
Specific prayer requests at this point:
- YouYou's mouth or throat, or both, are very sore and irritated. At one point her gums bled last night. They have done some blood work to be sure everything is okay and they are ordering something that should help. But it is hard to get more than one bite of something in her mouth because she cries out in pain and says "Owie" as she points to her mouth. And, they really want her to be eating (and you know I do too)!
- Her left lung is still having problems, but they are not overly concerned...they just keep taking x-ray's and echo's to be sure it is getting better. We are encouraging her to blow bubbles and we are "beating" her on the back on her left side to help break up some of the gunk.
- There is still some concern about the mitral valve that was stitched (the one that had the cleft). The pressure in the valve is way lower than it has ever been, but still higher than they want it to be. She is on some medication to help this but so far it hasn't shown to be helping much (although Dr. Colvert, the head of cardiology did say he was pretty confident they could get it lower).
- We should be able to have YouYou's chest tube taken out today, so pray that that does indeed happen. She is still on oxygen, and I would love for that to be removed too, but they don't think she is ready for that yet. I'm just ready to have her unhooked so I can snuggle with her better!
Love to you all...
-
Hollie and I were a sight to behold last night. She was curled up in a recliner for most of the night, snuggled up with the giant purple elephant that she brought for YouYou on Thursday. I went back and forth between the fold out bed and the foot of YouYou's bed, but for the most part we slept okay (probably in part to the Tylenol PM). I was shocked at one point around 11:00 pm when YouYou started crying and we couldn't calm her and I went out to the nurses station in my pajamas, no makeup, wild hair and all...to find Dr. Romp (her cardiologist) sitting alone at the desk. I'm sure I "shocked" him as well :) Anyways, he ask the nurse to get her some Tylenol with codeine and then came by the room later to check on us again.
I had to say goodbye to Hollie this morning, although I really wasn't ready to have my friend go. She has been a great cheerleader, exactly the kind of friend I have needed at this time. I keep hearing the uncertainties and negative (and negative probably isn't the best term I just can't think of another one) things that the Dr.'s are saying and she keeps reminding me to listen to the positive things as well. This is exactly what my husband is doing too...so Hollie was just his "fill in" while he has been at home with the boys. I will be honest here and say that I have been hoping that each time we speak to a Dr. that it might be the time when they say something REALLY positive, like, "WOW...she is doing remarkably better than we ever imagined"!!! Now I don't want them to lie to us, but that has been my hope. A mommy just wants to hear that everything is going to be okay. But you know what? My true hope is not in what the Dr.'s can tell me. It is in Jesus Christ. I know He has brought YouYou to us, to this hospital, at just the right time, and I will continue to put my hope in Him. He is not surprised by any of the things the Dr.'s are seeing or telling us, and He alone is my strength.
I want to thank so many people right now, but I'm afraid of leaving someone's name out and hurting someone's feelings. So if you have come by, brought snacks, helped with the boys, prayed for us, called or texted us (even if I haven't been able to call you back), commented on the blog,...please, please, please know that I am so very grateful.
Specific prayer requests at this point:
- YouYou's mouth or throat, or both, are very sore and irritated. At one point her gums bled last night. They have done some blood work to be sure everything is okay and they are ordering something that should help. But it is hard to get more than one bite of something in her mouth because she cries out in pain and says "Owie" as she points to her mouth. And, they really want her to be eating (and you know I do too)!
- Her left lung is still having problems, but they are not overly concerned...they just keep taking x-ray's and echo's to be sure it is getting better. We are encouraging her to blow bubbles and we are "beating" her on the back on her left side to help break up some of the gunk.
- There is still some concern about the mitral valve that was stitched (the one that had the cleft). The pressure in the valve is way lower than it has ever been, but still higher than they want it to be. She is on some medication to help this but so far it hasn't shown to be helping much (although Dr. Colvert, the head of cardiology did say he was pretty confident they could get it lower).
- We should be able to have YouYou's chest tube taken out today, so pray that that does indeed happen. She is still on oxygen, and I would love for that to be removed too, but they don't think she is ready for that yet. I'm just ready to have her unhooked so I can snuggle with her better!
Love to you all...
-
Friday, March 6, 2009
Short Update
Hi everyone - this is Melisa.
I just talked to Hollie and wanted to pass on some information. Erica and YouYou are napping now so Hollie didn't want to wake them to get the computer.
Everything is going fine with sweet YouYou. Earlier this afternoon she ate well, but then had a short rough patch. YouYou was tired and was very unhappy. She was crying for her Bah Bah (daddy) and REALLY wanted him. They were able to get her to talk to Aaron on the phone and she was greatly comforted. The love between a little girl and her daddy is so sweet.
Papa Chocolate and Didi are on their way to the hospital now. Aaron and Neesie will be going to the hospital tomorrow. Hollie will be heading home tomorrow. (Hollie - Thanks so much for being there for my family.)
Please continue to keep YouYou and the entire Hammond family in your prayers.
I just talked to Hollie and wanted to pass on some information. Erica and YouYou are napping now so Hollie didn't want to wake them to get the computer.
Everything is going fine with sweet YouYou. Earlier this afternoon she ate well, but then had a short rough patch. YouYou was tired and was very unhappy. She was crying for her Bah Bah (daddy) and REALLY wanted him. They were able to get her to talk to Aaron on the phone and she was greatly comforted. The love between a little girl and her daddy is so sweet.
Papa Chocolate and Didi are on their way to the hospital now. Aaron and Neesie will be going to the hospital tomorrow. Hollie will be heading home tomorrow. (Hollie - Thanks so much for being there for my family.)
Please continue to keep YouYou and the entire Hammond family in your prayers.
Pictures from our first few days
On our way to pre-op early Wednesday morning...
Some extra kisses from mommy...
Just waiting...
More of the crew who was "just waiting"...
Some of our fabulous nurses in CICU...
Sweet Libby (the childcare specialist) made these signs for our room...
I think she knew this was the big day. She was looking so pitiful in the little crib...
Some extra kisses from mommy...
Just waiting...
More of the crew who was "just waiting"...
Some of our fabulous nurses in CICU...
Sweet Libby (the childcare specialist) made these signs for our room...
All settled in......room 506
Guess who? It is still Hollie....sorry :).
You You is now in a NORMAL ROOM!!! WOO-HOO!!! She is sleeping so good in a big girl bed where she can strectch out. She is disconnected from some more "things". She has not had a fever since yesterday and the doctor says she is doing FANTASTIC. She should be able to get up and start walking around some today. Erica is going to upload some news pics shortly so stay tuned....
You You is now in a NORMAL ROOM!!! WOO-HOO!!! She is sleeping so good in a big girl bed where she can strectch out. She is disconnected from some more "things". She has not had a fever since yesterday and the doctor says she is doing FANTASTIC. She should be able to get up and start walking around some today. Erica is going to upload some news pics shortly so stay tuned....
A Great Night...for all!
Good morning friends!
Erica and You You both had a good nights rest!! We arrived at the CICU just a few minutes ago. Nicole, our favorite nurse is here again today. She called Erica about 7:45 and said that You You was fine but asking for her mommy. It was so sweet of her to call and she was doing a great job consoling You You when we got here. She is sleeping again now that Erica was able to love on her a little and so we are going to grab a bite to eat real quick. We will update a little later and are hoping to report that we are moving to a regular room...aka "the floor".
Erica and You You both had a good nights rest!! We arrived at the CICU just a few minutes ago. Nicole, our favorite nurse is here again today. She called Erica about 7:45 and said that You You was fine but asking for her mommy. It was so sweet of her to call and she was doing a great job consoling You You when we got here. She is sleeping again now that Erica was able to love on her a little and so we are going to grab a bite to eat real quick. We will update a little later and are hoping to report that we are moving to a regular room...aka "the floor".
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Everything is just great...a small change in plans though
Hey gang!
Hollie again here. I just came out of visiting hours. Everything is PERFECT!! The doc came by though and said that he would rather her stay in CICU tonight and transfer first thing in the morning. He did not have any new concerns and nothing had changed, he just wants to watch her closely one more night. The nurses were laughing with Erica about how wishy washy this doctor is. It seems as though he has a pattern of changing his mind. She does not have a fever anymore and they are starting to disconnect "things"...it's too much to explain other than "things". It is all good...good... good.
The nurse that is on this shift is an absolute angel. She has allowed Erica to stay in there and hold You You the entire day. She let me get on the internet in there to check for hotels, use the phone to call Marriott Rewards and is showing Erica and I how to take care of You You once she is moved to the floor. She is AMAZING!!! I am praying that we get another "angel" at shift change.
At shift change Erica will get kicked out for a little while. We are going to check in to the hotel...it is connected to the hospital....and grab some food. After that Erica will have to try to get back in. The nurse is going to leave a note for the next one asking that they call Erica if You You is having a rough night. They will let her in to console her if need be.....more prayers answered.
I will update again tonight before bedtime. BTW...Melissa was right, the ceiling tiles are square. Oh yeah...and I met the little boy who sings "Jesus Love Me". His mommy should be careful because Erica is liable to grab him up and take him home :).
More later...
Hollie again here. I just came out of visiting hours. Everything is PERFECT!! The doc came by though and said that he would rather her stay in CICU tonight and transfer first thing in the morning. He did not have any new concerns and nothing had changed, he just wants to watch her closely one more night. The nurses were laughing with Erica about how wishy washy this doctor is. It seems as though he has a pattern of changing his mind. She does not have a fever anymore and they are starting to disconnect "things"...it's too much to explain other than "things". It is all good...good... good.
The nurse that is on this shift is an absolute angel. She has allowed Erica to stay in there and hold You You the entire day. She let me get on the internet in there to check for hotels, use the phone to call Marriott Rewards and is showing Erica and I how to take care of You You once she is moved to the floor. She is AMAZING!!! I am praying that we get another "angel" at shift change.
At shift change Erica will get kicked out for a little while. We are going to check in to the hotel...it is connected to the hospital....and grab some food. After that Erica will have to try to get back in. The nurse is going to leave a note for the next one asking that they call Erica if You You is having a rough night. They will let her in to console her if need be.....more prayers answered.
I will update again tonight before bedtime. BTW...Melissa was right, the ceiling tiles are square. Oh yeah...and I met the little boy who sings "Jesus Love Me". His mommy should be careful because Erica is liable to grab him up and take him home :).
More later...
She's getting out of CICU!!!!!!
Yippeee!!! Great News!! I just went back and found out that You You is going to be moved to a regular room tonight!!! She will be in room 530 and we should be in there before 7pm according to the nurse. She is doing WONDERFULLY now that her mommy and daddy have held her all day.
Prayers are being answered second by second!!!!
We will write more once we get moved.
Prayers are being answered second by second!!!!
We will write more once we get moved.
Hollie Feeling Guilty...
I felt bad that I did not mention how wonderful Aaron is. He is a rock!! He is the best dad, husband, and man. I am so proud of him and take back all the kidding and hard times I have given him. He is really, really amazing and just what Erica needs!!
As another update....Erica just came out to eat a bite. In answer to prayer, the nurses hearts have been softened and she has been able to stay with her baby girl all morning. She can now hold her and feed her ice. There is a possibility that they will move her to a regular room tonight. Aaron is holding her now. Praise the Lord!!!
Talk to you all soon!
As another update....Erica just came out to eat a bite. In answer to prayer, the nurses hearts have been softened and she has been able to stay with her baby girl all morning. She can now hold her and feed her ice. There is a possibility that they will move her to a regular room tonight. Aaron is holding her now. Praise the Lord!!!
Talk to you all soon!
An update
Hey ya'll! It's Hollie. I have now switched gears and am in B'ham with Aaron, Erica and You You. I am sitting in the waiting room with Erica's friend Aimee and her sweet little girl (also from China) Lily. The current plan is for Aaron to go home tonight and I will stay with Erica.
I did get to visit with You You. She was sleeping...which is great! She had a very restless night and did not sleep much. She is doing well considering that she is recovering from open heart surgery. There are small issues here and there but nothing out of the norm for this point in her recovery. She will stay in CICU one more night and the doctor said she would go to a regular room tomorrow if all goes well today.
Please continue to pray for her as I know you are doing. Especially pray that she find some peace and begins to rest better. Also pray for Erica...she is a remarkable mommy and really needs to keep her strength...both physically and emotionally.
Love to you all and thanks so much for your prayers!
Hollie
I did get to visit with You You. She was sleeping...which is great! She had a very restless night and did not sleep much. She is doing well considering that she is recovering from open heart surgery. There are small issues here and there but nothing out of the norm for this point in her recovery. She will stay in CICU one more night and the doctor said she would go to a regular room tomorrow if all goes well today.
Please continue to pray for her as I know you are doing. Especially pray that she find some peace and begins to rest better. Also pray for Erica...she is a remarkable mommy and really needs to keep her strength...both physically and emotionally.
Love to you all and thanks so much for your prayers!
Hollie
update
This is Melisa - I have not talked to Erica since 5 pm yesterday when I left the hospital, but I do have some information from Hollie and my mom.
Hollie talked to Erica after 5 yesterday and said she was in good spirits. They did take YouYou off the ventilator.
My mom told me that she spoke to Erica this morning before they went to the hospital. They were heading in to see her at 8:30 this morning. YouYou's nurse for last night was a very compassionate man. He has a 2 year old and assured Erica that he would take good care of her baby. Erica was very comforted by his words.
Hollie talked to Erica after 5 yesterday and said she was in good spirits. They did take YouYou off the ventilator.
My mom told me that she spoke to Erica this morning before they went to the hospital. They were heading in to see her at 8:30 this morning. YouYou's nurse for last night was a very compassionate man. He has a 2 year old and assured Erica that he would take good care of her baby. Erica was very comforted by his words.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
We got to see her
This is Melisa - We all got to go back to CICU to see YouYou. It was difficult for Erica to see her sweet baby with tubes and wires hooked up to her. Erica and Aaron kissed her forehead and whispered sweet things to her. We met her nurse. YouYou is her only patient. She was very sweet and is taking great care of YouYou. While we were in CICU the surgeon stopped by to check on us and answered a couple more questions. She is still running a fever.
After a few minutes we left Erica and Aaron alone with YouYou. They were able to stay with her for about 20 minutes longer. The nurse needed to do a few things for YouYou so she asked them to leave and come back to see her at 4:00.
Erica would really like to be able to go back to CICU outside of visiting hours when YouYou wakes up. Please pray for comfort for Erica and YouYou during this time. Please pray that the hearts of the hospital staff will be softened and allow Erica to spend extra time with her baby.
PS: There is a sweet little boy in the waiting room singing "Jesus loves me." Watching him sing makes Erica want to run over and give him a big hug.
After a few minutes we left Erica and Aaron alone with YouYou. They were able to stay with her for about 20 minutes longer. The nurse needed to do a few things for YouYou so she asked them to leave and come back to see her at 4:00.
Erica would really like to be able to go back to CICU outside of visiting hours when YouYou wakes up. Please pray for comfort for Erica and YouYou during this time. Please pray that the hearts of the hospital staff will be softened and allow Erica to spend extra time with her baby.
PS: There is a sweet little boy in the waiting room singing "Jesus loves me." Watching him sing makes Erica want to run over and give him a big hug.
The Doctor
The first thing he said when he walked into the room was "This was a tough one." He gave us lots of details and here are a few.
- The first "tough" part was that she had a fever of 101 after she was asleep. They will be keeping an eye on that over the next few days.
- The other "tough" part was her developing a funny heart rhythm. They almost had to shock her heart. Right before they put the paddles on, her heart started beating normally. (Thank you for everyone that was praying for her during this unknown time...Praise the Lord!)
- The VSD was very, very large. He was able to patch it and there is currently no leaking around the patch.
- The cleft in the mitral valve was very peculiar. The tissue is normally very thick, but hers was very thin and this made things a little more difficult. He was able to stitch the cleft and it seems to be leaking less.
- For some reason her tricuspid valve is now leaking a little more than it was before surgery. The head of cardiology looked at this and does not think it is because of the stitching around the VSD. It will need to be closely monitored.
- They attached the wiring for the pacemaker. This was planned because children with L-transposition are at a higher risk for heart block.
- She still has some bleeding that they will watch over the next couple of hours.
- They had to give her a blood transfusion because she was anemic. (We knew there was a good chance of her needing a transfusion because she is so small.)
- Lord willing, she will be waking up and off the ventilator around 5 tonight.
After the doctor was done giving us an update and answering questions, Aaron shook his hand and Erica gave him a hug. When he left we had a sweet time of prayer and thanksgiving. Thank you Lord for your loving care. We give You all the praise!
Surgery is over
YouYou's surgery has been completed. She is doing fine and we will get to see her in the next 30 minutes. More information to follow later...
More info & Random details
Hi everyone - this is Melisa (erica's older, bossy sister).
When we got the update, we found out that all of us are allowed to go back to CICU for Clara's first visit. We had to fill out forms to make sure that we did not have any illness that could harm YouYou or anyone else in ICU.
For now, we are all sitting in the Waiting room. We = Erica, Aaron, David (Aaron's Dad - YouYou's YeiYe), Neeesie & Papa (Erica's parents), MawMaw (Neesie's Mom), Faye (Neesie's sister - the one that made panties for YouYou) and me. Every time they call "Someone from the Hammond Family", Erica and Aaron RUN (well, actually they jump up and walk VERY quickly) to the desk.
Every time the intercom sounds the entire waiting room becomes silent while they wait to hear whose turn it is to receive an update.
Now here are some other random details just to keep you satisifed while you wait for more updates...
Erica is wearing a green striped shirt. This morning they gave YouYou a stuffed bear with a oxygen mask on it. The bear was fuzzy and green and matched Mommy's shirt. The nurses actually buy these for the children with their own money.
Earlier, I couldn't find the restroom even though it was about 4 feet away. A few minutes later Aaron almost walked into the Women's restroom.
The ceiling tiles in the waiting room are square and there is a women wearing an Alabama sweatshirt.
There is a really pretty atrium area right outside the waiting area.
MawMaw is laughing at me, Erica and Aaron for spending so much time typing on the computer.
Erica has been reading all her blogs today. She has so many sweet friends that have made special posts about YouYou's surgery today. I have to say that I REALLY appreciate all of you for keeping her in your prayers and being there for her.
Aaron is reading Great Expectations. David is reading The Unknown Story Mao (that Aaron just finished). MawMaw read Guideposts and Faye is reading Readers Digest. I haven't seen Neesie read anything except several blogs. When Aaron found out that she was reading this blog, he made fun of her for reading it since she is "living the blog".
These random details are provided to you so that your deep need for more information can be satisfied. :)
When we got the update, we found out that all of us are allowed to go back to CICU for Clara's first visit. We had to fill out forms to make sure that we did not have any illness that could harm YouYou or anyone else in ICU.
For now, we are all sitting in the Waiting room. We = Erica, Aaron, David (Aaron's Dad - YouYou's YeiYe), Neeesie & Papa (Erica's parents), MawMaw (Neesie's Mom), Faye (Neesie's sister - the one that made panties for YouYou) and me. Every time they call "Someone from the Hammond Family", Erica and Aaron RUN (well, actually they jump up and walk VERY quickly) to the desk.
Every time the intercom sounds the entire waiting room becomes silent while they wait to hear whose turn it is to receive an update.
Now here are some other random details just to keep you satisifed while you wait for more updates...
Erica is wearing a green striped shirt. This morning they gave YouYou a stuffed bear with a oxygen mask on it. The bear was fuzzy and green and matched Mommy's shirt. The nurses actually buy these for the children with their own money.
Earlier, I couldn't find the restroom even though it was about 4 feet away. A few minutes later Aaron almost walked into the Women's restroom.
The ceiling tiles in the waiting room are square and there is a women wearing an Alabama sweatshirt.
There is a really pretty atrium area right outside the waiting area.
MawMaw is laughing at me, Erica and Aaron for spending so much time typing on the computer.
Erica has been reading all her blogs today. She has so many sweet friends that have made special posts about YouYou's surgery today. I have to say that I REALLY appreciate all of you for keeping her in your prayers and being there for her.
Aaron is reading Great Expectations. David is reading The Unknown Story Mao (that Aaron just finished). MawMaw read Guideposts and Faye is reading Readers Digest. I haven't seen Neesie read anything except several blogs. When Aaron found out that she was reading this blog, he made fun of her for reading it since she is "living the blog".
These random details are provided to you so that your deep need for more information can be satisfied. :)
Update 2 - The major portion is done
We just got word that Clara has been taken off the bypass machine and her heart is beating on its own. They are starting to close...
She is doing fine and everything is on schedule.
She is doing fine and everything is on schedule.
First update
They took her from us around 7:15 this morning and my heart was ripped out of my chest. She screamed and cried the most pitiful cry because she did not want to leave her mommy. If you read our family blog you will know this is a big step for us...but man was it easier when she willingly left with the nurse for her cath last week. I had a meltdown right there in the pre-op room in front of everyone, but I have since recovered (and my husband wants me to put in here that I was in the arms of my loving, strong husband as I cried :)
We all went down to the food court area and attempted to eat some breakfast and now we are back in the waiting area. As I was typing they called our names and we got our first update - that they have begun the first incision. We should get several more updates along the way so I will try to pass those along.
"In Christ alone, my hope is found..." the words to this song are in my head today.
We all went down to the food court area and attempted to eat some breakfast and now we are back in the waiting area. As I was typing they called our names and we got our first update - that they have begun the first incision. We should get several more updates along the way so I will try to pass those along.
"In Christ alone, my hope is found..." the words to this song are in my head today.
Surgery Day
We finally marked off all of our tasks last night around 9:00 (medicine, bath, second bath/wipedown for surgery prep, consumption of nightly hard boiled egg :) and by 9:10 YouYou was asleep in her crib. I slept on and off, in between prayers and glances at my sleeping princess. At 2:00 I guess she felt like she got her nap in because she started telling me she wanted out (as she pointed to the window), but she snuggled up to me a few minutes later and went back to sleep.
I can feel His peace, the peace that passes all understanding. The Great Physician will be in the operating room with my little one and that is my comfort. I'll post more when I can...
I can feel His peace, the peace that passes all understanding. The Great Physician will be in the operating room with my little one and that is my comfort. I'll post more when I can...
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Pictures and Thank you's!
First...thank you to our Heavenly Father who has entrusted us with this little gift of YouYou. Thank you Lord for your love, your mercy, and your healing touch. Thank you to everyone who is praying for us! Thank you to the nurses and staff that are taking good care of us here at the hospital. Thank you to everyone who has said they want to come visit us...we love visitors! Thank you to my sweet friend Hollie who drove all the way from Iowa to be with us this week (she's taking care of the boys tonight and tomorrow so that my family can be here at the hospital with us). Thank you to all of you who have posted about YouYou's surgery on your blog. That's you...Tammy, Laine, Elizabeth, Emily, Kim, Aimee, Tina, Sheri, Kristi :) And if I missed anyone please forgive me! I love you all!
P.S. For those of you planning on visiting us and who are directionally challenged (that's you Laine :)...I will try to help w/directions. Take Exit 259 B (at least it is B when you are going South on 65), which will put you on 4th street. After you cross the intersection of 4th and 18th street (before you get to 19th street) you will see the entrance to the parking garage on the right. Turn right into the parking garage and park, then take the elevators to the 2nd level (which will say hospital). Proceed towards Admitting, and then ask them where we are (because I can't tell you whether we will still be in CICU or whether we will be back in a regular room). Hope that helps!!
The surgery details
We've been here since a little before 12 and we have had a big day already! YouYou has had her blood pressure and temp. checked twice, she has had an EKG, she has taken a ride in a wheelchair and she has had a chest x-ray. She has been her usual charming and cooperative self, which I am so thankful for. We also got to tour the Pediatric CICU and meet some of the nurses that will be taking care of her (thank you Libby :) And we finally got to meet Dr. Dabel, so now we have all of those details we have been waiting for.
YouYou is Dr. Dabel's only surgery tomorrow so they will be coming to get her between 7:00 and 7:30 in the morning. Dr. Dabel expects to start the actual surgery around 9:30 or so and he said the total surgery should last aprox. 5 hours. He expects we might get to see her in CICU around 3:00 if all goes well. He told us that she will be in the CICU for one night for sure, and possibly 2 nights, and then we will be in a regular room for 3-5 more nights.
I will be honest and say that I am a little emotional right now....but I am not fearful or dismayed. I know that He is here with us and He will be taking care of her tomorrow (along with the skilled surgeon :) Thank you so so much for your prayers and I'll post again later.
YouYou is Dr. Dabel's only surgery tomorrow so they will be coming to get her between 7:00 and 7:30 in the morning. Dr. Dabel expects to start the actual surgery around 9:30 or so and he said the total surgery should last aprox. 5 hours. He expects we might get to see her in CICU around 3:00 if all goes well. He told us that she will be in the CICU for one night for sure, and possibly 2 nights, and then we will be in a regular room for 3-5 more nights.
I will be honest and say that I am a little emotional right now....but I am not fearful or dismayed. I know that He is here with us and He will be taking care of her tomorrow (along with the skilled surgeon :) Thank you so so much for your prayers and I'll post again later.
They're off!
Good morning ya'll! This is Hollie, Erica's friend from Iowa. I am at their house staying with the boys this week. I just wanted to let you all know that Aaron, Erica, and You You took off for B'ham this morning around 9:30am. They will get YouYou checked into the hospital, meet with the doctors, and get settled in today. After meeting with the doctors they will have a lot more info, like what time the surgery will be, how long it will take, etc. So needless to say, they have a very busy day ahead. Someone will update the blog later this evening with all the details. I just wanted you all to know what it going on. I know very well how it is to be on the other side of this machine waiting for info.
Pray, pray, pray for this sweet family today as they find out what tomorrow and the next few days will be like for YouYou.
Pray, pray, pray for this sweet family today as they find out what tomorrow and the next few days will be like for YouYou.
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