Sunday Updates

Hi All! So sorry we didn't do an update yesterday....the day was full of activity and I was just spent after it. And the hormones are kicking in:) I did get released from the hospital in the morning and we were able to get a room at the Ronald McDonald House (huge answer to prayer!)...so we are trying to get settled in here. Anyway...moving on. We did get the news we wanted yesterday. They took Emma down for her test (they did a contrast dye x-ray) in the morning. It only took 15 minutes and they were done and called us in for the results. Well it looks like her esophagus is only a small distance away from where it should connect so it is longer like they thought! So tomorrow morning (Monday) they are going to go in and connect it all and that surgery will be done. She won't need the pack on the side of her neck and she won't need the feeding tube and she won't need any extra surgeries!!! Praise God! So if you think of her tomorrow you can just be praying that she is comfortable and that the doctors hands will be able to manuver and get everything connected just like it should be! So the next news is that we also met with her heart surgeon, Dr. Burkhardt, and he seemed very positive about her surgery. She is a very good canidate and she has 3 out of 4 things going for her...the size of the aorta was a good size, the heart is pumping good, and there is one more thing and for the life of me I can't remember. The only thing that was her size...she's just a bit small but he said that really didn't matter...she was still a good size baby and would do just fine. So the plan is to do her surgery on Thursday for her heart if all goes well tomorrow (which we know it will...God is in control!). So there are the major updates. Just a few fun things...we both got to hold her today...she was just so calm and relaxed...we hope to go in early in the morning to hold her before her surgery. And then last night I guess she was awake for 2 hours...eyes wide open...too bad it was between 1:30 and 3:30 a.m. and we didn't see it. But then today she did open her eyes for us and looked right at us while we talked to her...so cute! And last night we got to give her a sponge bath...and I gave her her first shampoo! She liked that! She also has developed a little bit of jaundice so she has to go under the lights for a lot of the day...but they put these cute little goggles on her and then let her "sunbathe"! Soooo cute! Well we'll put a few pictures on here for you now...enjoy! Again...can't thank you all enough for thinking of us and caring for us and praying for us! God is good ALL the time!
Love,
Jon, Ali & Emmalee


Getting ready to go for her contrast dye test.



Her nurse Joleen taking her down...so many buttons and tubes for one little girl!


Her little monkey toes!


First bath!


She wants to suck her hands and pull out her tubes so she had to have booties put on her hands.


Just chillin' with her mask on as she gets her lights.


Cute little girl with her hat on (Patty Mueller made her hat for her)!


This is actually an old picture. This is her in the transport unit when she left Methodist and came over to St. Mary's.


One final good bye before she left.


Happy parents!