Friday, February 13, 2009

Charlotte Grace




Charlotte Grace arrived on February 12th at 2:02 am. At birth she weighed 7 lb 4 oz and was 19.5." Labor lasted most of the day on Wednesday, though it wasn't overly consistent or strong until around 6:00pm. Will was a fantastic birthing coach, and my midwife and nurse were incredible. I won't burden you with the details, but if you'd like to hear the banshee screams, I could try to replicate them for you.
Charlotte is absolutely lovely. We are so in love with her already. And we need your prayers. I know that some of you are very underinformed at the moment, so I wanted to put all of the information in one place. As we suspected months ago, Charlotte does indeed have a heart defect. It was confirmed late in the afternoon on the 12th, and she was immediately transferred to the NICU. She has been scheduled for a cardiac catheterization for Tuesday and then open-heart surgery for Wednesday or Thursday to block the connection between her two vessels. She is currently under close monitoring to make sure that the heart defect does not cause any problems before the upcoming surgery. We have been spending all of our free time at the hospital with her, getting lots of good cuddling time before things get more complicated next week. We have been blessed to have family and friends watch Owen for us while we are out of the house (PS. Owen has an awful cold...please pray for him too).
The other concern is that we're not sure what has caused the defect. Charlotte was born without thumbs and with irregularities in the bones of her right lower arm. This probably indicates that she has some type of syndrome. One in particular called Holt-Oram Syndrome (aka heart-hand syndrome) is the leading guess at the moment. She has had a huge number of tests and blood-work done, but the answer to this particular question will take weeks to arrive. All of the other tests appear to be normal. As for improving the hand issues, this is something we're going to be getting more information on, but is not an immediate concern.
Please pray for all of us. This has been such a roller coaster of emotions. Most of the time it's easy to trust in God and His plan in all of this, but then the moments come when you start thinking about the "ifs," and you're fighting back tears. I can use His word to combat these thoughts, but it's still a battle nonetheless. And then there are the moments when you don't even have to think, the emotions just well up and overwhelm you.
Thank you to everyone who has blessed us during this time with help, love, support and prayer. I don't know what we would do without you.

9 comments:

Holly said...

I just want to squeeze her cheeks! She's so sweet. Can't believe how much she looks like Owen. (His shirt is awesome, btw). Praying for you everyday. Wish we were there to give you a big ole hug. Much love.

Christianne Page said...

Oh my goodness, look at that hair! She's beautiful. As soon as I'm over this horrendous cold, I will give you a huge hug. You're in my prayers constantly. Love you!

em and pete said...

She's beautiful! We're praying for you!

Tracy said...

what a beauty charlotte is! we know she is in the hands of our great God and we are committed to praying. we love you guys and hope you know we want to help with any needs that may arise. please let us know!

Brian Shea said...

What a beautiful, precious blessing God has placed in your care! He is wise above us all which is probably why he knew you, Will & Owen would take extra special care of her. :) We will be praying for you all - please call if you need us to watch Owen (your place or ours), cook a meal or run a vaccuum, etc.

Penny

Brian Shea said...
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Katie Rose M. said...

I don't think I've ever seen a more beautiful "out of the womb" baby! Congratulations to your entire family and I will be praying for precious Charlotte Grace, Owen's cold and your transitions in the next few weeks.

Mulchy Mama said...

Hey Christy,
You don't know me, but I go to Hickory Grove and am a friend of Amy's. She asked us to pray for you all today, and I just wanted to let you know that I am. What a precious little girl...and family!! She is just beautiful!!
I will especially be praying for God's hand to be on the physicians and nurses that are helping with her procedures this week, and that He will give all of you the strength you need to make it through...and that your little man will feel better.
Praying for little Charlotte,
Amy Eller

Celia Y said...

Sweet Charlotte Grace! She is so beautiful and looks just like the Alley's!! I love it! We prayed for you together this morning as soon as we got the news, and will continue to do so. Wish we were there to play Memory with Owen (my favorite game, probably bc I cream Dave all the time) and to love on Charlotte. God's grace and strength to you each day.