Pics of Addison at 12 days!

Answered prayers for Addison! Addison 4 weeks old!

My parents took Jr back to the farm when they left on Saturday, as we're hoping to get both him and Addison healthy. We thought it would be a good idea to keep them away from each other since Jr most likely gave Addison this terrible virus as he loves to kiss and be close to her all the time. As I waved good bye to Jr on Saturday my eyes began to swell up with tears. My heart felt completely torn, I just wanted my family together, but knew the best possible thing for Addison and Jr was to be apart. We layed low the whole weekend and tried to recover from the past roller coaster week we endured.

Today our prayers were answered.......again!!! I can't stop praising the Lord once again for giving me the strength to handle this mountain with peace and grace. A and I were almost certain that Addison would have to continue to be on oxygen for at least a couple more days just to be safe, but yet again Ms. Addison surprises everyone (including the dr). Addison's oxygen level was 99 when we got there, the nurse then took her off her oxygen. The nurse got her measurements and then we waited for the dr to come in. Once he came in they took her oxygen level again and it was still 98-99, which meant she was tank free. Dr. Q was so excited and walked out of the room saying, "Way to go Addison!" She's such a fighter and is so good in any situation we're in. What a trooper! As we walked out of the doctors office this afternoon I couldn't help but thank God for our answered prayers once again. Ms. Addison is oxygen tank free and doing great!

Addison at 4 weeks:
-is a growing little girl (measurements at 5/16/11): HT: 19.5 in, WT: 7lb 8oz, HC: 36.4 cm
-spent 3 days in the hospital for Bronchiolitis. Did great the whole time she was there (slept, ate, and gained weight while she was in there). Had to go home with an oxygen tank.
-is oxygen tank free after being on it for 6 days.
-has been incredible with all she has faced in her short life. What a fighter she is!
-actually likes doing tummy time.
-loves taking baths in her big girl tub!
-takes a bottle at night.
-she eats at 8, 11, 2, 5, 7:30, goes down at 8, eats again at 11, 3 and then 8 again.
-started smiling at 3 weeks!
-she lost her belly button stump right after she turned 3 weeks.
-got to take her first bath when she came home from the hospital (3.5 weeks).
-started taking a night bottle at 2 weeks.
-is Mommy's little girl. Loves to cuddle on my chest and instantly calms down when I hold her.
-She can turn her head from one side to the other and has been able to for 3 weeks now.
-has 3 nicknames. Mommy's nickname is "Love Bug!" Daddy's nickname is "Crazy Top!" Jr's nickname is "Baby!"

“The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” -Zephaniah 3:17

Addison's first 3.5 weeks (Easter, Adam Birthday, Addy in the hospital)

And I continue to be tested……

So every time I go to finish my blog, something seems to come up delaying me from getting this posted. (This blog update is pieced together from a lot of different entries).

Here’s the update before Addy was in the hospital.

Finally a little time to sit and catch up on what life has been like the past couple 3 weeks. The past weeks have been simply amazing! I know it sounds crazy when you think of having a newborn, a toddler, a husband who technically doesn’t have a job, and having something planned almost every week, but seriously I couldn’t feel more blessed every morning I wake up and look at my life. It is simply amazing and a true blessing!

So lately rather than taking the time to write about life, I’ve been busy cuddling with my kids, enjoying watching the Tike oooowww and aaawww over his sister, helping Adam with is workouts, weekly trips to the library and store, enjoying my growing family, snapping pictures like crazy and occasionally taking a much needed nap while the kids nap!

I still can’t believe Addison is home with us after only 4 days in the NICU and I truly can’t stop thanking God for our answered prayers! Her heart is truly special and she holds a very, very special place in many people’s hearts’.

Our life in a nutshell since our little sweetie came home.

On Thursday April 21^st, we got to bring our sweet baby girl home! April 21^st also marked Jacob turning 21 months! Overall just an amazing, truly blessed day for the whole Carriker family! Addison passed her hearing test and car seat test early Thursday morning and once Adam arrived, we loaded up everything and said “Good Bye” to NICU! It was an amazing feeling walking through the NICU hallway to the elevators with our healthy baby girl in hand! On our way home from the hospital we stopped at Babies R Us to buy a couple “Pink” things! The rest of the day was full of cuddles and enjoying our daughter “line” free!

Friday we took Addison to dr just for a check up since the doctors at the hospital thought it would be a good idea. She weighed 5lb 6 oz! Addison is going about 3.5 hours at night and 3 hours during the day. Big brother came back from being at Grandma & Papa McBrides.

We celebrated Easter weekend with the McBrides. Addison got to meet Jenna, Olivia, Jeff, Angie, and Phil. It was a fun filled weekend with lots of laughter and of course eggs! Jr and Jenna did a couple Easter egg hunts. Jr had a blast finding the eggs and putting them into his bucket. The very first hunt he went to it was snowing! By the second one though the sun was shining! The kids got their picture with the bunny. Jr isn’t quite sure what to think of the bunny and opted for Daddy to hold him while we snapped a couple pics! Addison did great all weekend long and really adjust well to whatever environment she is in. Jenna loved holding Addison and playing with Jr the whole weekend.

I have to say the best part of the whole weekend was that I knew Addison’s first church service ever was going to be Easter service! How perfect! Easter morning came and went with the blink of an eye. Some how we managed to make it to church by 8:45 with two kiddos (our first morning on our own with both kiddos)! Adam helped me get to church and then headed to the dr, since he was still feeling sick. Jr had a blast in childcare and Addison did great with me during the whole service. Adam later found out that he had the rota stomach virus. It royally took him 5 days before he started to feel a slightly better. Gina and Mark invited us over for Easter supper with some of Mark’s family. Aleah was excited to meet Addison or as she called her “Madison.” Aleah was probably most excited when she got to hold Addison. Gina and Mark then announced to everybody that they’re expecting in December! Gina had told us when she came to visit Addison in the hospital, but wanted us to keep quiet because they thought it would be neat to tell their parents on Easter. We’re so excited for them and can’t wait to have 4 kids within 3 years of each other running around in a couple years. Easter was a true blessing of the miracle of life in our house this year and it felt wonderful to take our Easter family picture in our home!

Since Easter we’ve been busy almost every day, but we’re truly enjoying every moment of our new family!

Addison is growing by the minute and well so is the Tike.

Addison just over 3 weeks……

-has the wildest hair! Daddy calls her “Crazy Top!” Mommy attempts to comb it down, but the instant it dries it becomes a fro!

-loves to cuddle!

-Spoiled Mommy on Mother’s Day!

-Takes about 3-4 oz of milk at each feeding.

-eats every 3 hours during the day and 4.5 to 5 at night.

-loves to have her hair washed. I definitely see some spa days in the future.

-moved her head from side to side when she was 10 days old.

-got her picture taken by Kathy when she was 12 days old.

-is absolutely loved by her brother and of course everybody that meets her.

-Jr insist on giving her lots of hugs, kisses, knuckles, and five all the time. Jr will run over and say, “Kiss, kiss.” This is followed by a big kiss on her head and then off he goes. Five minutes later, he is back and ready to do knuckles and five. He doesn’t get why she always keeps her hand in a fist, so he after he does knuckles with her, he’ll try to pull her hand apart so they can do 5! It’s hilarious to watch! Jr also loves to sit and hold his sister. He’ll climb up on the couch and put the boppy around him and say, “Hold.” He likes to hold her for about 30 seconds and then he’s done. Jr likes to act like a big kid and doesn’t like to have anyone touching her when he’s holding her.

-naps in her pack ‘n play at least once a day.

-has been in her room since day 3 of being home (would have been day 1, but we had company staying in her room).

-goes and does about anything and everything.

-almost every morning is on the go. Whether it’s helping Daddy workout, going to the library for story time, going to big brother’s gymnastic class, with Mommy to the store, she’s learned to take excellent naps in her car seat.

-went on her first trip when she was 18 days old.

-celebrated Daddy’s birthday up in Estes Park with Mommy. Daddy and Addison’s birthdays are exactly 18 days apart. She did great the whole trip.

-met Great Uncle Bill & Aunt Nancy. Addison loved snuggling with Aunt Nancy.

-took a bottle for the first time at 2.5 weeks.

The Tike @ 21 months:

-became a big brother!

-spent some time with Grandma & Grandpa Carriker when they came to visit.

-enjoyed talking and kiss the baby when she was in Mommy’s belly.

-loves playing and acting wild with his cousin Aleah.

-pulled toilet paper out from the bathroom into the living room. Mommy, Daddy, and of course Jr couldn’t stop laughing!

-loves to play on his riding toy cars.

-is becoming an excellent counter. Can count 1-10 really well and has started working on 11-20.

-loves to sing the ABC’s. Is especially good at saying O, R, S, T, W, X, Y, and Z.

-knows most of his words in his Baby Can Read!

-wears mostly 3T clothes.

-still loves to play with balls, trucks, and wheels!

-loves going on our daily family walks.

-got to spend some time at the farm playing with Jenna, while Mommy and Addison were in the hospital.

-loves to play with “Papa” (Grandpa McBride)!

-Jr loves playing with his singing ballons.

-is total boy and loves playing with his tool set.

Addison in the hospital….

I would never have guessed that I’d be back sitting in a hospital room updating my blog, but here I am typing away. I was in the process of updating the blog about our life over the past 3 weeks this past week, when we took an unexpected trip to the peds office, quickly followed by a trip to the ER and so began another stay at the hospital for little Ms. Addison.

So Wednesday was like any typical day for us, Adam was gone all morning and the kiddos seemed to be doing good at home (finally a lazy morning around the house). When I put Addison down for her nap in the morning, she would be okay for about 30 min and then start to whimper a little. Jr and I would go check on her; I’d cuddle with her a little and within seconds she would be sound asleep. This went on all throughout her first nap. This is way out of character of her norm. Her feeding at 11 equaled disaster all around. The poor girl couldn’t breathe, which made it almost impossible to nurse or take a bottle. She somehow managed to take enough to satisfy her needs. The same thing that happened during her first nap happened at her afternoon nap. Adam and I took turns snuggling with her and somehow got her to sleep 30 min or so by herself. She got up early from her nap and clearly just didn’t feel well. We decided to call the dr to get both kids in and make sure everything was okay. In a matter of hours poor Addison went from okay, a little worse, bad, to scary bad. At the peds office Addy looked terrible; she was a grey color and honestly looked like a dead person in a casket. After a quick weigh and temp of both kids, they took her oxygen level and when I saw the number bouncing around in the 80s, I knew we were in trouble. The dr walked in right away and told us we needed to head to the ER right away and he would call them to say we were on our way. Out the door we went and across the street to the hospital. Adam dropped Addy and I off at the ER, while he went home with Jr. until our friend came over to watch him so Adam could come back to the hospital. After a quick check-in we were taken back to a room and the poking, prodding, and pricking began on our sweet baby girl. All I could do at this time was pray for God to give me the strength to endure this and to have his hand over my precious baby girl. The chaos began when the nurses poked her 3 times before finding a vein for her IV, the chest X-Rays were taken, she was catherized so they could test her urine, and drew a lot blood to run numerous test. My heart ached so much as Addy occasionally cried and whimpered. She actually handled everything like a little champ! I was so proud of her when I sat and held her hand when she was being stuck numerous times and barely made a sound. I can’t fathom how bad that would hurt, but she did amazing. Exhausted from the afternoon’s happenings, Addy was able to snuggle up and nurse (which she hasn’t done well in a couple days) and like that she was out. Adam arrived at the hospital in great time, and we were once again brought to a situation where we really needed be there for each other. We waited patiently as they ran a lot of different test and tried to figure out what was wrong with our baby girl. Finally her dr came in and told us they have diagnosed her with having bronchiolitis and possibly a UTI too. He said she’d need to be in the hospital a couple days to make sure she was getting enough oxygen and fluids, since this is the only way you can beat this viral infection. They got us situated up in a room and the next day and a half went something like this in nutshell. My parents were able to come up and help us, since someone always had to be in the room with Addy. Since I was ahead of the pumping game, my mom was able to stay with her through the night and let me go home to get a good night’s rest. My mom’s birthday was the 12^th, so we made sure to spoil her a little since she has helped us out so much. Addy had to be in the hospital from Wednesday afternoon to Friday morning. The dr sent her home on a ¼ L of oxygen and said she would probably be on it for 10 days. He wanted to send her home on some O2 just to help her breathe and get her levels up. The O2 really does help her not to have to work so hard to breathe. I was so thankful as my mom and I drove away from the hospital with Addy in the back, despite her still being on O2, it was just going to be nice to have her at home. Friday afternoon my parents insisted that A and I go out on a date, since they were there and willing to watch the kiddos. It was nice to have some alone time with my husband after the whirlwind days we just went through.

Addy is doing pretty good since she’s been home. We go back to the dr on Monday and I’m really praying that we can be O2 free when we leave. Let’s hope Addy takes the advice of my friend Abby, “In the happiness of getting you home, I might have neglected to share one critical piece of post-NICU advice—NO RETURN TOURS!” I really hope we stay clear of the hospital for quite sometime.

A big highlight during Addison’s stay at the hospital was the precious little smiles she started to flash!

When Addison went into the hospital she weighed 6 lb 13 oz and was 7 lb 2 oz when she left. Our precious sweetie is truly a miracle and fighter through all she has been through.

I never knew watching my kids play would make my day complete. I see the love Jr has for his sister and it truly melts my heart. I love watching him with her and I really can’t wait to watch them grow up.

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” –Psalm 129: 13-14

Jr doing his ABC's with Daddy!

Addison's Birth Story & a BIG Suprise!

I knew when we had NBC that her whole birth story and experience was going to be quite different than that of her brother’s; however, I never would have imagined it to be quite like this. Ms. Addison really rocked our world when she took our life of trucks, balls, and the color blue to now a world of dolls, bows, and the color pink! Who would have guessed that was only the beginning of our adventures with Addison!

(Saturday)- It all began Saturday, which was a beautiful, typical weekend for us; Rachel came after Jr’s nap to babysit while we went on our date night. After a great supper, movie, and dessert we headed home. It really was a perfect date night and so nice to have some quality time with Adam. Later on that evening I had a dull lower left side ache that would not go away. After calling it a night, I slept for a couple hours and woke up around 3 feeling absolutely horrible. I ended up getting really sick (both vomiting and diarrhea). Once I finally crawled back into bed, I was able to get some more rest before we got up and headed for church. I still wasn’t feeling the best (couldn’t and definitely didn’t want to eat/drink anything), but I really didn’t want to miss church on Palm Sunday and I figured getting out might help me get over whatever was going on.

(Palm Sunday)- At church I felt absolutely horrible. I couldn’t get comfortable, felt sick, tired, and just wanted to lie down. After church we headed back home; Adam and Jr ate lunch and then we had some good quality family time together. Who would have guessed it would be the last time we’d spend an afternoon together as a family of 3? Adam knew I wasn’t feeling good at all, so he brought some toys up to our room for the Tike to play with, while we just relaxed/rested on the bed. I started having some, what I thought were Braxton Hicks, contractions around 11 or so. Nothing consistent or regular, so I thought they would go away over time (like they usually do). The Tike played till it was naptime for both him and I. I told Adam I was going to see if I could sleep a little and hopefully wake up feeling better. I only slept about 30 min total, between the contractions, my lower back aching and just feeling sick. I finally just go up and went to see what Adam was up to (this was around 2 or so). As we were talking I told him I started having lower back pain, Adam instantly got up and started packing his supplements. When I asked him what he was doing, he quickly responded, “Oh, I know what this is!” I said, “No sweetie, let’s just see what happens these next couple hours.” Adam just shock his head at me and said, “I think we’re going to have a baby soon!” Adam called our nanny to give her a heads up about what was going on and told her we might need her to come over later. I talked to my parents and also gave them the heads up about what was going on. My parents and Adam were convinced it was time to make the trip to Denver, however I was still a little iffy and really didn’t want to make an unneeded trip down there for a false alarm. I just wanted to see what was going to happen the next couple hours before we decided to head to Denver. I started timing my contractions and though they weren’t regular I was having about 3-4 every 30 min (lasting 30 sec - 1 min). I took an online quiz thing about whether or not you’re in true labor. After answering all the questions and reading the description (which told me “You’re most likely in labor and should call your doctor soon!”). I just laughed a little to myself and really began to wonder if today was “Game Day!” Was today going to be the day I was finally going to meet NBC face to face. We got the Tike up at 3, gave him a snack and headed outside for our usual afternoon walk. I knew walking would either speed up or slow down what was going on. Not even 5 min into the walk I told Adam to call the nanny and see when she could come as it’s time for us to go Denver. We cut the walk short and headed home to finish packing and get ready to leave. The poor Tike knew something was going on and was really confused as to why nobody was really paying attention to him. The nanny finally arrived and those two headed outside to play with bubbles while we finished packing. We left the house around 4 or so and not even halfway to Denver, I looked at Adam and told him it was a good idea we left because everything had really started to pick up. I’m pretty sure the little bit of walking we did on our family walk helped to get things rolling a little faster. We called the OB floor and gave them the heads up that we were coming. Once we got to the hospital, we had to be checked out to see if I was truly in labor or if it was just my body “practicing!” They hooked me up to a fetal heart monitor and contraction monitor. When the floor OB walked in, she asked the nurse how my contractions were. The nurse just pointed to the paper and then the OB (with excitement) says, “Well those are coming very consistently.” The OB then checked me and said, “Well you’re 3, so that’s good.” I then informed her that I was 3 on Wednesday, so I haven’t changed at all. She then suggested we go walk around a little, but don’t leave the hospital. They needed to see a change in my cervix before they could admit me and say that you are in true labor. So a little disappointed, Adam and I headed down to the first floor around 7 and I began doing laps around the entry way. By 7:30 the contractions had picked up and the pain in my back was killing me. Every time I had a contraction I was bending over in pain (I usually tried to find a chair to sit in until the contraction would pass) and knew that there was no doubt I was now in “true labor.” The OB had told us not to come back until 8:45 or so in hopes that when she checked me again there would be a change and they could admit me. However, by 7:45 I was pleading with Adam to go upstairs; he somehow convinced me to stay put until a couple minutes till 8. We finally headed up and heard those magical words every pregnant lady loves to hear at the end of her pregnancy, “You’ve changed. It’s time to admit you and have a baby!” By this point, I was just concerned with getting an epidural. When I had Jr I went all-natural, however this time I was so excited to receive an epidural. Finally after getting to our room and getting situated (changed, IV in, etc) around 9, I was given my epidural and “heaven” began. It wasn’t even 5 min after I received it that I was experiencing contractions and didn’t even know it. I progressed fast and everything seemed to be moving along great; however, I needed to be on my antibiotic (for Group-B strep) for at least four hours before they would like me to deliver. I started receiving the antibiotic at 9, which meant if at all possible we’d wait until after 1 to break my water if it hadn’t broke on its own. Adam lay snoring away on the couch while we waited for my body to prepare for the arrival of NBC. Kevin (who took pics of Addison when she was born) and I rested our eyes’ (yes, I said rested during labor; the epidural was amazing). By midnight I was 9cm and my sack was “bulging” according to the OB. A little after 1:30 or so, they decided it was time to break my water and begin to “push.” After about 20 solid pushes NBC officially met Mom and Dad face to face! I wanted Adam to tell me whether we had a daughter or son (just like we did with Jr), so when they pulled her out Adam did a “double take” as we both thought we were having a boy; he then tells me, “We have a daughter!” I replied, “Are you serious?!” The whole delivery room laughed! I still can’t believe we have a daughter though! When Adam was taking a minute to tell me what we had, I tried to see for myself, but the umbilical cord was obstructing my view. It truly is a priceless memory that I’m so thankful to cherish!

(Monday)- Happy Birthday Addison! Addison Jo Carriker was born at 2:09 am. She weighed 5 lb 7 oz and was 17 ¾ in long! She scored 8 and 9 on her APGARs. Most importantly though she got to be in our arms for about 15 min before they took her to the NICU. After our much needed snuggle time with our daughter they wheeled her off to the NICU. Adam followed and spent time with her while the OBs took care of me. I couldn’t get up until I could lift both my legs up on my own. After I was able to move, they moved me to my room and then we got to go see Addison. To be honest, at first it was really hard for me to see her hooked up to so many lines and not being able to hold her, but I just prayed the instant I saw her and asked God to give me strength to be strong through all of this. I then placed one hand on her head and one on her side and praised God for my beautiful baby girl! We spent a little time with her before we headed back to the room to get some much needed rest. I could only sleep for a couple hours, as I was just so excited she was here! Our morning was spent waiting on the results of her first echo (which was done as soon as she got to the NICU) and of course spending time with our daughter. We called to cancel a couple previous appointments we had for the week, one of them being a sonogram that was scheduled for Monday morning. When I called to cancel, I talked to my regular nurse and explained to her that I wouldn’t be at the ultrasound appointment, as I don’t need to see Addison on a black and white sonogram screen anymore because she’s here in person! The whole office was excited and thankful that I made it to 37 weeks, after quite a roller coaster ride! Aunt Gina was Addison's first visitor; she had just flown into Denver after being gone over the weekend,s o it worked great for her to stop by and meet Ms. Addison! Grandma & Grandpa Mc brought Jacob down after his afternoon nap and he got to meet his little sister for the first time! I was already with Addison, when Adam walked in with my parents and Jr. Jr didn’t know what to think of all the lights and sounds that are in the NICU. He did acknowledge the fact that there was a baby lying in its isolette; in fact he grabbed the end of her isolette and gave it a little shake. Must have been his way of welcoming her to the family! After a couple quick first family pics, we headed down to grab some supper. Jr was a bit wild pretty much the whole time he was at the hospital. We didn’t keep Jr in the NICU very long as they suggest keeping them in only a min for their age. Grandma, Grandpa and Jr all spoiled Addison with lots of PINK things (cloths, blankets, bibs, socks, a teddy bear, a balloon, a “It’s a GIRL” sign and so much more)! The dr gave us the news that there was no sign of a coarc, so they would stop her medicine that was keeping the duct open and do another echo on Wednesday to see if there is in fact a coarc or not. We were very happy to hear that there was possibility of no coarc, but kept ourselves grounded as this has been an up and down roller-coaster ride and we didn't want to get too excited. We just continued to pray that God would have his hand over this whole situation and that his will would be done. At the end of a very eventful day, everybody left to head back to Loveland and I headed to do my mommy duties.

(Tuesday)- Addison’s first full night in the hospital went well. I feed her with a syringe every four hours. Tuesday morning we finally got the news that every NICU parent looks forward to hearing, “You’ll be able to hold your baby!” I couldn’t stop smiling, as I knew I was going to finally get to breast feed her too. I breastfed her just a little when she was born, but was excited about the opportunity to finally get to do some good, solid, mini feeding with her. My world really did light up when I walked into her NICU room and saw the rocker in the corner! I know, who would think a rocker could mean so much to someone, but when you know it’s for you to finally be able to sit and rock with your brand new baby, a rocker is like winning the lottery! So as of Tuesday early afternoon I had won the lottery in my own little world! Her first feeding went really well, along with the following feedings. She’s a tad bit hard to wake up at first (takes after her Daddy already), but once awake she’s been having some good feed times and wake time. (*wrote in real time)*I just got to hold Addison for the first time since I had her. She truly felt like a little angel in my arms. I’m so overjoyed with emotions right now. Addison latched on right away and acted like she knew exactly what she was doing. Adam got to do skin to skin with her. A and I are floating on cloud 9 right now!*

Addison’s hair is a bit crazy right now, so we now call her our “Little Rock Star!” She was born with so much hair and then we’ve only been able to do one wash, so it’s kind of all over the place. I think she might have some curls too, because she gets these little flips going at the end! Tomorrow is a big day for us as we will officially learn if Ms. Addison really does have a coarc or not. Adam and I spent some good quality time with her today. Feeding, skin-to-skin, and just showering her with lots of cuddles and kisses.

(Wednesday)- (all written in real time) Addison had great feedings through the middle of the night and has become a breastfeeding champ! Between her feedings I packed up my room, just in case they make me move (since technically I need to be discharged). Addison is really doing well eating, pooping, peeing, and sleeping; which in the life of a newborn is all you need to do! Her echo was done this morning and now I’m waiting patiently to hear back the results. I was a little restless last night as I just prayed for God to have performed a miracle and that Addison would be able to go home with us very soon with a healthy heart. Poor Daddy has been making the trip back and forth to Loveland so he can get his workouts in and keep up his training. My parents headed back to the farm yesterday with Jr. Depending on what we hear in a couple hours about Addi’s echo, will ultimately decide when we get Jr back.

With a quiet knock at my hospital door, the ped dr walked in and gave me some of the best news I’ll probably hear in my life….”The duct has closed and the aorta looks perfect. You can take her home!” In disbelief I couldn’t believe what the dr was telling. The dr then told me we’d be more than welcome to take her home tonight or tomorrow as long as she keeps eating well and her glucose levels are doing good. Adam was unfortunately not here to hear the great news, but I instantly called him to share that our prayers had been answered! Adam went home last night and was suppose to work out this morning and then be back to the hospital this afternoon; however, the whirlwind days seem to be causing his body to shut down a little and now Adam has the flu. He’ll stay home today and get some much-needed rest before coming to pickup his girls and taking them home tomorrow. I called our families to let them know the exiting news and truly just can’t stop praising the Lord! God is GREAT & I’m so thankful for answered prayers! We truly can’t stop praising and thanking the Lord for our little girl who has been full of surprises from the beginning!!! Addison really is a surprise all around. We were surprised when we learned I was pregnant with her, surprised when she was GIRL, and now surprised that there is no coarc! Who can only guess what other surprises Ms. Addison has in store for us! Thank you Lord for our answered prayers!!!

Psalm 98

 ¹ Sing to the LORD a new song,
   for he has done marvelous things;
his right hand and his holy arm
   have worked salvation for him.
² The LORD has made his salvation known
   and revealed his righteousness to the nations.
³ He has remembered his love
   and his faithfulness to Israel;
all the ends of the earth have seen
   the salvation of our God.

 ⁴ Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth,
   burst into jubilant song with music;
⁵ make music to the LORD with the harp,
   with the harp and the sound of singing,
⁶ with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn—
   shout for joy before the LORD, the King.

 ⁷ Let the sea resound, and everything in it,
   the world, and all who live in it.
⁸ Let the rivers clap their hands,
   let the mountains sing together for joy;
⁹ let them sing before the LORD,
   for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
   and the peoples with equity.