Catherine Update

I spoke with Robyn last night and got an update on little Catherine. For the most part, it is not new information, but rather details and further explanation of what is going on with our sweet baby girl. Here is what she told me:

Catherine's lungs are not oxygenating her organs as they should and that is why she is on the ECMO machine. For those of you (like me!) who had no idea what this ECMO thing is, it stands for Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation and it takes over functions for the heart and lungs, pumping blood and exchanging carbon dioxide for oxygen outside of her body. The immediate goal and a specific prayer request is that Catherine be able to get off of ECMO as soon as possible. It is good for her while she is on it as it is providing vital oxygen to her body, but long term it is not good for her. I did a little research, and ECMO can damage red blood cells which are the cells that carry oxygen so that is one (of probably several) reasons that she needs to get off of it as soon as she can.

Also, Catherine has a weak aortic arch. This is the curved portion at the top of her aorta. I did some research on this as well, but I am quite medically challenged and could not really follow the technical definition of what exactly it does so you might want look that one up yourself if you would like to know more about it. I'm afraid I would completely mess things up if I attempted to go into any more detail about it! Basically what we need to know about this is that Catherine's lungs and heart are competing against each other rather than working together and this is quite tiring for her tiny little body. This is the other specific prayer request--that Catherine's aortic arch will strengthen so that her heart and lungs can work together and not put as much strain on her body. Originally Catherine was to undergo surgery a week from her birth, but now they are putting off any surgery for 2 weeks. I wasn't given a reason for this, I can only guess it is to allow her body to strengthen and grow as much as possible.

Catherine's condition was a bit critical on Wednesday night, but as of yesterday evening (Thursday) she was stable and doing well. Katie and Donnie have a hotel in Charlottesville so they are very close to their baby girl. Their local support team of family and friends that come to the hospital each day (about 20 people I believe!) are scattered all over Richmond (where Katie & Donnie live) and commute back and forth to Charlottesville (about 1 1/2 hours) each day. This group includes Katie's parents--Peggy & Terry, her brother--Matthew, a lot of Donnie's family, our friends Robyn, Emilie, & Shelly, and many others as well. Please also keep this group in your prayers--for their traveling safety as well as for their strength & stamina as they minister to and encourage Katie, Donnie, and baby Catherine.

Our prayers are being heard and they are working! So many praises to our wonderful and merciful Lord! Please be in specific prayer for Catherine's aortic arch to strengthen and for her to be able to get off of ECMO as quickly as possible. Also please be in continued prayer for Katie and Donnie. They are doing so well and are so very strong and such an INCREDIBLE source of support for each other.

Before they call I will answer, while they are still speaking I will hear. -Isaiah 65:24

Beautiful Baby Girl!

Catherine--a precious little miracle

sweet, sweet family

Update: Very early this morning, Catherine was transfered to another hospital 1 1/2 hours away from where she was born so that she can see a cardiac specialist. Katie & Donnie were able to go with her. When Katie and Donnie first found out about Catherine's condition their baby girl was given a 20% chance of surviving 48 hours--as I type this, Catherine is 4 hours away from that milestone. Praise, praise PRAISE our wonderful Father in Heaven! He is so full of grace and mercy! Please pray for continued strength for Catherine as well as endurance, assurance, and strength for her parents. God is so very good and He is in control!

Catherine Marie

Katie gave birth to Catherine Marie Davis last night at 10:15pm. She was scheduled to be born on Thursday, but God had other plans and she made her debut a little early. Catherine is intabated and is in the NICU, being quite the little fighter. If she continues, she will undergo surgery in a week. Please continue to pray for this sweet one and her mama & daddy.

God has a perfect plan for darling Catherine. He is in absolutely control attending to every detail of her brand new little life.

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11

Jumping and Laughing

Owen love, love, LOVES his Jumparoo! He would stay in that thing all day if we'd let him. The only time he really ever wants to get out is to sleep or eat. He has loved it for quite a while, but now he's a jumping maniac! He really seems to concentrate while he jumps, you can just see the determination on his face. It is so funny to watch him go to town in it. This kid LOVES to move, he never wants to stay still! I just had to take this video of him last night jumping for his Noni and Uncle Chris :)


Also, Owen has been laughing for a couple of months now, but now it's a full belly laugh that is just so contagious! I just love the sweet, sweet sound of my happy little boy!!! Here's another cute video of him laughing at me yesterday while he was in his exersaucer (his second favorite toy). Please excuse my growling noise, but it really cracks him up...oh the things you do for your children :)

Beach Pictures

Dichiara Family Beach Trip

Last week we headed to Panama City Beach with Tony's parents, his brother (Chris), & Chris's girlfriend, Ashley. I hadn't been to PCB since high school and I must admit, that place has really cleaned up :) Tony's parents own a condo on the west end of Panama City and it's very nice. We had a great time going out to eat, taking walks and playing on the beach, and spending time at the pool. Tony and I even got some time to check out the workout facilities :) We (okay I) took about a billion pictures while we were there and even had a classic white and khaki photo session :) (I'll post some of those pics separately). The weather wasn't really sunny, which actually worked out quite nicely for Owen. Since the sun wasn't blazing down on us, we stayed pretty cool. It was a great last trip before Tony had to go back to work and we had such a nice time! Our favorite place that we ate was called Schooners. It was right on the beach and had very YUMMY food. After dinner we walked out on the beach and watched the sunset. It was so beautiful! Here are some pictures that we took... Just before sunset--Owen's face is so funny!

Chris & Ashley with Owen at dinner

Relaxing in the Adirondac chairs outside of Schooners :)

Noni & Grandpa with Owen at sunset

I love my little guy!

Here are a few others pictures that we took during our trip...

Owen discovering sand for the first time. He loved it! He wriggled his toes and kicked his feet just watching the sand move underneath him. It was so fun to watch him play in it.

I snapped this while we were taking a walk along the beach one day. I love the way it turned out!

Playing with Noni in the pool. I think Owen might be a natural when he starts swimming. He kept kicking his feet over and over. He loved to watch the reflections in the water and make lots of splashes.

Going back to the condo after swimming. I thought this one turned out so precious :) Owen loved the pool so much, I think he would have played in there all day if we had let him!

Life isn't Fair...

Life isn't fair. God never promises us that it will be. "Fairness" is a human invention. God does what's best for us and whether or not we think it's "fair" evolves from our own human perspective of things. Still though, when bad things happen to good people, many of us often cry out to God, "Lord, it isn't fair!" That's something I have been doing quite often these days.

You see, my dear friend Katie and her husband, Donnie, are expecting their first baby, a precious girl they have named Catherine Marie. Several months ago, on the day of their big ultrasound to find out the sex of their child, Katie and Donnie were given the news that their sweet baby was not developing correctly in the womb. Catherine has something called a congenital diaphragmatic hernia. From my understanding, basically that means that her stomach is growing in the space where her lungs are supposed to grow and this isn't allowing her lungs to develop properly. Her heart is also on the wrong side of her little body and I believe that this also is contributing to her condition. While she is in the womb, Catherine is just fine because she is getting all of the oxygen that she needs from her mommy. However, when she is born, Catherine faces only a 20% chance of surviving more than 1-2 days.

When Katie gave our friends this news do you know what she said? She said that even if God gives her Catherine for a few minutes, she will be the best mommy in those few minutes that she can possibly be. I have no doubt that she will either. Katie is amazing. Her faith is incredible and unwavering and though she has no idea why God has chosen this path for her, she doesn't question Him. She walks with faith and trust in our Lord. I am inspired by Katie. She truly is an amazing Christian woman.

As a new mother myself, I have been particularly burdened for my darling friend. Since she told me about Catherine in April, I have been in constant prayer for Katie, Donnie, & Catherine. Katie is scheduled to deliver Catherine on August 21st. As that day quickly approaches, I cannot tell you how many times I have cried out to God that "it isn't fair." As I hold my own healthy baby boy in my arms, tears stream down my face as I think of the possibility that Katie may not be able to experience this with her sweet little girl. Why has God chosen this path for Katie and Donnie? Why can't Catherine be healthy? It isn't fair God, it just plain isn't. God answers my cry too. His plans are far too great for me to understand and besides, He never promises us "fair." He does promise us this though, that no matter what happens He will never leave us, never turn His back on us, and He will carry us when we need Him too.

God may perform a miracle and heal baby Catherine. He may not. I don't know what is going to happen. I do know that it will be exactly God's perfect plan though. For now I passionately pray for my sweet friend and her family. I ask for your prayers as well. If you would like to read more about Catherine Marie Davis, you can visit Katie's blog. She has written letters to her baby girl and she posts them on her blog. Katie is an amazing writer. More than that though, she is an amazing, amazing Christian and I love her dearly.