We are home!

We were discharged from the hospital yesterday afternoon. We are thrilled to be home with our family. This is going to be the most special Thanksgiving for all of us. Hannah has an appointment today with our pediatrician. We will update as soon as we can! Thank you all for your love and support. 

4 days old...

Hannah is doing so much better. We believe the concerns about her heart and digestion are no longer concerns at this point. She's had a rough first 4 days of life. Our girl has been poked and prodded  and kept away from her parents more than any child should ever be. Despite everything, she continues to fight and heal.

Right now she is battling jaundice. She lives on top of a bilirubin blanket and has to wear dark glasses over her eyes for most of the day. We are praying that tomorrow's test shows the jaundice has gotten better. We believe if the jaundice goes away that the doctors will consider letting us take her home.

Mike and I visit her most of the day and night. We've been staying at the Ronald McDonald house for the last few nights. They've been amazing and I can't imagine how we would have done it without this place. It has been a blessing to remain so close to Hannah, but we are ready to be home. We miss our kids terribly. We've only seen Jake once in the last week, and I can't even put into words what it feels like to be away from Paisley this long. She visits us everyday but it is not the same. I miss rocking her and sleeping next to her every night. I never imagined I would ever have to be away from my girl for this long. My only comfort is knowing she is in the loving care of my mom and dad.

Please continue to pray that Hannah will be home for Thanksgiving. I continue to thank God everyday for this amazing angel He has given us. We can't wait to get her home and have our family back together again.

I'd be lying if I said this week hasn't been a struggle. In fact, I would say this has been the hardest week of my life. I have a new respect and spot in my heart for any mother and father that has ever had to hand over their newborn baby to the arms of the NICU. I can not imagine going through this without Mike, my family, and the loving support of our friends. I am overwhelmed by everyone's love, concern, and support. I pray that I will have very good news to report soon.

Hannah update...

Hannah's first 3 days of life have been very different than what we expected. It has been a roller coaster of emotions since the night of her birth. I don't know why this surprises me though. Has ANYTHING about Miss Hannah been predictable? I should have known she had more in store for us!

Hannah was admitted into the NICU early Friday morning. Our hearts were broken because she had started off doing so well. There were concerns about the amount of work the right side of her heart was doing. She was also having trouble regulating her own body temperature.

After her first feeding in the NICU, the doctor noticed her belly to be a little swollen. X-rays of her stomach showed gas not passing through her digestive system. The doctor then explained this could be a sign of a disease called Hirschsprung's Disease. They also decided to stop her feedings and start an IV for nutrition. Throughout the night Hannah's digestion improved and this morning they allowed me to start nursing again.

Mike and I were discharged from the hospital today. We tried everything we could do to try and stay but nothing worked. Leaving our baby at the hospital is not something that is easy for either of us. We've been given a room at the Ronald McDonald house for now. It isn't too far from the hospital and we'll be visiting Hannah every 2 hours tonight to try and get her on a strong feeding schedule.

We really have no idea when Hannah will be allowed to go home. We've come to learn the NICU is a constant cycle of forward then backward steps. It's not an easy place to be, but we know we must remain positive and continue to be patient. The NICU is a heartbreaking place and it doesn't take long to look and find a family that would trade places with you in a second. Our girl is probably one of the healthiest babies there.

Please continue to pray for Hannah and her momma and daddy. We are having a hard time being away from our baby. We continue to pray for God's strength and healing for Hannah. We would love to have her home for Thanksgiving.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for every gift, phone call, text, and sweet post on Facebook. There is no way we could possibly respond to everyone right now but please know we hear you and appreciate you so much. Our days are a whirlwind of meetings with nurses, doctors, and specialists in between visits with Hannah. I never knew time could fly so fast. With the love and support from our family we are taking things one day at a time.

So many of you asked about visiting Hannah. Please know that once Hannah gets home we will be thrilled to have visitors.

I will try to update as much as possible. Xoxo

Introducing...

There are precious days in this life when you feel so unbelievably grateful to be alive.When life is nothing short of miraculous to witness. When you get to experience a love so fierce it literally takes your breath away. When you can feel God's embrace.

I can count the days I've experienced this feeling on one hand.

Today is one of them.

Introducing our miracle:
Hannah Belle Law

Born November 21, 2013

9:52 pm

Weighs 7.11
19 inches


She is perfectly the girl God intended for her to be. I feel so blessed to hold her and can't stop thanking God for her.

Hannah's entrance into this world was perfect. I'm almost ashamed at how easy it was for me. There were 10 doctors in our delivery room waiting to see if Hannah would need to be taken away for  medical issues. The only doctor we needed was the one that caught her coming into this world. 

As I stare in amazement at this girl I vow to be her greatest cheerleader in this life. I will proudly boast of Hannah and her unique beauty to anyone that will listen. Where she needs me to go, I will go. What she needs me to learn, I will learn. When she needs me to fight for her, I'll go to battle. I do not know what the future holds for Hannah, but I know Who holds her future.

Hannah is currently in the NICU being closely monitored for a few minor things. Please continue to pray that she'll get the all-clear from the doctors and be allowed to go home with us soon. She's quite the star here at Winnie Palmer. 

Mike and I are already so in love. We can't wait for you all to meet her. 

Thank you to my amazing family and friends for loving this little girl and rallying around her. What a wonderful village Mike and I have to help us raise our angel.

1 Samuel 1:27-28

I prayed for this child, and The Lord has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to The Lord. For his whole life, he will be given over to The Lord.