Olivia Jane is doing great!

Since Olivia Jane's Christmas present to her mommy....(being off of everything) she has been put back on oxygen today. She is still not on a feeding tube, so she only eats by bottle. This is definite positive; however, it is tuckering Olivia out so much that she needs help via nasal cannula. This has really upset my sister, so please keep her in your prayers as well as Olivia Jane! Olivia has been given the 'ok' to eat however much she thinks that she can handle now. Please pray that Olivia just needs a little boost of oxygen and that she will come home soon....healthy and breathing on her own!

Thank you to everyone for donating...my sister should download the pics sooooon! As soon as she gets a second to do so, I will get the pics uploaded! The nurses were so excited and shocked that so many people donated!

I love you Olivia Jane! Stay strong and keep getting healthier everyday sweetie! I can't wait for you to come home!

~Aunt Jessie

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone!! Well Olivia did good through her surgery. It took about 45 minutes for the whole surgery. Dr. Pickett replaced her temporary shunt with a permanent shunt and made another incision in her belly to lead the tubing into her abdomen, where the fluid will flow. She came off her pain meds this morning and seems to be handling that well. They were not able to take her off the ventilator because she was still so medicated and was not wanting to breathe on her own. But now that the pain meds are off we are hoping she will be back on the nasal cannula tonight. I am really hoping they will restore her feedings today but we will see. The nurse said that the muscles and the digestive system is the last to wake up after surgery so they don't want to rush into feeding and her little belly not be ready, but i cannot wait to feed my baby again. Please continue to pray everyday for my baby. She still has a lot of obstacles to overcome before i can take her home. Thank you so much to everyone that has continued to pray for her.

Today is the day that the preemies of the NICU will get their Christmas present from Olivia Jane! I will post pictures of the precious moment as soon as I can! Thank you all so very much for your prayers and for any donations that you gave for this wonderful benefit!

Prayers Needed!!!

Dr. Pickett came in today to tap Olivia's head to drain some more fluid and as soon as he tapped it more filled in. He was able to get 25 cc's off but it is still full. So Olivia will be having her surgery to get her VP shunt tmrw. He told me that he would take the temporary shunt out and replace it with a permanent shunt that has a tube attached to it. The tube will be placed down the side of her neck and another incision will be made on her chest to guide the tube into her abdominal cavity, where the fluid will flow and be reabsorbed by the body. She will go back into intensive while she recovers through all of this and I pray that she recovers fast. Please pray for her that she does well with this surgery and that there are no complications with the surgery and she recovers quickly. I'm hoping that after she recovers she will start eating even better and gain more weight and i really hope this helps her get off the oxygen. She has been up and down with her oxygen the past couple days but i believe it is because of the fluid on her brain. So hopefully the shunt will fix all of that. Please pray extra hard the next few days for my angel. I love her so much and i want her home so bad i can't explain it. I know she is so strong and i know God has been by her side every step of the way. I prayed to God today as i held Liv to please take care of her and keep her strong and let her come home to me soon. Thank you so much for all your prayers. I am so blessed to have everyone care for her so much.

Olivia,

I love you so much babygirl. I am so proud of you and you have come so far. You are so strong and i know you will be ok. I never realized how much strength i had in me but you have definitely made that show through this. I have to be strong for you and i will always be that for you. You are so beautiful.You and your sissy are my whole world and i dont know what i would do without the two of you. Thank you so much for letting me be your momma. I feel that i am the luckiest woman in the world to have the honor of having two beautiful, amazing little girls. I love you more than anything in the whole world Olivia Jane.

~Mommy

And here comes another part of the roller coaster....

Ok, so we thought that Olivia Jane was doing so good that she may not need the permanent shunt; however, Melissa was told today that Olivia will need the shunt. The surgery will take place next week. She was doing so good, but she is swelling again. They drained fluid from her head today, and it soon began to collect fluid again. Melissa is very upset, so please keep her in your prayers as well as Olivia. Dr. Pickett was really hopeful, but it seems that God has other plans. Once again, I am trying not to ask why, but it is so hard when I see the pain that my sister goes through. I just pray that when she has the surgery, Olivia can come home very soon.

On a happier note, her eye test was performed today and it came back great! She still has premature eyes, but they are great right now. Thank you God! Thank you for your continued prayers, and please continue to pray for Olivia! Olivia Jane, I love you so much..please stay strong sweet angel! God, please protect my precious niece!

~Aunt Jessie

Olivia is a chunky monkey!!! :)

So Miss Olivia is now weighing 3 pounds and 10 ounces! I am so excited. She is finally getting up there. Her little cheeks are filling out and she is just adorable. She is taking her bottles very good still and is now up to three bottles a day. Over the weekend i was giving her a bottle and she finished the whole thing in 7 minutes. We were shocked. She must be getting the hang of this a bit more. :) I am so proud of my babygirl.

She was not feeling very well yesterday. She just seemed very tired and she looked kinda pale so today they are checking her blood to see if she is low on red blood cells. The nurse said she is showing symptoms that she is low so she will more than likely get another blood transfusion today. It should make her feel better and hopefully help her get off of the oxygen a bit better. Dr. Pickett is supposed to come in today to look at Olivia's head and take the stitches out. I hope he still thinks her head is doing good. Please pray with me that she will not have to have the permanent shunt placed. I just really don't want her to have to go through that. Please everyone pray that she will not have to have that done.

Santa will be visiting the NICU today. It is going to be so cute. He is taking pictures with all of the babies. Im so excited ........... Liv's first picture with Santa! That will definitly be going in the scrapbook.

Thank you to everyone who has donated for the wubbanubs! They are ordered and should be in any day now. I will post a picture of all of them when i get them in. I am so happy with the turnout and i can't thank yall enough for all of your donations to help make this come true.

I love you Olivia
~Mommy

Pictures of Olivia Jane

Olivia is doing so well with her bottles. She is now up to two bottles a day. Go Liv!!!! Mommy is so proud of you angel!

Olivia with her Wubbanubs....... She loves her little giraffe and caterpillar! :)

Olivia is so Beautiful. I love her so much!

Olivia is a STAR!!

Olivia was in her first commercial today. Amy and Chris George visited the NICU today to do the commercial for the Melissa George Neonatal Memorial hockey game. This is the game where the jerseys will be auctioned off to buy Giraffe Omni Beds for the NICU. They filmed Olivia while she was sleeping and while I was at her bedside. She looked so beautiful. I willl let everyone know when they are going to air the commercial so everyone can see Olivia in action!   :)

Olivia has gained a bit more weight and is now at 3lbs 5.6 oz. YAY Olivia!!! Im so excited I really hope it continues to go up. I was able to give her another bottle today and she did wonderful with it. It was such an amazing feeling when she was eating her bottle because she was just staring at me and it was like she was just telling me "I love you Mommy". I will never forget that moment. I fall more and more in love with her every day. She started to get a little tired at the end of the bottle but she managed to finish it. All that work tuckered her out though because she was snoozing after that. Dr. Pickett came in again today and said her head still looked really good, so that is very good to hear. Please continue to pray that she will not have to go through with the permanent shunt surgery. We still have not heard for sure but I am still praying throughout the day everyday that she will not have to have that surgery. Thank you all so much for your prayers for Miss Olivia. She is such an amazing, beautiful little girl. Please keep her in your prayers everyday.

I love you Olivia
~Mommy

Liv's First Bottle

I got to give Olivia her first bottle today! I was so excited. The nurse told me that we were just going to try the bottle and see how she did, but not to get dissappointed if she didn't take it because we just have to try. Well Olivia showed us because that little girl drank that whole bottle!! I was so proud of her. She did so good. The nurse was even shocked because she drank the whole bottle in 20 minutes. GO LIV!!! So now i get to give her a bottle once a day and we will gradually move her up to more bottles a day and finally get rid of the feeding tube. I am so excited.

On another note Amy George with the Melissa George NICU Foundation came by yesterday and asked if it would be ok if Olivia was in the commercial for the NICU Havoc game. Every year they hold a Havoc hockey game where the players where special pink and blue jerseys to be auctioned off to raise money for the NICU. The money have been used to purchase the Giraffe Omni beds. These beds are incredible and have saved many lives including my babygirl Olivia. The beds are not cheap by any means so the money is very much needed. I hope everyone that is reading this comes to the game. It will be held January 8, 2011 at the VBC. So come help support our Huntsville Havoc and support our babies at the NICU.

Please continue to pray for Olivia! I know everyone has been so amazing through all of this and i want to thank each and every one of you. It means so much to me. Olivia has came a long way and i know that God has heard all of our prayers so please don't stop whatever you do. Pleasse pray that Liv will not have to go through with the permanent shunt surgery. That would be absolutely amazing. I have prayed hard about that so please pray with me. I should know more about that later so i will keep everyone posted. Thank you again from the bottom of my heart for praying for my babygirl.

I love you Liv
~Mommy

Thank you GOD!!!!

Ok so i called up to the NICU this morning to check on my little angel and Jenny , her nurse, said that Dr. Pickett just left from visiting her. He said that her head looked good and the size has gone down so that is great news. He also said that her head looked so good that we may be able to take this temporary shunt out and not have to do the permanent one!!! OH MY GOODNESS!!! I could not believe what she said. This is the best news i have ever heard in my whole entire life! I know it is not 100% but oh gosh it felt so good to hear that. Olivia has not had any more seizures and her shunt is draining well so that is great news. I have prayed and prayed that God would heal Liv's lil brain and she would not have to have this permanent shunt. I truely believe God is listening and i am asking each and everyone of you to please pray that this comes true. Pray that she does not have to get this permanent shunt and all is well with her brain. I cannot get the smile off my face right now. To hear good news is just an incredibly, amazing feeling. I cannot express enough how much my girls mean to me. I live my life for my two girls. God please please please take care of Liv and be by her side. I pray constantly that Olivia will not have to have this permanent shunt put in God Please Hear Me !!!!!!

Thank you all so much for praying for my babygirl! Please continue to pray for her everyday and please pray hard that she does not have to get that permanent shunt. That would absolutely amazing!

I love you Liv
~Mommy

Kangaroo Care Makes Me Happy!!!

So today i woke up and was very down. I felt very depressed and could not get out of that mood. I missed Olivia so badly this morning. It is getting so hard to keep going on with this. I think just the fact that it has been almost 2 months and i still dont have my baby is really getting to me. I want Olivia to be home with me so bad i cant stand it. I recorded a book called "All the Ways I Love You" today and took it up to the NICU. So now the nurses can open the book up and i can read her a book even when I'm not there. I told the nurse  today how i was just missing her really bad today and she asked me if i wanted to do kangaroo care and of course i said YES!! i was so excited. It always makes me feel better when i get to do that . It is such a wonderful feeling. I cant wait until the day comes that i can hold her all day every day and believe me i am going to. She lost an ounce yesterday so today she was 3 lb and 3 ounces. I really wish she could hurry and gain some weight. I need her to gain weight for so many reasons.... she will start holding her temp on her own better, she will be hopefully eating her bottle by then, she will be getting this last surgery she will need before she can come home, and she will just be so darn cute with her little chubby cheeks. The doctor said her protein levels in her blood are still too high for her to get the permanent shunt because it would just end up clogging the tube if we tried now so we just have to wait. Everyone please, please. please continue to pray for Olivia to get stronger with each passing day and to come home soon. I love my daughter so much and all i want in this whole world is for her to come home safe and healthy.

I love you Olivia
~ Mommy

Mommy loves you Olivia Jane!!

Olivia has not had any more seizures. Thank you GOD!!! That seizure scared me so badly. The nurse was changing her diaper when she noticed that Olivia's eyes started going back and forth and then her head started to shake back and forth. She called the charge nurse and they rushed her back into the NICU from progressive. The doctor came in and performed a spinal tap and they got blood from her to send it off to test for infections. They were not sure at that point what was causing her seizures. I was able to hold her after her seizure it broke my heart because i was not able to stop all of this and more than anything in the world I just want all of this to stop and her come home where she is supposed to be. Dr. Davison and Dr. Pickett looked over Liv's CT scan and said the were concerned about the periventricular area of her brain because in his exact words "that area did not look pretty". That area of the brain can be responsible for seizures so more than likely that is why she had one and we should not be surprised if she has more to come. I pray to God that she doesn't but if she does they will start her on a daily seizure medicene. I was also told to be prepared for the possibility of Liv having Cerebral Palsey. I hate even thinking about that but no matter what Olivia will have the best life ever and i will make so sure of that. Olivia is such a beautiful little girl. I love her more than anything in this world. I am just blessed that God has granted me two of the most beautiful daughters in the world. Her cultures from the spinal fluid and blood have still not came back they will not be in until about saturday. On a good note though Liv has gained 60 grams and is now at 3lb 4 oz. YAY LIV!!! I'm so proud of you sweetie. Thank you to everyone for praying for her and please please keep praying for her to get stronger and to get healthy. I also want to send out a special thank you to all the people that have donated for the Wubbanubs. These babies will get to snuggle with their little Wubbanub this Christmas and its all because of people like you that have been so generous.

I love you Olivia Jane. Please keep staying strong and know that mommy is by your side everyday and I can't explain how much you mean to me and how much I love you and oh my goodness i cant wait for you to get home. Olivia, you have made me such a stronger person and so much more humble. You have taught me that life is too short to ever be angry with someone. No one is ever promised tommorrow and you have taught me that I am not in control of anything so just live life everyday and dont think twice about it. God has already planned out all of our days. God gave me you early because he knew I could handle all of this. I have to admit it is very hard but I would never ever give up not even for a minute. I love you so much Olivia Jane.

~ Mommy

PRAY PRAY PRAY!

Today is Melissa's birthday, and even with Olivia's seizure - we wanted to try and make my sister smile. So, we all went to Casa Ole' and every year, I try to embarrass her by getting them to sing. Well, after I had already put in my request to embarrass her, and to make her laugh, she warned me that I better not do it and that she was not in the mood. So, instead of helping; it would have made things worse.

I went to the front to tell the manager not to sing her "Happy Birthday" because her daughter is in the NICU, and today was not a good day. He patted me on the shoulder and said "ok". About 10 minutes later he came to Melissa with a rose made of aluminum foil and a dollar bill, and said to put it behind Olivia for good luck. He prayed for Olivia and then sung Happy Birthday to Melissa. Thank you Case Ole' for your prayers, and for anyone that goes there...tell the manager that wears glasses that we thank him again! He said that he has not seen his family in years, and I thought that he was going to cry! Bless him!

Again, I don't know anything more than I did this afternoon. All I know is that Olivia's nurse was doing her "care" for the day and saw that Olivia's eyes started to roll and move around and then her lil' head started to shake back and forth. They have done a cat scan, and we should get those results tomorrow. They have also done a spinal tap and blood work but we will not know those results until at least Friday. Please pray for Olivia that this is something that can be fixed! God, I love my niece so much that my heart burns for her! Please protect her, heal her! I love you God, and I have faith in you that you can heal her, no matter what the doctors say her outcome may be....God, you can heal her! I praise you Lord!

~HAPPY BIRTHDAY SISSY~

Thank you for your prayers, and Olivia Jane - I love you so very much baby girl!

~Aunt Jessie

PLEASE PRAY FOR OLIVIA JANE!

Olivia Jane has had a seizure and needs your PRAYERS! We do not know anything yet, but tests are being done as I type this! Please PRAY! As soon as I know more, I will let you guys know! Olivia, please stay strong; don't give up! You are a fighter and I know that you can get through this! I love you angel!

~Aunt Jessie

Thank you for the donations!

You know, when my sister asked me about getting a letter together and mailing it to people, asking them for donations....I thought of the blog. When I got the message out here, I thought that maybe we would get $50.00, but NO! You guys have came through and made promised donations, and because of you and your wonderful generosity...the NICU babies are going to have a fulfilled "Wabbanub" Christmas! It is not much to most people, but when you are in this situation and a nurse tells you that a Wabbanub could help your precious preemie's sucking reflex and eye coordination happen, you are going to try it. But, we thought of the other preemies and want them to have that chance too. The NICU does so much for these precious little babies. We know that we can't ever afford to donate enough for a ventilator or a bed, but a Wabbanub can help the smaller things! So, thank you so much for your help and I will be sure to post pictures of the special Christmas Day!

On  Olivia Jane note, she has done SO wonderful after her subgaleal ventricular shunt (temporary shunt),  she has been moved to the "big girl" Progressive Care Unit! Thank you again for your prayers! Because of your prayers, she has progressed so well after surgery and I can only continue to pray that she does well in the future! The doctors told Melissa that it is a long-shot, but that it has been known for the preemie to get ready for the permanent shunt, and then before surgery - everything is fine and NO shunt was needed! Please pray that this happens and Olivia is healed by God. The power of prayer can get us there! Please continue to pray; if everything goes ok, she will just need to gain some more weight, regulate her own temp, drink from her own bottle, and come home! Olivia weighs 3 pounds 2.4 ounces! Wooohooo! I love you so much Olivia Jane!

~Aunt Jessie

Between God and His Angel....This is a MUST READ!

Did you ever wonder how mothers of premature babies are chosen?
Somehow, I visualize God hovering over Earth,
selecting his instruments for propagation
with great care and deliberation.

As he observes, he instructs his angels to take notes in a giant ledger.

Finally, he passes a name to an angel and smiles. "Give her a preemie."

The angel is curious. "Why this one, God? She's so happy."
"Exactly," smiles God. "Could I give a premature baby a mother who
knows no laughter? That would be cruel."

"But does she have the patience?" asks the angel.
"I don't want her to have too much patience, or she'll drown
in a sea of self-pity and despair.
Once the shock and resentment wear off she'll handle it.
"I watched her today. She has that sense of self and independence
so rare and so necessary in a mother.
You see, the child I'm going to give her has a world of its own.
She has to make it live in her world, and that's not going to be easy."

"But Lord, I don't think she even believes in you."
God smiles.

"No matter, I can fix that. This one is perfect.
She has just the right amount of selfishness."
The angel gasps, "Selfishness? Is that a virtue?"

God nods.

"If she can't separate herself from the child occasionally, she will never survive.
Yes, here is a woman whom I will bless with a child less than perfect.

She doesn't know it yet, but she is to be envied.
She will never take for granted a spoken word.
She will never consider a step ordinary.
When her child says momma for the first time,
she will be witness to a miracle and know it.
I will permit her to see clearly the things I see--
ignorance, cruelty, prejudice--
and allow her to rise above them.
She will never be alone.
I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life
because she is doing my work as surely as she is here by my side."

Olivia is PRECIOUS!

I just want to say THANK YOU to my wonderful sissy for inviting me back to see my beautiful niece! I got to go back and see Olivia in the NICU and she once again, melted my heart. Her little button nose is my absolute favorite. She has the most beautiful little eyes, and the sweetest lil' feet. I thank you God for my niece and I pray to you, that she gets stronger with each passing day. Her little hands were curled up under her chest as if she were cocooned up. She had a ventilator put in for surgery and because of the pain meds, she needed the ventilator too. While on pain meds, she would stop breathing on her own. But since Sunday, they have stopped the meds unless they were desperately needed. She was breathing over the ventilator on her own, so Monday morning about 3am, the ventilator was removed! YAY! Thank you God!

On another note, my sister bought Olivia a "Wubbanub", which is pacifier attached to a little stuffed animal. This stimulates hand and eye coordination for preemies, but also helps them keep their pacifiers in their mouths. The NICU loves them as well, but does not have the money to furnish them for every baby. Also, the parents of the preemies can't always afford them, so that is where my request comes in. They are about $10.00 a piece. My sister wants to try and raise enough money to buy each of the NICU babies a Wabbunub for Christmas. You can google them to get for information, but please consider it. The NICU has done so much for my precious niece and this feels like the least that we can try and do. If you are interested in helping give these preemies a lil' Christmas gift, email Melissa at mfoster128@gmail.com. Thank you so much for your prayers for Olivia Jane! Please continue to pray for her and that she continues to gain weight, and hopefully come home soon! I love you so much Olivia Jane!

~Aunt Jessie

Prayer is powerful

Prayer is the answer to every problem in life. It puts us in tune with divine wisdom which knows how to adjust everything perfectly. So often we do not pray in certain situations, because from our standpoint the outlook is hopeless. But nothing is impossible with God. Nothing is so entangled that it cannot be remedied. No human relationship is too strained for God to bring about reconciliation and understanding. No habit so deep rooted that it cannot be overcome. No one is so weak that he cannot be strong. No one so ill that he cannot be healed. No mind is so dull that it cannot be made brilliant. Whatever we need, if we trust God, He will supply it. If anything is causing worry and anxiety, let us stop rehearsing the difficulty and trust God for healing, love, and power.

One of the nurses from the NICU brought this in and i wanted to share it with everyone. I love this and truely believe in God's power. Olivia is living proof that God is so amazing. Thank you God for my precious angel and Thank you God for keeping her strong. I can't wait to bring my baby home.

Olivia..... you are so strong baby

Olivia has done wonderful through this surgery. She had alot of swelling saturday the day after her surgery from all the fluid. She had gained a little over 200 grams just from all the fluids. She is back to 3 pounds and 1 ounce though. Now we just need to focus on getting her to gain some more weight. She will have to have another surgery after she gets around 4 pounds. This one will be to put the permanent shunt in that will drain the CSF into her abdomen. She will most likely have this shunt for the rest of her life. It is very scary to think that but it will be saving her life and that is what is so important. She is eating good too. They actually started her feeds back the day after surgery which surprised me because i didnt think they would until today. Needless to say i was very excited about that tho i didnt want her to go without eating. Olivia's primary nurse is a wonderful lady by the name of Melissa and she is so sweet. She took a picture of my baby at 3 o' clock this morning when she took her off the vent. I was so excited to see her little face without all those crazy tubes up her nose. So thank you Melissa you made my day! Well thank you all for all your prayers. Prayer has been such an amazing thing through this whole long process. I believe God can hear all prayers and if we pray and trust in God that he will answer our prayers, then he will. Please continue to pray for my sweet angel. We need to pray for her to stay strong, gain weight and get and stay healthy. 

I love you my Liv,

~Mommy

Olivia did great!..Thank you GOD!

Olivia pulled through surgery great! Dr. Pickett was able to take off 8ml of fluid from Olivia's head, and more will be taken off soon. She has a small patch on the top-side area of her little head. The temporary shunt will be in place until she is big enough for the permanent shunt. THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR ALL OF YOUR PRAYERS!! Prayers and faith in God is what got Olivia through this! For now, she has been taken off of her feedings but should start back in a couple of days. Please pray that Olivia recovers great, and that this is the beginning to the road home! Now, Olivia just needs to gain about 2-3 pounds, get the permanent shunt, and come home! PLEASE PRAY that is all we have left! She is such a tiny little angel to have been though so much. I will know more tomorrow about her condition and will update you all! Again, thank you! thank you! I love you my sweet Olivia Jane!

~Aunt Jessie

More information on the surgery...

Olivia is going to have a subgaleal ventricular shunt, which is a temporary bypass of the normal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pathways. This will be used until she is big enough for a normal shunt. Please pray that everything goes wonderfully! We were at first told that she was going to have surgery first thing in the morning, but we have recently been told that she would not have surgery until tomorrow afternoon. Melissa is really upset because we were hoping that Olivia would be able to have the surgery in the morning. This means that Olivia will not get to eat from midnight tonight until Monday or Tuesday of next week.

The upside of the surgery is that after all is said and done, Olivia should breath better on her own without assistance from the nasal cannula and should eat even better along with weight gain. She has also been moved back to the Neonatal Intensive Care from the Progressive Care. It will depend on how well Olivia does after surgery on when she can move back to Progressive. Please pray that Olivia pulls through the surgery! Dr. Pickett is doing the surgery so please pray for him too! Thank you for all of your prayers, and I will keep you updated tomorrow as I know things as well. We are praying for you sweet Olivia Jane! I love you!

~Aunt Jessie

Another surgery!

Well, the doctors have told Melissa that lil Olivia Jane will have surgery early in the wee hours tomorrow for a temporary shunt. It sounds awful but I am looking at it as an answered prayer. We prayed for Olivia to be ok, and this will allow that in a way. It is not the permanent one because she is still too small. They estimated weight that she would be is around 4 pounds for the permanent one, and she is only around 2 pounds 12 ounces. The temporary pump will be a bag that will collect the fluid from her brain, and I am assuming that they can empty it? They will put her to sleep for the procedure, but unfortunately she will not be able to eat for at least 2-3 days after. We all know that she can't afford to lose any weight! Other than that, I am not sure on the details, but I will know more later.

I just wanted to get this out so that you guys can start praying that everything goes great and God answers our prayers once again! Thank you to our cousin Tracy for your comments! A big thank you to Charlie too! To everyone else that sends this website around, thank you too! That is the only way to get it out there about Olivia - is through church, Facebook, and just by mouth! If someone stops me in the store or says hi, I say hi back but ask for a prayer for my niece! I know it sounds silly, but she is my niece...my angel! I love my nieces like I love my children! My heart breaks to see her in the NICU this long, but I know that she is in the best place right now and that is what keeps all of us going!

Thank you again to everyone for your prayers! They are going to get Olivia Jane home; I just know this! PLEASE keep praying! I love you Olivia Jane!

~Aunt Jessie

Olivia still needs your prayers!

Please continue to pray for Olivia Jane! Her head is still swelling, but she did not get sick today! After she ate, Olivia kept it down. The nurses are feeding her slower per feeding and that has seemed to help too. Instead just breast milk, the nurses have put Olivia on "preemie" formula to help her gain weight. If she can gain some weight, hopefully she can have the shunt put in sooner rather than later! The faster they can put the shunt in, the quicker she will be on the road to recovery.

However, prayer is so important! Melissa talked to a NICU nurse and she told Melissa that there have been instances where the preemie will be in Olivia's position, get ready to go into surgery and then the fluid is gone and the preemie's ventricles in the back of the brain are fine! That is called a miracle and God can do that, so please pray! Olivia needs every prayer imaginable! I know that it can be done, I have faith that it can be done! PLEASE PRAY! God, please heal Olivia's brain and remove the fluid!

Melissa also got to do "kangaroo care" again today, which she LOVED! She got some really good pictures of that, so I will get them up as soon as I can. Please tell everyone about this beautiful little gift from God! Please tell them to pray. I ran into a friend of mine from high school today at the mall with my sister, and I couldn't help but tell her immediately about Olivia and asked for prayer and gave her this website! Thank Emilea for your prayers! ;) The more prayers we have the better Olivia's chances are at a miraculous recovery!

I love you Olivia Jane! Stay strong sweet angel!

~Aunt Jessie

Olivia Jane needs your PRAYERS!!

Unfortunately the ultrasound showed that Olivia Jane's ventricles (in the back of brain) are really swollen and she does have Hydrocephalus also known as "water on the brain". Normally the doctors would put a shunt in but her brain is too little right now, so they said that they can't do that at this time. That is so scary because the fluid is just going to continue to build up until the shunt is put in. Also, once the shunt is in place, it is there for life. It is causing Olivia a lot of nausea and vomiting, which we do not need for her! This is such a scary time for Olivia, Melissa, and Mason so please pray that Olivia will pull through this ok. Please pray for Melissa to have strength; she is obviously and understandably devastated! No matter how strong someone is, there are no words that can describe the agony that Melissa and Mason are going through!

Olivia Jane is my precious niece, and it brings me to my knees in prayer and tears just knowing what is happening to her right now. I love her so much! Savannah does not understand, and I just pray that she will not have to understand anything but that her sister is healthy and going to come home soon! I question myself, is there something in my life that I am doing wrong that I change to help Olivia? Am I being punished for something? I just don't understand why this is happening; Olivia does not deserve to go through this. I just want her to be a bouncing baby girl and I want to hear her call out "Aunt Jessie" one day soon! Savannah just melts my heart when she says that, and she knows it too!

God, please help Olivia-heal Olivia! I know that you are our maker and that you do things for reasons that we will never know. I just pray that it is in your "will" for Olivia's brain to heal and that the fluid goes away. Only you know our exact days that we have here on earth, God I pray that Olivia has a long healthy life with us-her family! Please wrap your arms around Olivia and keep her strong! She is a fighter! PLEASE PRAY PRAY PRAY PRAY!! I love you Olivia Jane!

~Aunt Jessie

PLEASE PLEASE PRAY PRAY PRAY

Olivia Jane's little head is still swelling and the doctor's have ordered an ultrasound for Monday morning! Please pray that the ultrasound shows something that can be easily corrected. If the swelling does not go down, they have talked about having to put a shunt in Olivia's head to help the fluid drain from her brain. We need tons of prayers, so please remember Olivia in your prayers as you are going about your daily routines. I pray that God will heal her, and that the fluid will go away. I have faith that God can heal her. Please don't give up on Liv! PRAY PRAY PRAY! I love you Olivia Jane so very much! Stay strong little angel; please know that we are praying for you, my beautiful niece!

~Aunt Jessie

Precious Pictures...



Olivia Jane sleeping and holding onto Mommy



Olivia Jane's little hand in Mommy's...

Olivia in her new outfit...all stretched out

Olivia holding onto Mommy's pinky finger

The NICU nurses made Olivia Jane a "bow-hat"..they are so precious!



Beautiful lil' Olivia Jane!

 

Olivia got wear clothes for the first time. Mommy was so excited to dress her!



PRAY PRAY PRAY

Olivia had to have a spinal tap today. Her head has started to swell and they believe she is getting fluid on her brain that can cause blockage of CSF (spinal fluid). They were only able to to get 2.5 ml out when they did the spinal tap and they were really hoping to get more than that. If her brain continues to swell they are going to call the neurosurgeon in and he may have to drain the fluid from the top of her head. They sent the fluid off to the lab to check for bleeding and infections. I should hear something by Monday. Please God let her be ok from all of this. The scary thing about all of this is the brain damage that can occur from all of this. Dear God please take care of my sweet baby Olivia she is such an amazing and beautiful baby. I love her so much and i want her to be ok. I can't explain to anyone the pain and hurt i go through on a daily basis.  I am so unconditionally in love with this little girl. This has been the hardest thing i have ever had to go through in all of my life. I pray to God all day, everyday that he will heal her brain and she will be a normal, bouncing, silly little girl one day. I remember when i found out i was having another girl i was over joyed. I could not stop thinking how amazing this would be. Savannah would have a sister, a best friend for life. I could not imagine my life without my sister, she is the most incredible, most loving, and one of the strongest women i know and she is my big sissy. I want Savannah to grow up with her sister just like i have with mine. I want them to run and play together, and sit up all night laughing , and go to college together. I know god hears all the prayers for Olivia because she has come so far so PLEASE continue to pray for her everyday and say an extra prayer for my sweet angel's brain. God please heal Olivia's brain and let her be ok Please God Please! Thak you to each and everyone of you who have continued to pray for her throughout this long journey. I beg you to continue. God is so incredible and i just know with all the prayers for her he will heal my baby.

I love you so much Olivia

Love Mommy

Olivia Jane has gained for weight!

Praise God; Olivia has gained more weight! She now weighs 2 pounds, 12 ounces! Yay Liv! Please continue to pray for her health and strength! Lord, I pray that Olivia Jane's little brain is ok, and that you heal her. I love you God, and I THANK you for Olivia and my entire family so much!

~Aunt Jessie

We Give THANKS to JESUS!

Thank you God for this precious angel, Olivia Jane, that you have blessed us with! I am proud to say that Olivia weighs 2 pounds 10 ounces now! WooHoo! Those extra calories and good ole' breast milk is working! She is 15 inches long now too! Olivia seems to be thriving so well, and again thank you for your prayers! That is what has gotten Melissa, my family, and I through this crazy roller coaster so far! Thank you to Plainview Church of Christ for your card that you recently sent my sister! Thank you to everyone else that has sent prayers and well wishes her way, just to show that you care! You have no idea what that means to her! She is keeping every single card, and is going to show Olivia one day just how much we prayed and cared for her! So again, THANK YOU!

On another note, I blog about how well she is doing....and she is doing well, but Melissa asked about Olivia's little brain. The doctor said that he did feel some mild swelling in her head, but was not sure if that was there before or new. According to her chart, she is not in "red zone" yet, but needs your prayers to stay out of there. Please pray for her brain to be ok, and that all of the blood is just re-absorbed by her little body! God can heal her, I am a believer in this! It's called FAITH, and we have that....so please pray for Olivia! Happy Thanksgiving Olivia Jane!

~Aunt Jessie

Praise Jesus! Olivia's eyesight is GREAT!

Monday, Olivia Jane had a scan done on her eyes, and it showed that she has no known damage to her eyes! YAY! Hopefully, this will continue and Olivia will show no problems later on! The doctors will continue to scan her eyes, and before she comes home - they will check her hearing. Please continue to pray that Olivia does great, and that she will not have any problems with her vision or hearing! Thank you so much for all of your prayers! Olivia Jane appreciates them so much! I love you Olivia Jane!

~Aunt Jessie

Olivia is a SENIOR!

Catchy title..huh!? Olivia Jane moved up to "Progressive Care"! Yay! This is where she will be until she comes home in late December-early January. Today, not only did she get to move up, but Mommy got to give Olivia her very first bath! Big sister Savannah got to visit again and was so proud of her little sister! Please continue to pray that Olivia keeps doing great and that she stays strong! I love you so much Olivia Jane!

~Aunt Jessie

Kangaroo Care.....

Melissa got to spend a hour holding Olivia Jane on her bare chest today for "kangaroo care". Olivia tried hard to keep her little eyes open and try to look at her mommy, but just could not last. She fell fast asleep on Melissa as she just rocked Olivia, and held her close for a whole hour. After the hour was up, the nurse took Olivia back to put her in her bed, and Olivia whimpered....as if she was saying that she wasn't ready to leave her mommy! As of 5:30pm, Melissa called to check on Olivia, and she was fast asleep. The nurse told her that preemies tend to do that after "kangaroo care". It is like having a good dose a "mommy" before bed.

Speaking of bed, Olivia's bed got face-life! She is now in an isolette, which is another version of an incubator, but it is a step-up. The isolette is also the same bed that she will be in once she is strong and healthy enough to go to Progressive Neonatal Intensive Care. Please continue to pray for Olivia and that she keeps doing so well! Thank you all for your prayers! I love you Olivia Jane!

~Aunt Jessie

More CC's for Olivia Jane!

Olivia is getting fed like a big girl! Yay! Most full-term infants are fed on average of about every 2 to 3 hours...well, the nurses have changed Olivia's feedings from 6cc every hour to 20cc every 3 hours! They fed her 20cc at 12 noon, and at 3:00pm, her residual was empty, meaning that her body digested all 20cc!!

Also, the nurse told Melissa that if she continues to do well throughout the night that they will allow Melissa to do "kangaroo care" with Olivia tomorrow. "Kangaroo care" is when the preemie is put directly on mom's chest - bare skin to bare skin..this helps the baby thrive because it can hear mom's heartbeat and feel her. There have been many stories of preemies not doing well at all, and the mom tried "kangaroo care" and then the baby did wonderful!

Thank you for your prayers, every prayer is so much appreciated! Please continue to pray; Olivia's eye scan is Monday. This will determine if and how much eye damage she has attained from the oxygen she has received from the ventilator and C-Pap. Lord, please protect Olivia Jane and her eyesight; please wrap your arms around her and keep her safe! I love you so much Olivia Jane!

~Aunt Jessie

Yay for extra calories!...for Olivia anyway!

Now most of us definitely do not want extra calories in our diet, but in Olivia's case, we most certainly do! She started having her breast milk fortified with extra calories today, and so far she has done great with it. So well in fact, that the nurses increased her breast milk to 6cc an hour, equal to 5 ounces a day! WooHoo Liv! With increased milk fortified with calories, Olivia will be 3 pounds before we know it! Thank you God for giving Olivia the strength and health to eat like this!

Also, Olivia is still off of the C-Pap, but she was given oxygen through a simple nasal cannula, like the ones that you are given in the hospital if needed. This was given to her so that she does not have to try so hard, and to just give her a break. Olivia is doing the breathing on her own though! Thank you God, and thank you to everyone for your prayers. She will continue to grow and do well, I just know she will! Please continue to pray for her! Olivia Jane, I am so proud of you sweetheart, and I love you so much!

~Aunt Jessie

Thank you God! Prayers are AWESOME!

Words can't explain how thankful my family and I are for each and everyone of your prayers! Today has been a wonderful day for Olivia! First of all, she was given another cc every hour, so she is now on 5cc per hour, which is equal to about 4 ounces per day! Yay Liv! Second, Olivia Jane lost an annoyance in the arm called an IV! Yeah, the IV is gone and so is the C-Pap! Yes, Olivia is breathing room air, and all on her own!

The nurses said that there is a chance that Olivia will have to go back on the C-Pap, but right now, we are just praising God that she is breathing on her own! Thank Lord! You are an amazing God, and thank you so much for making Olivia Jane strong and healthy! Thank you so much for our lil' blessing! And to everyone else, please continue to pray for her; today is a perfect example of how prayers work! I love you Olivia Jane!

~Aunt Jessie

Mommy and Olivia's First KISS!

Mommy got to kiss Olivia Jane for the first time today, November 17, 2010! She said that it took her breath away!...This is the reason we are praying so hard, for moments like this! Thank you to everyone for your prayers, and please continue to pray everyday!

Olivia Jane and Mommy pictures

Ok, so does Mommy think Olivia is beautiful or what? I don't think that you can stare any harder! Thank you God!!

Olivia Jane....Look different? Yeah, she only has a feeding tube now! No C-Pap...No ventilator!!! Thank you God!

Olivia and her pacifier!

Ok, so I am going back to school for nursing, and I had to look up an article to write a report on. Well, before Olivia was even born, I chose a report on preemies in the NICU, and how they found a connection to giving them a pacifier and a quicker sucking reflex time. When preemies are born, they typically do not have the normal reflexes. So, the article seemed relevant enough, and I chose it. In the article, I found that some hospitals gave the preemies a pacifier during feedings through the feeding tube. This stimulated the sucking reflex over time. In the study the preemies that were on the pacifier were sucking on a bottle faster; therefore, off of the feeding tube faster. Also, they got to go home on an average of 8 days sooner! Less than 2 weeks later, Olivia Jane came into this world! Isn't it funny how God can put things in front of us with out us understanding it at the time??!! Needless to say Olivia Jane has a pacifier EVERYDAY and with EVERY feeding! 

Eating again!

Olivia's blood transfusion went really well! Melissa said that before the transfusion, lil' Olivia was very lethargic and was not active at all. Today, she was back to herself and eating again! Her feedings were increased by a 'cc' as well too! Instead of 3cc, she is on 4cc every hour!

Also, the doctor said that if she continues to do well on her feedings, they are going to remove the IV within the next 24 hours. When they do that, the nurses are going to try to put extra calories in her breast milk for weight gain. They said that some preemies can tolerate it, and some don't. If not, they will take the extra calories out and she will just be on breast milk, but no IV!

On a funny note, Melissa had just changed Olivia's diaper after a feeding. All of a sudden, Olivia Jane stretched out so big, put one arm above her head, and spread both legs 'wide eagle' to prop them up on her bedding that surrounds her in the incubator. I guess that after a good blood transfusion, feeding, and a diaper change - Olivia was ready for a good stretch and nap! Olivia, you keep growing, stretching, getting healthy, and strong little one! I love you so much! Everyone else, please continue to pray for Olivia; thank you so much for all of your prayers!

~Aunt Jessie

Another Transfusion

Olivia's RBC (red blood cells) count was low today, so she has been taken off of the feeding tube for now. The nurses told us that she had to be taken off 4 hours before, during, and 4 hours after the blood transfusion. Hopefully, by midnight or a little after, Olivia should be back on the feeding tube according to her nurse. The nurse said that low RBC count is common in preemies, but this will be her 4th blood transfusion. Olivia's little body is using up more RBCs than her body can produce, so she needs a little help. A BIG thank you to all blood donors; you guys are awesome! Please continue to pray for lil' Olivia Jane! Every prayer is so important, and we thank you for each one! We should know something about her eyes, hopefully, by next week. I love you Olivia Jane!

~Aunt Jessie

Lil' Piglet...

Today Olivia was moved up from 2cc of breast milk every hour to 3cc! Yay Liv! She also had a really big bowel movement, which the nurses were very happy to see. Her intestines have seem to accepted their job titles and have begun to work! Thank you God! Also, the doctor told Melissa today that if Olivia keeps doing well with her feedings, she will get to be IV free in about 2-3 days!

Ok, that is all the good news; however, there is a downer today. The nurses told Melissa that with preemies, they are always put on oxygen. Well, with oxygen like she has been on comes hazards to the other parts of the body. The nurses told Melissa that there is a chance that the extended use of oxygen could hurt Olivia's eyesight and hearing. That is where prayer comes in! Olivia has been on oxygen due to her immature lungs, but has not needed as much as we thought. She will have her eyes tested soon and hearing tested before she comes home from the NICU later on down the road. Please pray for a clean bill of health!

Also, please pray for Olivia's brain. Remember, she had a stage 3 brain bleed. Well, the bleeding has stopped...Praise God! However, if there was any damage done..it is done. But I have faith in God that he will heal Olivia Jane and that she going to be a bouncing, laughing, running, screaming baby girl sooner than we can ever hope for! Thank you for your continued prayers! Please keep praying; God hears you and it is working! Olivia is getting better each day, but we still have a long, rough road ahead. We still have many obstacles to overcome. But with prayer, faith, love, and hope...it can be done!

I love you Olivia Jane!

~Aunt Jessie

New Pictures of Olivia Jane!



Savannah checking in on her new sissy!



Big Sissy Savannah Grace and Olivia Jane, this was the first time they met!



Beautiful Olivia, you are such a blessing! Thank you God!




 


Olivia Jane...

 

Liv resting, but Mommy most certainly didn't forget her bow for pictures!

 

Olivia Jane resting...precious little angel!







Congratulations Mommy!!

Today was a very good day for Olivia Jane! The nurses increased her feedings to 2cc every hour! She is digesting it very well, and having good bowel movements. I know you guys want to know what the "congrats mommy" is all about...right?! 

Well, today Olivia's blanket had gotten damp and Melissa asked the nurse for a new one. When the nurse brought the blanket to Melissa, she asked Melissa if she would like to do the honors. Well, Melissa thought that she meant to cover her up, and she said yes. Melissa turned to Olivia Jane, and the nurse gave Melissa her beautiful baby girl to hold for the first time! Olivia Jane is 20 days old today, and today was the first day that mother and daughter were united, with Melissa's arms wrapped around Olivia. Until today, my sister was only able to touch Olivia's hand or foot, and occasionally change her lil' diaper! Congrats Sissy! I am so happy for you and I love you so very much!

Thank you Lord for our beautiful, wonderful blessing named Olivia Jane! God, please continue to wrap your arms around Olivia and keep her safe and healthy. Thank you for helping Olivia through these tough 20 days, and for giving her the strength to do so! Because of you God, Olivia Jane is growing and becoming stronger everyday! I love you God! Also, thank you EVERYONE for your continued prayers! Please continue to pray for Olivia and our family! It is because of our faith and belief in prayer that Olivia is doing so well! Olivia Jane, I love you sweetheart! Hang in there, keep getting stronger, and come home soon!

~Aunt Jessie

God is GGRRRREATT!!!!!

Today has been a great day for Liv! She no longer has the ventilator and is now on the C-Pap, which helps keep the sacks in her lungs to stay open so that she can breathe on her own! She is doing just that with the C-Pap and moving around a lot too! So much in fact, the nurses had to move her IV to her lil' head.

Olivia Jane is now on a continuous feeding tube and pooping like a big girl! ;) Instead of 1/2cc every hour, they are feeding her 1cc every hour! YAY Liv! Also, the biggest praise of all, right now, is that she has moved up a notch in the NICU. There are different categories in the NICU, such as the "Intensive" area which is where Olivia has been. There is also the "Progressive" area of the NICU, and Olivia is right in the middle of those two areas! Thank you God!

Of course, our emotional roller coaster is not over; we are far from having Liv home. They are estimating her to come home around end of December-first of January, if all goes well. Olivia still has a lot of battles ahead of her, so please, please do not give up on praying for her. God is great, and with your prayers He will heal her and make her well, I just know it! It's called Faith. We love Olivia so much and realize how awesome our God is. He has blessed us with this beautiful little girl, a little too soon but we will get through this as a family. Thank you guys so much for your prayers! I love you Olivia Jane!

~Aunt Jessie

Pray for Melissa too!

This morning, Mason found Melissa unconscious in the shower! We think that it was from exhaustion and worrying about Olivia so much. When Mason found her, Melissa's eyes were dilated completely, and she would not respond to anything. Luckily, she "came to" right before he called 911, but we are keeping a close eye on her. She has just been so worried about Olivia; she has neglected herself without even realizing it.

They are with Olivia now. As of this morning, Olivia has had two more bowel movements. So, hopefully her intestines have woke up and are ready for more milk! Good job Liv!! Keep praying everyone! I love you Olivia Jane!

~Aunt Jessie

Yay for Poop!!

I know that the title is a little goofy, but I never thought that I would be so excited to hear that Olivia Jane had a big poop today! The nurses were literally getting ready to give her an enema when they pulled her diaper off to do so and got a big surprise! YAY for Olivia! So, needless to say she did not get the enema. Bless her, she heard the nurses talking about it, and thought that she better do something before they stick an enema up her bum! I would be getting something out too!

Another praise, Olivia Jane's chest tube is out and no problems so far! However, she still does not have a feeding tube. The night nurse told Melissa that they would wait until the morning to see what the doctor wanted to do. According the that nurse, they will probably try the feeding tube again tomorrow. Keep checking in, I will post new pictures very soon.

Olivia Jane's big sister, Savannah Grace, got to meet her today for the first time! She was so excited, and the only question was why couldn't Olivia come home. She is very proud of Olivia, and was sure to tell all of the nurses that she was Olivia's big sister! Thank you guys for all of your prayers! Please keep Olivia Jane in your prayers each day! I love you Olivia Jane!

~Aunt Jessie

Another bump....

Olivia's feeding tube had to come back out. When the nurses checked her residual, it had bile in it. However, they did give us some relief by saying that this is normal because Olivia's little intestines are not used to digesting yet. It is just going to take time for her intestines to "wake-up". On a good note, Olivia's x-ray came out great...no problems were found.

Thank you so much to everyone for continuously praying for Olivia Jane! Keep the prayers going up! I will post again later tonight, and keep everyone updated on how Olivia is doing. I love you Olivia Jane!

~Aunt Jessie

God is Good!

After many prayers, Olivia is back on the feeding tube! Thank you guys so much for your continued prayers; please continue to keep Olivia Jane in your prayers everyday! She was fed this afternoon, and as of 3:00 she has completely digested all of her milk!! YAY!! She has been fed again and we will know about that feeding later tonight.

The doctors and nurses are taking her chest tube (this is from the heart surgery) out slowly this time. They have clamped it off and are taking it out a little bit by little. It should be completely out by Wednesday, hopefully. Also, Melissa got to change Olivia's diaper all by herself today, without help of a nurse, so she is so excited about that.  

An emotionally charged moment today was when Melissa was standing by Olivia's bed, talking to her. She looked up and there stood the most thoughtful and caring pastor that I have ever known! It was Brother Bobby of Hazel Green Baptist Church, where I am proud to say that I am a member. Brother Bobby and Melissa prayed over Olivia's bed and Melissa had a good cry! Brother Bobby, if you are reading this, thank you so much for all that you do. Even though it seems to be your "job" to make visits to the sick; you have no idea how much my sister needed that visit from you, at that moment! God knew too, and that is why you showed up when you did! Thank you so much for your prayers! 

Everyone, thank you for your prayers, and don't give up on them! Like I said before, God hears the smallest and the longest of prayers. You can be in your car, walking down the road, getting ready for work or bed, anything and anytime...it just takes a second to send a prayer up for Olivia Jane! I love you Olivia Jane so much, and I can't wait to hold you!

~Aunt Jessie

Another bump in the road...

In the previous blog, I bragged about Olivia Jane getting to eat finally. Unfortunately, she had to be taken off of the feeding tube. She started to have bile backing up and a x-ray was ordered. We should know more tomorrow, but doctors are thinking that it might be Olivia's pancreas or gall bladder. Please pray that this is a one time thing, she gets better, and she can eat again soon. Also, please pray that all goes well with the x-ray.

On a happy note, Melissa got to change Olivia's diaper today and was told that she will get to start helping with Olivia more. Lord, please wrap your arms around Olivia Jane and heal her! Thank you so much for blessing us with beautiful Olivia!..Amen...I love you Olivia Jane!

~Aunt Jessie

Olivia Jane got to eat again....

Today Olivia got to eat through her feeding tube since she got the bleeding stomach ulcers! It has been a week, at least, since Olivia was fed through the tube. She has been on only nutrients through her IV fluids. When the nurses checked her "residual"(sp), it came out clean. This means that after she eats, to check and see if Olivia has digested the breast milk, they suck out substance from her feeding tube, and if it comes out clean, she digested everything! Praise God, she has digested everything that she has been fed today! So, pray that this continues and Olivia will gain some weight! She has lost about 6 ounces since she has been born.

Also, when Olivia was born, she had a tube placed in her belly button so that they would not have to continuously prick her to get blood. The tube can only be used for a temporary time period due to the possibility of infection. They took it out today and her umbilical stump came too! However, the nurses had to replace her existing IV because it was leaking. It went well, and they did not have any problems doing so. Thank you for your prayers for Olivia Jane, but more are needed all of the time! Please, please continue to pray for sweet Olivia Jane, and that she gets strong, thanks to Mommy's breast milk! :~) 

Lord, I pray that Olivia will continue to grow and get stronger with each day! Be with her God, please wrap your arms around her and watch over her! I love you Olivia Jane!

~Aunt Jessie

It's a Roller Coaster....

Today we found out that the brain bleed is in the ventricles of the Olivia's brain, which is in the back of the head--brain stem area. Good news is that the bleeding has stopped! Thank you Jesus! Please pray that her little brain and head does not swell; the bleeding has stopped but we are told that with stage 3-you never know what will happen. It can stay where it is, or it can progress forward, and that would cause her brain to swell. They are going to see if the blood goes away before any drastic measures are taken. That is where PRAYER comes in!

Earlier today, they also were able to take out her ventilator and chest tube, and then put a C-Pap on her. The C-Pap is to help the sacks in her lungs stay open so that when she breathes on her OWN that they stay open, and she does not struggle. Unfortunately, by 6:00, the chest tube was put back in and she is back on the ventilator due to complications. When they took her chest tube out, some air got in her where the chest tube was...and it caused her distress. We were hoping to get her back on the feeding tube, but with this down hill roll, we are not sure that is going to happen this weekend.

Please continue to pray for Olivia Jane; she is such a beautiful blessing! We love her so very much, and with the power of prayer she will come home healthy soon! Thank you all so much for keeping up with her progress, and praying for her each day. I know that it is because of faith and prayer that she has done so well. She made it through heart surgery!..Wow, that is a blessing and now her bleeding has stopped! Blessing again! Keep praying! I love you Olivia Jane!

~Aunt Jessie

Lord, Lift us up!

Today we found out that Olivia Jane has a stage 3 brain bleed. There are only 4 stages, and Olivia's is on both sides of her brain. We are not sure and the doctor can't tell us at this time what that means for Olivia. There are some people that we have heard about where their preemie had a brain bleed and they are ok. That is what we are praying for. Please pray for Olivia Jane everyone! We need prayer that God will cure her brain bleeds and heal her. She will be a healthy little girl, I just know it! The power of prayer can get us there. Please don't give up on prayers for Olivia! She needs every prayer; you can pray as you are driving, cleaning, walking, texting, getting ready for work or bed! Just please, please pray!

Sissy, I love you so much and you have been so strong through all of this, even though you think you are not! You are my little sister, but I look up to you so much for so many reasons! You are my best friend and are beautiful inside and out! You are a wonderful, caring mother. Savannah and Olivia are so blessed to have you for their momma! Stay strong, Sissy...we will get through this and Olivia Jane will come home healthy! I have Faith in Jesus that He will take care of our family, and He will heal Olivia! I love you Olivia Jane!

~Aunt Jessie

Give Praise to God! Thank You Jesus!

Olivia did wonderful through surgery! She just got out and is heading back up to the NICU, where mommy and daddy are going to get to see her. Dr. Clay, her surgeon, said that Olivia Jane did so well, and that it was one of the easiest surgeries that he has done! Thank you Lord for answering so many prayers and giving Olivia the strength to get through this! Please continue to be with her and protect her! Everyone, please continue to pray for Olivia! The doctors said that the next few days are going to be an emotional roller coaster, with many ups and downs! Please keep Olivia in your thoughts as you go on through out the day. Thank you so much to everyone that is looking over this blog site and praying for Olivia Jane! Please continue to do so; she still has a very long and hard road ahead, but with your prayers, she can overcome these tough obstacles!

I love you Olivia Jane!

~Aunt Jessie

Mommy and Olivia Jane



Mommy feeding Olivia Jane through her feeding tube



Praise!

Melissa and Mason met with the surgeon and nurse that will be taking care of Olivia tomorrow. Her surgery will be at 12:30 tomorrow, so please pray for a wonderful outcome! Melissa said told me that the surgeon and the nurse are such a blessing from God. The surgeon sat down with her and Mason and told them step by step of what to expect. They were positive about the outcome; however, prayer is still needed desperately! Power of prayer is strong and with it, Olivia will be strong! The surgeon also drew out a picture of Olivia's heart and showed them where the problem was. A nurse, Elizabeth, will be taking care of Olivia during, after surgery and all day tomorrow. She is amazing, and was formally a "primary care" nurse, but got too attached so she had to go back to just being a regular NICU nurse. We need nurses like her to around Liv; that means she loves her job and the babies in NICU. God has sent angels down to watch over Olivia Jane; I believe that with everything in me!


Overall, Olivia Jane had a good day; however, she is still very sick due to the hole in her heart. It has made her very lethargic and swollen. Melissa got to change her diaper today for the first time so that was awesome! Mason, you have been so precious through all of this. You are an amazing father and husband, and I am so blessed to be able to call you a part of my family and my friend. Lord, please give Olivia the strength that she needs to get through this surgery and the "will" to get better after surgery. We love her so much God, please watch over Olivia and wrap your arms around her and please keep her safe! Aunt Jessie loves you Olivia Jane!

New Pictures of Precious Olivia Jane...

Sweet Olivia Jane



Look at that lil' foot!





Mommy and Daddy's Lil' Angel

 



We love you Olivia Jane; you are a blessing to all of us.