THIS IS IT

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There are so many pieces to the puzzle that makes up Ivy Joy's life. The daddy who said, what are we waiting for, she needs to get home. The mommy that fought the fight of her life from the second we said yes, and right until this very day and forever. The sisters and brother who gave things up, sacrificed, prayed, and loved this little girl more than life every single second. The grandma and Aunty who are different people now, more thankful, more aware, and ultimately, changed because of the head over heels love they were overcome with when they met this little girl. The friends of my own kids friends, who have been touched, changed, overwhelmed, by the life and value of this once very sick baby girl. The friend who I never met, praying with me at the wee hours of the night on the phone before we ever left for China. The friends, old and new who stepped in, offering anything they could come up with to make our decision to head to Boston, that much easier. The prayer warriors all around the world dedicating prayer after prayer after prayer to Ivy Joy while hearing God speak in thier own lives and finding new hope and stronger faith, all because God, and His works and this little girl. New families created because when we said yes, they found the faith to say yes too.  A dear friend of mine who insisted on praying for Friday discharge even though the doctors said we would be discharged by Monday and then stay in Boston a few more days. Even though we knew Friday was not an option, she continued to pray big because with God, all things are possible. She never gave up hope. All the people from family and home to China and France and all around the world, hearing over and over that we were on the road to recovery and over and over again, that we were not doing well and needed prayer yet again, they never gave up, they never lost hope, they never said it's over, and God stepped in, again! A dear friend from home who made so much of our travel arrangements for us and is here with me now, just waiting on Ivy and I hand and foot with the heart of a servant all because he fell in love with this little girl and was blown away and forever changed by the act of God and His ultimate plan for this ~once an orphan, labeled terminal, little girl~. A dear friend that I only met a week ago, who happened, not by accident, to be right here with me the moment I found out Ivy would need a 3rd open heart surgery. She became family that day as we cried together just picturing my tiny girls chest being opened once again and all the fighting, the pain, the suffering she would have to endure once again , and when the time comes, this beautiful friend of mine is having Ivy and I flown home in a private jet so that this little girl can have as little travel time as possible and be back with her family where she will blossom. The cardiologist who has built me up time and time again, always full of kind words about my heart, my soul, my parenting, my advocating, my nursing lol, my love, for this little girl. The surgeon, oh this surgeon, he is so much more than that. I cry as I type this knowing that he is the silver piece in this puzzle... God being the golden one. He looks at Ivy with these eyes that have so much compassion and he spends so much time with us, checking in on her often several times a day. But last night when he came in, still dressed in his O.R gear, it was dark in the room and Ivy was just falling asleep. He held her hand and stroked her wrist. And he told me a story. A story of a little girl who was born 13 years ago with a very complicated heart defect. And how her surgeon cut a hole in her aorta by accident as well as several other mistakes. This 13 year old girl is his daughter. His baby! She was on ECMO, she was in heart failure and at 6 months needed a heart transplant. She then went on to needing a kidney transplant by the time she was 2. His daughter. He looked at me with the kindest face and told me that he spent Thanksgiving and Christmas in the hospital, right here in my shoes! He was in med school when his little girl was born, and I am sure that his little girl is why he is a heart surgeon and why he has such a passion to bring Ivy home healed as best as her little heart can be. I did not know any of this before last night. But God did. God knew who Ivy needed and He brought me here. There are so many more pieces to this puzzle. Children all over praying and sharing Ivy's story. Having lemonade stands and praying those Huge, rock solid, big prayers with an unshakable faith in their fathers ability to do more than we could ever fathom! Nurses who have loved Ivy from head to toe every single day. Our DR family who has supported us from day one with love and prayers.  Our Ladybug family, praying fervently! Our Napa family and Vacaville family, that loves us so much and never gave up hope! My dear friend Jill who traveled to China with me and precious Maggie who is the kindest woman I know. The people who now know Christ, or have come back to Him, all because of His works through Ivy Joy. My China Heart mom family, I love you all! My church family. My precious nieces who have sent me text after text just to love on me and support me. Keith and Brandy, our dear friends in AZ who loves us so big! Nat, Chris, Laurie, Tina you are such vessels in all of this! I love you. Jane, Holly, Luciana, Paige, Annette and Alex, Melanie Mannos and family, Jilie Wingert, Kathie Hikade and lovely Sierra, Carmen Piper, Jennifer and Kim, Amy Roy, Ben and Amy, Stephanie Chu-ba, Karen McCarthy, Wendy, Beth Cario, Barb Whalen, Mary Ellen Meyer, Tonia Davis Evans, Sherri Zimmrman, Lyn Thomas, Elizabeth Rozman, Karen and Lily, Kendall, Todd, Avery and Chloe, Sharon, Sharyn and LiLi, Kelley and family, Gretchen Downey, Glenda, Penny, Susan Sims, Jo, Jen and Christian, Yvette, Georgia Grace Family, 
Thank you for your kind emails and constant prayers!! So many pieces! Too many to go on right now, but all, equally important, valued and loved! Amy Timberlake, I love so much and have loved every phone call and message! Sarah and Lee, Thank you for taking the leap too! I love you guys and cant wait for our babies to meet! I could go on forever, but I have a room to pack.
What you say???
Thats right! My buddy Diana, in Minnesota never put our mighty God in a box, she prayed big and she prayed out loud! And we are being discharged on FRIDAY!!!!!!!
Ivy is cleared to go!!!! HE Echo was great! She is eating like a football player. She is happy as can be, laughing and playing and talking and, well, eating some more! Not chocolate and chips either! Real food. Large amounts of regular, real food. Baby girl has energy to finally eat a full meal! And she is loving it! We are not at a perfect INR but her cardiologist is confident that she will be ok enough to get out of here by Friday. And they are so confident that mommy has no problem with her care that they do not even need to see us for a follow up here in Boston. We will see our new cardiologist, shortly after getting home. He is the new~ Head of Cardiology for Phoenix. He comes from CHOP! Praise the Lord. Another piece of the puzzle. We see him Tuesday. My friend Kim will be here Friday to escort us home on Saturday morning!! We will arrive at Williams Airport on Saturday around 1:30pm. I still can't believe it. I have said This Is It, over a dozen times in regards to my sweet girls healing. and here we are, finally, in God's timing..
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Our Hope

Pin It It is my prayer that today is the start of the finish of this journey to Boston for Ivy Joy. While we are still in the critical stage, 48 hours post op, Ivy is doing well and looking good!

She is being weaned from the ventilator little by little with the hopes of getting her off of it today. 

The surgery yesterday was long and yet uneventful! She went on bypass beautifully, she opened easily,  and she came off bypass smoothly. There was some trouble with her rhythms so the pacemaker team came up and they worked until they figured out the problem. She is not even using the external pacing wires, her permanent pacemaker is doing all the work already. 

Dr Baird was able to get a 19mm mechanical valve in her! That is Huge!! He said you almost never could get a valve that size in a child her size because the extra flow could cause some partial heart block. Well..... Ivy already has complete heart block and a Rolls Royce Pacemaker to assist with that so they didn't need to worry about heart block issues. She also has been in heart failure so long that her heart is enlarged thus giving them another small bonus to using the large valve. 

Our doctor said that he does not think Ivy is going to be a very big adult and so this valve will last her a very very long time. At least into her 20's! Possibly longer! 

She will be on Heprin forever now. She'll wear a little medical alert bracelet and we will add the Heprin to the list on it. She should finally have ENERGY due to this new valve. Doc thinks her eating will pick right back up and her recovery will be easier. 

I hope to have news that she is awake the next time I post! And I hope she is off everything!! Meaning no cpap, no bipap, no oxygen!! No feeding tube!! Ok ok one thing at a time! 

Thank you for continuing to lift this precious child in prayer! 

Please Lord, let this be done, no more surprises!! 

Mama is all out of feathers in her hat! And Ivy is tired! 

And yet.... You all know there is nothing I would not do to get this child home and well. 

Life is such a gift! 

Hug your entire family, every single member, a lot tighter and a lot longer this week! I can't wait to hug all of mine!

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