Seventh Smith

Today is indication of the power of prayer! Yesterday was rough!

Feeling like we can finally breathe the preverbal "sigh of relief". While the surgery itself was a huge hump to get over, the two weeks since then have been an emotional roller coaster with sickening twists and turns. Today's the first day we've been able to look at her without a lump in our throat and constant reminder that she is hanging in the balance between life and death. Its been a real lesson in giving our daughter back to God and trusting Him for every minute and every breath!

After a very sedated but restful night, Evie woke with the same chronic coughing this morning. During the Dr. rounds this morning, they decided to remove out her pacing wires. After surgery, they attached tiny "defibrillator" wires to her heart that they typically pull just before discharge from the hospital. Since all the breathing treatments have failed, they wondered if perhaps the wires were causing just enough irritation to make her cough. Amazingly, since removing the wires, she has not had a single coughing fit. Doctors are baffled, but ecstatic that the symptoms seem to have subsided! She still has drugs in her system, so we're anxious to see as she comes out of that, how much of her cough is suppressed or actually healed...continue to pray!! She is peaceful, tired from fighting the last couple days, but resting sweetly now!

PRAISES
An ECHO of the heart indicated that it is healthy and there is no bleeding from the wires being pulled.
Mandy is breast feeding intermittently between drip feedings through the NG tube and Evie's now tolerating the feeds and not throwing up.
Evie is gaining back the weight that has been drastically dropping the last couple days.
Risk of running on a bypass during surgery is hearing loss - Evie passed the hearing screening today.

PRAYER
Running blood tests to identify infection causing fever in her system
Still some atelectasis (collapsing) of the lungs that needs to heal
Concern about the healing of her incision
They will begin weaning her off some of the drugs tonight...continue to pray she doesn't cough anymore
C flies to Ukraine tomorrow to wrap up our life:-) Pray for all the details that entails...many!!

Keep holding us in prayer and rejoicing with us for this little girls life!
C, Mandy and Evangeline

Tristan & Britain came to visit today....very interested in Evie's wires and cool monitors and her big boo-boo! Tristan wanted to know "why does she look smaller now than when she came out of mommy's tummy"? So observant and concerned! She'd better bulk up before she comes home as #5 in the pecking order at our house:-) Praising the Lord for a healthy heart for this little sister's first Valentines Day!