Wednesday 4 April 2012

Happy Birthday Hope!!

Well, it's Amy's mom here - Charlotte.....Amy has asked me to update you all with the exciting news that Hope Taylor Koslowski was born at 10:08 a.m. this morning!   She weighs 6 lbs., 8 oz. and is 19 inches long.

It was quite the day!  We are just praising God and thanking Him for the safe delivery of our newest grandchild, little Hope.  She is absolutely beautiful and we are already smitten!

As soon as she was born, she was whisked next door to the resuscitation room to be stabilized and have her lines/ I.V's placed and monitors attached.  Her oxygen saturations were good and although she was a little lethargic at first, she seemed quite content to be experiencing the sights and sounds of her new world!  Shawn went to be with his new little girl and I went back and forth between Amy and Hope while the OB finished up with Amy and the NICU team finished up with Hope.  After about an hour or so, Amy was able to be wheeled into the resuscitation room and was allowed to hold her baby girl for the very first time, while the transport team from the Stollery Children's Hospital awaited nearby.  This was a true gift from God, as it was something that she had longed to do and she was so grateful for the chance to love on her new little girl!  Daddy got a turn too!  Shortly after, Hope was transported to the Stollery, with Dad following behind.

After checking into the maternity ward, Amy was given a "day pass" so that she could head over to the Stollery and be with Hope, but return in the evening to sleep on the ward.  And so, about 3 hours after giving birth, Amy and I headed over to join Shawn and Hope at the Stollery.  The afternoon was spent watching the NICU staff do several tests on Hope - bloodwork, an ultrasound of her abdomen and head and a 2 1/2 hour echo - her first without Amy's stomach in between!  Hope tolerated a lot of poking and prodding and is already showing signs of being a real trooper!  It was almost surreal to look at her and realize that she is finally here!  She looks so tiny and so petite and it's hard to imagine that there is anything wrong with her!  She just looks so perfect!  The cardiologists spoke to us at the end of the day and said that they would be letting us know tomorrow what the plan for surgery will be.  We were very encouraged to hear that they did not find any other issues in her heart that could possibly "surprise" them in surgery or possibly complicate things further, so this was good news!

Tomorrow morning, Amy will be discharged from the hospital she delivered at and we'll head over to the Stollery for morning rounds.  I'm sure Amy will post an update once we get news of when Hope's surgery will be.

We have been totally overwhelmed by all the supportive words and encouragement that so many of you have shown to us.  We can never thank you enough for praying for this precious little girl that has won our hearts (and she is not even a day old!)  Your interceding on our behalf is such a tangible blessing that we are so grateful for.  Thank you, thank you, thank you, for pouring into our lives and for pleading for this little girl's life at the throne of our great God!  To Him be all the Glory!

2 comments:

  1. It is nothing but an honour to be able to pray for Hope (and Shawn & Amy). There have been times in my life where my prayers seemed so pointless or when I couldn't even pray - and I coveted the prayers of others at those times. The least I can do is "return the favour" and pray for those who may not be able to, may not find the words, may not feel like praying. We need to lift each other up in prayer - that's why we are the Body of Christ!

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  2. So neat to pray from the other side of the country and then reading your words to hear these prayers answered so tangibly! What a MIGHTY God we serve!

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