Maybe I Should Buy a Lottery Ticket?

Okay, so I am not the type to buy a lottery ticket, but given the odds of having a son that has febrile seizures is 6 out of 100 and the odds of having a baby with a true knot in her umbilical cord is 1 out of 250 and the chances that that girl would even survive is extremely slim. Put all those odds together and I'm sure it would be me that bought the winning ticket (or be struck by lightning?)!

Heidi had a good day today. She has been eliminating her waste and drinking her bottles. She does still need to work at keeping her temperature though. One thing that caught me by surprise was when a technician came into the room to take an ultra-sound of her heart to make sure that a hole had closed up. I didn't even know that there was a hole in her heart! She told me that many babies are born with a hole in their hearts but they usually close up after a few hours and hers hadn't yet. What? I'm thinking... Well, I'm almost glad that I didn't know because it just ended up one more thing that I didn't have to worry about. It was closed up today. Everything normal.

I left early today so that John could go in and feed her at her 6pm feeding. It was the first time he got to hold her and feed her. Yes, we have pix, and when I get them developed they will be here.

All we can say is that God is good all the time, all the time God is good!

More Progress

The doctor has checked all of Heidi's vital organs and they all appear to be just fine. Her reflexes are fine and overall she is still improving. She has been eating very well. And, of course, she sleeps...

We don't know at this point if there will be any long-term brain damage, so this is the area we need to focus our prayers. The doctor is a bit concerned that she isn't making broader movements with her arms and legs, and that she isn't peeing as often as she would like her to. Hopefully she will continue to progress in these areas. However, she is on the Phenobarbital, which basically keeps her sedated. That could be why she isn't moving much. The doctor will have a physical therapist come in and work with her if she doesn't improve her movements.

She just looks like a healthy baby to me, with the exception that she sleeps a lot. I personally think it's the medication that is keeping her from moving too much. We shall see...

Looking Good

This morning, when I arrived at the hospital, the nurse told me that Heidi has been taking her bottle very well and that she should be off the IV soon. When I tried to feed her at 12:00 she decided that she would rather sleep than eat, so they had to use her feeding tube again. Then at her 3:00 feeding she was just fine again. Hmmm...
Joshua and Tressie were able to go in and visit with her today and I think it helped them to see her and know that yes, she does exist. We were able to get some good pictures of the three of them. I'll post them when the film is developed.
The doctor said that if she kept improving as well as she is that she will be released from the hospital within a week to 10 days, so that's good to know. We are only waiting on a couple tests and so far everything has come back well.
Thank you all so much for your prayers.

Praise God for the Little Things!

Today was a good day. Heidi's headress was taken off today and we could actually see her beautiful brown hair again! She was given a little bath and I was actually able to hold and feed her! Yea! I think one of the hardest parts of her being sick was that I couldn't hold her. I held her as soon as she was born, but other than that she was swiped away by the doctors and nursing staff, so it's been a bit of an emotional struggle there. It just felt good to hold her again. Also, this was the first day she has had the opportunity to eat since she was born, so it has been a good day.

The doctor said that she has had no more seizure activity and that so far it appeared that the reason for the seizures seemed to be in her history since the test have all come back well. The only tests out at this point are for metabalism problems which the genetics doctor is checking on. So, if all goes well, I may be able to bring her home sooner than I thought.

Heidi Update

Heidi is coming along well. The doctor has her on Phenobarboltol to help keep her seizures away and she hasn't had a seizure all day. We talked with the nuerologist, her doctor, and the genetics specialist today and all of them had a postive outlook on her recovery without being too optimistic. I guess you could say that we are not out of the woods yet, but the bears are all in their cages.
She has no sign of infections, no heart conditions, no bleeding on the brain (she did at birth sometime), and is otherwise functioning well. The area affected with oxygen deprivation is a very small area and the doctor said that it probably didn't last over a minute. That's good news.
She still has little electrodes all over her head because they are going to watch her EEG overnight again. I may actually begin feeding her tomorrow. That means I'll be able to hold her too.
Overall, God is good and merciful. Little Heidi is a special gift and we are so glad to be able to know her. She is recovering well and by God's grace will have a bright future.
Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers!

Here's Heidi! Our other little princess!

Heidi Leanne Willman is here!

Heidi was born last night, 9/24/08, and is such a beautiful little girl! She was 6 pounds and 8 ounces, 20 inches long. She looks just like Joshua and Tressie. You can tell she's a willman with all her hair!
We have had a very trying day today being that she is having so many complications. They transported her to Valley Childrens NICU this morning and have given her a CT scan, an EEG, and a spinal tap to try and find out what exactly is causing her problems. She will likely be in NICU for at least two weeks. I went by today to check on her, and she's looking good. Nice and pink, despite all the equipment surrounding her, poor baby.
Just pray for us that she will recover and that God will give us peace and sanity during all of this craziness.
We will put updates on our blog: www.willmansunnydaze.blogspot.com
Love,John & Loretta Willman

Tonight or tomorrow.

Well, it looks as though Heide will be born either tonight or tomorrow. I went to the doctor today and he said that I was dilated 3cm and he swept my membranes to start labor. He said that I would probably be going to the hospital tonight.
I sent John to Perkos to get me a steak. I'm celebrating!

Patience...Patience...

Yesterday my brother David and his wife Audra had a beautiful little girl! Her name is Kaylie Elizabeth. We went to see her yesterday and she sure is a cutie pie! It made me anxious to have my little Heide in my arms.

So... this morning I woke up thinking that I hope my labor starts soon. After researching for about an hour online this morning about taking caster oil, I decided to pass on that one but sent John to the store for a fresh pineapple (it sounds good anyway) and got out my birthing ball. After all, that's what I used to get Tressie here. Not the pineapple, but the birthing ball. So here I am in front of the computer, sitting on my bouncy ball typing away.

Yesterday was my last day at work, mainly because I'm due soon and I don't want my water to break at work, but I also don't want the week to be wasted just waiting for something to happen. If nothing happens by my dr. appointment on Tuesday, I'm going to ask to be induced. Am I crazy?

Whoa Dude!

At the end of school on Friday I was entering some math grades into the computer when, lo and behold, here came my first false labor! I just called John and told him what happened and that I was on my way home. Since yesterday there have been about 4 of these lovely braxton-hicks, I think they're called.
Honestly, I'm ready for the real thing. If not this week, maybe next, or next, or...next?

Getting Ready.

Craigslist saved me some money today! Yeah! I found a lady in Tranquility that had a like-new pack-n-play set up for only $30! Not bad. She also had a swing for $20, and considering that the one I was planning to purchase was $60, I left a happy camper.
Mom & I went to Penny's today and bought a few little odds and ends that were needed, and now, yes now, I feel like there's a place to bring little Heide back to.