3 YEARS OF PROGRESS

neThree years and at the beginning, a grime or slim prognosis to even make it this far...with; 17 so many gains....Emily has met so many challenges head on; if pictures say a thousand words; than here goes;

 This was a moment I wanted to capture and keep; August 1, 2010 at 7:05 pm, Emily Irene was born by emergency C-section at 35 weeks weighting in at 6lbs at 15 oz.

This our big girl; the morning of August 1, 2010,  17.5 months old

Emily at 5 days old, after being transferred from BC Children's Hospital to Abbotsford Regional Hospital

Ready to leave the hospital 12 days later

adjusting to home at 27 days o

Shunt placement surgery December 4, 2010

Enjoyment of sitting (11 months old)

Enjoyment of tasting and eating

Enjoying the water

Halloween 

mis little escapees

Three Years;: What A Journey...That Isn"t Over!!!

Somebody has a 3rd birthday today!                     Emily Irene

 And what a three years it had been!

Looking back; how did it start, her journey toward; LIFE?

Everything was fine, up and until around 35 weeks gestation when at a scheduled doctor visit, the OBGYN noticed that a then un-named baby's head was larger than but whose body was of normal per portions.
We didn't know the gender, as the facility that was available to us didn't give that information...that was...until we came back for the final visit.
 So as was practice for a now high risk pregnancy, I was sent to get an ultrasound to confirm.  There they wouldn't tell me a thing....
When I returned to my doctors office, I was I immediately given the sex of the baby and instructions to call BC Woman's and Children's Hospital in Vancouver.
And a parting of "Good luck!"
Now, this was the point where my nerves were starting to quiver, as I didn't want anything to happen to our "Emily."
 At BC Woman's, we were counseled by a group of six doctors, who basically said that IF she Survived, she would most likely be; my impression was, in a vegetative state!  So would we want to continue or terminate?
TERMINATE! YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING US I THOUGHT, TOO TRAUMATIZED FOR WORDS!
THAT'S THE IMPRESSION I GOT FROM ONE DOCTOR IN PARTICULAR...TO REMAIN NAMELESS!
They found Emily to have no recorded leg or or arm movements, so was their conclusion. So we were then bombarded with all the information available!  Useful if administered in the right way, but we felt almost cheated out of the joy of our daughter!
Sunday August 1, 2010 started out.....as we were telephoned by our local hospital to have platelets checked on the Friday before a long weekend (BC Day) my husband |Michael wanted to wait,...but I just wanted to get it done....so that Sunday August 1, 2010 it was...
Sunday morning bright and early 6:30, we were at Abbotsford Regional Hospital and then it was off to church for what would be a special prayer service for "Emily!"
As we sat by the main church door with glass widows, we we approached by the head pastor to see if that (praying over us) were alright!
Of course we wouldn't object...
So as the service concluded and everyone went their separate ways, we get home only to find our answering machine flashing about 6 missed calls.
By answering those calls, it was urgent that we make our way to Vancouver, but we needed a place for our 17.5 month old Ellie-Marie to stay....
As we though this day way at least one week away, we made arrangement for then and not the present...
So the time between after church 12pm and the time of Emily's actual birth 7:31pm, was spent trying find a second driver, because as knew Emily would be hospitalized long term, we wanted our van to be driven back to Abbotsford for my brother's in-laws to have while they had Ellie-Marie in their care.
She would eventually get there!
So after phoning around, putting out voice mails and such, we finally got some to be that second driver along with a temporary place for Ellie-Marie to stay.
Maybe 3:30 or 4pm we get to BC Woman's....After the admission process was over and I am being monitored in the emergency;  Michael gets hungry and goes to find food.
Upon his return, in a time line it must have been close to 6 to 6:30pm; something that the emergency doctors didn't want to see happen, was myself having continuous contraction so soon and so fast....and because of Emily's head size they were extremely worried...
And to think, they were almost ready to send me home...
Soon after, I was wheeled in to surgery and Emily Irene was born at 7:31pm August 1, 2010.

After a few days in the NICU of BC Children's, Emily was transfered back to ARH for further care.