Joshua's Journey Cont....

The Neo-natologist came in to see Joshua yesterday and wasn't happy at all about his heavy breathing. He and the Cardiologist have decided that Joshua needs to undergo a 3rd surgery. Which is scheduled for tomorrow at 12pm. If you think about it, please keep him in your prayers- he needs all the prayer he can get.

They see signs of an open valve that is causing too much blood flow to the heart. This valve called PDA for short should have naturally closed on it's own once Joshua's lungs took over for the breathing; however, it did not and with it open like that it has caused Mild Heart Failure and could only get worse over time.

Joshua will be on the breathing machine and HEAVY pain medicine before he goes into surgery. Poor baby, he has gone through so much already and now this... :( The Dr. said that because of the degree of enlargement of Joshua's heart, he might get worse before he gets better and that he will be very sick for a few days after his surgery. BUT we know the Ultimate Surgeon will be with him and that His Ways are Higher than Ours!! Right!! Please be in agreement with us as we walk through this with our son, Joshua.

If the surgery works and this is what was causing the heavy breathing, then the Dr.'s think that when he recovers from surgery he will be able to get off the oxygen completely, and will nipple feed better since he won't be working so hard to breath.

Also, Joshua took a whole OZ of milk in a bottle for me yesterday! The nurse said that is very rare that the mom can actually get the baby to drink the whole bottle in his 1st feeding like that- So, I kept the bottle for a special memory and I marked the date on it :) So Sweet!!! He now weighs 5lbs 9oz (he lost 1 oz yesterday) and is 18 1/2 in. long!! He is getting so big and looks so healthy!! Of course, now he will be back on the tubes so you might see some more "Tube Pictures" but I can't stop taking pictures of him and showing him off- he is just So ADORABLE to us! We Can't wait to have him home with us and love on him!

Thank you all for your prayers! Your Love and Support mean the World to us!
Thank you sincerely from the bottom of our hearts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love,
Mike, Selah, Gavyn, & Joshua