Surgery a Success!

Our family would like to thank everyone for all the prayers that have been (and continue) to be lifted up for Elizabeth. Her surgery was this morning at 7am and was complete by 1pm. So far, she is doing well. Prayers need to continue for the next 48 hours as this recovery time is critical. Thanks so much to all of our friends and family!
I wanted to share with you the message Kimberly just sent out to everyone this evening...

Hello Friends!!!      As many of you know and some of you are about to learn, our precious daughter Elizabeth Ann was born this past Thursday, June 30th, at 1:50pm. She looks like a beautiful female version of her handsome big brother :)       Shortly after her birth, we were shocked to learn of a very serious congenital heart defect called Transposition of the Great Arteries. By 8pm the evening of her birth, she was on a ventilator in an ambulance on her way to Dallas. We had a very hard time saying good-night and letting her go, but we had much hope in our hearts.        On Friday, I received an early discharge, stopped by the house to see big brother Robert and headed down to reunite with my newly born daughter. It already seemed like we had been apart so long. Through many tears, Wrenn and I enjoyed admiring our beautiful daughter.          Then came Saturday. I do not really remember Saturday. It was a whirlwind of information and what ifs.          On Sunday, we had the good fortune of meeting Dr. Mendelhoff, the surgeon that would be restructuring Elizabeth's heart so that she could live a long, full life with us. However, he presented us with some very scary news. Her coronary arteries were abnormally abnormal and there was no plan B if something went awry on the operating table.         For obvious reasons, Monday was a long day for us. We wondered if it was our last full day with our already much loved daughter. We knew most everyone we knew were praying for us, and this provided great hope for us.        And finally, today was here! We arrived at the hospital at 5am and were allowed to hold our special daughter for a few precious moments each. We walked her down the hall and gave her our love as she headed into the operating room. It was so hard to truly give our daughter to someone else.        Then came 6 of the longest hours of our lives. We were given hourly updates by the nurse practitioner, and we were thrilled to hear of each hurdle our daughter had cleared. We cried tears of joy when we learned her coronaries connected and we celebrated when we heard her heart was beating on its own again. She was still with us!          We were given literally seconds to see our Little Elizabeth as she passed through the hallway with a parade of professionals keeping her alive. It was a truly awesome moment. We shall never forget it.       Then, there were two more hours to wait to see her again. She had to be hooked up to all kinds of monitors and machines. She had to prove herself somewhat stable, and she did. We got to see her again!        Now she is sweetly sleeping in a heavily sedated state. Her vital signs are variable -- but still present. She is in the very critical 48-hour period of time following her surgery, and we are continuing to pray. And pray. And pray.        I want to thank each of you for praying for our sweet Little Elizabeth and to beg that you continue to do so in the coming days and weeks ahead. We look forward to the day we get to hold her and rock her and cherish her here at our home. Until then, we are praying and hoping for all the best for our Little Elizabeth. Thank you for doing the same! Sincerely,  Kimberly