fearfully and wonderfully made {heart cath update}

We continue to stand in awe of God's provision for our sweet girl with every new detail we learn about her heart.

Last Tuesday she had her heart cath for surgery mapping. Her team of doctors and nurses were so thorough in explaining every detail prior to her procedure and answering all of our questions. She was a rockstar and really hasn't skipped a beat other than the few moments (that seemed like forever) in recovery when she stopped breathing and they had to give her oxygen. Once we were back home and the sedation wore off, her spunky little personality began to surface again which was a welcome sight.

Her cardiologist met with us when he was finished to review all of the pictures he captured and a team of 20 doctors met last week to discuss her case and give us a map for her future heart care.

The morning of her heart cath my dad shared Psalm 139 with us.
She is no doubt fearfully and wonderfully made.

God has perfectly made her heart "imperfect" from the beginning.

I'm still trying to absorb all of the new terminology and fully understand everything he shared with us but in summary, everything that is imperfect is working together at this time perfectly to protect her lungs and keep her well balanced.

We know this won't last forever and she will have open heart surgery in the next year or two, but for now we are so very grateful for the gift of time we have been given to bond with our girl and continue to allow her to transition to our family before undergoing major surgery.

Soon after we received her file I began praying specifically that she could be a bi-ventricular repair instead of needing a Fontan. I knew it would be a remote possibility given what we knew about her heart condition but chose to lay my request before our God that is the God of the impossible.

The team of doctors that met last week agreed that she will be able to have a bi-ventricular repair.
The challenging part will be all of the "plumbing" they have to re-route since everything in her heart is flipped and not where it should be.

We recently received her medical files and also learned that God protected her from having
Fontan surgery in China which would have prevented her from receiving the bi-ventricular repair.

Yet another way we continue to see God's hand at work answering our specific prayers.

Fearfully and wonderfully made.

Our brave little heart warrior...strong and mighty, determined to conquer any obstacle in her way.

Her story continues to unfold before us and we trust in our sovereign God who has written
every chapter and knows every detail that lies ahead.

I love every inch of this sweet girl even down to her cute little toes.
And this is but a glimpse of His great love for her.

Nothing can thwart the heart and plan of God.

"I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me, when as yet there were none of them."
Psalm 139: 14, 16

ruffles, glitter and feathers

Last week I decided to attempt my first "real" photos of the girls.  

Two moving targets are definitely more challenging than one.  

As you will see I have missed being behind my camera just a little.  

Mary Katherine had plenty of plastic tea set toys to choose from but decided that
her favorite would be the one breakable glass with a straw :)
Thankfully even after throwing it a few times we didn't have any shattered glass.  

Even Lily's lasso of love couldn't stop our little girl on the go for long.  

I had fun stepping back and watching them interact with each other.  

Lily, the nurturer always trying to take care of MK and teach her something new.  

Mary Katherine, full of zest for life and curious about everything around her.  

These give you a small glimpse into her personality.  

She has a smile that lights up the room and a little laugh that is contagious.  

She doesn't like hair clips or bows in her hair.

I love her little feet and the way the pad on her fourth little left toe is bigger than the rest making it 

stick down lower :)

She is fearless and will try most anything.  

She is our little heart warrior.  

After the tea party they found the bucket of feathers which led to lots of giggles and laughter.  

We ended with some hershey kisses love.  

Lily was very patient to get her share of the shiny silver treats.  

I laughed when I saw this last picture in camera.  

It is a perfect reflection of their personalities.  

Lily is our rule keeper, "You already have your stash.  You can't have mine" and Mary Katherine,
our little mischievous one hiding her stash of kisses asking for more :)

We are truly blessed beyond measure with our two China angels.  

I find myself looking at Mary Katherine and continue to stand in awe 

of how God orchestrated every detail to bring her into our family.  

Mary Katherine has her heart cath this Tuesday.  

Please be praying for our sweet angel.  

We will have a better road map for her future after this procedure.  

We know that God is in control and surrender to His perfect plan for our daughter.