Home stretch!

A lot has happened since the last post. All for the good!

We have been back at Kaiser Sunset for 6 days now, recovering and working on feedings.

All the cultures for bacteria and viruses came back negative, but they still have her on antibiotics until her incision fully heals.

But the best news is that she is off Oxygen AND her feeding tube! She's breathing and eating all on her own! She is rockin through this recovery so fast and we are loving every second of it.

With all that being said, it looks like she'll be going home any day now! The Dr.'s are all saying she has recovered extremely fast. She's our little fighter!

She has gone through so much and has been poked and prodded so many times. We cannot wait to take her home and start living life with her. It is so hard having to leave her in the hospital every night. We can't thank you enough for all the continued prayers and support from our closest friends to people we have never met. Thank you for loving our daughter along side of us. God is good.

I've included some recent pictures of her.

Day 8

Hey Everyone.

We celebrated Charlotte's ONE WEEK BIRTHDAY yesterday! Lydia made cupcakes and some of our friends and family brought over food. It was a great way to celebrate our little girl's milestones. We have celebrated every single second that we've had with her. She has forever changed us.

Lydia's over at the hospital with Charlotte and I'm doing some laundry, so I thought I'd update everyone with what's going on.

Charlotte is still doing great. The ONLY issue, and they don't think it's anything right now, but she had a mild fever a day ago, and again this morning. The plan was to transfer her to Kaiser Sunset for a step down recovery to learn feeding, but with this, they are going to keep her at Children's and step her down in their facility for observation. She is still recovering very well, which is why they are planning on taking her out of the CTICU, but they would still like to monitor her status closely. One of the Dr's said that she is doing so well that he really wants to keep a close eye on her so there are no setbacks. So this is more precautionary than something they are worried about.

One of the issues with the fever is that she has a carotid central line in her neck that they haven't been able to remove because they haven't been able to get a line anywhere else. It's heartbreaking to know they had to poke her so many times to try and find another spot. The carotid line is a highly sensitive area and can be very prone to infection, which is why they want it removed. All the cultures so far to check for infection are negative, Praise God. They were able to secure a line on the side of her head (another heartbreaking moment) but they can't draw blood from that site.

All this being said, she still needs lots of prayer and love. She's a fighter and this part of her journey is almost over, she just needs to finish this race strong so we can move on to the next step with our precious angel.

Thank you guys for all the kind words, prayers, and support. Charlotte already has quite the story to tell. Can't wait for you all to meet our little miracle.

Love ALL of you,

Jon

Here is a recent picture of our little girl:

Vent is out!

Charlotte's vent was taken out and she's breathing on her own. The best part is that we've been holding her for over an hour now! We are in love all over again. Praise God!

The next step is to start feeding and wean her off all the meds she's on! Pray that goes well.

"Yay! My chest is closed!"

Charlottes chest was successfully closed today by Dr. Kallin! She did great, but she had another JET rhythm episode where her rate went over 200. Things have settled with meds and they expect it to normalize. Next step is getting the chest tube out and then the ventilator. She's a fighter!

Big Day Today - Closing her chest

Sorry I haven't updated in a bit. Mostly been posting quick updates on Facebook.

I first want to thank all the nurses and doctors at both Kaiser Sunset and Children's Hospital Los Angeles. I really can't express the gratitude we both feel for the care we are receiving. First, a thank you to her surgeon, Dr. Kallin. Your precision and skill saved our daughter. Thank you. We've been with the nurses at CHLA the most now, and the love they have shown our daughter is incredible. Sara, Carolyn, Stephanie, Charmaine, Unique, and all the other staff that we have met, thank you for loving on our sweet angel. Oh, and thank you for naming her, "Cutest Baby on the Floor."

After her surgery she hit some rough points. After surgery, it's a big balancing act between her rhythms, blood pressure, and fluids. She was in a bad rhythm called JET which made her heart rate over 200. She was also in a 2:1 heart block. Meaning the top of her heart wasn't talking with the bottom. Because of these rhythms, she was place on a pacemaker. The surgery also went longer than they had expected, so they had to pump her full of a lot more fluids than normal to maintain her pressures. Needless to say, she had gone through a lot. So the next days were critical to see how she will recover. The things I mention are within the "normal" things that can occur after this surgery. Except for the JET rhythm.

But yesterday we got the great news that she was in a normal sinus rhythm All on her own!!! That means that she has a normal heart beat and no JET or heart block and no need for the pacemaker! Praise God!

She continues to fight and show progress each day. The prayers and love everyone has shown us is palpable, thank you.

Now we enter the next critical step, closing her chest. They plan to do it today since her fluid levels are getting back to normal. They have kept it open to relieve pressure and in case they had to go back in right away. Once the chest is closed, her heart and body might take a hit because the heart and lungs are now under more pressure and in a new environment. Please pray for today and the next days to come as we come closer and closer to our daughters restoration.

Thank you.

Love, Jon and Lydia

Our dear friend, Alex, sent us these verses and they have been the echoes of the strength we have experienced from our Father.

Romans 8:26-27 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

Psalm 55:22 Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.

Matthew 11:28-29 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.

Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.

Post Surgery Update

Quick update. Surgery was successful!! Praise God! Arteries switched and the VSD was closed. She has all kinds of tubes in her and she's on a ventilator. Her chest is still open too. The next few days will determine if they can close the chest. It's still open in case they have to go back in and also to relieve pressure from swelling. Not easy seeing your daughter in that condition, but she's being very well taken care of. Pray for continued healing. Lydia's doing great, too.

Thank you for all the love and prayers!

Jon

She has arrived!

This is going to be short and I'm sorry if I sound delirious, which we both are a bit right now. Charlotte Grace Rosene was born at 3:27 this morning and weighed in at 7.4 lbs.

Lydia was absolutely amazing. Total time she was in labor was about 50 hours. She owned it though and is doing well.

Charlotte is in the NICU and it's so hard to see her hooked up to the different lines and iv's. I've been at her bedside a few times now and it wrecks my heart each time I have to leave. She's so beautiful and I just want to hold her. Lydia should be able to see her soon. Pray she recovers quickly from the exhausting delivery.

We won't know more about the surgery until they do the ECHO which should be sometime today. We'll keep everyone posted. Thank you for all the prayers and support that you've shown our family. We love you guys so much

Here's a picture of our little angel.