Introducing Faith Joanna

We did end up getting a couple of belly shots last night...

 

 

This afternoon in the operating room,

Faith Joanna was born weighing 2 pounds and was 15 inches long.

She came out kind of purplish, which was due to being 11 weeks premature, but her heart was beating at 40bpm by the NICU doctor's initial check, and it gradually slowed from there.

 

Back in the hospital room with all of the kids...

 

Our sweet little Faith...

 

 

Just before her last breath...

 

 

Honestly, we could not have asked for a better medical team, for a smoother surgery, for the things that needed to take place to happen...  The Lord favorably answered each of our prayers in those respects...

In the end, Faith was granted the miracle of complete healing, as she joined our Father God in Heaven, a mere two hours after her birth.  I desperately wish we would have had longer, but am so very thankful for the time that we did have...  Our sweet baby Faith is with Jesus now, where she will never know suffering, heartache, or pain.  We rest in the knowledge that our Lord and Savior does not make mistakes...  Faith is perfectly formed within His will - we do not understand why He saw fit to create her with such physical challenges, or to see fit to allow her life on this earth to be so very short - but we praise Him for the gift of her life, for the gift of the 28 weeks she grew within my womb, for the gift of her birth, and for the gift of time to hold her and love on her and have her gently pass in my arms.  Each of the children had a turn holding her - most twice - before she passed on from this world and into the Lord's eternal presence.

I praise Him because she was fearfully and wonderfully made - I praise Him for the gift of love and mercy that allowed us time with her still alive, before her death - I praise Him for her peaceful passing...  she was awake and even gave a small cry when she first came out of my womb, and she was able to move arms and legs somewhat while in TJ's and my arms, and then she went to sleep and stayed with us a while longer so that everyone had the ability to say hello as well as goodbye - all gifts, all treasured memories, even with as hard as this day has been.

Thank you so much for your continued prayers through this pregnancy...  through this birth, and now through this time of grieving.  We appreciate you and your loving prayer support as we have walked this painful journey.