Week 30 (January 12th)
This week is a special week around the Vogtman home as we celebrate the birth of our third child, Buggy! Her first name, we just don't blog about to keep some kind of privacy, but I'll tell you that her middle name is Faith. Her first name means "precious" and that she is - an example of Precious Faith.
Long story short, Buggy started out her little life in womb with major complications of her heart. Over the course of our pregnancy her heart rate never reached above 90 beats per minute. Just to compare, the average heart rate is between 120 and 160. About ever other week we went for ultra sounds to even see if she was growing and alive. At one point it was considered to give her a pacemaker during pregnancy or directly after birth. It was a difficult time of waiting, hoping, and trusting in the Lord that no matter what happened, He was in control. Many times during the pregnancy I was afraid to be excited about this child being that the odds were she wasn't going to make it or have a very rough road ahead. Our doctor told us at the beginning that this would be one of those "walking on eggshells" type of experiences. Many, many prayers and steps of faith went out for her, and that's where she gets her middle name, "Faith." Buggy was born at full term with her heart complications. About 2 hours later she was doing poor and taken to a hospital with a specialist able to test her more accurately than at our local branch. My in-laws and our 2 older children were on their way to the hospital to meet Buggy for the first time. I asked the nurse if they could wait just 15 minutes before taking Buggy because her family was on their way to meet her. I honestly thought it would be the only chance they'd get to see her. They said she had to go 'now' and I made the phone call to tell the family not to come, she wasn't here.
What we didn't expect was that I too would also have complications with kidney stones and spinal headaches (that is a really long story too) but it kept me from being released from the hospital to join Buggy in her ambulance ride to another facility. Daddy went with her and I was alone. Those next hours were the worst times of my life. I called my mom to tell her the news with a choked up voice. There have been heart problems in the past with members of our family, and loved ones passed away. I'm sure those emotions came rushing forward. I remember lying in bed and looking at the clock just praying that the minute hand would pass around the clock one full circle without having any more bad news. Just one minute. I watched it. Things had piled up that quickly - all at once that bad news just flooded from everywhere and unexpected directions too. I remember praying and listening to the other babies crying in the background knowing that the nurse was taking them to their mommies, but that none of those cries were my baby's cry. I really thought I had kissed her goodbye.
Prayers, and prayers, and the only peace out of the moment was the strength given by the Lord. There was nothing else. Buggy and daddy spent some time at the hospital before she would be released to come home. She was stable and her oxygen levels were great, so despite the three measurable holes and several pin holes found in her heart, she would be coming home with no medications and no immediate surgery. Praise the Lord and what a miracle!!
Buggy has brought us such an appreciation for life that I can't give words to describe how her birth experience changed us. For five years she visited the "jelly doctor" as she calls him since they put the jelly on her chest before doing the ultrasounds to check her heart. Every visit has been amazing in that she has never taken any medications and that 'somehow' her heart adapts for the holes and sustains her very well. The last appointment we had was the breaking news we had been waiting for for 5 years. Five years of every 6 months appointments and every year wondering if this would be the year for open heart surgery. But the Lord has truly healed her! Numerous times really! This time her holes closed enough to be out of risks and the praise report was that she did not need surgery.
Life is precious. Every moment and every rotation the second hand spins around the clock. It is truly a gift from the Lord. We rely on Him in every passing second. We've experienced that. Through Buggy's journey, we know what it means to have nothing but the hope in the Lord and faith in His goodness.
This week we celebrated, and oh how we celebrated! Buggy turned 6 years old and is a princess through and through. She is healthy, spunky, independent, and a fun-lovin' gal. We celebrated with friends and family who have been with us through her journey since pregnancy and I want to thank them for all the prayers that they lifted up for "Precious Faith", Buggy. There is a story in the Bible in Mark that tells of a man who was paralyzed. His friends gathered around him, lifted him up, and took him to see Jesus. Jesus was swarmed with people who had come to listen to his teaches, wanted to be healed, or were curious about this man. The friends climbed the roof, and cut a hole in it before lowering down their paralyzed friend. Jesus said to the man on the cot, "because of their faith, you are healed." This is how I feel about my friends and family around me and Buggy. As I was 'paralyzed' and stuck with no words to say, they brought Buggy to the feet of Jesus and she was healed! We thank God for her life and for the blessing that she is each day.
This week is a special week around the Vogtman home as we celebrate the birth of our third child, Buggy! Her first name, we just don't blog about to keep some kind of privacy, but I'll tell you that her middle name is Faith. Her first name means "precious" and that she is - an example of Precious Faith.
Long story short, Buggy started out her little life in womb with major complications of her heart. Over the course of our pregnancy her heart rate never reached above 90 beats per minute. Just to compare, the average heart rate is between 120 and 160. About ever other week we went for ultra sounds to even see if she was growing and alive. At one point it was considered to give her a pacemaker during pregnancy or directly after birth. It was a difficult time of waiting, hoping, and trusting in the Lord that no matter what happened, He was in control. Many times during the pregnancy I was afraid to be excited about this child being that the odds were she wasn't going to make it or have a very rough road ahead. Our doctor told us at the beginning that this would be one of those "walking on eggshells" type of experiences. Many, many prayers and steps of faith went out for her, and that's where she gets her middle name, "Faith." Buggy was born at full term with her heart complications. About 2 hours later she was doing poor and taken to a hospital with a specialist able to test her more accurately than at our local branch. My in-laws and our 2 older children were on their way to the hospital to meet Buggy for the first time. I asked the nurse if they could wait just 15 minutes before taking Buggy because her family was on their way to meet her. I honestly thought it would be the only chance they'd get to see her. They said she had to go 'now' and I made the phone call to tell the family not to come, she wasn't here.
What we didn't expect was that I too would also have complications with kidney stones and spinal headaches (that is a really long story too) but it kept me from being released from the hospital to join Buggy in her ambulance ride to another facility. Daddy went with her and I was alone. Those next hours were the worst times of my life. I called my mom to tell her the news with a choked up voice. There have been heart problems in the past with members of our family, and loved ones passed away. I'm sure those emotions came rushing forward. I remember lying in bed and looking at the clock just praying that the minute hand would pass around the clock one full circle without having any more bad news. Just one minute. I watched it. Things had piled up that quickly - all at once that bad news just flooded from everywhere and unexpected directions too. I remember praying and listening to the other babies crying in the background knowing that the nurse was taking them to their mommies, but that none of those cries were my baby's cry. I really thought I had kissed her goodbye.
Prayers, and prayers, and the only peace out of the moment was the strength given by the Lord. There was nothing else. Buggy and daddy spent some time at the hospital before she would be released to come home. She was stable and her oxygen levels were great, so despite the three measurable holes and several pin holes found in her heart, she would be coming home with no medications and no immediate surgery. Praise the Lord and what a miracle!!
Buggy has brought us such an appreciation for life that I can't give words to describe how her birth experience changed us. For five years she visited the "jelly doctor" as she calls him since they put the jelly on her chest before doing the ultrasounds to check her heart. Every visit has been amazing in that she has never taken any medications and that 'somehow' her heart adapts for the holes and sustains her very well. The last appointment we had was the breaking news we had been waiting for for 5 years. Five years of every 6 months appointments and every year wondering if this would be the year for open heart surgery. But the Lord has truly healed her! Numerous times really! This time her holes closed enough to be out of risks and the praise report was that she did not need surgery.
Life is precious. Every moment and every rotation the second hand spins around the clock. It is truly a gift from the Lord. We rely on Him in every passing second. We've experienced that. Through Buggy's journey, we know what it means to have nothing but the hope in the Lord and faith in His goodness.
This week we celebrated, and oh how we celebrated! Buggy turned 6 years old and is a princess through and through. She is healthy, spunky, independent, and a fun-lovin' gal. We celebrated with friends and family who have been with us through her journey since pregnancy and I want to thank them for all the prayers that they lifted up for "Precious Faith", Buggy. There is a story in the Bible in Mark that tells of a man who was paralyzed. His friends gathered around him, lifted him up, and took him to see Jesus. Jesus was swarmed with people who had come to listen to his teaches, wanted to be healed, or were curious about this man. The friends climbed the roof, and cut a hole in it before lowering down their paralyzed friend. Jesus said to the man on the cot, "because of their faith, you are healed." This is how I feel about my friends and family around me and Buggy. As I was 'paralyzed' and stuck with no words to say, they brought Buggy to the feet of Jesus and she was healed! We thank God for her life and for the blessing that she is each day.
Happy Birthday!!
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