This Is Our Prayer...

Big day for Lia today at CMC. She had her marathon preop day, and she did great. Here's a little recap on what we did...

Starting out and waiting for them to call our name...

First stop...X-ray. 

Next...lab draw. She never flinched. Heart patient of the year...I am amazed by her. 

This lady was swift and sure with the needle. Thankful for her ...

Joann the Nurse Practitioner was awesome. She explained everything about tomorrow, did an assessment on Lia, and took us on a tour of the CVICU. 

Next, we met with Chelsea the Child Life Specialist. She and Lia played with lots of stuff in her box, and she was able to listen to her heart. 

We visited the trains....for the thousandth time  ;-)

Ate a little lunch...

Played a little as we waited on Dr Forbess...

Played some more...waited some more.

And did some huggin.  

We finally met with Dr Forbess, her heart surgeon.  He went over some things and we signed all the scary consents. 

So that was our long, but okay day at Children's. We will arrive back in the morning at 6 to check in. All of Lia's labs and X-rays looked good.  She is healthy, she is strong. It's time. And we are ready. 

We came home to sweet friends who are holding us up by pitching in with the boys, and dropping off gifts for the princess. All day long, I saw countless people from all aspects of our lives changing their profile pics on Facebook and sending words of encouragement. A good friend from work came over with two cards filled with well wishes and prayers from the BUMC NICU and money cards and cash for our family.  I have so many stories just like that. So many. I can feel His hugs and love through each and every one of you. Corey and I feel the love and encouragement and we are so grateful. I wish all of you could know what this feels like...because I am incapable of describing it. 

Sunday, we went forward at church and had our dear friend Greg read a letter. We chose him because he loves Lia. We chose him because he loves our family...  I know many of you weren't there to hear it, so I wanted to put it on here. This is our prayer for our sweet Lia:

Dear Saturn Road Family, 

    Lia's third open heart surgery, the Fontan, is scheduled for Thursday, May 30th.  We are asking you to pray for perfection.  We are asking for a perfect surgery with no hiccups.  Please pray for her surgeon,Dr. Forbess, and the entire medical team.  Please pray that we face this with unwavering strength and courage.  Pray that for us...Lia was already born with both of those things.  It's her parents and family who really need that prayer.  

    

    This time, we face this along with two much older, much more protective big brothers.  Please pray for the boys, who will no doubt be under many of your family's care and who will be anxious as well. We also ask for prayers for her cousins Kade and Blake, who treat her like their own little sister.

    We face this with a beautiful 4 year old little girl, with a personality as big as this world, who this time around has questions.  Although we have always talked about her “special heart”, and we have done our best to prepare her, we know she will very likely  wake up wondering what in the world has happened to her, and why her mommy and daddy didn't protect her from it.  

    We face this with faith that things will go well, but with fresh memories of sweet loved ones who faced the same, and we have lost.  

    With all that being said, we trust.  We trust in the One who created her exactly the way she was born.  On purpose...with a purpose.  He loves her so much.  We don't know much...but THAT we know.  

    You all have "prayed us through this journey" for 5 years now...and our family has been blessed far beyond what we even realize.  We will never be able to tell you how much we appreciate you being with us every step of the way.  We thank you for the prayers that we know will continue on behalf of our Lia.  

                            Sincerely,  

                                Corey and Lisa Stone

So that's what we are praying for and what we ask you to pray for us. 

I hope some day when we get to heaven, we are able to see "the prayer log"....The list of everyone who ever lifted our baby girl and our family up in prayer. I want to see it. I know it's amazing. God tells us to ask for what we want, and that's what we have done. 

Now, while you guys are praying for Lia in the days to follow, please pray for another courageous, strong, amazing lady....Sara Laminack. She has been fighting cancer for well over a year, and has a big surgery of her own on Friday at MD Anderson. She is one of the strongest people I know.

Thank you all again for everything you've done for us...and for everything you are yet to do. 

I believe this is the week of miracles.