Parke Henry Gibson...Day 3!

We brought Parke home from the hospital last night. Birth mother had to stay because she lost a lot of blood and was receiving a transfusion. Please be in prayer for her to recover and be released today. She is one of the strongest and most kind people I have ever met. 

We have been in a state of bliss having Parke with us the past few days. He is defying all sorts of odds, and I love seeing how strong he is. The local doctors told us he probably wouldn't eat on his own...he has taken at least 20 great bottles. We were told he would probably be a blue or gray in color...he is the most beautiful shade of pink/brown that I have ever seen! His real struggles will likely begin if the natural hole in his heart (all newborns are apparently born with this) closes. This normally happens in the first 48-72 hours. In rare cases, the hole doesn't close, and that is what we are praying for. Yes, Parke has other issues, but this is his next hurdle. One of his problems is that the left side of his heart is non-functioning. Right now, with the hole, the right side is functioning as the whole heart....and that could continue as long as the hole is open. 

The amazing thing is that without the ultrasound and additional scan information, everyone would think he was a totally healthy baby. The nurses who cared for him said that he looks and sounds exactly like the other babies in the nursery. When they listen to his heart, it sounds normal. Without his issues being caught in the ultrasound, we would still not know that he has any problem. They would have sent him home as a totally healthy baby and then we would have run into some issues if things started to deteriorate and change. I have been constantly thanking God for giving us the information ahead of time and the ability to prepare accordingly for things that may happen. 

Parke is already a total miracle, and we have had precious time with him that we didn't know if we would get. We are so thankful for our sweet time together with him and the birth family. We spent an hour and a half with just the birth parents and Parke last night before we left the hospital. It was one of my favorite moments so far. The birth mom told me she loved me, and it made my heart melt. I have told her a lot, but to feel it go both ways was amazing. They loved on baby Parke and told us his features that looked like their other children. They decided to put him up for adoption because they could not afford to care for a 5th child...I saw their struggle to let him go yesterday, and that makes me so thankful that this has become a totally open situation. As hard as it was, we told them they could keep him if they wanted and that we would continue to support them anyway they needed. They both agreed that he was our baby, and wanted him to leave to come to our home. They will likely come visit when she is released from the hospital, and we will continue to keep them involved as much as they desire. We love that Parke has two families that are absolutely crazy about him! 

We have had tons of visitors today. I love hearing everyone tell us how precious he is...because HE IS! I can't believe how stinkin' sweet everything about him is.

I am going to share lots of pictures below. I know I am not saying everything I want to, but I have to hurry to go steal Parke back from Micah. :) 

Thank you for your continued prayers...keep them coming! God is amazing and is showing us his mercies one after another. 

By the way, I wasn't going to share pictures of the birth mom with you guys, but when I was uploading a picture at the hospital, she said, "Is that Facebook? Tag me in the picture!" Ha! So...I know she doesn't care, and she is absolutely precious. 

I have a lot of other pictures to share with you from being home from the hospital, but that is all for now. :) Pray sweet friends!