My best friend was due with her first child on 3/5/07. We both work at the same company, and her department had asked me to make a cake for her surprise baby shower. As if having an extremely difficult first pregnancy, and finding out that their baby girl would be born with a heart defect wasn't enough, baby Sophia Michelle was born 8 weeks early, on 1/12/07. She was born at a tiny 2 lbs, 12 ozs, and went in to surgery within the first 24 hours of her life to fix her esophagus that wasn't connected, her intestines that started and stopped multiple times, and a problem with her belly button.

She's still in the hospital and has survived many "I don't think she's going to make it" statements from the doctors. Sophia has 2 holes in her heart and a 90% blockage of the aorta that will be fixed in surgery this week. Her lungs are so weak and filled with fluid that the surgeons cannot prolong the surgery any more. She just finished a turn with menigitis, and is now fighting off pneumonia. It has been a struggle for my best friend and her husband as they hear negativity day in and day out from the doctors, but they remain faithful that God is going to perform a miracle.

So, my friend came back to work 2 weeks ago, and it has been hard for her to adjust not being by her baby's bedside at the hospital. Her co-workers decided that to support her and let her know we are praying right along side her and expectant, they were going to throw her a shower. Earlier that week, my friend and I were talking about whether or not Sophia was coming home, and if she should plan on having showers. She asked if we could sometime throw her a "faith shower", which I guess is what we did.

I made the ducky cake (in my photos), and her co-workers did a lovely job of deocrating and providing lunch. When my friend walked in, she was surprised and silently walked to her seat and tearfully smiled and said thank you. She kept looking at her ducky cake and smiling and saying "that's a nice cake!" with tears in her eyes. She was showered with lots of gifts and cards - the hardest part was that she read off each Bible verse that people quoted in their cards - it was such a sweet and emotional time, and all of us ladies cried through the whole thing.

I am so honored to have been a part of the shower and to make something that truly blessed the mother. She has been hurting and struggling, and soley relying on God this whole time. For those of you that pray, I would ask that you keep little Sophia in your prayers. She sure needs it, and has a long road to recovery, but we know that with God, all things are possible. If you would like to read more on Sophia's story, and if I may post the website, please go to: www.caringbridge.org/visit/sophiamichelle

Thank you,
Kim

In my prayers.

I will be praying for them all. May God Bless them all & give them strength & comfort as they all face this ordeal. Please keep us posted.

Praying as I read!!

Crying as I read!
I will be sure to keep her in my prayers!!

Prayers sent. How lucky she is to have you for a best friend and to have such caring co-workers. I'm sure the faith shower meant a lot to her.

I will definitely say a prayer for their family! May God bless them and keep them in His care.

Please tell your friend that God can and God will!! My cousin had her first son at 24 weeks. The doctor handed him to her and told her that he wasn't old enough to save and she held him while he died. She got pregnant again and had her second son at the exact same gestational age to the day. Well, we begged and pleaded with them to try and save him, and they did. We heard the same thing your friend is hearing right now. We went through so many "he's not going to live through the night" statements.

Well, praise be to God that he is 2 years old now and into EVERYTHING!!

Oh, I can't even imagine. Your friend needs so much support and encouragement right now and when the little one comes home, I'm sure with the medical issues the same will hold true even then.
The shower was a wanderful idea and so thoughtful. Do tell her and her family that they are all in our prayers.
Only the best of wishes and hopes,

They will be in my thoughts and prayers. I'm also asking for prayers for my cousin's twin boys. They were born at 26 weeks. They had twin twin transfusion and are having a very rough time also. It breaks my heart seeing these precious babies struggling like this. I can't imagine what the parents have to go through.

Here is my cousin's boys site if anyone wanted to take a look and maybe say a prayer for them also.

http://www.caringbridge.org/cb/inputSiteName.do?method=search&siteName=emmetandnoahrudningen

Here is a poem that someone left for my cousin in her journal at the caring bridge website. Maybe your friend would want to read it if she hasn't already.

How Preemie Moms Are Chosen
(Adapted from Erma Bombeck)

Did you ever wonder how the mothers of premature babies are chosen? Somehow, I visualize God hovering over Earth, selecting his instruments for propagation with great care and deliberation. As he observes, he instructs his angels to take notes in a giant ledger. 'Beth Armstrong, son. Patron Saint, Matthew. Marjorie Forrest, daughter. Patron Saint, Celia. Carrie Rutledge, twins. Patron Saint ... give her Gerard. He's used to profanity.' Finally, he passes a name to an angel and smiles. 'Give her a preemie.'

The angel is curious. 'Why this one, God? She's so happy.'

'Exactly,' smiles God. 'Could I give a premature baby a mother who knows no laughter? That would be cruel.'

'But does she have the patience?' asks the angel.

'I don't want her to have too much patience, or she'll drown in a sea of self-pity and despair. Once the shock and resentment wear off, she'll handle it. I watched her today. She has that sense of self and independence so rare and so necessary in a mother. You see, the child I'm going to give her has a world of its own. She has to make it live in her world, and that's not going to be easy.'

'But Lord, I don't think she even believes in you.'

God smiles. 'No matter, I can fix that. This one is perfect. She has just the right amount of selfishness.'

The angel gasps, 'Selfishness?! Is that a virtue?'

God nods. 'If she can't separate herself from the child occasionally, she will never survive. Yes, here is a woman whom I will bless with a child less than perfect. She doesn't know it yet, but she is to be envied. She will never take for granted a spoken word. She will never consider a step ordinary. When her child says 'mama' for the first time, she will be witness to a miracle and know it. I will permit her to see clearly the things I see ignorance, cruelty, prejudice and allow her to rise above them. She will never be alone. I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life because she is doing my work as surely as she is here by my side.'

'And what about her Patron Saint?' asks the angel, his pen poised in the air. God smiles.

'A mirror will suffice.'

In my prayers as well. Thank you for sharing.

It's amazing how real God becomes, when God is all you have. I will keep this little baby in my prayers.

As I looked the website you posted, and saw that sweet little face, I began to cry. It brings back some bittersweet memories for me. My twins(who will be 15 this summer) were born pre-mature. Although big by the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit standards, they were sick. My son had to have an immediate blood transfusion due to the fact that he had given his ailing sister most of his. My daughter was a breech baby, and on top of that she inhaled while in the birth process, and her lungs were filled with amniotic fluid. We thought we had lost her in the delivery room.

When I saw that little baby in the pictures hooked up to all the tubes and wires, it just brought the site of my little babies so small and frail, flooding back. I was very lucky however, my babies problems were small compared to Sophia.

They are happy and healthy teen's now with all the regular things that go along with that age. In fact I wonder just where all that time has gone somedays......*sighs and feels really old*

Little Sophia will now be, no doubt, in all the prayers of those that know her or have met her via the internet. And a special prayer for her brave mommy and daddy. It takes all you have and then some to get through these kinds of things. Have faith, and know that there are many that are praying for you and your family........

Pass that along if you will dear....


Lisa

My family and I will be praying for Sophia and her family. I have a brother that was born with very similar heart problems as well as several of the other problems Sophia has. My mom and dad were told the same things as her parents. He is now 52 and just had surgery for his heart again in January and is doing great.
God Bless Her.

Wow. What a great mom Sophia has. To paise God in the storm. As I read her story on her page that song came to me by casting crowns...click here to here it.. http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=144825393 ...click on the song "Praise you in the storm". I hope that I would be able to give him so much golry in a time like this.

Kim ... I am so sorry for what your best friend is going through. I am in school, studying to be a NICU nurse, so preemie baby stories are always very close to my heart. Sweet little Sophia has overcome so many obstacles already, and I hope that she will continue to fight and get stronger. Babies (especially preemies) are such fighters!! It's amazing what they can endure and overcome. What a wonderful friend you are ... I'm sure she is so thankful to have you. I'm sending healthy, optimistic thoughts and wishes to your best friend. Please keep us updated on baby Sophia.

P.S. - I absolutely adore Caring Bridge. I follow lots and lots of children's stories on there, and I think it is just such an amazing website.

P.P.S. - flavacakes ... I'm sending well wishes to your cousin's little punkins, too. I LOVE that poem that you posted!!!!

Your friend may not know this right now but God has her and her baby in His loving arms. They are not alone and never will be.

Your friend is one brave lady and her baby sounds like a fighter. I pray that God will continue to bless both of them and give them the strength to get through these hard times.

Please keep us update on her and the baby.

I think you were a great person for giving the shower and making the cake. I'm sure it meant more to your friend then you will ever know.

With God all things ARE possible. Crying and praying as I send this. May Sophie be made whole in the name of the Lord.

Sophia and her family are in my prayers. God bless them all.

I just wanted to say thank you for all of your thoughts, prayers and stories. I am going to forward the link to this post to Stefani (my friend) so she can be encouraged by you all.

Little Sophia is always on my heart and mind and in my prayers. I am in awe of how God has used this little one and her parents to touch so many lives in such a short amount of time.

I am so glad that I could share with you all, and that your immediate response was an outpouring of faith and encouragement. Please keep her in your prayers as her heart surgery will be some time this week!

Thank you again and again,
Kim

Kim/Flavacakes - My prayers go out to you both and your friends and families. God is soooo great and his miracles are all around us.

I will keep Sophia and her family in my prayers. She's a beautiful little girl! May her family find the strength to keep going. Your friend is an amazing woman. I read so many entries on the website and she amazes me. My heart goes out to her.

oh my goodness....my heart is hurting for your friend and sweet little Sophia...all i can say is for her family to keep facing the sun with faith and God will pull them through this....a Faith Shower is a wonderful idea no matter what the circumstances are...she is sooooo blessed to have friends like you...

peace

Crystal

Flavacakes - don't take your post down! The twins need prayers too!

A beautiful cake for a beautiful person! She's lucky to have a friend like you! Let her know that she will be in our prayers!

Flavacakes- I just wanted you to know that I left a message in your cousins guestbook as well! Our prayers are with her and her/your family!

Crying and praying.........