Dear Amigos and Familia,

We hope you all had a wonderful and Merry Christmas!  We visited Lucie twice yesterday, she had her first long-distance FaceTime sessions with her grandparents, aunts, uncles, great aunts, great uncles, great grandpas and cousins!  Thank God for technology!! 

Dear Fam,

First of all, MERRY CHRISTMAS and happy 1 Week birthday to Lucie!! Even though we haven't had the chance to respond to each of you, your prayers and encouraging emails have been so appreciated by us. They help us get through the days and keep our eyes on the Lord as we push through this.

Dear Family & Friends,

I want to share this verse that has been on our hearts through this entire process. Jeremiah 29 :11 "For I know the plans I have for you, declares The Lord. Plans to prosper you and NOT TO HARM YOU, plans to give you hope and a future." My father reminded me of this verse this morning and it has been resounding in my heart throughout the day. I guess God was prepping me for this afternoon. 

So, we are starting to understand what they mean by this is going to feel like a "roller coaster" ride... here's another very wordy update...

I know not everyone who reads these updates  knows us on a super personal level, but this past week has changed all that.  We cannot imagine what it would be like to go through any of this, first, without faith in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and second, without your prayers and support. 

Dear Family & Friends, 

Today was a hard day. Insurance! Am I right?! That's what we had to deal with first thing, after hours on the phone we were finally able to rent a "Hospital Grade" breast pump. (Sorry dudes on this email for the lingo, but that's what you have to look forward to... 

All is calm, all is bright with our little Christmas Carolyn (see what I did there?). 

Literally bright though becaaaaause she is back under the light, with her shades on, to continue to help her skin strengthen. They have started Lucie on "Indomethocin" to help the duct in her heart, causing the murmur, to close on its own. Ironically this is what Drea was taking to stop contractions, but she couldn't take too much because while baby is inside you want that open. 

HO-LY Smokes! The touch of a child is great but to feel your OWN child for the first time is just wow. I can't wait to hold her, Drea and I already have such a crush and are madly in love with our Little Lu! 

Dear Family & Friends,

 Today has been such a great day! The doctors have this "tube thingy" shoved down my throat, but I keep trying to tell them: "I GOT THIS!" Let's take these training wheels off and do this thang they call "life". I got to see my mommy for the first time today since I left my comfort zone, and she is even more beautiful than I remember.

Good Evening Family,

Today has been a looooonng day. Thank you all so much for your prayers and support. Lucille is doing great inside the NICU and we feel like we can already see her getting some color. She is on a machine to help her breathe, but is doing it herself more than half of the time.

Hi family!

Thank you all for your prayers! It's a girl! Lucille Carolyn Hickson. She is 1lb 11oz which is considered big for 24wks. She was able to breathe on her own and her heart was working on its own, which is a huge answer to prayer! Thank you thank you thank you!