Monday, April 6th

Well, Josie Lynn Marie Hooks was born on February 12th, 2009 ( 13 weeks early) at 9:28 p.m . She weighed 1 pound and 15 ounces and was 13 3/4 inches long. Not at all what we we were expecting.
Josie was born 13 weeks early because I developed severe preeclampsia. We found out that I had this on a Friday and Josie was born on the following Thursday via c-section.
Dr. Binkiewicz sent me to Canton to Aultman Hospital, because he said that is where Josie had the best chance of survival at, due to the fact that she would be so early. That was the longest ride of my life. I had no idea if this little girl that I had felt move, kick, and hiccup for the last 6 months inside of me was going to bebale to survive or not. The fear was really setting in. I arrived in Canton, and immediately had family surrounding us, which we are so thankful for. Immediately we had ultrasounds, and all different types of medicine to try and keep me from going into labor, and Dr.'s were coming out of the woodwork. We had no time to think, now we just had to listen, and hope and pray that our little baby girl was strong enough to make it.
So here we are 7 weeks and 4 days later and our little miracle baby Josie is doing well. We had a rough few weeks in there. Josie developed 2 infections, and was put on numerous antibiotics to try and fight these infections, but the Dr.'s kept telling us that they could not guarantee us anything, and that they might not beable to do anything for Josie, but deep down, I knew that she would pull through. She is my little fighter, and she had made it the first few weeeks already, and she was going to get through this, with all of her family right by her side.
She was put on a ventilator, so that all she needed to do was rest, and the vent would do all the work for her, and she just needed to rest and let the antibiotics do thier job. After 4 weeks on the vent, and numerous rounds of antibiotics and 6 douses of steroids, Josie is infection free!!! She has been off the vent for three days, and was put on c- pap, and is doing GREAT!!
The Dr's have told us that there goal is to have her off the c-pap by the end of the week!
We were able to get her dressed for the first time on Sunday, and that was an amzing feeling. Just to see her with clothes on and with that little purple bow in her hair was priceless! I think I took 1,000 pictures.
She will be coming out of the isolette and going into a small crib in a day or two, and that will be another milestone down, and 1 step closer to home.
We, the Hooks family, Dusty, SueAnn, Easton and Josie would like to thank everyone for all their prayers, thoughts and concerns, cards, adn letters of encouragement. They have meant so much to us. We have people that we don't even know, walk up to us, and tell us that Josie and our family is on their prayer list at Church, and we truely believe that it has been Josie's strength, and the power of prayer that has gotten us through this. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts.