Lillian Jean Johnson was born at 12:52 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 20 at Willamette Falls Hospital in Oregon City. She was born by C-section. She was 7 pounds and 12 ounces and 19 1/2 inches long.

It was discovered late Thursday that she was having trouble breathing. So doctors took X-rays and determined that she had a small hole in her lung. This happens about 15-percent of the time with C-section babies.

The hole allowed air to enter into her chest cavity, a condition called pneumothorax, and had her respiration rate up around 70-90 when it should be between 30-60. She was getting enough oxygen, as they had a couple of sensors on her feet to make sure.

Doctors advised us Thursday evening that if the condition didn't start correcting itself by Friday afternoon, Lilly would be taken to Legacy Emanuel to have a tube put in her chest to relieve the pressure until the hole closed.

No surgery was necessary, but she did have to stay in the nursery and away from Cindy's suite. Every couple of hours Cindy would get out of bed, walk to the nursery and breast feed Lilly.

As of Saturday morning doctors said the hole had all but closed and there was much less air in her chest cavity. She is still having a little difficulty breathing, but they think that's just because of the initial trauma.

Sunday afternoon she was allowed to be brought into our suite and hung out with us for about two hours. She was breathing fine, although now she is not eating enough and is down around 6 pounds 15 ounces -- roughly 10 percent of her birth weight.

There is some concern now about Jaundice, so she is under something called a Billy Light tonight. It gives her artificial sunlight and helps her get rid of toxins in her system -- I believe. I am still reading up on it.

With any luck they are going to release us tomorrow and we can have Lilly home for Christmas Eve. They are not promising that though, it will depend on how her breathing and Jaundice is.

Cindy is doing wonderfully well, eating solid food and walking around the ward quite a bit.
We are both pretty tired from the stress of the initial diagnosis and not being able to sleep.

I am hoping to get home tonight and get some rest before tomorrow -- I have been trying to get home each evening to tuck Violet into bed.

I will post more pictures as I have time to edit them down.

Merry Christmas.

Pat, Cindy, Lilly and Violet

P.S. I got transferred to The Silverton Appeal, which is closer to home, and the little car got running and I have been using it. I am slowly trying to talk Cindy into a Toyota 4X4 Pickup, but we will see. :)