God alone is Sovereign

1 Chronicles 29:11

Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all.

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Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Anna Grace - Update #2

Sorry it has taken me so long to update there has been much discussion and deliberation as to Anna Grace's care. Ultimately what was decided is that she will continue on the IV antibiotics until she loses the IV that is currently in her foot (they usually last about 3 days or so). Once she loses that IV (pending she contracts no other infection while we are at the hospital) then we will get to go home on an antibiotic called Sipero (sp?). So, basically we're just at the hospital trying to get as much IV antibiotic in her while this IV lasts.

As for the Portagen... we found a little work around. She doesn't like to drink the Portagen, but she will eat it mixed with Rice cereal. While rice cereal does have some fat in it, it is mininmal and they don't think it should cause an issue with her chylothorax - although they are going to follow her closely with chest xrays while we are here. They really want her drinking as much as she will, but her eating it with rice cereal is acceptable.

So, please be praying that the antibiotics kill her infection and she does not contract any other infection while we are here. Please also be praying that her eating the rice cereal is not an issue with her chylothorax.

Anna Grace - June 30

Last night was a long one. Anna Grace spiked a slight fever last night around 10:00 pm - it's standard protocol in the hospital if they run a fever to draw blood & send it off to see if there is an infection. So, about 10:30 last night Anna Grace had blood drawn. I haven't heard back about the results because the doctors have not yet made rounds, but my guess is no news is good news. There is another heart Mom on the floor who came to pray with me while they had taken Anna Grace to have her blood drawn. I was tired and amotional and just plain sad. It was a comfort to have this other heart Mom pray with me while I could hear my daughter screaming in the treatment room. It can be hard being a heart mom.

So, Anna Grace being the stubborn little thing that she is has decided she is not going to drink the Portagen. When we were at home she was drinking about 30 ounces of formula a day. In the last 24 hours she has only drank about 8 ounces of Portagen. I'm not sure what we are going to do about this. If she carries on for too long they will give her IV fluids to keep hydrated.

I just spoke with the nutritionist who said she needs a minimum of 22 ounces a day. I asked about skimming breast milk and mixing it with Portagen. It's an option. She's going to do some research and get back to me.

Please be praying the by the Lord's hand she will start to drink this formula. We just have to keep her on this for 6 weeks.....

As for her UTI - she is still on the IV antibiotics and they are researching oral antibiotcs that will treat this strain of bacteria. I hope to know more later.

I keep thinking if they would just let us go home I think she would eat better and recover better at home. Somthing to talk with the doctors about........

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Anna Grace - June 29 - Update #3

So... there's good news and bad news. The good news is that her chest tube and pacing wires have been removed. The bad news is that Anna Grace has a urinary tract infection as a result of the cathater. It's a rare strain of bacteria and they are not sure if there is oral medication to treat it. They are going to start her IV antibiotics for it today and then send another urine culture off tomorrow to be analyzed. Please be praying that this antibiotic was kill the bacteria. Thank you.

Anna Grace - June 29 - Update #2

The nurse just came in and gave Anna Grace her morphine. She said that pulling the chest tube is a GO!!!!!!!!! Although Anna Grace will probably be sore today she'll be feeling much better tomorrow I'm sure. They're also going to take the pacing wires out of her heart as well as draw blood and do an echo. Big afternoon for our lttle Anna Grace. Please pray that it all goes smoothly.

Oh, she was also weaned off oxygen today so no more nasal cannula - hooray! Without oxygen Anna Grace's O2 sats are hovering around 81 or 82 - she's now a pink little girl instead of a blue little girl. :)

Anna Grace - June 29

The doctors just made rounds and Dr. Bradley's assistant was with them (he is currently in surgery). Anna Grace's morning chest x-ray showed no more fluid on her right lung and her chest tube output through the night was minimal. Dr. Bradley's assistant is going to recommend her chest tube be pulled today. So, once Dr. Bradley gets out of surgery he has to give the "OK" for this to happen. If it does happen today it won't be until later this afternoon. Having been in this place before I know not to count my chickens before they've hatched, but I am encouraged that her chest tube will be pulled this afternoon. THANK YOU JESUS, I am just so thankful Lord for this blessing.

As for our night last night, Anna Grace was restless last night and in pain. She is currently taking Oxycodone for pain every 4 hours, but even with this she is hurting. Please join us in praying for the Lord to ease her pain - it's tough as a Mom to see your child hurting so much. It makes me snap at the nurses and then I feel so bad. It's not their fault, they are just trying to help. I should know that you can't go through open heart surgery without there being pain involved - it is just so hard to watch.

When they remove her chest tube this afternoon they will give her morphine in addition to her oxycodone. They will also ask me to leave the room which really is a good thing.

So, thank you all for continuing to pray for Anna Grace. Please pray that her chest tube does get removed today and that each minute her pain lessens. Please pray for me as well to be a comfort to my child and to help her endure this time with a thankful heart and an attitude that shines the light of Jesus all over this ward :) (Clearly I have failed miserably at that last night).

Monday, June 28, 2010

Anna Grace - June 28 - Update #4

So... Anna Grace's birthday present today was that she got moved from PCICU to 7C. We are now settled comfortably into our new room on 7C. She was running a bit of a fever when we arrived down here and they ordered blood work & a urine culture to be sure she wasn't fighting any kind of an infection. Her temp has since gone down - I haven't found out yet what the labs showed, but my guess is that she was just worked up from the move & it made her hot.

Anyway, we are settling in for the night. I have made up my little couch with some blankets and a pillow and I have put my pajamas on. It's been nice seeing the nurses and doctors who we spent so much time with during our last stay at MUSC. Everyone has been raving about how big Anna Grace has gotten and how cute she is :)

So, again we are just praying over the fluid on her right lung and for chest tube drainage to stop. The quicker this resolves the quicker we can go home. Please also be praying that we can rest tonight - but we are in the hospital so chances are we'll be getting cat naps tonight.

I'll post again in the morning... good night!

Anna Grace - June 28 - Update #3

They kicked me out of PCICU because they are pulling Anna Grace's central line as well as her foley cathater. I'll go back in about 15 minutes & then we'll be headed to 7C. I'll probably make an updated later tonight after we get settled into our new digs :)

Anna Grace - June 28 - Update #2

So.... you may or may not be aware that today is Anna Grace's birthday. She is 6 months old today. Most people don't celebrate 6 month birthdays, but for us it is indeed a day for celebration and if she could have cake I would absolutley give it to her!

She is currently still in PCICU - they are planning on moving her this afternoon. While I have been with her this morning she ate 5 ounces of Portagen for me and had a HUGE bowel movement. I know she will one day hate that I ever posted that on the internet, but it is a VERY GOOD thing that her bowels are moving as they should.

She still has her groin lines in as they are still giving her some medications through them, but they will be removed once we get to the floor. I think they are planning on keeping her on oxygen a little while longer as her sats drop LOW when she is unhappy. Personally, I think she holds her breath when she is upset (hence the drop) but the nasal cannula doesn't seem to be bothering her too much.

She is on oxycodone for pain and she is taking it by mouth. She is still on Versaid for anxiety, which they will discontinue on we get on 7C. Of course she is on the dirutic and an antibiotic as well.

I'll try to make an update later today once we get to 7C.

Please continue to pray for the fluid on her lung to resolve and the chest tube drainage to stop so that she can lose her chest tube. Thank you.

Anna Grace - June 28

Anna Grace's chest x-ray showed the fluid has remained about the same, so the plan is to leave her existing chest tube and keep her on the diruetics.

Anna Grace took three bottles of Portagen last night so she seems to be making the switch to yucky Portagen well.

They will be removing Anna Grace's groin lines today and MOVING HER TO 7C today. Not sure what time the move is going to take place, but they said sometime today. I can't beleive it..... I am packing a bag and planning on moving into the hospital starting today.

So, she still has pacing wires in her chest, a chest tube, an IV and the nasal cannula but we are moving in the right direction.

Please continue praying about the fluid on her lung and that all chest tube drainage will stop so we can lose the chest tube. We know we have to be on Poratgen for 6 weeks, but now that Anna Grace is older she can also eat baby food fruits & veggies because they are fat free so I am hoping it will be a little easier this time around.

Thank you for continuing to pray. We are thankful.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Anna Grace - June 27

Sorry for the late update tonight. I didn't take my computer to the hospital today so I am now back at the townhouse and am just now being able to update you on how our little one is doing.

So... Anna Grace has been diagnosed with Chylothorax. Ugh.... so she is back on Portagen again. Please join us in praying that the drainage from her chest will cease now that we have made the switch to Portagen AND that she will drink it and be able to keep from vomiting the Portagen.

Also, Anna Grace has some fluid on her right lung. The doctors have hit her hard with diruetics today to try to get her body to release that fluid. It can basically go either way for her with this - if her upcoming chest x-ray (at 4:00 am) shows more fluid on her lung then they will add another chest tube - if the fluid on her lung is gone then we might possibly be able to get moved out of PCICU to 7C in the next day or so. Please be praying that the Lord resolves the fluid on her lung and that her upcoming chest x-ray shows NO MORE FLUID ON HER LUNG.

She is also having a rash which they are treating with Benadryl. Please be praying this resoolves as well.

As you can imagine Anna Grace is in a good bit of pain. The doctors are trying to find the fine line of keeping her comfortable but awake enouugh to eat onher own and keep her O2 sats at an acceptable level. She has been really unhappy while awake and has had to have her arms restrained because she kept pulling on lines. It is really hard as a Mom to see her like that - restained and crying. I can't hold her - I can't really console her and now she can't even have milk to console her she has to eat yucky old Portagen. Ugh... this is a tough season. Please be praying for healing for Anna Grace and for me as her Mom to be able to rest in the Lord's timing and in His will.

Thank you friends!

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Anna Grace - June 26

Let me start by saying thank you to everyone who is posting comments on our BLOG and sending us e-mails. We can't respond to everyone, but please know that we are reading your comments and e-mails and we sincerely appreciate you taking the time to "drop us a note" of encouragement. We thank you for walking the journey with us.

Now.... to update you on Anna Grace. She has been in some pain as you would expect and the doctors have been trying to keep that under control with medication. Her nurse last night said she was VERY UPSET to wake up with the vent in. Thankfully this morning about 9:00 am they were able to extubate her. Her blood gases and been good since extubation so as long as that continues to remain good then they are going to let me try to feed her a few ounces of milk around 2:00 today.

Her chest x-ray this morning showed that her lungs "were wet" so they have given her a diruetic to help her body release that fluid. Her face is still swollen along with her eyes, but overall she looks good. Well... that's relative really. She looks better than she did after her Norwood.

She has lots of tubes in her right now.... pacing wires, chest tube, RA line, groin lines and an IV in her foot as well as a nasal cannula for some supplemental oxygen. We are praying that over the next 24-48 hours she will be able to start losing some of those.

We won't know about the Chylothorax until we start feeding her food so I imagine that if she is able to start eating today we'll start to see evidence of chylothorax (if she has it) within about 24 hours.

Please continue to pray with us about the chylothorax, pray that is is able to take food by mounth and keep it down, pray that the pressures in her head will not cause her too much pain, pray that her body is able to release the excess fluid it is retaining, pray that her white blood cell count remains normal and that she maintains a normal body temperature.

Thank you friends. We will try to make another update tonight before bed time.

Friday, June 25, 2010

Anna Grace - June 25 - Update #7

Brian and I just met with Dr. Bradley. They are getting Anna Grace settled in PCICU as we speak. We can go see her at 3:15 today.

Dr. Bradley said that Anna Grace had very desnse scar tissue so he had a hard time getting through it, but that surgery went smoothly with no problems. He was able to do the three repairs which he wanted to do : (1) Removing the shunt and suturing the SVC to the pulmoary artery, (2) patching the artery to the left lung, and (3) patching the "y" connection to the aorta. He said they did an echo at the end and that it looked good. Right now Anna Grace is asleep and is stable. He was able to close her chest as well.

Let's just all PRAISE THE LORD together right now for HIS good favor upon Anna Grace today during surgery. We are so thankful!

As you would expect she still has a long road to recovery and there is still much to be in prayer for, but one big hurdle has been crossed today and we are thankful.

Please be praying for no chlyothorax, that she remains stable, that she can come off the ventilator soon, that the doctors will be able to manage her pain well and that there would be no infection or fever.

We will keep you updated as we know more. Thank you prayer warriors!

Anna Grace - June 25 - Update #6

New update. 1:39 pm

"They are coming off heart lung bypass and all is going well. Have about an hour to go"

We probably won't get any more pager updates. Dr. Bradley will debrief us after he is completed with surgery.

Anna Grace - June 25 - Update #5

Recevied another page - "They are about 75% of the way there, all is going well"

Thank you for continuing to pray.

As we wait in the PCICU waiting room we have our parents here, a friend from Crossbridge Ministries is here, and a friend of Brian's from Spartnburg has come to be with us. We are surrounded by friends and family today as well as our fellow prayer warriors who are reading our BLOG. We are thankful.

P.S. - Zachary & Miss B are on their way here as well. Miss. B said that she & Zachary have been stopping throughout the day to pray for Anna Grace.

Anna Grace - June 25 - Update #4

Just received another page - 11:07am.

"They are still working away, about half way there. Anna remains very stable".

Thank you friends for continuing to pray, pray, pray!!!!!!

Anna Grace - June 25 - Update # 3

Pager updated #2 - 10:07 am

"They are working away in the OR, all is well."

Thank you all for continuing to pray for Anna Grace - these are critical moments for her.

Anna Grace - June 25 - Update #2

9:15 am - Just got our first page.

"All is going well in the OR, baby Anna Grace is very stable, they will soon be on heart/lung bypass, will send hourly updates until they are finished".

Anna Grace - June 25

Today is surgery day. We are at the hospital ... it is now 6:30 am and Anna Grace has been taken back to anesthesia. We are back in the all too familiar PCICU Waiting room. Someone should be in shortly to give us our pager - that is how we will stay updated on Anna Grace's progress during surgery today.

We arrived here at 5:30 this morning to check in. Anna Grace was hungry, but doing pretty well overall. When they took us back to get her vitals and get her changed into a gown they gave her some type of "happy medicine" orally. I don't know what it was, but they were able to get her O2 sats and blood pressure checked without her crying. O2 sats were 68 today..... just a big indication that she needs this surgery. We took some pictures of her and cuddled and hugged on her. Brian prayed over her before they took her away. They allowed her to take her favorite pink blanket and one of her stuffed animals to the OR.

As you can imagine, this is hard for us. It really is hard to hand your baby over for surgery. We are trusting the Lord - He is soverign over everything. We are entrusting our baby to HIM.

Please pray for Anna Grace today as you think about her. Pray that Dr Bradley can do all that he needs to do today and that there are no complications with anesthesia (heart/lung bypass), no complications with the surgery, no chylothorax and no stroke. Also, I want to mention that this surgery will change the pressures in her head (her pressures are very low right now) and this will cause severe headaches for her as her body adjusts in addition to the trauma of surgery. Please be praying that her little body will tolerate the pressure changes well.

I would also like to mention a PRAISE to the LORD today.... Anna Grace's rash completley cleared up. When she woke up this morning the rash was GONE - thank you for praying over this for her.

We will keep you updated throughout the day today.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Anna Grace - June 24

We are back the the townhouse... pre-op work is all done. We arrived at the hospital this morning at 8:00 am and did all of our admission paperwork and then headed up to the 6th floor to "Same Day" for our pre-op work. When we got off the elevator on the 6th floor I saw a woman standing in the hall. I thought to myslef... "she sure does look a lot like my friend Mrs. D" As I got closer I thought, "she really does look like Mrs. D" and what do you know.... it was my friend Mrs. D... all the way from Spartanburg to see us. I really only had about 2 minutes to speak to her before we had to head to "Same Day" but what a treat to have my friend come all the way to Charleston!

Anna Grace was a very brave girl today, but her stranger anziety is still in full force. She did not have to be sedated and she got her echo, her EKG and her blood work done. Her white blood cell count was NORMAL and surgery is a GO! She did however breakout in a yucky hive rash yesterday which I thought was a heat rash but the doctors today said it looked like "contact dermatitis" - which means she has come into contact with something she is allergic to. The more I think about it I think it is the laundry detergent which is used here at the townhouse... Tide. Note to self, do not buy Tide. It is not going to delay surgery and hopefully the rash will clear up once we get her to the hospital out of contact with the Tide.

After all our work up we talked with Dr Bradley, the surgeon. He explained what will happen in the surgery. He will be removing her shunt and suturing her Superior Vena Cava directly to her pulmonary artery. This will bring blue blood directly to her lungs. He said she also has a narrowing on the left pulmonary artery which he will enlarge by using a patch of human tissue. She also has a narrowing of the "Y" connection that was put connecting her aorta to her pulmonary artery so he will be putting a patch on that to make it larger as well. He said surgery tomororw will take about 6 hours. We have to be at the hospital tomorrow morning at 5:30 am. Anesthesia will take her back about 6:15 am or 6:30 am to start her anesthesia and get all the IV's and lines run and to get her intubated as well. Then she will be put on heart/lung bypass. Just like last time they will give us a pager anf give us updates about every hour with how she is doing during the surgery. After surgery she will go back to PCICU. Dr. Bradley said that most likely he will be able to close her chest at the conclusion of surgery tomorrow so we are praying that is the case and that her chest will not have to be left open. Amazingly... he said if all goes well we could be home in 10 days or so.....

So, there is a lot to be in prayer about..... please pray for Dr. Bradley and his team - this is a very major surgery, pray that Anna grace does well while on heart/lung bypass and that she can come off it with no problems, pray against chylothorax.

Thank you.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Zachary Update - June 23

Well, our leisurley day got a little chaotic. In his excitement to go the the pool Zachary was running around the townhouse and fell and split his chin open. As we speak Zachary, Brian & Miss B have gone to Nason Mecial (on reference from our Crossbridge Ministry contact) to most likely have his chin cleaned and glued (I don't think they do stitches for these things anymore). I am at the townhouse with Anna Grace. I told Brian he could pick staying home with the baby or taking Zachary. He picked Zachary. I think he's going to have a rougher time than me. I feel so bad for Zachary, we were having so much fun together. This is his first split chin - I'm sure it won't be the last. I feel bad that I'm not there to comfort him - I hope one day when he's 20 he doesn't say "remember when I was three I busted my chin and you weren't even there"! Mommy guilt.... no one tells you about Mommy guilt before you have a baby.

Please pray for Zachary as I'm sure he's hurting and a little scared right now. Please pray for Brian as he tries to comfort Zachary.

Anna Grace - June 23

So this morning has been leisurley. We thought we would be at the hospital today, but since surgery was postponed we rode bikes & went to the pool. Well.... Brian had to work, but me, Zach, Anna Grace & Miss. B had a leisurley morning.

Last night a very sweet & wonderful family from Crossbrisge Ministries here in Charleston brought us a meal so I didn't even have to cook last night. This ministry has been so sweet and supportive to our family, I can not say enouogh wonderful things about them. They have continued to pray for Anna Grace all these months and it is such a comfort to have them close by while we are so far from home.

Brian, Z & Miss B are at Walmoart right now buying a pool float & me & Anna Grace are hanging out the the townhome trying to stay away from germs.

Tomorrow begins our hospital journey so we are really loving having today to have FUN!

Oh... so let me introduce you all to Miss. B. (I did get her permission to BLOG about her). She is a college student who is helping us out during our stay in Charleston with Zachary. She also happens to be one of the daughters of the family who owns the townhome where we are staying. What a blessing this family has been to us. Zachary LOVES Miss. B - he loves having "his friend" to play with. The Lord has blessed her with such a compassionate heart... I can't wait to see where the Lord is going to use this young lady... we'll... He's already using her to minister to us.

We are just in awe about how the Lord has taken care of all the details of this "heart journey" with Anna Grace. He has taken such good care of us - physically, emotionally & spiritually. This is not an easy journey to walk, but we are thankful.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Anna Grace - June 22 - 2nd Update

We arrived in Charleston this morning about 9:00 am. Brian came with us and is going to have his Jeep repaired here in Charleston.

Shortly after arriving in Charleston today we received a call from MUSC saying that an emergency had come up and Anna Grace's surgery is being postponed until Friday (June 25). Everything remains the same excpet now we will do pre-op on Thursday & surgery on Friday.

Thanks for continuing to pray....

Monday, June 21, 2010

Anna Grace - June 22

Looks like the kids and I (and our sweet friend Miss. B) are leaving for Charleston on Tuesday morning at 5:00 am. It's early, but hoping the kids will sleep on the way down. Brian and I are driving seprately to Charleston. The back passenger window on Brian's Jeep broke today so he is going to take it to the Jeep dealership in Spartanburg on Tuesday morning in hopes that they can fix it before he goes down to Charleston. If not, then he will be driving down with a broken window & try to get it fixed while we're in Charleston. Not terrific timing, but hey, these things happen.

I spoke with MUSC today to confirm Anna Grace's pre-op appointment on Wednesday. No food after 3:00 am on Wednesday morning. We have to be at the hospital at 9:00 am on Wednesday. They said to expect to be there about 6 hours. Anna Grace will have to be sedated, but she will not have to be intubated. They will do an extensive echo, an EKG, blood work/labs and then we will talk with anesthesia, we will talk with the PCICU cardiologists and we will talk to Dr. Bradley, the surgeon. Wednesday will be a big day - signing all the consent forms. Ugh....

Thursday will be an even bigger day. As it stands right now, we are supposed to be at the hospital on Thursday morning at 6:00 am for surgery. I'll try to post Wednesday night after we talk with the doctors to confirm that, but that is the plan as of right now.

Thank you all for praying for our family - for Anna Grace - for Dr. Bradley and his team. See you in Charleston...... God is in control.

Anna Grace - June 21

Today is Monday & it has been a hectic day trying to get everything together to head to Charleston. As I type this post (at 5:30 pm) we are still not sure if we are leaving tonight or in the morning to head to Charleston. Brian is trying to get things wrapped up at the office and as one would expect it is hard to get everything completed.

So far Anna Grace appears to be well - no cold or cough so as far as I know things look good for surgery Thursday.

Thank you all for praying for us as we travel and settle into our "second home" in Charleston.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Anna Grace - June15

Anna Grace had a cardiologist appointment this morning. She did great and the doctor said she looked great as well. However, I told him about our family cold (Brian & I both have it now). He said that they will not do the surgery if Anna Grace has a cold so PLEASE pray that she can stay well for the next week until surgery. He said if she is symptomatic at all before we go to Charleston to call him and he will help us make the decision about driving down there or not. If she is not symptompatic then we are to go ahead & proceed as planned. One of her pre-op tests is a white blood cell count, if that is elevated then they will reschedule her surgery 4-6 weeks from then - enough time to allow her body to heal. Trusting the Lord with HIS timing in this, but please join us in praying that Anna Grace stays well. Thank you friends!

Monday, June 14, 2010

CHD Survivior


I saw this on another BLOG and thought that I needed it too.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Bentley's - June 13

I spoke to my husband this morning by telephone since he & Zachary are at Mee-Mee's house so as not to expose Anna Grace to his illness. He is feeling terrible still - and sounds worse today than yesterday. PLEASE pray for healing for his body. Not sure how we're going to manage his coming home with him still being ill and the work-week approaching. Quarantine is hard. Lord - give us discernment.

Friday, June 11, 2010

Virus???? - June 11

My sweet husband woke up with a sore throat today. Ugh..... so I think he and Zachary will be heading to Mee-mee's house tonight to stay through the weekend to help keep any possible virus he may have away from Anna Grace. Please be praying that this is just a sinus issue and not a virus - we are so close to surgery it is really critical that Anna Grace stay well for these next two weeks. Thankfully the Lord is soverign and if it is His will for Anna Grace to catch a virus then we will trust His plan. The Holy Spirit has really been convicting me these last few weeks about not trying to control things and to trust HIM - this is hard for me. It seems like the closer we get to surgery the more difficult this is for me. I had to spend some time on my knees today about this. Thank you Lord for forgiveness.

As for me.... my body is trying to adjust to not producing breast milk. It hasn't been going that well. I was told that putting cabbage leaves in your bra will help dry your milk up, so in desperation I went to Food Lion and bought a huge head of cabbage. I have been putting the cabbage leaves in my bra. It really stinks and I'm not sure if it is helping or not, but I have been a trooper and have been doing this diligently. Today I ran out of cabbage so I had some romaine in my fridge - I substituted the cabbage with the romaine until I can get back to the store. I'm not sure if the cabbage worked but I'm pretty sure the romaine is not working. Desperate times call for desperate measures. It's OK if you're laughing at me right now..... I'll happily take any other remedies you might have :)

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Random - June10

Just wanted to update that Anna Grace seems to be doing fine from her cold, it is a huge blessing from the Lord. She had her last dose of Apsrin yesterday in preparation for her surgery - which is exciting and scary all at the same time. Exactly 2 weeks from today Anna Grace will be in surgery.

Something that I could really use some prayer about this week..... I developed a nasty infection - an infected milk duct and had to see the doctor on Tuesday and have it lanced & drained. So, during this awful procedure which they don't numb you for I decided that my time for nursing is over - I just can't do it anymore. So, I am on antibiotics for the infection and am no longer pumping... which for those of you who know me is quite a terrible task because I produce enough milk to feed a small orphanage. Needless to say these next few days for me are not going to be fun. Anna Grace has enough milk in the freezer to last us until we get to Charleston and then after her surgery I think it will be time to make the switch to formula. I have had guilt about this decision - but I am just turning that over to the Lord whenever it creeps up - which is frequently right now. I am praying that after Anna Grace's surgery she will not have Chylothorax again and can go to a regular baby formula as opposed to our not-so-favorite Portagen. She is almost 6 months old.... unbelivable I know....... she will be 6 months old on the 28th of this month. What a journey.

Well... I'd better run because my little one is waking up. Thank you for praying for us :)

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Anna Grace - June 6

Just wanted to let you all know that we took Anna Grace to the doctor on Friday for them to listen to her lungs. Her lungs sounded clear (praise the Lord, truly), but she had broken out in a terrible rash. The rash started Friday morning so I'm thankful that we already had our appointment to see the doctor. The docotor suspected that the rash is either being caused from the virus or it is a reaction to the Amoxicillin she is on. So, he wants us to stop the antibiotic for the weekend, call him on Monday & and possibly restart again on Monday. If the rash comes back after we restart then we know it is a reaction to the antibiotic. As of today (Sunday) the rash is cleared up. Poor little thing...... I am happy to report that, although she cried during her examination at the doctor, that as soon as the exam was over Anna Grace was quite flirty with her doctor. She smiled at him and would say "ahhhh" and he would say it back and they did this back and forth together for at least 2 or 3 minutes. It was adorable and I think it was the first time she has ever been happy or pleasant at the doctor's office. Perhaps this is a trend..... I don't know, but it sure was nice for Mommy to be able to have a conversation with the doctor without Anna Grace screaming the whole time - it's really hard to concentrate when your baby is crying.

So, coming up this week.... we stop Anna Grace's asprin on Tuesday in preparation for her surgery. One of her daily medications is to take a half an asprin a day to keep her blood thin so as not to clog her shunt. Surgery is rapidly approaching.

Thank you for continuing to pray for us.

Friday, June 4, 2010

By His Grace I See


My sin is before me and by His grace alone I see it clearly. Why oh heart do you not want to be sorrowful and repent. I will plead with my Master to grant sorrow from deep within by the power of the Holy Spirit, and He will hear my cry. My flesh is powerful, but I have died to my flesh with Christ and have been raised with Christ as a new creature in Him. The Lord is my salvation. He will not abandon me. In Him alone I hope.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Anna Grace - June 2

So far today our little one is still coughing, but I haven't noticed any wheezing - which is a good sign. However, my little one has been very fussy today... could it be the cold, could it be an earache, could she be getting a tooth???? As it is with all mothers of babies so much of this job is a guessing game. I'm glad we are seeing the pediatrician on Friday to be sure there is nothing going on. I'll try to give her some tylenol at bedtime tonight, maybe that will help?????

So, other than Anna Grace being a tad fussier than normal today I have been trying to spend some time figuring out how to keep my 3 year old occupied sine we are in quarantine again. Cartoons all day everyday will just not work.

So.... we spent about an hour this morning playing in the sprinkler in the backyard, which turned into my 3 year old unhooking the sprinkler and spraying water direclty into his dirt pile which is used exclusively for his digging and dump trucks (so he wasn't ruining the grass or anything) anyway... water mixed with the dirt pile turns into a big sopping stomping mud puddle which my 3 year old played in happily by himself for at least 30 minutes. Mommy was happy that he was happy, but it was some work scrubbing all the red mud from him after all the fun was over.

What shall we do tomorrow??????

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Anna Grace - June 1

Just wanted to let you know that we saw the cardiologist today. We weren't able to get a good echo of her heart because she was CRYING so hard, we also were not able to get a blood pressure on her because of the same reason. Her cardilolgist said today that in his 25 years of practice that Anna Grace is one of his more challenging patients. She has SUCH stranger anxiety that these visits are very difficult for her. One of the side effects from quarantine I suppose. We were able to get her O2 sat checked which was 83 today despite her cold and yucky cough which is a tremendous blessing. The doctor confirmed that if she is still sick within 10 days of surgery it will have to be postponed so we need to continue to pray that the Lord heals her little body of this virus quickly. We see her pediatricaian again on Friday for him to listen to her lungs to be sure there is no pneumonia setting in. In the mean time, we are just hanging out at the house.

Oh.... Anna Grace had her weight checked today and she weighed in at an even 14 pounds. Despite everything she continues to grow at a slow but steady rate. We are blessed. Thank you friends for traveling this journey with us and for continuing to pray for our Anna Grace.