Anna Grace - September 1

We were able to meet some friends at the park on Monday morning for a playdate. Zachary had a blast and Anna Grace sat quietly in my arms taking it all in. We were at the park for an hour and we all had fun visiting with friends, playing and just enjoying being outside. We have a full week ahead of us packed with playing with friends and enjoying our short time out of quarantine. I will try to post pictures of all our adventures (that is if I can remember to pull out my camera)! Hope you enjoy our pics!

Anna Grace - August 27

Spoke with the doctor's office today about Anna Grace's urine test results. They came back NORMAL! Oh... I can't tell you how relieved I was to hear that. I didn't realize it, but for the last 24 hours or so I was just SO STRESSED about this test. I'm not sure why this test caused such anxiety for me, but after I spoke with the doctors office I just relesed a huge sigh (I didn't even realize I had been holding my breath) and even shed a few tears. I am so thankful. The Lord has shown such mercy to Anna Grace. I know I've said that before... you are probably tired of hearing me say it, but I will never stop. I am grateful, I am so grateful, I am so grateful. I'm crying even now as I type this BLOG. THis heart journey will bring you to your knees! Thank you friends for following our story and for praying for our precious girl.

Anna Grace - August 26

Just a quick update... Anna Grace's doctor appointment was today. She had her chest x-ray and the doctor said it was the BEST ONE she's ever had. THank you Lord. We say goodbye to chylothorax for a SECOND time! Hooray!

Also, her O2 sats were 90 today. YEAH!

Please be praying that the results from her urine test come back good. There is suspicion that she might have an issue with her kidneys.

Thanks!

Anna Grace - August 25

After her bath last night Anna Grace saw the baby in the mirror and was FASCINATED! She "commando crawled" over to the mirror and "talked" to herself for a good 10 minutes. I had to grab my camera to document the action :) Enjoy!

Anna Grace - August 24

Sorry it has been a few days since my last BLOG post. We have been a busy, busy family!

Friday I got BRAVE and took BOTH kids to Walmart. Not for full on grocery shopping... no... I'm not that brave, but just to pick up a few things. However, it was another first for Anna Grace as this was her first experience at Walmart (hence the pictures). I EVEN put her and Zachary in a buggy (after wiping it down with my sanitizing wipes of course)! They both did great at Walmart for the 15 minutes we were there.






We followed our Walmart trip to a trip to Supercuts for my little man to get a haircut. He DOES NOT like having his haircut so I told him if he sat still and did well he could get a "prize" afterward. I held Anna Grace in my arms and we watched Zachary get a haircut. He sat as still as any 3-year old boy could be expected to sit and so after his haircut we headed over to Goodwill for him to pick out a "prize". Unbelievably he found a "Jack Hammer Rescue Hero" action figure. I can't beleive we found one at Goodwill for only a dollar! He is into "Rescue Heros" right now BIG TIME and we were both thrilled to have found "Jack Hammer"! After heading home for a nap (for AG, not for Mommy unfortunately) we headed back out to the playground for a little boy to do some serious running after being so still and so good all morning. We met up with a family at the playground that we have met with before and I was SO THANKFUL they were there. There are 3 children in this family and they are so sweet and such joyful children and they are so kind and ALWAYS include Zachary in their play. He had a blast! We were there for an hour and it felt like 5 minutes. They had to go and so did we, but Zachary had an absolute blast which made me SO HAPPY! Friday was a very busy but awesome day full of firsts and sweet memories!

Monday we had a playdate at my friend Stephanie's house. She has a little girl about a year older than Zachary and they had fun playing together. Her house is one of Zachary's favorite places to go. Anna Gacre was with us and she did great playing toys on the floor and just watching all the action. She actually did better than Zachary because when it was time to go HE pitched a pretty big fit. After we got home from our playdte Zachary's Mee-Mee and Grandpop came and picked him up and took him down to the lake for a few days of swimming and memory making. He always has fun down there (who wouldn't)??? He got to go to the Columbia Zoo today and will get to do some lake swimming this evening. What fun!

Anna Grace has a doctor's appointment on Thursday this week, just with her regular pediatrician so it should be a pretty easy appointment. Should be.... I'll keep you all posted!

Are You a Good Person

Anna Grace - August 19

Yeseterday morning the "check engine" light on my beloved Toyota Camry came on. So, after AG's morning nap I loaded up the kids and headed to the Toyota dealership to find out what was going on. After about 45 minutes I was told that I needed a new oxygen sensor and that it would take about 3 hours to do. Nope.... now way... not with two kids in the waiting room with me! So, I schedule to bring it in this morning and drop it off to have the work done - childless. So, this morning at 7:30 am I headed out to Toyota to drop off my car. They were very generous and gve me a loaner car... A Yaris. It's a COMPACT car to say the least, but supposdley gets like a million miles to the gallon. If I were single without two kids it really would be a a practical car. Anyway..... I came home and then my hubby went to work - the plan being that at noon (or whenever they called and said the car was ready) hubby would come home to sit with the kids and I would ride back up there and pick up my beloved Camry. However, at noon hubby was covered up at work so I called my Mom to come sit with the kids during her lunch break at work. Ordinarly this would not be a big deal, but Anna Grace has NEVER stayed with anyone other than Brian or I. She also really doesn't let anyone hold her for longer than about 2 minutes so honestly I wasn't sure how the 30 minutes would go while I drove to Toyota & picked up my car & came home. My Mom was a trooper and was willing to come stay. I hurridley went and got back as quickly as I could - probably gone about 40 minutes. I am happy to report that Anna Grace did fine for my Mom. She let my Mom feed her some rice cereal and then put her on the floor to play toys. She did fine. I am ecstatic and am ready for Mee-Maw to come sit ANYTIME for me!!!!! Today was a BIG day for AG AND for Mommy. Not to mention the fact that Mee-Maw was over the moon to be able to spend some time with AG. Another hurdle crossed today :) Thank you Lord!

Bentley's - August 18

So, despite my best efforts to remember to take pictures while we were out today I STILL forgot. However... I did get a few shots at home. We made it out to Hatcher Gardens this morning for a nice adventure. It is a botantical garden here in town and it is a beautiful place to go... walking trails, waterfalls, flowers and trees..... next time I'll remember to take pics... really....

Anyway, here are a few pictures of the beautiful madness that is my life these days. The Lord has truly blessed us... look at these kids.... we are blessed beyond measure! Thank you Lord :)


Hello friends... I am SO BIG now... I love playing with toys, specifically pulling each toy out of the toy bucket one by one.



Zachary has learned to play games on the computer these last few months of being cooped up in the house.



And then after playing on the computer a boy just HAS to release some energy.... wait for it.....



Yep, you guessed it... he is LITERALLY climbing the walls. Time to get this boy OUTSIDE!




Added to the mix is our NEW house.... it is still in the midst of renovation and my hubby told me last night that he thought we would be in by Thanksgiving. Whew.... what a busy year!

Anna Grace - August 17

Anna Grace's tummy has been feeling much better. As a matter of fact, she has had "normal" diapers for about 24 hours now. The winning formula....... Similac Sensitive Lactose Free!!!! Hooray!!!! So, since we are no longer "homebound" due to explosive diaper changes (literally) we have been to the library twice, the playground and the farmers market in the last 24 hours. I have been meaning to take pictures each time we go out, but can't seem to remember while I'm out and then when I get in the car I'm like... man... I forgot to take the pictures. Ugh......

Anyway..... today I want to BLOG about Zachary. This last year has been tough on him too. Although... not as tough as Anna Grace's year, but it hasn't been easy for Zachary traveling to and from Charleston and then being away from Mom and Dad so much during Anna Grace's hospital stays. Then of course the quaratine to top it off. The "wear" has been most apparent these last couple of days. Before Anna Grace's birth, Zachary & I were always on the go and one of our favorite places to go was to Storytime at the library. We would go a couple days a week and Zachary was always sitting at the front of the class, talking with EVERY child (and parent for that matter) and enthralled with the teacher. We went to storytime today for the first time in a LONG time and Zachary hung right next to me, he didn't want to sit with the other children and didn't want to sit close to the teacher. He was timid and a little scared to particpate in the dancing and clapping and other storytime activities. It made me sad for him. This journey has changed him... it has changed all of us. I am hoping that during these next 6 weeks while we're out of quarantine to get the kids out amongst people as much as possible... to let them be "normal" while we can. I am signing Zachary up for group swim lessons at the YMCA. They start in September and I am hoping that he will be comfortable to be in the pool without me and play with the other kids. I am also hoping that the chlorine will kill any germs that might be hanging out on little hands :) Should you think about it, please pray for Zachary, that the Lord will REDEEM this time and protect him during these days when things are just a little bit different than "normal". Thanks friends... and I will TRY to rmember to take some pics next time we're out to share with you!

Anna Grace - August 13

We have been stuck in the house these last couple of days becaues Anna Grace is having some serious trouble adjusting to her new formula. It is upsetting her tummy very badly and so we have been staying close to home so that I can clean her up should the need arise (several times a day). Please be praying for her tummy. Her doctor said to give this new formula a week before switching to something new.... I have already switched her to a lactose free formula... so, we're going to stick with that at least until Monday. If her tummy is still upset come Monday I guess we'll swtich to a Soy Formula..... sigh.... poor kid.

So, since we've been stuck at home I took the liberty of taking some pics of Anna Grace in a little tu-tu that I bought her last week at a consignment sale. I have been chomping at the bit to dress her up in this and today seemed like a perfect day for it. Isn't she adorable?????

Zachary thinks it is quite silly... all he has wanted to do these last few days is play "Resue Hero Down" which consists of me pretending to be a hurt Rescue Hero and then he is the Rescue Hero who saves me. In order to do this he has to climb a mountain and collect a rare plant that will be the cure to save me. Yes... I'm serious.... we play this at least 3 or 4 times a day.

Anyway.... enjoy the pics of Anna Grace!!! You'll have to let me know which one is your favorite!

PICTURE #1


PICTURE #2


PICTURE #3

Anna Grace - August 12

I'm a big girl now!

Anna Grace - August 10

We are home from the cardiologist and let me start by saying THANK YOU to everyone who was praying for Anna Grace this morning. Today was nothing short of miraculous... truly. Anna Grace cooperated with her echocardiogram and EKG - we were all amazed! They were able to get some great pictures of her heart and see what needed to be seen. I am SO THANKFUL that we didn't have to schedule a sedated echo. The Lord had His calming hand on Anna Grace today.

As for her test results..... the doctor said that her EKG looked stable. He said that her echo showed that the left side of her heart is enlarged, but that is due to it having to work so hard (since it is doing all the work). He said that he expects the left side of her heart to become less enlarged the further we get from surgery so he will follow that closley. He said he was pleased and that we are where we should be at this stage of the game. We don't go back to see him for TWO MONTHS! Awesome!

As for the chlyothorax... I started her on regular baby formula on Monday (a day early, but I couldn't help myself). We go for a chest x-ray in two weeks to be sure that the chylothorax is not returning. He said that if I get suspicious of it to bring her in sooner (having trouble breathing, rapid breathing, etc).

Today was a big day and we have LOTS to be thankful for. As a matter of fact, I was crying HAPPY tears in the cardiologists office this morning. I am just so thankful... my heart is overjoyed. The Lord has shown us great mercy! Thank you Jesus :)

Random Pics

Big brother & little sister hanging out on the couch!



Look at me... I'm sitting up all by myself!

Anna Grace - August 8

Party, party, party....... yep, we went to our first party on Saturday night as a FAMILY! We have some friends who are leaving in just a couple weeks to move to China for several years, so we attend their going away party on Saturday night. In total there were 15 children (Anna Grace included) and 10 adults. It was so nice to see friends again and to get to introduce Anna Grace for the first time to our friends and their children. She stayed on Mom's hip for most of the night, and really did pretty well considering all the excitment that was going on. We didn't get home until 10:00 pm.... which for us is LATE, but it SOOOOO worth it. What sweet memories we are going to treasure from that night! Zachary was just having so much fun playing with all the children... he talked about the party all day Saturday leading up to it and throughly enjoyed himself and played himself EXHAUSTED. It is so nice to be out of quarantine, I almost feel "normal"... almost.

We went to Sam's Club today as a family. I'm not brave enough to put Anna Grace in a shopping cart, but she & Zachary stayed in the sit-n-stand stroller with Dad while I shopped. To most people a trip to Sam's might not even be worth mentioning, but to us every outing is worth mentioning... being out amongst people is a joy.

So... we have a couple of big things coming up this week. Anna Grace sees her cardiologist on Tuesday for an echo, EKG and chest x-ray. Please be praying that she will cooperate for these tests. If she doesn't, then we will have to schedule a sedated echo as an outpatient procedure at the hospital. They have to get a good look at her heart and it can't be put off any longer. Also on Tuesday we make the switch from Portagen to regular baby formula. We are praying that her lymphatic system is healed and that there won't be any problems once we make the switch. Tuesday is a big day. We are trusting the Lord and His will, but we are prayerfully asking for his mercy on Anna Grace.

One more thing I have to mention... the very sweet college student, Miss B, who has been helping us out all summer with Zachary during our hospital stay and many doctor visits is going to be leaving to head off to college. While we are excited for her we are truly, truly going to miss her. She has become such a part of our family and has blessed us beyond measure. We are going to miss you Miss B.

As for our new home..... we are still in the process of updating it. It is slow going as Brian works on it little by little as he can after work. Maybe another 4 weeks???? We'll see.

I will be sure to update the BLOG on Tuesday after Anna Grace's appointment to let you all know how her little heart is doing. Thank you all for continuing to be so faithful to follow our BLOG and pray for Anna Grace.

Anna Grace - August 2

We did make it to the lake on Saturday and Anna Grace did really well. She was able to meet two of her precious Aunts as well as some of her cousins and see her Mee-Mee and grandpop again. She stayed close to Mom, but she did sit on a blanket and play toys for a while and then before the end of the day both Aunts held her... just for a few minutes, but hey it's progress! We are thrilled with how well the day went. During Anna Grace's 30 minute nap (yep, that's all she took) Mommy was able to go skiing. It was so awesome I just can't even explain in words how great it felt to be on a pair of skis again. For a brief few minutes I was young and carefree again! Oh what fun! I am so thankful that we were able to go. Thank you all for praying for Anna Grace on Saturday.

I also want to share with you that Anna Grace is cutting two teeth right now. Her two middle bottom teeth both came in a couple days ago. I'm a little sad that she is going to be losing her gummy smile... it is SOOOOO cute, but I am thankful that she is growing older and one day closer to sleeping through the night.... maybe????

An update on her chylothorax..... we will be switching her to regular baby formula on Tuesaday next week (Aug 10) and then she will have a chest x-ray a few days following to see if there is any fluid building up in her lungs as a result of the fat. Please be praying that her lymphatic system is healed and that she will be able to tolerate the fat and eat regular baby formula (bye-bye Portagen). I'll keep you posted. Thanks!