Ugh... Stomach Virus

So, our simple cold turned into quite the ordeal. It started on Wednesday when I took Anna Grace into the doctor to have him check her ears to be sure she hadn't developed an ear infection as a result of her cold.

While we were at the doctor office I asked them what had been going around recently - they said really only the stomach virus. Well, we must have picked it up while we were there because Thursday morning Anna Grace woke up with a yucky diaper. I really didn't think anything about it and we went on to story time at the library as planned. While we were there she had another yucky diaper. I thought, "hmmmm... that's unusual for her" but still no bells were ringing. When we got home from story time she had another yucky diaper and then I thought, "OK, she must have some sort of stomach virus". I was hopeful that it would stay just yucky diapers and no vomiting. I put her down for her nap at 12:30 as usual and at 1:15 she woke up from her nap early. Then about 2:00 the vomiting started. It was terrible. She finally stopped throwing up on a regular basis about 8:00 last night. I put her to bed and she got up about 3 times last night throwing up. So far today she has only thrown up once, but she is still not really interested in food or water for that matter. Today she also started running a slight fever - 100.3 at my last check.

I just called and left a message for the doctor to let him know what is going on, but I know with these viruses there is not much they can do - they have to just run their course. I did manage to get her to eat a little oatmeal and about 2 ounces of water this morning. Progress as far as I'm concerned.

Please be praying for Anna Grace as her little body fights this yucky virus.

I am also gearing up for the rest of the family to have our turn with the virus because as we all know these things seldom stay contained to one member of the family. So, all in all I have enjoyed being out of quarantine, but not all the germs that go along with it. Yuck, yuck, yuck!

A Cold

Being out of quarantine is fun, but it also means that we're going to catch things like colds. Yes, Anna Grace has a cold. She is on about day 5 of her cold. No one else in the family has the cold. There's no fever or anything. It's just a cold, but it is causing her to not sleep well since she can't breathe. So... I'm beat. I guess I'll give it a couple more days and if she's still not sleeping well I'll take her into the doctor to have him check her ears to be sure she hasn't developed an ear infection. She's eating fine still, just not sleeping well. But, let's face it - she's not the greatest sleeper so her not sleeping well really doesn't throw out a lot off red flags for me.

So, really she is tolerating the cold very well and I am happy to be blogging about "regular" baby things.

God in Suffering

Suffering comes in all forms and sizes – heart issues, brain tumors, problems in a marriage, problems with children, losing a job or being in depression. I could name 1000 more but we get the point. Suffering is part of life. As a matter of fact, the Creator of all things subjected Himself to the worlds greatest suffering 2000 years ago. So it should not come as a huge surprise when we face various trials of different kinds. But even though we should not be surprised when trials come they nevertheless come often times with fury that is hard and heavy on the soul.

The below link is a few songs from a group called THEJOYETERNAL that were inspired by John Pipers book “A Sweet and Bitter Providence” which deals with God’s sovereignty and providence in and through our sufferings. It will feed and help lighten the load on your soul should you choose to listen I believe.

THEJOYETERNAL

Also the video posted below is a short message given by Matt Chandler recently on suffering. He is dealing with brain cancer. It’s worth the listen as well.

May 21 - Lemonade Stand Fundraiser

Just wanted to put a little "Save the Date" notice out there for you. May 21 from 3-5 pm we are hosting a Lemonade Stand fundraiser. All of the proceeds from the fundraiser are going to Palmetto Hearts. So, mark it on your calendar! Come buy some lemonade and support a worthy cause!

Storytime

Today I took the kids to story time at the library. Zachary and I used to go to story time at least once a week and sometimes twice a week until Anna Grace was born. Then we had to stop and since being out of quarantine these last few weeks it is an activity we have happily started enjoying again. Anna Grace didn't really care for it too much the first few times we went - mostly because she was scared of the people I think - but she has since started warming up to it.

Today's story time was "Musical Mother Goose" and it was music along with stories. As soon as the maraccas (sp?) were passed out Anna Grace really started to enjoy herself. Zachary of course had a great time too. Enjoy the picutres from today's story time. We had a great time!

Weekend Lake Fun

Heart Walk Pictures

As promised (although a little belated) here are some pictures from the Heart Walk we did a couple weeks ago. Enjoy!


Survivor Hearts



Mee-Maw and Anna Grace



Heart survivors were all given a red hat to wear. Anna Grace's was a little big, but she wore it proudly!



Mommy and Anna Grace before the walk.



Handsome Zachary



The beginning of the walk: Pops, Mee-Maw, Me, Zachary and Anna Grace



The family all togther (Brian is behind the camera)



Heart Parade Queen Anna Grace doing her wave :)



We met up with another CHD amily during the walk. It was so awesome to find them!



Zachary at the playground after the walk.



Brian and Anna Grace playing at the playground after the walk.



Brian finally let me get behind the camera. A rare photo of my sweet hubby!



The Heart Moms!!! Yes, we are all three heart Moms!



My sweet heart friend and her little miracle heart baby!

We're Still Here

Have you been wondering where we were? Sorry that it has taken me so long to update the BLOG. We have been fine here. We are out of quarantine now and we are getting out and about - see friends and going on playdates. We are ALL enjoying ourselves tremendously - even Anna Grace seems to be getting over her stranger anxiety.

But, that isn't the reason for my lack of Blogging. You see, I usually BLOG at night after the kids have gone to bed and for the last week I have been working on my Shutterfly book - so - no time for Blogging. Shutterfly is on online photo service and you can upload your pictures to it and then put them into a photobook. I upload my pictures there all year long and at the end of the year (December) I print them all in a photobook for our annual family photo album. But, this year with the move and everything occuring around that time of year I am just now getting to the photobook. A little late..... but better late than never, right? So - I'm not quite done with my photobook yet but I'm close. Once I finish I'll be able to start blogging regularly again.

As for us, we are all fine. We are well and enjoying life outside of the "bubble". I'll try to start blogging regularly again soon!


Zachary at the park... isn't he handsome?


Anna Grace just LOVES the swings! Beautiful!

Please Pray for Annabelle

So, I have been following the BLOG of a little heart baby named Annabelle for some time. I have not met this family personally, but as a Heart Mom you feel a sort of kinship to other Heart Moms and other Heart Babies.

Annabelle, who is just a little younger than Anna Grace, had reached a point in her heart journey where she needed a new heart. After 85 days on the transplant wait list, her mom posted today that she will be getting her new heart. Please check their BLOG for updates and please be praying for Annabelle and her family. Also, please be praying for the family of the little baby who is donating their child's heart. Their gift in their time of grief is unimaginable.

Click here to go to Annabelle's BLOG.

Thank you friends!

Out And About

We have been out on the town this week since coming out of quarantine. Monday I took the kids with me to the grocery store. I even put the kids in the buggy and did full on grocery shopping. It was wonderful and surprisingly the kids had fun too. At the conclusion of our shopping trip they both got balloons and that of course is a treat!

Tuesday the kids and I went to storytme at the library. Zachary and I were regulars there up until Anna Grace was born. He walked right back in there like he hadn't missed a beat. He was so cute! Anna Grace wasn't sure what to think of it. She held onto my neck the whole time and buried her little face in my shoulder. But, she didn't cry. After story time was over I put her down and she walked over to the big train where all the kids were climbing and playing and she joined right in. Then she decided to help "clean up" and picked 5 or 6 books up off the floor and took them each to the librarian - one by one. Each time the librarian told her "thank you" and Anna Grace didn't cry when she spoke to her. I think that's progress!

Today we took a trip to Sam's club and again the children were placed in the buggy. They didn't like this trip as well - mostly because Anna Grace was strapped in the front of the buggy and Zachary was actually in the basket. I think she wanted to be where her brother was and so she fussed and squirmed - but not because of people so I'm thankful for that.

As for me, I feel so good. I feel great. I feel normal and it is so great to be able to act like a normal mom again. I am very thankful and grateful. The Lord has truly blessed us.

You Knit Them Together

I have been "sitting" on this post for some time. Since February 5 actually. At one of our Upstate Heart Mom meetings several of our Heart Moms shared that they were counseled during their pregnancy to terminate their babies. It stuck with me. It weighed heavy on my heart and still does. So I wanted to share my thoughts with you. You see, these kids may not be "perfect" by wordly standards, but the Bible tells us that:

You formed my inward parts;
You wove me in my mother's womb.
I will give thanks to you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;
Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;
and in Your book were all written
the days that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was not one of them.

Psalm 139:13-16

So what does that me? It means that GOD formed these babies in our wombs and they are WONDERFULLY made - special heart and all :) These kids are SKILLFULLY wrought. The thougt of this brings tears to my eyes. These kids are blessings, as are all children. So, I for one am truly thankful that each of these Heart Moms carried their babies and even though it is a difficult road to walk we know how truly special each of these kids are.

If you have a little free time, I encourage you to click here and watch this. It's certainly something to think about.

Upstate Heart Moms and the Heart Walk

Friday night we had our monthly Upstate Heart Moms - Heart Mom Night Out. It was fun and we had two new moms join our group. We had intended to talk about "How having a heart baby has changed our relationships", but we had so much going on with the heart babies in our group over the last month that by the time we all shared the latest developments about our babies it was 9:00 and it was time to go. Wow, time flies. So.... we'll just put that discussion on the back burner for now because our next month's discussion is going to be about "Siblings" and we will take that discussion wherever it leads. So.... if you're a heart Mom and you want to join us next month for that discussion please feel free to let me know and I'll get you all the info.

So... after a fun night with my fellow heart Moms on Friday night I was all keyed up and couldn't sleep because I was also excited about the Heart Walk on Saturday morning. It is a walk sponsored by the America Heart Association. Now, the American Heart Association is a great organization, but only 1% of every PENNY of the money they raise goes toward Congenital Heart Defect research. Paltry for our cause. The Children's Heart Foundation actually does A LOT more for congenital heart defect research, but they don't have a walk in our area..... anyone want to take that on?????

Anyway, we met another heart family there and that was a blast! We walked for a little ways, but honestly with small kids we didn't get very far. We ended up on the playground and let the kids go wild. Even Anna Grace was having a great time on the playground! While we were playing I ran into another Heart Mom who I met right after AG was born. I haven't actually seen them face to face since we were at MUSC for AG's Glenn. So, it was a nice surprise to see them again and to see their little heart baby thriving and looking as cute as a button! So... three heart Moms and our husbands and children having a great time. It really was just a perfect day!

As for pictures... I didn't take my camera. My hubby took the "good" camera and I couldn't even begin to know how to download pictures off of it. So, when he sends me some pictures I will be sure to post them here for you to enjoy!

Overall, a great weekend. Also, as far as I'm concerned we are officially out of quarantine so you will be seeing us out and about again. I'll also probably be calling you for a playdate soon :)