Anna Grace Bentley

After much discussion we have named our little girl Anna Grace Bentley. We welcome your continued prayers for little Anna Grace. We will be cutting our Florida vacation a little short & will be driving home on Thursday as we have secured our first appointment with Anna Grace’s Pediatric Cardiologist on Friday. We will also be meeting with my “High Risk” Obstetrician that day as well. So, Friday will be a big day for our family. Thankfully, my Mother-in-Law is going to be able to keep Zachary for us on Friday morning during all of these doctor visits since this is truly not a “toddler friendly” outing. Please pray specifically on Friday for wisdom for these doctors as well as for miraculous healing for Anna Grace’s heart.

As glad as I am that we were able to secure an appointment with the specialists so quickly (since we only have the 30 day window of Medicaid coverage right now) I am a little sad to be leaving Florida. This time for our family has been like an oasis in the midst of a dessert. Our Lord has truly given us this time of refueling & refreshment for our souls & after coming down here & enjoying the beautiful blue water & white sand beaches I realized how much we really needed this time.

On a different note.... many of you have called or e-mailed and said that you want to help and so I just wanted to tell you about a couple of things that we are going to have coming up that you might be able to help us with. (1) I am going to be doing a Super-Duper house cleaning/yard cleaning project. It’s going to be nesting times 100. So, if God has gifted you with cleaning or organization and you want to help out in this way it will be one Saturday in October (date to be determined). The more hands the better… I really want to get my home in order as much as I can before Anna Grace is born (painting, cleaning, yard work, you name it)! (2) I am going to be looking for someone to keep Zachary for me for February & March in their home. Basically, once Anna Grace is born our parents will be down in Charleston with us for several weeks & will be able to keep Zachary for us wherever it is we are staying. But, after a few weeks they are all going to have to come back to Spartanburg to get back to work – and Brian too for that matter. So, Zachary & Brian will be home & Brian will be a single Daddy until Mommy & Anna Grace can come home from Charleston. So, there is a possibility that we will need to secure child care for Zachary Monday – Friday from 9:00-5:00 while Brian is at work. I would love for him to be in the home of someone that we know & love as opposed to a day care facility. If by March Mommy & Anna Grace are not home from Charleston yet then we will have no choice but to find more permanent facilities for Zachary during the day (like a daycare) but we are really praying that it will only be for a couple of months & then I will be home with Anna Grace. So…. I am asking my friends to please be praying about possibly keeping Zachary for a couple of months during normal business hours while Brian works. If that is something that you think you might be interested in doing you can call us or e-mail us & we can talk more about it. I really don’t have a start date or a finish date because so much depends on how Anna Grace does after her surgery.

Wow, this has turned into a long post hasn’t it???? I guess I better get off the computer & get ready for a Pirate Ship cruise tonight at sunset. Yes, I typed that right – we are going on a Pirate Ship cruise tonight in Panama City, FL. Should be great fun!

Here are some things I am thankful for today….

Thank you Lord for this vacation in Florida and the much needed rest you have given us.

Thank you Lord for giving us a name for our daughter, Anna Grace Bentley.

Thank you Lord for securing our doctors appointments on Friday.

Thank you Lord for supportive friends & family who are continuing to encourage us & pray for our family. We are truly blessed!