One week ago....

I was nursing Anna this morning, just thankful to be holding her in my arms. One week ago at that time I was kissing her forehead and sending her off with nurses I had met just moments before. She simply looked up at Joe and I, and her grandparents as if to say, "what's the big deal?" not a clue of what was about to transpire. I was so thankful she was so peaceful and content, not screaming, I think that would have made it harder to let her little hand go.

Our journey had begun about 5 days before this. I had taken Anna to her 2 month checkup at her Pediatrician on Wednesday morning. I had complained because this appt. should have been a week and a half prior, but the Dr. didn't have anything until Anna was almost 10 weeks old. God knew what He was doing, Anna's condition didn't really make itself evident until the few days leading up to this appt. Our Pediatrician was very concerned and wanted to get us into the cardiologist immediately. That afternoon, we spent 4 hours at the hospital getting all kinds of tests done. We were sent home with an aggressive feeding schedule to try to prolong surgery for another couple of weeks. Those 2 days at home were treacherous and I truly felt she was getting worse. I made the call to the Dr. on Friday afternoon and he agreed with everything I was describing that it was best for Anna to be in the hospital and have surgery sooner than later.

Friday night was the worst night poor little Anna has ever experienced. Poking and prodding until 3:00 in the morning. Over the next 2 days she rarely experienced uniterrupted sleep and began to flinch everytime someone would touch her. I can't even count the number of times I told her I was sorry and I would take the pain for her in a heartbeat. We are so thankful she won't remember this pain.

It's hard to describe, but Joe and I both felt relieved that we were at the hospital and it had come time to do the surgery. Knowing it would be in her future, we both agreed we would rather have it done and behind us so that she could experience life to its fullest. To us, Monday morning was the beginning of a new life for Anna. The adrenaline that kept us both going was similar to the adrenaline you feel right after your child comes into the world. We felt excited for her, and not an ounce of worry. It amazes me that we could feel this way, and again, I know that it was because of the prayers being lifted up for us all.

So this Monday morning, one week later, I held in my arms a precious little angel, who I now like to call Pumpkin Pie, and I praised God for bringing her to this place in her life and allowing her to breathe deeply, eat sufficiently and grow appropriately. What an amazing God we serve - look what He can do in a week's time!

(written on Monday, October 15, 2007)

Where do I begin?

So I've been catching up on blogs this evening, because I truly did miss being in the know this week. Luckily, a lot of you hadn't done any new posts, so I didn't have too much to catch up on. I've also been sitting here debating where to pick up on my own blog. Do I blog about the surgery, what I've learned, what we've been through this week, what the future holds, or do I let it simply pass by, because truthfully, thinking about it all is overwhelming.

Then, I get to Sue's blog and read the post about the front steps, and suddenly the tears that I have held back for a week begin to pour. I don't know where to begin, and I probably will just post for the next few days as things come to memory or the Lord leads me to share.

I think it is only fitting that I start with giving the Lord, our Maker and our Healer, 100% of the glory that He deserves. We prayed from the moment we found out about Anna's heart defect that He would heal her - knowing full well that He had that capability. And as the weeks progressed and her prognosis stayed the same, I cried out again and again, begging for Him to do just that. But, that was not His ultimate plan. He planned for this surgery and to allow the surgeons, whom He gifted and prepared for this moment, to do their work and mend our little Anna's heart. We haven't fully learned all that we are going to from this experience, but we've seen glimpses of His plan in the works.

One such lesson I personally have learned is the power of prayer. I know with no uncertainty that on Monday morning half of the Hampton Roads area was praying for Baby Anna. What a testimony to her life to know that so many people were praying for her and coming together all over the city to lift her up. Whether on their front porch, the treadmill, the office desk or inside the waiting room, the prayers of many were being lifted up - for MY little girl - how overwhelming that thought is. I know that without this prayer, Joe and I would not have made it through this situation the way that we did. I also know that most of you must have been praying for peace for me - because I had a peace that passes all understanding. It was an unexplainable peace and I could feel the prayers lifting me up.

I want to personally thank each person that lifted us up on Monday and every other day of the week, but I know that is impossible to do. I hope each of you know that your prayers were answered and the Lord has done a mighty work. Thank you for your friendship and support throughout this week.

I'm going to close for now, but I will continue to recap last week throughout this week. I want to do it to give testimony to the things God has done, and to have it as a journal for Anna to read one day to show her how her testimony began and what the Lord did for her on this her 10th week of life!

Happy Birthday Geoffrey

You may be thinking, "Who's Geoffrey?" Only the biggest, most lovable giraffe you've ever seen, at least for Erin that is. Saturday was Geoffrey's birthday, so Toys 'R' Us threw him a party and we went. There were a few activities for the kids and then they got to march around the store in a birthday parade and play musical instruments. Erin got a kick out of it and a big giraffe hug which absolutely made her day! The only part she didn't understand was why there wasn't any birthday cake?

Tummy Time

Anna enjoying tummy time with Daddy and Erin.....
Anna over tummy time....Time elapsed 1 minute 30 seconds!

We'll have to work on this tummy time thing, she's not too fond of it yet!

An Afternoon on the Beach

Joe had a late meeting yesterday afternoon at the oceanfront so we girls decided to tag along and play in the sand. Much to our surprise, they have added a play apparatus at 10th street, so Erin got to play like she was at the park, but on the sand. She loved it and it kept her quite entertained. Anna decided it was all too much for her and found a nice little resting place. The picture is taken from the ground up, she is nuzzled under Joe's arm. As we were getting in the car to leave Anna looked up at Erin and reached out her hand, so Erin reached out her hand and held Anna's. They kept the pose long enough for me to snap a quick pic. Anna is really starting to notice Erin and give her smiles. It melts my heart!

A Busy Weekend!

Well - This weekend was a busy one. We started it off with a birthday celebration for my brother, brother-in-law, and Joe. They all have birthdays within 4 days of each other. Pizza and build your own ice cream sundaes - Erin was in heaven!

Then, on Saturday it was off the Busch Gardens for the day. It was pretty hot, but we had a great time. Erin branched out and rode the Battering Ram and the Katapult(Scrambler). She informed me that she didn't need to ride the lady bugs anymore because she rode the big girl roller coaster. I think she got her first taste of an adrenaline rush and liking something that scared her at the same time. As you can see both girls were tuckered out when we arrived home. Although Erin claims she wasn't asleep - she was watching a movie.
Sat. night the girls from small group got together at Cracker Barrell. No pictures, but it was a great time of fellowship.

Then, Sunday night we all needed a little fresh air so we headed to the park with the Judds and the Saunders. We picked up some Firehouse Subs and enjoyed watching the kids get absolutely filthy. They certainly had a blast!

Captured!

I was able to capture Anna's smile on Monday afternoon. She is still being stingy with them. I can't wait until she gives them freely, but each day we get a few more. Makes it all worth it!