growth spurt revisited

Anniston started wearing shoes this week!

Yes, they're newborn, and no, her toes do not go to the end.  But, if I sinch them real tight, as you can see, they'll stay on :).

**I forgot to mention her weight and length before...she's 13 pounds and almost 24 inches!  Little but healthy girl!

growing girl

Now, about that growth spurt:  Since Anniston's Aorta had narrowed so much (to one millimeter) before her cath, she was burning a considerable amount of calories and not gaining weight at the rate that she would have been without the narrowing.  SO, now that her Aorta is 7 millimeters wide, she isn't having to work as hard and has put on TWO whole pounds in the last month!  That's big time for her!!

With all of this energy, she's been waking up a good bit in the night (happy, happy, joy, joy), and that drive coupled with all of the load-bearing tummy-time we've been doing to strengthen her right arm has enabled Anniston to roll over a few times lately!

Do you see the highwaters above???  I thought she'd be able to wear this outfit through winter!

Now, take note of the cheeks.  Enough said.

Here's a close-up of those puppies.

Happy five months and a few days growing girl.

great report!

I only have a few minutes, but I just wanted to (very late, I know) let you know that Anniston's appointment with her cardiologist on Monday was wonderful!!  Her aorta is still VERY open, and that doctor doesn't want to see her again for THREE months!!  Whoohoo once again!  They were amazed that Anniston looks so great and that you really cannot even tell what she has been through just by looking at her.  God is good!

AND, because her heart is not having to work as hard anymore, she is growing exponentially.  I will tell you about this growth spurt of all growth spurts in my next post.  Have a great weekend!

show us your life: fall decor

Since it's a beautiful fall day, and because I'm apparently on a roll blogging so often (for me) this week, I thought I'd join Kelly's Korner Blog and her "Show Us Your Life" series today.  Well, she actually does it every Friday, but I'm pretty sure I can still link to it today *fingers crossed*.  

I enjoy and anticipate every season, but there's just something about the smell of pumpkin bread and the feel of cooler, drier (can I get an amen?) autumn air that makes me go weak at the knees.  Oh, and do not let me forget to mention the leaves.  Oh, the leaves.  I digress...

So, the theme this week for "Show Us Your Life" is fall decor.  I didn't do much this year, but I'll share anyway.

Here's our front door.

Coffee table.  Confession:  yes, the magazine is Martha Stewart, and yes, I heart her.  Or, I at least heart her creations (most of them).  I'm pretty sure Jesus hearts her too, so don't make fun of me too much.

I tore apart one of my old garlands and threw the berries in here with a candle.  Quick fix.

I'm not in love with this centerpiece for our table, but it's fine for now.

My mom brought me these gourds yesterday...love them.

For some reason, the wreath above the window makes me smile.

As does my pumpkin soap from TJ Maxx.

But, my favorite fall decoration of all is probably this little twiggy pumpkin with twinkle lights.  The end.

all in one day

In a matter of 24 hours, Anniston has managed to:

• Eat rice cereal for the first time!!
• Move to size two diapers - finally. 
• Go up to a full dose of infant Tylenol when needed :).  ...rarely have to give it to her, but big deal to me either way.
• Chew on her vibrating teether till it actually did what it was meant to do.  (She never would bite down quite as hard as she needed to for it to vibrate.)
• Bust out of all of her smaller baby clothes and move to size 3-6 and 6 month clothes!  

She grew up right before my eyes.  All in one day.

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We went to the pediatrician yesterday for her 4 month check-up and shots, and Anniston's doctor said that in almost 30 years of being a pediatrician, Anniston was the second child he's ever seen that has had a stroke.  Can you believe that??  It hit me like a ton of bricks.  Our pediatrician isn't just any pediatrician.  He's probably the most popular one in our town and in South Mississippi for that matter.  Everyone I know goes to him, and he is very highly acclaimed.  I guess it was just a matter of time, but everything from the last two weeks (and really the last several months) became very real to me in that moment.  These kinds of things happen to other people...not us.  Or, at least that's what I thought.  But, in a weird way, I'm kind of glad to travel this road because I get to tell you what God has done.  

Just a week and a day ago, we brought home a baby that seemed like a newborn.  She could not support her head at all, and I didn't even know if she could see me, but now she is almost entirely back to her normal self and doing all of these big girl things that you see above.  

We have a check-up Monday with Anniston's doctor in Jackson (praying still for a great report), and yesterday her pediatrician said he knows "those doctors are going to be very impressed with the progress she has made."  

All of the above said with a thankful heart...

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I'll leave you with another video.  This is a clip of Anniston completing her first rice cereal experience.  I'm sure you can tell she was getting pretty tired and full, but I still think it's cute.  In my defense:  the clucking noises you hear are because Stan doesn't like for me to talk when he's videotaping Anniston...you know, since she talks enough for the both of us :). 

proof in the pudding

Here's a little glimpse of how great Anniston is doing!  As you can see, she is moving her right side very well, looking to the right, and she even started talking and chewing her fingers again the other day.  Woohoo!!

wow.

I think it would be an understatement to say that we have had an eventful week.  But, can I just say that God is good and faithful and sovereign?!  While Anniston's heart cath was extremely successful with regard to her heart, the events that transpired thereafter were a bit of a shock.  She's doing great now, but to make a long story short:  Anniston had a stroke due to her "outpatient" procedure and we just returned home from the hospital yesterday.  

Okay, to make the short story slightly longer:  After Anniston's heart cath, she was extremely sleepy because of the sedative she was given before and during the procedure.  We stayed overnight in the hospital, as previously planned, so that the sedative could wear off and so that she could be monitored as she woke up.  (No complications were ever expected; they just like for babies to stay overnight sometimes.)  As she began to rouse, we noticed several things that seemed different about her, such as her right side being limp, but each of the symptoms we noticed were attributed by the doctors and nurses to the medicine she had been given during the procedure.  

At noon on Friday, when we were reluctantly preparing to leave the hospital (she was still very limp), Anniston began having a seizure.  I cannot tell you how scared I was when a dozen doctors and nurses charged into the room, speculating out loud what must be happening to our sweet baby girl.  I just sat in the corner of the room beside Stan with my hand over my mouth and my mind in shock.  Anniston was rushed to the pediatric ICU where she had one especially wonderful nurse [you know who you are :)], and her doctor returned to tell us the news that our child had had a major stroke either during or shortly after her procedure, which caused her to seize.  It had been 24 hours since the cath.  I won't divulge the thoughts that went through my head in that moment, but I will say that I was more than slightly concerned.  

**I just saw a statistic online (not sure if it was a credible source) that a stroke during a heart cath, specifically angioplasty, occurs in .3 to .4% of patients having this kind of procedure (and .03 to .04% if the patient's heart is just being looked at)...VERY rare.  Heart caths are so common that there is no need for concern if you or someone you know requires one.**

The story is longer, and we had some other worrisome moments, but I will not bore you with all of the details.  I want to get to the good part:  Anniston is almost completely 100% back to how she was before her procedure!  She is still weak, and we are praying specifically for certain issues, but we know without a shadow of a doubt that God has done a miraculous work in her little body, and we HAVE to once again give Him praise.  

He has been teaching me daily through this experience.  I have SO much to learn, but I am grateful that God is speaking that I need to be thankful in EVERY circumstance and that I need to be "prayed-up" BEFORE something like this happens so that I can stand instead of allowing Satan to fill my mind with worry.  To completely and whole-heartedly trust.  I will have to elaborate more later on these topics so as to not make a novel out of this post.

Anniston has been moving her right side and looking to her right more and more.  She even gave me a glimmer of a smile today and sat and stood with support.  I just want to cry when I think of how far she has come in a week.  Yes, God is good.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.  I Thessalonians 5:16-18

anniston's heart = spectacular!!

Anniston's procedure went amazingly well, and in her doctor's own words, her heart looks "SPECTACULAR!"

Seriously, he stopped us in the hall after her procedure but before they did an ultrasound on her heart, and he said that the narrowing in the heart usually doesn't look much better after a catheterization, but it typically improves over time. (He just wanted to prepare us before they did the ultrasound.) WELL, he just came in the room after looking at the results and said that her heart looks absolutely beautiful and that he never DREAMED it could have looked so good!!! We told him we had been praying, and he said "your prayers were answered!"

God has been reminding me today of the Beth Moore Bible Study on the book of Daniel that I'm doing with some girlfriends. The study yesterday was about how Daniel stopped everything and praised God when his prayer was answered. Beth goes on to talk about how so often when God has answered our prayers, we just jump on over to the next request without truly putting everything on hold and praising Him for what he has just done. I know that I fail in this area often (I did today), and I want to be more conscious about giving God the glory He deserves. So, right now, I just want to stop everything and PRAISE Him for this miracle!! Thank you Lord for hearing our petitions and for healing Anniston completely!

Thank you once again for all of your prayers. Stan and I love you guys more than you could possibly know!

a request and a praise

We have a prayer request for Anniston. A few weeks ago, we took her for a check-up with her cardiologist in Jackson, and the doctor noticed that Anniston's aorta has narrowed a good bit since her surgery. This Thursday at 8am, she will have an outpatient procedure (not surgery) called a heart catheterization where a thin, long tube will be inserted into her upper leg (the femoral artery) and will travel all the way up to her heart so that a balloon can be dilated in her aorta to open up the portion of her aortic arch that has narrowed. The balloon will then be removed, and we are praying that the aorta will remain open and that there will be no further narrowing in the future!


Now, I have debated sharing this with you guys because I do not want any unnecessary worrying to take place. She really is doing great, and this request is not nearly as big of a hurdle as her surgery was, BUT do I want you to know what is going on because so many of you have been faithful to pray for Anniston with a fervency I never expected on her behalf (and on behalf of our entire family, for that matter). Thank you again for that. From the bottom of my heart...thank you.


There are once again so many things that we HAVE to give God the glory for in this situation. Anniston is eating beautifully! She has gained weight very well...don't get me wrong, she's still a pretty small girl, but her cardiologist was VERY pleased with her weight gain, especially considering the fact that her heart has had to pump harder with the narrowing which, according to her doctor, would cause her to burn more calories. God is good!! She smiles all the time and plays and kicks much harder than you would expect. And, from the beginning, her doctors have ALWAYS said that she "clinically looks great." We have a healthy girl!


Thank you for praying for a successful procedure and for continued peace (and no worry!) for me and Stan.

*Also, my mom's having an outpatient procedure on her shoulder tomorrow, and I know she would greatly appreciate your prayers as well :).

what you probably didn't know...

...is that we have been out of town for almost an entire MONTH again!!  Stan had some work to do in Louisiana, so Anniston and I tagged along and spent some quality time with her grandparents as well as many other family members and friends.  It was so nice to visit with everyone and difficult to leave, but on the same note, it has been fabulous to be home and in our routine again!  I'm pretty tired tonight (out of character because I'm the resident night-owl) so I will have to share more about our fun long trip later.  Hope everyone's having a great night!  

P.S.:  ...currently watching LA Tech beat Hawaii!!  GO BULLDOGS!  

"you have got to be kidding me."

This was the phrase I repeated OVER and OVER in my head last night as I listened to and tried to sleep through Anniston's babbling in the dark. She has been "talking" for quite some time now, but it seems in the last week or so she has acknowledged her voice on a whole new level. She LOVES listening to herself, and apparently practicing this newfound love of talking is intriguing as well. Just when we had our nighttime sleep down to almost eleven hours, she woke up last night at 12:20, 3:40, 5 and 6am smiling and talking in her sweet baby voice for about 30 minutes at a time. She never cried or gave me any hunger cues. I tried giving her the pacifier, but she would just talk with it in her mouth or spit it out. She merely told whatever story was on her mind at the moment and then eventually fell back to sleep. Somehow I missed the chapter on babies babbling all night. Why was I never warned about this new phase? I've heard of infants waking up early (like 5am) to talk and then drifting off to sleep...but, all night??? Seriously? I have to admit: most of the night, I just smiled and let her voice lull me to sleep, or I would turn on the screen to her monitor and watch her speak and nod her head as if she had full knowledge of her ever so interesting topic of choice.

All night. Did I say that already?

Honestly, if sleeping was not necessary for both her and my sanity, I would say that last night was one of the best nights we've had.

these days

I love me some Mr. Cow.

And, I'm particularly fond 0f gnawing on my bottom lip with the lovely upper row of gums God gave me...mmmm, good.

Note #1:  Stan took the camera to work today...hence the blurry pics taken with phone.

Note #2:  In process of getting out of carrier...hence the loose car seat straps :).

i'll take...

this one

and this one

and this one

and this one

oooh, and this one too...

i'm proud, i admit it

Anniston, you are THREE months old as of last week!!  You are growing so fast, and it amazes me everyday how quickly you little doodads learn.

You are about eleven pounds, so you are still gaining about an ounce a day!  You appear significantly bigger in pictures than you do in person, and it continues to amaze me that you can look like a completely different baby in every single photo that has ever been taken of you.  

We might have lost some sleep the first month of your life, but you sure are making up for it now since you have been snoozing ten to eleven hours every night!  Woohoo for no dream feed!

And speaking of sleeping, we have begun the process of weaning you from your swaddle.  You have graduated to having one arm completely out, and you are doing so well keeping it under control and not flailing it around everywhere while you sleep!  

All this sleep makes for a happy baby, and oh, if I could just sit and watch you smile every second of every day...  We've even heard a few little giggles emerge from your teeny frame, and it's the sweetest sound.

You LOVE  to suck your hands.  That tasty thumb has made its way into your mouth on more than one occasion, and I'm not quite sure how I feel about this new infatuation...I usually just try to distract you or insert paci :).

During tummy time, you are so cute to me when you raise your head and look at the goofy person who happens to be cheering you on.  While on your stomach, you kick your legs and arch your back like you want to roll over soon.

Elaborate for days is what I would love to do, but I will be as concise as a proud mama can be and just leave our friends and family with a pic of that precious smile.

Love you sweet girl!  Happy three months and one week.

back row baptists

We finally went to church on Sunday as a family, and it was wonderful!  The last time I set foot in our church sanctuary before this week was May 31st:  the day before my scheduled induction.  It had been a LONG time, so I was thrilled to see familiar faces, worship my heart out, and hear God speak through our humorous and impassioned minister.  The interaction with "grown-ups" and encouragement in my faith were needed MUCH more than previously realized!

Anniston was an ANGEL.  There was hardly a peep on the back pew the entire service, minus a few grunts at the conclusion due to "wind", as the British affectionately call it.

Looks like we're back in the swing of things!  On the back row at least...

souvenir

I was given this cooler bag by the hospital in PA:

Just thought I'd share :).

lighter

My entire life, I've lived for the next stage (college, marriage, becoming a parent) thinking that once I reached whatever marker was next, my spiritual life would finally be at the point that I had always dreamed it would be...especially when it came to this stage of being a mom.  

In years past, when I imagined myself in this role, I always thought I would be wiser and stronger than ever before and that everything would be just as it should, but the truth is that I have often felt so weak.  There have been many days when I place worry and fear above my hope and trust in the Lord.  

I wonder if Anniston is eating enough (or so much that she spits up), if she is reaching her milestones on time, and if she is being over-stimulated or under-stimulated.  I fear that giving her the pacifier often will affect her speech, wonder if she is sleeping too little or too long at nap time, and worry that she will be okay during the night.  worry, worry, worry...

But then I hear a whisper in my soul.  

He tells me that He is in control and that He has given me this moment in time to soak up what is good instead of fretting the unknown or the unimportant.

It's been a daily battle, but the fear and worry are dwindling.  I never realized before just how much control I desire and how little control I actually have.  I've been getting into His Word more and rebuking these fears, and I can honestly say that I feel lighter.  That word, light, is the best way I can describe His love and grace right now.  Jesus said "my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:30)  So true.

uncle matt and grandmary

While in Louisiana for our first trip home since our new addition, my brother and Grandmother were able to hold Anniston for the first time!

Anniston and Grandmary

I pray Anniston will grow up to show love with a thoughtful and gentle spirit like my grandmother and that she becomes a prayer warrior much like this woman so dear to me.

Uncle Matt and Anniston 

These two were able to meet at the hospital, 

but this was his first chance to hold her.    

Matthew, I count it an incredible blessing to share my little girl with my "little" brother :).  

birthday wishes

This beautiful woman:

And this beautiful woman:

...both have birthdays this month!  The former, my mom, celebrated her fiftieth on the fifteenth, and the latter, my mom-in-law, celebrates her birthday tomorrow!  

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About the surprise that wasn't:  Although my mom figured something fishy was taking place (the call concerning a fallen tree in her backyard precisely at 6:40pm on her birthday tipped her off just a bit), she was still shocked not only that her suspicions proved to be true but also that so many of her friends and family came to show her their love.

How precious was the cake??

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Anniston says happy birthday GG and Janjan!!!  

Love you both!

getting out *slowly*

Two month shots are behind us, and a few outings lie ahead!  Anniston had her dreaded (by me, of course) immunizations a week ago, and it occurred to me as I listened to her crying while the nurse was attempting to quickly do what must be the most unpleasant part of her job that this was the most pain I had ever seen my child in...wild, right?  

The pain and tears were short-lived, and now we are able to take Anniston out as long as we do not have big crowds, particularly children, around her.  SO...sad to say...no church nursery for a long while...  BUT, I'm just so glad to get out of the house with her and that we can at least sit on the back pew for now!!  

Our first order of business after the shots was to travel to Louisiana to visit family and to celebrate at my mom's "surprise" fiftieth birthday party!  Will embellish more on that later with pics...just thought I'd at least share a little something today :).