Reunited

Hello again friends,

It's been a while. Sorry about that. : ) Let me see if I can do a little catch-up. I'll start here...

The girls have never been to church. Per the docs recommendation we've been steering clear of any large group gatherings (and places where there's lots of kids). That all changed this last Sunday though. We broke out and, with the help of Laura Damon & Beth Thomas, got to go worship with our CCEN family. It was so good to be back! Here's a few shots of our time there:

Okay, so why are all these shots taken from the hallway, you ask? Well I'll tell you: little Ava Gray has found her voice. And to prove it this Sunday she started to talk up a storm during the service. It was awesome & as always I loved hearing it, but we had to exit and find a little stairwell to hang out in. Still got to share in communion, and in the singing (have missed both of these much). It was a sweet time. Just before leaving we ran down the hall to see Jina & Andrew who were "teaching" the 1-year olds. 

Here's my conclusions: 1. It is good to be with family. 2. It is laughable to think of taking the girls to church without a team to help (thanks team!). 3. I am blessed.

So what else has been going on? Lots of eating, sleeping, exploring & growing (I'm trying to participate in the first two, but hope to leave the growing to the girls). Oh, and soaking up sunshine. Whenever possible we try to get out into it. And it's been beautiful...

Ava Gray has been loving her times with her physical therapist (a very talented woman who comes to our home and works with AG once a week). Tho I don't have any pictures to prove it, AG is making such wonderful little strides that just encourage me so... It's fun to be getting to know her better as her personality gets a chance to emerge. Lots more smiling & talking & looking directly at Momma. And Havyn? Well, she's getting into almost everything in a 5 foot radius of wherever I set her down. And she's rocking the tummy time:

And her love-affair with food continues. She will actually stare down a bowl of whatever I'm eating, even if I set it down on the floor. She can hardly pull her gaze away from it. Of the food she's been offered, though, here's what she likes best; avocado, sweet potato, pear, mango. Bananas are just ok. And at the bottom of the list: apples. Next up: steak!

 Here's my sweet little girls sleepin away....

And I'll leave you with this one. I can't quite describe what's going on here, but I love it. She and AG are strong & fierce little girls... I think it's awesome.

Oh, and for those of you praying specifically for Ava Gray's healing: thank you & please continue! Even with the recent setbacks, she keeps making such great strides. These next few weeks will be a time of real prayer & beseeching for her. Asking God for huge things. Excited about that. : )

Till next time,
Jules

Home Again (Correction)

Did I say "anti-depressant? Oops. Anti-seizure.

No. I'm not tired at all. : ) 

Jules

And Home Again...

Friends,

We're in the process of being discharged home. No one really sure why the seizures started, but they've given us a fairly mild anti-depressant. Thanks for all the prayers! Will keep you posted. Tonight just hoping to get home and get the girls down for the night to rest in their own bed.

Will keep you posted.

Till then - here's some pics of AG during her EEG. Such a cutie! : )

At Vanderbilt Again

Dear Friends,

As some of you already know, we came in for one of Ava Gray's regular scheduled appointments yesterday and ended up being admitted through the ER. She had 4 seizures yesterday. One right before we left from home to come to her appointment. The second in the cardiologists office (thanking God that it happened there in the presence of one of their docs, as they were able to immediately rule out it being a "tet" spell/cardiac issue). The third & fourth seizure happened while we were in the ER. The fourth was the scariest: she turned grey instead of blue and her sats (blood oxygen saturation level) dropped from 100 (normal) down to 14 (so very not normal). She's been admitted to the Peds Neuro floor here at Vanderbilt, she's been put on anti-seizure medication for the night, and they hope to do an EEG first thing in the morning. 

The good news is, her shunt seems to be working fine. Also good that this doesn't seem to have anything to do with her heart. 

My prayer is that she doesn't have to be put on anti-seizure medication after we are discharged. (These often have really undesirable side effects). 

More aware than ever that Ava Gray is in His hands, and that she needs His healing!

Will keep you updated as best I can. 

Thanks for the prayers dear ones.

-Jules

(Here's some pics of the girls hanging out a few days ago - tho Ava Gray sometimes gets a little nervous when Havyn get's a little too "affectionate," she just loooves her sister, and will often break into a big smile when Havyn grabs her face or pulls at her shirt. It's the neatest thing to watch!)

Cool Weather

I know I can't be the only one who has been basking in this glorious Fall weather these past two weeks... Crisp cool air, sunny skies, gentle rain every now & again. It's so funny to see the girls react to things for the first time. Like rain. What a privilege to be there for so many of another human beings' "firsts." I am honored. And cherish it.

Okay, so this recent adventure/outing to Shelby Park wasn't the girls first time there. But it was a mighty fun second. Sarah H. & I bundled up the girls for much cooler temperatures (for, say, the dead of winter?) It wasn't Sarah's fault. It was all me. ("By gum, the girls weren't going to be cold!") By the end of our outing we were shedding their layers & trying to cool them off. Ah me, another lesson for mama. Still, we got some amazing pictures of the girls all bundled up. And we had such a good time there at the Park. Can't wait for their third visit there... : )

Here's some pics of the "gittin ready:"

Of some "on the way:"

And some "chillin at the park!"