Blink

It seems like we just got home from Ava Gray's heart surgery yesterday, but I breathe in, breathe out, and voila: 3 weeks have passed by.... Both girls are doing better than I ever could have expected. An unexpected benefit of Ava Grays' surgery is that she has all kinds of energy that she never had before. She is present, and telling us what she does & does not like (big beautiful grins & smiles, loud complaining).  It really has been like bringing home a whole new baby to get to know. And it has been tiring, but at the same time, beautiful and exhilarating. The scar on her chest is healing so nicely. They did such a lovely job at Vandy!

So now, almost a month later, I don't know what to tell you about where the time has gone. Our days are very full of just...living. The girls are eating (a lot), exploring (Hayvn especially has such a hankering for "grown up" stuff, so we have to watch her like a hawk!), baths & bottles, napping & enjoying our friends who stop by. Our wonderful nurse, Ana, continues to be a huge help to us, and the girls enjoy her immensely (which is such a gift to me as well!).

Since we were discharged from the hospital we've had to go back once for seizures (about 10 in 1 day - not fun at all!) We think the seizures were due to a small virus that AG picked up that caused her to 1. throw up her seizure meds and 2. have a lower threshold for seizures. The docs say that they see that a lot in kids with seizure disorders (that a slight flu or bug can set them off). It was a scary morning for mama, especially when Ava Gray started seizing every 3-5 minutes. I was by myself at the time and couldn't step away to pack for the ER (though I knew we had to head in), so I just sat by her and prayed & cried. It was so sweet to feel God's presence in that space. I felt so strongly His promise to be the Provider & Protector of these two little girls. And so I just thanked Him that even in this, He was providing for and protecting Ava Gray. And I beseeched Him to really lay the provision & protection on thick! I also asked Him to provide us with good nurses and doctors in the ER. As I was sitting there crying quietly and talking to my Father, Havyn crawled up onto my lap and started to giggle. Now I don't know if you've heard her do this in person yet, but it's infectious! So with tears on my cheeks I found myself giggling right along with her. And I took a deep breath and realized that Havyn was a conduit of God's grace to me in that hard and lonely space. He was providing joy & mirth & a lightening of my heart right there as Ava Gray was going through this really hard trial. And through that innocent giggling I was protected from despair & hopelessness. I was provided with rest and laughter. What an amazing gift from such an amazing God! Just a few minutes later Ana arrived to help me pack up Havyn & the car, and a few moments after that, the ambulance arrived. (Ava Gray's first ambulance ride!). I was able to run out the door and go with Ava Gray, leaving Hayvn in Ana's very capable hands (She finished packing up Havyn & the car and followed us in to the ER.) The timing was perfect. And our reception at the ER was hilarious. "Oh hi!" "It's Julie! And Ava Gray!" " How are you guys?" I started grinning as I saw a sea of familiar faces, and thought to myself; we are coming here way too often to be on a first name basis with all of the staff like this! It was like walking in to a second family. And they were wonderful with Ava Gray and to the rest of us. Our ER visit was mercifully short (compared to most). We got there at 8am and were discharged around 3pm. A full day, but we didn't have to spend the night (yay!) and we beat the traffic home. Wow. I didn't mean to tell you all that. But then I went at did. : ) A little window into the exciting life of the Nash-Whit women I guess. It is quite the ride, but we are very safe even when our stomachs drop out from under us.

Before I blather on even more, I'll cut myself short, and get to the pictures. Here's "life since AG's heart surgery:"

Walks:

 Naps:
(Ava Gray)

  (Hayvn):

 Meals:
(Mostly Havyn)

Hanging out:
(Ava Gray)

 (Hayvn)

(Havyn enjoying her Aunt Dana, and her first snow!)

 (Ava Gray enjoying her Uncle Jake & Uncle Andrew - with both, she was just mesmerized!)

 

Bottle time (& warming up from a winter stroll)

 "Exploring Hour" (Hayvn desperately needing a nap, but going on a rampage instead):

 And lastly, the girls hanging out with their sweet Ana (believe it or not, the girl with the big grin is our Ava Gray!):

(Last one if of Ava Gray as well...sigh. Isn't she something?)

Okay friends, I promised I wouldn't ramble anymore, and I won't. Thanks for coming to visit us here. : ) See ya soon!