Life Is Good: It's Getting Closer

Thursday, December 18, 2008

It's Getting Closer

Mommy, can I open this present today?

Christmas is only a week away. Can you believe it? This weekend starts our Christmas gatherings. We will be going to my brother's house in Midwest City on Saturday. I'm sooo excited. It is going to be so much fun. Ryan will probably get to (legitimately) open some Christmas presents. He's been casually opening presents here and there. I just follow behind, picking up the pieces and re-wrapping the gifts. He's too young to care what's inside the package. He just likes to rip, tear, and eat the wrapping paper off. I'm sure that he will be excited about the contents once he can actually see and play with (chew on) the toys.

Our own personal rendition of the 12 Days of Christmas, now appropriately titled "The 12 Days 'Till Christmas", is going well. It's been fun. I was planning on sharing each day's recipe online, but I've had a few discouraging (hormonal, emotional, etc.) days this week. I may still share them online especially if I get a request. The soups have been great. I usually just stick to the familiars...taco soup, chili, beans, etc., but I have a recipe book of just soups I've been using. They have been great. What's even more exciting is that the book is a "Gifts in a Jar" book, so after we sample these 12 soups I may make up some ready-to-throw-in-the-pot soups for those days I just can't thing (don't want to think) about what to fix for dinner. Soups are great for winter anyway. I'm also thinking these might be a great house-warming gift for anyone, but especially for my sister who is looking for a place of her own now.

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Brandy Danielle

Brandy is our firstborn, our precious angel baby girl. Her entry into this world wasn't without excitement. At 26 weeks I started preterm labor with contractions 5 minutes apart. With 10 weeks of strict bedrest, most of which were in the hospital, she made it to 36 weeks.
Brandy was diagnosed with "possible/probable" heart defect around 28-30 weeks gestation. After her birth she was whisked away to the NICU for monitoring and after a few days her defect was formally diagnosed and labeled...atrial septal defect and a cleft mitral valve.
Brandy, upon indications of failure to thrive and pulmonary hypertension, underwent her first of 2 open-heart surgeries at 4 months of age. A week after her surgery on the day of her anticipated discharge home Brandy coded for 13 minutes...a stoke.
From that point on Brandy's life was full of doctor's visits, endless crying, pain and suffering. She underwent another heart surgery, fundoplication and g-tube surgery, treatment for infantile spasms, and a mountain of tests and procedures. Her brain damage was extensive.
Upon counseling of our wonderful, most amazing heart surgeon, Dr. Christopher Knott-Craig, and many hours of prayer, we finally called in hospice and called off all of the extensive medical interventions and surgery needs that would prolong her suffering while possibly prolonging her life. Brandy, our precious baby girl...our angel...passed out of our arms and into the arms of her Saviour, Jesus at the tender age of 17 months.

Ryan Andrew

Ryan, our micro-preemie miracle, is a ball of life. After nearly a year of trying to conceive imagine our delight when we finally knew he was on the way. My pregnancy with Ryan was uneventful at first. It seemed perfect and with all of the precautions for preterm labor being taken and monitored we entered this pregnancy with cautious anticipation covered over by a whole love of naive excitement.
At 20 weeks we discovered our "Baby Peanut" was going to be a little boy. We began to make plans and began dreaming about the day we would meet our son.
Almost 2 weeks later everything changed in our lives. It wa a whirlwind of fear and emtions as I began to bleed, was sent for monitoring in L&D and eventually had an appointment with my OB only to find out that it was serious. I had incompetent cervix with hourglassing membranes. The doctor admitted me to the hospital immediately and an emergency cerclage was placed. The statistics were grim, but the hope was to keep our son inside for at least 10 more weeks. We only made it 10 more days.
Early in the evening of February 11, 2007 our son, Ryan, came into this world in emergency fashion at only 23 weeks 5 days gestation. He weighed 1 pound 8 ounces and was 12 ½ inches long. He was so tiny. All I could think of was “oh my goodness is he really that tiny? And is there any way he could actually make it?” I tried to hold on to hope, but in all honesty I had never met anyone with a baby born that early and that small that ever made it.
Ryan did make it! It was a long, hard road, but in the end he spent 90 days in the NICU. He was on a ventilator for 2 months. Finally on one fine glorious day in May we bundled up our 4 pound 4 ounce baby boy and went home...May 11, 2007.
Ryan is now a spunky, lively, strong-willed little boy. His laughter is contagious and his spirit is compelling. He is our miracle. There are no words strong enough to share our delight and joy that God has blessed us with this little boy.

Evan Alexander