15 years ago

My big girl is 15 years old. I still cannot believe it. What a beautiful girl she is. She has shown us more love than we could have dreamed of. She has taught me more in 15 years than I could have learned from anyone else in a lifetime. She has the most patience, is the most thankful, always happy, laughing and smiling. The blessings have far out weighed the trials. I am so very thankful for her willingness to fight through those tough times. I am so thankful God has blessed us with her this many years. I can't wait to see what the future holds for us. Thank you for sharing this journey with us. It's my prayer that Mary Elizabeth in some way has blessed and touched your life.

My battle

Man tonight I am holding Abe and typing this. I have a battle raging from within me. Yes today has been a wonderful day but still the anger rises. I honestly do not believe that I am above this. I do not believe it should happen to someone else. I just do not want it happening to me. I feel like God is picking on me. Why me? Better yet Why Not Me? I am having a hard time accepting the fact that the one that allowed this to come into my life is also the ONLY one that can carry me through this. Because of that I will depend on Him. I will count on Him to carry me through because over the past 6 weeks, yes Abe is 6 weeks old today, I have come to realize that no matter how mad I get at God He is going to continue to be there to carry me through this. No Matter What I WILL give Him the praise.

World's Greatest NICU Doctor

That's something HUGE for me to say because I love Dr. Parks so very dearly. He is still at the top of my list. He came as soon as he heard our new baby was in the NICU too.

I do have to admit that our love for Aunt Dr. Helen (her name for Abe to call her) grew quickly. Abe came quite attached to her. She even took the time to call and check on us the day after we came home. I know she probably does that for all her patients. Abe and I like to think it was just cause it was us. Possible too to smooth things over with Marlee Anne. She was a little upset with Dr. Williams for keeping us there so long. It didn't take her long to realize that Dr. Williams is pretty wonderful to help make Abe well and get us home.



I don't have pictures of them with Abe but Dr. Adams, Dr. Cornish, and Dr. Piazza were all very special to us. Mo, Carrie and Andy were all pretty great too. I haven't forgotten about the nurses cause we could not have done without all of them. I am still working on that post.





These pictures of Abe with his Aunt Dr. Helen were taken the day we were going home. When I came back from lunch one of his nurses told me she had put his journal in his bed. My first thought was that was bad to put it in the bed with him. When I walked in his room I saw in his bed, in the spot where he should, was his journal. I walked back up to the nurses station and all the nurses are laughing and grinning. I said ok where's my baby. They all pointed to Dr. Williams. She had Abe sitting in her lap. I went back to the room to get the camera and grabbed these shots.

My little leprechaun

St. Patrick's Day was spent in the hospital. I wanted Abe to be dressed all in green. My mom's friend knitted us shamrocks. I tried to convince the KNICU knitters that I knitted them. No go there.

Mary Beth!

OK not many people can relate to this I don't think cause I got some looks at the hospital when I shared it. We all have to gain comfort wherever we can and I gained a lot of it from this little computer named Mary Beth Bovine.

That early Saturday morning when we walked into Abe's room in the NICU I saw a computer with a name on it. Over the next few days I noticed more of them. After a while I started paying more attention to their names. It never failed when we were about to receive some news on test results or if I was just having a hard time with things, I would look up and sitting right outside the door in the hall was Mary Beth Bovine. May be a strange way for God to remind me that He and His angel were right there with me but it worked. I always got a special peace that I needed right then and there. There were several times when Abe was about to have a procedure done or times when I couldn't hold him that I would stand beside his bed and he would smile. I thought of Mary Beth and her being small enough to climb in that bed beside him and kiss him. She was making him smile.

This memory was shared not so much for ya'll to know this happened but for me to never forget it did. For me to always remember that God is still using this special little girl in my life.