Where There's A Will

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Grandma and Grandpa's House

burn baby burn!

My Grandparents have this 8923859 year old toaster that burns toast if you don't watch it and eject it manually. Today marks week two of our stay with them and until this morning I had not burned a single piece. We're talking smoking, crispy, solid black toast.

Blessed to have a Grandpa who wants to eat it anyway.

bookworm.

Grandma and Grandpa's favorite computer game is called bookworm. My Grandpa's laptop is kept open on the counter at all times and throughout the day-- as we all walk by we love to pause life and find words in the jumbled mess of tiles.

garden.

Life is simpler at Grandma and Grandpa's. Though busier than ever life is slower paced and I find lots of meaning in doing simple tasks like laundry. I cannot wait to begin piecing our new house together but moving out of my Grandparents is going to be bittersweet. Brady and I are truly enjoying ever moment of our time with them.

They have the most beautiful garden. They make due with the space the have and they've created something wonderful. They grow flowers in their front yard and tomatoes in the back.

My Grandma was excited to show us how wild berries began growing in their yard. Deliciously tangy, I love picking the ripe ones in the morning. It fills a desire in my heart that I discovered recently. I really have an interest in things that grow. I am glad that the Lords timing is a little inconvenient sometimes. If closing on the duplex had been easier we wouldn't be sharing this time with them now. Today I am grateful for unanswered prayers.

Faithful stewards of the things that they have been given-- my grandparents spend a lot of time working in their yard. It inspires me to get off my butt and do something. They keep themselves busy with meaningful tasks and take pride in their accomplishments-- it inspires me to take more pride in my own.

day to day.

We seem to have been doing a lot of running back and forth lately. I enjoy the late night and early morning rides on the windy country roads. Driving through the country is a spiritual experience. There is great opportunity to sing, reflect, and worship the creator of the divine eye candy that surrounds me daily (Brady Williams... I kid. I kid.).

Avey has adjusted to our new helter skelter life well enough. She likes to play with her toys, watch her Einsteins, take lots of mini naps, and be held.

sneak peak of our new home :D

Brady and I like to sit around and talk about how awesome she is.

sew.

Yesterday my Grandma taught me how to patch jeans and today I am learning how to hem. Maybe they'll adopt us and we'll stay with them forever.

Fire Fire Fire!

home.
Oh boy does it feel good to sit behind a desk, editing pictures, and thinking about all the new things I have to share. It feels good to type-- the clicking of the keys is like music to my ears. Over the last two weeks Brady and I have moved in with my Grandparents, packed and moved all of our things to Blue Ridge, painted every square inch of our new home (ceilings and closets included), and last weekend we started ripping out carpet to prepare the way for our new floors.

I kid you not-- I thought we'd have the entire house painted in the first day. Obviously I've never painted anything in my life. It is coming along--slowly but surely and with every brush stroke it become a little bit more like home.

fussy bussy.
People ask me all the time "does she ever cry?"....

I always want to say something sarcastic like "No. Does yours? Something must be wrong with it."

But I don't because I'm nice. I just laugh and say "does she ever!"

The truth is that Brady and I are incredibly blessed. She is such a sweet baby. She loves to be held and tends to fuss when I put her down--but I know that's my doing. She sleeps through the night. She likes to be in her car seat, watch Baby Einstein, and be sung to.

My sweet darling turned into a little terror when it was time to start packing. About halfway through her Einsteins this is what we encountered:

She cried real tears and everything. Moving with a 5 month old isn't fun. Painting with a 5 month old isn't fun.

She cries.

It is heart breaking.

We are both very ready to get unpacked and all moved in.

fire fire fire.
My brother Kyle (number 3 of 7) graduated from the Fire Academy the day before we moved so I haven't been able to gush yet.

He has worked so hard over the past few years--trying to better himself so he can make a lovely little life for his beautiful fiance Sarah. They are getting married in July and our family can't wait to grow once more.

I am pretty sure Kyle is the smartest. He studied ruthlessly for exams and memorized countless definitions as he worked full time as a shift supervisor at a local pizza joint. He put himself through school without government grants or student loans. He succeeds at whatever he puts his mind to while dazzling others with his quirky sense of humor and boyish charm.

Obviously he was named Valedictorian of his class.

We all showed up to support him-- as is customary for out tight knit family unit.

I am so proud of my siblings and the people we are all becoming.

We ended the night with chips, salsa, and margaritas. Perfection.

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Availeth Joy: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

November 21, 2011
If you haven't read Avey's birth story you can read it here.
Today we had a little girl. When we arrived at the hospital we were immediately hooked up to fetal monitoring and shortly thereafter were told that Avey was having some pretty massive heart decells. The hospital staff wasted no time. We were in and out of the OR within the hour. A few weeks before I went into labor I noticed decreased fetal movement but I thought that it was because sister was growing and because she was bigger she wasn't able to move around as much. I googled it and other mothers noted that they had decreased fetal movements in the last few months of pregnancy so I didn't think much of it.

I had a friend who went to the ER multiple times during her pregnancy for decreased fetal movement and it never amounted to anything. It was my greatest concern that I would be a bother. I didn't want to be that girl but looking back I wish I had been.

When Avey was born she was swimming in a big pile of meconium (a baby's first bowel movement) they theorized that she'd been in it for quite some time. Her umbilical cord was stained dark green. The doctor said that she was stressed because my placenta was not functioning like it should have. It had weird purple, rubbery, lesions on it. The doctor said that it looked like swirls or waves. After 20 years in the medical field she had never seen anything like it.

During Avey's birth I remember her commenting "The placenta looks old." After having the placenta sent to the pathologist's lab they still were unable to determine what happened exactly. One thing is for sure-- sister was not getting the nutrition she needed. Which was why she was so small. 5 lbs 1 oz and term.

"They took Avey to the nicu because her blood sugar and temperature is low. I only got to see her for ten minutes today."

November 22, 2011
Brady and I received a phone call from the nicu this morning saying that I could try to give Avey a bottle for her 9am feeding if we made it down to the nicu in time. My nurse almost didn't let me go. They had just removed my epidural and my legs were still a little numb. It was hard to stand up and make it to the wheel chair but I was determined. I hadn't seen Avey in 18 hours.

We only stayed in the nicu for a short amount of time because my nurse told me not to overdue it. They told me I could come back for every feeding if I'd like to. 3,6,9,12. Avey's blood sugar and temperature are still low. They gave her an IV to boost her sugars. I just hope we can take her home when we leave Thursday. I might beg them to let me stay till Friday if they don't let her come home Thursday.

Avey had her first bath today. She is so beautiful and her little cry is so funny!

"I have the most incredible husband in the world. Can not believe how well he takes care of me. Avey Williams is blessed to have such a loving Daddy."

November 23, 2011
8:42am-- Things are looking good! They told us we may have be able to have in her in our room as early as tonight! "Thank you everyone for your kind and encouraging words. I am feeling much better and I'm getting around really well. Still very sore but the incision is healing well. Avey is a champ. Her blood sugar has been perfect for the last 24 hours and she is maintaining her body temp all by herself. We are so in love."

5:12pm-- Received some pretty devastating news. Aveys platelet count is very low. They never mentioned it. I guess they've been keeping an eye on it all this time. I was shocked when pediatrics told us that they were going to have to give her a transfusion. This isn't fair. They said that sometimes when two people who have different platelet types have a baby the baby inherits the dominant platelets, which sometimes belong to the Father. If the baby's platelets are different than the mothers than after
birth the body attacks the foreign platelets.

If this is what had happened it could take up to two weeks for her body to get rid of my platelets. I feel like this is all my fault.

"Keep praying. Baby girl is having a platelet transfusion. She'll probably be in the NICU for awhile."

November 24, 2011
Happy first Thanksgiving baby girl!

"Meet Availeth Joy Williams. This is right after her feeding tube came out so she still has tape on her chin. The nurse was rushing to get the tube back in so the video is a little shaky. Baby girl is so brave. She is doing so well in the NICU."

I was overjoyed when they took the tubes out of her nose and put her under a humidity hood. No more stuffy nose for baby Avey!

Still no improvement in her platelet levels. Doctors still don't know what is causing this.

November 25, 2011
Four days old and she is so alert! They were able to remove her feeding tube today she is eating all by herself now. All we are waiting on now is her platelet count which still remains very low. The doctors are a little baffled.

November 26, 2011
The doctors no longer believe that Avey and I have different platelet types. If we did the IV IG would have fixed the problem. They don't know what is causing this.

I was discharged today. We stayed at the hospital in the nicu all day. I refused to go home. Around 8pm we went to Target to pick up a couple things. I broke down in the parking lot. I sat in the passenger side of Brady's truck and cried because things are so different then I thought they'd be. I am not supposed to leave the hospital without my full term baby.

I wasn't suposed to have a c-section.

I wasn't suposed to have to ask for permission to hold my baby and change her diaper. People were supposed to ask me. I'm jealous of the nurses that get to love on her all day. I'm jealous that they get to spend all night with her while I am sent home. This is not how things are supposed to be.

10:26am-- "Availeth is off her humidity hood, feeding tube, and everything that was wrong is perfect now except for her platelet levels, that even though she had a transfusion and IV IG, continue to drop. Please keep praying. Brady and I left the hospital at 10 last night. Pumping and feedings are keeping us busy. I am at peace and on a mission. Baby girls gonna get better."

November 27, 2011
5:14pm--"Ok. So. Here's the deal. After another transfusion yesterday Avey's platelets are at 121. Great! Now. They are going to test her again tomorrow. If the count goes up... she comes home! :) If the count stays the same... she stays till she normalizes. :/ If the count goes down... they transfer her to Medical City. :( Prayers are being answered. She is doing so much better. believe with us and for us that our little girl is healed and coming home tomorrow!"

November 28, 2011
7:39am--"Happy One Week Birthday Baby Girl!!! We will be celebrating one week of life at Baylor Frisco. Her levels stayed the same. I am a happy momma."