One Year Ago Today

One year ago today we learned that Emma Kate did not have a whole heart, and it turned my world upside down. You can read my original post from when we found out by clicking HERE. This period of my life has been on my mind so much lately. I'm not quite sure that I realized it at the time, but looking back, I think in the moments that I learned that Emma Kate's heart isn't normal, I became an adult. My priorities changed. I realized that God had a much different plan than I had ever envisioned. He has a plan for Emma Kate and for me and our family. God has used Emma Kate already in her short life to show others His love.

Today as I think about all that has happened in the last year, I am so grateful and very thankful for my precious little daughter. I am thankful that her birth and surgeries have all gone well. I am grateful for all of the support and prayers that have come her way. I am thankful for all of the doctors, nurses and her surgeon that are so talented. I am also thankful for all of the families I have come to know that have "heart babies." I know if it weren't for Emma Kate, I would probably never know them.

Emma Kate's heart will always be an issue in her life and in mine, too. It is something that we will always have to deal with. I'm sure it will remain in the back of my mind at all times. It isn't something most people can understand, but I know that I will always probably be overly-cautious with her. I don't want to treat her any differently, but I think that will be a challenge for me.

I have also realized what a great miracle a healthy baby is coming into this world. I am glad that I don't take life for granted any more. So many times, we picture getting married, having a baby and moving on with life. Having a child with a heart defect or any other health issue or special need will put life into perspective. We could have lost Emma Kate if she had been born twenty years earlier, or if the ultrasound techs didn't catch her heart defect before she was born. We could have lost her if the surgeons' hand slipped during surgery or if we didn't know what to look for when she was in distress. Her life is a complete miracle! It is amazing that she is alive and living a normal life with half of a heart!

I am in awe. I am thankful for my sweet miracle.

I wish I could go back a year ago and tell myself that it would all be okay. That the next few months would be the most challenging I would ever face. But, that Emma Kate would not only survive her birth, but also survive two open-heart surgeries! That she would have complications, and have to endure yet another surgery, but that she would survive. And the best part of it all, is that she would be happy through it all.

Thank You, Jesus, for the blessing of our sweet daughter, Emma Kate, and for giving her the most peaceful spirit a child could have. Thank You for preparing us ahead of time for what was to come. And thank You for Your love and Your promises to us. Thank You for showing us Your love through our little girl.

Eight Months

Emma Kate turns 8 months old today! Here are some pics from her monthly photo shoot! :)

she's started with the stranger anxiety...

chews on everything...

makes the cutest faces ever

first time showing off both her battle wounds:

still constantly happy...

sweetest little toes

I took a million and a half photos all while Big Sis was doing this:

The Latest

Today we had a visit from our home nurse for Emma Kate's last Synagis injection of the season. Thank God for insurance, because according to our ins. company, these shots cost about 1700 bucks a pop! But they are worth it since EK has not gotten sick once! Apparently RSV has been pretty rampant and stubborn this season. We are so thankful that EK is healthy! Emma Kate was weighed, and I was pleased to see that she had gained! She weighs an even 13 pounds! Such a big girl! I'm so proud of her.

Emma Kate's first Easter was so fun! We had a blast visiting family, many of which were meeting our sweet girl for the first time. Sadly, I do not have many pictures of her, she was slightly cranky and slept through most of the fun. Here are just a few...

Eating rice cereal at Aunt Teri & Mamaw's on Friday.

Two beauties! Emma Katie with her little 3 month old cousin, Alyssa.
Emma Kate & cousin Jackson. She is older by exactly one week.
And no, this is not from Easter. But it was so cute, I had to put it up!

I am so glad that she has not one, but TWO cousins so close to her age! It's gonna be fun growing up with them!

She is just...

so dang cute I can hardly stand it!!!!

Stellan

One of my most favorite bloggers that I follow needs your prayers. I've been following MckMama for several months now. She is awesome! She seems like a wonderful mother, wife, and she is an awesome photographer! I love following her blog and reading about the topics she discusses!

Currently she is in the hospital with her youngest child, Stellan, who is five months old. His story is so amazing! Before he was born, he was diagnosed with SVT (supraventricular tachycardia), which is a heart rhythm disorder, and MckMama was told he would not live. However, when he was born he was alive and the doctors and nurses could not find a single thing wrong with him! He is truly a miracle.

Very recently he had to be hospitalized because his heart rhythm flipped into SVT, with a heart rate in the 200 or 300s! (Normal is around 120-130 for a baby this age). Baby Stellan has been in the hospital for 13 days now, while his cardiologists and other doctors attempt at finding a combination of medications that will allow his heart to stay in a normal rhythm. As I type this, he has been in a normal sinus rhythm for about 48 hours, which is an answer to prayer. Reading her journey since they've been in the hospital reminds me so much of when we were in the hospital with Emma Kate. The frustration and the waiting... it all seems so familiar.

Please pray for little Stellan and his family. Visit MckMama's blog by clicking on the picture above, and don't be surprised if you end up spending awhile getting to know the MckFamily. Her blog is just that awesome.

appreciating the SMALL things

We have been home now for a few weeks, almost a month. I think just about every day someone has asked me, "So, how are things going now that you're at home?" My short answer is usually, "Things are great. We're back in a routine and we're loving being home!" There are so many great things that I am loving about Emma Kate being at home, I could go on forever.

Mostly, it just feels like normal life. That is what I love the most. I love feeling like I have a "normal" baby. I love that if I don't say anything, you wouldn't know about her heart. (She just looks that great, people!) I love that she is getting stronger every day, that she is eating rice cereal, fruits and veggies, that she is back on normal formula. I love that she is sleeping in her crib and wearing regular clothes (not a hospital gown). I love that she is on fewer meds now than she ever has been (she's still on five, but at one point she was on 8 or 9!) I just LOVE normal.

Today we went to see Dr. Law for a check-up. Emma Kate's x-ray was completely clear. He said her heart function looked wonderful, her valve isn't as leaky as it had been before, and she even gained a bit of weight. She's now 12 lbs 8 oz (still small, I know) but she is making progress. Dr. Law doesn't want to see her for FOUR months! That is so awesome!! She'll be almost a year old when we go back to see him!

Emma Kate spends a lot of time playing on the floor with her toys. Here she is the other day after having rolled over from her back. It was the first time she has done this that I can recall! I am so thrilled! (Don't you just love all my piles of laundry around the room?) She hates being on her tummy, but she is slowly making progress. I know she's a bit behind on her developmental milestones, but look at all the kid has been through! I think for a child who has been through all she has, she's doing simply awesome! We have a physical therapist who comes to the house to work with her every other week and does great with her, and I think soon she'll be caught up.

For now we are just enjoying being home and appreciating all the little things in life.

Seven Months Old, 4 Years Strong

Well, my sweet baby girl is seven months old (as of March 19th)! It doesn't seem possible that she is already this age, for several reasons. Mostly because it feels like the past two months we've been in the hospital and we have missed out on life so much.


It is good to be home with my little angel. She is loving it! She loves playing with her toys, sleeping in her own bed and actually wearing clothes. She is drinking from a bottle and doing great! We restart Similac MONDAY! (Woo hoo!) I can't wait to fatten that little waif up! She is only 11 pounds 12 ounces-so little! She is slightly behind in a couple of developmental areas right now, but I suspect that after being home for awhile and regaining her strength, she will catch right up to where she needs to be.

Emma Kate,

My sweet girl, I love you! I am so proud of the little person that God created you to be. Again and again you amaze me each day. The sweet spirit God has blessed you with is so incredible. All of the scars on your body remind me every day of how hard these past seven months have been on you. But you smile and laugh despite all you have been through. God has revealed so much to me through you and to me, you are living proof that He exists. There was a 1 in 10,000 chance we would have a baby like you, and I'm so thankful that we were that 1. You make me so happy. I can't wait for you to live life like any other baby would. This spring and summer are going to be so fun for you, I just know it. We are going to have fun, little one! Happy 7 month birthday!

Love, Mommy

Do they look alike?

The first one is of Anna Brooke at 7 months. The second is of Emma Kate. I keep saying how, except for the eyes, I think they look alike. But I had the HARDEST time finding a picture where I felt they looked alike. I don't know, what do you think?

Also on March 19th, Brooks and I celebrated our 4 year anniversary. A LOT has happened in the past four years. I think that they have been the most happy, busy, amazing, trying and life-changing four years of my life. Brooks, I am so thankful for you and the wonderful husband that you are to me. You are an amazing father to our girls. I couldn't have chosen a better Daddy for them! Who knew that just weeks after celebrating our one year anniversary, we would have our precious Anna Brooke? And then just two years after she was born we would enter the most difficult, most scary, yet beautiful time in our lives? I am so proud to have emerged from this storm by your side. I love you!