Hold My Heart

I heard this song on the way home from work the other day and boy did it hit home. I just opened my heart and let it speak to me. And that it did! I am so thankful to have such an honest and merciful God. He speaks so clearly when we just take the time to listen.




As the day gets closer the reality of surgery becomes more and more clear. It makes it hard to focus on everyday life when you have such a major event coming up. And I am not really sure the day is ever going to get here. The days just drag by ever so slowly. I look at Presley and know that she has no idea what she is about to endure. I know she is going to perservere through this. She is going to rebound like a champ. At this point, the hardest part it just waiting on 9-9-09.



However, I am thankful that God still finds way to show me He loves me and Daniel and Presley. He still finds ways to let me know that He is in control. And that without Him nothing would be possible. He created us and will place in us whatever we need. He will hold our hearts!

It's almost....FOOTBALL TIME IN TENNESSEE!!!

Any of you that know me well, know that my favorite time of the year is football time! It consumes me (well, after my children of course). I mean I have butterflies in my stomach just writing the words!


This is what our Football Season 2009 looks like:


Tuesdays are WHMS football. My brother is an assistant coach for these guys so I have an extra connection! As a matter of fact they already have a win in the books. They beat Portland (east) Tuesday 26-0!!


Thursdays are college games on TV! Usually no one that we really care about but hey, we wait all year for this time and we are not going to let it go to waste!!


Fridays are my fave (or at least a tie for my fave). We are underneath the Friday Night Lights on these nights. It is somewhat special in that Daniel and I both were member of our high school's team. He was several years before me as a kicker. A heck of a kicker if I might add!! And I followed a few years later as one of the team managers! I still get chills watching the Big Blue run out on the field on Friday nights. I just know this year is going to be another great year for our guys!


Saturdays are the MAIN EVENT!! Our Saturdays are filled, literally filled, with all the football one could watch in a day. We wake up to the SEC games on the local channel. Then we watch the prime (midday) game, then it's the prime (evening) game! We cookout and eat snacks and open the windows and veg out to the roar of the crowd and the sound of helmets crashing!


Now, one Saturday this year we will be in the Sea of Orange about 3 hours east of here! We are going to the very first UT game under Coach Lane Kiffin! We are oh so excited about it. And it's only 2 and a half weeks away! It could not get here any faster if you ask me.


Sundays are always the Pros. We usually only get into watching our beloved Titans. But always like to see a good match up. We think this is our year for the super bowl!!


I love me some football and it is almost here!!!

Man Down!

Is it Wednesday already?! Well, for me it is only Monday, sort of. After a long weekend of coupon chatting, standing in line at a consignment sale (leaving with nothing), cleaning, and playing my poor immune system had taken a beating! Monday morning I woke up very congested and running a fever. I got the boys out the door for school and literally crashed. It was clear to me that work was not an option for me. I don't think I rolled out of my bed Monday until about dinner time. Tuesday seemed to bring a little hope but my fever still lingered so I needed that day to recoup!

Thank God for paid-time-off!

Boy, is it apparent when your "team" is down a man. I went to leave for work this morning and the dishes were piled up in the sink and the trash was overflowing and the towels needed to be put away. All that added to the never-ending mountain of paperwork on my desk that I knew was waiting for me at work today. Wow! Being sick is really the pits. But Momma's back now!! And there will be some major power cleaning done tonight.

Luckily, I am the only one, as of yet, that has been doomed sickly! I just pray everyone else stays healthy!

Just Like Romans

So, lately its seems my post have been bad news after bad news after bad news. Well, I think it is finally time to hear some good things. See, it is just like Romans! We are doing a Bible study with friends from church on the book of Romans. We have made it through all the bad news and now we are working on the good news. Praise Jesus that there is good news!!

So, since it has been nearly three weeks since our trip to Louisville I thought I would post my pictures from our trip. We had a great time. We made several memories that at the time were a bit frustrating. But they make for good stories now. We stayed in the backyard of Kentucky Kingdom, literally! We could wake up and look out the window at the big roller coasters.

When we arrived we immediately set out for our first adventure. We went to the Louisville Zoo. It was pretty awesome! We got to see gorillas up close and personal. The boys liked seeing the snakes...ew, gross! Triston loved the tiger and fox. And Presley, well, she crashed in Daddy's arms. She didn't get much else out of it!!

Then day two consisted of a very tired mommy getting everyone up and heading to Kentucky Kingdom shortly after it opened. Why was this mommy so tired? Well, other than vacations are not very relaxing with children, my baby girl decided she didn't much like sleeping in that hotel room. She was awake quite often that first night. But we ventured on. It was really hot out but the wind in our face from those roller coasters really helped. We did end up standing in line awhile and sometimes with no reward at the end. Several of there rides were having technical difficulties. But all-in-all we enjoyed plent of rides. That night Daniel and I decided we would not keep Presley there the rest of the trip. She was very hot and very sleepy and just not comfortable. I had my parents meet me halfway (oh, the lenths grandparents go to) to get Presley. Little did I know that Lousiville DOT had different plans for me! They had about a twenty mile radius of the interstate shut down from 4 lanes to 1. So, yes, my screaming baby and I rode about 1 mile per hour for about an hour and a half and my parents went a bit over halfway. It was one of those this-is-so-bad-all-I-can-do-is-laugh about it things. But it was worth it the next day when we all three could enjoy the park together.

Tris entertaining baby sis!!

Daddy rode this ride and I was freaking for him!!

Peek-a-boo I conquered my fears and rode this ride. Turned out pretty fun! Daddy and Tris are in the back cart! So, the third and final day of our mini-vacay consisted of water slides; some great and some not so great. We got to ride one altogether. Which I think was my favorite! Then we got our tubes and headed down the individual slides. The second of which was not a crowd pleaser. It was pitch black and none of us enjoyed that. But we finished the day riding the faves and eating some good food. We decided to head home early and not stay the last night. That traffic taught us a lesson!! But we made it home in time for Presley's baby dedication at church which went off without a hitch! She looked beautiful of course!!

First Impressions

We had the dreaded pre-op consultation with the surgeon on Monday. I don't recall if I mentioned in the previous post but my anticipation for this visit was that it would be a comforting and informative one. WELL...it failed miserably to be either of those things.

When we arrived in the waiting area I grew very nervous. I tried my hardest not to show it though. Presley was getting sleepy. So, I swept her away from her daddy (who was more interested in his frappuccino) and rocked her. It didn't take long for my baby girl to crash on my shoulder. We sat a few moments longer until a very bubbly middle-aged lady said it...Presley. With a big smile on her face she embraced us and began the ever-so-familiar ooh's and ahh's! Yes, we know she is adorable...now is this over yet?! Cynicism not appreciated, I know.

So, we proceeded to follow said nurse to her office. In all honesty, I am very glad she was so friendly. She really did make it easier on me to be going through all of this. She took Presley's blood pressure and oxygen levels then she weighed her. Now, my lil' sweetie has not been weighed in three weeks and at that time she weighed 10 lbs and 3 oz. So, Monday she weighed (yep, you guessed it) 10 lbs and 3 oz. She has not budged an ounce in three weeks. CONFIRMATION!!

Then she seated us and we continued to wait for the surgeon to come talk with us. Dr. Christian entered shortly thereafter. She was a petite lady with flashy red reading glasses. She was very direct. Hi my name is and this is why we are here and this is what will happen and these are the risks and have a good day. Not what this mom wanted at all! This mom wanted to be coddled. Yes, that is right, I wanted her to hold my hand and tell me it's gonna be okay. I wanted her to interact with my baby girl and tell her it's gonna be okay.

However...

Some of the new things that I learned:
1. Surgery will last 4-5 hours
2. Her in incision will be horizontal under her breast bone
3. There is an open policy in PCICU for me to stay with her as much as I would like or physically can
4. She will be in PCICU for 2 days and in the hospital 4-7 days (this was the best news we got all day)
5. She may have something wrong with her valve as well (I didn't get much info on this even though I asked about it)
6. She will need a blood transfusion and we can give blood if we are compatible

With this appointment behind us, let the stress begin. I feel more stressed and distraught now than I did before. I figure this feeling will stay with me until the day of surgery at which point I will LOSE it! I am not so good at asking "you" to pray for me or my family but I suppose the time has come. Please remember us. The big day is 9-9-09.

Pre, Pre-op

I thought I would take some time, mainly for my own benefit, to jot down my feelings and expectations for Monday's pre-op appointment with the surgeon.

First, let me say this.... AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

Okay, I feel better now.

Let's begin. Yesterday I sent out an email to my family that simply asked for suggestions. I know that the appointment Monday is a time for us to ask questions and generally discuss the procedure. So, I need suggestions on what to ask. My brain is in total deep-fried mode and I have no clue what to ask. Maybe I should ask the surgeon what to ask!

Oh, insurance! I don't think I want to know how much of this my insurance is going to cover. Maybe it is a good thing we will be in the hospital for so long because we may not have a house after paying the hospital bills! You think they will let us shack up on the surgery recovery hall?

I am not expecting Presley to wow the docs with her big 3 ounce weight gain over the past few weeks!! I must admit I have not been to weigh her in 2 weeks so I do not for sure her weight as of today. I do know that it is nothing to write home about.

So, I sit here visualizing (aw, memories!!) Daniel and I pulling into the parking garage, unloading all the necessities for my baby girl, trekking across the sky bridge, piling into the elevator and watching as the 5 lights up, waiting patiently and listening intently for Presley, walking down the hallway, smiling at all the ooh's and ahh's for P head and well....that is about as far as my daydream goes. To put it simply I just don't know what to expect. Maybe that is the hardest part of this appointment. All the previous appointments have been routine. I knew each time what the next step would be, minus a few surprise chest x-rays and lab tests. This time is just different. What will happen after we walk in that room? What will the tone of the appointment be? Will this appointment leave me with any peace? I guess we will just have to wait and see.

Blended Bliss

For all who care...I have given myself a virtual reprimand and I will not let my blogging days be so far and few between again. In my defense, we were out of town for a few days and I made a promise to myself not to get on that computer in the lobby of our hotel. If I was on vacation then I was vacating from the computer as well! However, I cannot say the same for my computer-addicted hubby who went each morning and night to check out his beloved Vols update!! I will have pictures and stories to come later. My post today is much deeper than a trip to Six Flags. Oh, I bet you are on the edge of your seats!!

As I sat last night feeding Presley and rocking her to sleep I listened to the background noise and began thinking. I never imagined "blended" family life could be this good. You can only imagine my expectations after hearing stories of step-siblings poisoning each other and step-parents/biological parents fighting in the front yard. It was a scary thought for me. But boy has God blessed us with blended happiness.

I cannot explain to you the feeling I get when I see Triston smile at his "half" sister, at the joy he has when she smiles at him, and when he so eagerly volunteers to hold her or help in anyway. Each night when I rock her he slips the door open and whispers, "You want me to turn the light off?" I nod and watch him walk away with pride in the fact that he has done something to help get his baby sister to sleep.

I adore that at bedtime each night I get a kiss and an I love you from my "step" son. I am just as dependant on that routine as Triston is. I know that I am not his mother but that doesn't stop me from loving him like he is my own. And it doesn't stop him from needing me to be a mother figure for him.

So, is blending a family ever a good thing?? If you ask me it is!! Did I ever think it would turn out this good?? Heavens no!! Would I have it any other way?? Absolutely not!!