A Little Piece of Happiness.

Ava got into the band aids today and my what an artist she became. I had to catch it in video so you all could see her at work!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

 

All is well with Ava. She is growing into quite the little lady. I took her to an appointment last Tuesday in St. Louis to check on her arm. There are a few things we can do to help the appearance of her burn. While we were there I became very ill and we ended up leaving before her appointment was fully over. My Mother took me to the ER because I couldn’t get a handle on the pain in my lower right side and back. Long story short I had a kidney stone. I thought the pain was worse than being in labor. So glad that is over. I had to learn lots of patience that day…:) Bless my Mother’s heart for being put in that unpleasant situation. God showed Himself that day, in the fact that as soon as we left Ava’s appointment she fell fast asleep. She never saw me suffer and she was much less likely to have gotten any germs in the ER as my Mom held her the entire time. She then called my brother and he came and took her out of there. Thank God for Morphine! It helped me through that day.

We also went to a baby shower while visiting my sister in St. Louis. Ava had fun time. Here are a few pictures of her at the shower.

Thanks to my sister Amanda for taking this next picture of Ava and I!

And one of my favorites is this next one.

I also took some pictures of my brother’s girlfriend, Amber. I hope she doesn’t mind I post a few. I’m so excited my brother will experience parenthood. It is a wonderful thing!

They are naming him Christian. So of course I had to spell out his beautiful name in blocks!

This one is so precious.

 

So often we take our health and family for granted. Those are the two most important things in our life, besides our relationship with God, that matter so deeply. Tonight believe that God has a plan and ask Him to cleanse your heart so you can enjoy life to the fullest. He holds the future. Be strong enough to share with Him your deepest desires and your hard aches for He cares.

Thanks for supporting our family!

~Terri

 

Life Goes On….

As the title reads, life has been moving along great for us. It is Amazing how it falls back into a normal routine as though she was never stricken with Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia and all it’s problems. Ava is striving more and more to talk. She now repeats everything we say. Oh and does she ever ask questions. Her favorite thought is, “Why Mommy?” She is trying to learn her colors and how to count. So far she counts like this…. “One Two Eight Nine!!” She loves to run and jump. She waits patiently for her sisters to get home from schools so she can tag along with what they are doing. She meets her Daddy at the back door and greets him with a warm “Hi Daddy!” and a HUG. She is so loving. I couldn’t ask for her to be doing better. Weight seems to be a issue and probably always will be with Ava. She has been stuck on 30 pounds for a good several months now. We pray that she will hit a growth spurt and she’ll gain a few pounds. She does eat pretty good for a three year old. We continue to do her nightly g-tube feeds. We are up to almost 700 calories a night time feed. She tolerates it well and most days she gets up and wants an egg first thing. (Which is a good thing!)

As most of you know I have a love for photography. It is my true passion. I love how taking pictures makes me feel. I am now finally being able to put my name on my work. Pictures capture a moment in time that otherwise passes by without another thought. Here is one I did of our hands. (Ava and I)I will cherish these picture forever. I can honestly say I have held a Miracle. We love that she is strong and is now healthy. We’ll take what we are given, as we know life is a blessing.

I want you to see for yourself how big she is getting. She is growing so tall. I trimmed her hair last night and she could barely hold still long enough for me to finish. She kept saying, “Done Mommy?” Then a few seconds later she would ask again. Today was ALL about reading Dora books. Yes we have taken “Dora” on. We now have Dora everything!

She makes this face A LOT!

I spiced this one up with my artist flare!

 

Simple and very elegant…. Lady Ava.

Miss, I Love Books enjoys a good read!

And no angle left missing…..

I need to schedule a surgery follow-up appointment for Ava but I’m putting it off a bit. She is enjoying everyday and who could ask for anything more?

Thanks for your commitment to Ava’s blog. I don’t write much anymore as normal things tend to be boring. I try to use my writings to inspire those who have been affected  by pain and hard ache. There is life at the end of the tunnel. Ava is living proof! I pray that Ava continues her healing path…..she is a very courageous little lady.

~Terri