June 25, 2015

A little background that led us to being bereaved parents...Pt.5

Mar. 11, 2015
Most of you don't realize what a huge deal this is, but today this momma was brought to tears, happy tears! Avery lost her sucking reflex (hence the feeding tube) and therapy has been working with her trying to get that back. Well, today (in her own timing, of course!) she started sucking just like she has never missed a beat. This is such a big accomplishment that with hopefully continue to improve so we can return to bottle feeding with her. I've heard more times than I can count that kids are resilient and of course I cling to that but this was exactly what I needed today. Avery has got so many barriers to overcome but baby, this was one of them! Thank you Jesus!


Mar. 16, 2015
Avery is (slowly) adjusting to being home. She is getting better and better at her sucking, handling movement and transitions better, and calming quicker, for the most part. We are so happy with her new pediatrician, which is a huge thing! Avery actually gained too much weight over the last week. This has never happened for us! Poor angel, she's come so far, I'm just so proud of her. (And I tell her every single day )
We have soooo many thank you notes that we owe to more people than we can count. (I'm working on them...) So here goes a long list of thank yous...
Every single day, we are shown how blessed we are by cards, gifts, money, meals, fundraisers, and prayers. The meals have been ah-mazing... Seriously, we can taste the love. The generosity of people that just want to give so that Avery has whatever she needs is still overwhelming. Everyone's support at community fundraisers has been incredible! We regret we couldn't make it out to Randy's tonight to thank everyone. So thank you! Thank you for your time and hard work that you put into these fundraisers and thank you for supporting sweet Avery. And thank you for the sweet cards that tell us you're praying for us and you love us. It all means the world.
We are also eternally grateful to the amazing medical team at Brenner's who genuinely care about her progress. I know it's your job and you are just doing what you are trained to do but thank you. Thank you for caring about Avery. Thank you for growing attached to her. Thank you for helping Brad and I get through each day. You literally saw us at our worst and you still talked to us and gave us hugs. ðŸ˜³ We really do miss you guys.
We've got a big weekend coming up with my sister's wedding and I would love nothing more than for us to go as a family of three but it'll be just Brad and I. These moments are when I wish I could go back to our perfect little normal life three months ago. But we are blessed. So blessed.
We love you, our angels.

Mar. 25, 2015
Taking a 'whaley' good nap.

April 6, 2015
We all knew she probably wouldn't like us trying to put this Easter bunny coat on her but it was pretty sweet. Bless her little heart. I have been reminded several times (there are no coincidences, momma says so) randomly that it's all about perspective. I try day in and day out to stay positive and see the good in our lives right now and I'll be honest, it's hard sometimes. We need to always look for God working in our lives because when you stop paying attention, you might
 miss it. We might not always get exactly what we pray for but when we pray for His will to be done, it is always perfect. That is my daily prayer. The good lord gave us this sweet gift for a reason and when we make our perspective that SHE is our purpose in life right now, the sleepless nights and the inconsolable times that just break a momma's heart are much more bearable. We have been blessed beyond measure and I KNOW that we would have never known this kind of love without going through such turmoil. I still pray every day that we will see our sweet one smile at us with that beautiful big smile. We would love nothing more. She will get there, in her own time, I just know it. We are constantly surrounded by so much love and I know she feels it. 


April 27, 2015
Friends, I know we haven't had many updates recently but today we need prayers. Avery was admitted back in to the PICU today for an extremely high temp and labored breathing. Right now, the team is trying to determine the cause for the sudden temp. Please pray that our sweet angel is back to her sweet self soon.

May 2, 2015
We have been blessed with this sweet angel for 8 amazing months. While our days with her are limited we know she was put here to show us a new and amazing kind of love.
 Happy 8 months to the sweetest and prettiest girl in the whole wide world.

May 3, 2015
We always knew our sweet girl was our angel but now she truly is dancing and smiling with Jesus. Our hearts break with this reality; 8 months just isn't long enough with your baby. From the moment I first met her I knew my world was forever changed. I never could've imagined I could love someone so deeply. We were blessed with the strongest, sweetest, most loving, funny, beautiful little girl any two people could ever pray for. Our hearts will always have a huge piece 
missing but to know we will see that smile again brings a lot of peace. Learning to live without our Avery is not going to be easy and I don't know if we ever will, but she made us mommy and daddy and taught us a love that we never knew before. We have been so surrounded with love and support the last 8 months and we are forever grateful. I think Avery could easily be the most loved little girl I've ever known. She is the lucky one to go before us and live without pain and we couldn't want anything more for our sweet angel. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all of the love, prayers, hugs, and support. Thank you for loving Avery. Please continue to pray for peace, comfort, and healing for our families. I cannot wait to hear that little giggle again.




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