O Love That Will Not Let Me Go

Walt does not understand what is going on, yet, on October 31, so when he dresses up it is for Noah and me and for the sake of pictures. Thankfully, we have not invested a lot of money, if any, into costumes for him. Last year we found his monkey costume at Wal-Mart for $8, and this year we were able to borrow the Sully costume from my sister. My niece was born around the same time of year as Walt, and Lori was able to find this costume at Wal-mart when my niece was about a year old! Mosters Inc. was really popular at the time. What a deal! Cheap for her and free for me!! And look at how cute he was in the costume!! We couldn't actually treak-or-treat when we arrived at Mimi's house because Walt was a little fussy, but once he had had some milk and graham crackers to eat, he "happily" got into his costume to get some candy! Can you believe he is already eating graham crackers? My mom is so good at helping me to let go and give him the next type of food. I alw...

Right now our house is busy! Noah is swamped at school because the end of a semester is approaching quickly, and there is still much to be done in so many of his classes! Walt and I savor every moment that we get to be with him right now! This past Thursday I was able to leave Walt at home so that I could go and spend some time with sweet baby Layne . Layne's mommy, Kristina, and I have been having coffee every week, and I was missing our time together! So with caffeine in hand we were able to chat while I got some snuggle time in with Layne. I have definitely forgotten what four pounds looks like because she is so tiny and sweet and a great little snuggler! It seems as though Layne may have her days and nights mixed up, so Kristina is up in the middle of the night. She enjoys this sweet time with Layne, but it makes it hard to be awake and alert during the day! Also, Layne went to see Dr. Brooks, who we love, and Layne loved her too! They were able to talk about feeding ...

This weekend has been full and exciting for both Walt and me. Noah went out of town for his church planting class. They went to work with a church in Tennessee. It is an amazing experience for him, but we miss him so much! You guys know me through my writing because I write, but I am not the speaker in the family. However, I was asked to be a part of a panel of women from our church to share a few things within a 6 minute period. Each of us discussed the season of our life when we grew the most. I have not spoken about my life with Magdalena before, and I was a nervous wreck. With Noah being out of town I was only going to go for this one part of the woman's retreat, and I was just trying to survive it. I had down what I was going to write, and the night before I completely changed my approach, which made me have multiple, random sheets. I am not an eloquent speaker. My thoughts do not come in an organized fashion. As I sat there waiting for my turn, I was sweating and ...

I can't believe it, but with all of the Layne excitement, I forgot to announce that the winner of the ornament is Ashleyj@........... Congratulations! I will be sending you an email. Please respond within a week to receive the ornament! I always feel a special bond with someone who has a special needs child or who has lost a child, which is one of the MANY reasons why I like to read books by Nancy Guthrie . Noah and I are studying to book of Hebrews, and knowing how much we love us some Nancy, we decided to use her book, Hoping for Something B etter as a reference. Life experiences does affect a person in every aspect, but this book is not intended for those who have lost a child. It is for anyone who wants to go through the book of Hebrews more deeply. There are questions that are intended to be answered before reading each chapter, which take you through a particular section in the book of Hebrews. (Noah and I answer these individually, and then, we come together to discus...

I was sad that I did not get to go to the hospital yesterday to see sweet Layne, but that face today made up for it! I didn't even think that I was going to get to see her! Walt and I went to take her some clean clothes. I didn't want Walt to go inside because he is definitely a germ carrier, but Hamp was SOOO nice to sit with him so that I could visit sweet baby Layne. Walt is going through his "needy" stage, so he did get a little fussy out there. That was the only way I could have stopped holding Layne! She is so snuggly and sweet! I didn't have my camera with me, so you will just have to take my word for it! Please pray for Hamp and Kristina as they are spending all day at the hospital caring for Layne and learning her special needs. They are going to have THE BEST hospice nurse EVER when they go home....can you take a little guess who it is?? Magdalena's nurse, Rosa, will now be Layne's nurse! Noah and I love sweet Rosa, so we are so excite...

The Gastons will be sleeping at the hospital to learn how The special care Layne needs. Please pray that they will rest and learn. Pray that God will give their hearts peace in him. Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.3

Thank you so much for praying for the Gaston family as they brought Layne into this world! They are such a sweet family and so special to me! Her family is updating their caringbridge site, so you can follow them as often as they let us know what is happening! Please continue to pray for this family as they care for Layne with all of her special needs and make decisions. www.caringbridge.org/visit/laynegracegaston

Kris just called to give me a few updates, and so many of you have been praying for her so I had to share. They are many good things happening, but with these special, T18 babies, prayer is continually needed! Layne is considered to have severe defects For about 5 to 7 days after birth the lungs will contract to keep fluid out, but after this time the fluid will build up in her lungs Layne attempted to take a bottle, but they had to quit because she turned blue. However, she regulated herself! (this a a great thing that she was able to do!) After a few tries, they got the NG tube down, and she had 10 cc of formula. They have to wait to see how she tolerates the formula and the tube. If she tolerates it well, they will take out the IV. Currently, Layne is not on any oxygen Kris and Hamp stayed in the NICU for about 2 hours, but they left for Layne to rest Kris met with the hospice nurse at the hospital (Pray as they make these arrangements!)

Thank you so much to all that has prayed today for sweet Layne. When I left the hospital she was in stable condition. She had a bath while using no oxygen! And fussed at Nurse Wren the entire time! She is such a beautiful girl and I will continue to keep you updated!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.3

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.3

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.3

Layne is here! She weighs 4 pounds 1 ounce. She received oxygen and is in the nicu right now. Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.3

Because Layne is breach, she will be delivered tomorrow, October 14th, at noon via C-section. Will you pray for Layne, Layne's mommy's healing after surgery, the doctors, nurses, the family, and all of those involved at this specific time? There are so many unknowns with Trisomy 18 babies, so it forces everyone to their knees. That is a beautiful site with the short lives of these special babies. Please click on Layne's name so that you can read her mommy's prayer request. We don't know what God has in store for her, but we do rest in the fact that her sweet life is in her hands. I am so excited that Kristina is allowing me to be a part of this very special day! I can't wait to take a billion pictures, video tape, get food, or whatever it is that is a need at the moment. Layne is a beautiful little baby, and I can't wait to meet her! As I get updates, I will send them to you. But for now, please , pray.

First, don't forget that the GIVEAWAY winner will be announced this Thursday! Look HERE for more information to put your name into win!! I finished my second Lewis book in a quest to finish 800 pages of his writings by the end of the semester. A Grief Observed is not written in a book form with how people should feel when they lose someone they know, but it is written in a blog format with short small writings of his feelings. He didn't claim this book when it was first published, but wrote under a pseudonym. His feelings were open and honest. Some days he wrote when his heart was running this thoughts, and on other days he writes of what God's word and what he knows to be true. It was beautifully written, and I recommend it to those who have lost a dear one or anyone who wants to be reminded of God's truths. A few quotes from the book that I highlighted and wanted to share: " Getting over it too soon? But the words are ambiguous. To say the patient is ge...

First, don't forget that the GIVEAWAY winner will be announced this Thursday! Look HERE for more information to put your name into win!! Well, I couldn't wait to share some pics with you guys about my recent vacation. It is hard for me to say the word too because I can't believe that my reason for going was to play with friends! On the Thursday of my set back a friend sent me a text. God's timing is perfect because it was just what I needed! Stephen Curtis Chapman and his family were going on tour, and his wife, author of Choosing to See , would be speaking in Houston. Noah thought that it would be an amazing time with a friend and to hear about all of the work that the Chapmans are doing, so after we worked out the details, I packed my bags and left. This was the longest drive that I had ever made alone, but with the help of audio books, it was so enjoyable! The concert was more than amazing, and so is the work that God is doing through the loss of th...

I cannot wait to share pictures of where I am right now, but I am refraining until tomorrow. Just know that it is so good that I drove 7 hours here, and I hate to drive!! Before I left I received an email from Faces of Loss, Faces of Hope saying that they had received my answers to some questions about my life after Magdalena, and that we would be there. I noticed that they have posted it, but I haven't read it, yet. Since I am in my special location, I don't want to spend too much time on the internet. However, in honor of Magdalena being recognized on the website Anne Downey Luckey is giving away another customized ornament worth $32!! Look at the last giveaway here to see some pictures of the ornaments. A winner will be chosen using random.org on Thursday, October 14th. Ways to enter the contest (if you have already done both, just leave a comment letting me know): S ubcribe to this blog (and confirm through email sent to your inbox) Like Ann...

If you have ever suffered in an unimaginable way, you know that not every day is the same. For hours, days, or weeks you are moving back into society. You learn to breathe again and live in a different way. Then, out of nowhere BAM! you get hit hard. It sets you back, and you wonder if you will ever make progress. Well, maybe noone else feels this way, but I definitely do, and it happened this past week. Maybe you noticed that I haven't blogged? I just had to spend some time regaining my strength to begin moving forward again. This may sound cheesy but it just came to me...that although I get hit, I keep moving forward because I have complete coverage (like a car with insurance)...see? I told you it was cheesy. I usually write what I am honestly thinking so there you have it. Because all of my hope lies that I am a child of God and that he wraps his arms around me and cares for me, I know that I will move forward again. Maybe it doesn't always meet my expectations o...