The Normal Things

I had a pretty normal Friday night, I know that's hard to believe.  Yesterday was Shawn's birthday, I decided it would be a great time to see all of the friends that we rarely get to see.  His brother has a birthday just 8 days later, so we decided to have a joint birthday party.  Our backyard fire was rained out, so we moved the party into James' house instead.  We put Sadie to bed and had Shawn's mom watch Hope.  James' house is right next door to ours, so I simply ran back and forth to help with feeds and give meds.  I had to have my cell phone close and I left a few times to tend to Hope, but over all I was able to enjoy myself.  It was a great feeling.

For the last two nights, we have been enjoying the gift of a night nurse.  Jessica was fantastic with Hope and allowed us to sleep for 8 hours straight, both nights!  I feel like a new woman after getting some sleep, I forgot what being well rested felt like.  To everyone who prayed for this to be a reality in our lives, thank you!  It is truly a blessing to wake up in the morning and not feel like I need to throw up.

Hope reached the 9 pound mark yesterday!!  We have been thrilled with her progress in the weight department and feel really encouraged by it.  We are praying that she'll grow quickly and have her next surgery sooner, rather than later.  She is still throwing up at least once a day, and had her meds changed by the cardiologist yesterday.  We're hoping this will make an impact on the barfing and put a stop to it.

There are some pretty rough days through this journey, but I still randomly receive encouraging cards that brighten my day.  Some days they're from total strangers and remind me I don't even know how many people are lifting our family up in prayer.  I still find it so encouraging to work on Hope's scrapbook and be reminded of all the people out there that continue to lift her up.  If it takes an army to raise a healthy child, it takes a nation to raise a sick one.  We could not do this alone and are so appreciative of everyone around us.

I'm looking forward to having Shawn home for the next two days, my weekends are usually a lot less stressful and more enjoyable.  Sadie is so excited when Daddy is home and usually doesn't want me to do anything for her.  Apparently Daddy is better at every task in this house.  When Shawn's home, I can sit down and relax a lot more, Sadie keeps him on his toes!