Gratitude
As I sit here typing this, I feel a little like the celebrities who win the Oscar and get up and try to thank all the people they would like to thank. They are so overwhelmed that they stand up there fumbling with words and trying to remember everyone they want to thank. We feel the same way. Brandon and I are just so overwhelmed with all of the support and we want to express how truly grateful we are.
Most of all we are grateful to God for preserving Anne Marie's life so far and for continuing to work in her little body. What we thought was going to be a terrible day yesterday turned into joy. And today she is four weeks old! She had a good day today -- her numbers all look good and her blood pressure and heart rate look good. She is pretty swollen and purple and has a pretty big hematoma from having her cannulas removed. This is something the doctors are just watching to make sure it doesn't get any worse. We are over one more hurdle and are waiting to see what's next.
Also during these past weeks as I thank God for Anne Marie I am always thanking Him for our other children -- Lincoln, Lillie, Mary Margaret, and Jack Henry. They are on this journey with us and have been troupers from day one. They have been shuffled to different places to stay, their school routine has been adjusted, they have had to leave what is familiar to them to come to a place that is unfamiliar. And yet, they have not complained, not once. So not only are we grateful to God for preserving Anne Marie, but we are grateful that He is sustaining our children and our family.
We have received many warm, encouraging, uplifting, tear-inducing notes, e-mails, texts, and messages from people. Messages from people who are praying for Anne Marie. We appreciate each and every one. We have heard from people we went to school with and haven't seen in years. We have heard from close friends from church and friends from years ago, from neighbors, and from people we haven't yet met. The day Anne Marie went off ECMO a family we've never met came to the hospital bearing gifts, including an audio Bible that we could play in Anne Marie's room. We have heard from so many people in the conservative movement in Oklahoma and throughout the country. We have been blessed with home-cooked meals. We are grateful to our church in Edmond, Heritage Presbyterian. The people there have prayed for us and supported us and sent us care packages; pastors and friends have come to Dallas to be with us in the hospital and to pray for Anne Marie. We are grateful to the pastors from Park Cities Presbyterian Church in Dallas who have visited us in the hospital and prayed for Anne Marie. We are grateful beyond words for all of these things. And just like with the Oscar-winner's acceptance speech, "I know I'm forgetting someone."
We are also so thankful to our good friends Kym, Ginger, and Carol who have been watching our kids. Our oldest son, Lincoln, has been living with my friend Ginger and her family for the past six weeks. She's been cooking for him, doing his laundry, grading his homework, etc. Leaving Lincoln in Edmond was one of the hardest things about coming to Dallas, but knowing he was with Ginger made it so much easier. And our other kids have from time to time gone to Edmond to stay with my friend Carol or Kym so Brandon and I could be at the hospital. It has been a huge help. We are also so thankful for grandparents who have been here with us for weeks helping with the kids. They come early in the morning when we leave for the hospital and stay with the kids. They help with school work, take them to eat, go to the park, etc. so that we are able to be with Anne Marie. I don't know what we would have done without this.
While we are sitting at the hospital, Brandon will take out his phone and read me the many e-mails andWhile we are sitting at the hospital, Brandon will take out his phone and read me the many e-mails and Facebook messages we have gotten. Messages from people who say they are praying for Anne Marie and for our family. To say that we are thankful is an understatement. We really just can't express how thankful we are to everyone who has prayed for Anne Marie. I hope for the day when I will be able to tell her the story of her birth and about the all the people who prayed for her.
Most of all we are grateful to God for preserving Anne Marie's life so far and for continuing to work in her little body. What we thought was going to be a terrible day yesterday turned into joy. And today she is four weeks old! She had a good day today -- her numbers all look good and her blood pressure and heart rate look good. She is pretty swollen and purple and has a pretty big hematoma from having her cannulas removed. This is something the doctors are just watching to make sure it doesn't get any worse. We are over one more hurdle and are waiting to see what's next.
Also during these past weeks as I thank God for Anne Marie I am always thanking Him for our other children -- Lincoln, Lillie, Mary Margaret, and Jack Henry. They are on this journey with us and have been troupers from day one. They have been shuffled to different places to stay, their school routine has been adjusted, they have had to leave what is familiar to them to come to a place that is unfamiliar. And yet, they have not complained, not once. So not only are we grateful to God for preserving Anne Marie, but we are grateful that He is sustaining our children and our family.
We have received many warm, encouraging, uplifting, tear-inducing notes, e-mails, texts, and messages from people. Messages from people who are praying for Anne Marie. We appreciate each and every one. We have heard from people we went to school with and haven't seen in years. We have heard from close friends from church and friends from years ago, from neighbors, and from people we haven't yet met. The day Anne Marie went off ECMO a family we've never met came to the hospital bearing gifts, including an audio Bible that we could play in Anne Marie's room. We have heard from so many people in the conservative movement in Oklahoma and throughout the country. We have been blessed with home-cooked meals. We are grateful to our church in Edmond, Heritage Presbyterian. The people there have prayed for us and supported us and sent us care packages; pastors and friends have come to Dallas to be with us in the hospital and to pray for Anne Marie. We are grateful to the pastors from Park Cities Presbyterian Church in Dallas who have visited us in the hospital and prayed for Anne Marie. We are grateful beyond words for all of these things. And just like with the Oscar-winner's acceptance speech, "I know I'm forgetting someone."
We are also so thankful to our good friends Kym, Ginger, and Carol who have been watching our kids. Our oldest son, Lincoln, has been living with my friend Ginger and her family for the past six weeks. She's been cooking for him, doing his laundry, grading his homework, etc. Leaving Lincoln in Edmond was one of the hardest things about coming to Dallas, but knowing he was with Ginger made it so much easier. And our other kids have from time to time gone to Edmond to stay with my friend Carol or Kym so Brandon and I could be at the hospital. It has been a huge help. We are also so thankful for grandparents who have been here with us for weeks helping with the kids. They come early in the morning when we leave for the hospital and stay with the kids. They help with school work, take them to eat, go to the park, etc. so that we are able to be with Anne Marie. I don't know what we would have done without this.
While we are sitting at the hospital, Brandon will take out his phone and read me the many e-mails and
