HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY, MOLLY ALICE!

Wow, it's been a YEAR since our precious girl came into the world! (see her birth day post here)  

I could fill books with the thousands of ways she's enriched our lives, but suffice it to say that words could never do her justice.  She is one. amazing. girl.  So good natured, easygoing, and genuinely sweet.  So tough, resilient, and full of grace.  So silly, spastic, and hilarious.  What a precious gift she has been, even beyond her 365 days.  

We had a small family birthday party to celebrate our sweet girl today.  We dressed her in all the customary fluffy pink frocks, and she looked ADORABLE!  She enjoyed ripping the paper off of her presents (and is well-practiced after Christmas!).   She cautiously took a nibble of birthday cake and munched on a piece of the "blanket" off of a pig-in-a-blanket.  Even after a barely-20-minute midday nap, she was content to entertain us all afternoon without complaint.  (See?  Easygoing baby.)

photo by Sally Ingram

photo by Sally Ingram

We love you more than words can say, sweet Mollybear!

The big day is coming!

T-2 days!!!  

We've been counting down for the past 5 months, and Homecoming day is finally just around the corner!  Here are some pictures from before Cameron deployed on July 22.  We absolutely can't wait to be together as a family again!!!!!

Checking out Daddy's quarters on the ship

Bedtime giggles with Daddy

The day Daddy had to leave

I'm so proud of my Daddy.
 He's my hero.

Prayers needed

When we discovered Molly's omphalocele, we felt totally alone.  Like no one else would ever understand or be able to walk our road with us, given how rare it was.  But then we found a Facebook group for families just like us, and the parents therein have been our saving grace at some of the hardest times on our journey.  

I am closest to one mom in particular.  We've done omphaloceles and tube feeding trials together.  Her name is Carly, and her son, Gavin, was born a couple of months after Molly.  Gavin has had a rough go of things and has been in the hospital for the past 4 months.  But Carly & Ryan were finally gearing up to take him home two weeks ago when disaster struck.  

Since then, he's gotten an infection, had multiple organ failure, been on the ventilator, and is now on the oscillator, which is much more serious version of the ventilator.  Here is Carly's update from today:
  
"By the grace of God Gavin is still here.  Gavin has gotten progressively more sick the last two days.  Tonight his blood stopped clotting and his right lung started bleeding inside.  We were really losing him at one point.  He was being prepped for a very risky life saving support when I waked in to call my parents and sister to let them know.  Somehow when I came back he had stabilized on the oscillator.  Somehow.  We have no idea how.  But somehow.  This is still a very grim situation.  Nobody can figure out where the infection is that is causing his body to do this.  Without knowing where it is nobody knows how to treat it.  Right now we are just praying that he stays stable on the support he is on. Thanks to everybody who said a prayer tonight.  We really appreciate it.  God willing we will have a solution soon.  In the meantime please pray for our son.  9 days ago he was his happy playful self.  We just don't understand how he got here."

Please pray, friends.  Please, please pray.

Happy 11 Months, Molly Alice!

Well, I think I am starting to get the hang of it now.  Really, JUST now, folks.  This past month has been quite a bit easier, more natural, and less stressful than months past.  I feel like I can breathe again, finally!  I think I can do this whole mom thing--with a lot of help and even more grace, no doubt!  

Playing at the park and swinging for the first time!

Month 11 has been exciting.  Our little lovebug has changed and learned so much, and she is SO MUCH FUN to play with!  I am happy to report that she is now weighing in at a chunky 19.5 pounds!  That puts her between the 25th-50th percentile for weight!  For a baby who spent her first 5 months below the 3% curve, she's shown that growth chart who's boss.  

This month, we had lots of visitors, including Gram and Pop, Auntie Lindsay, and Auntie Kristin.  We celebrated Daddy's birthday across the miles.  She tried bacon for the first time, and loved sucking the salty grease right off (see this post.)  Had a huge yard sale to raise money for a feeding tube weaning program (more on that pending adventure in my next post). And did some other fun stuff, too...

celebrated Halloween

Molly Mouse's first Halloween (Tutu & Cappy helped us hand out candy)

Cutest mouse in all the land! 

Got some new teeth, for a total of 6 now!  4 on top, 2 on bottom.

Fought naps like a champ!
(Unfortunately no one came out a winner.)

Got her new carseat, which was just released and was made specifically 
for babies with Omphalocele!
She hated it and screamed herself into a heaving mess at first, 
so we had to practice in the living room for awhile.

Learned to kneel (assisted) and started lightly weight-bearing on her legs!

Started kissing that cute baby in the mirror, and giving mama kisses too!

She's saying "Mama", barking in response to dogs, and waving HI!!  I absolutely can't wait to see what this month holds.  

There is one very BIG, EXCITING event in the next few weeks, and that is...

DADDY'S COMING HOME!!!!!

It's BACON!

Well folks, we've found the problem!  

All this time, we've been trying to feed Molly milk, 

when all she really wanted was...

BACON!  

Brought a tear to her daddy's eye.

Be still, my heart!

What's in a name?

Some of the most wonderful memories I have of my childhood are of summer weeks spent with my grandparents.  I was more blessed than I realized to grow up with both sets nearby, and to have close relationships with them throughout my childhood.  When I was a little girl, in the summers especially, a bunch of my cousins and I would spend a few nights with our Meme & Dede on their expansive farm out in the country.  We'd swim in the pool, fish in the lake, and pan for gold in the river.  We'd pack 4 kids and a grandparent onto a 4-wheeler to go feed the horses, while their golden retrievers sprinted beside us the whole way.  We would sit by the pool and gorge ourselves on cherry tomatoes and watermelon. We'd pee behind the pool house.  Yep!  Because there was no P in Meme & Dede's OOL, and they wanted to keep it that way.  We would jump on the bed upstairs until Meme yelled that she knew we were jumping on the bed because the kitchen lights were going out!  I still don't know to this day if those lights really were flickering...  We would play dress-up, dress the boys in tutus, and put on shows for Meme and Dede.  We'd do daring things like slide down the stairs on pillowcases.  And repeat, repeat until we were all exhausted, and then Meme would say our prayers with us and tuck us into bed.  

And every morning, when we awoke, Meme would gather us all up, still in our pajamas.  And she would take us all outside to "see what God made".  We would stroll around the garden, each of us pointing out beautiful things we saw--the flowers, the blue sky, the ladybugs.  Every morning she would make sure that we started our day freshly reminded of what an incredible Maker we have.  I often thought about our morning walks to see what God made as I carried Molly.  What more amazing could He have made than this precious new life?  And how beautiful He was making her, weaving her together according to His perfect design. 

When she was a month old, Molly Alice's first snow fell outside her NICU window.  I took her out of her crib and held her at the window so that she could see what God made.  We watched the snow fall, and I told her about her great grandmother, her namesake, and how she'd taught me to see what God made. 

Meme (her given name is Alice) taught me that true beauty comes from the inside, as "Pretty is is pretty does".  She modeled faith to me, and has been a consistent example of what a woman of God is.  I admire so much about her--the way she loves by selflessly putting everyone else's needs above her own.  The way she places her hope in the Lord in all things, facing every challenge (and there have been many) with faith and courage.  

Meeting her Meme for the first time

And she has always believed in me, and told me so, encouraging me to be strong and courageous, especially during the toughest days of my pregnancy and motherhood, when few people have known what to say.

4 generations

snuggled in between Meme and Dede

She is the strongest woman I've ever known.  She is full of grace; beautiful, outside and in.  And my hope is that our precious daughter will reflect her namesake in every way.

We love you beyond words, Meme! 

By Popular Demand: finally, a new post

Well let's face it: I am a delinquent blogger.  (Is anyone even still checking this thing?)  But it's because I'm so busy being a fantastic mother, entertainer, nurse, doctor, pharmacist, physical therapist, feeding therapist, researcher, chauffeur, handyman, housekeeper, and cook (ha and ha).  :)  If I do say so myself.

Molly is almost 9 months old!  Where has the time gone (and at the same time: it's only been 8 and a half months?).   Sooooo much has happened.  The least of which being sleep.   Molly is now 15 pounds, 15 ounces.  Check out these delicious knee rolls:

She is sitting up unassisted now!!  Since learning to hold her head up, she just wants to sit up and see the world as much as possible.  She loves her bumbo seat, and is content to sit on the kitchen table and watch me cook and wash dishes, intermingled with the frequent "peek-a-boo".  Throw in her adorable little voice making all kinds of happy sounds, and that makes this the most fun age yet. 

Here are some pictures from the past month.

pool party with her special O baby girlfriends

bright eyed, bushy tailed in the early morn

in her carrier (still in the trial stages)

happy girls

kisses for giraffe

in her special bumbo

this girl LOVES books!

after a long night of partying

lounging with Pop

reading with Gram 

(the car is parked, by the way)

celebrating Tutu's birthday!

Practicing with the bottle.

She's not eating/drinking anything yet, but is enjoying mouthing the bottle nipple and some foods, like carrots and apples.

It's fun to pet Gouda with hands and feet simultaneously

with BFF Cora

hammin' it up