It's a small world after all

I have to share a funny story with ya'll about how small the world really is. (Any of you at Willow Creek - have to share this with Dr. H.)

While I was in the middle of pushing out that 10 pound girl of mine - I had my epidural so I felt just fine so I did what came natural - I chatted with my nurse and doctor. My doctor told me she was from a town in Arkansas where I lived when I was in the 3rd and 4th grade. We discovered we went to the same elementary school and were the same age. The more I thought about it later - the more I thought about this picture I had of me and two of my friends from the 4th grade so yesterday I drug it out.
And here is me in the middle with bangs that desperately need to be cut and to my right in the plaid and maroon outfit - is my doctor!!! I also found a little book that my mom kept that has my school picture each year and my mom would list my favorite subjects and my friends that year. I had to do a people search to make sure what her maiden name was - but there in the 4th grade - was listed one of my friends - Dr. Hinton!
We moved to Texas after the 4th grade but 25 years later - here we are - she delivered my miracle baby. Isn't that a STRANGE coincidence???? Have any of you ever had something like that happen?
We are doing good here at home. We are all hanging out in our pj's - sleeping a lot (well Harper is sleeping a lot).

She is enjoying getting her diaper changed and last night we had our first bath at home.

But she hated tummy time.

I have to run - Harper is hungry AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!

Big Girls Don't Cry

Harper is three weeks old today.

Scott's mom had this cute wreath made for us to hang when we brought Harper home (before she knew we would be going to the NICU) - so we hung it out today.
It's been a busy day - that sweet, happy baby who never cried, slept all the time, and didn't eat much? I'm not sure where she went. We woke up today (actually all of last night) with a baby who can't get enough food and screams bloody murder until she gets it. I feel like I've pretty much fed her non-stop all day. But when I get tired - I try to remember how thankful I am that she can scream and how thankful I am to be feeding her. It was only a few days ago when she had to fed through tubes and was not able to cry. Thank you God for a baby who just wants to eat!
We have been trying out all the baby stuff today - the swing, the bouncy seat, the pack and play. This was the only few minutes today that she slept.
I am so thankful that my mom is staying a few days with us to get us settled. She has been SOOOOOOOOO helpful. She went to wal-mart for us, cooked us this wonderful dinner, has helped me with Harper............we are so lucky to have her. Especially since she has been able to stay through all of this with Harper. We are lucky to have the support of all of our parents - we are thankful for them. And we know Harper loves them very much.

Harper and Dawson have not met yet. My dad is keeping him another week or so until we get settled in and then we'll bring him home. I'm glad - I need to get situated before I let the two of them meet. Besides, Dawson is loving the country life with his grandpa - we think he won't want to come home.

I better run check on baby............................................have a great weekend - love you all!

There's no place like home!

I'm coming to you live from our home in Arkansas!!!!! Praise the LORD!

This is Harper's doctor - Dr. Gomez. He is AMAZING! Seriously - he saved her life (with a little help from the GREAT PHYSICIAN!) He was the best doctor a family could ever wish for - God sent us to him - I have no doubt!

As soon as we got the word "go" - we gave Harper a bath and fancied her up. This is her in little slip - look how she is smiling - she knows when she looks good!

Do you have any idea how much I LOVE having a girl??????

I love this picture!

Our family of three - ready to start our new life together!

Harper and her Nonny

My mam-ma (who Harper's middle name is named after) made me this cape and I came home from the hospital in it and we put Harper in it today. It was special to have something my mam-ma had made to pass on to my sweet girl.

Harper is saying "step on it" ...... "I'm ready to see my room"
(all you Texas girls quit getting excited - Harper IS NOT doing the hook em horns sign - although it looks a lot like it - we'll have to have a heart to heart talk). ha!

We got home tonight around 6 and I can't tell you how wonderful it feels to be home. I can't wait until tomorrow when I can get up and stay in my pj's and not worry about nurses and doctors coming in and out of our room at all hours of the day. I feel like I can finally relax. We are ready to start our new life.
GOD IS GOOD!

A Baby Changes Everything

This Christmas - I spent many days crying in my car every time I heard Faith Hill's song "A Baby changes everything". I was so nervous and excited about bringing my child home and I knew that our life would never be the same. Little did I know what God had planned for us.

Twenty days ago - we checked into the hospital to deliver our baby girl with visions of what she might look like and anticipation of taking her home. Instead she left on this helicopter with our knowledge that she might not live through the night. Everything that seemed to matter in life - no longer was important. All we wanted was for the baby we had spent years praying that God would give us - would stay with us. A Baby instantly changed every thing for us.
Harper is smiling so big because she found out today that tomorrow we are going to be taking her home!!!!! Twenty days after being told she might not live and that she was very, very critical - we will leave this wonderful hospital with a beautiful, precious, healthy daughter. We have spent the last 20 days being completly overwhelmed by the prayers of THOUSANDS and the love that has outpoured on our little family. We have been amazed at God's healing on her life. We have been humbled by the large number of people who have written us to say their lives have been changed by our story. We have been so thankful that two people who have always been too scared to witness and share our beliefs - have been given the chance to show why our faith is the most important thing in the world to us. A baby Changes Everything!
I got out of the hospital today and drove for the first time in three weeks!!! I just needed a quick break so of course I hit up Sonic happy hour. I haven't worried about how I look or going to Sonic or doing anything besides being with Harper. A baby changes everything.

We had a little photo session with Harper while she was sleeping today! She is doing so great. We switched from scheduled feedings to demand feedings and I nursed this afternoon and it went really well. I think this is going to make her eating so much better. She got to have her nose tube out today. She now has NO tubes, wires, or monitors. It's wonderful!!!!! She is just the best baby. She's so happy. God has blessed us so much!

I can't wait to see the plans that God has for this little girl!

Harper wants to thank you for praying for her and for loving her and for sending her so many precious things! We can't wait to put on her pretty white dress and coat tomorrow and load her up and sleep in our own beds tomorrow night. I'm so thankful for St. Francis in Tulsa. They saved her life - but it was your prayers that made the difference. Our lives will never be the same.

A baby changes everything.

P.S. I have had reports of at least three more praises on the Prayer Blog!!! Three more pregnant girls!! Continue to pray for those girls who are waiting for their miracle.

He is the Healer

We started off with a little excitement today. Harper had to have a MRI so she and I got to ride on a hospital bed down to radiology (which is about 5 miles away from our room). Harper LOVED the ride - she smiled and laughed the whole way there.

Then I got to give her another bath. She HATED it - but she smells pretty and feels better.

Look at this mad little face

Since she lost all of her wires but the nose wire - we put her in a little gown and hat after her bath. Nothing better than a freshly washed baby in their pj's. :-)
I got a package from Leach Company here in OK - they sent me several wonderful things for Harper like a nursing pillow and this shopping cart cover. This will be wonderful because we have to be SO careful of germs. Harper won't even get her first trip to Wal-Mart for several months. We have to keep her at home for a while and we won't be able to have visitors. She can't be around anyone - especially children. We just can't take the chance of her getting sick.

If you could please continue to keep Harper in your prayers please - our doctor and a pediatric neurologist both came to meet with us today about her MRI separately. There is some small concern about a lining in her brain. They are not overly worried but of course my heart has been in my stomach most of the day. Harper is very alert and her motor skills are all good. A physical therapist met with her and thought she looked great. But of course I can't help but be worried that something is wrong with her brain. They want us to come back in a few months to evaluate her development. We are trusting that God who formed her in my womb and knew her before she was conceived will allow her to be well.
We have this awesome CD and Harper has listened to it over and over. There is a verse inside the cover that I love and I'm praying this for Harper tonight:

The Lord your God is with you,
He is Mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
He will quiet you with his love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.
Zephaniah 3:17

Baths, Hats and Magazines

Today has been a very busy day! We started with Harper getting a bath. You can tell how much she loved it! ha! They are getting us prepared to go home soon so we have had people in and out all day - a hearing test, speech therapists, physical therapists, etc. She got her oxygen out today and if all is still okay - shortly she gets to take all of her monitors off!!! We still have to work on feedings and she has to have an MRI and a few other things done but maybe by the end of this week - we will be heading towards Arkansas!!!!

Look at this SIGN that a blogger made me!!!! We are going to put it in her nursery but I had to hang it on her crib. It just absolutely tickled me!!! We got so many cute things in the mail today. I want to show off everything but this post would be WAY too long! We are SO grateful for each and every thing. Hopefully you will each hear from me SOON!

Could you just die with her in this hat???? This was made by the sweet girl who wrote me that she accepted Christ because of Harper's story - that makes the hats extra special to me.
(if you want a hat like this - e-mail me and I'll give you contact info)

I wanted you to know about Serious.Life Magazine. They just put out the February issue today, and I am in their Featured Blog Directory. They published one of my favorite posts and some of our photos too. It’s a very high quality magazine… you’ll really like it. (Check out pages 11, 87 & 88)!

The magazine includes a lot of great content from bloggers you’ll appreciate, as well as great features, photos and other content. The magazine is owned and published by a family who have seven kids, three adopted and one who has Leukemia (www.riggsfamilyblog.com). (Please go there and read about Abby and be praying for her - she is very sick and could use a lot of prayer warriors like all of ya'll who prayed for Harper)!!! The magazine gives away a bunch of ads to charities and ministries. Besides great articles on interesting people, there is a lot about family, adoption, personal finance, spiritual life, humor… all sorts of “life” topics.

Again, the subscription is free, and I know you’ll enjoy the magazine, so take a minute to check it out and sign up to get future issues. Who knows, you’ll probably end up being in it too!

We just want to thank you for continuing to pray for our family!
May God bless you abundantly for how you have blessed us!

P.S. Please pray for this fellow blogger - she lost her baby at 38 weeks due to a cord issue. You can imagine how hard this must be. I don't understand - but we can pray for her comfort.

Technical Difficulities

In case you have forgotten her name or what she looks like - here is Harper today!

I swear she gets cuter and sweeter every day

This is our new home - the children's hospital. You didn't hear from us yesterday because the internet has been down. Mom and I are at the RMH doing laundry right now while Scott and Dad are watching the super bowl and trying to take care of Harper. (I just got a stressed out call from the new dad). ha! So I thought I'd do a quick update.
Yesterday- I got a visit from two blogger friends and two real life friends. Julie and Kate both came to visit us! We had a great time with both of them!
And Hillary and Josh came also! I was so excited to see them. We all went out for lunch! It was a nice break to be with such fun friends!!!
Here is the proud daddy and his girl. He is SO great with her. I never expected him to be this hands on of a dad. He is so in love with her. We just can't wait for the day we get her home and we can pick her up with NO cords or wires or monitors on her. It's so hard to scoop her up when she has so much attached to her.
Today has been a good day! Thursday night I stayed with Harper by myself. We did okay but she was up a lot - so I got about 2 hours of sleep. Last night Scott stayed with us and Harper slept the entire night long!!! She was so good! I'm so thankful that we get the practice of taking care of her in the safety of the hospital so when we go home - we will feel more confident.
Our doctor came in today and said we might take her off oxygen tomorrow and we could also start feeding from a bottle again today. She has been fed through a nose tube because her breathing has been a little too high but she is slowing down. This is me giving her first bottle - she took it really good. She took two feedings well - but her last two haven't gone so smooth. It's a slow process - but we are making GOOD progress!

Both sets of grandparents were here this weekend so Harper got a LOT of attention. She is a very loved baby - by both her family and all of you!!! We got the cutest outfit and hat for her that she will have to wear soon and the hat says "miracle". I'm wearing a necklace today that another blogger sent that says "miracle" - that is just what she is to us. Thank you God for this precious gift!
We got her a CD player with speakers for her crib yesterday and we have been playing praise music for her all day today. She loves it! I'm hoping God will give her the gift of music (it won't come from us so it will be a miracle if she CAN sing!)

Two Weeks Old and Moving on UP!

Guess who is TWO weeks old today???? This girl!!!

We've been on a little bit of a roller coaster today. Harper is totally off of her meds and IV's but she started having some withdrawl from her pain meds. Our doctor warned us a week ago when this happened she would be irritable. Well - he was right and she's had a tough day. She was pretty mad most of the day. Mommy holding her seemed to help a lot but she would still get upset. She also has been breathing a little hard so they had to put a tube in her nose to feed her. She is getting my milk so that's the good thing - it's just hard to go from bottles or nursing back to a tube.
The grandparents are all back and this was them watching from the window while we held her. I had a small breakdown this morning because I'm just SO scared to take her home where I won't have monitors to watch her heart rate or breathing and I just keep thinking "what if something happens?" I was terrified when I was pregnant thinking about being in charge of a little life but now that she's been sick - it's even scarier. But it's all about the TRUST in God I've been talking about. I had to remind myself that the God who did a miracle and gave me her in the first place and then did another miracle and healed her is the same God who will help me watch over her night and day. Harper likes me to sing to her (even if my singing is bad) and all day I've been singing "Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus". I need to hear that last line over and over - "Oh for grace to trust Him more!"
Our sweet friends - Brad, Amanda and Neely came to visit today. I felt so bad because we were in the midst of a major change when they came so we didn't get to visit much. Neely and Harper will be fast friends in the future I just know! Thank ya'll SO much for coming!!!!
Our big change was this afternoon - a doctor came out and said they had a private room open in the children's hospital and since Harper was doing well (and since our whole family was there in the NICU all day long) - they were going to move Harper there. I was so nervous at first because I was scared to leave the good care of the NICU and I wasn't sure how this would work but I have to tell you - we are so excited. The children's hospital is new and SO nice.
We now have this HUGE room with a flat screen TV and chairs and a couch and a place to keep our stuff and our own bathroom and we can be in the same room with Harper all day long. We can hold her and dress her up and change her as much as we want. And this will help us transition into going home. We still aren't sure when that will be. We got excited and thought it could be in a few days but it may be a couple of weeks instead. I'm totally good with that - I just want her to be 100% healthy when we take her home.

I think we have several visitors coming tomorrow so it should be a busy day! I'm going to get to stay with Harper at night now. Thank for continuing to pray for us! You have all blessed our lives so much!