A look back

With Max's first birthday approaching I was going through photos from the day he was born and came across this one. Every time I look at this picture I always think the same things...

We have NO CLUE anything at all is wrong with our baby.
We have NO CLUE that our life is about to be changed in more ways than we had imagined.
We have NO CLUE our baby has a congenital heart defect.
We have NO CLUE our baby has any kind of genetic disorder that will very much affect the rest of his life.
We have NO CLUE our baby will be taken from us and airlifted within 24 hours of birth to a different hospital 4 hours away.
We have NO CLUE that within 24 hours later I will be sitting in my hospital room alone sobbing as I listen to the helicopter take my baby away.
We have NO CLUE that my husband will be leaving me at the hospital to go be with our baby 4 hours away.
We have NO CLUE what in the world we are going to do with our 4 other children at home in the meantime.
We have NO CLUE that as soon as I am discharged I will be going 4 hours away to be with my baby.
We have NO CLUE our baby will be having his first surgery within a few weeks of birth.
We have NO CLUE that we wouldn't be bringing our baby home for another 8 weeks.

We had NO CLUE anything at all was wrong with our baby.

I could go on and on. These are just a few things that come to mind when I look at this photo. We love Max very, very much! He was sent to be a part of our lives for a reason and we are very thankful.

Did someone say Preschool??

 The girls started preschool just a couple weeks shy of their 3rd birthday! They seemed to be excited...Stella was probably the most anxious of the bunch. After all was said and done they had a fun first day of preschool.

                              ANNIE KATE                                           STELLA

                                                                   LAILA

Here we go Again

A lot has gone on since my last post in May! I want to try to go backwards and post pictures of most happenings. (as my time allows)

The biggest of all is Max's open heart surgery, which took place on July 11 at MUSC.

His surgery lasted around 12 hours. They gave Josh and I a beeper and kept us updated hourly on Max's progress. He went in around 7:00 am and the surgeon finally met with us after the surgery was complete around 7:30 pm. They successfully repaired everything they had hoped to with his heart!!! Before surgery they warned us they may not be able to repair things in full, which would mean another surgery in the near future. So, we were beyond relieved to get the news. (I apologize, but this is a very abbreviated version of events. It is almost midnight and Max needs to be fed shortly) He had an uneventful hospital stay. Failed a swallow study while there. :( But after 11 days in the hospital he we were able to go home! He is doing much better. He has more energy and is just starting to roll over now! We're working on sitting up. He'll get there, slowly but surely.

 I think he's feeling better

Going home...yay!



Bantams Soccer

 Max cheering on the Palmetto Bantams! We had an awesome time.

Jordan...

is 13 years old! No I'm not kidding, he really is and I don't like it at all :) Josh and I threw a birthday party with our family and his friends (girls and guys) haha.

Max...

is 6 months old now! He's been trying to roll over for a week or so. He gets on his side but that's as far as it goes. Even while he's connected to the feeding tube he's trying and that scares me. Guess I gotta keep him in the bouncy seat or something while he's eating! He's babbling a little and laughing a lot and I love it! He's such a sweetie pie. I really do want to eat him up, like literally I could take a chunk out of his little cheeks that's how cute he is :)

2 1/2 Years Old (a little late!)

My how time has flown by with these 3. They are crazier than ever!!! Annie Kate and Stella are potty training and doing very well with it. Well, I wouldn't say Stella is training anymore. She IS potty trained. She goes all by her-little 20 lb-self! She lets us know after she's gone! That girl is one of a kind for sure.

Laila on the other hand is soo not interested. She announces when she pees or poops in her diaper but could care less about wearing big girl panties or going to the potty. I just need to get serious with her and train her :)


Stella ~ Our blue eyed girl!



Laila ~ Our little diva with an attitude lately!



Annie Kate ~ Lover of flowers, horses, and bugs!

March of Dimes Video

Last year before Max was born The March of Dimes contacted us about being the Ambassador family for Greenwood. Since the girls were born prematurely, we were more than happy to accept!

Little did we know that Max would have a much harder time and longer hospital stay than them. This is the video Josh and I made to show for our speaking events.

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

Max's First Easter

Egg Hunt 2012

Racing for eggs. Gotta love their Wal-Mart bags. They're too grown for a basket I guess!


Counting their money

Easter 2012

Max and his Granny


Blowing bubbles. Annie Kate liked to put the wand on her lips and blow them!


Stella


Laila

Big Max

Maech 25, 2012

Soccer

The girls went to their first (and last) soccer game for the season. They love being out there but can't keep their little 2 year old bodies still :) That meant lots of running around for Josh, Nana and myself instead of watching the game. But other than that Jordan's been playing very well. I'm so proud of him!

Go Toros!!!




Cheering for their big brother

Their First Haircut

This is what having little girls is all about! I'm having so much fun with them. I can't wait to do more girly things with them as they grow up!!! Maybe Josh will let them get their ears pierced next! :D

Oh and a big thank you to cousin Kayla for cutting their hair. She did a fantastic job!





Laila


Annie Kate


Stella

Nothin' but a Good Time