Heart and TS Month 2017

My precious, precious baby girl is now 3 months old! She is sleeping through the night which makes me SO happy! She can roll to one side, holds her head up very well, and she acts like she wants to sit up all the time. She kicks and wiggles constantly, and she loves to splash in the tub. She coos and talks in the sweetest tone, and she is one happy baby! 

GI Check-up....Avery will have another biopsy over Spring Break to check for eosinophilic esophagitis and to see if the GF diet is working with the Celiac's Disease. 

Allergy check-up...Avery had another allergy test and some blood work done. The allergy test was negative, and we are waiting to hear if her IGG is still as it should be. 

ENT Check-up....Avery's tube is still in place, and she will continue to get tubes for years to come it seems. Dr. Carron may repair the hole in her other ear when he has to replace tubes the next time. For now, her aids and tubes are doing their jobs, so she is good to go another 6 months. 

Milly and Daddy smoozing...

My little old redhead at the 100th Day of School! 

National Wear Red Day...

Avery's first grade class at Pearl Lower Elementary showed their support and love today by wearing red shirts in her honor. The shirts read, "Avery is our heart hero," and they were all waiting on her to enter the room to surprise her by shouting it out this morning! What an amazing group of teachers and kids! This is something she'll never forget, and it made her feel very special. #mattersoftheheart #wearredday2017 #averyelizabeth #anditmademommacry

From Mrs. McInnis...This sweet little man became inquisitive about Avery and what happened. After being explained the kid version of what happened, his words to Mrs Johnson were "Is that what makes her so happy?" I've noticed him really hanging with Avery a lot lately. He even wanted to dance with her at Party with the Principal Friday. He has a HUGE heart and he shows it daily!!!! Just another reason I love my job, I get to have kids like this in my life. Love you little Kruise!!!!! #loveallofourbabiesinD110

Mrs. McInnis's Birthday...

Someone was excited about Justin Jenkins's visit to school today! I heard a rumor she showed him how to bust a move for an end zone dance. 😬

posted by Batson...

Valentine's Day Fun...

 

Kruise gave Avery the sweetest Valentine! She loved her Ermish bracelets and Jelly Bellies! 

Milly's First Valentine's Day! I think she loves her monkey. 

I got the nicest surprise today....a visit from my thoughtful friend, Mynette Minshew. It was totally unexpected, and it made my day! My life has been touched by some pretty incredible people, and she's one of them! Thanks so much, my friend! 

From Ashley Johnston...

Hi everyone!! I’d like to introduce you to my pal Avery!!

At Blair. E Batson, we believe miracles happen EVERY day! Avery’s incredible parents, Megan and Jake, will tell you their daughter is one of them!! Diagnosed before birth with an abnormal growth in her neck area and a chromosomal abnormality called Turner Syndrome, doctors did not expect Avery to survive past 22 weeks gestation. Avery had closed heart surgery at Batson at just one week old and had another in New York at only 7 months old. Avery will soon undergo another heart surgery- a valve replacement procedure- and is very closely monitored by her cardiologist.

Due to her Turner Syndrome, Avery has many other issues requiring long-term care, so she is at the Batson quite often (but that doesn’t affect her joyful spirit and vibrant personality!!). Thanks to her doctors and the care she receives at Batson, she is full of life, and is constantly wearing a smile!!!! Avery LOVES the color red and is a little Rebel at heart! She beat the odds with her arrival in the world, and with the help of her doctors, is continuing to thrive- bringing joy to her family and friends always!!

I am currently serving on the Family Relations Committee for RebelTHON (which benefits Blair E. Batson Children’s Hospital) and would be so grateful for your support as I continue to reach my fundraising goal for sweet children like Avery!! No donation is too small! Every penny counts, and goes towards impacting the lives of our incredible Batson kids!!! #tsawarenessmonth#cdhawareness #cystichyfroma #FTK

Rebelthon 2017 

We had a blast at Rebelthon again this year! Avery ran down the red carpet as she was introduced,  did a fashion show with several athletes, hung out with the cheerleaders, played with her Batson friends, and danced the night away with all the college kids! Bryce had an awesome time too! Rebelthon ended up raising over $170K for the kids this year! We will miss Miss Paige as she moves on to med school next year, but we hope to continue to take part in this amazing fundraiser for Batson! 

Colton and Avery go to school together at PLE too! 

Caroline, Sydney and Avery wore matching shirts! Rebels put their money where their miracles are! 

Miss Paige did such an awesome job this year! We love and appreciate her so much! 

Avery's run down the red carpet....This one touches my heart the most. Nearly 8 years later, and here she is running through a cheering crowd of college students. If you ever need a lesson on how to live life, just ask Avery. By the way, how incredible is it that a huge group of college students made such an incredible effort to not only raise lots of money for our (only) children's hospital, but they also went above and beyond to make our kids feel like total rockstars?! I'm just in awe of them. Avery said this was the best night ever (and she said the same thing last year)! Sometimes the younger generation gets a bad wrap, and I think it can be unfair. I saw so many young adults caring about things they don't even have to think about tonight. You could tell they wanted to be a part of something bigger than themselves, and it was refreshing! Thank you from the bottom of my heart RebelTHON! We ❤️💙 you guys!! #ftk Paige Rucker Blair E. Batson Hospital for Children

We told our story again...

Avery's buddy, Kruise, was in town, so he stopped by to play and visit! 

MJ must've brought this pitcher some good luck because they won the following day when he started! 

Fashion Show time..

Even MJ had a blast...

We helped Mrs. Katie and Caroline with a drive to create Heart Month happies for the kids at Batson again this year. With lots of community/school/family/friend help, we were able to make about 800 goody bags for patients. Aside from that, we donated toys and some leftover Heart Center shirts too! So many people gave toys, bubbles, Blow Pops, socks, and even money to help us, and it was awesome taking it all to the hospital! 

Our friends from the MS Miracle Network and Heart Team were there to accept our donations. 

Caroline and Avery also gave the hospital a check from the shirts we sold for the past year. I wish Sydney and Evan were there with them! With everyone's help, we donated over $4000 to the Heart Center! 

Avery spent a Saturday with Miss Ashton watching Hinds scrimmage. She wanted to eat at "Mexico" so after buying her candy at Wal-Mart, Biggs and Ashton took her to eat dinner at Fernando's! We love our sweet friends. 

Avery dressed as Fern from Charlotte's Web for Book Character Day at PLE...

Bryce has Western Day at his school...He had a cow and he's a boy, so he thought that was pretty funny for a cowboy. 

Bryce also learned about how his body works during Heart Month. This is really neat! 

Miss Kristi and Mrs. Karen came to visit my class and Avery's class and taught us a thing or two about the heart! 

For my class project this year, we worked as Miracle Workers for Batson. My class raised nearly $300 and won the pizza party with the Radio People DJs! Avery helped me turn in our donation to the bank!