Hide and Seek

So I went to take a shower, and left Avery playing in her room while Daddy was on the computer. Apparently, Avery decided to try out a new hiding spot! Jake heard a whimper, so he went to check on our little red-head. This is what he found...












Thankfully, Daddy caught it on camera, so I could see for myself. Please DO NOT contact DHS! I don't think she could have closed herself in the dryer, and I promise we would have noticed her missing before cutting it on to dry our next load of laundry! Avery likes to help put clothes in the dryer, and push the button to cut the light on and off. I guess she thought it would be fun to climb in an play in the clothes as well! Life at 2- just full of surprises!

Choose Avery

Choose Avery

There are many decisions I may regret in life,
But there’s one I haven’t regretted yet.
When I decided to choose Avery,
It’s a moment I’ll never forget.

See some people just don’t realize-
The fate of other’s is not our choice.
They do what makes their own life easy,
Neglecting a life and God’s voice.

It saddens my heart to wonder-
How many Avery’s have been lost?
If these parent’s knew what I knew,
Would it have all been worth the cost?

Avery was kicking and sucking her thumb
The day they told me she’d die.
I could see her little heart beating,
And all I could do was cry.

Looking at that little screen-
Her face, her toes, and her hands.
I knew that it was up to God,
And I was unaware of His plans.

Miraculously Avery began to heal-
She was born and I heard her cry.
It was the most amazing thing I’d ever heard,
And seemed to happen in the blink of an eye.

While she’s endured an awful lot
In her little time on Earth-
She is the happiest, most fun-loving girl you’ll ever meet,
And has been a blessing since her birth.

I can’t help but feel sad for those
Who’ve missed this big chance-
To be a mommy and daddy to such a special little girl-
To hear her laugh, touch her hand, or watch her dance.

You see we don’t know what God knows-
He’s been in control since the beginning.
Who knows what battles He’ll have us lose,
Or which ones he plans on us winning?

It’s all for a greater purpose-
One that we may never understand.
But one can be sure His way is for the best-
He holds the world in the palm of His hand.

There are many decisions I may regret in life,
But there’s one I haven’t regretted yet.
When I decided to choose Avery,
It’s a moment I’ll never forget!

By: Megan Bell

Rainy Day Fun!

We began to get a little bored sitting around the house on this rainy day, so I decided to pull out the finger paints Grammy gave Avery for her birthday. Since we're limited on space, I put a couple old sheets on the kitchen floor, and she went to town. She thought me pressing her feet and hands on the paper with paint on them was quite funny! She only tried to taste the paint once- I say tried, she did, but figured out it wasn't for eating very quickly, lol!








Avery's Masterpieces!

"Handprints"

"Footprints"

"Free-Style"


It's time for a bath!

A Mother's Love...

A mother's love is like a beacon
Burning bright with Faith and Prayer
And through the changing scenes of life
We can find a haven there...
For a mother's love is fashioned
After God's enduring love,
It is endless and unfailing
Like the love of Him above.

~Helen Steiner Rice

Avery's New Pal & Hiding Place!

My friend, Kristi, and her little girl, Lydia Grace gave Avery a Build-A-Bear gift card for her birthday recently. I thought it would be fun to go with them to get the bear, since Lydia Grace is a pro at that shop, lol! Avery, of course, was more interested in running around the store than actually picking out a bear, so I got to do the fun stuff! There were lots of cute choices, but I'm always drawn to things with some sort of meaning, so I got a bright pink bear with hearts on it. We added a heartbeat to her when we got her stuffed, and made her birth certificate naming her "Pinky." Pink is the color for TS, and of course you all know by now what the hearts stand for in our lives! Afterwards, we took the girls to Raising Cane's and then Avery had a chocolate chip M&M cookie from the Cookie Factory that we'd gotten before leaving the mall.

Later that evening, as I was on the computer, Jake was reading a book, and Avery was watching The Fresh Beat Band, Jake told me to "look at my daughter." When I looked up, Avery was inside Pinky's Build-A-Bear box watching her show. She fit perfectly aside from being a too tall to actually be able to close the box! She is such a silly little girl- didn't act like she was doing anything out of the ordinary! Empty boxes and pots/pans make the best toys for tots!

Father's Day~My Birthday 2011

For Father's Day this year, we attended church, and ate a nice lunch with the Newmans. My dad was sick this weekend, and we had been "on the go" a lot, so we didn't go to visit him in Vicksburg. I did, however, make him a cool card on Shutterfly, which I am sure he enjoyed. Mr. Gene has been a father to Jake since the loss of his dad years ago, so it was very fitting to be there for Father's Day. He's been there for Jake, and been there for our little family on more occasions than I can count. He also flew to NYC to wait with us through her last surgery, which really touched our hearts. Avery looked so cute in her yellow polka-dot smocked dress that "Red" Twiner got her for her birthday! She is definitely a "Daddy's girl," and has melted Jake's heart from the moment she arrived in this world.

For my birthday this year, Jake and Avery took me out to Nagoya for my favorite sushi- the Nagoya roll! They gave me the Troll Bead bracelet I'd been wanting for a while now with a heart "forever love" bead and a "M" bead, along with a really sweet card and chocolate cupcakes from Icing on the Cake. Jake thought it would be funny to get a ? candle for me to blow out- am I there already? I don't think so- not yet!! He is younger than me, so I guess I can allow him a few jabs about my age, right? As you can see in the pics, Avery really enjoyed her cupcake! My mom and dad bought me a sweet necklace I ordered from Julie McPhee on etsy.com. I'd been wanting a new necklace, and she did a special listing for me. There is a silver bar with Avery's name, along with (our birthstone) a pearl charm, (TS symbol of hope) a pink butterfly charm, and (CHD) a hammered heart charm. I love it! I can't believe I'm 32, oh yes, I'm actually 33!! I can't keep up with it any more- I honestly forget! Out of all the seasons of my life, I am enjoying this one the most. Being a mother and wife is an awesome experience, and I feel very blessed! I also feel like I'm finally on the right track with living out God's purpose in my life, which is a wonderful feeling. I can't say I'm doing it all, but I'm a work in progress- trying daily to do it right. Here's to many more blessed birthdays!

Avery's First Heart Surgery- 2 Year Anniversary

It's been 2 years today since Avery's aortic coarctation repair through closed heart surgery (with the extended end-to-end procedure) by Dr. Jonas. Since that time, the area has been ballooned in the cath lab once by Dr. Ebeid. It is a bit narrow at the moment, but not enough to go back into the cath lab just yet. We will see Dr. E in July for our cardio check-up with EKG and echo. Prayers that all is still working beautifully with both Avery's valves and aortic arch! Thank you God for all the physicians you have placed in our path to take care of our miracle girl, and for keeping her in your hands day in and day out!

While I had lots of pics from NICU, I didn't get any pictures of Avery in PICU, until she made it to the transition room. Here are a few from that point on. She was so sweet and tiny!




Psalm 28:7
The LORD is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped;Therefore my heart greatly rejoices,And with my song I will praise Him.