Christmas Card Craziness

***I jumped the gun and didn't read all of the requirements for this post, so I am reposting about the Christmas Card giveaway from Shutterfly.

Christmas cards have always been one of my favorite holiday traditions. I look forward to seeing each of my friend's different personalities in the cards they choose to send. Me, on the other hand, I always have a hard time because I want to be sooooo creative and it never turns out exactly how I envisioned them.

Shutterfly is the only place I do any business with when it comes to photo merchandising. I have ordered several photo books, which are PRICELESS! I think I may order some photo calendars for the grandparents.

I'm thinking I like this Christmas Card for our family.



This year's cards will be extra special because this will be the only Christmas we will have a family of five! I want to make sure that Mack is included, and want everyone to know how BLESSED we are with each of our children.

If we were having a Christmas party, I would be thrilled to order some of these invitations. But I think we'll have a pretty low-key Christmas season, so not too many parties for us!

If you're crazy about 50 free Chrismas Cards, please click here to find out how to get them FREE from Shutterfly.

Thankful

It has been only 4 days since we got the news of our baby. It seems like an eternity! But we are clinging to Jesus and all the things we have to be thankful for.

First and foremost, we are thankful for our relationship with Jesus. It amazes us that just when you think you can’t go another day, He gives us the grace to make it through. I can’t imagine how anyone could make it through such a time as this, without the hope that Jesus gives!

We are thankful for each other. Rob and I have faced many trials in our married life. And as hard as some of those were, we are thankful that God has used them to strengthen our relationship. I can’t imagine going through any of this with anyone else.

We are thankful for our 2 children at home, Cade and SaraGrace. We now look at them so differently, and realize all of the things we have taken for granted in being their parents. Cade is absolutely devastated and has tons of questions, but he kisses his baby all the time and tells him how much he loves him, and that he’ll always be his big brother. Boy what we can learn from our children.

We are thankful for our families. What a blessing to have everyone so near to us. They have been our rock.

We are thankful for friends, near and far. We have been overwhelmed by the love and support from friends, and God has blessed us with so many. Thank you to everyone who calls, writes, or comments, even when you don’t have the words. We don’t have the words either, but you have been such an encouragement to us!

We are thankful for our little boy, Mack Andrew. His life is touching people already, and it’s only just begun. We are thankful for what we are learning through him. He has changed our lives tremendously in his 12 weeks of life. We are thankful for everyday we are blessed with his presence. And most of all, we are thankful that God has chosen US to be his parents!

Our Baby Story

I just wanted to let you know the outcome of our doctors appointment yesterday. It was our first appointment with the perinatologist at Shands. They performed a level 2 ultrasound. The definite diagnosis of our baby BOY is that he has suffered from Amniotic Band Syndrome. This is a condition in which the inner amniotic membrane ruptured at some point, and in an effort to fuse back together, became tangled within the trunk (from the chest to the pelvis) of our baby. Once the bands are fused back together, they constrict and pull, which ultimately has left all of the organs exposed, including the heart and the lungs. This is a very severe case, with no treatment option.

The doctor gave us only one option, which was to terminate. We do not feel that is an option for us. We have decided to carry our little boy until God sees fit to take him home. Obviously we are devastated to say the least. However, we are holding on to the fact that His plan is always perfect. We know that He has a purpose for our baby, no matter how short his life may be. Please just pray for us that we will have the peace that can come only from Him. These next few weeks are going to be tough, but we know the love of our Savior will sustain us.

Big Day Today

Today is a big day for us. We have our first appointment with the perinatologist this afternoon. Of course, it can’t come fast enough, but I am thankful for the peace that I know has come from only God. Please pray for us today as we will begin this journey into the unknown. Please pray specifically that they will be able to give us a definite diagnosis, as the waiting is the hardest part!

I will update tomorrow with the answers we get. Thank you to each of you that has covered us and our baby in your prayers. We have definitely felt them.

Hair Bows for Brinley

Beas went in for an ultrasound last week to measure how big Brinley is.  In the ultrasound, it was very EVIDENT the princess has tons of hair.  You could see it floating.  Beas was a little distraught because she only had one hair bow for her baby.  You know that little girls can't go out in public without a hair bow.
So we fixed her up for her shower this weekend.  I made a hair bow holder (and Kiss shared the cost), and Mom bought the bows.  Here is the finished product:

I thought it turned out cute!  Now we just need that baby to get here so we can dress her up!

A Fun Post For A Change

Here is our weekend in pictures. 

 

First up Saturday morning was Cade’s last football game.  Y’all, my boy made a TOUCHDOWN!  No one got pictures because we were too busy running down the sidelines to take any!!! 

   

Beas and SG.

Cade and Coach!

Then it was “Trick-or-Treat” time.

Cinderella~pre-emergency room.

 

A Sniper~ in his ghillie suit!!!

    

Then, on Sunday, we ate at my parent’s house.  After lunch, we were serenaded by SG as she played and sang “Twinkle Twinkle”.  She did a great job, crack and all!!

Hopefully this weekend will be a little more laid back!  Here’s hoping!

The Story of Our Life

Every day that we are here on earth seems to be a part of a chapter of the stories of our lives. There are some sad chapters, some happy ones, and some that fall in between. We can’t always control how the chapter is written, but we can make a choice in how to tell it. I wanted to share with you the latest chapter in our life.

Ever since I found out I was pregnant, I knew deep down this one was going to be different. I was scared in a lot of ways because you just don’t know what God’s plans are. The last few weeks have been a roller coaster to say the least. But God has been faithful, and proven His power over and over.

Yesterday, I had my follow-up ultrasound to just give us a peace of mind that everything was how it should be. But we soon found out it was not (at least not how WE thought it should be.) It appears that Baby Vaughn is suffering from gastroschisis. This is a birth defect in which the intestines are growing outside of the body. I was upset to say the least. But my doctor reassured me that if this was indeed what we were dealing with, it was fixable. However, I am now being transferred to the care of a perinatologist. They will do a Level 2 ultrasound in a couple of weeks to give us a definite diagnosis, and to see if there are any other defects present. The baby’s heart rate was also high, so this will be a point of concern as well.

I have to tell you that God gives us the most awesome blessings in the midst of trials. I was set to go by myself yesterday, seeing that we already knew everything was fine. My best friend Amy was supposed to be watching the shuttle at the Kennedy Space Center, but it had been postponed until Wednesday. She texted me out of the blue and asked if she could go with me. See, God had gone before me and worked out the smallest detail so that I didn’t have to hear this news alone.

Obviously this news changes things a bit. It will change everything about my pregnancy-my doctor, my hospital, the care of my baby. But you know, Jesus walked this road before me, so He knows how I feel. My first instinct was to pray selfishly that nothing would be wrong. That this baby would be perfect. But then I realized it is not my baby, not my story. I had made the decision in the beginning to give this baby to Him. This is His story to write and to tell. Rob and I have chosen to be grateful that God has chosen us to tell His story and to share all that He has done and is going to do. Will it be an easy road? Absolutely not! No parent wants to hear that their child is not “normal.” But we are not on this journey alone. Just as God was with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace, and just as He was with Daniel in the lion’s den, He is with us as we navigate the road ahead.

Please pray for us that we will be obedient to what God would have us do with the story of our life.

Trick or Trip to the ER?

   Saturday night, Rob and I took the kids trick or treating.  Cade was dressed in his ghillie suit as a sniper, and SaraGrace was Cinderella.   (Please excuse these terribly pictures.  They were taken with my phone in the car.  My sister has the good ones on her camera, so maybe by next Halloween I will get those.)

They had a blast walking from door to door.  It was really cute to hear SG say "Tronk n treatin".  Once we got back to Nanny's, they had to sample some of their candy.  We hadn't had dinner yet, so we decided to go to Moes. 

This is when the fun began!  Cinderella was a little high on sugar, and was definitely hyper.  Once dinner was done, we were walking out in the parking lot.  I was holding her hand and she jumped and let go.  She landed on her noggin and it knocked the breath out of her.  She was alert and trying to cry, but made no noise.  I scooped her up and tried to comfort her.  She was still crying silently.  She finally took a breath and cried out loud.  And then......she went completely limp and passed out.  Lord have mercy, I don't think I have ever been that scared as a momma.  She finally came to, and started crying again, but was going in and out.  So they called 911 and we had us a scene.  It's a big deal in our small town when the lights and sirens come.  Poor baby was so scared.  They evaluated her and decided she should go to the ER and be checked out.

They loaded us up in the "ambliance" and took us.  I have to say, for a trip to the ER, this was a blessing.  It was nice, the people were great, and we were in and out in a little over an hour.  We even got to be in the princess room, where Cinderella, Belle and Aurora were all over the walls, as well as castles and tiaras.

They did do a CT scan which showed only a bruise, but no swelling or bleeding, so they discharged us.  This is definitely a Halloween we won't soon forget!