We are having a wonderful time with sweet Madison while she is here in Texas. So glad she made it, even if it was a day late! Thankful she still got a flight and came to spend her Christmas break in Dallas. Hoping she cherishes these times as much as we do.
I'm officially calling 2012 the "year of the unexpected." There was absolutely nothing predictable about 2012. From Zoe's two very significant surgeries, to selling our first house, to moving in with my parents just to move again 6 weeks later, to quitting my teaching job and beginning an adventure of being a stay-at-home mommy, to training and running a marathon, you name it, nothing was anticipated or planned on ...I'm still amazed I don't have a single grey hair yet, at least that I know of anyway.
Even just one of those events named above could send anyone into the looney-bin...glad Jay hasn't locked me up yet. Even though we are still navigating our way around this one-income thing, even though our child hasn't decided she wants to walk yet (or is physically capable of walking), even though Jay still doesn't feel he has "arrived" at his perfect dream job just yet, God has provided everything as we have walked through this year together. We have so much to be thankful for and SO MUCH to hope for in the upcoming years together as Team Grall.
Recently, Jay set a record for the number of hours he's logged in a week at work...drum roll please......105 hours. Yep, that's right. During that week, I was in and out of rehearsals and concerts, Zoe was in between baby-sitters and mother's-day-out, and Jay was in a concrete vault, ALL in the week leading up to Christmas. We ended up one night at Toys R Us at 10:30 shopping for Zoe's Christmas presents consisting of sequin dress-up clothes, a marble maize tower thingy, and a Rapunzel tower, and had the best time...because we were together. Our time together is so precious...whether it's 5 minutes shopping for Christmas gifts or 2 hours sipping hot chocolate. I'm glad I ended up with someone who works hard for his family, is diligent to the Lord in his work, loves his daughters with all his heart, and still finds ways to make his wife smile.
I'm hoping that 2013 will be a little calmer; hoping we can catch our breath, for a little while at least; hoping Zoe's transition to public schools and private therapy will be an easy one; hoping for a surgery-free year; hoping for a miracle; hoping for a family vacation; hoping (and expecting!) a few date nights along the way; hoping for my family to draw nearer to the Lord; hoping for first steps; hoping, just hoping.
Here are a few things coming up for the Gralls this year:
Zoe has a sleep study and a follow up MRI this month. We have also started feeding therapy back up again due to several different components, mostly she's just not improving in her ability to eat. She will be transitioning to public school for PPCD and we will be looking for a new private therapist. ECI is for children birth-three; therefore, we need to find someone between now and February 17! We are also looking into lots of fun and new challenges for her including hippo-therapy, swim lessons, and ballet!
Jay is considering adding swimming and biking to his work out regime and might start experimenting with the triathlon. He is also going to keep doing an awesome of job of spiritually leading his family by taking us to church and hopefully find an area of service in his "spare time."
Brooke is still figuring out this whole stay-at-home mommy thingy and is taking on too much of a work load (go figure!). I'm still trying to master the art of saying no...I will hopefully have another race in my near future after a quick visit to the doctor to have my foot looked at.
Maddy is being "confirmed" this year in the Catholic church! So she has a very big March. She will also start high school in the fall. She's still interested in continuing soccer and tennis.
Thank you for keeping up with us and for all of your prayers! Happy new year to you and yours. Enjoy 2013.
Happy Girl!
Monday, December 31, 2012
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Did all of this really happen in just a month?
I'd like to take a moment and update you about the last few (5 to be exact!) weeks, but I think an update in pictures would be just fine...
We have done quite a bit of first's as you can tell! We are still waiting on "Sissy"(Madison) whose flight just got canceled today. She will be here tomorrow night now instead of today, so the next 10 days should be more partying, hanging out, vacation days for Jay, and resting. For now, Merry Christmas and more updates to come later!
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| Had a lovely week with Jay's parents here during the week of Thanksgiving; |
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| Hosted our very first Thanksgiving with the family; |
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| Visited Santa Claus and told him her "secret" wish for Christmas (haha that's a good story)...Still TBD; |
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| Watched LOTS of Gift of Christmas :) |
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| Visited Aunt Beffy and Christina and wore silly hats at Lovejoy; |
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| Giggled a lot and saw lots of Christmas trees; |
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| Ate LOTS of cupcakes; |
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| Spent lots of time with sweet friends; |
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| More sweet friends at church; |
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| Sang lots of Christmas songs..."Frosty the Snowman" in particular; |
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| Went to work with Mommy and wore lots of silly things; |
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| Ran a marathon; |
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| Gift of Christmas; |
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| Wore lots of pigtails; |
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| Spent time with my favorite person in the world besides Daddy, Beffy; |
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| Saw the Nutcracker with Gramma and Papa; |
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| Visited the beautifully decorated Gaylord; |
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| Saw Choo-Choos with Papa; |
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| Opened Christmas presents from Santa; |
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| Found a temporary replacement (a very LARGE, blonde, girl version) for the Baby Jesus who got lost at some point; |
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| Declared her fairy wings were not fairy wings at all, but ANGEL wings; |
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| Got matching pajamas; |
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| Swam in the snow with our cousins. |
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Philippians 4:13
"I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."
I'm finding a lot of comfort in this verse tonight, for both me and for Zoe. We received news from a doctor today that Zoe will never walk. We were informed that Zoe will be in a wheelchair for the rest of her life and we need plan accordingly. We saw an X-ray and it confirmed what the doctor had been thinking. It's literally going to take a miracle to correct her right hip which is completely out of socket and straighten her left hip which is so tight and crooked. The muscles in her legs are just not made to walk........all of this is "medically speaking."
We went to Scottish Rite today to have Zoe evaluated for bracing for walking. Even though she's so young, she's been expressing a lot of interest in walking and recently started using her walker. We are of course holding her in place while she hangs onto the handles, but she loves to play in it! She's made so many break throughs recently...potty-ing in her Elmo potty, crawling into her bed, crawling up to windows and furniture, and we thought an evaluation would allow us to either move forward with appropriate bracing or wait a little bit longer for a future appointment with bracing. But today we were told we need to make her as high-functioning and independent in her wheelchair as possible; that bracing was a waste of energy and only necessary for 30 minutes a day for exercise only.
I guess we shouldn't be too surprised. I suppose we've just held our breath since the day we brought it home that she would not need this wheelchair one day! That it would be temporary. That it would make her equal with her little friends at church and school. We've been so hopeful and patient, and she's just so amazing that we have all assumed she would walk! I'm not losing hope, but it's definitely fading at the moment. We absolutely are responding with enthusiasm for her, wanting of course to make the most independent and spunky Zoe there is, but we feel like we've been set back just a little bit, OK a lotta bit. I just don't get it.
Thankful for all of you and your prayers. We have so much to be thankful for, especially this week! We are completely surrounded by wonderful family (by the way, Jay's amazing supportive and loving parents are here all this week from Florida!!) and so many friends have traveled in and made an effort to come visit Zoe! She's blessed beyond measure. We are blessed beyond measure. However, if you think of it this week please lift up Team Grall as we move forward with this news.
I'm finding a lot of comfort in this verse tonight, for both me and for Zoe. We received news from a doctor today that Zoe will never walk. We were informed that Zoe will be in a wheelchair for the rest of her life and we need plan accordingly. We saw an X-ray and it confirmed what the doctor had been thinking. It's literally going to take a miracle to correct her right hip which is completely out of socket and straighten her left hip which is so tight and crooked. The muscles in her legs are just not made to walk........all of this is "medically speaking."
We went to Scottish Rite today to have Zoe evaluated for bracing for walking. Even though she's so young, she's been expressing a lot of interest in walking and recently started using her walker. We are of course holding her in place while she hangs onto the handles, but she loves to play in it! She's made so many break throughs recently...potty-ing in her Elmo potty, crawling into her bed, crawling up to windows and furniture, and we thought an evaluation would allow us to either move forward with appropriate bracing or wait a little bit longer for a future appointment with bracing. But today we were told we need to make her as high-functioning and independent in her wheelchair as possible; that bracing was a waste of energy and only necessary for 30 minutes a day for exercise only.
I guess we shouldn't be too surprised. I suppose we've just held our breath since the day we brought it home that she would not need this wheelchair one day! That it would be temporary. That it would make her equal with her little friends at church and school. We've been so hopeful and patient, and she's just so amazing that we have all assumed she would walk! I'm not losing hope, but it's definitely fading at the moment. We absolutely are responding with enthusiasm for her, wanting of course to make the most independent and spunky Zoe there is, but we feel like we've been set back just a little bit, OK a lotta bit. I just don't get it.
Thankful for all of you and your prayers. We have so much to be thankful for, especially this week! We are completely surrounded by wonderful family (by the way, Jay's amazing supportive and loving parents are here all this week from Florida!!) and so many friends have traveled in and made an effort to come visit Zoe! She's blessed beyond measure. We are blessed beyond measure. However, if you think of it this week please lift up Team Grall as we move forward with this news.
Monday, October 1, 2012
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
That is so cliche (and a very popular Kelly Clarkson song) but the absolute truth! Today, October 1 marks the three-year anniversary of finding out about Zoe having spina bifida. I was about sixteen weeks pregnant going in for my sonogram to find out if we were having a boy or a girl. The first tech saw the hydrocephalus (water on the brain), and the specialist we were referred to that afternoon confirmed the hydrocephalus and was able to see the hole in her spine. The rest is history.
In the last three years, I have learned more about life than the first twenty-seven. I have learned to say (and spell!) the word myelomeningocele, I learned to catheterize my child, I learned about sleep deprivation, I learned how to say "no" to people, and how to be kinder to those closest to you as well as complete strangers, I learned that when you love something so much, sometimes it just not the right timing and you have to let it go, I learned to plan a family budget and live off of one income, I learned not to afraid of a wheelchair and that they can make anything look cute these days. I have accomplished more professionally in the last three years...I experienced teaching both middle school and high school choir, learning about the importance of community and strong families, took a choir two years to UIL and making Sweepstakes, I felt the pride in my students and all of their awards and recognition, I fell in love with high school aged kids, then I felt the pain in laying it all down. I have started running, cooking, and volunteering more at church. I have also learned about the importance of therapy and therapists who work with young children, I've learned about the importance of prayer warriors, I have learned how to enjoy an afternoon of crafting and finger-painting and fake tea parties and lego people, and how much fun it can be to just slow down. Life has been a roller coaster these last three years, and I'm done just hanging on.
What I didn't realize until early this morning is the significance of October 1. October is not just breast cancer awareness month, it's also spina bifida awareness month. Zoe and I were on a jog together and it hit me that the anniversary of Zoe's diagnosis is also the beginning of a month of awareness, education, and support of her and others like her.
I heard a statistic recently that there are fewer cases of children being born with spina bifida now. Sounds awesome, right? There is also a significant increase in early detection, which is great too! The only problem is that so many families who are confronted with the saddening news of their child's condition are aborting the pregnancy, and there are many babies just like Zoe being diagnosed prenatally before ever getting the chance to fight for their own life. I can't tell you enough how blessed we are by our little girl. We had many opportunities to terminate the pregnancy. I'm so glad we chose life. We chose to listen to our hearts. We chose Zoe. Interesting how Zoe's name means "life" in Greek.
Now, I just want to reiterate that I totally believe in prenatal care. If it weren't for the technicians, the doctors, and the countless specialists we saw during my pregnancy, we would not have been as prepared emotionally or physically for the trials to come. We are also extremely fortunate to have Dallas right in our own backyard and have access to highly qualified, world renown physicians and specialists available to us.
So take your folic acid supplements if you're trying to get pregnant, see your doctor for regular visits, and get the best prenatal care out there. You are and always will be your child's best advocate, healthy or not. Oh, and wear yellow to support the furthering of spina bifida awareness.
In the last three years, I have learned more about life than the first twenty-seven. I have learned to say (and spell!) the word myelomeningocele, I learned to catheterize my child, I learned about sleep deprivation, I learned how to say "no" to people, and how to be kinder to those closest to you as well as complete strangers, I learned that when you love something so much, sometimes it just not the right timing and you have to let it go, I learned to plan a family budget and live off of one income, I learned not to afraid of a wheelchair and that they can make anything look cute these days. I have accomplished more professionally in the last three years...I experienced teaching both middle school and high school choir, learning about the importance of community and strong families, took a choir two years to UIL and making Sweepstakes, I felt the pride in my students and all of their awards and recognition, I fell in love with high school aged kids, then I felt the pain in laying it all down. I have started running, cooking, and volunteering more at church. I have also learned about the importance of therapy and therapists who work with young children, I've learned about the importance of prayer warriors, I have learned how to enjoy an afternoon of crafting and finger-painting and fake tea parties and lego people, and how much fun it can be to just slow down. Life has been a roller coaster these last three years, and I'm done just hanging on.
What I didn't realize until early this morning is the significance of October 1. October is not just breast cancer awareness month, it's also spina bifida awareness month. Zoe and I were on a jog together and it hit me that the anniversary of Zoe's diagnosis is also the beginning of a month of awareness, education, and support of her and others like her.
I heard a statistic recently that there are fewer cases of children being born with spina bifida now. Sounds awesome, right? There is also a significant increase in early detection, which is great too! The only problem is that so many families who are confronted with the saddening news of their child's condition are aborting the pregnancy, and there are many babies just like Zoe being diagnosed prenatally before ever getting the chance to fight for their own life. I can't tell you enough how blessed we are by our little girl. We had many opportunities to terminate the pregnancy. I'm so glad we chose life. We chose to listen to our hearts. We chose Zoe. Interesting how Zoe's name means "life" in Greek.
Now, I just want to reiterate that I totally believe in prenatal care. If it weren't for the technicians, the doctors, and the countless specialists we saw during my pregnancy, we would not have been as prepared emotionally or physically for the trials to come. We are also extremely fortunate to have Dallas right in our own backyard and have access to highly qualified, world renown physicians and specialists available to us.
So take your folic acid supplements if you're trying to get pregnant, see your doctor for regular visits, and get the best prenatal care out there. You are and always will be your child's best advocate, healthy or not. Oh, and wear yellow to support the furthering of spina bifida awareness.
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| Zoe-3 months old...one of my favorite pictures!! |
Friday, September 14, 2012
We are home!
We all felt great being home last night. Zoe was asleep in the car when we left the hospital, was greeted by a warm bath, cried through the whole thing since it was torture I'm sure, then propped up in our bed on a new bean bag for the 950th showing of Tangled. We got started on the medications, and like clockwork I got up very three hours to administer something to her so she would sleep peacefully. We both (ha! ALL three plus the dog) got a GREAT night's sleep.
Family and friends stopped by for a little bit, and Zoe's chipper spirit was back. Smiling, giggling, hugging, kissing, and bossing around (of course) is back in full swing. She can't do much of anything physical yet, but I'm not expecting her to. Dr. Swift said she would let us know when she's ready to do any of that.
We are up and relaxing this morning. Jay headed into work for what he hopes to be a short day. It seems like a nice cloudy day which always makes for a calm environment. Thanks again for all of your prayers. I wish there was a way Zoe could hug each of you because she would. There's just nothing better than seeing your child start to feel better and function like her old self. God has a plan for all of this, and sometimes it feels there is no rhyme or reason, but I'm constantly reminded of what was said in Isaiah 55:8-11,
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." "The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it."
Family and friends stopped by for a little bit, and Zoe's chipper spirit was back. Smiling, giggling, hugging, kissing, and bossing around (of course) is back in full swing. She can't do much of anything physical yet, but I'm not expecting her to. Dr. Swift said she would let us know when she's ready to do any of that.
We are up and relaxing this morning. Jay headed into work for what he hopes to be a short day. It seems like a nice cloudy day which always makes for a calm environment. Thanks again for all of your prayers. I wish there was a way Zoe could hug each of you because she would. There's just nothing better than seeing your child start to feel better and function like her old self. God has a plan for all of this, and sometimes it feels there is no rhyme or reason, but I'm constantly reminded of what was said in Isaiah 55:8-11,
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." "The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it."
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| Zoe finally home and huggin' on her Mama. |
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Bananas, Chocolate Milk, and Rapunzel...again
Pain was controlled all night and she slept like a champ. Even through me giving her pain medicine orally, she was able to get some well deserved sleep. I woke up curled up next to her this morning, and she asked, "Mom? Want to wake?" It was very sweet. The doctors think she will get to go home later today. They want us to get her up and moving, but she just starts crying with the slightest adjustment so I'm pretty nervous about transporting her to the car. We will see.
So as you can probably tell by the title, she's scarfing down a banana, munching on Cheerios, sipping on chocolate milk, and watching Tangled for the 900th time it feels like. We may venture to the playroom in a little bit and see how that goes. I'll update you all once we're home. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers. We love you!
So as you can probably tell by the title, she's scarfing down a banana, munching on Cheerios, sipping on chocolate milk, and watching Tangled for the 900th time it feels like. We may venture to the playroom in a little bit and see how that goes. I'll update you all once we're home. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers. We love you!
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Feelin' better!
She's starting to come around! Both Zoe and Mama got a nice 2+ hour nap this afternoon in addition to her on and off naps this morning. She's currently enjoying a combination of goldfish and reese's pieces and sipping chocolate milk right now, excited about her visitors who are about to start trickling in. We can't exactly reposition her yet as she's still in some great discomfort when we try but Dr. Price, Dr. Swift's partner, has assured us Zoe will let us know when she's ready. Dr. Price is thinking we may go home tomorrow at the earliest. Zoe will continue to want to lay around in between naps, but activity will resume soon.
Praise the Lord for a quick turn around! Sleep definitely does a body good, and so does chocolate milk according to Zoe.
Praise the Lord for a quick turn around! Sleep definitely does a body good, and so does chocolate milk according to Zoe.
Rough Night
The doctors just came and checked on her, and they think she might go home today. That would be awesome, only if the the I.V. could come with us too. She was very uncomfortable during the night even with all the morphine, Valium, and Codine/Tylenol combo. I ended up in bed with her around 3:30 just to keep her calm and let her try to sleep. I think she would look around briefly and not be able to see me, so she would cry out, "Mama!" in her hoarse little voice. I just wish there was more I could do for her. Currently, Zoe is sipping on cold apple juice watching Toy Story. She's been sweating all night, but she yells if you take off any of her friends or blankets. She's a grrrreeeaaat patient ;)
During the night, I was praying over her sitting in her bed, and I prayed specifically for angels to just watch over her and be in this room. I specifically prayed for one to sit at the end of the bed. At that moment, I felt the presence of the Lord immediately and Zoe went to sleep instantly. She was so peaceful for a good two hours too.
My mom reminded me of a scripture this morning that was very energizing and encouraging. Isaiah 40:27-31
27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, "My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God"?
28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.
30 Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted;
31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
We are open to visitors today. Zoe would love a visit from some friends. Hopefully we can get her in the wagon soon and take her for spin around the floor. She's not interested in moving right now. We are at Medical City, Room 615D. Also, Starbucks Via packets are the greatest invention ever. Besides neurosurgery of course.
During the night, I was praying over her sitting in her bed, and I prayed specifically for angels to just watch over her and be in this room. I specifically prayed for one to sit at the end of the bed. At that moment, I felt the presence of the Lord immediately and Zoe went to sleep instantly. She was so peaceful for a good two hours too.
My mom reminded me of a scripture this morning that was very energizing and encouraging. Isaiah 40:27-31
27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, "My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God"?
28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.
30 Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted;
31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
We are open to visitors today. Zoe would love a visit from some friends. Hopefully we can get her in the wagon soon and take her for spin around the floor. She's not interested in moving right now. We are at Medical City, Room 615D. Also, Starbucks Via packets are the greatest invention ever. Besides neurosurgery of course.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Finished
When Zoe was starting to wake up, Dr. Swift came out and said, "She's a little ticked off." We knew exactly what that meant. She was not happy (screaming, crying, and shouting at everyone) when we first saw her in recovery, but she's finally starting to calm down and quickly approaching a well deserved nap. I don't know who looked cuter on the tiny little hospital bed...Zoe with her Angelina Jolie lips and quivering bottom chin or Jay snuggled up tightly next to her. Leave it to Woody and Buzz to calm her down though. Thank goodness for Disney.
We are currently in our private room and hoping to lay low for a few hours. She's not up for much visiting at the moment. Dr. Swift said the surgery was very successful in that they inserted the tubes for draining and didn't actually have to cut into the lamina. He said he's never done this exact procedure on someone so tiny (glad we didn't know that ahead of time!), and it was quite difficult and took longer than expected. Which was why we were still waiting to see her 5 1/2 hours later. Thankful it's over. Now for the hard part...the dreaded recovery. The nurse informed us that she's got pain at the incision at the base of her neck, but possibly all the way down her spine as well. Poor thing!!
Thanks for all the messages of encouragement today. I feel like the next 24 hours will be the hardest on all of us, but God will continue to surround us with His presence and peace.
We are currently in our private room and hoping to lay low for a few hours. She's not up for much visiting at the moment. Dr. Swift said the surgery was very successful in that they inserted the tubes for draining and didn't actually have to cut into the lamina. He said he's never done this exact procedure on someone so tiny (glad we didn't know that ahead of time!), and it was quite difficult and took longer than expected. Which was why we were still waiting to see her 5 1/2 hours later. Thankful it's over. Now for the hard part...the dreaded recovery. The nurse informed us that she's got pain at the incision at the base of her neck, but possibly all the way down her spine as well. Poor thing!!
Thanks for all the messages of encouragement today. I feel like the next 24 hours will be the hardest on all of us, but God will continue to surround us with His presence and peace.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Another surgery
Zoe needs to have another surgery. Her MRI from Tuesday revealed that the surgery in January did not resolve all of the issues. The swallowing delay and aspiration has been resolved, but the additional spinal fluid that was pooling in her spinal column has gotten significantly worse. The Chiari decompression surgery had a less than 50% chance of correcting that problem, but we did not expect it to get worse. Dr. Swift asked if her arm strength had weakened at all. We haven't seen anything; however, as I mentioned in another blog post, she hasn't made any significant strides in physical therapy as of late. He said that he didn't want to wait for her to begin showing big symptoms because that could set us back in her physical development.
She is going to have a laminectomy on September 11. She will also have a shunt tap that day to make sure the shunt is functioning properly. If she needs the shunt revision surgery, they will perform it at that time. We aren't certain of the recovery time, but they said it wouldn't be as bad as the decompression surgery...I don't see how anything could be that bad!!!! From what I understand, they will go through the back around C7 and insert a tube to drain the fluid. This will become permanent and will function like her shunt. We are looking at 3-4 days in the hospital again...guess we'll be getting her iPad before Christmas. Hahaha.
Dr. Swift says kids are developing so rapidly at her age, and that Zoe's main symptom may be that she's just not developing at her full potential. We are all about getting Zoe to her full potential, so please join us in prayer on this next adventure.
On a side note, she's been sentencing like crazy lately! Tells people, "It's so good to see you!" and "Hi, how are you doing?!" and likes to tell people, "I'm two and she's thirty!" (pointing at me of course) She is also becoming quite my little buddy...cuddling, singing, reading, playing babies and dolls. I swear she would sell her grandmother's soul to the devil for a stamp if she could. (I've started giving her stamps every time she uses her "sweet voice" and does polite and helpful things.) She's also getting a walker next week. We are hoping she starts to get interested in it in the next few months.
We will be celebrating Jay's birthday this weekend too! It's very convenient that he gets a holiday weekend every year for his birthday. Thanks for all your prayers and we will keep you posted.
the gralls
She is going to have a laminectomy on September 11. She will also have a shunt tap that day to make sure the shunt is functioning properly. If she needs the shunt revision surgery, they will perform it at that time. We aren't certain of the recovery time, but they said it wouldn't be as bad as the decompression surgery...I don't see how anything could be that bad!!!! From what I understand, they will go through the back around C7 and insert a tube to drain the fluid. This will become permanent and will function like her shunt. We are looking at 3-4 days in the hospital again...guess we'll be getting her iPad before Christmas. Hahaha.
Dr. Swift says kids are developing so rapidly at her age, and that Zoe's main symptom may be that she's just not developing at her full potential. We are all about getting Zoe to her full potential, so please join us in prayer on this next adventure.
On a side note, she's been sentencing like crazy lately! Tells people, "It's so good to see you!" and "Hi, how are you doing?!" and likes to tell people, "I'm two and she's thirty!" (pointing at me of course) She is also becoming quite my little buddy...cuddling, singing, reading, playing babies and dolls. I swear she would sell her grandmother's soul to the devil for a stamp if she could. (I've started giving her stamps every time she uses her "sweet voice" and does polite and helpful things.) She's also getting a walker next week. We are hoping she starts to get interested in it in the next few months.
We will be celebrating Jay's birthday this weekend too! It's very convenient that he gets a holiday weekend every year for his birthday. Thanks for all your prayers and we will keep you posted.
the gralls
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Water, Weirdness, and Waiting
What a fun week.......at times. I'm officially a stay-at-home mommy now. I felt incredibly weird and out of sorts when all of my (some of my!) friends returned to work last week. I couldn't stop checking Facebook for all of the updates, and I also found myself checking my work e-mail...which I can still log into!! Super weird. I'm finally feeling like that chapter is closed though. This is my new life, and I'm thrilled.
Zoe spent quite a bit of time in the water this week. We went to Hawaiian Falls last night for "Special Friends Night" with Prestonwood. She loved the water, her friends from church, and joyfully shivered her way through the lazy river and the "wavey" pool. It's been weirdly cooler this week....quite tolerable, especially for August in Texas. Her lips were blue and her lower lip quivered the entire time, but we loved it!
I bought a slip n slide for five bucks yesterday....instant entertainment for about an hour. Zoe didn't quite get the hang of it, but her awesome neighbors are trying to convince her.
We are in a bit of a holding pattern for physical therapy. Our assignment this week is to "back off." She hasn't done anything new in the last two weeks so we are going to back off a week. Turns out, our super independent, ridiculously strong willed, "spirited" and "tenacious" toddler could quite possibly show some regression if we push a little too hard. She's not standing unless she has a couch or something to lean on, which is fine, except for she doesn't want to do it anymore. She's OK on hands and knees or looking out the window for a couple of minutes on her knees, but that's it. I'm getting a little frustrated, but I'm constantly reminded that it's up to her. She has to want to do it.
Zoe and I met a precious little girl with spina bifida this week at Scottish Rite. She was nine. She was in a wheelchair and she and Zoe hit it off right way. She asked me very sweetly, "Can she walk?" I told her she couldn't, but it was a little early to tell if she would or not. She responded very sweetly and told me that she could a little bit, but she wasn't very good at it. Her mom has to help her stand up in her stander. She was so sweet and understanding and accepting about it. Such a healthy, happy little nine-year-old. That's all we want for Zoe. I'll take her anyway I can get. It doesn't mean I'll pray less or accept less...what is "less" anyway? I'm in love with a tiny blonde with beautiful little curls, a squeaky little voice, tantrum-ing two-year-old who has her whole life ahead of her and deserves the best. I want her to be just as accepting as this other little girl we met. God is in control and holds her future.
So we are just waiting on Zoe to decide what she wants to do. I have absolutely no idea where she gets her stubborn, hard-headedness, and sensitivity (haha), but I certainly know how to handle it. The apple does not fall far from the tree...
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| She discovered her love of peanut butter! It's official -- she belongs to me now! |
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| Eating a "big chicken" while DOG eye-balls it. |
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| Buddies |
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| Attempting to slip n slide, even though she didn't like it much....try again??? |
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| Her new braces (hot pink camo!!) and her first pair...she's grown so much in the last 18 months! |
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| Sweet Megan stopping to play with Zoe between slip n slides! |
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| Her new wheelchair gloves! |
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Long time no see!
We have had several big things happen back to back around here, but finally things are settling down a little bit....
There's been a big change as most of you know. I will not be returning back to Lovejoy High School to teach this fall. It has and will continue to be a very big adjustment for me, but it's been the best (and hardest!!) decision I've ever had to make. When you come face to face with your reality, it always has the potential to be a little daunting. I realized that although my heart, my talents, and my strengths are utilized best standing in front of a choir, my calling right now is to serve my family full-time. I am very excited about this new revelation, but I've been very overwhelmed by the tug of emotions with leaving the job and people I love. I had the perfect job, the best students, the most talented and dedicated colleagues, and a very fulfilling career ahead of me, and I chose to leave all of that behind in order to follow a different plan. God is in control and knows exactly what He's doing. I wouldn't have chosen everything to happen in this order, but that's not always up to us. I will be thinking of all of my sweet friends and students as they go back to work and school in the next couple of weeks. I love you all, and I will be here for you when you need me. You are amazing and inspiring, and it's been an honor to work with each of you.
On the home front, we have just completed several big projects at the house! Yard work, cleaning and organizing, then re-organizing because you're not real sure where things should go in a place you've just moved into. We hosted our family from Florida for a few days, and Maddy was here for a visit. Zoe now has new flooring in her room that matches most of the rest of the house! She has the freedom to go anywhere her little heart desires in our new house and has the curiosity and mobility to get into all kinds of trouble now.
She is keeping me busy to say the least. I look forward to Mondays and Fridays when our sweet Jenna comes to help out ( /entertain/clean/play!). She has really blessed our family so much this year, and we are very sad to see her leave for college in a couple of weeks. She has touched our lives in a very special way and has been with ME through thick and thin this year. Zoe is a better person because of her giving spirit, selfless attitude, and diligence to serve those in need. Jenna, we will miss you!!!!!! We are also in desperate need to fill her shoes....if you know anyone 18 or older who can help us with our respite hours and doesn't mind playing with Zoe a few hours a week, let me know!!
It's August already, and things are finally slowing down just a bit. We are learning to cook on our new Big Green Egg, going swimming......lots, adjusting to a more relaxed schedule, searching for the best Mother's-Day Out program, I'm finally running again, and we are of course praying for Zoe as always.
Here are some hi-lights from the last few weeks.
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| Maddy (AKA "Sissy") came for a fun visit! |
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| We squeezed in a trip to Arkansas to stay at Reba and Johnny's lake house! Cliff diving, swimming, and good food....Zoe especially loved cheering for everyone as we jumped off the cliff. |
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| Zoe had her first ice cream cone from CHICK FIL A (also known as "Chicken-Fil-Laaayyyy") Also, Zoe's first tattoo. Hello Kitty naturally. |
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| Dallas Arboretum is always a hit, except for now in this heat...I think we'll wait another month of so before venturing out there again. |
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| We loved out visit from Papa and Gramma. |
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| Rachel came too!!! |
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| Our first tea party with a couple of very sweet friends from down the street. |
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| Our new floors and a big girl bed! |
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| Silly time right before bedtime. |
Thursday, June 14, 2012
A Joyful Heart
Proverbs 17:22
"A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones."
Zoe has been nothing but a joy to be around these last couple of weeks. We have had the best time...whether we've been at the zoo, the arboretum, Target, the pool, or chillin' out in Mama and Daddy's bed watching a movie. She's just the best company! Last night she wore herself out giggling. We were all out in the back, she was cruising around in her stander, and laughed at absolutely everything.
She has a happy little heart and she's great medicine for me and Jay. That's for sure. We all get a little worn out sometimes, and she certainly knows how to cheer someone up and bring life to people. I hope that it's not just a phase, like some of her other newly discovered character traits.....
New behaviors include saying the exact opposite of everything I say, wanting blueberries instead of strawberries, arguing whether outside really means outside or inside, telling me she wants "my ways" when I tell her not everyone gets their own way...it's all very complicated and she knows exactly what to say that's completely different than what I told her to do or say. It's actually hard not to laugh at her sometimes.
We are still trying to settle in around here. Nothing is hanging from the walls except for the computer monitors (they look great, honey!). Boxes are still everywhere in the guest bedroom.....we have about 10 days to get that room in order with Maddy coming to visit. And we still need a few more big items priced out like tree trimming, pest/bug control, miscellaneous stuff that houses that have been vacant for awhile need....But that will come in time.
Right now, Zoe and I are headed out back to swim and get some sun! Hope y'all are having a good week. Love to all.
"A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones."
Zoe has been nothing but a joy to be around these last couple of weeks. We have had the best time...whether we've been at the zoo, the arboretum, Target, the pool, or chillin' out in Mama and Daddy's bed watching a movie. She's just the best company! Last night she wore herself out giggling. We were all out in the back, she was cruising around in her stander, and laughed at absolutely everything.
She has a happy little heart and she's great medicine for me and Jay. That's for sure. We all get a little worn out sometimes, and she certainly knows how to cheer someone up and bring life to people. I hope that it's not just a phase, like some of her other newly discovered character traits.....
New behaviors include saying the exact opposite of everything I say, wanting blueberries instead of strawberries, arguing whether outside really means outside or inside, telling me she wants "my ways" when I tell her not everyone gets their own way...it's all very complicated and she knows exactly what to say that's completely different than what I told her to do or say. It's actually hard not to laugh at her sometimes.
We are still trying to settle in around here. Nothing is hanging from the walls except for the computer monitors (they look great, honey!). Boxes are still everywhere in the guest bedroom.....we have about 10 days to get that room in order with Maddy coming to visit. And we still need a few more big items priced out like tree trimming, pest/bug control, miscellaneous stuff that houses that have been vacant for awhile need....But that will come in time.
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| Dallas Arboretum |
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| It was perfect weather for the Dallas Zoo! Cool, cloudy, and breezy. |
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| She just loved the zoo!! We are definitely taking Daddy next time. |
Right now, Zoe and I are headed out back to swim and get some sun! Hope y'all are having a good week. Love to all.
Monday, June 4, 2012
Our life these days
We have wrapped up another school year and moved into our new house since I last posted. As you can imagine, there has been very little time to post anything lately! I am so happy the last chapter of our life is over! That was a very hectic, sleepless, exciting, nerve-racking, and crazy few weeks.
Lovejoy Life...
We had an extremely successful pop show - celebrated several "Guilty Pleasures" in the history of pop music. On top of all the pop show preparations and rehearsals, we have also had our very bittersweet and fun glow-in-the-dark choir banquet, traveled to Austin for the ridiculously successful Texas State Solo and Ensemble Contest (love our outstanding choir students!!), were honored at 2 very prestigious awards ceremonies for our famous Music Man production back in January, sadly said our good-byes at graduation ceremonies, and celebrated all weekend with our graduates. We also received word that our Varsity Women will be performing at TMEA next February as an invited honor choir!!! For you non-music teachers out there, it's a very big deal to be chosen, and we will be traveling to San Antonio to perform at the convention for parents, faculty, and every other choir director in the state.....like I said, it's been a very exciting AND nerve-racking month! It feels good to breathe again :) Bethany and I have some very big decisions to make in the next few months so we are already getting the ball rolling.
Murphy Life...
We are living in Murphy now! Our new house is a one-story home built in 2002 I think??!! We have lots of hardwoods and tile inside for little Zoe to move around easily. We have fabulous neighbors who are incredibly friendly and have already included us in some get-togethers. We have a little work left to do in the house...yard work, pool lights, leaky faucet, (comes with the territory I guess!?) and we will be settling in over the next couple of weeks. Come by and visit us and swim too!!!
Zoe Life...
She is still amazing us every single day. What a joyful little songbird we have on our hands. In the last month her singing and talking has tripled. She counts to 30 (22-29 gets a little confusing), scoots backwards on her bootie, likes to bulldoze in her wheelchair (not encouraged whatsoever), gives lots of hugs and kisses, "kicks" in the pool (looks like her hips are doing more of the work than her actual legs right now), and dances, giggles, and performs for anyone and everyone. We are easily impressed I suppose, but she seems to be thriving. I'm expecting big things this summer, lots of sweet memories, and big milestones.
Brooke and Jay Life...
We are ready for a little time off - time to cook dinner, time to hang a few pictures in our new house, time to buy some chairs for our backyard, time to sit together, time to just look at each other and remember why we are here on this earth, time to encourage each other. Those are things that get put off when 2 people work 50-80 hours per week per person. Life is very complicated. I don't understand God's plan right now, but I do know that we're on the right track. That's all we need to know right now! I keep reminding myself daily of this verse:
"For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:9
I hope all of you are having a great week!! We have certainly gotten started on the right foot :)
Lovejoy Life...
We had an extremely successful pop show - celebrated several "Guilty Pleasures" in the history of pop music. On top of all the pop show preparations and rehearsals, we have also had our very bittersweet and fun glow-in-the-dark choir banquet, traveled to Austin for the ridiculously successful Texas State Solo and Ensemble Contest (love our outstanding choir students!!), were honored at 2 very prestigious awards ceremonies for our famous Music Man production back in January, sadly said our good-byes at graduation ceremonies, and celebrated all weekend with our graduates. We also received word that our Varsity Women will be performing at TMEA next February as an invited honor choir!!! For you non-music teachers out there, it's a very big deal to be chosen, and we will be traveling to San Antonio to perform at the convention for parents, faculty, and every other choir director in the state.....like I said, it's been a very exciting AND nerve-racking month! It feels good to breathe again :) Bethany and I have some very big decisions to make in the next few months so we are already getting the ball rolling.
Murphy Life...
We are living in Murphy now! Our new house is a one-story home built in 2002 I think??!! We have lots of hardwoods and tile inside for little Zoe to move around easily. We have fabulous neighbors who are incredibly friendly and have already included us in some get-togethers. We have a little work left to do in the house...yard work, pool lights, leaky faucet, (comes with the territory I guess!?) and we will be settling in over the next couple of weeks. Come by and visit us and swim too!!!
Zoe Life...
She is still amazing us every single day. What a joyful little songbird we have on our hands. In the last month her singing and talking has tripled. She counts to 30 (22-29 gets a little confusing), scoots backwards on her bootie, likes to bulldoze in her wheelchair (not encouraged whatsoever), gives lots of hugs and kisses, "kicks" in the pool (looks like her hips are doing more of the work than her actual legs right now), and dances, giggles, and performs for anyone and everyone. We are easily impressed I suppose, but she seems to be thriving. I'm expecting big things this summer, lots of sweet memories, and big milestones.
Brooke and Jay Life...
We are ready for a little time off - time to cook dinner, time to hang a few pictures in our new house, time to buy some chairs for our backyard, time to sit together, time to just look at each other and remember why we are here on this earth, time to encourage each other. Those are things that get put off when 2 people work 50-80 hours per week per person. Life is very complicated. I don't understand God's plan right now, but I do know that we're on the right track. That's all we need to know right now! I keep reminding myself daily of this verse:
"For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:9
I hope all of you are having a great week!! We have certainly gotten started on the right foot :)
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Graduation
This time of the year is busy for lots of reasons...one of them being graduation. As a teacher, it's special to see those you've invested in all year (or for the last 3 years in my case) grow, achieve success they only dreamed of at one point, and then witness a child changing into an adult right before your own eyes. They begin to move on to bigger and better adventures, and you can only hope that they take a small piece of you with them into their next chapter and beyond. As a music educator, it's even harder to see them go because you see the legacy those who are leaving have created. A small part of them stays with you and the choirs in the years to come. We have many more memories with our Lovejoy kids (all crammed into the next four and a half weeks of course!!), and then one year ends while another one begins. It's extremely bittersweet and emotional.
I was also overcome with several emotions tonight at Zoe's feeding therapy appointment. Good news, I promise!! She has "graduated" from feeding therapy!!! After 16 months of feeding therapy, 4 swallow studies (2 of which were traumatizing), and many trials, Zoe is cleared for normal "thin" liquids and no longer needs weekly sessions. She has come a long way...November 2010, we couldn't go anywhere without her baptizing some poor stranger (or friend or family member) with vomit, and this summer I get to give her an ice cold juice box while we sit out at our new pool.......no more thickening, no more whisking, no more prepping everything. She gets to eat and drink like every other 2-year-old, and for that we are thankful. Also, her therapist Breanna, along with Dr. Swift (her neurosurgeon) helped us come to the decision to have that surgery back in January, so we know that helped as well.
God is so good. The bittersweet part about this whole evening is that we have come to just love Breanna, and now we don't get to see her anymore!! It's a strange feeling. Someone was here, made a huge impact on our family, changed our daughter for the better, and now she's gone. It just seems so sudden. I'm sure I'll be saying that a lot in the next 18 years though. We will still keep in touch I'm certain, but feeding Zoe has been such an event and now she's all "normal." I feel a little bit like I graduated too. We are so grateful for all of the people who care for Zoe, and we pray for them daily. We couldn't have walked these last 26 months without any of you!
So it's been awhile since I posted, but just so you know we are in-between closing dates right now. We sold our home 2 weeks ago (another surprisingly emotional day for me), and we are waiting on the official closing date of our new house! Right now we are currently living at my parents, which has been AWESOME! I'm sure they're ready for their space again, and the dog is fortunate he is still alive (he ate an entire UNCOOKED meatloaf off the counter yesterday), but we have loved being here with them. They have sacrificed so much for me my whole life, and they just continue to do so....it takes a lot to let our crazy family and ridiculous schedules into your home, and they have been amazing about the whole thing.
Here are a couple recent pictures of our beauty.
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| Going "cruising" in her soon-to-be new house! She just goes everywhere now!! |
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
So today ended up being a great day!
We had a blast down at the Arboretum today. Thanks to Aunt Missy (my sister, VP of sales at the Dallas Arboretum), we got VIP status down there. It was just fabulous and Grammy got to adventure down there with us. Zoe was so cute and loved visiting all the waterfalls, tulips, and gorgeous hills. She loved getting all around in her chair. We even brought her "walks" (her AFO braces) and did a little bit of standing on some large stones!
The day did not start off so well as we attempted to get a successful swallow study this morning down at Scottish Rite. We were there to see what's happening inside of Zoe's throat since her surgery. We definitely see improvement from the outside - no more choking, no more tearing up when she swallows, improvement in chewing, etc.....To be PC, we were unimpressed with the process this morning. We have a history with this one lady on staff there who Zoe (actually none of us) can stand. Zoe was just miserable sitting in that chair waiting to begin the test, and it just got worse after that. To make a long, horrible story short, we will unfortunately be rescheduling........hopefully somewhere different. We love Scottish Rite and sing nothing but praises about them; however, our family has a few personality conflicts this particular "team member." YIKES!
Anyway, needless to say I am loving Spring Break!!!!!!! Weeks like this one make me want to be a "full-time Mommy," just like all the other working teacher mommies out there. We are so blessed to have careers that allow us to have these special times with our families. I will never take that for granted.
I'm off to enjoy pulled-pork tacos on our patio with Jay and Zoe. Enjoy a few favorite pictures from today!! It was pretty bright outside, even with all the clouds so she's a little squinty.
The day did not start off so well as we attempted to get a successful swallow study this morning down at Scottish Rite. We were there to see what's happening inside of Zoe's throat since her surgery. We definitely see improvement from the outside - no more choking, no more tearing up when she swallows, improvement in chewing, etc.....To be PC, we were unimpressed with the process this morning. We have a history with this one lady on staff there who Zoe (actually none of us) can stand. Zoe was just miserable sitting in that chair waiting to begin the test, and it just got worse after that. To make a long, horrible story short, we will unfortunately be rescheduling........hopefully somewhere different. We love Scottish Rite and sing nothing but praises about them; however, our family has a few personality conflicts this particular "team member." YIKES!
Anyway, needless to say I am loving Spring Break!!!!!!! Weeks like this one make me want to be a "full-time Mommy," just like all the other working teacher mommies out there. We are so blessed to have careers that allow us to have these special times with our families. I will never take that for granted.
I'm off to enjoy pulled-pork tacos on our patio with Jay and Zoe. Enjoy a few favorite pictures from today!! It was pretty bright outside, even with all the clouds so she's a little squinty.
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