For all the apples that fell…

 

For the neighbor who brought some MORE zucchini ( It’s coming out our ears! We don’t even have to pick it!)

 

For a beautiful day with the smell of April Fresh Downy

 

For a (almost) 1 year old to scare me half to death around water.

 

For some apples still left on our tree!

For a little bit of concrete to ride trikes on bumping each other till someone falls over…

 

For an audience (who is learning how to become a monster like his big sister)  

 

need I say anything more?

 

For sisters to play together…

 

 

or…..

 

give mom a heart attack….( REALLY didn’t think she would do it!)

 

for BIG brothers…

 

who whistle while they swing….

 

 

and for a nice smile…(FINALLY!)

 

Thankyou that she did not go any higher…

 

ok…I was WRONG…(deep breath!)

 

That she came back down….(the right way and not with a THUD)

 

For someone to copy her and think he is cool enough to get his picture taken too.

 

shes not impressed…

 

For little boys..

 

And big boys too…

 

 

 

 

 

 

(ignore the HUGE daddy long leg spider in the upper corner…he didn’t see it. )

 

 

 

 

  

Thankyou for a pool full of water to flush toilets with! (or to throw everything you find in it, including worms,  shoes, sticks, and grass and call it “soup”)

 

These guys had nothing to do with that…(HA!)

 

 

 

TOTALLY innocent! (he sure looks it don’t he?)

 

Wasn’t him either….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

who was it?!?!? hmmmm

 

 

 

 

Ah HA!!!  (bet you couldn’t figure that out…totally sarcastic.)

 

 

 

 

Thankyou for an old paint can to fight over…..I mean play drums with  (very LOUDLY)

 

 

 

 

Thankyou that this next picture was 1 of only 2 instead of 6 to get a smile…

 

this was the first….

 

 

Thankyou that our stump is still partially there to stand on..lol

 

 

Thankyou for my husband who started the grill for me….

 

and for our stockpile of peanut butter and cheerios we grilled and ate….

 

HA! just kidding…..lol

 

pulled pork….

 

you guessed it…zucchini…

and potatoes..which I thought I uploaded the pic..oh well…

 

 

 

 

Thankyou for the food….

 

 

   

and someone to eat the left overs…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hey I wasn’t done!!

 

Thankyou for dogs with stinky breath…..

 

 

 

And for this ONE picture that took only ONE try and came out perfect!

 

OK…Thank you for the 2 days we had with NO ELECTRICITY or running water!…. Who knew?

Really did you think I was joking or pretending to have fun?

 

 

I was laying in the SUN! 

 So we have been home for a few days now…4 days to be exact, and things are just now starting to run smoothly. I am starting to gear up for next week and all the appointments that go with it. I took this past week off, ok well not EXACTLY off. You know there is still dishes,laundry,baths,diapers,feeding cleaning,diapers,dishes,cleaning…….you got that?  But STILL I wouldn’t trade it for nothin  seriously.

 

Linn smooching on the baby just before we left.

 

Lauras last meal before we walked outta there!

 

 

 

 

 

This was the seating arrangement for the way home..Anthony thought he needed to keep kicking Laura…in the HEAD. So I rode the entire way home with my arm blocking his leg.

   

Of course Laura had to have someone over to visit they played games all night (the next night)

 

 

 

 

On another note… The first clouds from Hurricane Irene are moving in! The sky looks amazing right now.

 

 

 

UPDATED pics…I thought it looked neat BEFORE! check these pictures out that I took in a matter of 2 minutes, it changed! It turned a beautiful bright pink color! Everything was glowing!

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have but one word…Stunning.

 So yesterday she was supposed to be moved to inpatient therapy. Turns out they didn’t have a bed for her yet, and one wouldn’t be ready until Wed or Thurs. I made a suggestion to just let me take her home and get her back into her therapy she was in. They really didn’t think about it long, and they said SURE! (I was pretty shocked actually) I wasn’t shocked because I didn’t think she was ready, (because she definitely is!)I was shocked because one nurse had said they wanted to transport her to a different rehab, I just was not expecting they would let her go home!

So it’s a big day…We should be home between 4 and 5.

I can’t wait to put this all behind us. Laura has been through so much..you don’t even know the half of it, because I don’t chose to blog about everything of course. Maybe bits and pieces will come out over time.

Well, I am getting ready now, and we are off to pick her up!

~of course after I feed the baby AGAIN!

 I really REALLY need to get some sleep, so I don’t have time, or even feel like writing right now, but I wanted to share some pictures.

 

We came back to the Ronald House to find this for our dinner…

 

  

Dinner tonight was Luau themed, such nice people who do this for the families here.

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

mmmmm VERY delicious… but the decorations I think made it even better!

this was yesterday, Mark brought the girls to visit and they stayed the night with us

Also Adrian and his family came and brought us dinner. They BBQ’d and Grilled vegetables with chipolte sauce,sweet but HOT and very yummy!  (have no idea why this is blurry, other then I am a bad photographer!)

   

they played connect four and Sorry sliders for about an hour, we all sat around and chatted for a while. We planned for them to come visit us at our house sometime soon.

They already had a follow up Appointment with The doctor so they decided to hang out for the rest of the day and bring food.

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You know what he thinks about the bottle??? ( I keep trying!!)

 

 

On the floor…he’s got quite the arm too!

 

Goodnight!

 

 

 

 

 

 

She is up finally in a chair! I can’t even express what it felt like to walk in the room this morning and see her sitting up! I was so happy. Just a matter of time and we will be back home. We can’t wait.

I know she does not look happy in the first picture, so here is a second one

 

  

Thats better!!

She is actually taking a shower right now, with the help of some nurses. I decided to let them help. I had no idea how I would help with a baby on my hip anyhow.

 

Some pictures of the little guy a few days before Lauras surgery

I had uploaded them but forgot, I think, to post them…

 

  

 

 

 

And this was 2 nights ago at the Ronald house..

thought we would dress him up..pretty cute as a bee if ya ask me !

 

He was eating a peice of chocolate cereal and playing on the couch.

 

 

 

So here they are. Laura met the boy who has Moya moya and went through the same operation as her (only he had to have two surgeries) The family lives about an hour from Albany,so they came to visit.

It was so nice of them! Laura was so happy to actually see him (Adrian) and see that he is okay and fine and he went through it TWICE. What a brave little man.

This first is my FAVORITE. He was reading her one of his favorite scriptures that helped him

  

He also brought her a little gift with a pink puppy and candy

 

 

Such a beautiful family!

 

 

exchanging addresses and phone numbers.

 

picture time!

They showed us how their names would look written in Hebrew!

 

 

 

 

just sweet

 

  

Messing around taking pictures. Katelynn came up with my parents and Laura begged for a slumber party.

Also I got my helper back!!

 

yay! Marina! Just in time cause Mark is back at work till Thursday!

 

Lauras in a recovery room now. She is getting quite bossy. For instance I was trying to figure out how to work the dvd… she kept saying just get the nurse. I of course did not want to seem like I had no idea what I was doing (which I really had no idea what I was doing of course) . She grabs the cord to the nurse call remote and yanks it over to her and pushes the button..they come in and she says “my mom don’t know how.” 

I can’t say I mind at all. It’s a good thing.  LOL

Have no idea still a discharge date, BUT I think as soon as she is able to get up out of bed, she will want to leave. she has not been out of bed yet. The nurses come in every so often to raise the head of her bed just a tad to eventually get her sitting upright.

Soon!! I just know it!

Another note, there is a boy who is from Kingston who had the SAME condition as Laura and the SAME surgery as Laura by the same Doctor. (who ALSO are Jehovahs Wittnesses) He and his family are coming up tonight to visit with us. They are a spanish family. Actually the Doctors said they learned from this boy and that is why they ended up doing MORE procedures then expected at first on Laura. This boy they said ended up having to come back for a second round. (they took care of it all with Laura at once)  This condition is so rare the doctors and still learning as they go . And I will know more tonight but from what I hear, it also presented in this young boy the exact same way as it presented with Laura. ( A-typical) Affecting the same vessels. I did hear the surgeons say they almost don’t want to call it Moya moya now, because it is not presenting the “normal” way for Moya moya. But what has happened to the vessels IS what happens with Moya moya. (Moya moya typically affects the entire brain instead of just one or two vessels.)

Hopefully I will have some pictures of our visit later.

YEEE

 

Haaaaa!

 

Isaiah 41:10-13( Do not be Afraid )

Psalms 27:14 ( Hope in Jehovah and be strong)

Psalms 55:22 ( Throw your burden upon Jehovah)

I have to apoligize,(ok maybe not) I have not been on very much, but no news is good news right?

She is doing VERY well. Still no word on discharge plans,taking it day by day. 

Just some pics from today, I will let them speak for themselves…Just to let everyone know, I have not taken pictures until today. I could not bring myself to do it.. Laura wated to see what she looked like, and I just couldn’t. I did not want ANY memory of what she looked like before today. Today she looks awesome!! (compared to yesterday and before)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

gotta run be back later.

Laura is in alot of pain and they are working on getting her something stronger. Her left eye is swollen shut and she is really puffy… her heart rate has been up, but her pressure is good.  She is starting to run a little fever now, so I don’t know whats up with that. Probably talk to the Doc soon.. I am guessing it is not too much of a concern right now, but they will probably start her on some antibiotics also.  They said after what she has been through this is all pretty much expected. Thats why she is in the ICU for 3-4 days.. Thankyou all who continue to pray. It really does make a difference!  I will be on to keep updates through the day because I know all of you are wondering.

I was talking to Mark last night saying ” I wonder what it would be like if I had to call everyone, and everyone was calling me at the same time to get updates on Laura?” I am so glad I can type the update and click a button and ALL our friends and family can have instant access! 

I’ll be back in a little bit.

(My Mom and Robin ate at Real Seafood last night and they ended up with food poisening.So they were REALLY ill last night at the Ronald house, they have still not been able to see Laura. My Dad was eating with them but he never had salad and he never got sick, they narrowed it down to the salad. Mark and I ate chinese with them yesterday and we never got sick, so it was not that. They are both feeling MUCH better today, but it was quite a rough night. )

  Wow…I can’t even describe the feelings. We stayed at the Ronald Mcdonald house last night..had Laura in the hospital at 6:30 am this morning..

The Doctor discussed everything with us again. He decided on 3 procedures instead of just the two. He is doing 2 Pial Synangiosis.. one along the top of her brain and one along the frontal left lobe where there is barely any blood flow. Then he is doing the Cerebral bypass.  So six to eight hours.. Cutting from the top of one ear to the other across the top of her head She will have a strip across the top of her head shaved. But she will be able to pull her hair back in a pony tail and hide it   mostly.

I said my “see you soons” at 8:05am . They started the surgery at 10:01am. It is now 1:56 pm. Waiting on updates and I …can’t even explain. I can however feel this overwhelming comfort, that I also can’t explain. 

I have nothing else. Just waiting.

 

Here she is! All excited to go…yea right. It was early and it was dark..we didn’t wake the baby. My Mom stayed with him while we checked Laura in, then I reunited with my Mom and baby shortly after..

 

…..And THIS JUST IN!!

A sweet lady Beverly just came over and said everything is progressing well and expected finish time is FOUR O’CLOCK…TWO HOURS! I will keep everyone posted!

Some pictures from last night and this morning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 After my stay at the Ronald McDonald house, I will donate when I see one of the donation boxes in McDonalds from NOW ON !! I will encourage all to do the same, because …it is soooooo AMAZING!

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner made fresh every day by volunteers all workers are volunteers no one is EVER asked to pay for anything. They provide EVERYTHING down to tooth brushes and laundry soap…..coffee and pastries always fresh. Help yourself to the kitchen and leftovers anytime of the day or night. I will notice every one of those contribution boxes and donate something from now on, I have experienced first hand where it goes. I wonder if they had a house down South when we were stuck in New Orleans? 

Next after surgery is “make a wish foundation” for Laura…she deserves it.