April began with Laurie’s big “coming out” party for Easter weekend! On Good Friday the four of us traveled to Atlanta for my cousins wedding and then for a fun day with family at the Georgia Aquarium on Saturday. We were also blessed to take Laurie to church for the first time on Easter Sunday! I can not explain how much it meant for all four of us to be in church together! Later that afternoon, Todd’s family enjoyed seeing Laurie at “the big pond” for the annual Easter egg hunt. It was a wonderful weekend for us to finally be able to get out as a family and to share our little miracle with our extended family who has been anxiously waiting to see her in person!
On April 18, 2009 Todd and I celebrated our 11th aniversery by taking Laurie off the oxygen!!! She has been doing really well until this last week when she began having more frequent de-sat spells (I’ll explain more later). On April 25, 2009 approximately 30 family and friends joined Laurie’s team for the March for Babies. Thanks to all of you who walked with us and/or made donations to this great cause on Laurie’s behalf. Her team raised over $700 for the March of Dimes!!! We were not sure what to expect going in, as this was our first time walking, but we were so impressed by the large crowds and all teams who were there walking in honor or memory of a precious baby! This will definitely become a family tradition for us! I can’t forget to mention that Cole also played soccer at the Y this spring and we were even able to get Laurie out for a few games!
In May we made another trip to Birmingham for the Newborn Follow Up clinic and saw several different specialists there. We were blessed with good news in that Laurie appears to be right on track developmentally. The audiologist will continue to monitor Laurie’s high frequency hearing over the next few months. We also had another very special day on Mother’s Day when we were finally able to have Laurie’s baby dedication. Again, much of our extended family was there to help celebrate and it was apparent that Laurie has come so far largely due to the love and prayers of our church and extended family! Although Todd and I realized in the first few moments of Laurie’s life that we must turn her over to God’s plan, we were so thankful that we could publicly dedicate her to Him and praise Him for all that He has done already done in her life. What a special day it was!!!
Later in May, Laurie and I went with Todd to the Alabama Athletic Trainers state meeting in Destin. It was so nice to get away for a few days and Todd received a much deserved honor—Athletic Trainer of Year! I have been amazed by how he has continued to perform his job so well with all we have been going through this year—he truly has a calling! I am so proud of him!!
Last spring Todd and I had promised Cole a trip to Disney World, but with Mr. Rex’s health declining and my pregnancy complications we were not able to make the trip. So, since he has been such a trooper this year we were finally able to take him in May. He was so surprised and although it rained the whole time, we had a ball!!! Yes, can you believe I finally got brave enough to leave Laurie for a few days?
As May came to an end, it was time for me to begin thinking about next year’s plan. In August I will be going back to work and moving to the new Kindergarten school. Although, I will miss my friends at Harrand Creek terribly, I am looking forward to a new beginning in a new building. But along with changing schools, comes the inevitable chore of packing up my classroom. So, I spent last week packing up my classroom and also realizing how much I have missed teaching this year—yet I would not trade this time with Laurie for anything in the world! Well, Laurie must have known my plans and decided she wasn’t thrilled with the idea. So, she let us know that she could still get my attention!
On Tuesday night when I put her to bed and “plugged” her into the pulse oximeter, I noticed her sats were very low and sure enough she had 4 de-sat spells throughout the night. After several days with low sats, a trip to the pediatrician, blood work and chest x-rays, the pulmonologist decided that we should put Laurie back on the oxygen for a few days. So, she is currently on oxygen and we are trying to wean her off again. Laurie did not protest about the nasal canula as much as I thought she would, but it is much more difficult than previously because she is more active now. She is almost crawling and we have spent all week unwrapping the cords from around her little body! I’m so scared that she will choke herself on her own oxygen cord!!! Although we are still having a little trouble with the breathing, she continues to grow and weighed 15 lbs. 1oz. at the doctor’s office last Thursday.
I’ll never forget when Laurie was moved from an isolette to an open crib and I could just walk in to pick her up rather than touching her through the porthole, I thought this is just like a “real” baby. I had that same realization of a “real” baby many months later at home while walking around my kitchen with Laurie on my hip as I unloaded the dishwasher and not being limited in the number of steps I could take by an oxygen cord or pulse ox monitor cord. We were just beginning to enjoy the freedom of having a “real” baby, but we are now seeing that although Laurie is a “real” baby, she will always be a special baby who has special needs for a little while longer!
We have so much to be thankful for the last two months and have celebrated lots of “baby steps”!! Please continue to pray that Laurie will come off the oxygen for good! Thanks for continuing to remember Laurie and our family!
Love,
Todd, Leah, Cole and Laurie
