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Our Austin Trip

A few months ago, we were blessed to be able to take Molly to Austin to meet her Texas family!  This was a very important trip for me.  We named Molly after Granny, and I really wanted my grandmother to meet Molly while she is still able to remember things. My cousins are all so close that I think it is hard for some people to understand our family.  I always end up saying that I consider my cousins more like brothers and sisters than "extended family".  It was fun to introduce Molly to all of her aunts and uncles, and I loved getting to meet all of the sweet new additions to the family.  We also got to celebrate my aunt and uncle's 30th wedding anniversary.  It was a great trip!  Enjoy the pictures.

sweet handclaasps

sweet bathing babies

meeting Uncle Wes

Kinsley, Aunt Cassidy, and Molly

1st time in the water

Beck preferred to sunbathe

riding in style

one of my favorites

4 generations

Shirley Mae & Molly Mae

Molly at the Moment

Well, as most of you know, Molly was scheduled for another laser surgery and an MRI this week.  On Friday morning they called and told us Dr. Buck-miller isn't available this week.  Rescheduling with her wasn't a problem, but unfortunately, getting a new MRI slot was tricky.  So we don't go back until December 16. 

These past few months have been a major stretch of faith for Nathan and I.  After her last surgery, Dr. Buck-miller's office called and told us that they are referring us to a neurosurgeon, because Molly's hemangioma seems to be particularly symptomatic despite the aggressive treatment plan.  "Why a neurosurgeon?" you may be asking yourself-- well to look at the lesions in her brain of course!  "What lesions?!" you may be asking yourself-- the ones they found when she was 3 weeks old and failed to mention to us... 

I guess you can imagine the terror that hits your heart when you hear that your child has something wrong with her brain.  Thankfully, it was fleeting terror.  We quickly started reminding us about all the truths that define Molly's life: God has already healed her;  He has begun a good work in her and will bring it to completion; He has a plan for her life, to prosper her and not to harm her; He works all things to the good of those who love him... I could go on and on. 

The neurosurgeon wants a new MRI, because a 3 weeks old brain is nothing like an 8 month old brain.  They are going to do the MRI at the same time as her next surgery to limit the number of times she goes under anesthesia. So since August we've just been waiting and praying and praying and waiting for this upcoming surgery . 

We really believe that her MRI is going to be clean with no lesions, which is how we have been praying.  When her surgery got bumped, we prayed that God would give us the right surgery/MRI time.  And yet when I got the call that it wasn't going to be until December 16, I immediately began to worry!  We won't be able to see the neurosurgeon until December 20th now, so if he wants to do surgery, it will more than likely be a January surgery instead of a December one-- which is a HUGE difference for us financially.  Nathan quickly reminded me that we prayed for the right time, and we have to believe that December 16 is the right time.  And if we believe that Molly is healed, then why are we worrying about surgery?! So we have another month to work on the praying and waiting :) 

Why is it so hard to rest in God?  I so want to get on the phone and strive and strain to get a different MRI date, and I may very well be able to, but I know that's not really what I'm supposed to be doing right now. 

Just a quick note

Hello friends! 

Just wanted to let you know that we've moved Molly's surgery up to this Friday the 26th.  She was scheduled to go next week, but while we were in Vicksburg, the beginnings of an ulceration appeared near Molly's eye.  The doctor wanted to go ahead and get her in.  In a swift and miraculous answer to prayer, the ulceration appears to be gone already! 

Thanks for your continued love and support!

last week

today

While the daddy's away...

Well it has been almost three weeks since Molly's surgery.  It seems that her preferred way of recovering is to sleep through it-- this makes Mommy & Daddy very happy!  It is much easier to watch her sleep than to hear her cry.  She is such a trooper.  The Wednesday after her surgery, Nathan had to head off to Detroit, and he has been gone ever since.  It has been quite a crazy two weeks without him.  We miss Daddy! 

Molly has started rolling over.  The first time she rolled back to tummy was in her crib, so neither Mommy or Daddy got to watch.  It took her a while to get the hang of it, but now she finds herself on her tummy quite often, and though she mostly enjoys tummy time she gets annoyed when she can't flip herself back.  She has rolled tummy to back quite a few times, but she still hasn't mastered it yet.  She's pretty cute trying though! 

Another sweet moment was Molly's first laugh this past weekend.  I haven't been able to recreate it yet, but my dad heard it so I have a witness-  it really did happen :)

As much as people like to knock how dependent on technology my generation is, Nathan and I are newly thankful for all of our various means of communication.  He has skyped with Molly almost every day of his trip, and he has not missed a single bedtime thanks to phone calls and Facetime.  The fact that he is able to see her most days is truly invaluable at this stage of her life.  She really is changing so quickly!

Here are some pictures from the past few weeks:

Molly just before surgery

Molly one day after surgery

Molly two weeks after surgery

 

Molly & Samuel

Happy 4th of July!

skyping with daddy

more playdate fun

getting a guitar lesson from pops

 

To add to the craziness, Molly was diagnosed with strep throat yesterday.  She'll be contagious for a few more hours, so please pray that I don't catch it from her!  Nathan's trip has been extended, so he won't be home until mid-day tomorrow.  A sick mommy and a sick baby plus a far away daddy is not a good combination!  Molly slept most of the day yesterday, but is doing much better today.  She is very happy and playful this morning.  Thanks for everyone's love and prayers! 

Surgery recap

Hello to all our blog reading friends!

Molly's surgery was this morning, and it went well.  We had to be at the hospital at 5:30, so we did end up getting a hotel room in Little Rock.  Neither Nathan or I got very much sleep though, so we are left wondering, would we have been more rested if we had woken up at 2am and just drove straight in to the hospital?!?!?! Not sure.  We'll have a lot more to consider if we are in this position again!

Molly was very intrigued by her early-morning adventure

Molly was all smiles when she woke up and very laid back the entire morning.  We even turned off the lights while we were in her pre-op room and let her sleep for another 45 minutes while we were waiting for her time to go back.  I think we are in a sweet spot of her being old enough to go a bit longer between feedings, yet not old enough to understand what's about to happen, so she is just her normal happy self.  This made the wait for the procedure much more peaceful for Nathan and I. 

my beautiful blue-eyed girl

have Mr. Monkey- will travel

While we wait, we meet what I assume is pretty much all of the staff that will be in with Molly.  We are pretty familiar with all of Dr. Buck-Miller's staff at this point, but we always have a new anesthesiologist and nurse anesthetist.  I did not really like the anesthesia team the last time we were there, but I had much better vibes from this one!  They took a lot of time with us, which is wonderful because the anesthesia really is the hardest part about the entire surgery. 

As usual, Dr. Buck Miller is very reassuring.  She told us that Molly is responding so well to the propranolol, that we may not have to continue the laser treatments for the whole year-- great news (particularly since our insurance is changing tomorrow)!  But she will want to see Molly again in about 2 months for another treatment.  She also told us we have to be VERY cautious about Molly's exposure to the sun- even when she's in the shade.  If her spot hyper-pigments and turns brown, there is no laser that can correct it.  So please be understanding of us, if we decline your invitations to outdoor events-- it's nothing personal :) 

Coming out from the anesthesia was much rougher on Molly this time than last.  This was hard on us, because it was unexpected.  But by the time we made a stop at the coffee bar and I pulled the car around (how long does it take to move your car literally maybe 500 ft-- well that depends on how many one way streets and construction cones stand between you and your destination...), Molly was well on her way to dreamland.  She slept most of the way home.  And has continued to sleep most of the day.  We just had a couple of hours of happy time with her which is very reassuring.  Hopefully she'll continue to get better and better! 

Thanks for all of your prayers and well-wishes!

headed home- can you see her milk mustache?

Just a quick note

Hey everyone!  I just wanted to remind you to keep sweet Molly in your prayers this week.  Her surgery is this Thursday.  She turned 16 weeks on Sunday-  what a big girl she's turning into!  When I say she's 16 weeks, it seems like she is so old, yet at the same time 16 weeks seems like an awfully short amount of time.  She has taken us on quite a ride these past few months :)  We continue to give God praise for all the joy she has given us.  We are so blessed to have such an amazing daughter!
 

Molly- then

Molly- now

Specific prayer points-

- We won't know until Wednesday afternoon what time Molly's surgery time is/when we need to check her in.  Please pray that God will have the perfect surgery slot for her.  We would like to make all of our travel on one day, so that we can avoid the cost of a hotel room.  So we are praying for a check-in time of 9 or later, which would enable us to make the 2.5 hour drive in the morning.
- Please pray that she will not need a steroid shot this time.  The shot was the hardest thing for her to recover from last time.
- Pray for Dr. Buck Miller and the rest of her  team, that they will have steady hands and the wisdom to make the right choices for Molly's treatment.
- Pray for tact for those who will encounter Molly after the surgery.  This may seem like a silly request, but Molly's face will turn black over the entire area that they laser.  I know I will be increasingly sensitive to what people will say about her face.  So I guess this really boils down to pray for me!

Thank you for all of your love and support!

Surgery Re-rescheduled

So, we found out last week that they are raising the out-of-pocket max on our health insurance policy effective July 1st.  We've already hit our out-of-pocket for Molly, and though we anticipate we will hit the new one too, we'd like to delay another round of hospital bills as long as possible.  SO we've rescheduled her surgery once again.  What day you ask?  June 30th.  Oh the difference a day makes!

Tiny Triumphs

We've had several tiny triumphs over the past couple of weeks.  It is so fun to watch Molly change and grow into a "tiny human" as Nathan likes to call her.  Here are some of the highlights:

5/22-  I pumped a full bottle (5oz).  That had never happened before, and it was amazing!  Nathan and I are looking forward to more nights (or days) out in our future.

5/23-  She put herself to sleep in her swing.  The entire week she ended up going down by herself in the swing.  Something happened over that weekend though that undid it.  Oh well.  It was a blissful week :)

5/24- She started intentionally batting at the toys on her bouncy seat.  So fun to watch her slowly lift her hand and then eventually smack her toy and smile! 

5/27-  She started playing with the toys on her carseat.  This is a pretty big deal.  Molly has slipped back into hating her car rides, but each one is slowly getting better.  We are learning how to best time our car trips (random truth-  Molly hates the car rides the most when she has just eaten and has a fresh diaper and was in the midst of her happy time before getting in the car).  Hopefully as she continues to play with her toys it will help entertain her.

5/28-  Nathan and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary.  This is more than a tiny triumph of course.  But we were away from Molly for several hours during the day, and we were able to enjoy ourselves!

5/29-  Molly turned 12 weeks.  It is so hard to believe that she has been here that long.  It seems like not that long and forever all at once if that makes sense.

5/30- Molly started to really vocalize.  She has been getting more enthusiastic ever since.  It is so fun to spend time "talking" with her!  She talks when she is really happy, which is funny because it has greatly extended our nursing sessions because she takes a little break in the middle to talk and talk and talk.  Such fun!

5/31-  Molly found her toes!  She loves to grab them and hold on.  One time she held on while she swung her leg almost completely to her side.  She looked like a little cheerleader.  It was pretty funny :) 

 

6/1-  Molly slept through the night!  That's the second time she's done that.  Nathan was out of town this week, and Wednesday I was all on my own (mom spent the night on Tuesday since Dad was out of town too).  Before I went to bed I prayed and asked God to give me the strength to do whatever needed to be done that night-- obviously He knew I'm not too strong on my own!!  Nathan is such a help to me; I couldn't imagine going through this journey with anyone else.  I am blessed. 

Surgery Rescheduled

Just to let you know, the hospital called and needed us to reschedule Molly's surgery.  It's now set for July 1st.  Please keep praying for our sweet girl!  God is answering our prayers! Her ulcer is now completely healed:

Don't you just want to kiss her??