Playing catch up

The past 2 weeks have been crazy. Trying to juggle our normal every day life schedule and make trips to Vanderbilt and back several times throughout the week last week has wore me out! I've also been slacking in blog posts. I'm sure you all understand. Anyways, I am BACK and playing catch up this morning. So let's start with my Nana...

THANKS to anyone and everyone who prayed for my Nana and my family over the past week and a half. As I said in my last post, Nana went to be with Jesus last Friday night around 10 PM. It was extremely sudden and unexpected. She had the accident the Saturday before (11/5) and was responsive for the first 3 days of being in the trauma unit. She started slipping away from us Monday night and never really came back after. It's complete chaos being in the trauma unit. It's up and down, up and down. Every time we thought she would be getting better, she would take a few steps back. Friday morning the doctors wanted to meet with the family. My older sister April and I decided we wanted to be there for this. I went into work and left around 9 thinking I would be back after lunch. We were thinking this meeting was just an update of how she was doing and maybe some options of where to go next... We were wrong. We met with my Nana's doctor and the palliative care nurse for Vanderbilt. The doctor told us that she was no longer fighting. They had her on the biggest vent in the US on the highest oxygen rate and she was not progressing. He told us what her conditions would be like IF she were to ever survive this and they weren't good. We were left with making the decision of taking her off of the life support. The doctor stressed that in her condition he was afraid something would give out and she would pass without her family being able to be with her. We didn't want that. She WOULDN'T have wanted that. They gave us time to get all of the family there, including her sister who flew in from Florida. We gathered around her bed side Friday night as they took her off the vent. We kissed her... we held her hands... we rubbed her arms/legs... we told her how much we loved her... we told her how much she mean't to us... and we even sang her favorite song as she went to be with Jesus... "Amazing Grace." It was so surreal. It was like nothing I've ever had to experience. It was sad but comforting all at the same time. We were comforted by the fact that she didn't have to be in pain anymore. We were comforted by the fact that she wasn't suffering anymore! Most of all, we were comforted because we knew exactly where she was going... straight to Heaven!!!

July 14th, 2009. The day Tuff was born.

Holding baby Tuff :)

and feeding baby Tuff ;)

October 2, 2010. My wedding day.

Again, with my hubby and her husband Ray.

Her wedding day, just 2 weeks later.

LOVE this picture. She looks SO happy.

My Nana was an exceptional woman who LOVED big!!! She loved her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren more than ANYTHING. She will be thought of daily until we are reunited again. I love you Nana. See you in Heaven!

So for some more catch up... Gunner Bear (that's my nickname for him lately) turns 3 months old TODAY! Our boy is getting big. We were behind on going to the doctor so we just had his 2 month check up last week on Tuesday (11/8). Here he is before seeing Dr and getting shots.

His stats looked like this:

age: 2 months

weight: 12 lbs. 13 oz.

length: 23.75

I will be taking his "3 month" photo shoot tonight so I will be back with his 3 month post tomorrow.

And just for fun, here is Tuff at his 2 month check up.

They aren't looking to similar in these pictures.

On to some more catching up. I hosted a sprinkle for my new niece Sophie and nephew Greer last Thursday night (11/10). My sister decided she didn't want anything too big so we just invited close friends and family to a local restaurant. We ate, enjoyed each others company and talked alot about the new additions coming soon! She got alot of sweet cards and gift cards from everyone who attended. Here are some pictures from our night.

Table 1

Table 2

I caught a fish face

My beautiful sister

The cake.

If you look closely, you can see the twin babies on top.

All the sisters, and Ada!

The whole crew.

Twin sock monkeys! I LOVE these.

We had a wonderful time celebrating the twins with my sister! They actually got their travel call Monday so they will be leaving THIS Friday to get the twins and returing home next Friday. I can't wait to love and smooch all over them!!!

Next on the catch up list... Tuff had his very FIRST picture day at school yesterday. I have to say, he was looking mighty cute before I sent him on his way. We had a little photo shoot before-hand.

My FAV of the "shoot"

Our baby is getting SO big. He's almost not a baby anymore. I'm in love with how handsome he is in ALL of these pictures.

Hope you're all having a wonderful week.

I will be back tomorrow with Gunner's 3 month post!

Happy Wednesday, Friends!!!



GRANDMOTHER

My grandmother went to be with Jesus Friday night around 10 pm. Just wanted to let you all know and thank everyone for their prayers and support during this sad time for my family. Please continue to lift us up in your prayers, specifically my dad and his brother and sister. Will update more when I can find time.

Grandmother update

My grandmother is not doing well. Since inserting the trachea tube, she has been on 100% oxygen. She has also been unresponsive since Monday night. We are scheduled to meet with the Dr and trauma unit tomorrow morning at 11:00 to go over her current condition and they will also answer any, and/or all questions we may have. PLEASE continue to keep her in your prayers!!! She needs to turn a corner soon! We are continuing to pray for a miracle.

A little bit of happiness in our time of sadness

How could this sweet face not make anyone happy???

Update on my Nana... They are placing trachea tube this morning. The doctor told mom she could be on this for weeks, months, possibly even years. We're praying she can prove that doctor wrong. He also told mom that this was going to be a long, hard recovery, regardless.

Please keep praying for her.

Needing Prayers

Saturday morning I had a big day of shopping planned with MeMe and the boys. Once we got to Murfreesboro and in our first store, we got a call from my dad. It wasn't a good call. It was one of those calls that everyone NEVER wants to get. My Nana (dad's mom) and her husband were in a bad accident. So we packed the boys back up in the car and headed over to MTMC's emergency room. At this point all they knew was that she had a tear in her aorta and a cut on her pancreas. They were most concerned about the tear in her aorta. They sent her straight to Vanderbilt shortly after we arrived at the ER in Murfreesboro. Later Saturday, they discovered the tear wasn't big enough to have to perform surgery which was WONDERFUL news because they would have had to crack her chest open to repair it during surgery. They also got x-ray's back showing she has 6 broken ribs and a broken sternum. She was in ALOT of pain while we were there with her Saturday. Late Saturday night/early Sunday morning, she starting having trouble breathing and stopped breathing around 2 am. They had to put her on a ventilator and she's been on it every since. They were hoping to wean her off of it by yesterday afternoon and she didn't do too well so they kept her on it a little longer. We were hoping for her to be off of it and breathing on her own by lunch time today but plans changed when the Dr. came around this morning. He told my Aunt Melissa that she wasn't doing well breathing without the vent. This is how he described it... "We take in 20% of oxygen to breathe on our own. She is currently taking 80% FROM the vent to be able to breathe." Since the vent can cause pnemonia, which can be VERY dangerous in her current condition, they don't want to keep her on it any longer. The new plan is to place what they call a "Trach" tube in through her throat. It will pretty much do the same thing the vent was doing but make her much more comfortable and will lessen the chances of her getting pnemonia. They also said it makes the process of trying to breathe on your own, better. Right now, we are praying for that. Everything else is good. Her stats are good, her BP is good, her aorta tear and cut in the pancreas are all completely healed already.... She just can't breathe on her own. This is a BIG step for her. We NEED her to breathe on her own. Please pray for her... She needs all the prayers she can get.

My Nana on the far left.

This was her wedding day in October of 2010.

My dad in back, Aunt Melissa in the middle, uncle Kevin on far right and her husband in the middle.

Her husband Ray was also hurt pretty badly. He has a broken nose, broken hand, broken sternum and 8 broken ribs. He should be released from the hospital in Murfreesboro today but will have to go straight to rehab. He could also use some prayers.

Thank you ALL.

MELT. MY. HEART.

This morning I took Gunner in with me to wake up his big brother. Tuff LOVES when he wakes up to the sweet face of his little brother. Who wouldn't love waking up to his sweet smiles and coos? I broke out the camera for this.

Yes, Tuff sleeps in the pack and play.

That's what works best for us right now. Ha.

Love Gunner looking at big brother here.

Tuff kept saying "Cheese again Mama, cheese again Mama!"

And THIS one was my favorite...

Sorry about the quality. I snapped it with my phone.

Wish I wouldve gotten this one with my camera.

They SURE do love each other!!!

And mommy & daddy SURE do love them!!!

HAPPY THURSDAY, Friends!!!

:)

Wordless Wednesday- [Gunner's new friend]

Can you tell he loves him? :)