Home Away From Home

It's Sunday... and we (Mom, Dad, Ty and I) began the day by having our own church service. It was really nice--and special because they brought "worship" here! We talked about miracles... appropriate topic. You know, I tried to convince Russell Dorch that he needed to minister to this "shut in" down here in Little Rock... he asked me if I was drugged up or something. :) I do miss corporate worship... I think I will appreciate it more than ever when our lives get back to normal!

I got some pictures of our hospital room a.k.a. home away from home. Thanks to Ty, Lindsey and Kim, my room is so cheery and fun. And there is a LOT of comments from the nurses here!

Here's Ty posing proudly next to his decorated wall (this is located directly across from my bed).


Smiley faces are everywhere


Here's the word that keeps coming up in conversations or in my readings... :)


An acrostic poem that Ty did for Adalynn (he already calls her Addie) and I.


Ty holding the Magic Eight Ball while looking through the door into the hospital room.


An appropriate reminder...


Hanging on the door... great story: a nutrition staff person came in here and told me that is what she needed to have..."faith." She said she was 38 and still trying to have a baby. This led me to tell my story and HOPEFULLY encourage her! Thanks to Lindsey, Kim and Ty, this sign prompted some great conversation!


This is the pink punching bag given to me to help release any frustrations I might have. There are several signs in it to rotate around... this one says "missing ball games" which is appropriate because Dane's team, the Redhawks, were playing this weekend. They won their tournament! Yeah Redhawks!!


This one is hard to see, but it's a picture of a sign that Ty made that said, "Ask questions to the Eight Ball." This is for those 4, 5 and 6am repetitive questions I get each day... apparently it worked! Today I slept from 4am to 7:30am straight!!


This last one is very meaningful... from Kim and Lindsey. Obviously it's someone expecting... and the card with it said, "Cherish. Awaiting a Miracle." This present brought tears to my eyes as it serves as a reminder to cherish this journey as we are awaiting our Mirakel! It's located right next to the TV in the room. SO thoughtful!!


After Mom and Dad left (Ty's staying here with me tonight because Tom's coming tomorrow!), my good friend, Mary Margaret Hall came to visit... She and her mom stayed and visited for awhile, and if you know Mary Margaret, the room just lit up with sunshine! She is a treasure to me in so many ways... What a treat for Ty and I!

Thanks for reading our "picture journal." These little touches just warm my heart and, I think, truly speak to those that walk into this room! I do pray that His Mighty presence is in this place...that people feel something different in here. Again, this is all about Him and what He purposes to do in this journey.

Blessings to you, K

Queen for the Day

You know, this whole journey shouldn't be about me... it's about Adalynn making a GRAND entrance into the world! But people seem to think that I need some special attention or something... or maybe it's just plain pity!

Today was another fun, fun day... Mom, Dad and Ty were here--you can imagine how Ty entertained all of us... Kim and Lindsey Phillips came back to the hospital bearing tons and tons and TONS of gifts. Lindsey even asked me what came before "Part B"? ... answer: "Part A" as in ParTAY! [That was what they were planning to bring to UAMS] She was right...we did have a blast. They were determined to brighten up my hospital space...and Ty helped them do it! I'll post pictures on that later...

Then Emerson and Elana Goodwin drove ALL the way from NWA just to brighten my day, Emerson cracking tons of jokes, just spending time together, and they brought gifts for Adalynn and her momma too! Can't tell you what that means to me... to have such good friends go out of their way and then just turn around and drive right back home! [Hopefully they got to eat out at Corky's first!]

It was beautiful day--we all got to stay outside for awhile... and had a great time filled with lots of laughter and sunshine. What a fun outing! And I'm just so grateful for Kim & Lindsey and Elana & Emerson making the trip just to make me Queen for the Day! This just warms my heart to have this much attention poured on me... it brings me to tears thinking of the thoughtfulness... thank you, my friends. You were Jesus with flesh on to me... I will never forget this day!

I read this in one of the magazines that Lindsey and Kim brought...I think it sums it all up quite well:

As (people) of faith we should draw near to each other as we draw near to God. Sincere friendships aren't based on appearances, street addresses, occupations, titles, or church attendance. We're called to minister to one another...
A friend loves at all times... (Proverbs 17:17a) from Today's Christian Woman magazine

And I TOTALLY feel ministered to and loved on! This is the Body of Christ in action! From friends and family here to all the support and encouragement at home... Wow, this is just humbling. Thank you.

Some pictures from today... here is the whole crew (with the exception of Mom and Dad). We are hanging out at our regular outdoor spot... Hard to see, but notice the pink crown on my head, a Magic Eight Ball held by Ty and the pink punching bag that Emerson is holding. (more on those later)


Here's Emerson trying his hardest to get into this Institute... I think he's got a shot, don't you? [That's the pink punching bag on his head... Kim and Lindsey gave that to me to use as a frustration release... It was a "hit"! :)]


Ty and Lindsey working on projects for my hospital room--more pictures will come on that later... [That Ty and Lindsey...they have a special bond!]


Ty Man and his mom.


Wow, what a day... great friends and family, lots of laughter, beautiful weather, fun presents, ParTAYs, Hog Baseball Team beating FSU to head to Omaha for the World Series (!), Chili's for dinner, two Redhawk baseball wins at home in Rogers and friends loading up Tom with dinner and breakfast... my cup is overflowing!

Those "Somethings" and "Someones" I Look Forward To...

Well, it's Friday...heading into a weekend, but I will say that weekends don't feel much different than any other day of the week. But today I had some great "somethings" and "someones" to look forward to! So fun...

Mom, Dad and Ty came with Olive Garden--salad and bread sticks! YUM! So good to see and have them here for the weekend... and SO thankful they brought one of my all time favorite dinners!


Good friend, Kim Purdy, came to visit... her son, Spanky, was playing baseball here in Little Rock. We spent the time chatting and watching the Hog baseball team win over FSU! (we had to watch it on GameTracker on the computer). I'm so thankful she came to see me!


Kim also came bearing a special gift... she made this "picture" on her computer. It says Adalynn's name in the middle, Psalm 139 in the background, and then below her name it says "Noble Miracle." (This picture doesn't do it justice) Oh Mrs. Kim... this has to be one of the most thoughtful and intentional gifts ever! Thank you so much!!


Then Lindsay Phillips and Kim Phillips road tripped down to see me tonight... We just laughed the whole time I think.


...And OH....MY.....GOODNESS they brought some big time treats... A thoughtful journal, fun magazines and then petit fores (don't know how to spell that...those really yummy little cakes from Rick's bakery!) and chocolate covered strawberries! Did I mention that I was totally spoiled... wow.


Oh these "somethings" and "someones" totally made my day... what a blessing.

I Choose Joy!

Day 15! We are 31 weeks and 1 day today! Each day is a victory... Adalynn continues to check in great. I believe we will have another ultrasound next week and they will be able to tell how much she weighs as well as how much amniotic fluid is in the placenta. The last report showed 3 cubic centimeters of fluid (I believe), but she keeps reproducing more and more each day and I keep drinking more and more water! I do continue to leak each day, not gushes...just a little at a time. That is expected, they said... really, this MICU seems to be operating just fine under the circumstances!

Tom and the boys were here for a short time this morning... I have begun to treasure what ever joy comes my way--whether a visit that lasts 2/3 days or less than 24 hours! I have also come to the conclusion that if Mom is upset when they leave then that translates to all the boys. So I told myself and them that I won't be sad when they leave... that I will just focus on when they are coming back! And, you know, there were dry eyes, smiles and a lot less anxiousness or sadness in the room. I remember hearing Robert Cupp talk about how the woman/wife/mom sets the atmosphere in the home... I truly believe that. I can help with the family's emotional state with this intentionality! So, with God's help... I vow to be physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually strong!

Before they left, Tom was reading Oswald Chambers' My Utmost for His Highest online... and he found this--more wisdom that just hit us between the eyes!

We have the idea that God is going to do some exceptional thing— that He is preparing and equipping us for some extraordinary work in the future. But as we grow in His grace we find that God is glorifying Himself here and now, at this very moment. If we have God’s assurance behind us, the most amazing strength becomes ours, and we learn to sing, glorifying Him even in the ordinary days and ways of life. (focus verse: Heb. 13:5)

And several days ago, I found this in my Life Application Bible... it was an outline/highlight of Mary, mother of Jesus, and it said this:

Lessons from her (Mary's) life:
...God's best servants are often ordinary people available to Him.
...God's plans involve extraordinary events in ordinary people's lives.
...A person's character is revealed by his or her response to the unexpected.

I have said from the beginning that I pray to have a heart like Mary. That is truly my desire in and through this whole journey. I have to lay it as His feet each day... I know that His purpose is much greater than mine. And I know that His strength CAN become mine and that HE will be glorified in this ... if I just get out of His way! :)

Love and blessings to you today... Karen

It's Summer!

It's the first official day of summer for Tom and the boys... and they made a road trip to Little Rock! It will be short but sweet visit because they have tons of things going on Thursday through the rest of the weekend... but BOY is it good to see them!

This makes this mom VERY happy...

As for Adalynn and I, another day full of nurse visits and heartbeat checks. They did do a NST (which, by the way, I found out stands for Non Stress Test) and Adalynn checked out great! They hooked me up to a monitor and they watched for her heartbeat and if I was contracting. Adalynn seemed as though she was resting, and then I had some apple juice--she LOVED that! She started moving and flipping and wiggling... she likes that food and drink intake!

Other than that, I got a bunch of work done and counted the hours to when the boys came to visit... I've discovered that it always helps to have something and someone to look forward to!

Tom did bring something from home that truly brightened my day... It is a basket of "My Favorite Things" filled with things like homemade cookies (to DIE for!), Crystal Light Peach Tea (another favorite), M&Ms, Twix, fun notecards, a novel... and more wonderful stuff! Oh Kathy (Shassere)...you know me too well... Thank you for this very thoughtful and intentional basket of goodies!

Also, Tom and the boys are getting meals brought to them at home to help alleviate just one of the many things that Tom needs to do each day. Wow, what a blessing! It brings this wife and mom GREAT peace to know that my family is being loved on and fed so well while I'm "deployed"!
[I'm telling you... we are very, very spoiled by everyone. Can't believe how much we are LOVED on! Thank you friends and family! I hope you don't figure out that we REALLY don't deserve all this attention! :)]

Blessings to all... until tomorrow.

More from Little Rock

Day 13... wow, I can't believe it's been just about two weeks! It's gone really, really fast and terribly, terribly slow...all at the same time.

Today was another normal "It's Groundhog Day" type of day. No new medical news. Still incubating! I do get chances to talk at length with some nurses--did I mention that I think they are angels among us? I found out today that if we make it to 34 weeks, Adalynn could be in the NICU up to the time that she was originally due (Aug. 5th). Woah...that was a blow. She told me that all premature babies have to learn how to eat, breathe,and get medication for being in the womb so long after the water was broken... Again, woah. I don't know what I really thought, but I certainly didn't think this journey would last the ENTIRE summer!

Sooooo... I've resolved not to think about that. Taking one day at a time. We still don't know when she will come, and we certainly don't know how long she will need to be hospitalized. With all my heart I believe that God is truly in the "?" (question mark). He's already there... He knows... I rest in that Truth!

*In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps. (Prov. 16:9)
*Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails (Prov. 19:21)
*For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jer. 29:11)
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This picture below is of the boys by The Little Rock Nine statues here in Little Rock... When my parents were here over the weekend, they took them by to see them. Great story, and worthy of repeating for Adalynn's sake as well as anyone who cares to read it!...

In 1957 President Eisenhower mandated integration into schools--that white and black students would go to school together. I guess Gov. Faubus didn't want that to happen here, but the President intervened. He sent down 10,000 Federal troops to come and stand elbow to elbow around Central High School (a very, very big campus) while 9 black students began in the fall of '57. Well, you can imagine the outrage by the students and community... these Nine were treated SO badly--there was so much racism!

Well, my dad, my Aunt Pat and Uncle Jim all attended Central High School at that time...they were in the midst of all that! Definitely a part of history unfolding... The part I remember most was upon graduation (Dad, Aunt Pat and Uncle Jim all graduated that year). There were death threats on Ernest Green, the very first black person to graduate from Central. No one wanted to sit next to him for fear of their life. Well, I'm proud to say that Dad offered to sit next to him... (they both had a last name that started with "G"). He has a picture of that exact moment. In fact, Ernest signed Dad's yearbook! I will say... that selflessness that Dad portrayed and the fact that he saw/sees everyone beyond their color of skin has had a big impact on my life.

Thanks for letting me rattle on. I do feel that this story is worthy of Adalynn's baby blog/book!

I do have a prayer request... as you can imagine, this whole journey has been quite a struggle for Tom and the boys, but especially Tom. Please whisper up a prayer for him, if you don't mind. He's one mighty strong man, but he is human. He's super duper tired. Thank you for interceding for him and us at this time!

Blessings, K

Is it Groundhog Day?

Okay... I feel like I'm living alongside Bill Murray in Groundhog Day. Remember that movie? When he keeps waking up and it's still Groundhog Day? Well, I feel as if I keep living the same day over and over again... here's the routine:

4am - Vitals check (they check my temperature and blood pressure and they check Adalynn's heartbeat) This has become a competition between Tom and I...in fact the nurses are in on it too. We listen to her heart beat and see who can guess the right number (Tom's really good at it!)

5am - Residents walk in and ask me the same questions every morning: "How are you feeling? Are you bleeding? Any contractions? Any questions?" Then they listen to my breathing through a stethoscope.

5:30 - 6am - A doctor will walk in and ask the same questions each morning: "How are you feeling? Are you bleeding? Any contractions? Any questions?" (they need to work on variety)

7 - 8am - New nurse on duty comes to introduce herself (I'm getting to know them pretty well now). She listens to my breathing, asks me tons of questions, checks my reflexes and looks for swelling in my legs. I ask for a cup of coffee at this point...

8am - Vitals check by a Tech (they are usually nursing students working their way through college...very sweet and helpful!)

8 - 8:30am - Breakfast comes. Food's not too bad. Second cup of coffee at this point (they are small)

9am - Nurse brings pills to take. At first it was antibiotics, now it's just prenatal vitamin and stool softener.

9:30 - 10am - Heparin shot. They used to do Lovonox once a day, but they've changed to heparin.

10:30am - I try to sneak into the shower for a wonderful refresher! Tech comes and makes my bed (did I mention I was spoiled?)

12noon - Vitals check

12:30 - 1pm - Lunch comes. I usually pre-order soup and salad.

(2 - 2:30pm - NST check on Wednesdays and Saturdays. This is where they hook me up to the monitor and watch Adalynn's heartbeat and check to see that I'm not contracting. I don't remember what NST stands for...they have lots of acronyms here!)

4pm - Vitals check

5:30 - 6pm - Dinner is served.

6:30pm - Nurse comes to say goodbye--that she is ending her shift.

7:30 - 8:30pm - New nurse on duty comes to introduce herself (she works the night shift). She listens to my breathing, asks me tons of questions, checks my reflexes and looks for swelling in my legs.

8pm - Vitals Check

9:30pm - Another Heparin Shot

10:30pm - Nurse brings Ambien to help me sleep

12 midnight - Vitals check

In between all those times, I have some time with God, get to work remotely from a laptop, drink Vitamin Water, receive fun emails, calls and/or visits from concerned friends and family... and occasionally get to escape outside!

AND IT STARTS ALL OVER AGAIN THE NEXT DAY! So, is it Groundhog Day?