Quick update by phone. SURGERY BEGINS @ 7:30. Lung will not be removed. Heart repair more complicated than we realized. Please pray for wisdom for Dr. Bradley

Let's Roll!

We're (almost) ready! Lists have been made, notes have been written, instructions given, and packing is in progress. We are still on target to leave by mid-morning and hopefully arrive in Charleston by mid-afternoon. Please pray for safety as we travel as most of South Carolina is forecast to have rainy, stormy weather for the next two days. Drew and I will be driving separately so that he has the flexibility to return to Greenville to be with the boys as needed.

As far as we know, we will not have internet service at the house we are staying in. So, our updates will be limited to our time in the hospital or Facebook updates. We are not planning to be at the hospital on Wednesday, so our next blog update should be sometime on Thursday.

Thank you for all of your continued prayers and encouragement. To our friends at Beacon Baptist, your love and generosity has overwhelmed us. Thank you seems so inadequate, but we want you to know that we love and appreciate each of you.

Nancy

Surgery Week

Our big week has begun. Grammy and Grampy are on their way to Greenville to take over at home. Mommy is trying to get all the last minute things done, and Bekah is just hanging out with Daddy. She continues to do new things every day. She is pulling up on everything and started cruising today, almost made our goal of walking before surgery. The boys are excited to see Grammy and Grampy. They are doing there best to make messes and add to all the commotion around here. They have also been enjoying all the time they can get with there sister, Mommy and Daddy.

Thanks to you all for the continued love and support as we take off on this new adventure.

D

Bumped

Well, we knew it could happen, but never really thought it would at this late stage in the game. I answered the phone this morning, and it was Dr. Bradley, Rebekah's surgeon. He explained that a critical case has come in and needs to be scheduled ahead of Rebekah. So, Rebekah's surgery will NOT take place on Wednesday. She has been put on the schedule for Friday, November 5, as the first case. We will need to be at the hospital by 6:00 in the morning for her surgery to start around 7:30 or 8:00.

This means that we will not be leaving Greenville until Wednesday. Rebekah's pre-op will be on Thursday and from there we go on as planned. Let's hope this is the only bump we get! :)

In other news, we picked up Rebekah's stroller on Wednesday this week!! It looks great, and we all love it. Rebekah sits up higher in it, and she can see so much more. It also has a headrest, armrests, footrests and all kinds of padding on it. It's like a little throne for the little princess! :) I have taken some pictures of Rebekah in it, but my camera battery has to charge before I can download them. Hopefully I will get some pictures posted this weekend.

Thank you for all of your prayers. We appreciate each of you!

Nancy

Blessings!

We have had an amazing week this week, although you may think us a bit crazy when I fill in the details! :) Drew went to work on Monday morning, and in case you haven't heard, he came home an hour later. His employer has decided that he no longer needs Drew's position, so that was it; no warning, no notice, no job.

Of course, the lack of income is a bit disturbing, but other than that, we are choosing to see the blessings in the timing of Drew's lay-off. Drew has been home to watch the boys during some of Rebekah's appointment, and we have been able to keep Rebekah at home more while I have to take care of other chores and errands. This is especially important since we are doing everything we can to keep Rebekah from getting another cold or illness right before surgery!

Yep, I'm cute!

Drew has some job possibilities that he is looking into, so we would appreciate your prayers for the right job and the right timing. It will be a huge relief to both Drew and I that he will not have to be torn between Rebekah and his job next week while we are in Charleston. We know that God has a plan for everything, and we are trusting in His plan. In the meantime, the kids are very much enjoying seeing their Daddy more!

Zac and Rebekah at the park.

A couple of weeks ago, we met some new friends from Zac and Justin's school at the park. The kids had a great time playing together, and I enjoyed visiting with a new friend! The weather was super nice, and it was fun to watch Rebekah interact with her brothers and their friends.

Picnic in the living room!

For a few years now, we have enjoyed "family nights" with the boys on Friday nights. Usually we will play games or watch a movie together. On rare occasions, we fix "munchie" plates of fruits, veggies, crackers, cheese, and whatever else sounds good, and the kids are allowed to eat in the living room while we watch a movie. This was Rebekah's first experience with movie night, and she had fun. She was sampling red grapes, cucumbers and bananas, all diced in small pieces. We have been working on self-feeding with a fork and spoon in occupational therapy, and Rebekah would stab a piece of fruit or veggie (or I would help her get a piece on her fork), and then she would lift her fork to her mouth, take the fruit off with her other hand, and then eat from her hand. It was so cute and so funny!

Yogurt and cheerios....mmm, good!

Rebekah has been working really hard in her stander and walker, and we can see the results! She is much more confident in standing, and occasionally pulling herself up on a piece of furniture. Rebekah still cannot stand without the support of something, but she is much, much stronger than she was a few months ago. In pool therapy last week, Rebekah took three steps from the therapist to me, without holding on to us. It was the first time we have seen her walk without support! We know that Rebekah will not be walking by the time she has surgery next week, but she has gained so much confidence in the last few weeks that we are hoping she will bounce back to standing, and hopefully walking, soon after surgery.

See, I can stand up!

We have been told that Rebekah's stroller will be delivered this week for us to pick up on Wednesday at therapy. I am so hoping that it comes before surgery! MUSC is a very large medical campus, and it would be a huge help to have a stroller that can have on-board oxygen, rather than us having to lug a tank behind the stroller. We are certainly praying that it comes this week! It will also be much more comfortable for Rebekah to get in and out of after surgery.

Yes, I made this mess. I'm a little stinker some days! :)

If you read our last post in which we included specific prayer requests for Rebekah's upcoming surgery, you will understand what an answer to prayer we have seen this week. On Wednesday and again on Sunday, we received an anonymous note with some money tucked inside to help with our gas expenses. Thank you, Anonymous! We appreciate your prayers and encouragement! Also this week, we received a package with gift cards for several restaurants that will take care of our meals for quite a few days. Thank you!! That was a huge blessing! Then on Sunday, we received a very sweet note from some of our friends and they included another gift card and some money to help with expenses. You know who you are, and we thank you very much!! We love you guys as well!! The biggest surprise came on Sunday afternoon by way of a phone call from someone whom we had never met face-to-face. She asked if she could come by to meet us, and we enjoyed visiting for a while. She handed me an envelope when she left, and it contained money that will cover a good deal of our expenses. Thank you so very much!! The Lord has been providing this week in ways that we never would have dreamed possible, and we have been very humbled by it. The love and prayers that we have received is just amazing.

Not even my brothers could get me to smile!

This was the best smile we could get...after dozens of attempts. :)

There is a story behind this little gray outfit. When I was pregnant with Zachary, about this time nine years ago, Drew's mom and I saw this little outfit on clearance at the mall. We didn't yet know if Zachary was a boy or girl, but for some reason, we were all thinking "girl." The outfit was so cute, and Drew's mom decided to get it thinking that we would have a girl at some point who could wear it. Fast forward four boys later, and we finally have our little girl. I had completely forgotten about the outfit, but I'm glad Grammy remembered! It is so cute!

Rebekah loves playing with her tongue!

Front: Justin, Rebekah, and Aaron

Back: Zachary and Caleb

After many attempts over the last few months, this is the best picture we have ever gotten of all of the kids together. Our boys just adore their baby sister, and I know they are going to miss her while we are in Charleston. Please continue to keep us all in your prayers over the next few weeks.

Nancy