Congenital Heart Disease Awareness Week

1st Surgery 10-4-2010

2nd surgery 4-1-1011

Hey Girl Hey!

Heart Buddies.. Nora, Bowen, and Paislyn

1st Birthday

Fall 2011

Fall 2011

Christmas 2011

I haven't blogged for quite awhile.... for lots of reasons really, but mainly just didn't have the time. I can't get over the last 17 months of my life as I sit and reflect of all the places we have been, and the trials we have OVERCOME! God has shown me his face more in the last 17 months than I have encountered in my entire life, or maybe it is just that I was more open to seeing him.  I think of Congenital Heart Disease Awareness Week 2 years ago and think I probably didn't even acknowledge it, and why didn't I? Because I was not directly affected with it, and really wasn't aware of what it was all about. I feel like people are like that with a lot of things. If it doesn't directly affect us or someone we know, we just tend to brush it off. I know I do that with a lot of things and I hope that in the future I take the time to acknowledge every ones trials and see them for what they are and what they are going through. This week brings back a lot of memories for me. I sat down today and looked through her Surgery books I made her and read through my Journal, which am now wishing I DIDN'T lol haha, but I truly can not get over how far Paislyn has come. From the moment the Dr's told me that she wouldn't even survive, to the gut wrenching moment when I handed the surgeons my 6 week old baby, to coming around the corner for the first time in the ICU and seeing my beautiful baby girl with tubes everywhere, to doing it all over again at 7 months old, I can't tell you how I thought in those moments that I couldn't do this..... Well I did, and I did because I was not doing them alone. God made me STRONG when I was WEAK, he made me TRUST when I couldn't see, and he knew way better than I that he had this all in Control. I would do it all again tomorrow to have the outcome I have today with my Paislyn Nicole. She amazes me more and more everyday with her spunky personality, and loving nature. She is BEAUTIFUL, talks up a storm, adores Dora the Explorer, loves to do Patty Cake, RUNS everywhere lol, has amazing FITS, :) Eats like a CHAMP, has the most incredible "CHEESE FACE", gives the best hugs and kisses, adores both her cousins whom she calls "Backpack" lol, says "Thanks" for EVERYTHING, and most of all has a beautiful scar and testimony that will be with her for the rest of her life.  I hope when Paislyn is in school during CHD awareness Week she uses it as her opportunity to show the Love of Christ to all her friends and show them  how God is with us in our trials and loves us unconditionally no matter if we have a scar on our chest, no hair because of Cancer, braces on our legs, or feeding tubes in our nose. I hope she is able to sympathize with all children and show them they are fearfully and wonderfully made by a God that made them just the way they are. It is strange how much your world and views change in such a short amount of time.... something as silly as a "heart". I use to despise clothing with Hearts on them, heart jewelry, heart anything really, and now I can't get enough of it! God has made my precious little girls heart so incredibly special and taught me a lot of life lessons in the process. I am thankful for how far she has come and for how much father she has to go. My life has been forever changed by Paislyn, more than she will ever know. In closing, I ask that when you remember, you keep our CHD children in your prayers. They are strong little ones, who have lots of Dr's appts, get sick very easily, have to always be "a little different", and could always use a PRAYER! I also want to again say THANK YOU to EVERYONE who has been apart of Paislyn's journey with us. Although I might not have been great at acknowledging it then, I remember what each and everyone of you did for us during this last year and a half and honestly couldn't of done it without you! You are all AMAZING! Thank you for loving us so much.