Happy Sunday

I couldn't resist sharing these pictures. They make me smile!

 Happy girl!

 My exercise buddies

 My mini-me

 I'm not too big for the baby swing...

 Daddy, Ellyotte and Noah building forts

Sunday afternoon nap

Thank You.

This is the letter I sent to my family and a few friends yesterday: the one year anniversary since my pulmonary embolism. The 'thank you' extends much further than those I emailed. I want to thank you all for your prayers and support that literally spared my life. Thank you all so much.

_______________________________________

Family,
One year and six days ago our family welcomed precious Ellyotte. To me, life couldn't get much better than it was holding her in my arms and being surrounded by all of you in the hospital room. But it could get much worse....

One year ago today, 27 July 2010, was the most frightening day of my life, thus far. And having to watch my mom go through it all again (since her brother died from the same thing I had: a pulmonary embolism) was agonizing.

This has been a long, but blessed year. The prayers that Mrs Lucy McKee (who has since gone to become a member of that glorious host of angels advocating and praying on our behalf from above) sent up on my behalf days before the clot even happened, and because she was listening to the Spirit, saved me.

And because my mom also listened to the urging of the Holy Spirit and walked into Noahs room and caught me trying to breathe and forced me to the ER, we were able to catch the PE in time.

The support and prayers lifted up on my behalf after it happened sustained me. I am so thankful to no longer be on blood thinners and able to exercise and travel and enjoy life to the fullest. And it is because of you - blood family and friends - that I am here.

I was at my lowest point ever in that hospital bed in the heart unit - having just spent 3 days in the labor and delivery unit celebrating our new life. Dan had to take new Ellyotte home and be with my mom and noah while I got injections and blood work done all night and several days following. One of my best friends, Amy Hall in Nashville, let me wail and sob and fall apart on the phone while she just listened and prayed for me. She will never know what her quiet strength did for my breaking spirit at that dark hour in my life. And having my dad and sister get right back into the car after having just returned to Alabama following Ellyottes birth, meant the world to me. Then my mother in law and sister in law, Annie, selflessly sacrificing their time and love to come take care of me and the babies while I healed was exactly what I needed.

Most of all, my husband and my mom's support - emotionally, spiritually and physically - through those days following the clot was what initially brought me through and allowed me to get on the road to recovery.
Thank you all for your love and support; you have no idea how much it means to me and Dan. He was facing being a widower and father of two babies - God clearly had a different plan than Satan and I praise him for that. He is worthy and greatly to be praised.

Love,

Katie

Ellyotte's FIRST Birthday Party!

If you judge by the pictures, this baby girl had a GREAT first birthday! We had about 30 friends over to celebrate her big day this past Saturday. She had cake, ice cream, and tons of fun. Ellyotte got lots of toys and clothes and books - and she was such a sport. She literally enjoyed every minute of the day! And Dan and I did too: we set up a "redneck water park" in the back yard where the bigger kids and men enjoyed the 105 degree heat (!!) and beer, and the ladies and babies stayed inside.

What a fun afternoon! My mom and sister were here and we just had a special, memorable time.

Ellyotte's Invitation

Here is the cute CUTE invitation we sent out to Ellyotte's friends and family. Her party was yesterday, July 23, 2011, and I am busy uploading the fun pictures from her big day. I will post soon!

Photo Card

View the entire collection of cards.

07.21.2010

In 5 days, our precious Ellyotte Pierce Beall will be 1. I am dumbfounded by the way the year has gone by and how it is a blur yet a lifetime. There is no way to imagine my life before my daughter entered it. Every smile, laugh, nose crunch, reach for me, whine, word spoken, dirty diaper, roll on the floor with her brother, everything my baby girl does melts me and molds me closer to her. She's my mini me and my fresh start. The innocence that surrounds both of those babies is surreal. I want to keep it that way forever.

The love I have for our first born, Noah, is so different from the love I have for my girl. I don't love him or her more or less; it is just DIFFERENT. Just today, I called Noah my baby. He said "I not a baby. I'm big." Yet he knew when I called him my baby what I meant. He knows he will always be my baby boy. He's my fiesty redhead - a reminder of my very Irish heritage and of my beloved Aunt Mamie who passed onto Heaven in November; he's the antagonist in my days, the one I go head-to-head with constantly; the one I "nap" in "mama's bed" with... even though I rarely sleep, I let him nuzzle in the crook of my arm and I just breathe him in. He still says "I wanna hold you mama." Gah, that melts me and no matter how frustrated I am by him, I let him "hold" me. But Ellyotte.... I look at that face and I am just amazed by how differently I love her.

When she was delivered via scheduled c-section on 21 July 2010 and entered this planet at 8:05 AM, I had no idea how my life would change. Obviously for the better, long term. But within six days - 144 hours - I was back in the hospital facing MY eternity and my babies and husband were facing their lives without me in them. I sat on the phone with one of my best friends on this earth, Amy Hall, all alone in a hospital bed in the heart unit of the same hospital where life had just begun for my daughter and sobbed to the depths of my soul. She just let me and prayed for me because I was at a loss for words.

As I've said in previous posts, all I could hear over and over in my brain were the words Sally Fields screamed in "Steel Magnolias" in the graveyard after her baby was buried: "(Her son) will never know how wonderful his mother was and how much she loved him." I had carried Elly since conception and not for one second - even when we craved sleep in the hospital post surgery and I asked the nurses to take her to the nursery and within 15 minutes, I couldn't stand her being 30 feet away and made them bring her back - had I been away from her.


Yet, I kissed her new head, nursed her and sent her home with the love of my life, the father of my babies, to be with MY mom - who had given me MY life and who was at MY house hysterically crying and praying over HER firstborn. My mom had lost her only brother to a pulmonary embolism following knee surgery so she was my angel in disguise. She found me gasping for air, she forced me to go to the hospital and despite her deepest anguish and fear, she kept my house running and took care of herself, my babies and my husband while I struggled.

That is how Ellyotte's first year on this earth started. The months following her birth, she went with us to internist, OB, hematologist appointments and never cried or protested. God gave us a baby that we needed for the challenges we faced. She's never been a challenge: unlike Noah, no colic, no sleepless nights, no prolonged crying. At one year, she sleeps 14 hours a night and still takes two long naps during the day. But when she misses a nap here and there, she never cries. Dan swears that when she cries, it is because we have done something wrong. And, that is usually the case.


Our Elly Belle is the sweetest, happiest baby we have ever been around. We've been told time and again we should never, ever even consider getting pregnant again (because of my uterine window condition and the clotting disorder I have), and given how good Ellyotte is and how wild Noah is, we might want to consider that advice: nothing gets better than Miss Ellyotte! She's the best baby ever and we would be pressing our luck if we pursued adding any more to our brood. For as good as she is, we'd be begging for one just as bad!

At ONE YEAR, Ellyotte is:
- 22 lbs, 11 ounces and 31" long. She is a LONG string bean!
- Wears size 2T in clothing - because of her length.
- Wears a size 4 shoes. Still a bit big on her but she no longer comfortably fits into a 3...
- Says many things: Cat- eeow (everything animal wise - even our fish - are cats!), bah (for bottle or food), night night (when she's tired at night), nap (yep, she tells me when it is time for nap), buhbuh (for Noah), dah-dah (daddy), maaaahhhhh-maaaahhhh (she's super dramatic when it comes to me!), jah-jah (for her Jan Jan - my mom), gahddy (for my dad, Graddy), dank-eeewwww (thank you).
- she's trying so hard to walk! Not too much longer. We think we inhibited her walking by putting her into her walker - which she's a speed demon in!
- Have I mentioned she's a mama's girl!? Yep, that she is.

We do have an appointment with a specialist on 4 August. It is the "final word" in our reproductive pursuits.... Dr. Groom will tell us once and for all if/when one or both of us should be sterilized. We know the challenges we face should we have more and we know that given how perfect our two existing babies are we shouldn't push our luck. But.... how do we KNOW that we aren't supposed to have more?? Yes. My uterus is a wreck and my blood condition is a mess. But do we trust the 15th "man" that tells us to never have any more children or do we trust God and not do anything to prevent a pregnancy? Is that irresponsible to disregard MY health for the life of another unborn child? Or do we trust the opinion of an extremely well respected high risk OB to be the final judgement call? Please pray for us and for our decision. We want to be responsible: I am a wife and a mother of two first and foremost. I realize what I am looking to risk to bring another life into the world but what am I supposed to do??? Sterilize myself or pursue our desire to add more to our family? Please pray....

Nonetheless, wish our baby girl - our MIRACLE baby, Ellyotte - a happy first birthday. For as many doctors that told me that I shouldn't still be alive, that same number have said that our daughter should have been the first casualty of the blood clot and the uterine window I suffered post-Noah c-section.

God bless this baby as she enters her 2nd year for she blesses so many others with her new and pure and sweet spirit.

Beach Fun

We had a BLAST at the beach!!! The first few days were just "us" four and then my folks joined us. We were there for 8 days and had a wonderful time. We went putt-putting, swam LOTS (Noah is quite the FISH!), slept and laughed. What an awesome time together and with my folks - and some friends mixed in!

Awesome Children's Clothing

http://www.twosewcute.com/category_9/All-Designs.htm

If you are a Southerner like me, you love to dress your kids in monogrammed and appliqued EVERYTHING! An old friend of mine, Ginger, and her mom are now making their talents available for totally reasonable prices - and the product is AMAZING.

Check out the above link and put some orders in at Two Sew Cute!

Our Cousin... from the UKRAINE!

We (on my side - Katie) have a new cousin: Mr. Ivan Kramer! He was born in the Ukraine and has been in an orphanage since his birth. He is now 2 and in the past few days, has met his new mama and daddy - my cousin, Karen, and her sweet husband, Derek. Karen and Derek are in Tennessee with their other 3 children: Emily, Timothy, and baby Stella.

Derek and Karen committed to "love God out loud" and when they learned about baby Ivan, they decided to act. They signed the intent to adopt agreement and will come back to the States, do some final preparations for little Ivan and then will return to the orphanage to bring him "home."

Ivan is 2. He has Down's Syndrome, but unlike every other child on this earth, he deserves to be loved and brought up in God's love from day 1. Ivan spends most of his days in his crib, thus, he doesn't yet sit up on his own, or crawl... or walk. But he will - all because Karen and Derek obeyed God and followed His lead to Russia.

It has been such a blessing to follow the Kramers on their journey to get their boy. We have learned about other special needs/precious babies that need families and have been able to pray for them specifically.

I encourage you all to pray for, follow, and possibly even give to the Kramers and other families as they go "get" their babies from Russia and bring them home.

http://thekramerfamilysite.blogspot.com LOVING GOD OUT LOUD

Summer Fun

It is insane to me how quickly these days are flying by lately. In one month from today, our sweet Ellyotte Girl will be ONE!!!! We are just floored by how fast this year has gone while also not being able to remember life without her in it.

Noah is turning more and more into a big boy by the minute: he is in Swim School here in Louisiana and although yesterday was his first of five days, the kid is rocking it! He is already swimming, with head under water, ALONE. What?! He's fearless and I am so proud. We wanted him to be fully capable of swimming without floaties for our annual family beach trip this next month. Well, that he will be!

I am doing well. On a quick break from teaching this summer - I will pick up my classes again in August. It is nice not grading papers every day!

My sister turned the big 3-0 last week and it was great being back in Alabama to celebrate with her. I took her, and her friends/my friends, down to the condo in Panama City Beach for an amazing long weekend. We had a blast! And even took a boat out all day on Saturday to swim with the dolphins. It was awesome.

Here are some fun pictures from the month so far. Our girl is standing and cruising - hopefully she will start walking soon. She has 8 teeth, tons of hair and sleeps 14 hours at night! What an incredible baby girl. Whew, I am thankful.

Ellyotte's Invitation!

Here is the cute CUTE invitation we sent out to Ellyotte's friends and family. Her party was yesterday, July 23, 2011, and I am busy uploading the fun pictures from her big day. I will post soon!

Photo Card

View the entire collection of cards.