Blessed

Well today was the big day.  Hannah had to be at the hospital at 6 am so we drove up to Atlanta last night and spent the night.

Needless to say she was not nervous a bit.  She slept better than she usually does at home. :)

Before her little procedure (cast off and arthrogram) we met with the Dr. and he was going over what he expected and how he expected things would go.  He said she would either be put back into a cast or a maybe a brace.  He even went over the different types of casts that he may choose to use and even told us if another cast was the case, we were looking at ANOTHER 4-6 weeks.  Even the nurses were going over instructions for another cast, and the car seat rental people even called me to confirm that we would need to keep the harness system because our daughter was having a spica cast change. 

 I said all of that to say.........we were bracing ourselves for another round with the cast.  We were just anxious to see what kind.  

Welllllllllll.....Hallelujah!, Praise The Lord! GOD had different plans. 

 When the Dr. came in to meet with us when everything was done, he shared with us the news that Hannah was cast free!!!!!!  AND brace free!!!!!! :) :) :) :) :) :) 

Everything was healing so nicely, he felt she would be fine without anything.  We really have no restrictions.  Just let her go at her own pace with movement.

Well........

She sat still on the ride home

but has not stopped since we walked in the door.  She is already scooting around everywhere. (she just keeps the left leg pretty straight and kicked out to the side:)

She even got to take a bath tonight.....a real bath :)

and I had to get on to her for trying to stand up in the bathtub!!!!  There's no stopping her now :)

 I PRAISE GOD FOR THE MIRACLE I WITNESSED TODAY!!!!!

Philippians 4:6

Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.

Cast Life

If you ever hear anyone say Spica (type of cast Hannah has) start praying!! Pray for whoever is in the cast, and pray for the ones taking care of them.  This has been a trying time around our house for sure, but we go on Wednesday (Aug 28th) to find out our next step.  My prayer at first was that after 6 weeks we would come home cast free, but as we get closer I pray that we come home with good news.......news that everything is healing/healed amazingly well!!! Whether we come home in a brace or another cast, I pray for healing!!!

That being said...we know the cast that she is in now WILL be taken off on Wednesday, so I decided to show a few "cast life" pictures to pay tribute. :)

Bath time is now on the vanity :(  I AM able to get her head under the sink to wash her hair though :)

  The cast itself is huge! It makes her weigh about twice as much as she would without it.

But it has not slowed her down much. 

 She has learned how to turn over, and she can even lift herself off of the floor for short periods of time.

And if you notice, she usually has a smile on her face (usually!! ;)

She stays in her stroller a lot (cause it's the only thing we have that she can fit in), but she will also get down on the floor and play with toys.......and yes, she can make a mess :)

It is hilarious to see her laying on her side and playing.....her leg just sticks straight up in the air :)

All of this going on with me back at work, and we now have 

                            a Kindergartner        and         a Second Grader

at our house.  :)

I can't leave this post without sharing some words that I heard this week that warmed my heart AND brought tears to this ol' Mama's eyes............

* Hannah has been saying "love you", but the other night while I was laying with her at bedtime she leaned over, kissed me, and said, "LOVE YOU, MAMA" :) :) :) :)

*Hannah is at the stage in her language development where she is proud of herself for knowing, and she likes to tell me what everything is.  The other night we were coming home, and when we pulled in the driveway she said, "HOME".   I know to some of you this doesn't seem big, but it meant the world to me.......my baby knows she has a home!!!!

Two Week Post-Op

Friday was two weeks since Hannah's surgery, sooooo........  we decided to brave a little road-trip. :)  MK was in a wedding in Tennessee on Saturday, so we loaded up Friday after Stephen got home from work and hit the road.  The kids traveled really well (PTL!)

 The wedding was B-utiful! and so was Mk ;)

We were able to tour around Chattanooga a little on Sunday

Then we headed to Atlanta for Hannah's two week post-op appointment.

Hannah was a little anxious/nervous, and I know it was because this was her first Dr.'s visit since surgery

She pitched her one more fit!!!!

(Yes, I'm a bad Mama. I took pictures of it)

Everything was all better after x-rays when we got our Minnie Mouse sticker :)

The appointment went really well.  They took an x-ray of her hip and said everything was healing nicely.  

We go back on Aug. 28th.  Hannah will be put back to sleep, the cast will be removed, they will clean everything up, check it all out again, and run some dye in her hip to make sure everything is like it should  be.

She will then either be put back into a spica cast (hopefully smaller :) or into a brace.  Stephen and I really appreciate your prayers for our family!  We would not be surviving this without the help of the Lord.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

New International Version (NIV)

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Man O Man....

......the last few days have been a little rough, but we are home now and Hannah is doing well.  The surgery is over and we are on the road to recovery (yay!)  They ended up having to do everything imaginable (cut tendons, shorten femur, create new hip socket, clip two more tendons in different places).  Hannah now has pins in her hip and a plate holding her femur together, but she is ONE TOUGH COOKIE :) and her hip is in place.

Last photo cast-free for a little while

When we arrived at the Hospital, a group was giving out tutus and super hero capes. 

Needless to say, our little priss LOVED her tutu! 

ready and waiting :)

FINALLY back in Mama's arms after recovery

excuse me and my hot mess self, but I couldn't resist sharing this pic.......

this is the smile I got when I said say bye, bye so we can go home :)

she was soooo over that hospital room :)

Hannah's new "car seat" (yep, not really ideal)

life at home....the beanbag is now her independence :)

This has been a lot to deal with to say the least, but it has not really been as bad as I had expected. (thank you Lord) This is due to prayer, the wonderful God we serve, and Hannah and her awsomeness :)  She has been a trooper and one brave little girl!

She is one HUGE BLESSING!

James 1:12  Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love Him

Three Month Mark

Happy Three Months Hannah Grace McDuffie!

We can't imagine our family without you :)

(thank you Deacon for taking this picture for Mama ;)

Catching Up

We have been busy, busy, and I've got a lot of catching up to do........so what better way than by pictures :)
Since I blogged last, Hannah has......

 gotten her first haircut

(more of a trim really :)

attended her first Vacation Bible School 

had her first ice cream cone

celebrated Father's Day at the pool 

(she even took a break for some good ol' watermelon)

and taken two beach trips

first to St. Simons

then to Panama City

We have also found out some not so great news.  Hannah's left hip is dislocated and has to be repaired sooooooo, we have postponed the hand surgery and she will be having surgery on her hip/leg on July 12th in Atlanta.  After the surgery she will be in a spica/body cast for at least six weeks.

PLEASE KEEP OUR FAMILY IN YOUR PRAYERS!!!  Stephen and I both know without a shadow of a doubt that we are smack-dab in the middle of God's plan for us, but we also know these next few months are going to be a little trying to say the least. (surgery, me going back to work, kids starting back to school, and a two year old in a body cast!!!)  But, we also know that this little "bump in the road" was no surprise to our amazing God.  We are so thankful to have Hannah home with us so this could be found and treated.