Beautifully complete

As I sit in a hospital room, with worship music playing, and our precious Alayna sleeping beside me, I realize my life has changed in just 24 hours....As we start this journey together, I realize this might be a long blog, but hopefully it will encourage you and you will see how the Lord is the perfect conductor to this amazing symphony He's creating...

A couple of weeks ago we noticed Alayna started having some pretty bad bruises on her legs.  Honestly I didn't think much about it because I am a pediatric ER nurse and it takes a whole lot to get me worked up....she had had some on and off fevers but once again, and been more fussy than normal but I chalked it up to knowing a new baby was coming and nothing I was super concerned about.....

Over the last 2 months we have been in the middle of a storm, with our house contract falling through, being challenged with expensive repairs and additional trips to Alabama, and lots of, "Ok God, we need a miracle..." moments.  Our minds have been all over the place, but through it all, in the middle of the crazy, we have seen God move like never before.....He has provided extra work for me and continued to provide work for Ron.  This weekend we were planning a trip to Alabama and were excited to be welcoming Avery Grace in just 8 weeks.....

Last Tuesday we went to Disney with our sweet friend, Christine Romm and her girls, and had a great time.  That day I was wearing Alayna on my back in my ergo and she accidentally bumped into a wall.  She barely touched it, but within 5 mins her entire head was bruised.  With the medical background I have, I started to wonder what was going on.  I kept rationalizing in my head that it must be her iron or chalking it up to the fact that she is kinda clumsy like her Mama....after church on Sunday we noticed even more bruises on her feet and in random places and so we knew it was time to get her checked out..

Disney with the Besties

Tuesday we got into see her pediatrician, who also happens to be a hematologist and used to be an oncologist, and that's when the spinning began.  After two sticks, they finally got blood work and as soon as the needle went in, her arm bruised.  I kinda knew then things weren't looking great.  Within 10-15mins the nurses were asking Addy and Alayna to come play with them, and there I sat, knowing what was coming and feeling like and Alabama spring tornado just hit.  My doctor is not much for sugar coating, which I am so thankful for, and basically told me her labs were unreadable and that he thought my sweet Laney Bug had leukemia.  All the labs pointed to it and I needed to be prepared.  I immediately called Ron who rushed there and since then it's kind of been like we were in a dream state....

We had faith and were believing for the best, but also preparing for what might be ahead of us.  Ironically, Christine and I had already planned to go to the park and Chickfila after the appointment (A Mama's perfect day out, if you haven't seen this youtube video, you have to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qISA2TD8xhk), and she immediately stepped in to take Addyson with her for a sleepover.  The crazy thing about it all was how perfectly God has orchestrated the people in our lives right now.  Christine was also with me when we got the news about the house and has become such a strong rock for me.  It is amazing how literally every time I have needed someone when I got bad new, over the last month, she has been there....God ordained moments for sure....and The Lord knew she was just what Addyson would need to....

Right before we walked in and life became even more crazy

So with Addyson taken care of, we packed our bags and headed to the hospital.  We were sent to the oncology clinic where we met our amazing team that God truly had hand picked to take care of us.  The tears have been constant, on and off, but through it all, each breakdown makes us a little stronger....Once again, two pokes later, we had an IV and all the bloodwork we needed.  We met with our doctor and he basically explained how lab work wise, he was leaning towards leukemia.  We settled into our room and treatment began. Through it all, Alayna has definitely not lost any energy.  Everyone keep saying how she doesn't act like a kid with leukemia and she has so much energy....which is such a good thing but also such a challenge in a tiny room with IV fluids and IV's, vitals every hour, etc.  Her initial blood work showed she was critically low on her hematocrit and hemoglobin, her platelets were also criticallow, which would explain the bruising, and her WBC was very high.  She also had blast cells present, which is a typical sign of leukemia.  After some wagon rides and playing with child life (who clearly became Alayna's best friends about 3 lollipops and bags of dummies in), we started a blood transfusion and our long night began

Great First Night

Alayna did great and slept through pretty much everything, right beside her Daddy, her Mama....not so much ha, but I know it is all part of the process.  Today we had a bone marrow aspiration and biopsy, which was probably the hardest challenge of it all.  Seeing my baby in pain and sedated, which is something I see all the time at work, was a whole different level of mommy hood.  It seems so easy in the ER, but when it's your baby, it's completely different....I didn't make it through the procedure and found myself in a random room, listening to the song, "Just be held..." and crying out to God, praying for different results, praying all of this was a dream, and praying for a miracle...

After her biopsy

The Lord has also sent us friends that have gone through very similar situations, and some who are just praying for us, just a text away, and I am so blessed to have so many friends pouring their love out for us...as well as friends that were keen to hearing the Holy Spirit, and had been texting us both without even knowing things were going on....those same friends have organized meal trains for us, and our Action family has already poured out amazing love on us ...We have never felt so loved and taken care of and we cannot express how truly thankful we are...Last night sweet friends brought us dinner , and that will continue, and today Aunt Cherie and Uncle Bryan paid us a visit to help us receive the news

Fishy faces with Aunt Cherie

Dumbo fun

We love Payton!

At one point in my day I had 7 missed calls and 45 unread texts....so if you have texted and I haven't responded, please know I am so thankful for the prayers and for the scripture...keep them coming

About an hour after the tests we received work from the pathologist that based on the preliminary bloodwork, we were looking at leukemia for sure, and today's bone marrow results also confirmed that......

So here is what we know so far.....God is God, and He is good, and He's already working miracles....If it had to be leukemia, we were praying for a specific type.  Alayna has been diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL) type preB cell cancer....This is the most common of all childhood cancers, and also the most treatable and completely curable.  Our doctor told us he knows 80 year olds that are still living who went through this type of cancer.....so that is definitely a miracle in itself.   We also know, according to our doc, that we caught it at the absolutely perfect time.....Tomorrow morning we go for a port placement and Lumbar puncture where they will inject chemotherapy into her spinal fluid.  Friday we will start IV chemo therapy.....

We are standing strong on the scripture, 

Psalm 66:8-20New Living Translation (NLT)

8 Let the whole world bless our God
    and loudly sing his praises.
9 Our lives are in his hands,
    and he keeps our feet from stumbling.
10 You have tested us, O God;
    you have purified us like silver.
11 You captured us in your net
    and laid the burden of slavery on our backs.
12 Then you put a leader over us.[a]
    We went through fire and flood,
    but you brought us to a place of great abundance

We have felt like for a long time that something was coming.  We thought with the house situation, it couldn't be much worse and at least we still had health....But we know the Lord has a plan for us in all of this....that we will go through the fire, and come to a place of great abundance.  We are so excited to see what the Lord will done, has already done, and feel so blessed that we were chosen for this journey....He knew we could handle it and He knew we would give him all the glory and praise.....

As far as specific needs and prayer requests....Here's where we are at....

1. Alayna will have no leukemia in her spinal fluid and that she has no complications with her port placement

2. Our house has to sell....like really....two mortgage payments plus all the medical bills that are coming quickly would cause many to doubt, but we know financially the Lord will provide for our needs and make a way in the desert.  

Exodus 14:13-14New Living Translation (NLT)

13 But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. 14 The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.”

3. Pray that Alayna will have no serious side effects from chemotherapy and her staging will shift from standard risk, to low risk
4. Pray for sweet Addyson's heart.  She has recently had some trouble with discipline and just adjusting in general and that she will understand all of this and not feel left out

Psalm 8:2New Living Translation (NLT)

2 You have taught children and infants
    to tell of your strength,[a]
silencing your enemies
    and all who oppose you.

5. Pray for our sweet Avery Grace, and that she and Mama can stay healthy in the middle of all of this
6. Once again, just pray for the finances, as we have numerous things about to come up and not exactly sure how it will all work out

Psalms 138:3,
As soon as I pray, you answer me;
    you encourage me by giving me strength.
Though I am surrounded by troubles,
    you will protect me from the anger of my enemies.
You reach out your hand,
    and the power of your right hand saves me.
 The Lord will work out his plans for my life—
    for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever.

Please join us on this journey. We really cannot wait to see how the Lord shows up and shows off.  We are believing she will be blessed, and beautifully complete.  Keep the prayers coming and the scriptures as well....We love you all

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