For such a time as this...

Lord willing, a week from tomorrow we leave for Boston!  We are doing our best to prepare for a journey that is full of unknowns, but God has been SO generous to us by providing reminders all along the way that He's got this...  There have been cries and conversations that only God has heard and He has met those cries with comfort and reassurance in ways I would have never imagined.  He has called and equipped people to come alongside of us and provide for some of our biggest needs.  The most amazing part is that the people He has used to bless us are people that we have never even met before or hardly know!  A super special friend of ours has really stood in the gap for us, encouraging us all along our journey and sharing our story with anyone that would listen :-).  Some of her family, friends, and church family felt led to help us out in various ways, making our trip to Boston more and more of a reality and less stressful.  We find ourselves on our knees thanking the Lord for how He meets needs and we pray blessings over those people that have so generously opened their hearts to our sweet Grace, whether by praying for her and/or us or meeting our very tangible needs.

I hope this smile is a glimps of our gratitude!  THANK YOU!!!

I also stand in awe when I think through how God has knit our lives together in preparation for "such a time as this."  I remember sitting on the balcony of a beach house in Galveston with Suzan Parle in October or November of 2011 as we were reflecting on what God was up to in our lives.  I remember saying that I was confident that God had David and I in the roles we were in (myself working full time and David in Seminary and being home with the kids) for a reason, He just hasn't  revealed the specific reason yet.  I would have NEVER dreamed that just a month and a half later we would be pregnant with Grace (we weren't even considering a third child at that time).  Now I know!  God was preparing us all that time for such a time as this!  The fact that David has had the time and energy to lead our family through this journey (as I've mentioned before, in God's strength, he is the backbone of our family) and is able to stay in Boston with Grace as long as needed (of course I pray that it will be shorter, not longer :-) is a blessing that can't be described in words. I have always loved my job, but I have never been more grateful for the medical benefits that my company generously provides and the incredible support I have received from my manager, counterparts, and upper management.  There are so many other details that I know are no coincidence, but instead are a divinely orchestrated plan that has been devised for such a time as this.

Once we arrive in Boston, we are suppose to have a very full day of pre-op "stuff" to take place on Monday, March 4th, a sedated MRI and 3D echo on Tuesday and surgery on March 6th.  We sure could use your prayers that the additional images provided by the MRI and 3D echo only confirm that she is a candidate for the biventricular repair and that surgery is a huge success with no complications. You know the saying that it takes a village to raise a child?  That saying has never been more true than right now in our lives, so thank you all for being our village!

"Did someone say surgery?!?!" - this is one of our favorite new faces that Grace makes...  We call it her Grandma without dentures face :-)

Our family did the Campbell Elementary Bunny Hop Fun Run this morning (it is Abigail's elementary school's big fundraiser) and we ran the 1 mile portion of the race.  David and Abigail ran the whole mile pretty hard, without taking any breaks, while Andrew and I... well, we ran about half of it with Andrew on my back or with Andrew saying his legs were tired.  However, the last quarter of a mile I said to Andrew that I needed him to push it for Gracie because she is one tough cookie and has been through way more than just having tired legs.  At that moment, Andrew got a determined look on his face (eyebrows down, starring intently ahead) and he took off practically sprinting the remainder of the race while saying "I'm running for Gracie...  I'm doing it for Gracie!" I was surprised that I didn't lose it crying at that moment, but I sure did have a huge lump in my throat watching him run hard for his baby sissy.  We were so proud of them both!

Here is a little extra sibling love...

Who would have known...

This post has been on my heart for the past week or so and today seemed like the perfect day to share it with you for a reason I will explain in a minute...

I grew up dancing since the age of 3 years old until after college.  My Mom and I (I'm an only child) spent most days after school at Dellos Dance Studio where I not only grew as a dancer, but also as a dance teacher, and it didn't take long to develop friendships that I never would have dreamed would have such a profound impact upon my life.  One special friendship that has always held a special place in my heart (but never more special than how I feel about him right now) is this amazing little boy that I met when I was of elementary school age.  He and his mom would spend hours at the dance studio, while his older brother took dance class.  This little boy captured my heart with his infectious smile, joyful spirit, and unconditional love that he so freely gave.  This little boys name was/is Keith and he just so happens to have Down Syndrome.  I can so vividly remember the joy I felt in my heart when ever I would see Keith.  One day in particular stands out in my mind, the studio was selling dance clothes and Keith and I were sitting inside of the clothing rack where the clothes were hanging.  We sat in there and laughed for quite some time and I will never forget the love I felt for that little guy at that moment.  He was only 5 years younger than me, but I loved him like a little brother.  After spending time with Keith that day I remember saying to my mom in the car on the way home from the dance studio that "I want a little boy like Keith some day."  I don't even think that I knew what Downs Syndrome was at that age, I just knew that there was something so special about Keith and it didn't need a name.  As life would have it, I got more and more involved with dance at school and went to Dellos less and less, so I eventually lost contact with Keith.  In the years that would pass, I apparently became more and more worldly (caring about my own comfort and allowing the world to dictate what "good" is) because 20+ years later God blessed me with a little girl "just like Keith" and I was scared to death, not realizing (at the time) that He had spent decades preparing me for such a time as this...  To be the mother of Grace Astrid Ross, who just so happens to have "Up's."  It is with great humility, joy, and gratitude that I can say that I'm SO honored to be her mom.  Isn't God good, how He prepares us for His perfect plan in ways that we could never imagine?  The reason I felt that today was the perfect day to share this post is because it just so happens to be Keith's 29th birthday!  Oh, what I would give to wrap my arms around his neck right now and thank him for all that he taught me and probably didn't even know it!  I pray that Grace will impact someone's life like Keith did mine.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY KEITH!

Check out our little honey sitting up in her bumbo, playing with one of her best friends (her favorite toy).  Grace was on sternal precaution (she couldn't lay on her tummy, get picked up under her arms, etc) for 6-8 weeks after her first surgery, therefore, she wasn't able to do tummy time until she was 10 weeks old.  Since she got a late start on practicing strengthening her neck muscles it has been a much celebrated milestone as she has started really holding her head up well!  Way to go Little Doo!!! BTW-  this little stinker has the sweetest, most precious, and infectious smiles when you are talking to her and the second you pull out a camera she turns it right off!  This is why there aren't many pictures of her smiling and while I have a lot of videos with her smiles, I still can't figure out how to upload them without investing a great deal of time... Sorry!

Just because I can't leave out Abigail and Andrew's sweetness, here is a picture that our friend, Dionne, took of them a few years ago...