For the Love of Ivey

Most of our beach memories are on video. For the past two weeks I have been trying, to no avail, to somehow get the videos on the blog. Finally, last night I did manage to get Ivey sleeping on the sidebar. Maybe I'll get it up in a few days so you can see our sweet girl in action. Computers are not my friend. So, here are a few snapshots. In one photo Ivey did have on her sunhat which did match her swimsuit, but definately did not match her coverup. Still, she is adorable. gwen

Okay- Ivey appears to have healthy kidneys. One does have distension (swelling); however, it does not show any signs of blockage. Good news. Hopefully the distension is a result of the bladder infection. In two weeks Ivey will return to the doctor for a follow-up, then we will schedule another test. Then upon test results, she may or may not need to see an urologist. Yippee!! Check out Ezzie at Borbe Bunch

This past week Ivey took her first beach trip. In fact, it was her first vacation and one that she had very much earned. As always, she astonished me. My sweet 14 pound 17 month old brought the sure basics of life straight to the surface. Let me backtrack for just one moment. Soon after Ivey was born my friend Sarah gave me a copy of the poem Footprints in the Sand. Reading the poem for the first time after Ivey ’s birth was a God Moment. I taped it to the inside cover of a picture book of Ivey ’s. I cannot tell you how many times I have read over that familiar poem in the past year, always searching out some means of comfort. I had read the same poem hundreds of times before Ivey ’s birth, but after she was born the poem took on new meaning. Suddenly I was the one walking alone. Solitude. Loneliness. Isolation. Seclusion. Separation. Those words describe life, at times, with a special needs child. It feels like you are the only one. Throw in an obscenely rare trait like anophthalmia...

Ivey has managed to have herself one busy week. We came home from a great vacation, which I am working on pictures for everyone. On Sunday however, our elation of vacation was nixed like a finger caught in a slamming car door. Sunday morning Ivey had another seizure. We were grateful to be home and capable to go to our hospital here versus a foreign hospital at the beach. While at the hospital Ivey proceeded to have two more seizures. After monitoring her for several hours they sent her home with us. Monday night Ivey had a fever. Tuesday morning the doc said she has a urinary tract infection. Thursday I took Ivey to Atlanta to her ocularist where she received new, and hopefully last set of conformers. Then we traveled on over to visit her neurologist to follow up about her seizures. So far we have upped her seizure medication and must watch her for weight gain, growth spurts and illness. All of which can affect her medication and allow seizures to break through. Today Ivey went ...

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We are home from a great week at the beach. There are lots of fun pictures and of course, unlimited stories. We'll catch up after I read my 71 emails, get two boys off to their first day of school, make several doctors appointments, wash infinite loads of laundry, and figure where all my troops should be this week..... gwen

Playing music with D. She is wearing her passy miur valve (the purple thing). We just call it her passy. This little contraption allows Ivey to talk. It also can come flying off like a bullet whenever she coughs. So, we pin it to her so not to loose it. It maybe a pretty purple piece of plastic, but it is worth its weight in gold - literally. Just a little taste of applesauce. Finally, we found a spoon that Ivey actually likes. These flat spoons are from the ice cream at Honey Moon Bakery.

Today the boys got hold of my camera. I would show some of the great pictures, but only three of twenty-something were not video. I still can't figure out how to get a video on this crazy thing. If I could, ya'll could see some great video of Ivey . But in these pictures obviously Knox was the camera man and Walker was up to no good.... A different day. Ivey's roll now has a new component. She is pulling her knees underneath her and pushing up a little with her arms. Around the floor she goes and normally she has no preference to a soft floor over the hardwoods. Notice her great tan and her two bottom teeth? She does have a mouth full of teeth. The majority are on the top and a couple are coming in out of the normal order. Having a cleft palate shifted her teeth a bit off of center on the top. Ivey did visit the cardiologist this week. Remember this one was rescheduled from last Wednesday's catastrophe . Great news though. She weighed a whole whopping 13.5 lbs. H...

proceeds will go to Children's Miracle Network. MIRACLE TREAT DAY~THURSDAY, AUGUST 9TH~DAIRY QUEEN (click over on the red) You can even pledge to buy a treat for someone. 2006 You have all seen it here as you watch Ivey . The ordinary miracles that happen every day are so far from ordinary ~ they are extraordinary . A sweet treat is just one tiny way in which you can make a difference in these ordinary yet miraculous lives. After cleft lip surgery and tracheostomy 2007 Just another ordinary miracle .... Today Remember Scottish Rite is a part of the Children's Miracle Network .

It is official. I have lost my mind, or at least the part of my brain which used to function like an intelligent (although many may not agree) adult. Earlier this week Stacy called to see if she could switch Thursday for Wednesday. Great. But, I had no idea what I was switching. You see last week Ivey was scheduled to have an EEG for this Wednesday, which meant a trip to her neurologist in Atlanta, thus meaning I would need someone to ride along. However, Stacy was planning to go somewhere with us on Thursday...I had no idea. So I played along and said, "Sure, that will work out fine." Of course when I agreed about changing from her planned Thursday to Wednesday, I had no idea where I was supposed to be going on Thursday. Hence, I should have gotten a clue…..this was going to be a long week and officially the first time that I truly dropped all of the balls that I thought I had mastered in the grand juggling act. Thank God I haven’t been juggling daggers. So yesterday, Wednes...