Ok, well, I"m gonna see if I can give you a run down of the past 6 weeks.
Back in June, right after the last post, I had VBS! My biggest week of the year. We had a great week, not without challenges, but still great and worth every ounce of planning and energy! I love my church and the amazing people that selflessly serve to pull off amazing events like VBS!
On the Monday after VBS I headed to my sister's house in the Temple area. The rest of my family was already there. EARLY on Tuesday morning we caravanned to Dallas to await the arrival of my niece, Sloane McKinsey Hill! Kelly had been induced that morning and was already in the hospital, just waiting for the contractions to increase and time for Sloanie to make her grand entrance! We all had a great time spending the day together, waiting to meet my newest niece! Did I mention that this day, June 21st is my dad's b-day too! How cool, he & Sloane share a birthday!
Sisters...before Sloane was born.
A little after 3:00 we were all asked to leave the room, and it was time to push! Sloane was born @ 3:33, an even 6 lbs! We had a great time seeing her, taking pics, celebrating!
Weepy, joyful mom, dad & baby!
After getting Kelly settled, running to grab dinner for her, and picking up some beautiful flowers for mom & baby, we all returned to the hospital a little before 7:00. I include this detail, because it was right around 7:00 when my mom asked my dad to go get something from the car that she had forgotten. After he hadn't returned for 30 mins or answered MANY calls from my mom, an ER dr finally answered my dad's cell phone and told me that my dad was in the ER...WHAT? There was some confusion, fear, anxiety, the list goes on.
After my brother-in-law, mom & oldest sister had all headed down to the ER, some tests had been run, we were informed that my dad's blood pressure had been 250 (this is astronomical!) and he had had a stroke (yes, on his 62nd birthday). At some point I headed down to the ER to see my dad. We were taking turns staying with Kelly & Sloane as well. Yes, as you can imagine, this was craziness. I don't think I was fully prepared to see my dad. He had minimal to no control over his left side. The weird thing was that control was going in and out. At some moments he could raise his left arm & leg, others, not so much. Several drs were in and out, assessing his progress. The decision was made to give my dad the "miracle drug," PTA. There are some risky side effects, but we decided we would trust God and PRAY!
This picture was taken right after Sloane was born, does this look like a man that would have a stroke 3.5 hrs later?
Ok, I can't and won't go into ALL the details of that night. Just know that it was scary. We all felt helpless and quite scared. Not sure what the effects of the stroke would be. I do need to mention to you, that through ALL of this, my dad remained not only upbeat and joyful, but unwavering in his faith! He was constantly telling the nurses & drs that he was going to be ok because God was in control! I'm telling you, that's my dad! Even as he was slurring his words because he had no control of the left side of his mouth, he was cracking jokes and giving Glory to God.
So, that's what we did. We waited, prayed and trusted God. After a sleepless night full of praying, my dad in the ICU, an MRI, more drs and physical therapists, we were encouraged to see that my was dad doing really well, and had regained strength on his left side! On Friday, my dad was released from the hospital with no residual effects from the stroke! This truly is a miracle and we give ALL glory to GOD!
Dad has been fatigued, which is a normal part of recovery from a stroke. He has returned to work gradually and still tells his cheesy jokes and calls to check in for no reason. I am beyond grateful that my dad was in a hospital when he had the stroke. Man, GOD IS IN THE DETAILS! What a scary time, but what a blessing that my family was all together and walked through this together.
Meanwhile, Kelly was a new mom! She & Sloane were released from the hospital on Thursday. For those of you who don't know, Kelly & Brandon were moving a week after Sloane's birth. So, instead of taking Sloanie home to home sweet home, they settled into an extended stay hotel for 5 days :) I was able to stay in Dallas til Monday to help with Kelly, Sloane, Dad, getting food, running errands, etc.
Kelly, Brandon & Sloane all moved to Utah that week. After they had been there for 2 weeks, I went to Utah to help unpack boxes and make their house a home! I was so glad to hold and love on my sweet Sloanie again! Kelly & I got A LOT done! When I left to come back to TX, we had unpacked ALL of the boxes, set up Sloane's nursery, hung pictures on the wall and made some other finishing touches on the house!
Here's my fave pic, the day I was supposed to be leaving:
Ok, one last story, then I'll wrap this marathon post. So, on that Saturday, I was supposed to fly to from Utah to Corpus. Ashlyn, my oldest niece was being baptized on Sunday. When I got to the airport the guy at the counter told me that my flight had been delayed due to mechanical issues. This meant I COULD NOT get to CC in time for the baptism. I lost it! I was so upset! This had been so important to me, and I wanted Ashlyn to know how important I thought it was! After my mom calmed me down, we figured out that I would stay in Salt Lake until Sunday, then fly to Houston. So, an extra 24 hrs with my Sloanie...well, that was ok with me!
Whew, that's it guys! Now, here it is July 22, Sloane is 1 month old and I can't wait to see her again in September! Oh, and my parents celebrated 40 years of marriage on July 2nd! Pretty amazing!
Here's to hoping I post more frequently than every 6 weeks!
