Clara Update

First of all, thank you to those who have been praying for my Goddaughter Clara, and for those who extended the request to other circles. I spoke with Brooke today, and received a much happier update than we had last week. I sent this email to a friend who'd asked for an update, and I'll share it with you now:

I actually just talked to Brooke today- Clara's out of PICU (sidenote: Clara had been sent to the PICU last week when her body could not rid itself of excess fluids. Clara's chemo was put on hold, she was put on dialysis, intibated and heavily sedated in order to give her body a much needed break.) and back on the oncology floor, which is a really good sign. They weaned her off the breathing machine this weekend so she's back to breathing on her own, which is FANTASTIC! We're on Chemo Day 4, and will go to Day 6 before taking an approximately 23 day break. She'll remain in the hospital throughout this time.

Brooke's mom is going home tomorrow, and they'll attempt to settle into more of a routine or schedule during this time. Brooke will stay at the hospital overnight (they have been sleeping at home, which has been good) for the next week or so- until Clara's in more of a sleeping routine. Apparently, she's having some narcotics withdrawls which are messing with her sleeping routines.

So, for now, all good news. I know that last week's scare with her retaining fluids was just one of many bumps in the road, but Brooke has said over and over that they are feeling massive prayers, all the time. They've been able to rest, which is amazing, given the situation, and there are so many other small blessings. Brooke was able to nurse for the first time yesterday in 10 days, I think. This was amazing!!
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Thank you, again, dear friends, for your continued prayers. They ARE making a difference in a very real way. I'll leave you with a picture from Saturday, when Clara woke up for the first time in several days. We've got a long way to go, but THIS is worth praying for:

In an instant...

...Things change.

You've heard me mention my bestie, Brooke, here before. I share the news below because while there's nothing that I can do for her here right now, I CAN seek out as many people as possible to PRAY for her, her daughter and her husband.

Brooke is a new mommy to my precious Goddaughter, Clara Violet Boyle. Clara is 4 1/2 months old, and one of the most loved little babies that ever was. Last Monday, Clara was a healthy little baby, and actually went for her "well check" in California where they moved in May. On Tuesday, Clara spiked a fever, and visited the doctor again. The doctor wasn't sure what was wrong, but thought a virus or cold might be the culprit. Brooke was advised that the fever might return, but not to worry.

Wednesday brought a new fever, but since it was expected, they didn't worry. On Thursday, Brooke noticed that Clara's soft spot was swollen, and called the doctor immediately. The nurse on call said that since Clara was smiling and interacting, and eating normally, there was really no cause for concern. On Friday, Clara was more lethargic, and sleeping more than normal. She wasn't eating very much either. Brooke called the doctor's office, not wanting to go into the weekend with a sick baby.

The doctor requested that Brooke bring Clara in, just to check. Once the doc saw Clara, she was immediately concerned, and had Brooke and Alan take Clara to the ER. Spinal taps and blood tests later, Clara was admitted to the PICU. The meningitis test came back negative, and the CT scan was no cause for concern either.

At 2:34am on Saturday morning, I received a text that the doctors were 75% sure that Clara had a form of leukemia. While that text was shocking to me, I can't even begin to imagine the shock that Brooke and Alan felt when they heard the news. On Sunday, they received confirmation that Clara did in fact have leukemia and her particular cancer is "acute myeloid leukemia".

In an instant, Brooke and Alan went from being normal first-time parents of an infant to being parents of a very sick child. Clara went from being a happy, healthy baby to a baby who will be in the hospital for at least 6 weeks while receiving her two initial chemotherapy treatments.

I haven't had the chance to speak with Brooke since Sunday, but I know the following prayer requests:

-Healing for Clara, that she responds well to chemo treatments (which begin today)
-That Brooke and Alan will be patient with themselves as they learn to be parents to a child who now has very different needs
-Brooke & Alan are essentially alone in California, having just moved there in May, and have no support system within their new town. Brooke's mom was able to travel there on Sunday, but please pray that God will send them support- be that in an amazing care team, neighbors or co-workers, they so need to be surrounded with people loving and praying for them.

I'll update prayer requests as I discover new needs, but please PLEASE be in prayer for this little family. Please add Brooke, Alan and Clara to any and all prayer lists you know of- they need all the prayer they can get.

If you would like to send Brooke a personal message of support/love/prayer, you can do so on her blog. You can comment on her latest post with your message (I assume at some point she will begin to post Clara updates there, but she hasn't started this yet.)

Some of you know Brooke, and some of you don't. I thank you in advance for praying for her and her family, as she's so dear to me. Most of you are mommies and probably are thanking God that your babies are healthy- love and hug them. Life changes in an instant.

Removing the Ring

So yesterday morning I woke up in a panic, having dreamed that my wedding and engagement ring got stuck on my finger, and had to be sawed off. I think it was due in part to flipping through my friend Ally's pictures on Facebook on Wednesday and seeing this from her pregnancy:



Ouch!! So, I woke up yesterday freaked out that my rings were going to get stuck on my hand. I make a habit of taking my engagement ring off every day, just to make sure I can, because my hands swell pretty regularly anyways. However, I haven't taken off my wedding ring in probably 4 years.

I decided that this wasn't going to happen to me. Yesterday I lubed up my finger and pulled off my wedding ring. I put it on my cross necklace chain, since Brian gave both the ring and the necklace to me on our wedding day- I thought that was fitting.

So now, I'm sporting my engagement ring on it's own, and it looks so lonely down there! It's definitely reminding me of the time when we were engaged, waiting to get married. So much anticipation for the future, but still so much to do before we got married. Kind of like right now, when we're waiting on the baby. I'm at 13 weeks today, entering the 2nd trimester. There's SO MUCH TO DO before we meet the little bean, but we can't wait!

Brian told me the other day that he was ready for the baby to be here and me to not be pregnant anymore. I laughed and asked him why, and he said my pregnancy was cramping his style. Really?!?! Cramping HIS style?? I almost punched him...

At what point did you have to remove your rings during your pregnancy? (I know I'm removing mine early- what point did you HAVE to remove your rings?)