Pictures of the happiest little girl :)

She fell asleep in her walker ;)
I snapped a picture and she woke up & smiled so big... I may take too many pictures considering she knows to pose! LOL
Her first time in her walker... she is getting so big!

Trying cereal for the first time... she loves it!

Snuggle time with daddy after working so hard on the Christmas tree!

Hanging up her ornament <3>Her stocking... SHE LOVED IT :) we had to pry it out of her hands!

Mommy love!

Our happy little angel! We are more than blessed!

Called!...or...Called?!?!

Have you ever questioned that God was calling you to something? At times you feel so certain that He has & other times you can't even fathom doing what you may be called to do!??! I am so there... I think if it is in God's will it will happen & if not it won't!! But how do you know if it is something that God wants to you chase after to know His heart better or if you are the one chasing after it because your heart is so set on it!?!? I am asking these questions because I know sometimes it is hard to decipher my will from His! I think of all that God has brought us through that I would have NEVER chosen and wonder is this one of those times that God has a plan & my heart needs some retuning to His will?? God has always been faithful & never left our sides! I'm so thankful for a God that loves us enough to call us out of our comfort zone & into the unknown. I don't know much but I do know & constantly find comfort in the FACT that He knows his plans for us & they are plans to prosper us, to give us a hope & a FUTURE!!

Please pray that we are open to all God has for us & that we strive to stay in HIS PERFECT WILL! Thank you!

SMILE

Nothing will ever brighten my day as much as this smile :)

You're better then the best
I'm lucky just to linger in your light
Cooler then the flip side of my pillow that's right
Completely unaware
Nothing can compare to where you send me
Lets me know that it's ok
Yeah it's ok
And the moments when my good times start to fade

You make me smile like the sun
Fall outta bed
Sing like a bird
Dizzy in my head
Spin like a record
Crazy on a Sunday night

You make me dance like a fool
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold
Buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild
Oh, you make me smile

Even when you're gone
Somehow you come along
Just like a flower poking through the sidewalk crack and just like that
You steal away the rain and just like that

You make me smile like the sun
Fall outta bed
Sing like a bird
Dizzy in my head
Spin like a record
Crazy on a Sunday night

You make me dance like a fool
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold
buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild
Oh, you make me smile

Don't know how I lived without you
'Cuz every time that I get around you
I see the best of me inside your eyes
You make me smile
You make me dance like a fool
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold
Buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild

I'm so thankful... not much more can be said of the way I feel these days! I have been through what seems like the fight of my life & God has been gracious enough to get us through! Lyric is doing great & is truly a new baby! We came to Dallas two weeks ago today with a baby girl who had a massive hole in her heart (VSD), a restricted arch, an open PFO, two smaller holes (ASD's), she couldn't breathe deep, she slept all day, could not eat by mouth because it was too exhausting, you could watch her heart beat through her chest because it was working so hard, and the list goes on but as I look at her now I truly see God's grace! Our little Lyric can eat on her own, she is awake most of the day and now has nap times :), breathes deep & slow, her heart is still working overtime until it realizes that it doesn't have to!! We didn't know coming into this just how many things were going on with Lyric's heart & the doctor that did all of her pre-op was amazed that she was able to live for 4 months with no surgery. I know that it was by the grace of God that our little girl has stayed so strong through everything and to see her in the pain that she endured from her surgery I will never measure up to her & how brave she is! I AM BEYOND PROUD OF LYRIC! She has been through more than most in her little life & yet still smiles at the sound of my voice, blows bubbles when I do trying to copy me :), & her latest trick... I will take a bite of my dinner & she will start chewing CUTEST THING EVER!! I think she is ready for the good stuff now that she has energy!!!! I want to thank everyone for their prayers! THANK YOU!!

Scattered thoughts

I have spent the better part of today packing, getting things in order for Dallas & I have to say it is getting harder with each passing day. We received Lyric's surgery packet with our instructions, booked our hotel for the first night & tomorrow I'm getting all our last minute things taken care of! I'm so thankful for our families who have been there for us every step of the way. God has been faithful & has granted us much grace so far, I pray that He alone gets the glory!
I'm scared... but I know that God is way bigger than my fear.
Thank you all for the prayers!
Pray for Lyric to handle the coming weeks well, to recover fast, & to feel little pain...I know this will hurt her & I just don't think I can bear that.
My heart is heavy & my throat is always on the verge of closing off as the tears surface. I don't know what else I can write... but I thank you for your understand hearts & for letting me share mine.

If you could only see me....

Today I have my hair up with half of it falling, still in my pj's not because I slept in but because I am in need of a shower but can't quite make it there, I have been thrown up on, I'm wearing a mask because I have a running nose, Lyric sits here on my lap with pants on but no shirt because she gets too hot & sweats like no one I've ever seen. The house is picked up only because I have an amazing mother who loves us :) Travis is at work & I'm here all alone! This may sound like a complaint but it is not I truly wouldn't change a thing (OK maybe I would be looking super hot but other than that ;)) I love staying home & taking care of Lyric & keeping the house in order but as of late the only thing I can keep in order is feeding times so I would have to confess that I'm slacking a little bit in the S.A.H.M. perfect world!! Just wanting to share all the things that are going undone for the time being, I know that every stay at home mom feels like that there is never enough time in the day & I would have to agree, I have about an hour between feedings and by the time I pick up enough to start something that hour is gone! POOF!! I know this is a season and I'm loving every step but I think I shall called it "Mad Season" I truly look like a character from a Tim Burton movie! I would share a picture but honestly I would frighten the children! HAHA I hope I gave you a reason to laugh!!

To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven
Ecclesiastes 3:1

Tonight

I sit here in silence as I hold Lyric, it is almost 1:00am & her first of three am feedings! She is sleeping as she is being fed through her tube, even she knows she should be sleeping through the night :) I'm learning to enjoy these moments with her... The quite just me, her & the wind chime on the porch! She is growing right before my very eyes & learning something new everyday! The other day we had her jammies on the one with the built in hand mitt thingies and she being the smart kid she is tried to pull it off so that she could suck her fingers ( she loves doing this but because she hasn't quite figured out that fingers in her mouth may cause her to gag we have to watch her like a hawk) She is talking all the time now & learning all the different ways to make different sounds :)
Tonight there is no thought of what is to come just me & my perfect, beautiful, smart, & funny baby girl! I am so thankful tonight for this blessing of our mommy & me time!

F is for fear

Psalm 34:1-4
1 I will bless the LORD at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul shall make its boast in the LORD;
The humble shall hear of it and be glad.
3 Oh, magnify the LORD with me,
And let us exalt His name together.
4 I sought the LORD, and He heard me,
And delivered me from all my fears.

I find myself fearing so much these days... Germs, sickness, Lyric to feel pain, her surgery, & the loss of our joy through this season. Lyric is so happy & to look at her you would never know that her heart is broken. I'm so thankful for her smiles all day long, when I feel overwhelmed or scared she just smiles and everything is right in the world! Randi called me this morning and said that she had found a verse and wanted to share it with (above Psalm 34:1-4)
It came at the perfect time because I was feeling down & scared about the thought of what my sweet baby girl will endure. Not just the pain but the scar that will remain and how she will feel about it. That may sound silly in the grand scheme of this but it is real and will be with her forever. I pray she sees God's grace! I was getting down about the fact that nothing in our life is normal... There is no NORMAL! but as my sister read me this verse I realized yet again that HE LOVES ME!!! Right where I am... Tired, scared, ungrateful, moody, fearful, etc. etc. etc. My favorite part is verse 4 He delivered me from all my fears! Wow for this mom and the fear that I feel every second, this is huge! I'm
not saying i have this figured out because even as I write this I find myself choking back tears at the very thought of Lyric in pain but He wants to free me from my fears. A dear friend said that at the moment when we have to kiss Lyric goodbye at the double doors, we will have to trust God more than ever before and find comfort in the fact that He is where we can not be. Fear... That is what I'm facing today but my God is so big so strong and so mighty there's nothing my God can not do!!

Just laugh out loud & count your many blessings!

I have sat down some many time to post this blog post and I have failed so many times. I would type, get a phone call, type, feed Lyric, type, make dinner, type feed Lyric, type, change a diaper, type, have playtime, type, feed Lyric, type, pick up the house, type...etc, etc, etc... you get the idea! For some reason I could never finish my post so this morning I realized, maybe I wasn't suppose to finish that post, maybe I needed to just write it all out so that I felt heard. You see the post I was working on was just a bunch of complaining, not really beneficial to anyone. So instead to remind myself how blessed I am here are some of the things that are going good in my life.
1. Amazing God that loves me & only wants the best for me!
2. Super awesome husband, who tells me that I'm amazing!
3. A beautiful daughter that lights up every part of me :-)
4. Amazing family (many of whom have taken time out of their busy lives to be a blessing in ours)
5. Wonderful friends who are always praying so fervently!
Top 5 anyways!

I had what I thought to be a very rough start to this week... Sunday we get up & we're leaving for church as we get in the car I realized that there are cd's in my seat so I ask Trav if he got in the car last night to which he said no. Then I remembered that I had put some cash in the car in case of an emergency (stupid I know) but we never know when we might be going to the hospital & I wanted it put aside just in case... well Saturday we ran to target to get diapers & when we got home Trav grabbed Lyric & I got the diapers... yes that's right we forgot to lock the doors! Something I over do & it drives everyone nuts but that is just what I do, anyways Saturday night someone got in our car & took our emergency money... not just a small amount but MY MONEY! They left everything cd's, GPS, everything but took our money. As Sunday went on I found myself becoming consumed with thoughts of how in the heck do we pay for everything? Who would do that? Why? Last night I was talking with my Mom just crying over the fact that it was gone (I think this was more of the straw that broke the camels back & that I really just needed a good cry) but my Mom said this & it made me realize something.. she said that Satan is working overtime to rob the joy of each day & blessing!
WOW... after all the faith that I have had to exercise he got me over money?!??!?
So I realized as I thought of all that God has done for me, I AM BLESSED!

He allowed me to be a stay at home mom & I know now that I could not have kept my job & #1. We could not of had her in a daycare because she can't get sick (never really an option for us anyways) #2. It would have been almost impossible to take all this time off work! #3. There is no way that I could have left her with anyone... I love her too much :-)

We switched over to Travis' insurance 2 weeks before we found out so they couldn't say it was a pre-existing condition that we were aware of before September 14th.

The fact that there was no real reason for Lyric to have a murmur but because she did the doctor was able to make a proper diagnoses. The doctor said that had she not heard the murmur she would have sent us home & Lyric's lungs could of had some serious damage if it was to go untreated.

Our marriage has been strengthened (yet again) by what seems impossible to handle but by the grace of God & tons of grace for each other we are making it through this. (Thanks Amy for the words of wisdom!!)

Our appreciation for life & the fact that it is a gift & that our lives are GOD'S! He wants to prosper us & to grow us into fully devoted followers of Christ.

The strength in my own personal walk with God & the understanding of what He must feel as a parent to see His child hurting & struggling. He makes hard decisions for us and it is ALWAYS for our good!!

You see I can focus on the fact the someone robbed us of our money but I will not let that circumstance rob me of my JOY! Thank you Lord for my blessings!!

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
James 1:17

My most favorite good & perfect gift from above :-)

Today

Today has been a rough one... no real reason just a bunch of little thing that seem to pile up & make one go crazy. Lyric's cough is awful, she won't eat by the bottle very much so we tube feed most of it, she hasn't pooped since Sunday and is a bit fussy because she is so uncomfortable, she threw up again tonight, didn't go to sleep to good because she had a tummy ache, Travis is sick, & I have a ton of unfinished projects... in a nutshell ROUGH DAY! I'm asking for prayer... I know this too shall pass! Thank you!

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him.
Psalm 62:5

How He Loves

I'm so thankful! I can't even begin to express my thanks to the God who has given me so much. I think of my amazing husband, daughter, family, friends... etc... & I feel overwhelmed with LOVE & GRACE!

Praise be to God,
who has not rejected my prayer
or withheld His love from me!
Psalm 66:20

"How He Loves"
David Crowder Band

He is jealous for me
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree
Bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy
And all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory
And I realize just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me

Oh, how He loves us, oh
Oh how He loves us
How He loves us all

He is jealous for me
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy
And all of a sudden
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory
And I realize just how beautiful You are
And how great Your affections are for me

Oh how He loves us, oh
Oh how He loves us
How He loves us all

Yeah, He loves us
Oh how He loves
Oh how He loves

We are His portion and He is our prize
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes
If His grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking
Heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets
When I think about, the way…

That He loves us
Oh how He loves us
Oh how He loves us
Oh how He loves


Just a reminder in case you needed it today :-)

Updates on Lyric

I know that Lyric's defect is very common & is by no means life threatening I say this because I am not wanting to make this into more than it is but I also want to say that as her parents this is a very scary time. Anytime your baby is not well I think it is hardest on the parents. The procedure that Lyric will be undergoing is open heart surgery, something that I don't think is so common & YES it is very scary for us. We know God has a plan in all of this & for that we are so thankful!

We started a blog for Lyric so that as the surgery approches my sister (Randi) can keep our family & friends who do live close updated. Thank you for all the prayers!

http://www.lyricelise.blogspot.com/

We went into the cardiologist yesterday because Lyric's cough had become worse and her weight gain was not going so well. After an EKG,
echo & chest xray they decided to admit Lyric into the hospital for monitoring & to place a feeding tube to help Lyric gain weight. Despite everything we tried at home she hasn't been able to get above 8lbs 4oz and is now back down to 8lbs 2oz. As her mom this was very hard... doing everything I could think of and still not being able to fix her... feeling like maybe I wasn't doing enough. The doctors reassured us that we tried everything possible to help Lyric gain weight but her heart is having to work so hard to keep up, let alone put on weight. The first feeding tube did not go in so great (Lyric couldn't stop gagging & turned so white after screaming for what seemed like forever) the nurse had to pull it out and then a couple hours later they tried again and it went in with ease! Other than rubbing her eyes & nose when she is tired she doesn't seem to mind it! They have started her on two additional medication making a total of three, one every 8 hours & the other two at morning & night. This may sound crazy considering we've known about Lyric's V.S.D. for a month now but it all became very real yesterday as they were placing monitors all over Lyric's chest, back & feet... then came the feeding tube and it broke my heart. I know this is nothing compared to what lies ahead so I very quickly pulled myself together, calmed down and was able to rest once again in the fact that she is God's and He has her whole being in His hands! God is good & we're so thankful for all the ways we have seen His hand guiding and protecting us in this chapter of our lives.
Please be praying for Lyric over the next couple days & weeks. She will be here in the hospital until they feel she moving forward if no change is seen in her weight they will be moving up her surgery date. We will most likely be going home with the feeding tube & this is scary to me but I know it maybe Lyric's best bet for getting bigger before her surgery! Thank you again for the love & prayers! We feel so honored to have such support! God is good all the time and all the time God is GOOD!

Please check www.Taylor--made.blogspot.com for updates as I'm sure my sister will do a better than I at keeping everyone posted over the next couple weeks!

Today we met with the Cardiologist and the hole is still there. It is the same size that it was 2 weeks ago. They found a piece of tissue that is growing and may have to remove it once inside. They won't know until she is in surgery but if they opt not to remove it... she will go in every 6 months to have it looked at and if they feel that it is becoming a danger she will have to have yet another surgery. Please pray that it is easy to remove or better yet that it gone when get in there. We go back in three weeks and we will be deciding on a location & date for Lyric's surgery. We have the options of Dallas, Tulsa, or Houston. Amy (mother of Ella Dawn) has given us a great report on their experience in Dallas so that is where we are leaning towards.
Lyric is gaining weight (YAY!) and eating well once again!
We tried formula with my milk and that didn't work... longest week of no eating and one really fussy baby :-( So we went back to just my milk and she is doing sooooo much better! She has shots on Thursday, she will only be receiving 3 of the 5 immunizations because they don't want to put any stress on her body. Our prayer is that she gets big & strong for her surgery and that she stay healthy!
Please pray for us to have wisdom on where to go & for Lyric to be a chubby baby ;-) Thank you for the prayers!

Today's doctor visit

Today we went to see the doctor for another check up and great news... Lyric broke the 8lb mark & now weighs 8.2lb!! YAY!! She is in the 1.17 percentile... so she is on the charts!! The doctor said that we are entering the stage where it will start to get a little harder with Lyric because her body will start to feel more of the stress from the defect. So please pray that her little body handle this stage good.
We were talking to the doctor today and we were telling her that we had to go to the ER on Tuesday because Lyric wasn't eating well and since she is on a diuretic (Lasix) we wanted to make she wasn't getting dehydrated. All the doctors & nurses there wanted to hear Lyric's murmur because they said it was so impressive... not exactly what I was wanting Lyric to be known for but anyways... Lyric's doctor said the impressive part is that the murmur isn't from Lyric's heart defect! The reason this is so amazing is that had the doctor not heard the murmur she would have never order the chest x ray to find that her heart was enlarged... then the doctor never would have sent us to have an EKG & Echo done... then we would not have found the hole. God is so good even with the delivery of hard news He is protecting and preparing the way. They really don't know why Lyric even has a murmur!

In God is my salvation and my glory;
The rock of my strength,
and my refuge, is in God.
Trust in Him at all times, you people;
Pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us. Selah
Psalm 62:7-8

God is good... knowing the plans He has for us is for our good is the most reassuring thing! We have seen God's hand so much and we are thankful that we can lay all our cares upon him! Thank you for the prayers!

Lyric - Update

We went to see Lyric's pediatrician today to monitor her weight, oxygen levels, heart rate, and overall check-up. They had hoped by changing Lyric's eating schedule to every 2 hours that we would be able to put some weight on her but she lost a little weight so they've added some calories to my milk! We think the reason she lost the weight is that she had some extra fluid built up but she was put on medication last week to help with that... we think and are hoping that she has just lost her water weight and will now start to gain!! Good news is that her oxygen level is great & she is still the happiest baby in the world! We go back Friday, we see the cardiologist next Tuesday and then back to the pediatrician next Thursday! We hope to find out more details for the coming weeks on Tuesday from the Cardiologist and will keep everyone posted! Thank you for the prayers and all the love!

Trust!

Choosing to trust and this song says it perfectly.

Least I'm tempted to forget
I'll tie your love around my neck
I'll write your words upon my heart
Lord, I won't forget how good you are

I'll dwell upon your faithfulness
I'll rest within your promises
and when I'm walking through the dark
Lord, I won't forget how good you are

And I will trust, I will trust You
I will trust You Lord with all my heart
And I won't forget how good You are
I will not forget how good You are

You gave me everything I have
and my whole life is in Your hand
When what I fear is closing in
Lord, Your faithfulness will never end

And I will trust, I will trust You
I will trust You Lord with all my heart
And I won't forget how good You are
I will not forget how good You are

And even in the darkness
Even in the questions
Even when the hardest time of life are at hand
Yeah even in the darkness
Even in the questions
Even in the times that I'm not meant to understand

I will trust, I will trust You
I will trust You Lord with all my heart
And I won't forget how good You are
I will not forget how good You are

Trust by Sanctus Real
Click link to listen
http://bowensheart.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Trust-worktape2.mp3

Forever changed

This is how our day started... first doctors visit so happy!

Where to begin, I really have no clue... I never imagined that Tuesday September 14th, 2010 would forever change our lives.
Yesterday we took Lyric to see her Doctor because she has had a cough and we wanted to make sure that it wasn't RSV or a bad cold. The doctor listened to her chest found no reason to think it was RSV but she heard a murmur, she said that sometimes when babies get sick they can develop a murmur but she wanted to do a chest x-ray to make sure we didn't miss anything. We did the chest x-ray and found that Lyric's heart was enlarged... they repeated the x-ray to make sure it wasn't the angle of the x-ray and again her heart seemed large for her small body. Our pediatrician then sent us over to Children's hospital to have an echo cardiogram done. This took about 25-30 minutes and Lyric did great she just laid there and kicked a little. The tech finished up the ultrasound and I asked if I could dress and hold Lyric and she said that she just needed to check real quick with the Pediatric Cardiologist... at this point I felt my throat closing but tried to tell myself it was just routine... Travis was like "I'm sure this is just routine!" The doctor came in and listened to her heart and got up and said "let me draw you a diagram so I can show you what is going on." I then felt all oxygen leave my body... as a mom I felt I had been hit by a truck. He went on to explain the way a healthy heart works and then he told us how Lyric's was working. She has a large hole in her heart a condition called Ventricular Septal Defect... we don't have too many details right now but he said that it can be corrected with surgery.
A ventricular septal defect (VSD) is a defect in the ventricular septum, the wall dividing the left and right ventricles of the heart.
This is the most common heart defect in babies... 2-6 babies out of 1000 are born with it and in 80-90% of these cases the hole will close on its own but in Lyric's case the hole is so large, they give it a 5% chance of closing on its own. We have begun bottle feeding Lyric my breast milk so that we can monitor her intake. She is having a hard time eating because of how hard her heart is having to work it is like she is running and trying to eat at the same time. Also she is burning a ton of calories working so hard and she is not taking enough in to make up for it. The doctor told us "To be honest, you need to be prepared for surgery because in my 25 years of doing this I've never seen a hole this size close on its own." These are words you never want to hear as parents and although this maybe a more routine surgery for the doctors it shook our very beings. Open heart surgery on our little perfect baby girl... I had never felt so... everything at once! Travis is a strong man and I'm so thankful for him... I have only seen him cry twice since we have been together and yesterday we both cried as we held our sleeping Lyric.
I don't know why God is allowing us to face this but I do know that His plans are perfect towards those who love Him. Please pray that the hole closes on it own and that in the mean time Lyric doesn't get sick because they said that it can be very dangerous with her heart defect. I have seen God do amazing things and I know that He will do more than we could ask or think!


The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.
My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.
Psalm 28:7

Lyric during the ultrasound... she was asleep at this point!

Life as I know and love it!

This is our little "Miss smiles a lot" as her daddy calls her! She is an amazing baby... she hardly cries, eats great, sleeps great and keeps us smiling with her! Just had to share a few pics from this month!

She has been in her own room for almost 3 weeks and she loves it! It took some getting use to for me, I was use to just watching her sleep... I swear I got no sleep the 1st 5 weeks of her life and by the time I was sleeping through the night it was time to go into the crib! She slept great from the get go but me... not so much! I'm a worrier... bad habit I know!

Now lay her down, pray over her, and kiss her goodnight!

She is sleeping through the night and I already feel like she is a grown up! Silly I know but she seems so independant.

I'm very thankful for all the advice I've received from my mom & sisters they have and are raising happy, healthy kids and I can already see that Lyric is a very happy, content baby! Thanks ladies!

Travis... what can I say about Trav!

Well for starters... He is AMAZING!

Amazing husand, amazing daddy, worker, provider, protector, friend, and so much more!

I love that he is a hands on Dad. We have our differences on what is best at times but we talk and are figuring it all out together. He makes her smile, calms her when she is crying, and loves her the way only a dad can! He is an amazing father and I feel honored that God blessed Lyric & I with him!

"Worth it All" benefit run for Ella Dawn Burk

Time October 10 · 2:00pm - 5:00pm

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Location Shawnee, OK -specific location pending....

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Created By Leslie Click

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More Info Save the Date.....
1 mile, 5K, 10K run/walk
All ages welcome, coordinated by Morganne Lyon
t-shirt with registration.. $20.00 or less
See below for Ella's story and why we are running!
...


Ella’s Story
By her mother, Amy Burk
It all started on December 8th! I was feeling nauseated in the evenings and so we decided to take a pregnancy test… yup it was positive at only 4 weeks! With the possibility of me not being able to have a baby, we were beyond ecstatic! On December the 19th I started having severe cramping and then began to bleed, I bled for 4 days and after talking to the doctor we knew that the chances that we had lost our baby were very real. I was 5 1/2 weeks pregnant when I had my first ultrasound; there it was, the most beautiful flutter on the screen. A heart so small it just flickered but we cried and thanked the Lord for His protection over our baby! We knew right then what a strong heart she had! By January 8th I had become very sick and the vomiting had become so frequent that I could not even take a sip of water and keep it down, so Jon and my mom took me to see my doctor. I had lost 8lbs. and was so weak I couldn’t walk. I was immediately admitted into the hospital and remained there for the next month. During my stay I was given every nausea medication you can think of but still no relief. I had 2 separate ultrasounds while I was there to check on the baby, a scary time waiting to see that heart beat. But again there it was beating so strong it brought us to tears. After I was discharged I continued to vomit 3 to 5 times daily. At 21 1/2 weeks we had the BIG sonogram, we watched intently, waiting to hear if we were having a boy or girl! They said everything looks great and IT’S A GIRL!! The excitement quickly changed to a gripping fear when the nurse called the next day to tell me they had found an abnormality with Ella’s heart. I listened in shock and then she told me we had an appointment with a perinatal specialist in ten days…longest ten days ever! We were told at that appointment Ella had something called hypo plastic left heart syndrome. All the information was new to us, and at that time they gave Ella about a 75% chance of survival. We returned in 2 weeks for a routine sonogram and to meet with the pediatric cardiologist. It was at that visit we were told that Ella had another very rare heart defect, a restrictive PFO. The combination of these 2 defects was extremely rare and very complicated. They gave her about a 20% chance of survival, we were devastated. It was then we had to make the decision on where to deliver. After much research and prayer, we felt the Lord leading us to Dallas Children’s Medical Center. Because of the severity of Ella’s condition the doctors in Dallas all agreed that Jon and I would need to be in Dallas to stay by 37 weeks pregnant in case I was to go into labor early. They planned on delivering her via c-section at 39 weeks. We were blessed to be accepted into the Ronald McDonald House to stay the last 3 weeks of my pregnancy. Ella was born on 8-9-2010 at 3:23pm, what a miracle! Jon and I got to touch her little hands for a few seconds before they whisked her away into the cath lab where they immediately did her first heart procedure. When she was 1 week old they took her in to do her first open heart surgery. Unfortunately her lungs had more damage than the surgeon had anticipated so he did something that had never been done before, and did a temporary fix and sewed her up. They watched her closely for the next week and when she was 2 weeks old they attempted the same surgery, this time it was a success! Since then the doctors have had a few concerns from time to time, but overall her recovery has been phenomenal! We have seen the hand of God time and time again as He has protected her. Although this journey is not what we would have chosen for ourselves, we wouldn’t change it if we could because it has helped us to learn to appreciate the small things in life, grow stronger in our faith, and we have felt God’s love greater than we ever have before. God has showed His love to us through other people by them praying, sending encouraging words in cards, and gifts. Ella’s journey has not been an easy one and certainly not typical, but God is so good all the time and Ella has been VERY worth it all!



* This Run is to help Baby Ella’s parents with the financial hardship of complicated heart surgeries and other medical bills, not to mention the living expenses and future surgeries that Ella may have.

You can follow Ella's Journey @

www.elladawn.blogspot.com
Details for the race will also be posted on the blog and on facebook!
Thank you friends & family who have been praying for the Burk's, we have and will continue to see God work in Ella's life!

What is it about the coming of fall make me beyond thankful?!?

As I laid Lyric in her crib last night I was in awe at the handy work of our Creator! He made her just for us, with parts of each of us. She has her daddy's eyes, nose, and webbed toes... my legs, feet, and smile! I love that I can look down at her and see in her the man I love so much. Last night I watched as she slept, I then went and climbed into my own bed only to look over and see Trav sleeping just like her! They both had their hand in a fist right under their cheek. At that moment I was filled with gratitude to the one who gave them both to me. God knew what He was doing when He blessed me with Travis. This is a man who provides, protects, is faithful, loyal, loving and who will never leave my side even when life seems unbearable. God then blessed me with Lyric... the best gift ever in all the world!! She wakes up every morning with a smile and you can't help but to wake up happy even if it is 4:00am. I feel so blessed to her Mommy!

God is faithful!
This is what stayed in my mind while trying to conceive Lyric. Even though we went through the loss of two beautiful babies GOD WAS FAITHFUL! I remember finding the verses that I would claim and thanking Him for His promises!

We lost our 1st baby on 11/11/08. I had no idea where to begin searching for answers and reassurance that God remembered me. So I searched through the Bible looking up every 11:11 passage. It may seem silly but I know God had directed my steps so that I would find this beautiful passage:

By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised.
Hebrews 11:11

This verse wasn't like my circumstances but I knew that Sarah judged him faithful and so would I. I also claimed a verse in 1 Samuel knowing Hannah had felt forgotten by God and even though her heart was heavy and she felt hopeless... God blessed her with a son! Here is what she said with a thankful heart:

And Hannah prayed and said:
“My heart rejoices in the LORD;
My horn is exalted in the LORD.
I smile at my enemies, Because I rejoice in Your salvation.
No one is holy like the LORD,
For there is none besides You, Nor is there any rock like our God."
1 Samuel 2:1-2

We may not always understand God's timing but I know that in His perfect time we will be blessed with exactly what we need. I am thankful as I look back now that I can see the hand of God at work in our lives, preparing us for His perfect will! Teaching us patience, teaching us to rely on Him, teaching us to rely on each other, teaching us that all we have is His, teaching us grace to get through those hard times, teaching us a love for one another that Lyric can see, teaching us that He has our lives all planned out and we have the honor as His children to trust Him.
Thank you Lord for the changing of the seasons in our lives.

The pressure makes us stronger, the struggle makes us hunger
The hard lessons make the difference and the difference makes it worth it.
Fireflight - For Those Who Wait

Ella!!!

Watch everytime her Mommy & Daddy kiss she will open her eyes! TOO CUTE!



Ok so I can't wait to meet this little ray of SUNSHINE! She is so silly already and I love her and her family! We have been praying so much for the Burks and for Ella! She is an amazing little girl with two amazing parents!

Play dates and Downtown!

PLAY DATES

Today was Lyric's 1st ever play date and she loved it... ok, ok she slept through it! We went to Jesse's to swim and it was so relaxing! Kayden and Sydnee (aka Sydlou)

My friend Amanda with her daughter KaydenLyric and I

They were wore out after swimming!

DOWNTOWN

We met Randi, Jon and some of their friends downtown tonight to enjoy some local art that was on display there! We had never been and really enjoyed ourselves! The diversity of people was so cool to see!

Aunt Randi and Lyric

"Lyric at the Plaza"

My bestest friend in all the land!

Our angel sleeping... what she does best at this stage!

Ella Dawn

Everyone has to see this beautiful baby girl! I know so many that have been praying and God is doing great things! Keep praying for Ella she has so much ahead of her. Jon, Amy and Ella make a beautiful family which you can see!
www.elladawn.blogspot.com

Breastfeeding... not for the faint of heart.

Let me begin by saying that I love breastfeeding Lyric!

It is creating a bond that we couldn't get any other way and I'm so thankful!

I am however surprised by how unaccepted it is... people think you're a loon! The looks, the isolation, the mere mention of it puts people in a panic. Why is something that is so natural being looked on as a circus act? Breastfeeding is so, so, so rewarding but comes with many challenges!

PROS

1. Always ready and always perfect for what your baby needs

2. Makes for a healthy baby

3. FREE

4. Bonding that is unexplainable

5. Lose that baby weight... burns an average of 500 extra calories a day!

6. No bottles to wash

7. Helps lower your risk of cancer

8. Did I mention free?

CONS

1. It is all you Momma!

Day, night, middle of the night, early morning...

Mom doesn't get a break... even if you're away from the baby, guess what? No one told your boobs, so a pumping we will go!

2. It so doesn't feel nice getting latched on the first 3 weeks or so!

3. It so doesn't feel good when you're milk comes in and not just the first time but every feeding time!

4. Going off alone to feed the baby... it gets lonely sometimes

5. You become the main attraction... not a good thing!

Even if you're discreet still awkward.

6. Breastfeeding moms have a hard time self-lubricating (sorry to be so personal but only women check this blog)

7. You're tired off your booty like you just worked out... every 2-4 hours!

All that to say that it takes discipline, determination, and self sacrifice! I'm doing this blog post because I don't think it is talked about enough. The people that do it, just do it and the ones that don't never really hear of the challenges. It doesn't just happen, it takes work!

Breastfeeding and pumping moms... WAY TO GO!

I know too many moms that breastfeed who need to hear way to go! I know it isn't the easiest thing at times and I think you ROCK!

Disclaimer: if you were unable to breastfeed I'm sorry. I can say if you get the chance... try it with full force and you'll be hooked! Thanks for reading.

Little CRAZY Lyric!

5 Years of Wedded BLISS!

We have been married for 5 years today and I can honestly say that I am so proud! Getting married at 18 was not recommended but it has worked out! I somehow landed this great guy who loves me beyond life and I'm so thankful for him each and every day!

Wedded BLISS as the title reads is not always the case but we know we have each others back at the end of the day and wouldn't want to be going through this crazy life with anyone else! God has been so gracious to us and has given us challenges to make us stronger and blessings to keep us thankful! Five years has produced so much in us and in looking back i'm excited to see what lies in the next 5 to 50 years!

Lyric is the best gift that we could have ask for and she arrived just in time to celebrate this time with us!

Our birth story!

We checked in at 12:00p.m. on Sunday the 11th and they prepped my cervix and 12 hours later they started the pitocin drip about 2 hours on that and the contractions would not stop. From about 3:30a.m. to 6:00a.m. they came, I would not dilate but my water broke and boy that felt great!! Still I would not dilate... around 9:00a.m. they check me and still nothing! I cried, I was in so much pain and yet I was getting no where! I did not want any pain meds other than the epidural but something had to give and so I was given stadol! All that did was knock the edge off enough for me to relax and act a little drunk to say the least! Finally around 10ish I had made it to a whopping 3 and got the epidural! An hour later I was between a 5 and 6, I felt great the nurse checked me and walked out! I then asked Randi to look and see if she was coming out because I felt soooo much pressure... She did and moments later the nurse was checking me again and I was at a 10 and it was go time! The nurse asked if I could wait about 15-20 minutes while the Doctor did something ... we did and around 11:45a.m. we started pushing...

Lyric Elise Nichols was born at 12:18p.m. on

July, 12th 2010!
All settled in

Looking good in the gown!

I packed guess who and it was enjoyed by many

Last meal... Charleston's!

CONTRACTIONS! OUCH!

Post Epidural... GET IT!

It's time to push... Trav was a little nervous!

But Randi was super excited!

Travis had a little nausea!

The doctor asked if I'd like to pull her out and I did! It was the best experience of my life! I still can't believe I did it!

Me cutting the cord!

WOW... that is truly all I can say! God is awesome!

Travis is hooked... he never left her side!

All done with labor... now the scary part... we get to raise her! AHHHHHHHH

He is the world's best dad. His love for her is so crazy and he is one of the proudest dads that I have ever seen! I love him so much more than I did and my love for him before was pretty crazy if that says anything!

We feel so honored to be blessed with Lyric! We can't thank God enough for our little miracle!

I'm one proud mama!

Daddy has her all buckled!

Daddy approved!