Thursday, January 27, 2011

A Long, Overdue Thank You

In December of 2009, when our world came crashing down after hearing Zoe's diagnosis, the first support we received came from my parents - 100% support. On that afternoon, we still had not decided what direction her diagnosis would take us - termination of the pregnancy or a fight for life. We were still in shock, as the HLHS diagnosis for our unnamed baby had not even fully registered in our minds.

My parents, without hesitation, voiced their support in whatever decision we made for the future of our family. They did not try and persuade us one way or another, they simply offered love and support.

For the next several weeks, I found myself at home, trying to hold back tears as I looked at Emerson. Saddened at what our new journey meant for her and frightened that she too had an undiagnosed heart defect. My parents watched Emmy during the day so we could attend countless doctor's consultations and fly to Philadelphia to meet with the experts.

When we left for Philadelphia, we took Emerson with us. I couldn't stand to be separated from her for 4 weeks. Shortly before Zoe's scheduled arrival, my parents flew out to Philadelphia, putting their lives on hold for a month. While Caleb and I spent most of our days and nights at the hospital with Zoe, my parents held down our temporary fort and kept Emerson happy as a clam. They brought her to the hospital to visit her sister and spent quality time with Zoe, as she recovered from her first open heart surgery.


When Caleb, Zoe and myself returned to Philadelphia for Zoe's second open heart surgery this past September, they again, provided a loving environment for Emerson for our two week jaunt.

And now, as I've returned to work full-time, my dad (or as Emmy calls him "Papa") watches my girls, his grandchildren, throughout the week. Without he and my mom, I don't know what we would do. Zoe cannot be in daycare due to exposure to bacteria and viruses.

As much as I state my thankful and gratefulness for my heart family, I am ever-so grateful and thankful for my family-family. Because without them, all of this would be nearly impossible to manage.

So, thank you Mom and Dad, for loving us and loving our girls unconditionally. It means more to us than you'll ever fully realize.


Love,
Stacey, Caleb, Emerson and Zoe

4 comments:

  1. This is such a great post! :) Bless your parents for all their love and total support. Especially with having another child, it is a LOT to juggle! I know just from the 3 days we had with Caleb, that it's not easy to keep everything balanced. Love to you all!

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  2. It is so amazing how wonderfully supportive our families can be. I'm so glad you guys have such a support system :)

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  3. I wonder every day what I would do without my parents. My dad calls every morning to see how he can "rescue" me for the day. Grandparents are the best!

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