~Just Saying~

I just want to put a plug in for the Ronald McDonald House in Macon, where we stayed during our 52-day NNICU stay. I had never given any thought to such a place ...... until we needed it. In 3 months' time, 3 teachers from Tift County stayed in the Ronald McDonald House in Macon. That's UNBELIEVABLE! When we got there, one teacher was leaving. Not long after we left, another teacher checked in. This place really ministers to a LOT of people from Tifton. For most people in Tifton, we don't even give any thought to the RMH. If you are looking for a charity to donate money to (for tax breaks or whatever), PLEASE consider giving to the Ronald McDonald House in Macon. They minister to families during some of the darkest moments in their lives. It costs $15 per night to stay at RMH, which eliminates the HUGE burden of a hotel room charge every night. Supper is provided each week night by local organizations and families. The kitchen is completely furnished for anyone who feels up to cooking their own meals. We would have an additional burden of huge hotel charges had we not had the blessing of staying at the RMH. As it was, there were so many donations made towards our stay that we only had to pay for two nights for ourselves. The RMH is one block from the hospital, so it is the closest place to stay and be near your child in the hospital.

I know in these economic times, money is tight. However, if you are looking for a worthy place to donate to, RMH in Macon could definitely use your money to cover additional costs. The staff there is TOP NOTCH and works to keep the place up so that families can enjoy their stay. They are very caring and concerned about the families and their little ones who are in the hospital.

If you are interested, I have included their contact information below. They take monetary donations, household cleaning supplies, kitchen and bathroom supplies, food donations, and pop tops off aluminum cans.

The Ronald McDonald House of Central Georgia

1160 Forsyth Street
Macon, GA 31201
Telephone: 1-478-746-4090

Today, I am remembering how thankful we were to get into the RMH for our stay in Macon. It was truly a blessing to us. What has God blessed you with today?

Love to all,

~12 Weeks~

In just a few minutes (13 to be exact) my baby boy will be 12 weeks old. My how time flies! Not a lot to update on tonight....everything is going well. He continues to grow every day. He acts so much like a normal 3 month old rather than a 1-week old, which is what he technically is. God has blessed us so abundantly with our precious son. One really tired mommy is making this post short and going to try to get some sleep tonight.

Love to all and don't forget to thank God for whatever you have found to be thankful for today,

~Special Day~

Today is Sara's 10th birthday! WOW!! It's so hard to believe that I first became a mommy ten years ago! And here we go with round three!! HA! I honestly don't remember what life was like before we had children....and I could never imagine life without them now. God has blessed us with three wonderful kids...even with their "moments"....they are wonderful children. Through our journey the last 12 weeks, I have definitely had things put into perspective for me. All too often we get caught up in the busy-ness of our lives and don't take time out to spend just focusing on our children.

We had a small birthday party last night for Sara to spend time with her friends. Tonight we are having a family dinner party to celebrate. These are the things memories are made of, and I can't wait to spend time celebrating the life of my first-born.

Enjoy this beautiful day - rain or shine - it is a gift for you to enjoy. What have you found to be thankful for today? I think mine is obvious....my children on this celebration day. :)

Love to all,

Special Day

Today is Sara's 10th birthday! It's so hard to believe that I first became a mommy! WOW!!! Here we are ten years later with our third round. HA! I don't even remember what life was like before we had children.....couldn't imagine life without any of them.

Ultrasound

Preliminary read shows NOTHING on ultrasound, which is what we expected. The bleed was resolved beofr

Today's the day~~~ Ultrasound

Reed has his follow up ultrasound at 8:00 this morning. We are confident that nothing has changed from the last ultrasound done in Macon. I think this is just like a FINAL ultrasound proving that the original brain bleed is completely gone, which they said it was in Macon. God has truly blessed us abundantly since this journey began .... almost 12 weeks ago. We fully expect He will bless us with a clean ultrasound tomorrow. Pray with us in anticipation of a great ultrasound.

I passed a sign yesterday somewhere in town.....can't remember where.... it read "God gives us tough times to teach us TRUST." As a family, both biological families and our family of friends, we have SO seen the truth in this statement over the last 12 weeks. When I had NOTHING else to hold on to, I was FORCED to TRUST that God would carry us through the plan He had for Reed's life. ME...... the one who has to handle everything and be in charge at all times...... I had to TRUST that someone was more capable of handling the situation than I. Boy, am I glad I turned my baby over to the one true HEALER, who had in His plan to - not just heal my baby - but totally rescue him from all of the side effects that MEDICALLY he should have endured. Reed came out of his HUMANLY HOPELESS situation UNSCATHED by any of the ill effects that we were warned about and set up to expect to have to endure.

I have said many times on Caringbridge and to many of you in person, I am NOT one to share my feelings or my faith.....especially to this extent. I have really put my feelings and faith out there during this journey....and I won't say it's been easy. However, when God puts it on your heart to share......it's very hard to ignore......therefore I'm up at 4 a.m. updating our blog and asking for your prayers as we have this repeat ultrasound.

I have seen a change in myself through this journey. Things that used to occupy my time with stress and worry no longer matter. For example, between unpaid maternity leave days and furlough days, my pay has been cut $9,000 for the past school year. This would normally stress me to the max because I am so particular with our finances. Right now, there is something (3 of them actually) so much more important needing my attention. God knew all of this would play out exactly this way. He knew there would be furlough days and He knew I didn't have enough sick leave to cover a 10 week maternity leave. He knew all of that and still needed this plan to be carried out..... Why then should I worry about how finances will work out? God's got it under control...... FAITH.....TRUST.... This is what brought us through our darkest hours with Reed when he was first born, and this is what will see us through any other bump we may encounter in our journey - be it financial, medical, or whatever. Who are we to question the plans God has laid out for our lives? He will bring us through whatever He brings us to....and He has so graciously shown us, the Putnals, that He is true to the word. He will NOT give us more than we can handle.....even when WE think we're at our rope's end. I've always known I was strong, but I would have never imagined I would be able to endure all that we have in the past 12 weeks.....and there is only ONE explanation - GOD.

Today, I'm thankful for tough times that DO teach us to TRUST God. We all need a wake up call on occasion to put our lives back into perspective. All it takes is faith the size of a mustard seed.......  What have you been blessed with today? Enjoy your Friday and have a relaxing weekend.

It's hard to believe my Sara is turning 10 on Saturday!!!! We will be celebrating all weekend.....guess we'll relax next week. HA!
Love to all,

~~And the doctor said....~~

So we went back to the doctor this morning...... My little man weighed 6 pounds!!! WOOHOO!!! He was 19 1/2 inches long, and his head was 31.6 cm. He is truly growing like a weed. He is doing so well that we don't have to go back for a weight check for a month!!!!! God has truly blessed us with a healthy baby boy.....in spite of all that he has been through in his short little life!!! We have to schedule a repeat ultrasound of Reed's brain just to check the status of the original bleed, which was said to have resolved itself before we left Macon. I will post more when I have it scheduled.

We had to take paper work to Dr. Asbury's office, so she was finally able to put her hands on our miracle baby! Oh, you should have seen her face....she was truly glowing.

God truly blessed us with wonderful people to help carry out His plan for our little Reed, and one of those was Dr. Asbury. :)

Today, I am thankful for weight gained and inches grown that makes my little boy now the size of an actual newborn baby, even though he is 11 1/2 weeks old. I am thankful for sleepless nights which come from having a healthy baby at home. I am thankful for friends and family who step in to help whenever and wherever needed. On this beautiful, sunny day, have you taken time to find a blessing in your life? Have you stopped long enough to thank God for the wonderful, bountiful blessings in your life? Kiss your babies and make sure they know how much you love them while you have the chance.

Much love,