Wow is All I Can Say....

It's been a crazy weekend here. God has been so good to my family and I. He has really shown me how much He does really care for me. I love Him so much.
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Sunday night started VBS at our church, and it has been going great. There has been on average about 40-50 kids every night!! It's Amazing!! The kids are really enjoying it too!! Here are some pictures of the decor that is put up at the church:

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On Monday, I had my yearly check up with Dr. Cannon to see how my J-pouch is doing. It was so go to see them and for them to see how well I had been doing. When I got there, I was a little nerves about everything. They asked me if I had done any prep before I had gotten there, of course I didn't. So I was given an enema. It made me really uncomfortable because I saw a little blood. My nurse came back in the room to see if I was ready, and I asked him if that was normal because seeing blood to me brought back painful hard memories. I didn't want anything to be wrong. So about 3 minutes later, Dr. Cannon came in the room to start the test. This was the coolest things I have ever seen. I was wide awake the whole time and could ask all the questions I wanted too. WOW!! I saw where my small intestines makes the J(the stitching that was done), how it curves around, and about an inch of my rectum that is left. Before we could see the inch of my rectum, we noticed something silver. I still have staples!! COOL!!! I was so excited!! I loved it!! Andrew was there can he watched the whole thing with me!! He even said it was pretty neat to look at!! I know you're thinking this is weird to be this way!! I love knowing about what's going on!! Dr, Cannon said that everything looked great! It was such a blessing to hear!! God has been so good to me over the last year, but to have asked me this time last year you would have heard different!!!
Emily, Dr. Cannon's Clinic Nurse, also came by to see us. I love her!! I can call her for anything!! She's thinking about going to become a nurse practitioner!! I kept telling her in December how one day I would like to have her job, and she said that it might be a possibility!! I would love to work with my surgeon!! It would be the best job in the world if you asked me!! Only God knows the future. It would take a lot for us to know what would really go on!! I don't have my hopes up to much, but I'll just pray for God's will to be done!!
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Yesterday, emotions were running 90 to nothing!! Everyone in my family were so excited!!!! It would be Jaylee's birthday!!!!!!!!!! Brooke, my older sister, was put in at 6 am and was put on potocine. At nine that morning, they broke her water. They checked her about every two hours after that. She made it to 3 cm just before we went to eat some lunch which was about 1:30 or so.
We came back, and they had just checked her. She had made it to 4. They still came to checker her about every for hours. She was still at 4. Until about 5 or so she made it to 6.

Jonathan, my brother-in-law, with Brooke during a contraction. She was such a trooper!!

Me, Brooke, and Carlie, my younger sister.
During all this time, one of my good friends from high school, who was also in my wedding, was having her first little girl. Kayla and Jon Howard are now the proud parents of Harper Kay Howard. Her stats are 7 lbs 12 oz and 20 in long!! She's beautiful!! Here are some pictures of the Harper, her proud Daddy, Jon, and her family!!:

Things were going slowly on our end. Brooke was checked again at 7 pm, and her nurse and dr both thought she could start pushing in about an hour. We were really excited then!! Then once the hour past there still was no change. She was still 6cm. At nine they checked her again.
I took a book to read, but there was so much going on that I could concentrate on what I was reading. We got bored and started taking a few pictures:




By the time nine rolled around, we all were getting hungry again!! So, Andrew, Carlie, and I went to Sonic right down the street to get us something. We didn't want to go far because we knew if we did we would miss something. Just before we got our food, my mom called and told us that we needed to get back. Brooke was still at a 6 and hadn't done anything in about 3 hours. Jaylee was also sitting very high and wouldn't come on down.
Carlie and I came running back into the hospital to find momma and daddy so we could go in the C-Section waiting room!! It was much smaller than the others. Only 6 people could be in there. We took our food back there to eat because they said it would be about 20 or 30 minutes before the section would be done.
We were back there about 15 minutes and heard something coming down the hall we looked out and this is what we saw:



WE all started to cry!! It was such a beautiful sight!! This was one of the happiest moments of my life!! My niece Jaylee had made her entrance into the world!! I will never forget it!! Brooke had to be put to sleep so Jonathan couldn't sit in there with her!!
Here are the pictures of my beautiful niece, Jaylee Brooke Betts. She weighed 7lbs 11 oz and was 19 in long!! (Warning LOTS of pictures!!!):















































We didn't get a chance to hold her last night so I decided that I would go back this morning!! I could not leave Tupelo without hold Jaylee for the first time!! IT stinks sometimes to live an hour and half away!! This was Carlie after we went to check on Brooke and leave:
She would have stayed there all night if the hospital would have let her!! One proud aunt, I tell ya!! She and I both!!


I walked in Brooke's room to this morning to find:

It was such a great picture that I couldn't pass it up!!
Here is what she will be going home in:



I also got a chance to hold her before they took her to see her dr. I just love my niece!! She was spoiled before she even got here!!


Look at her feet:


Jaylee we love you and can't wait to see your personality!!

Life and What's going on in Birmingham

Since I last post, I have done a yard sell and getting ready for VBS. I was so happy to get rid of some of the extra things that we have had since we got married. I sold a bunch of wedding gifts that we got and have never even used. Why is casserole dishes good gifts for newlyweds? I don't like casseroles and try to avoid them unless it's green bean casserole.
I have also tried a new recipe this week. I didn't think Andrew would like it, but it was pretty good. It's a recipe for chicken. You take your chicken breast rub it with sour cream then roll it in crushed tortilla chips with taco seasoning. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. It was so most and juice. I used some older chips, and it probably would have turned out better if I had used fresher chips. I know for next time.
I also got to spend time with my great friend Christina and her family on Tuesday. I was so nice to get to go swimming!! Like I said earlier, I haven't been swimming in over two years!! It was wonderful. I had a great time talking to her and her sweet family. Her mom and I got a chance to talk and to ask questions about what was going on last year. I love getting a chance to talk about what was going on with me last year. As I started telling her what was going on, I started crying. She help me to see that God was with me the whole time, and He never left me for a second. I couldn't have asked for a better time to realize this. She even asked how Andrew did during this time. This whole experience was an emotional toll on both me and him. She also told me that we all are saved by the grace of God, and read a few scriptures from Romans for me. I also told her that by the end of last summer I was really angry with God. I was hurt that He could allow something like to one of His followers. I didn't realize that I was a follower, but I wasn't on the path that he wanted me to be on. She prayed with me before we left and it was great to have someone there for me. I will be going back to swim with them, and enjoying a day with a very God fearing family.
Yesterday, I took Jake swimming at Mary Beth's. He actually got in and didn't cry much. He's not a baby any more!! He will be walking soon, and I know that when I keep him that I'll have my hands full then!! He such a joy to be around!!
Speaking of baby, Brooke's, my older sister, due date is Saturday. Her dr has told her if Jaylee doesn't come before Tuesday of next week, then he will put her in. He will more than likely do a c-section because both of them are running out of room. I will post pictures as soon as I get them!! I can't wait to meet my niece.
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This day last year, wow it's weird in how in one day your whole feeling can change. The day before I was told that I would get to go home today. I was so excited about getting to go home! By this time, I haven't seen home in over 3 weeks.
I was so excited that morning when the drs made their rounds and told me that I was going home. Well about about 10 that morning, my stomach started to really hurt like what it did before I had the surgery. I was scared to death. I looked at Andrew and told him was not ready to go. Something just didn't feel right. Purity, my nurse from Africa, was taking care of me that day. I'll get more in detail about her in a minute. They wanted to take my blood pressure and temp before they were going to let me go. I was running yet again another fever of 104. I was happy in on way and sad in another. I was not getting to go home that day and yet again I was 2 signatures to being discharged. They called Dr. Cannon and told her what was going on.
After lunch, which I didn't eat, Dr. Cannon came back by to see me and to schedule test for me. She order 22 tubes of blood and 2 blood cultures, CT scan of my stomach, and an X-Ray. I was very busy that afternoon.
Purity came in to draw all that she had to get. Keep in mind that I had my last blood transfusion the night before. She nearly killed me trying to get all that blood. They removed my pic just about 30 minutes before they checked my temperature. I was so mad!! I wanted to keep the pic because I was telling them that I didn't fell well. She and I were not on good bases to say the least. She couldn't understand me, and I couldn't understand her. I was not happy whenever she came to my room. She never did say that she was sorry for being so rough. She also was telling me that I couldn't have pain meds. I looked at her and told her that I was on two. She told me I wasn't. Dr. Cannon always told me when she was going to do something even taking me off something. I then called the charge nurse to come in. I told her what was going on and how she killed me earlier. I didn't want her as my nurse ever again. The head nurse told me that if I was here the next day that I would not have her! I was excited.
I went up and down for all my test. By the time I got back, it was time for shift change. My night nurse came in to check on me, and she had what I wanted in her hand. She said I noticed it's been awhile since you had this pain and nausa med. She asked who my day nurse was and when I told her she started to apologize. She said that there had been a lot of complaints on her that day. I was so happy to know that I was in hands that cared!
The next morning they made rounds again and told me the results from all my tests. She told me that the reason for my stomach pain was because I had an infection from the first surgery. She said that fluid had built up in my stomach. I was just like ok what do we do now. Dr. Cannon told me that she was going to try an antibodic and then if that didn't work surgery again. At about 8, my new day time nurse came in with the meds. I was feeling ok by then I guess you could say.
It was lunch time and Dr. Cannon came back by my room and asked me if I was ready. I said ready for what. She then told me that the meds were not working and that she was going to have to go back in to drain the fluid. I wasn't prepared for that all. I wanted to cry again but I knew that I had to call Andrew and get him back in the room as fast as he could. (Andrew was gone to lunch when Dr. Cannon came back in.) Andrew made it back just in time to walk down with me. I was already on the stretcher. I had no time to do anything else.
I went back to be preped and Andrew came to sit with me. I was back there for no more than 10 minutes, and they will me back for my second surgery. They cut me in the same place. OUCH!! I had to start all over again. I also woke up with a tube coming out of my lower stomach to help drain the fluid off.
I remember waking up in recovery asking for ice chips. I had a great recovery nurse. I was ready to get back to my room. I then remember waking up just before being in my room and seeing my parents there. I wondered how they got there because I didn't call them. I was in surgery about an hour and was in recovery for almost 6. I had a new nurse again which I gave a hard time to. My mom stayed with me that night so Andrew could get a goods night rest. I didn't realize that when you have surgery that ALL of the old orders for meds were no good anymore. I cried most of the night because I was in so much pain. The nurse couldn't do anything because the dr. on call is not allowed to give a patient that just had surgery any meds could order test if need be but no meds. I know that my mom was not sleeping well either because just like Andrew, I woke her up to help me roll over.
When Dr. Cannon made her rounds that next morning she had already heard about my night. She apologized for not prescribing me something for pain and told me that I would be in there for at least Sunday or Monday. I was beginning to wonder if I would ever see home again.
Andrew's parents were on the beach and almost drove back early. I gave everyone a good scare those few days. They wanted to be there, but Andrew called them, told them that I was fine and there was no need for it. I know that my dad yet again did 100mph to get there in time. They both just told work what was going on and left. No questions asked. On the way, my dad called Brandon's dad to tell him what was going on. It was a mess just like I was.