And we're a family of FOUR living in our very first home that we OWN!!
A lot has happened in the last two weeks for the Jones family. At 3 a.m. on Thursday, April 18, Jane Riley (Firecracker) Jones decided she would make her presence known to the world. I will share the full birth story soon, but for now just know that we made it to the hospital in the nick of time. Firecracker continues to live up to her name. Within 15 minutes of us parking in the hospital parking lot and making it up to the maternity ward, Firecracker had arrived! It was slightly chaotic, but she is here and we are thrilled.
The funny thing is the next day, Friday, April 19, we were scheduled to close on the purchase of our first home. Firecracker and I ended up spending the night alone in the hospital, so Andrew could head back to the apartment to tend to the dogs and be ready for closing bright and early Friday morning.
Closing went well for Andrew, and Friday afternoon he and Lima Bean picked Firecracker and me up from the hospital as a family of four. We were happy.
Then came the chaos. The weekend after Firecracker was born, we were able to rest and relax while waiting to get the keys to our new home Sunday afternoon. Once we got the keys, life got a little crazy. In the midst of trying to move out of our apartment and in to the home, I took Firecracker to her first doctor's appointment on Tuesday, April 23. I had a couple of concerns going in to the appointment (she was born with a clogged tear duct in her right eye which was getting larger and red and her breathing seemed very congested), but didn't expect it to be too serious. Unfortunately, when we arrived to the doctor's office, they sent us immediately to the ER for a chest X-ray and to have her eye checked for a possible infection.
The X-ray came back clear, but she still had to be admitted to the pediatric floor because she was placed on oxygen. Once on the pediatric floor, the doctor confirmed that her eye needed to be probed by an ophthalmologist in order to empty the clogged tear duct of the infection. She had to get an IV with antibiotics running through it, along with the 24-hr oxygen supply. After lots and lots of crying (for both Firecracker and me), the infected tear duct was probed and drained successfully.
Firecracker and I spent the next four days in the hospital while Andrew, his mom, and his cousin frantically tried to pack up and move all of our stuff from the apartment (and empty a Pod that we had delivered with more of our
junk stuff). And on top of all of this, Lima Bean decided she would come down with a very severe cold and make it almost unbearable to be around her. Poor MyTy had her hands full with a very fretful 19-month-old. :(
Needless to say we were all very weary (and still weary, for that matter) - both physically and emotionally. Not to feel sorry for myself, but I didn't even have a chance to process the fact that I had just delivered a baby. All of a sudden our perspectives changed to getting sweet baby Firecracker and Lima Bean well and moving in to our home.
Life has been so incredibly crazy for us. I guess the saying is true, "when it rains, it pours!"
Throughout the last two weeks, I have reminded myself over and over that the Lord's mercies are new every morning. To be perfectly honest, that has been the only thing keeping me remotely sane. It is so neat to see how the Lord provides and sustains in times of need. What a treasure it is to be loved by a God who does nothing to hurt us or set us back, but ultimately to grow us in our faith and our dependence on Him. He is our sustainer. He is our healer. He is our provider and the giver of all good things. In Him alone can we turn for our strength. What a blessing.
"The LORD has done great things for us; we are glad." Psalm 123:6
Baby Firecracker and her proud daddy
Firecracker and her tired mama
You can notice the clogged tear duct pretty well in this picture (in the corner of her right eye).
Lime Bean had a blast with some new friends of ours from church while we were in the hospital.
Friday morning after Andrew finished signing the papers to our new home!
Lima Bean LOVES Firecracker. Lots and lots of kisses have been shared.
My girls.
In the ER right after we arrived last Tuesday.
Post IV and eye probing.
Firecracker's poor eye swollen shut from the procedure.
Day 2 - looking much better!
Day 3 - swelling continuing to go down.
Wide eyed in the middle of the night.
Daddy, who was juggling moving AND hiring 60+ team members for the new store, stopped in for a visit.
Big smiles from Firecracker because we just got word that we were going home!
At home with an obnoxious oxygen tank that we have to wheel around. Firecracker will be on oxygen for the next 2-4 weeks.
Resting in the comforts of our new home. Sweet Firecracker so peaceful as she sleeps.
Firecracker loves to smile!
The view from my new kitchen window. I could get used to this. :)
Please continue to pray for healing of Firecracker's eye (there's a chance the duct could seal back and she would have to have the probing procedure done again) and that her lungs will get strong enough that she can be off of the oxygen (we aren't totally certain why she needs the oxygen - possible that she got Lima Bean's cold and her congestion is causing the difficulty breathing or it's simply because she was hardly born full term and her lungs need a little assistance).
Happy May to all!
