At Home in the Mountains

One year ago today we found out we were having a little girl. One year ago today, the OB called us into his office and told us that Maddy was not going to survive. One year ago today God heard the prayers of many friends and family and he started working a miracle. One year ago today I thought I would never see my precious little girl alive. One year ago today I was so shocked I didn't and couldn't feel anything but disbelief. One year ago today, God started planning that today a little girl named Madeline Mae Fletcher would be by my side as I write this, talking and playing with her stuffed cow that Aunt Tammy gave her. One year ago today God set out to prove that he is faithful and he hears his people's prayers and that he still does miracles. Today is bittersweet because one year ago today our dreams and plans we had for our new life with our baby girl were destroyed. But one year ago today God started making a new plan to give us a different dream and a different plan. ...

Pediatrician check ups always stress me out. I know it is because of this whole weight issue. Every time we go in I know he is not going to be satisfied because she is still not on the chart with her weight. Today Aaron went with me so it made it a little better, but I still left the office feeling like a horrible mother. Maddy weighed 10 lb 13.5 oz so we are creeping toward that 11 lb mark we thought she was at a couple of weeks ago. Still, she has gained a lb in 1 month. Between August and October she gain 1 lb so this is a big improvement for her. Still not good enough though. This time he decided that she is not getting enough calories. She is eating about 23 oz a day which we thought was doing pretty good. Nope. She needs to be eating 28 oz minimum and he'd like to see her eat 30-33oz. Sometimes I feel like I am doing something wrong, but when your child starts screaming and punching the bottle away because she's had enough there is not much you can do. She is eating more ...

I am not sure what she was doing but this picture is hilarious! Well God just added another thing for us to be thankful for and something I just had to share. For Maddy's hearing aids our insurance only pays $1000 for hearing aids every three years. Fortunately we don't have to replace the actual hearing aid piece very often but we do have to get new ear pieces, fittings, etc. as she grows. Aaron has been talking to the HR lady, Tamy Rogers who is a sweet and wonderful person and helped us when the insurance was trying to get out of paying for my pregnancy, over the last few days to see if we can talk to insurance into giving us more money for Maddy's hearing stuff. They regard it as a quality of life issue and we are trying to say that for now it is not quality of life but a medical necessity so she can learn how to talk!!! All very frustrating. So we were going to have to come up with about $2500 before December 8th to pay for the part with the hearing aids that the insur...

Just a quick note to let everyone know that Maddy's labs from the endocrinologist came back normal. Thanks to everyone who prayed for her about this over the last month or so. Now please just keep praying that she will gain weight and that she will be the size she needs to be for her. So thankful for this good news this week as well as the news for Brandon and Amanda and kids.

I guess I should start with the endocrinologist appointment. We went to that on Wednesday. Their scale showed Maddy's weight as 10lb 10 oz. What happened to 12 oz?!?! She did have a wet diaper and onesie on when they weighted her for the ABR but I seriously doubt that it weighed that much and I seriously doubt she lost weight in one day. So it is a mystery so apparently she didn't weigh as much as we thought but she had still gained close to a pound in two weeks which is still great. Nothing in the consultation jumped out at him so he ordered blood work. We got that done at the hospital right after we saw the doctor and should have the results in 10 days to a week. He is looking at thyroid levels, growth hormone, iron levels, and some enzymes that indicate nutrient absorption. So we shall see. Maddy was a trooper for the blood work. She cried of course but she seriously handled getting her blood taken better than I handle it. Once they got the needle in she was fine and pretty ...

We probably take a picture of ourselves by holding the camera at arm's length about once a year so we don't have much practice. It took several attempts to just get one that all of our heads were in so it is what it is. :) Maddy in a super cute jean skirt from her 3-6 month drawer. She looked so cute in it for church on Sunday! Today we had the ABR. Hopefully this is the last one because she slept through it very well with the help of the sedation medicine and they were able to complete all the tests they wanted to get done. Things hadn't changed much even with clear ears so it looks like we'll be keeping our appointment on Friday at the Callier Center at UTD. This is where they fit young children for hearing aids. I am not going to say that is 100% sure though because we've got to talk to Dr. Gamble on Thursday first but since nothing has changed this was kind of the plan we were given to go with if there was hearing loss so it is the schedule I'm anticipating....