Disney World

Back in January we planned a trip to Disney World during the Christmas break.  We wanted it to be a surprise for Cade, so we never told him about it.  After Cade passed away, we went back and forth whether or not we should still go.  Then with Addi being on the heart transplant list, again, we went back and forth on whether or not to go.  We ultimately decided that we should go.  Cade would have wanted us to and with Addi's procedure we don't have any idea when we will be able to travel again.  She did really well on the flight there and back.  I was really nervous about her ears bothering her.

On the plane headed to Disney!

Addi loved it, as long as she didn't have to get too close to the characters.  I am in EVERY single picture, except for the one of her crawling away from Mickey Mouse.  She would latch onto my hip and would not let me put her down.  Her favorite part was after the pictures were taken and she could say good bye!  She seemed to do a little better with the princesses.  After a few days she got warmed up to them and would actually sit with them by herself for a picture.

The fam with Mickey...love his outfit!

Addi was quite fond of Mary Poppins...we had to see her twice!

Me and Addi with Daisy...no way was she letting me let her down!

Yes, that is Addi trying to escape Mickey...so sad!

Addi and Cinderella

The fam with Goofy and Pluto...she HATED those dogs!!

We had a great time with MawMaw and PawPaw and Uncle Brandon and Aunt Brandi and Brody.  It was a bitter sweet trip, but we really enjoyed it.  On the 20th (8 months since we lost Cade), we all got Mickey Mouse balloons and sent them off to Heaven for Cade.  There was a sweet man who was a photographer for Disney who captured the moment for us.  I told him our story and he was wonderful!

Addi with her first Mickey ears!

Addi and Brody wearing their new shades down Main Street

Here we all are at the hotel.

Me, Darrell, Brandi, and Brandon

I think one of our favorite parts was getting to eat with the princesses in Cinderella's castle.  It was beautiful inside.  Dinner was wonderful and we got pictures with several of the princesses (those didn't turn out to great).  Addi was quite the princess herself!!

Here is our little princess dressed like Belle...Darrell gave her a new nickname "Addibelle"

Me and Addi with Snow White

We took so many pictures it is hard to choose which ones to put up on the blog.  Here are a few!

Me and my sweet girl!



My precious family in front of a Christmas tree in our hotel

Addi and Brody at the hotel...waiting to leave



It's Official

Last night, November 8th, we got the call from our transplant coordinator that Addi has officially been put on the heart transplant list.  We are so excited and ready!  We have no idea about the timeline.  We were told that they could call in two weeks or it could be a year...that's going to be the hardest part.  Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

What's Next

I wanted to keep all of our family and friends updated with Addi.  After Cade passed away, our next step was take Addi to Texas Children's to get her heart checked.  At the beginning of June we took her to TCH and had an echo and ECG done.  The tests came back showing that she had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) with restrictive physiology.  The HCM means that she has a little thickening of her heart and the restrictive physiology means that her heart never rests.  Because of the restrictive physiology we were told that she would need to have a heart transplant.  The problem would lead to high pressures in her lungs and then we would be in a situation where she would need a heart and lung transplant.

Darrell and I have talked to several doctors and we truly feel good about what lies ahead.  The truth of the matter is, we don't have another choice either.  The odds are REALLY good with the heart transplant.  One of the surgeons told us that 95 out of 100 children do "remarkably" well.  We have prayed a lot about this and we believe that Cade is saving his little sister's life. 

Where we are now--yesterday Addi's case went to the medical board for approval (we should be approved) and then it will go to our insurance.  Once the insurance clears it she will officially be put on the heart transplant list.  Then we wait for the call.

Addi is amazing!  You would never know that she needs a new heart.  She acts, plays, talks, and carries on like a "normal" 17 month old and we are so blessed for that. 

I am going to try really hard to keep this blog updated with what we're doing and especially when it is time for transplant.  That way all of y'all can be informed with what is going on and how she is doing.  I have actually been following two blogs of families whose little girls have just gone through a heart transplant.  I loved the idea of keeping people informed this way.  I find myself checking their blog every day awaiting for news.  Both of them have been doing really well.

I know so many of y'all have had us in your thoughts and prayers and I just ask that you continue to pray for Addi.  God is in control and I know that he has great things in store for us.  Thank you so much for your love and support.  Please feel free to send our blog address to anyone who you feel would like to know what's going on with us!

In October Addi had a heart cath done to check the pressures in her lungs to see where they were at.  At that time, her pressures were normal (YEAH!).  Here are a few pics of her at the hospital while they were monitoring her.

Taking a quick nap with Mr. G.  We don't go anywhere without him!!

Up from her nap eating a little snack.

Addi Turns One!!

May 27, 2010

May 28, 2011

So, I had some issues with uploading pictures so this is why this post is so late.  Sorry!  I'm going to try and get better about keeping it up to date (I know I've said that before).

We just celebrated Addi's first birthday.  Man, time flies.  It seems like yesterday we were bringing her home.  We had several friends and family over to celebrate.  I decided to go with a hot pink, black, and white cupcake theme.  Aunt Lala gave her the birthday outfit and there wasn't one piece missing.  It was perfect.  My friend, Andrea, and I made the cookies that I used for party favors.  I got really creative and made the birthday banner on her high chair.

Her birthday hat that she kept on!

Addi didn't want to have anything to do with the cake.  It was a little disappointing, but I guess the little princess didn't want to get her outfit dirty (haha).  She loved playing with all of her friends and really didn't care much about the presents either.  Oh well, I know that won't last long.  It was great having everyone over!

Please get this icing off my fingers!

Carrying On

Well needless to say, the past month has been the roughest time of our lives.  We could have never prepared for what happened to our sweet boy, but God has plans of His own.  We are taking one day at a time and  continuously asking God for strength to carry on without Cade here with us.  It is definitely a roller coaster ride of emotions, but each day we find ourselves being a little more at peace with this situation.  Darrell has been my rock and a great comfort to me when we talk, when we pray, and when we laugh at the funny pictures and videos we have of Cade.  The memories we have with him are priceless and we think about them ALL of the time.  Addison is growing and learning new things every day and we love spending time playing and laughing with her.  We are getting glimpses of her personality and are looking forward to her first birthday.



At the rodeo

First time at the dentist

Playing with his monsters trucks with Addi

Trapped in the nets with his sister

The family, there's that smile!

At the Astros game...this is one of my favorites!!

At the Pasadena Rodeo with Dad...my two handsome boys!!


We can't thank our family and friends enough for all of the continued prayers, thoughts, kind words, and encouragement.  This has been a tremendous help in the healing process.  It is amazing what God's love has done and we know that we will see Cade again. 

Jacob and Rachel Addie

Jacob and Rachel, two of our very close friends, are expecting their first little bundle of joy mid-June.  We went to San Antonio for a shower for both of them and had a great time.  We don't get to see them very often, but when we do, we make the most of it.  The two of them are about to move to Arkansas.  Jacob is relocating with his company.  Darrell and I wanted to make sure we were able to see them before they made the move.

One of Jacob's parent's friends hosted a shower for the two of them at their home and we went and had a great time.  Cade absolutely loves Jacob, so needless to say a lot of wrestling took place.  I think Jacob also found a special place in his heart for Addi.  He asked to hold her while he and Rachel opened their gifts.  While they were opening the presents, he even managed to get her to go to sleep.  I think he's a natural!

The Four of Us

Rachel and Me

Jacob and Addi

Addi fell asleep!

Rachel and Jacob are going to be amazing parents are we are so excited to meet Aiden!

BONUS**Check out Addi's hair!

Crazy hair!

The Kiddos

As usual time is flying by and I'm realizing I'm doing an awful job keeping up with  my blog.  The sad part is when I go to check on what all of my friends are up to, I say to myself, "Man, I really need to update our blog."  Then before I know it more time has passed by and I still haven't updated it yet.

Addi turned nine months old on February 26th.  It's so amazing how many new things she does and how much she grows every day.  I look at old pictures and can't believe how much she is changing.  She smiles ALL the time and absolutely loves her brother.  It's crazy how funny she thinks he is.  I love watching the two of them together.  Of course, she already has figures out that Cade's toys are way cooler than hers and those are the ones she always wants to play with.  According to Cade, several of his toys are "too small" and "too dangerous" for her.  "Addi could choke on them" he likes to say (even about the toys are that are perfectly fine for her to play with).  She is crawling everywhere and is now pulling herself up onto things.  Every once in a while she gets stuck and can't figure out how to get back down to the floor (it's just so far away).  We just watch and eventually she figures it out.

Addi 9 Months

Cade has started his second season of soccer and they won their first game!  Hopefully this season he will have more of a winning record.  There are a couple of kids from his team last year on his team and his really good friend, Luke, is also is on his team.  He LOVES soccer and is always asking when practice is and when his next game is!  He has enjoys riding his scooter and we're still working on teaching him how to ride his bike without training wheels.