Moments That Change Your Life

By Stephanie

There are the moments that change your life.  We have had a few of those lately.   I also had one about six years ago.  We were living in Idaho and decided to take the kids to Disneyland.  My youngest sister Andrea came with us.  All the kids had the flu during some part of the trip.  So when we got home, I wasn’t surprised to get the flu.  Except it wasn’t going away.

After about three weeks of the flu, my friend was joking and said “you aren’t pregnant are you.”  “Oh no,” I replied confident.  Then I started thinking, when was my last period?  I later took a pregnancy test, and we now have our last one Hallie Dawn.  I can’t image my life with out her.  She is our comic relief.  She says unexpected things (yes, even cursing) that we try not to laugh at.  She is really fun for my husband to mess with. 

Now on to more recent moments. 

You know Avery’s sight as diminished.  But it still takes my breath away to realize how much.  Sit or stand 3 feet away from someone and focus on their nose.  Avery can see their eyes, nose and mouth.  THAT”S IT FOLKS!  Literally.  It’s hard to even make your hands have a small enough holes with your hands to look through that resembles her vision.   She had more like a McDonald’s straw’s worth before.  Now it’s like those straws you use for stirring coffee.  Teeny tiny.  They don’t expect any improvement.  We are just trying to save what little bit she has.  Hard to imagine how she is functioning so well with that little sight. You can watch her, she gets around like any other kid.  Honestly.  You can’t tell in any way that she can’t see.  But if she looses any more, she will be blind. 

She goes in Wednesday for all her pre-op stuff.  And then we have to be back Thursday at 6 am.  That means we have to leave here by 4:30am.  If her vision gets any worse (it’s hard to comprehend that) I have the neurosurgeons cell phone number, we are to call immediately and get her to the hospital.  They will do surgery the minute I get there.  If that happens.  We are hoping we make it until next week.