New Sights and Sounds for Baby Cordelia!

Cordelia got to see a bit of the world this week!!

Cordelia going for a walk in her stroller. Her feeding tube is on 16 hours a day and off 8hours, so during those 8 hours Cliff and Dani can take walks or run errands if they want. 

...well, when she wasn't sleeping that is! 

It's funny the things you can take for granted, like the fact that most children (mine included) had seen the sites and sounds of dozens of stores and public places and had met countless people at church, through work and in our everyday comings and going before they were three or four months old.

Little Miss Cordelia...she's met LOTS of doctors and nurses, but for the most part has spent a significant part of her life cooped up within the four walls of a hospital room. So, new places and faces and spaces...this is BIG stuff for her.

They have taken a walk or two, drove to the bank this week and even ventured to Target on one occasion!

It's nice to hear Cliff talk about some more normal day to day things like how nutty it can feel to pack a diaper bag and a baby and all the stuff that follows along, get down to the car, get the stroller in the trunk, put the car seat in the back and then finally venture to somewhere as simple as...the bank.

I teased him about the inevitable that you get all that stuff packed up and then realize you either forgot your wallet in the house or the baby suddenly has a stinky diaper!! That hasn't happened yet, but I'm sure it's coming (:

Cliff said that Cordelia is pretty happy these days and very curious. Curious about her feeding tub, his cell phone, anything her little hands can reach. Apparently, she is also trying to scoot across the bed (the only soft surface in their room) on her back. She hasn't been able to do the typical "tummy time" yet and as is typical for her age wants to MOVE.

From a medical standpoint she continues to do VERY well. As a matter of fact the doctor's reiterated to Cliff and Dani yesterday just how pleasantly surprised that are at HOW well she is doing.

The doctor's prompted Cliff, Dani and Cordelia to visit the hospital wing/floor where she had been pre-surgery to visit with the staff who took SUCH good care of them for the two months they were waiting for surgery. The nurses were thrilled to see Cordelia doing so well and grateful to have gotten a visit and to have been part of their journey!

In so many words...the whole thing truly is a miracle. The two successful surgeries (hers and Dani's), the recovery, the wisdom and skill of the amazing medical team in Cincinnati. There were some pretty significant risks and challenges going into those surgeries for both mom and baby, making us all that more grateful for the incredible outcome. As long and hard as this road has been, we are all so thankful to feel so covered in God's grace, wisdom and blessings. It has certainly strengthened my faith.  I posted some thoughts on miracles on my own personal blog shortly after the surgery...if you feel like reading a bit more feel free to click here.

Thanks again to those who joined in to purchase the I-Pad for Cliff and Dani...they have really enjoyed using it! Cliff told me last night they enjoy linking up with The Chapel (mine and Katie's home church) online to watch the music portion where he likes to show Cordelia the live video of Uncle Scott (my husband) playing the guitar on The Chapel's live feed Sunday mornings...Uncle Scott was feeling pretty proud!!

Also, Cliff's good friend George sent them some sort of NFL football hook-up app that will allow them to watch the Buffalo Bills game on their t.v. through the I-pad tomorrow!! Cliff said he was pretty excited about that because typical Sundays in the past included going to George's house to watch the Bills games. While that is not possible at the moment, he's excited to be sharing in the Bills game through George's ingenuity on sending the app along...thanks George!!

And thank you ALL for your incredible outpouring of prayer, generosity and support. There have been SOOOOO many small acts of kindness and generosity, things I have heard about and probably just as many things that have been done in humble and quiet ways to love on Cliff and Dani. It has truly restored some of my faith and belief in the kindness and goodness of humanity towards each other.


Fundraising
On that note, the Caring For Cordelia benefit is quickly approaching. The date is Sunday, September 30th from 4-8 p.m at Main & Transit Fire Hall. 

Even though we are on the other side of surgery, I'm sure you can imagine the many medical costs Cliff and Dani will still have, especially over the next couple of years as Cordelia continues to recover. For all of those reasons the Caring For Cordelia benefit is a VERY important piece in coming together to help relieve some of their burden. 

Here are things you can do to help us out now:

1. Buy a ticket! Feel free to email me at lisa.littlewood@gmail.com if you need tickets and aren't sure how to get them. They are $20 presale and $25 at the door.

2. Make a basket for the raffle! We have gotten many baskets in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and thematic ideas. Please keep them coming. The more baskets we have, the more fun the raffle will be. Again, email me if you'd like to make a basket for the raffle, but need some suggestions or ideas!!

We are trying to arrange pick ups/drop offs (at my moms) of the baskets by September 21st! 

We've had many creative folks just pick up items and put themed baskets together and others have been goods donated from business...so, if you are a business owner or know a business owner, please considering donating to the benefit!

3. Volunteers We will need some volunteers the day of. Please let me know if you are interested in helping and I will pass your email information along to our volunteer coordinator. We'll contact you the week before the event to let you know where we'll need you and when to show up.


Thank you all!!