Hey guys,
Happy New Year!
We wish you and yours a happy, healthy and prosperous new year. 2009 was a crazy time for us with lots of ups and downs
Mandy finally coming home and all of the adjustments we had to do to make this happen.
Mandy’s first eye surgery
Having to replace the tubes in her ears
Her victories over Pnuemonia and H1N1.
Losing one of Mandy’s grandmothers
Her Second Birthday – More on this later
Her first Christmas home
Her Second Eye surgery- I’ll tell you about this too
We have been through a lot, and if I had to catagorize 2009,I would call it the year of God’s faithfulness. It has been very difficult at times But there have been some really incredible events that remind us again and again that God has our back. Its no wonder that he says that he will never leave us nor forsake us
To catch you up, I will have to go back several months. In October, Mandy contracted both the H1N1 Flu virus and Pnuemonia. She ended up bing hospitalized. She came through with flying colors and recovered quickly.
Then November came along and tragedy struck. Mandy’s Grandma Robin, Teresa’s mom passed away. It was very sudden, and hit us very hard. I know Mandy didnt understand what was going on, but I could tell that it affected her. It was a very hard time for us. But we know for sure that Robin had acccepted Christ, and that she is in heaven. but we still miss her.
Rolling forward to December. That was a very eventful month for us. First, Mandy celebrated her second birthday. Grandma Laura and Grandpa Jerry flew in from New Mexico and spent several days with us. They had a blast with Mandy and spoiled her rotten, just like grandparents are supposed to. My favorite image was Mandy sitting in my Dad’s lap while he sang the same songs that I grew up on. That was an incredible treat. She got some really cool presents too including a playpen that her Grandpa Bryan gave her. You should see her sitting there playing with her toys.
Next came Christmas.
For the most part it was pretty quiet. We spent it at home and rested. But there was one really neat thing that happened. A couple of days before Someone knocked on our door. I opened the door and there was a man holding a huge basket of goodies. He asked me if we were the B’laes’;s and Handed me the basket and two big bags. One with a ham, cheese, rolls etc. The other held presents for Mandy. The thing is; I have no idea who sent them. I did not recognize the man and he refused to tell me . the packages were marked from Secret Santa. It was very special and I would like to thank whoever was responsible.
Finally came Mandy’s second surgery which happened on Wednesday December 30. Her eye doctor successfully removed the cattarct from her right eye. He was expecting some difficulty because of the size of the eye. However everything went off like clockwork. This included transportation, timing, waiting room, pre-op, everything. I remember we went outside to wait for the cab and had a quick bite to eat. We finished our lunch, and the cab pulled up. Sometimes we end up waitng an hour or more. It couldn’t have gone any better. i can just see God up there tweaking events just to remind us how special we are to him.
This brings us up to the present. Mandy is recovering nicely, experiencing some pain. Yet she is still the happy little girl that never ceases to amaze me. I actually saw her sitting up in her crib on her own for the first time tonight!
- Mandy sitting up in her crib for the frist time!
I realize that you have missed out on some of this journey and I am truly sorry for that. It has been hard to keep up with all of the postings along with Mandy’s care and trying to keep things going. So with this being New years day, I have decided to turn over a new leaf and start a new years resolution. I will do my best to post every week and let you know how Mandy is doing. I will also try to shoot one video per month as well. Expect the new post on Sunday.
I know this has been a long post and I thank you for taking the time to read it. Mandy’s story has been an incredible adventure for us and I enjoy sharing it with you. It shows how our Heavenly Father cares for us, even the small things. He has brought us through many things and I’m sure that there is more coming. Yet he is still faithful. If you are going through a difficult time, talk to God and let him help you. I know from first-hand experience he will not let you down.
Love in Christ,
Michael, Teresa and Mandy
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