Violet is officially 8 weeks old today. I cannot believe how much our lives have changed in past 6 months, and increasingly so in the past 8 weeks. Out hearts have grown, and our spirits have been transformed from our precious gift. I am sure I will question the direction my life takes in the future, but only momentarily because little Violet is my reassurance that God has a perfect plan for my family and my future.
One blessing Violet has opened my eyes to is the kindness of people. We are so lucky to live in a Kirksville which is known for its safeness and friendly people, but I have never experienced the amount of kindness that has overflowed since the arrival of Violet. I didn't know people could be so kind and I am now inspired to continue this chain of kindness. To make more of an effort... Close friends and family showered us with gifts and food once Violet arrived. We were so proud to be parents and so proud for people to meet our daughter. Day after day I was awed by the gifts and love we received from people who we were not so close with. People who had heard our story and prayed for us for months. People we hardly knew that showered us with encouragement and gifts. We were so humbled by everyones thoughtfulness and hope to continue the chain.
Six weeks after Violet's birth we experienced a baby shower extravaganza weekend! The food, the decorations, the gifts! We are so lucky! We planned to have the showers late in January so Violet could build up her immune system before being around so many people at one time. We were still unsure about exposing her to all the germs but really wanted everyone to see her! After conferencing with Brett Moore, our on call pediatrician :) , we decided that Violet was strong enough to go. I was so happy to dress her up and let everyone see her! My close friends from high school and their moms hosted the first shower at Lissy's house. It was so great to catch up with old friends and eat all the delicious food! Thanks ladies! Later that day, My mom, sister Tiffany and sister in laws, Ashley and Ashley, through a shower for us at my mom's house! They should be party planners full time. Violet got to meet old neighborhood friends and church friends. Then on Sunday; Jeff's mom, Aunt Patty, and friend Ashley threw us another shower! They decorated the tables with books that had main characters named Violet! I can't wait for her to start recognizing her name. Then on Tuesday, the ladies at school had a shower Violet. I loved being back in the school and seeing the ladies I taught with for 2 1/2 years. The atmosphere at the primary school is more positive than any school I have ever seen. I will miss them terribly but promise to visit!
After the shower extravaganza, I had to get organized for our second post placement visit for Violet and our month long trip to Joplin! That's right, Violet and I got to go with Jeff this time. We were planning on taking two cars just for the amount of stuff we needed to pack now that Violet has joined our family. I wanted to take the full size swing, the rocking chair, the bouncer, the rock n play, her play mat, her pack n play and the list goes on! Well, Violet got a little cough on Thursday that wasn't getting better so we decided just to take one car. Someone had to sit back with Violet to make sure she didn't choke! Jeff's parents so genorously insisted we take their Expedition for a month! After 3 hours of packing, we the swing and rocking chair didn't make the cut! The car was packed so tight I had a peep hole to see Violet and Jeff had a v shape to see the mirror! I am so glad we only took one car because Violet's cough continued to get worse and I would have been freaking out if I couldn't get to her! Little Peanut went to stay with Grandma and We were off!
We arrived on Sunday and were pleasantly surprised at the size and cleanliness of the apartment we rented! We were also surprised by the news of a record breaking blizzard that was going to hit Joplin as well as the rest of the midwest! We unpacked and tried to go to sleep but little Violet was coughing violently and choking. I was up with her all night and spent most of it in the bathroom with the steam from the shower. The next day, Jeff reluctantly went to work to be in on an 8 hour laryngectomy. I had no way of getting ahold of him. I called my dad when Violet continued to get worse. He thought by the sound of her on the phone that she had RSV and needed to be seen so she could be treated. I made an appt. but couldn't go because we only had 1 car! I got her an appt. with a pediatrician the next day. Well, the storm hit hard and we got 18 inches of snow! Her appt. was canceled because the clinic closed for the next two days! Joplin is not equipped for this type of weather like Kirksville is! We had no shovel, and couldn't buy or borrow one because people in Joplin don't own shovels because they hardly ever see this much snow.
Violet continued to get worse and we couldn't be seen by a pediatrician because of the Blizzard. Jeff called the on call pediatrician for the hospital who thought she had bronchiolitis and called her in a breathing treatment. I was so relieved to have some sort of medicine to make her feel better. The problem was, our car was stuck in 18 inches of snow and we didn't pack a shovel! Jeff is pretty resourceful and used a stick, trashcan lid and pizza box to try and dig out the car. After 30 minutes of digging he decided to walk to the pharmacy so he could get there before they closed. He had no boots or snow pants and the side roads had not been plowed! What a dad! When he got there the pharmacist drove him as close to home as he could without getting stuck. He was sleeping at the pharmacy because he couldn't get home! Jeff made it home and Violet got her medicine. About two hours later with the help of a neighbor, the car was dug out from the snow. Still no shovel, but they got it! Speaking of the neighbor, he and his wife were staying in the apartment next to us because she was due to go into labor but lived an hour from the hospital. They decided to stay close to the hospital in case she went into labor during the storm! Jeff was afraid he might have to deliver that baby!
The breathing treatment started to work quickly for Violet. She was feeling better they next day. Our next obstacle was the heat. The furnace in the apartment kept shutting off and could not keep up with cold temperatures. I packed my bags and picked out a hotel for us to stay in because the landlord didn't have any other apartments for us to stay in while they fixed the furnace. Luckily, a repair man made it to the apartment within three hours of us calling and improved the furnace. We have been in Joplin for 5 days and it has been quite an adenture. Violet is feeling much better and officially does not have RSV. She even started smiling again this morning! That makes me one happy mommy. We have a travel swing and a folding rocking chair on the way to the apartment, and I can't wait for those! I will be a whole new woman!
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