We have had quite a fun time on our impromptu vacation! \u00a0(And, of course, I’ve forgotten my camera!) \u00a0We’ve been relaxing by the beach and pool every day and eating out at fun new places for the girls. \u00a0We head home tomorrow, so we are packing in as much as possible. \u00a0Daddy usually isn’t able to come to the beach with us during the summer, so the girls have thoroughly enjoyed playing and spending time with him here. \u00a0Last night we went to Broadway at the Beach, which the girls have been countless of time before, but this is the first year they both were really able to enjoy it! \u00a0We stopped by the mini-amusement park first and let the girls ride until their hearts’ content. \u00a0It was so nice to have both girls together on the rides. Mary Clare is finally tall enough to ride on most! \u00a0She was such a big girl and loved having her big sister with her. \u00a0We also strolled through the shops and bought candy and t-shirts. \u00a0We definitely played tourists on this trip. \u00a0We watched the Fudge Shoppe Man sing and ate samples of yummy fudge. We strolled into the Magic Store, found a pearl in an oyster, played with kites. \u00a0The girls ended the night at the splash pad, jumping in and out of the ground water squirts. \u00a0We drove them back to the Grande Dunes around 10 pm, soaking wet! \u00a0 All three are now sleeping-in this morning, as I’m enjoying coffee alone on the terrace listening to the waves. \u00a0 Thinking.<\/p>\n
Last night as I watched Mary Care zoom by me in her mini airplane laughing so hard tears were streaming, I couldn’t help but think of what is ahead of us. \u00a0The mother in me prayed a silent prayer and pleaded to God that this will somehow make it up to her. \u00a0Maybe if she has the most fun summer, she’ll not hate me for what I know must be done to her. \u00a0I’ve noticed Mel has also been thinking this way. \u00a0He has promised to paint her toenails everyday while in the hospital this fall. \u00a0He told her she could pick out 40 different colors, or however many days we are there<\/em>, so they can be a different color everyday. \u00a0He also promised her a trip to Disney World to see all of her beloved Princesses afterward.<\/p>\n How can I do this again? \u00a0How can she <\/em>do this again? \u00a0Yet again. \u00a0How am I going to be able to hand her over this time, not just for a heart cath, a simple procedure by comparison, but a surgery which rips her tiny body apart? \u00a0How am I going to be able to watch her on a vent again? \u00a0Lines, leads, monitors. \u00a0All over again. \u00a0Having her torn away from me at birth and sit by and watch all that she went through, then again to have the same thing happen merely 6 months later was horrific. \u00a0She has to do it all over again, but this time she will ask. \u00a0Why is this happening? \u00a0Why can’t we go home? \u00a0Why do I hurt? \u00a0Why can’t you put a bandaid on it? \u00a0These are the questions that haunt my dreams.<\/p>\n We’ll continue to go to the beach. \u00a0We’ll have a marvelous summer. \u00a0We’ll go back-to-school supply shopping for 3K. \u00a0We’ll face the inevitable. \u00a0And I will pray. I will pray that she forgives me. \u00a0I will pray for her strength, her survival, her understanding. \u00a0She will be going through more than I will have ever gone through in my entire life, or ever will go through,<\/em> so I’ll will be there with her every moment. \u00a0Praying. \u00a0I will carry her through this as God carries me.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We have had quite a fun time on our impromptu vacation! \u00a0(And, of course, I’ve forgotten my camera!) \u00a0We’ve been relaxing by the beach and pool every day and eating out at fun new places for the girls. \u00a0We head home tomorrow, so we are packing in as much as possible. \u00a0Daddy usually isn’t able […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4065","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.babypennington.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4065","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.babypennington.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.babypennington.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.babypennington.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.babypennington.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4065"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.babypennington.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4065\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4116,"href":"https:\/\/www.babypennington.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4065\/revisions\/4116"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.babypennington.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4065"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.babypennington.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4065"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.babypennington.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4065"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}