"This old house... sure is lookin' good..." Can't get enough of that movie! And we are certainly glad it's Christmas vacation around here. I know lots of parents loathe the dreaded "v" word, but when you participate in every aspect of your child attending school, it's a vacation for you too.
We have been keeping so busy this season, and I've been terrible with keeping the blog up. Lucy's been continuing school via Skype...
In her pjs, of course.
...and had her first Christmas concert before the break!
Shakin' it to "Jingle Bells."
Pinterest is full of great inspirations, and we tried our hand at several popsicle stick ornaments this year. Some days she was interested in the process, some days she just wanted to choose materials and ignore me while I did the work ;)
We've also managed a lot of snuggling and nap time - is there any activity better suited to winter?
Bert's really gotten the hang of snuggle time :) And I think Lucy is finally letting go of the last vestiges of animosity over having to share attention; probably mostly because Bert is requiring far less attention these days.
We got lots of snow dumped on us just recently, so we took advantage and headed outside for some sled time.
And, of course, Christmas was full of relaxation and joy... and maybe a few presents :) Matching jammies for Lucy and her newest favorite friend, and we were sent to enjoy hanging out at home for the day.
We have also had a surge of donations for Lucy's addition. In this season of giving, people have really opened their hearts, and shown us that they are just as excited to get Lucy closer to her addition as we are. And that makes me feel so incredibly blessed. Not all of the events this season have been memorable in a good way. Noah was sick for a week in early December, which meant that Lucy and I were isolated to her room. Lucy is not at all a fan of her routine being disturbed, and on top of that, could not see her Daddy. She was refusing to nap because we couldn't do our normal snuggle on the couch, and though she is older, she really needs a period of sleep, not just rest, in the afternoon, to keep her going strong. She was getting crabby and starting to tantrum, and one night her secretions got the best of her, and she had a scary episode. We managed to get her airway cleared before her numbers got too serious, but it was a definite reminder that Lucy just isn't as strong as she was when she was younger. It's something we don't like to talk about, or think about, but it's there. She tires more easily, and cannot recover herself as well as she once could.
Having this addition done this summer is imperative. We spoke with our contractor last week, and got a rough estimate, since we weren't really sure we were aiming for the right number. They confirmed that yes, it's going to cost around $90,000 to do the addition. A daunting number for sure, but we are determined to make this work.
We added in all the amazing, generous donations from family, friends, and businesses recently, and our total in the addition account right now, after having spent the money to secure the extra lot, is $17,500. So to date, we've actually raised close to $25k.
Realizing that, barring a miraculous lottery win or a celebrity adopting our fundraiser as their pet cause, we are not going to have the $90k raised by this spring. What we are hoping for is to have at least $30,000 raised, and then to get bank approval to take a second mortgage out on our home for the rest. We are praying that this extreme financial step is one that will be feasible for us, because we just can't keep hauling Lucy up and down, and she will not tolerate being isolated to her room.
So we ask you to pray. Pray for generous hearts from people who can afford to give, and pray that we will be able to swing the difference on our own. And share Lucy's donation page if you feel so inclined. We are so grateful to you all for supporting us. This is really going to change Lucy's life - she won't be isolated when a parent is sick; it will be the sick one who is isolated, and rightfully so. She will have a bathtub that she can be safely lifted in and out of; one that she can stretch out in and wiggle, and not have to worry about running out of space. She will have a shower with a safe chair, so that she can still be bathed on days when her secretions overcome her. Her bedroom will look out onto our yard, where we are planning on Make-a-Wish building her a playset, and a flowerbed. This will be a haven for Lucy; a place for her to grow and thrive and be taken care of. And it will be because of the wonderful people that God has put in Lucy's life.
