We have moved!

We have officially moved to www.graceoutpoured.com and are excited to see you there and continue this journey from our very own space in the cyberworld.  Head on over, create a new bookmark, and we will see you there!

We Are Moving!

~Looking Forward to Coming Days~

Well the day is nearly here, and we finally have an official date set for the re-launch of this blog.  As of Friday (Noelle's 14 month birthday), we will be moving to www.graceoutpoured.com and continuing to document this journey from our new "home."  We are excited about this transition and the possibilities in this coming year and hope you enjoy the new look and information that will be available to you (although some of it will continue to develop in the coming weeks).  We have much on which to catch up; and as always, we appreciate your love and support and look forward to greeting you on Friday from our new little space in the blogging world!  See you there...

A Life Full of "Grace Outpoured"

My husband is amazing.  Not only does he endeavor to lead our family in a godly manner, he does it while also juggling a full time job, school, and the every day responsibilities of a husband and father.  I do not believe I have ever met someone who works as hard as he does all day, who then comes home and helps as much as he does.  I am truly blessed.  As he finishes his mechanical engineering degree, it often means less time with us than is ideal; but it is for a relatively short amount of time and worth the small sacrifices we must make in order for it to happen.  In one of his classes this semester, he is learning to cut various materials with different machines; and yesterday, he came home and surprised me with the above pictured one-quarter inch thick aluminum cutout.  We had discussed it a few times, and I knew he was working on the piece, but I really had little concept of how it would actually turn out.  The picture does not capture its full beauty or craftsmanship, but I was blown away.  It is gorgeous.  I am excited to select a finishing color and one day hang it in Noelle's room with some surrounding pictures, as yet another constant reminder of God's grace in her life.  We truly live a life full of "grace outpoured."

***We are still working on getting things transferred over to our own website and are excited to announce the new site and the first book {hopefully} very soon!!***

Exciting Changes & Announcements

Since the ending comment on my last post generated even more anticipation and questions than I imagined, I decided to go ahead and share some of that to which we were alluding by that statement.

~www.graceoutpoured.blogspot.com~

Over the past thirteen months, this blog has changed platforms and faces a few times and morphed into something far bigger than I ever imagined possible.  Most of that has been due to Noelle's journey and all that she has experienced during that time, but the blog has also begun to serve another purpose as I have had the opportunity to connect with people from various corners of the world and build relationships that I was not even aware could be there.  The blogging world is a unique community of people from all walks of life that becomes even smaller when you settle into your niche.  However, our niche is different than many others since we never sought this particular experience with Noelle; but instead, it was sovereignly place in our lives by a loving God who desired to draw us closer to Himself through trial.  As Noelle has grown and become stronger, this blog has changed with her and reflected her milestones.  And while there is still a journey to be walked that is different from the norm, the blog has consequently taken a different tone than days past of roller coaster rides and heartbreaking moments.  As we look ahead and wonder what else the future might hold, some decisions have been made concerning the direction we should take, and we are excited to say that we will soon be transitioning the blog to our very own platform/website to that of www.graceoutpoured.com and dropping the ".blogspot" part of this blog.  In some ways, it is probably more exciting for me than for you, since much of those changes are behind the scenes; but you will soon be directed to this new site and {I hope} enjoy the new look and content that will be made available to you.  In many ways, I still am unsure as to where God is leading this venture; but since He has led in every step thus far, I know He will continue to do so even as we hope and pray that days such as those spent in the PICU continue to become more and more distant.  A specific launch date has not yet been set since there is still much to accomplish {and this mommy cannot guarantee specific time devoted to this subject}, but we will certainly keep you posted and let you know as the date approaches....soon.

~Happy Girl in the last few months of her helmet {we hope!}~

As far as announcements, we had originally hoped to be telling you today that Noelle had completed the time in her helmet; but after her appointment yesterday, that is not to be so.  I cannot say that I am disappointed because I truly am not, although I would have been pretty excited to say that it was true.  We had expected it based on her last appointment, but because her fontanelle is still open and her head still has the potential to change, her medical personnel feel it best to continue with this form of therapy for at least two more months.  Since she wears it now only when putting pressure on the back of her head, the actual time she spends in it each day has become less and less; and I now have to make a conscious effort to remind myself to put it on her head during those moments.  It has evolved into yet another normality in our life, becoming a "nuisance" only when a certain little person realizes that she now has the ability and strength to remove it.  I think she notices it more now that she wears it less, than when she wore it nearly 24/7!  So hopefully this particular announcement will become official in another two months.

~Formatting & Editing For This Child I Prayed~

Our another announcement has been mentioned previously, but it is becoming more and more of a reality as I format and edit Noelle's birthday book for distribution.  I have had mixed feelings in the preparation of this book for public reading since it is so very very personal to Noelle and our family; and yet I have also been humbled and encouraged and have prayed and cried as I read through letters and notes from so many who have loved and prayed for our baby girl.  Many have asked about obtaining a copy, and we are answering that request with this book, an expansion of what we created for Noelle on her special day.  This book will include not only the submissions for the birthday book but also select NICU posts, comments left for us during those difficult days, and other special posts that relate to the overall subject, For This Child I Prayed.  Again, we do not yet have a specific launch date as I am still in the formatting and editing process while also wading through the many details of publishing a book such as this; but we do hope to make this available to you shortly after the website launch and are planning both an e-book and a printed version for whichever type you prefer. 

So amidst the crazy schedules and life happenings in the Aguiar household, these are the changes and announcements that have been brewing beneath the surface.  We are excited to share them with you and look forward to the coming weeks as things actually begin to "fall" into place.  Thank you for sharing in the excitement with us!

Thirteen Months Old & Christmas Past

~Morning Playtime for a Thirteen Month Old Little Girl~

This past month has been gone in a blink, and I can hardly believe all that has transpired in just a few short weeks.  We celebrated the one year birthday of our precious girl, waded through end of the year doctor appointments, threw in a foot surgery (mine, just something minor), enjoyed Christmas as a family, plodded through our first cold of the season (again mine, requiring a constant mask, a host of vitamins and Mucinex, and sleeping in another room for several days), and welcomed the New Year with much anticipation for the coming year and all God has in store for us in the days ahead.

~Christmas Eve and ready for sleep!~

Today, as we marked yet another "birthday," I was reminded of how far we have come.  Noelle weighed 12lbs. / 3 oz. and had an Occupational Therapy (OT) evaluation today since her eating skills of solid foods are nowhere near even the level of her adjusted age.  Her severe prematurity, continued health issues, and acid reflux still affect much of our day to day life and schedule; and the normal milestones do not come naturally for her or for us.  Each skill that is obtained takes careful thought, much patience, and consistent effort.

~Our little family on Christmas Day 2012~

However, while days like today remind me of how far she still has to go, they are also a sweet indication of how far she has truly come.  Her therapists are often surprised at how quickly she adapts and responds once she is given the right exercises or "tools" to achieve the next step; and on my part, I am grateful for the intervention and expertise of others who understand babies with special needs like Noelle.  I have a completely new understanding and appreciation for those who work with children as well as for other mothers (and fathers) who have children with special needs of all levels, but who work to understand their child and endeavor to help them in the best ways possible. 

~Each gift was a new fascination!~

 Still, when all is said and done, it is one of the most enjoyable "tasks" I have ever undertaken, and my heart is so glad to be at home daily with our precious miracle and soaking up every new thing she encounters.

~Sweet gifts from friends we soon hope to meet face to face~

As a family, we especially enjoyed watching her do this while she experienced Christmas this year in a completely different way than last year, as she participated in opening gifts (well, playing with the paper anyway!) and fussing over each little thing she received. 

~Enjoying her new pictures from her little friends~

The true Christmas story of Christ humbling Himself and descending to earth as a baby to become the Savior of the world has become more and more precious to me through these past two Christmas seasons, and I am thankful that He continues to drive the Gospel deeper into my heart through these moments.   As we celebrated His birth with our family this Christmas, we also took special joy in both Noelle's birth and her cousin Ellie's as well.  We were so glad these two could spend this special time together, even if they were not fully aware of the event or each other!  Below is our attempt of getting a Christmas picture of them together, providing us some good laughs if not a good picture.  We continue to thank God for each precious day with our miracle and look forward to celebrating more Christmas seasons just as special as this one.

~"Ellie, won't you take a picture with me?"~

~"Let's stand up and see who is bigger..."~

~"Well, at least I'm still older..."~

"Where are you going, Ellie?"

~"I'll just play with my shoes til you come back.."~

~"These are so pretty and fun!"~

~"Whoa now!  Glad you're back, but where did my shoe go?"~

~"Hey, sit still for just a minute so I can get my shoe"~

~"Oh look left..."

"Oh wait, go right..."

~"Now they want us to look up?!!"~

~"Merry Christmas, everyone.  This is the best you're gonna get!"

 Stay tuned for some exciting changes and announcements in the next couple of weeks that we are really looking forward to sharing with you....

Happy New Year!!!

While in the midst of catching up on posts, we could not miss out on wishing you a Happy New Year today!  We are incredibly grateful to God for all that He has done for us through this past year as grace has truly been outpoured on us in ways I never dreamed imaginable.  His ways are truly better than ours, and we are so thankful to see His demonstration of grace in our lives.  This is a time when I cannot help but look back and remember what we were doing only a short twelve months ago.  On this day last year, we experienced a fairly good NICU day in the midst of what would be some of the most difficult and life threatening days we would ever experience with Noelle while in the NICU.  Each day was a long and tedious struggle through those first weeks, but the weeks surrounding Christmas and the early New Year were especially trying; and God both tested and strengthened our faith during those heart wrenching moments of hanging between life and death with our precious girl.  Today, while life is a far cry from those days, it still feels as if we live only steps from the NICU; and I still find myself going through a type of withdrawal, remembering incredibly hard and yet precious times spent in that scary and yet wonderful place.  It was scary because of the situation.  It was wonderful because of the people.  So as we wish every one of you a very happy new year, we again say a special thank you to our dear FMC NICU family who has made it possible for us to take the above family picture today.  God gave us an extra special blessing in you. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!