Daddy Graduates!!!

Waiting patiently for the festivities to begin!

Jonathan and his Dad. Nola's Big Dad
Our Little Family

Yay Daddy!

We are so proud of Jonathan! He graduated from the University of Memphis on Saturday! It has been a long, hard road, but he stuck with it and finished! Good Job Daddy!!

Jump Jump Party

Yes, I know I am blogging alittle erratically! I finally got to sit down and catch up! Here is part 2 of Nola's birthday festivities! She loved the Pump-It-Up party! Everytime we say we are going to a party she automatically thinks it is a Jump-Jump party! I need to think of an excuse to have her another party- too bad they are so expensive! Maybe we can for her 1 year activation anniversary.... We'll have to convince Daddy first! :)

The Wedding

Our good friends, Andy and Deanna, got married on December 4. We were honored that they asked us to be a part of their special day! These two are special to us because they are Nola's Godparents. We chose them to be Nola's Godparents because they are two more people Nola can look to for role models. Nola was the most beautiful flower girl I have ever seen! We were concerned she would not walk down the aisle, but on the big day she did great! She walked down swinging her arm and then at the end she dumped all of her rose petals in a pile! It was priceless!!

Summer 2010

This summer, we went to the River with Honey & Pop-Pop. Nola loved it!!
We rode in the boat, played in the sand,roasted marshmallows and hotdogs, and slept in the RV!


Nola being silly.


This one is my favorite!

Honey, Nola, Pop-Pop

Roasting Hotdogs

Elf Yourself

Look at this video!! Hillarious!

Prayers....

A sweet family, The Harrisons, lost one of their twin daughters, Evie Grace, last Thursday. Please pray for them during this difficult time in their lives. No one knows their pain and I pray that the Lord wraps his arms tightly around them.
We don't ever know what the future holds and though we have faced the possibility of death or impairment with Nola, you are never ready to say goodbye to your baby.

Holidays recaps are coming!

I have been TERRIBLE at keeping up with the blog lately! I'm sorry! There is so much going on around the Bawcum household- I promise to sit down sometime next week and get all the happenings caught up!!

Party Time! Nola's Family Party

Nola had a blast at her family party at the house. Nola and her cousins played in the yard while Daddy cooked the hamburgers and hotdogs. Honey, Pop-Pop, Aunt Julia, Addison, and Nola also enjoyed the fresh pecans off the pecan tree! Aunts, Uncles, Grandparents, Great-Grandparents, and Cousins were all in attendance.

Opening cards with money!

We will be in trouble when Nola is older! She is loves clothes!! Oh, and shoes too!

A Baby!

Nola enjoyed the blue cupcakes!

Our pretty little girl turns 3! Mommy & Daddy cannot believe it!

Nola blew out the candle!

Happy Birthday to our little miracle!!

All smiles and surrounded by family!

Birthday Party #1

Today will be such a great day for Nola! Nola's Pump-It-Up party is today! We are so excited for her! We have been talking about the party the last week or so and Nola just lights up when we tell her all her friends are coming to a party just for her! Pictures will follow soon!

Let the Festivities Begin!

Nola's first "friends" party will be Sunday and I cannot wait! I know I'm crazy for paying the price, but Nola loves Pump-It-Up! Yes, she has to take off her implants, but she doesn't care! She will climb up the slide and slide down thousands of times! I cannot wait to take pictures of her and all her friends. They are mostly her school mates at Memphis Oral School with a few cousins and others thrown into the mix. This will be a time of celebrating- Nola is turning 3 and we only see a great things coming for our little miracle!

What?!

We cannot believe our sweet little baby will be 3 years old in just a short while! Where has the time gone? We have been through quite a lot in these short three years, but look where we are! Nola is a talking machine and we could not be happier! I think back to where we were this time in 2007- scared to death! Fearful of the unknown. Now I feel as if we have weathered all the large storms; there may be a few rainy days, but we can handle it! Nola is such a fighter and was given the perfect namesake.

Happy Third Birthday to our walking, talking miracle!

Whoo hoo!

I placed the Team Nola Gracyn tshirt order on Friday and am so thrilled to say we sold over 134 tshirts!!! We have been so thankful to everyone who responded and wanted to help us with our cause! THANK YOU!!

If you did not order a shirt, but would still like to help- You can still donate to our Team!!

Go to the link below:

http://http://www.pumpkinrun.org/faf/search/searchTeamPart.asp?ievent=422336&lis=1&kntae422336=C8DC8A05BD224266804BE168038A1FA1&team=390591

NOLA THANKS YOU!

Pumpkin Run Time!

It is that time again!! The 6th Annual LeBonheur Pumpkin Run will be held on Nola's 3rd birthday- October 9! We have formed a team again this year and hope to exceed our fundraising total of $3100 from last year. We have been moved at the response for Team Nola Gracyn! Since many of you have been on this journey with us or keep up via the blog, you know how important LeBonheur has been in our lives - 5 surgeries, 3 ER trips, and countless appointments. Like so many other children, Nola needs this special place and every penny counts!

There are so many ways you can help!

1. Buy a TEAM NOLA GRACYN tshirt!

Adult S-XL $12

2X-3X $14

If you would like to purchase a tshirt to help our fundraising efforts, please comment or email me (gobaby25@aol.com) with your size(s). I will be picking them up the week of Septmeber 3o and will be happy to deliver or mail your tshirts to you.

2. Become part of our TEAM!

Go to http://www.pumpkinrun.org/ and register to be part of Team Nola Gracyn!

Help us give alittle back to the place that has given Nola so much!

Eat, Bath, Sleep, School!

Nola during her favorite part of the nightly routine- a bubble bath in Mommy & Daddy's jacuzzi :)

Every night during dinner we tell Nola the routine. She has it down pat...eat, bath, sleep, school! Every morning when she wakes up the first thing she says it School!! I am so glad she enjoys school!

We Survived!

Tristan-10, Nola-2, Billy-2, Addison-6

Jonathan and I took on the challenge and had all the cousins spend the night! It wasn't bad at all and they were all great! Jonathan did say we cannot have four kids, but Billy and Nola are almost like twins since they are only 9 months apart! Whew!

Carrots Anyone?

Mommy had to help with school registration so Daddy fixed dinner.
Looks like Nola thoroughly enjoyed the carrots!

Feeding the Fish

Nola loved feeding the Koi fish at Cassandra's birthday party!
Cassandra is also a student at MOSD!

Do they have frequent flier points?!

Well, Nola woke up with a blazing fever so Jonathan took her to the pediatrician. I went on to school since it is my first full week, but told Jonathan to keep me posted. He called about 9:15 and said the strep test was negative and they were sending her to the ER at LeBonheur. Well, I immediately went into panic mode. I have never not been there when Nola had to go for something like this and I was all the way in Moscow where I teach. I ran out of school like a crazy woman and anyone who saw me with tears streaming down my face probably thought I was exactly that. I made it to the ER in record time to find sweet Nola in the pale orange gown with the IV line already in. When she was little she had the yellow hospital gowns, but now that she is a big girl she has moved to the orange gown- not that this is something we look forward to Nola wearing! She was in her Daddy's arms and her little face was flushed from fever.

Before I arrived, they had tried to give her Motrin to bring the fever down, but she got upset and unfortunately Daddy was the victim with the throw up. The ER doctor was great! She was the same one Nola had last time we visited the ER...which was only 2 months ago...we are frequent fliers. They did some tests and everything came back normal. We were discharged that afternoon and she ate spaghetti that night!

Reminiscing

I was just thinking the last few days how our life has changed in the past year. A little more than a year ago, we found out our sweet angel couldn't hear her Mommy and Daddy say I love you. We then went into full speed to find her the best doctors, best equipment, and thankfully the best school around. Within weeks of getting her diagnosis, Nola was enrolled in Memphis Oral School for the Deaf. Look at her now! One year later through hearing aids, a 6 hour cochlear implant surgery, and the 'turning on' of her implants, she is a talking machine! What a little miracle God has given us and we could not be more grateful for him trusting us with this priceless baby girl .

Thank you Jonathan for being the patient, loving Daddy you are. Nola is blessed to have such a wonderful role model in her life. I couldn't imagine doing this alone and thank goodness I have such a great husband to travel this journey with me.

I'll leave you with a note from Nola's audiologist- Nathalie.

This note was sent on 1.12.10 (6 days after her implants were turned on)

Johnathan,
I drove home from work yesterday with a big smile on my face thinking of sweet Nola. She has impressed me so much with what she has done in such a short time. To think that this sweet baby did not even have hearing aids 6 months ago and now she has been implanted and is beginning to discriminate between sounds is nothing short of a miracle. She has such a strong desire to communicate. She is definitely a fighter; there is NO QUESTION about that!!! You should be so proud of that daughter of yours; she impresses us each day with her zest for life and desire to learn. I cannot wait to see what the next several months bring for her.

See you soon.....Nathalie

Dancing Queen

Nola is a musician in training! She loves to go to line dance with Honey and play piano and saxaphone with Pop-Pop!!

Eye Surgery 7.8.10

Big Smiles while waiting to be taken to surgery



Nola's ankleband



Nola's wristband



Stylish green wrap after the IV was taken out.





Sweet baby girl taking a drink after surgery.






Groggy...







Nola wanted her Daddy! Daddy was happy to take her. :)

I am glad to say Nola is recovering great from this surgery! We had prepared ourselves to face a yucky time with recovering from anesthesia. However, this time she ate and drank the next day and was playing. We are so grateful that she is not having a hard time!! Her little eye is red and swollen, but other than that she is playing and in great spirits!
We will be taking it easy the next few days to make sure and give her eye time to start the healing process. Dr. Hoehn was pleased at the movement in her eye already at our post-op appointment on Friday. We go back to see her next Friday.
Thank you to those of you who have checked on Nola via text, e-mail, or calls. We appreciate it and know we are surrounded by people who care about our little miracle!

Back to MOSD!

Nola started back to MOSD on Tuesday. She moved up to the next room so she is in a new classroom and has a new teacher, Ms. Stephanie. Nola was very quiet the first day; she still had all of her classmates since they moved up together, but a new teacher and a new classroom made Nola quiet. She seemed to be more of herself this afternoon. :)

We purchased a brick that lines the walkway in front of the school. This is a fundraiser for the school.

Sorry I can't get it to rotate! It says The Journey is the Reward. Thank You- Nola.

I like that saying and since we are on this journey I believe it fits our family perfectly!!

What color is that?

Oh how Nola loves saying her colors now! She has mastered yellow and orange for sure! I think those are her favorite. We are also working on red, blue, green, white, and purple. We went down to Henderson for Nanny and Aunt Jackie's birthday. They share a birthday! You know how Nola charms everyone; well, she got Nanny in the floor with her to color! How sweet!

Wrapped Around Her Finger

This girl has her Daddy wrapped around her finger! :)

I love sparklers!

Mommy's favorite firework is a sparkler. This year Mommy let me hold one and I LOVED it!!

Greek Goddess

Look at this beautiful dress! Nola is going to be the flower girl for our friends Andy and Deanna's wedding! She looks like a greek goddess! How precious!
We are so honored to have been asked to be a part of their special day! Nola is a flower girl, I'm a bridesmaid, and Jonathan is a groomsman.

Potty Training.......

From My Mommy:

So we have started potty training.... some days are great and then some days it seems as though Nola has forgotten the whole concept. She get so excited when she pee-pees on the potty! She starts pointing to her mouth because she knows she gets some sweet-tarts! they are in a pretty jar on the mantle.
She is too smart and was a little stinker tonight! She said she needed to potty right after we laid down to go to bed. She ran into the bathroom and pee-peed in the potty. It wasn't the normal amount, but I didn't think anything of it. She ate her sweet-tarts and then not 30 seconds after she finished them, she went back to the potty and pee-peed again! I think she only did alittle the first time to get double the treat! That little stinker!

By the way- Pull-Ups or Easy-Ups whichever brand you buy - are so expensive! Everytime Nola pee-pees in one I think, "Great, there's another 50 cents!" A pack of 25 is $10! I'm ready for big girl panties!

Some Mothers Get Babies with Something More

An article Mommy found.........

Just Another Ordinary Miracle: Happy Mothers Day

Getting the word out

From my Mommy:

We are so excited about the topic chosen by Christy, a nursing major who is a new friend of ours! She has chosen to do her project on hydrocephalus! Hydrocephalus is not a rare condition, but many people are unaware of what hydrocephalus is. Here are some facts about hydrocephalus you may not know!

-Hydrocephalus can be present at birth which is known as congenital or as a result from a brain injury or trauma known as acquired.

-Hydrocephalus occurs 1 in 500 births.

-There is NO cure for hydrocephalus. Hydrocephalus is treated by the placement of a shunt which diverts the fluid from the head to the belly or the heart.

-Nola had her first shunt placement at 4 days old. Revision #1 was August 2008 (10 months old) and Revision #2 was June 2009 (20 months old).


As many of you know, Nola was born with hydrocephalus. She was diagnosed at about 25 weeks gestation. Nola has VP shunt which means her fluid is diverted to her belly. As a result of her hydrocephalus, she has hearing loss. She now has cochlear implants that give her the ability to hear. She is perfect! :)

THANK YOU CHRISTY FOR EDUCATING PEOPLE ABOUT HYDROCEPHALUS!!!

Surgery #5

I went to the doctor today to see Dr. Hoehn. She looked at my eye and although MOSD has been wonderful about patching, it just hasn't done the trick. I will be having eye surgery on July 8 to correct the turning of my left eye. This will be a one hour surgery and if everything goes as planned, I will be coming home the same afternoon. Mommy & Daddy told Dr. Hoehn that I do not recover well from anesthesia. Hopefully this will be the fix for my eye.

Grant's Farm

So serious....




The animals are so close!






Feeding the baby goats





I only thought I wanted to ride the carrousel... we had to get off before it started- I was scared!

My size horse