Wordless Wednesday

Ava will be exactly three and a half tomorrow, and since I cannot believe she is already, I thought I'd reminisce with the first picture of her.
My little 4lb, 13.8oz preemie.

Trip To The "Better" Walmart

The other day I needed to go to Walmart for just a few things, and since it was the only errand I had that day I decided to make the little trip to the one in Grenada, about 30 min. north of here. I call it the better one, because, well, it is. It's just laid out better, and each department is better supplied. They even have some things they don't carry at the one here. Plus, Ava likes it because they have a game room and little kiddie rides in the lobby. Also, they have a McDonald's in the back with the life-size Ronald sitting on a bench Ava has to visit (and kiss and hug). The drive is not bad, there's some scenery with the hills in the area, and it's a straight shot off 82 on 7. It's still a bit far for regular Walmart trips since ours here is only 5 min. away.

This particular trip ended a little different. As I was about to pull out of the parking lot, I saw a Petco van that had some dogs inside, and the windows were not even cracked open. Although not as blazing hot as usual, it was still very warm, and more so inside a car. I felt so bad for them. They were jumping around barking. I found it ironic the van also had the IDA (In Defense of Animals) logo on the door also. So, I decided to snap a picture (I had the camera because Ava told me on our last trip she wanted me to take a picture of her with Ronald next time), and email the organization.

I sent an email that night, and got this very prompt response:

Hi Amy,
Thank you for writing and for bringing this to our attention. Our staff would never leave a car unattended with dogs in it unless the air conditioning was on. The van you saw was being driven by Doll Stanley,our sanctuary director, and she indeed had the engine running with AC on.We really appreciate your conscientiousness, caring and concern, and we could only hope that others would do the same in your position.
Your email and reminded us that it's time to send out an e-news reminding people to not leave their companions in the car.
Please let me know if there's anything we can do for you in the future.
Thank you for all you do for animals!
Sincerely,
Valerie Mizuhara

In Defense of Animals mailto:Aval@idausa.org

I felt better, but thought it a bit strange they left the van running in such a busy parking lot. I sent one back thanking her for the quick attention and response to the matter, and that I was glad to know they were in good hands. I then got this additional response:

Hi Amy, Thank you for your vigilance. Doll's dog was the one shown in your photo. She is very aggressive when anybody comes near the car, which is another reason Doll has to keep the engine running and windows rolled up.

She also sent this, today:

FYI:http://ga0.org/indefenseofanimals/notice-description.tcl?newsletter_id=14678535
You reminded us that it was time to send this out.

(Here'a a link to the part on the page she meant: https://admin1.getactive.com/attachment/indefenseofanimals/342031-Hot+Dog+in+Car+ad.pdf)

That made it even better, and I let her know how glad I was the organization is out there, and to extend my thanks to Doll. Glad I thought to snap the picture. And here's the one requested by Ava. (Just as I moved around to get one from the front, she jumped up and ran to play with the little video game they have).

Happy Birthday Pawpaw!

Saturday would have been Kevin's daddy's 72nd birthday. Kevin had to work, so Ava and I went to Greenville to spend the day with mawmaw. The three of us along with one of Kevin's brothers went to the cemetery. Mawmaw wanted to release a happy birthday balloon that she said would be going up to pawpaw. She let Ava do that, and at first she just took off with it like it was a kite, pretty funny. I was a little concerned she would get upset having to let it go, but she actually enjoyed watching go up. Mawmaw did very well. She does pretty well most days now.

Ava is still a little confused when I tell her pawpaw is in heaven, and we can't actually see him now, but we will again some day. She called him on her play cell phone on the way back and told him we brought him a balloon and happy birthday. But then, poor thing, she started crying when we turned into mawmaw's drive saying she didn't want to go back to mawmaw's, she wanted to go see pawpaw. She remembers going to see him at the nursing home. She said she remembers him giving her hugs and playing with her. She's just at that in-between age where they seem to understand a lot of things, but can't fully comprehend all concepts. We had a nice rest of the day with mawmaw, and she was very thankful we came to help her through a tough day.

A burpy-surrounded Ava on the way back.

Updates

First, for hubby. He had the tests on Friday. Of course, he didn't find out anything about the CT, but the carotid ultrasound was clear, praise God. I know the CT won't be clear, but we're hoping the area won't be too much worse. We're also hoping won't have to wait until his follow-up with the dr., or even his neuro appt. to find out. I would think if it's significant we'll hear as soon as it's reviewed next week.

I meant to do a one-week potty update on Ava last week, so I guess this will be the 2-week. We're not quite there yet, but she is definitely making progress, praise God again! She has been going in the big potty for most times she needs to go. She has even gone in two potties outside home in the past week. She's still working on catching it in time, but is getting better. I can definitely tell a difference in last week and this week. We all get excited and cheer big every time she makes it to the potty. I think the light at the end of tunnel is starting to flicker!:)

Thanks for your prayers!

Another Prayer Request

I can't believe I'm just now getting to sit down and post this, it's been a busy day. Now that it's so late, I only have a minute. So, to make it short, please add Kevin, my sweet husband, to your prayers today. He had a kind of mini-physical today, and the biggest thing is they want to do a CT tomorrow to check on possible TIA's (mini-strokes), which he had also back in January. That was due to a slow leak type thing in his brain he was diagnosed with then, and, yes as a man, he's just now getting it rechecked. Also, he is to have a carotid ultrasound to check for blockages. He had some other more minor things going on, but those are the biggest. Please pray all goes well.

A Special Prayer Request

There's a very special little girl I'd like to ask you to remember in your prayers today. Her name is Natalie, and she's just two years old. Natalie has a brain tumor that she's been receiving treatment for at St. Jude. Her prognosis is not good.

She and her parents, along with her five year old sister recently moved back down here to Greenwood. Kevin has been close friends with her daddy for several years. They were living a very normal life in Alexandria, LA just several months ago. Her parents quit their jobs and moved to Memphis just after her diagnosis. They decided to move back down here (they are originally from this area) to be close to the grandparents so they could keep her sister during visits to the hospital.

She has already had a six hour brain surgery and treatment they weren't sure she'd make it through. By the grace of God, she did. It has affected her pretty significantly though. She has problems with one eye, she has lost much of her strength, and her speech development has regressed. She is currently going back to St. Jude every two months to keep a check on the tumor. Please pray that on her next visit, it is has not grown, and that her strength comes back very soon.

Of course, please remember the whole family. Her daddy admitted to Kevin for the first time last night that he just can't even think of her future right now. I can only imagine what they must be going through. They have had many blessings since moving. Another one of Kevin's friends here helped get her daddy a new job. Her mother is a nurse that actually used to travel to different to places, and could probably find one easily here, but has decided to stay home with the girls, understandably. I am planning on getting to know them better myself, and Ava will have some new playmates. I hope that we can be additional support for all of them.