Choosing Joy

Joy  [joi]  noun
1. the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasure

     I will never forget the moment that Josh and I chose joy.  I was having a rough day and found myself in bed crying and dwelling on the negative.  Josh came in to comfort me and ended up saying something that would change our lives.  He said, "We can either spend Savannah's life in this room crying, or we can go out and help her live it."  It was in that moment we decided to surround ourselves with happiness rather than sorrow. Through this journey Savannah has brought so much sunshine into our world, so we felt it was only fitting to choose Joy for her middle name.  

     

     Week 21 was the week that we began celebrating in earnest.  We started off the week with a total blessing: God placed Kevin, Lindsey, and baby Sophia in our lives.  Sophia has been diagnosed with the same condition as our Savannah, and her parents Kevin and Lindsey are currently carrying to term like Josh and I.  We spent an afternoon at Ron Jon's sharing stories, drinking virgin piña coladas, and getting to know one another.  It is very comforting to know that we are not the only ones going through this, yet it breaks our hearts to know that we share the same pain.  God has given us the blessing of great friendship with Kevin and Lindsey, and an eternal friendship for our girls, Sophia and Savannah.  Please keep Kevin, Lindsey, and precious Sophia in your prayers.  If you would like to follow their journey you can find their blog here.

     We continued celebrating Savannah as we knocked off a few "firsts" from our list.  Savannah's first BBQ, bedtime story, and baseball game. 

This was my favorite book as a little girl!

Manatees won 10-9 after going in to extra innings!

     One of our favorite memories this week was taking our girl to the beach.  We made our camp and set out to make Savannah the most awesome sandcastle ever!  Daddy went to work building, and sculpting the perfect castle, while Savannah and I took our first walk on the beach looking for seashells.  I found myself getting emotional on and off, something Lindsey and I call "waves".  I will always treasure that walk with Savannah gathering seashells, and letting the water rush over my feet.  Josh and I decorated the sandcastle with the shells we had gathered, and wrote our princess' name in seaweed. 

Daddy drew something special just as we left.

     The next week was a very special week for me, Savannah and I were both 22!  We had the most fun celebrating.  We played Taylor Swift's song, "22" and Savannah got to listen as we held the speaker to my belly.  She was very active, and I am still convinced she was dancing. 

     This is also the week that we opened up about Savannah's condition.  We held an ice cream social to let our close friends know, and let them help us celebrate Savannah.  Josh tried to feed Savannah ice cream, and I made sure she had extra whipped cream and sprinkles.   

     One more family tradition that we decided to teach Savannah was the famous Hurtley Family Night, Movie Night, Pizza Night!  It has been a tradition in Josh's house ever since he can remember, and we loved being able to share it with Savannah.  We made homemade pizza, watched 101 Dalmatians, and stayed up past bedtime. 

     The best part about this week was having our ultrasound appointment and seeing our sweet girl wave to us.  She opened and closed her hand, and then waved it side to side.  It was a moment that Josh and I will never forget.  Savannah is also growing right on track, and she is swallowing everyday.  

     We are still so amazed, and feel very blessed to have our little Savannah Joy in our life.  We are continuing to pray for a miracle if that is God's plan. We are casting our fears on the Lord, and finding pure joy in the journey.

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!"

Philippians 4:4