{GROWING STRONGER}

Callie continues to improve daily. It's not any huge steps that she is taking, but gradually she is building herself up. The hospital has promised to keep her as long as her progress continues in this way, and once it slows they will send her home where she will need to continue therapy locally. She is doing great! I am glad for her time in the hospital where every one can be focused on her and her recovery.
Her persistence in moving forward is so inspiring to me. I know that through life I have had challenges, none as severe as this, but I wish that I had stuck to my resolve more firmly. I seem to get frustrated and distraught when I don't have my instant gratification. I like to see results and when I don't see them right away, I get distracted and just let things slip through. She amazes me with her dedication to her life. She isn't going to be content in just sitting in her chair and being catered to. That isn't Callie...that has never been Callie.
The day before her accident I had gone to Show Low for my nephew's baby blessing and then my cousin's blessing afterwards. I sat there as Baby Boy was being held by Grandma and Grandpa and I was reflecting on the family in Heber whose son had just passed away the day before. I sat there thinking what a blessing each day is with our precious little people. And as I sat there thinking, Callie waddled down the pew and climbed into my lap. This is such a RARE occurrence. For the most part Callie just preferred to be doing her own thing. So I grabbed her up and held on her and squeezed on her as these thoughts continued to pass through my mind. I wonder now if she knew what I was thinking. And she so sweetly let me get my hands on her to prepare me for what would happen the following day. I was SO grateful to have had that moment with her. As I sat in the sun room at PCH that day I kept thinking how squishy and tiny she felt as she sat on my lap in that church meeting. And I found comfort in it.
Thank you Callie for your sweet spirit and your strength that has inspired me and so many others! I love you!

For updates and pictures of Callie while I am still out of town go {HERE}

{GO CALLIE GO}

Callie has been making such progress with her physical therapy! She has been able to pull her knees up under her while laying on the floor, put pressure on her feet all by herself {very important in learning to re-walk}, and just this morning while Dad was tickling her, she actually rolled over from her back to her stomach all by herself!
All of these things are so awesome to hear!
When we went to see her Friday morning she looked so good! We laid Baby Boy next to her with her arm under her neck and it was so cute, she turned her head towards him and got close. Both of them were both so content to lay there next to each other.
We hope to continue to see all of these progressions repeat themselves! She has continued to get her eyes open to slits. It is for short periods of time and very small slits, but still SO promising.
Thank you for all the love and support you have been giving for her to help give her strength to do these things.
We love and thank you all!

{P.S. I am still needing information from some of our winners. Please email me with your addresses AND sizes for your item if that is an option.}

{P.S.S. I am with my family in California for the rest of the week but will still try to get updates on throughout my stay here. Sorry if I fall behind a little but keep checking my MOM's blog for updates as well! Love you guys!}

{HAVE YOU WRITTEN A 'LOVE NOTE' LATELY?}

Keep those "Love Notes" rolling in! I am so excited to put this all together for Callie. I have had a little change of plans on HOW TO MAKE IT. I want it to last her a long time, so I am doing it in a book-like form. For that reason, I will probably not finish it for another week. So keep on sending in your thoughts. It doesn't matter if you have never met Callie or if you live down the street from her. This is something I know she will treasure in years to come.

Thanks you all are seriously so AWESOME!

{Love.Ash}

{I Literally Jumped Out of My Chair!}

Oh you guys! I just got a call from my parents that has got my adrenaline going big time! They were taking pictures of Callie drawing the winning raffle tickets and all of a sudden she started trying to open her eyes! My dad described them as "Wide open slits!" ha ha I am so excited! This tells us that she still has the ability to get those big round eyes of hers working all on her own! It will probably be a lot of work before she can get them WIDE open but she is on her way we think! This is a huge answer to my personal prayers and I am sure to MANY others!

I feel like I'm experiencing a miracle everyday lately! I am just so thankful for this answer to our prayers!

{P.S. The winning tickets are coming, all this excitement kind of slowed things down in the room! They will actually be posted below this post as I started it earlier.}

{AND THE WINNERS ARE...}

Our big helper girl and her lovely assistants!

Reaching in for the grab....
One of our winners.....
And another....Don't worry there's more!....

Raffle #1 {Dick & Jane Backsack Kit}-Donated to "Kisses for Callie"

Raffle #2 {Boo Boo Bags}- Erin Ganley

Raffle #3 {Frankie Frankenstein Shirt}- Andrea Gunnell

Raffle #4 {Knobby Kneed Vinyl Birds} -3 sets to Lindsay Baum

2 sets to Seriously, So Blessed

Raffle #5 {Robins Egg Blue Beanie}- Candace Craner

Raffle #6 {Navy Brimmed Beanie}- Jolyn Cavey {You did it girl!}

Raffle #7 {Shades of Pink Tutu}- Deb Tenney

Raffle #8 {Kids Educational Games}- Genevieve Anderson

Raffle #9 {Bella Turquoise Strawberry Apron}- Margaret Burke

Raffle #10 {Guilty Pleasures Pink Tutu}- Sandi Neus

Raffle #11 {Knotty Legs-Baby Leg Warmers}- 5 pairs to Lindsay Baum

5 pairs to Emily Wingard

Raffle #12 {Recycled Journals}- Lindsay Baum

Raffle #13 {Addison Fresh Water Pearl Necklace & Bracelet}-Sandi Neus

Raffle #14 {Lavender Addison Fresh Water Pearl Necklace & Bracelet}- Kimberly Fullerton

Raffle #15 {Lavender Melina Bracelet}- Jill Beach

Raffle #16 {Rylee Bracelet in Pink and Purple}- Deb Tenney

Raffle #17 {Kate Flower Clips}- Mike West

Raffle #18 {Just Like Daddy Onesies}- Erin Dowdy

Raffle #19 {Tractors on the Farm Flannel Rag Quilt}- Kennedy Nicoll

Raffle #20 {Blanket, Burp Rags & Mary Kay}- Bryanna Waite

Congratulations to all the winners! And a HUGE THANKS to everyone who participated! If you are a winner please email me {ashley.broomall@yahoo.com} your mailing address and size of your item {if that is an option} as soon as possible. I will be out of town through the week and would love to get your things to you ASAP so you can enjoy them! And once you do get them, why not stop by the vendor's shops and let them know how you like them!

The raffle went above and beyond my expectations and I am so thrilled and grateful! Together you have helped to raise over $1700 for "Kisses for Callie"! You guys are awesome!

Thank you Thank you Thank you!

{Lots of love.Ash}

A big wave to all of her friends! She's exhausted!

{THE STROKE OF MIDNIGHT}

The raffle has officially come to a close. I'm so overwhelmed at how well it did and how many people participated! Thank you everyone!

The winners will be posted by morning! We have a very special little girl helping out with the drawing detail!

{Love and Thanks.Ash}

{LOVE NOTES}

I've been thinking a lot "I wish Callie could look back and see all of the people who have been praying and supporting her through this time." So then this morning I had an idea. I am going to visit Callie this weekend and would like to make her a little something special. I have been so touched by all of the comments and emails I have received and would love to take that with me for Callie.

So if you have been following Callie's story and would like to leave HER a special note please leave it as a comment or email me at ashley.broomall@yahoo.com. If you email me please put NOTE TO CALLIE in the subject box. It can be long, it can be short, anything at all.

I am leaving Friday morning so please try to do this by Thursday evening. I will be printing them out into a special card for her and will let you all see the finished project!

{Thanks and love.Ash}

{LAST DAY REMINDERS}

Hi Everyone!

I think that the raffle has been going fabulously! I wish that all of you could end up with something! I just wanted to post a few reminders before things wrap up tonight.

*If you have made a donation, please let me know where you want all of your tickets. I don't want to miss anyone! This can be done by leaving comments or emailing me at ashley.broomall@yahoo.com.

*If you have put tickets into the raffle, be sure to make the donation for these tickets by midnight. I will be going through paypal receipts tonight to make sure I have everything correct.

*The raffle will close at midnight and I will be posting the winners early tomorrow morning. Be sure to stop by and check out our winners. If YOU are a winner, please email me your mailing address and size for your item {if that is an option}. The sooner you do this, the sooner you get your sweet prize!

Good luck to everyone and THANK YOU!

{FALLING THROUGH THE CRACKS}

For all of you who have forgotten, I have two beautiful sweet boys! Yes I really do! I was just thinking today that I have not posted anything honoring their awesomeness lately. Shame on me! I feel like life has been going by a million miles an hour the past few weeks. And they have been so wonderful to me! Letting me sleep all night and being reasonably manageable during the day. Bossy pants {a.k.a the 2 year old} has even taken to eating better at dinner time. As for Baby Boy {also known as the chubby 12 week old}, that has never been a problem. He LOVES his milk and you can definitely see that by taking a look at his physique! He will be 3 months old on October 2nd and he already weighs more than half of Bossy Pant's weight! We do not produce skinny babies in the Broomall home!

So I just wanted to take some time to dote on my men! They are the most WONDERFUL little people! They have been known to light up even the rainiest of days. I love them and am so grateful to be their mommy!

P.S. Today was a VERY exciting day for Bossy Pants! One of his favorite shows {which is also one of the STRANGEST shows in my book} had a special guest appearance. Now this special guest was none other than the 6 foot 10, 245 pound, fro haired wonder that we fondly refer to as Amare! Go YO GABBA GABBA! We love Stoudemire!

{BENEFIT BLOG FOR CALLIE}

Thank heavens for wonderful family and friends! My sweet cousin Brittany and her mom Lisa have set up a blog for Callie to help spread the word on fundraisers taking place on her behalf. Brittany is putting together a benefit yard sale down in the Mesa area and would love any items that you might have to donate. It wont be taking place until the end of October so don't worry, you have time to get your items together and available. If you live in the White Mountain area and have items, but wont be going down to the valley, please contact me and we will work something out.

Please visit the new site at {www.kissesforcallie.blogspot.com}

{SO FOR REALS::CALIFORNIA DREAMING}

For any of you who are wondering why in the world I chose this rendition of "California Dreaming" to put on my blog...let me paint you a picture.Christmas time, at my parents house, Marcus kicking all of our butts at Guitar Hero, and one short stacked, nearly one year old brown haired beauty totally ROCKING OUT! Headbanging and the whole bit!Hearing this song flooded my brain with those pictures that I never realized I would cherish SO dearly! What I wouldn't give to see my sweet California dancing around the room right now like a crazy person. I've been able to hold my tears in so well lately, but right now I can't. I so badly want to see her on her feet and living the life that she loves.



I'm California Dreaming right now.

{ONE BUSY LADY}

{Callie and her special visitor today. Big brother Justin got to make an unexpected visit! Yay!}

Well it sure sounds like they kept Callie plenty busy today. And I don't think that is going to change. She had physical therapy, speech therapy and music therapy. My parents say that she is improving every day! She definitely has a ways to go but we are SO happy to see her progressing forward at any rate. She is such a miracle! I can't wait to visit her again and see all her improvements! Instead of second hand recollection I figured you could read {MY MOM'S} description of the day!

On another note, Callie's eyes still are not opening. This damage could be permanent, or it could just take some time to heal and repair itself. I pray that it will be healed. The doctors say she certainly will not be blind and there are procedures that can be done to help if the damage does not go away, but I just hope and pray that she will be able to open her eyes again! Matt continues to remind me that I should be grateful for the miracle that she is still with us. And I am. I am overcome with gratitude to my Heavenly Father for the tender care he has taken in healing our little California. But I can't help but to continue to pray for more miracles, for her to be whole again. She is only 20 months old, but if you could have just seen the spunk and the life inside of her! She is an amazing little girl. She is so special! And we have all known that before this.

We continue to pray for this sweet girl and invite you all to do so with us. You have all been such blessings to Callie and us.

{Thanks and Love. Ash}

P.S. I was so happy to hear my mom talk about taking Callie around the hospital with her and my dad. It seems her new wheels are really coming in handy. She got to go eat with Mom & Dad {they ate, she got to enjoy the smells}, hang out with them while they washed their dishes and go for a little stroll in the veranda area. Hearing that made my day!

{Sept 23rd}

{THE MAIDEN VOYAGE}

Well as I had mentioned earlier, Callie was moved to the pediatric rehab part of the hospital. And that chair I talked about them getting her, well they got it. The first one was a bit small and they upgraded shortly after this picture was taken. Look at that big Yawn! She must be exhausted from all the moving!

As promised Callie has been kept busy with all of her therapy sessions. Here are just a few pictures of what she did today. Callie has ALWAYS been so independent! She was an early bloomer in just about every area. It's so crazy for me to think that she may have to relearn all of these things. I can hardly stand seeing her in a chair, not being able to do things the way she usually would, but then I take a moment to really think of the situation and I'm just so glad that she has the opportunity to relearn all these things and we get the blessing of watching her learn again. She is still with us. She is a miracle. She is a blessing. I just have to maintain faith that she will pull through this and be that same strong independent little girl that she was born to be. She is in my prayers and my thoughts everyday, all day. I can't even describe how awesome it is to know that I'm not the only one who can say that. That at the very second I am pleading with the Lord to make her whole again, there are several more doing the same. I know she is in His hands and that His will is stronger than all the pleading in the world. But how could we not hope for that? This experience with Callie has touched me in so many ways. I still wish she did not have to go through this, but I am thankful for the good I have found through it.

I love you so much Little California!

{HUGS AND KISSES!}

{FLOWERS IN GODS GARDEN::BEAUTIFUL}

My Aunt Mary posted something yesterday that I think you all would enjoy reading. It really is a beautiful message and something I would like to be shared.

You can read it by clicking {HERE}

{THE MANY ADVENTURES OF CALLIE}

Since my last update Callie has had TWO big moves! On Sunday they moved her from ICUF to ICUD because of an abundance of patients in the first ICU Pod. My Mom says it was just like a moving caravan! All the beautiful pictures, cards,balloons, animals, dolls, etc that adorned her little room followed faithfully behind her! That girl definitely has LOVE on her side! She spent the night in her new room with Mom in bed next to her. Dad had to leave to go back out on the truck for a day. We would all just love it if he could stay there with them, but unfortunately life doesn't stop for everyone! There are mouths to feed, and bills to pay...what a hard working Daddy we have! Callie was having a hard time keeping her sodium level where her team wanted it and that made for some concern. But this morning it went down and she seems to be maintaining it thus far!

With her sodium level looking better {along with other factors I'm sure} her doctors decided she would be alright to move to the Pediatric Rehabilitation center. A new night, a new room! My mom has informed me that these rooms are quite confined. That is saying a lot as I considered her first room to be "quite confined". The hospital is working on getting her a chair though that she will be able to sit in and be pushed in. {They have said that being in the upright position can encourage people in her condition to "wake up".} So perhaps she can escort her company throughout the halls of her current home every now and again!

We are so pleased to see how far our little California has come! She is amazing, our Father in Heaven is amazing, and YOU are amazing. Thank you so much for the love and support! I can feel very comfortable in saying that we have LOVE in our hearts for all of you!

Hugs and Kisses and wishes for an even better tomorrow!



Getting ready to make the move with her adoring enterage.

Good bye ICUF! {These are the doors to her first room. The hospital staff let us all decorate them with fabulous window paint!}

{IT'S RAFFLE TIME}

Okay you guys! I am so excited to get this raffle started and am hoping for a big success! Here is how this will work:

Ticket prices are $2 per ticket or 30 tickets for $50.

And because I love a good shout out I will give 3 raffle tickets to anyone who sends a holler this way!

To purchase the tickets, simply go to the "Kisses for Callie" donation button and make a donation according to the number of tickets you would like to purchase.

Next you will need to leave me a comment under each raffle you wish to enter. Make sure you let me know how many tickets you would like in each. I will also need you to leave the email address you provided for your donation. {If you don't have a blog or google account, you can still participate by emailing me at ashley.broomall@yahoo.com and letting me know where you would like your tickets distributed. Please put RAFFLE in the subject box.} And of course don't forget to let me know if you left a shout out on your blog!

My underpaid staff and I will personally distribute your tickets to the proper raffles. Winners will be drawn at Midnight {MST} on Wednesday the 24th.

Good luck, have fun and THANK YOU!

{WEEKEND VISITORS}

Yesterday I got to go and see Callie, our little PICU patient. I was BLOWN away at how good she looked! It's amazing how much changed in one week. Everyone who has been to see her in the last few days have told me how great she looks, so I was so happy to be there with her and get to see it for myself and not through picture messages. Last Sunday was the last day that I saw her and while she was looking TONS better than my first mental pictures of her after the accident, I couldn't help but hurt a little bit for how she looked. To think of what this little girl has gone through and is still going through, I wished I could give her a break and go through some of it for her. It was so nice to see her looking more relaxed and comfortable and not have to be so covered in I.V. lines and monitors. And just as I know my parents LOVE holding her, I know that she loves it too! That has to be so comforting and soothing to her. And guess what! Big sister {me} got to rock-a-bye her too!

The biggest sister and the littlest sister. {Just a note: there is about a 21 1/2 year difference here. And she's the stronger of us.}

Mom, Dad & little California! Every one's smiles keep getting bigger and bigger as Callie gets better and better!

She did have to have a little bit of her hair shaved away for the monitors and her incision. I promised her some pretty headbands for when she gets her little buns out of the hospital.

The rest of her visitors! Well at least while I was there. There is {top left to right} Marcus, Amber, Dad, Haley & Burke {bottom left to right} Elsie, Emma, Brinley & front and center, Hayden {who is blurry because she's always in motion!} Callie was so excited for the kids to be there. My mom says that maybe she was a little TOO excited!

Also, I found out this weekend that she wont need a drainage tube for the hole I had mentioned before that was draining fluids through her ears. That has healed up! Such an answer to prayers! And I was mistaken on a few of my posts when I said the "Optical Nerve" was damaged, it is actually a part of her brain stem which holds optic function, not the Optical Nerve itself.

Oh and Callie has added another therapy session to her busy schedule, she will start vocal therapy early this coming week! Go Callie! I'm not sure what all they can actually do with her right now in her condition but I guess they feel it's important to get started. I'm anxious to see how it goes!

We love you Callie! We're all fighting for you!

{CALLIE'S DAY}

Things seemed to be very low key for Callie today. It was her second day of physical therapy. They sit her up and do a small routine of things. It is very tiring for her.
As you can see, she was worn out . I LOVE this picture. If it weren't for the tube in her nose you would have no idea where she was and what she is going through. She is such a beautiful, sweet and strong baby.

They still think that it is possible that she is awake right now. But as I said before, it is hard to tell because the damage to her optical nerve is still prevalent. Please keep in your prayers for her that this will heal.

My Mom told me that Callie's team of doctors is talking about having her moved from PICU to Pediatric Rehab by Monday or Tuesday! Yay Callie! Our little fighter girl!

I will be going to Phoenix tomorrow morning to visit our tiny patient. I apologize if I fall behind on updates again. It's hit and miss for me to get a signal on the computer down there. But my mom has been posting little bits so you can check hers for updates also.

{Love.Ash}

{JUST PUSH PLAY}

Any time I think about the elections this year, I get a little bit of anxiety. I'm not a pro when it comes to keeping up with politics. I really should keep myself better informed. I truly have tried this year to do that. I feel like there is SO MUCH on the line. There are so many issues that are being faced. Sometimes I feel like there is a lot of smooth talk and wonder how anyone can live up to all of the promises that are being made. I do know what are the most important things to me. There are things that I just cannot support. I found this on Lindsay Baum's blog and thought I would link it for you all to watch. While I am not Catholic, I can't say that I don't fully agree with the message of this video clip.

{Watch it HERE.}

{I WAS JUST THINKIN'}

I am so excited about the raffle you guys! There is just tons of awesome stuff! I'm really hoping for a great turn out! SO I was thinking that I should do something nice for those of you who give a SHOUT OUT on your blog. So how about 3 free raffle tickets?! Who knows, those could be your winning tickets! So stop by on Monday and join the fun and if you've helped to spread the word just let me know and we will hook you up!

{OHH OH THE SWEETEST THING}

Baby's got blue skies up ahead!

I got a little teary eyed when I got these pictures today. Today was the first day my parents were able to hold little Cal Jayne. After 11 days in the hospital I can only imagine how wonderful a moment that was!

Today has been a great day!

She was able to have her staples and the ICP monitor removed from her head. The doctor who removed the staples was very impressed by how well she did. He said it usually makes people cry, Callie just flinched a few times. What a tough little lady!

The MRI results were finally delivered and discussed with my parents. There were no significant changes as far as regression. And the few areas they were worried about stroke damage were cleared up. The only damage that still remains is on the brain stem and it affects her optical nerve. What a miracle! My parents fasted yesterday that the damage to her optical nerve would be able to heal itself and as I was speaking to my Dad he told me that a lot of their prayers have been focused there. The doctors have said today that it is possible that she is in some level of "awakeness" right now but because she is still unable to open her eyelids and her eyes have yet to dilate, it is hard to know for sure.

Callie also had her first day of physical therapy! They are limited as to what they can do right now but they want to get started. They will be going in to work with her several times a week, as will the music therapist. They plan to keep her pretty busy!

My parents tell me that Callie seems to draw people to her. The nurses and doctors who see her will come to visit her even when they are not on call. They are all so impressed with her strength. And of course they think she is adorable!

We are so thankful for such a beautiful day! The Lord continues to bless and watch over her and our family. It has been such an eye opening experience for me. To see such a miracle and to feel the faith and love of so many around us. If I wasn't such a big mouth I think I would be speechless right now.

Thank you everybody I hope you can see from these pictures what a blessing your prayers and faith have been for our family.

Also, my mom was able to do a quick post today. I know she would love for all of you to read it. {CLICK HERE}

{Love.Ash}

{MAKING ANOTHER GO AT IT}

At about 6:00 tonight Callie was taken off of the ventilator. The doctors feel she is ready to try it again. I spoke to my dad around 7:45 and he said she had been breathing pretty rough because her airway is swollen so they helped her out by giving her a little bit of oxygen mixed with helium through a tube that sets in her nose. (No idea the name of it.) It seems to have helped her out and we are hoping that she will be able to continue to breathe on her own without the help of the ventilator.

Other than this there have been no big changes. She gets a little more responsive every day. It seems to be slow going right now but we are just so thankful that she is not regressing! If everything looks good after she has been off the ventilator for a while, they are contemplating removing the ICP Monitor, which is a needle that goes into her brain to measure the Inner Cranial Pressure.

I have been asked a few times by people if she is still in a coma. She is. It is not an induced coma. There is still the question of "Will she wake up?" We definitely have faith that she will.

My parents still have not received the results of the MRI. My dad says he expects it will be morning before they are shown everything. I am very anxious to hear what they have to say.

Please continue to pray for Callie. She can use every bit of help in this fight for her life.

{NOTHING BUT TIME}

Time Time Time! I'm not the most patient of people. Time is usually my friend when it passes quickly. I am trying to befriend time right now. It will take TIME for Callie to wake up and TIME for her to heal. A huge part of me would like for her to open her eyes right now and to shake her comatose state right off! But as my parents kindly remind me she needs this TIME to heal. Okay. I know they are right but could the TIME pass a little quicker?

She had her MRI yesterday evening. I haven't heard the results of that. It will take TIME for the Neurosurgeon to thoroughly review it. I am very anxious to hear what he sees!

I'm thinking I should really work on the patience thing. Yeah that would be good. What do you do to pass TIME? Got any tricks?

{Just a note...this clock face belongs to the latest edition of our family. A Grandfather Clock. And not just any Grandfather Clock, THE Grandfather Clock! Matt's Great Grandpa Marshall built this clock years ago. Matt is so happy to have inherited it! He passed before I even met Matt but now I get a little piece of his history to display. I don't know, I think it's pretty special!}

{RUBY SLIPS & WHATS LURKING IN MY MAIL BOX}

Oh Dorothy! I could really use your pretty slippers about now! My trusty ol' rocket dogs don't seem to be working! I am so behind. I feel like I'm still in search of yesterday. Where did it go?! And the day before that? Wow I need to get things going here! It's hard to move on with life in a semi-normal fashion when I know what is going on at PCH with my sweet little California. I feel consumed sometimes with thinking about it. I know that it is in the Lord's hands but I cannot keep it out of my mind. I'm thinking that three clicks of the heels would be a great way to solve this problem. Click Click Click and I'm checking in on Cal Jayne {without bothering my parents}...Click Click Click again and I'm back at home with my handsome boys playing pat-a-cake, a bit of the anticipation subsided. Oh if only!

Here's a little taste of my malfunctioning mind. Yesterday I finally made it out of my house for a quick trip to the Post Office. I imagine the bill collectors wouldn't care much if I explained that I hadn't sent out payments yet because I didn't feel like getting dressed today. Big bummer! So I wrote checks, licked envelopes and off I went. I got home feeling relieved that I could now remove that from my mental "to do" list when suddenly I was staring at a book of stamps. Several smiling Disney characters seemed to be mocking me in my moment of realization...Holy Moly! I forgot to put stamps on my envelopes! Gads! So here I am again. I would be lying if I said I was not in my comfy pj's today. I most certainly am. I sit here waiting for my men to wake up so that we can take yet another trip to the Post Office where I am sure to find several unhappy articles of mail lurking in my box with no stamps.

On a happier note I did get word from my mom that Callie is being taken off the EEG monitor today! Apparently there was absolutely no sign of seizing from their reads. Such great news! She has had to have her head wrapped in gauze with all the probes on her, but she will get to take that off as well and hopefully that will help to lower her fever. And as I mentioned before she will be going in for another MRI today. Let's pray that the only changes are positive ones.

{Love.}

{CALLIE UPDATE AND HEADS UP}

Today has been a day of small progressions for our Cal Gal. She has been becoming more responsive again, still working to get back to where she was. She is still being monitored with the EEG. Hopefully that will be able to come off tomorrow. She has been running a fever all day but it has been slowly dropping and we are happy for that!

She is scheduled for another MRI tomorrow so that they can see what kind of changes, if any, have been going on inside that little head of hers. We are so happy to continue to see her progress and not regress no matter how small the changes. She continues to prove her strength to us. And the Lord continues to shower us with blessings and hope.

And now get your calendars out and make sure to drop by on Monday the 22nd for an awesome raffle! All proceeds of course will be going straight to the donation account "Kisses for Callie"! We already have some AWESOME prizes lined out thanks to great vendors such as Scribble It, Little Diddle Boutique, Too Dizzy and Dizzy Daizy! That's all you get...I don't want to spoil all the goodies! Spread the word and don't miss out!

{Love from the Nest. Ash}

{LINE UPON LINE}

I wanted to send a huge thank you to Charyce from Line Upon Line Greeting Cards who made my awesome header and adorable donation button for Callie! She did such a great job! You should definitely check out her site. You LDS gals are sure to get a good laugh out of her cards!

{THANK YOU CHARYCE!}

We are working on getting a code up for those of you who would like to add it to your blogs so keep a look out!

And though I sound like a broken record, thank you so much everyone for the love, support and prayers! Saturday evening was hard for my parents. They watched Callie take one big step forward and then had to see her take a few steps back. Thanks to a loving Heavenly Father she is making her way back up and we are so grateful for that! Your prayers on our behalf mean so much! I have been so touched by all of the wonderful things that have been said and done for my family and my baby sister. It truly has been overwhelming.

{SWEET MOMENT}

I was unable to post anything about the family fast on Sunday but I understand a lot of people joined in and we are so thankful to all of you. On Saturday night before we all headed our different ways from the hospital, we were able to have a family prayer (we did miss Micah as he needed to stay up here and work after being in the valley most of the week). My Dad offered the prayer and it was such a sweet and powerful feeling. Yes I love my big family! In times like these when we all come together and support each other it is so awesome to me. It's like swimming in a pool of love! No matter where you turn, there is somebody there who's got you and supports you. Callie has 12 big brothers and sisters who will be there for her through all of this. I've referred to Callie as the "straggler" before. She was definitely a surprise to all of us! My parents were happy to be done "child bearing" with 12 kids but Callie made her way in! Most of us weren't even aware of her coming until my mom was 5 1/2 months pregnant! But she has always been a sister to me! She may think of me as more of an aunt, who knows, but she is my little sister and I love her!

{LITTLE MISS BREATHING ON HER OWN}

Sorry to take so long on updating. I was able to go see Callie this weekend in Phoenix and had a hard time keeping an internet connection on the computer I was using.

Friday was a fairly calm day for our little lady. A lot like Thursday. She did mark off one of the things the Neurosurgeon had on his list of "To-do's" for the weekend, and that was that she got to have the C-spine Collar taken off! Yay! She also got some very special visitors Friday night! They younger kids were able to go see her and take all the things they had made for her! Everyone was so happy to see her and the progress she has been making!

Saturday started off well. Around 11:30 they began the process of getting her off of the respirator! It was a success and she was breathing on her own by 12:30! It was so good to see her without quite as much hoopla hooked up to her. Early in the evening the shifts changed and Callie got a new doctor, one who had not yet been on her case. He felt that because of the reading from the ICP (Inner Cranial Pressure) that she needed to have a CT Scan stat. Her breathing had begun to get rough because of an agitated throat and they felt that the safest way to proceed with the CT was to reintubate her. So they went ahead and put her back on a ventilator, this time a smaller one, and she will remain on that until they feel she is ready to go at it again. One of the nurses did say that this wasn't uncommon. The rest of the night was somewhat hard on her. She did suffer two seizures and is now on anti-seizure medication. She is however beginning to pick back up to where she was.

Even though she is back on the ventilator, the respiratory techs all agree that she maintains the ability to breathe on her own, which we are happy to hear. Because of her injury, she is at risk for seizures. They have been performing a 24 hour EEG on her, and after the first 12 hours, the EEG shows no seizures, more good news!

Also, the CT that was ordered on Friday night appeared to show no negative changes. That was good to hear! She has been able to get a lot of rest today and we tried to keep her room as quiet as possible. She has a lot of healing and recovering ahead of her and we want to make it as easy for her as we can.

My parents have been holding up so well! I can definitely see the wear on them physically, but spiritually and mentally they are all there! They are sharing a little couch/bed in a tiny ICU room and eating what people have been so kind to bring or what the hospital cafeteria has to offer. (Which by the way I hear is not that bad.) Today when we got to the hospital we were greeted by my dad in scrubs. No, he is not taking up a new profession, he was fresh out of clothes. Next weekend I will have to remember to help them out with their laundry!

Thank you for your continued prayers and faith!

{IN THE WORDS OF THE EIGHT YEAR OLD}

Today my brothers and sisters stopped by on their way down to Phoenix and while they were here my eight year old sister Haley made this comment:

"I think that I know why Callie is still alive. You know how she is crazy and when she falls down she just gets right back up? It's just like that. She falls down, she gets up."

Oh how true those words are! What a strong girl our little California is!

{A LETTER FROM MOM}

To all our friends, family, loved ones & all other who don't even know us- Who have expressed love and concern for Callie & our family in words, thoughts, prayers & actions BIG and SMALL !!!

We are so touched & immensely grateful to all of you for EVERYTHING!!!

Thank you Ashley, Nana & Mary for putting out the information for everyone!

Again we are SO VERY GRATEFUL for the prayers, visits & checkups of EVERY variety! Also, for the MANY acts of love, care & concern that have been shown to us at this time! We feel your love & support across the distance, we feel held up by you the same as Aaron & Hur holding up the arms of Moses.

We also express our deepest appreciation to ALL of those who have had part in Callie's care, and who will, for all the choices, sacrifices & countless hours that have brought them to where they are to give her the care that has saved her & is helping her little body to heal!

May the Lord's choicest blessings be upon each of you & your loved ones now & forever is our prayer!

As I'm finishing this up in the hospital library, I just got an exciting call from Jeff, that they took Callie's C-spine collar OFF!!! YEAH!!! Callie will be 20 months on the 20th of Sept.

With much Love & Gratitude,
Jeff, Dana, Callie & family

{CALLIE IN THE PAPER}

Just an FYI that the White Mountain Independent did an article on Callie which came out today. She is front page along with an article on a 9 month old boy who passed away last Saturday, September 6th. The family of that boy is from Heber and have always been so nice to Matt, myself and our boys. Our hearts go out to their family. He was a beautiful baby as you will see if you pick up a paper today! And of course our little Callie is looking massively cute in her picture as well!

You can also view the article online HERE.

{LOVE FOR CAL JAYNE}

Yesterday the little girls were able to come over and make some cards to take to Callie this weekend. They were so happy to make her some pretty things to put in her room! They all miss that little lady so much! HUGS & KISSES Callie!

{THE NEUROSURGEON:BEARER OF GOOD NEWS}

This afternoon my parents were able to meet with the neurosurgeon and go over the MRI from yesterday. He pointed out three things that were in question and gave them the worst possible scenario of each.



1. Fluids have begun leaking from her ear again and this is because of a hole in one of the bones behind the ear. He is going to give it a few days to see if it will heal on it's own. If not he will do a small procedure to put a draining tube in able to try to help it heal. If it has not healed within 10 days of this procedure, he will have to do surgery and put a tube from the hole, down her back to drain the fluids. She would have to keep this tube for the rest of her life.



2. He told them that there is no question that she should have her vision back! {Yay! Our Callie will see!} The worst case here is that she may have blurry vision and have hard time focusing. These things can be helped.



3. The pituitary gland was damaged from either the impact of the vehicle or the stroke she suffered immediately after. This has caused problems with her kidneys which prevents her from controlling her urination. They have kept her on hormones to control this problem. If the damage does not heal then she will have to be on the hormones for the rest of her life. For her age now it is a powder that would be blown in her nose. Once she is older it would be more like an asthma inhaler.



All of these things are things that can easily be dealt with. And again, it is still possible for the damage to heal completely!



The doctors have warned of other problems, such as a high risk of meningitis which if contracted could be fatal. So they are taking extra precautions to ensure she does not become infected. While none of the doctors will clear her of a risk of death, our outlook on her condition is that she will survive. My mom said one of her doctors constantly refers to her as "a waking child". This could take time to come about but we all have faith that it will. I am in such awe at what a miracle this has turned to be! I can't help but thank my Heavenly Father for everything!



Are there really tragedies? I don't know. I suppose there are. But I have been convinced that there is something greater in all of the sadness if we will just look to see it. Our sweet Callie has also awed us all with her strength. She is a fighter and we love her with all our hearts!



The neurosurgeon has four goals for her to reach by the end of the weekend. They are these:



1. To be able to remove her C Collar. {I forgot to mention that she has been moving her head from sided to side and lifting it slightly!}



2. For the hole that is allowing fluids to drain to heal.



3. For her eyes to dilate.



4. To be able to remove the respirator! {The respirator is only having to do 10 of her respirations every minute!}



These are the specific things we are praying will happen within the next few days. Thank you so much! My parents keep reminding me to let everyone know that the faith and prayers of everyone are felt so tangibly by them and without doubt by Callie as well.



{Please leave me your email address if you would like the code for a donation button and I will do that as soon as possible.}

{DONATIONS}

I have the donation account set up for Callie. You can go to my side bar and click on the "DONATE" button to make a donation online. If you would prefer to go to a bank you can email me at { ashleyb28@hotmail.com } for account information. Any little bit will help and is greatly appreciated. We are so thankful for the support and love we are receiving at this time. There is no way to adequately thank you all. But I will continue to try in saying THANK YOU a million times over!

{If there is anyone who would like to add a donation button to their blog, just let me know and I will help you out.}

{pink ribbons}

Here is how Callie looked yesterday. The nurses were so nice and did her hair for her. They even put a pretty pink ribbon in it! My mom asked me to post this so that people could see how good she is looking. Her swelling has dropped quite a bit and she is looking somewhere in between her own Callie self and big sister Brinley. To me she looks so peaceful. I can't wait to be back to see her!

{JUST WHAT THE DOCTORS WANTED}

Yesterday was a pretty quiet day for Callie. Which was just what the doctors wanted. She started off the morning well! The nurse got to see her kick her covers off and then later in the morning the nurse was doing something with her and she started squirming all over, trying to make her stop. Of course the nurse had to continue on with what she was doing and so Callie lifted up her arm and pointed her finger as if to scold the nurse, something she is FAMOUS for doing if she is upset with you. My mom said that these two things were "her music" yesterday. My parents were so happy to see that she still maintains her SPUNK even in her unconscious state! {Many people have asked so I will note that her coma is not being induced at this time. It is all her body's doing.}

When the doctors made the rounds they said that they didn't expect anything big out of her that day but if she could just stay where she was that it would be excellent. And that is just what happened. She didn't really make any big improvements but she didn't backtrack either.

As of now her brain swelling is nearly stopped, they were able to remove the tube from her stomach that was draining blood, as that has stopped and her right eye has been slightly responsive. The left eye has still had no activity but because of the stroke they say that is normal. Her left side may take more time to heal.

One of the other things that happened yesterday morning which really excited my parents was that she responded to their voices. My mom played one of their games with her and said "Callie, here are your eyes, here is your nose, where are your toes?" And Callie began to wiggle all her toes!

The MRI that they did yesterday afternoon did not have a "conclusive reading". Which they were informed is a good thing in the fact that they were unable to spot any serious damage.

As of my last phone call with my mom, they still consider Callie to be in the waking stages. There is no telling how long this could take, or what to expect once she does. But we know for sure that she is making improvements and shocking the doctors and nurses with her strength. That's our Callie Jayne!

We are praying that today will be another good day!

Also, we have opened a donation account with National Bank of Arizona. The thing we most request is prayers but if you would like to donate it would be greatly appreciated as well. I will get all the information together and post it later today. I am also trying to set it up so that those of you who are not near one of these banks can do a donation right on line.

Thank you everyone!

{a bit of the experience}

I received a text message from my mom EARLY this morning that Callie had kicked her covers off! I couldn't help but laugh and smile from the news as it is so Callie to do that! If she wants something she gets it, if she doesn't want something she takes care of business!

It is somewhat of a surreal feeling looking at her little body on that huge hospital bed, all the tubes and cords in the world hooked up to her somehow. She looks so peaceful that I can convince myself she is taking a nap. Some how I know that my head has not entirely wrapped around the situation. I feel at times I have to reign in my thoughts to keep back the tears and the anxiety. Right now I simply cannot picture her any way but alive and whole. I have definitely flashed through the possible outcomes and seen myself standing next to her casket. And I feel like I could find peace in that place but I would miss her so terribly. But that doesn't feel like an option to me today. Not right now anyway. When my sister Amber called me with the news I was actually already driving to Show Low. I had a doctors appointment that morning and I was going to drop Gage off to play at my mom's. They got a new swing set last weekend and Brinley and Callie couldn't wait for Gage to come try it out with them! That's what I can see and that's what feels real.

When I got to the hospital Monday morning I didn't know what to expect to see. Matt was there before me because he had been working in Show Low but he didn't give me details because it was all I could do just to focus on the road and get my boys and myself safely there. I walked in the room and it was like a horrible flash of Deja Vu. The same room as Rhionna had been in nearly a year ago, the same devastated look on many of the same faces, and another tiny body, this time completely covered in blood and tubing. The room actually spun and my knees buckled. I was on the floor without knowing how I had gotten there. I felt a wave of complete helplessness come over me and then my mom and my brother were there, pulling me up. My mom was telling me to be strong, that it would all be okay. I instantly felt a twinge of guilt that I had lost it so badly in front of her and that she was having to comfort me. My mom just kept encouraging me and I had to make the decision then that I could accept any outcome but pray and pray and pray some more that we would be allowed to keep her with us. I have had such a peaceful feeling since then. It's impossible not to have some moments of sadness though at what our Callie Jayne has gone through.

I know I said it earlier but my parents have awed me through all this. My dad drives truck and was in Colorado when this all happened. I tried to imagine myself in both their shoes. Seeing your child that way and not having your spouse to hold on to. And then knowing the serious condition your child is in and not knowing if you will make it to see her before she passes. My dad tried to find a flight in Durango Colorado but the earliest one didn't leave for six hours. He said he knew he couldn't just sit and wait that long so he got back on his truck and drove to Albuquerque where he was able to catch a flight without much wait. He got to the hospital around 8 o'clock Monday night and we were all so relieved to see my mom and him together next to Callie's bed. It was so empowering.

It hardly feels that it could only be Wednesday. I am at home with my sweet boys right now and will be back down to see Callie this weekend or sooner. I will try to keep an update with news I get from my parents and the siblings that are down there still.

I know there are people reading this that I probably don't know but I want to thank you for your concern and let you know every bit of praying and positive wishes are helping Callie and our family. Even if we don't know each other, your thoughts and prayers are being felt right now. And thank you to our wonderful friends and family who have been so amazing in this time. We feel so lifted up by all the love and support we have received. Callie has had so many visitors and I know that helps my parents so much to be surrounded by loved ones. They have asked me to please let everyone know how deeply appreciative they are of everything! Thank you so much over and over again!

{Love.Ashley}

{A HEALTHY DOSE OF SUNSHINE}

September 8th 2007. A year ago from the date of her accident. She is sporting Gage's suit jacket at our brother Justin's wedding. What a cutie!
Woodcutting last fall. Sporting Gage's hat this time! The boy loves to share!

These are from last October when Callie stayed with us for a few days! Gage loved having his auntie around!

Also, two of my aunts have been keeping updates on Callie Jayne. They're blogs are HERE and HERE. Their thoughts seem to be more coordinated than mine at this time!

{MORE THAN WE COULD ASK FOR}

Usually I know just what I want to say. But I am having the darndest time writing this update! I have been amazed and overwhelmed several times today by the assurance that the Lord has had His hand and His angels on Callie since the very beginning. I have gone back and forth on whether or not I should write about the accident. I don't want to put these images in anyone else's head but I want people to see what an incredible miracle we are experiencing. I will give a little insight and hope that I am not offending anyone.

Callie's outward appearance is not that of a little girl who was run over by a vehicle. There is scraping on the left side of her face and minor bumps and bruises on various parts of her body. Aside from the swelling you would think there was nothing wrong with this precious girl. This has baffled us all and so this morning while speaking with the doctor, my parents asked if he felt her head had been entirely run over by the SUV's tire or if it was possible she had just had a hard fall to the asphalt. The doctor told them that he has absolutely no doubt that the tire went entirely over her head. The severity of her skull fractures leave no questions. What a miracle it is that she even survived the ambulance ride. She suffered extreme blood loss and was still able to maintain a pulse and her breathing before being hooked up to the ventilator. Anyone who knows Callie, knows that she is one tough little girl. We have always said that she is a 21 year old in a 1 year old's body. She is so independent and decisive on what it is she wants. Stubborn without doubt! She has definitely held true to this reputation these past few days. Last night she began making small movements with her feet and hands and by this morning she was moving entire limbs. At one point the doctor started squeezing on her shoulder and Callie's entire arm reached across her body as if to move his hand away. And as they adjusted things on her for testing later in the day, she began moving all her limbs in very intentional ways. This is such a great sign! As the CAT scan today was still unclear due to swelling, it is so comforting to see that she still maintains these functions.

Last night they tried to prepare us all for what they expected to be a very hard day. They let us know that her body was still in shock and once that began to wear off, things would start looking worse. We all prepared for that. But today has brought such hope! She is obviously battling some very serious problems right now and we can't overlook that. We realize that we are still not out of the woods. Right now things could go either way. She is in such a fragile state and there is much healing to be done. But the progress she has made is so great to see! Without question, the fact that she has made it so far is purely a miracle!

The doctors and nurses who have treated her have been wonderful. We cannot thank these people enough. There is an MRI scheduled for tomorrow and we expect to know more after she comes out of that. We pray that we will hear more good news! The chances that she could walk away from this with no permanent damage are so minuscule but we know that it is not impossible. It is out of our hands, it is out of the doctor's hands. It is fully in the Lord's hands and that brings us peace.

Thank you so much for all your prayers. Please keep them coming. That is the most we could ask of anyone right now!