2007 December - Aria MacDonald

Happy Christmas to all our friends and supporters!!  Thank you for all your support and love during this year.

Love

Hamish, Anita, Aria and Asher

Yes the MacDonalds are on their babymoon.  The time after a baby is born where you are enjoying the new life that has entered your world!  We didn’t get one with Aria so this one is extra special.

But our blissful existence was interupted yesterday when Aria ended up in Starship!  NO NO NO!!!  We took her to an emergency doctor because she got a bump on the head we wanted to be checked.    But the Doc commented on her cough and said she needed antibiotics.  Shock horror. Antibiotics for Aria can only be given by IV so it needs at least one night in hospital if not more.  We thought her cough was fine but didn’t want to mess with the doctors advice. 

So Hamish and Aria packed up and went in and we all felt rather glum.  But great news Aria was seen by our team and declared fit and free to go within a few hours.  We normally only take Aria to our GP who is fully aware of Aria’s condition since she was first  diagnosed and keeps up to date with the goings on in her life.  We think the Emergency Doc was playing it very safe as Aria is such a special and rare case.  Still it is a small world cause this Doc knew Dr E. 

So much for taking a break hey!  Never mind a great outcome none that less, rather this Tuesday than next!

Lots of people have asked us what Aria thinks of her new little brother.  So far so good!  We brought him home and within hours she was giving him kisses.  We have added a photo HERE and one of the little man himself HERE.  She seems to be quite taken with him.  She nods and smiles when you ask her if she would like to kiss him.  Today she asked to hold him but then got a but freaked out when the moment came for him to actually sit on her lap.  Still we are happy and proud of her for how loving and caring she has been.

Asher is doing really well, I don’t think Hamish mentioned his weight but he was 4.51 kgs or 9 pounds 15!  A big boy.  He is feeding well and we are getting used to being second time but first time parents.

Over the past week there has been the inevitable reflection on how different the journeys have been with Aria and Asher.  There was much pain and confusion in the first 2 weeks of Aria’s life and much more to come after that!  What she endured and has endured and will endure breaks our heart yet we must cling to the hope and promise we have that we do not suffer in vain.

 Thank you for your continued support.  Please keep checking in on us.  We might take some time out over the next couple of weeks to enjoy our children and this christmas time.  In the new year hopefully we will have details of Aria’s transplant timeline.  So stayed tuned!!

That is right yesterday, the 10th December 2007, Asher James MacDonald was born.

He is a big, happy and thankfully healthy boy. (You may never see two parents of a newborn quite so excited by the sight of the first poopie nappy.)

As we reflect on the new arrival we thank God for giving us the dual blessings of Aria and Asher, who are both just as God intended them and will be a blessing to us for the rest of our lives. While they will take us on vastly different journeys they are both just the way that God meant them to be and we thank him for that.

Yes, unfortunately Aria is not a big sister yet. 

Still it has been a busy week with the Womans Day article and all the wonderful feedback and support.  It has been quite exciting.

We manage to get to Rainbows End yesterday for the KIDS Foundation christmas party.  It was really fun and Aria got a dolly for a present!!  What a perfect present :)  Aria was still a bit little for the big rides but Hamish took her on a few of the kids rides.  Our friends Sam and Hamish were there with Lara and Jake.  Lara was walking around the place looking wonderful.

So that is it from us for today.  Stay tuned for when the MacDonald family go from three to four!

Yes the Womans Day article came out today.  There was something very surreal about standing in the line at Pak n Save reading about yourself!  Aria looks so cute in the pictures!! 🙂

If you are new to Aria’s site – Hello There!  This is where we keep everyone up to date with the interesting goings on in our life.  You are welcome to come with us on our journey to give our little girl the chance to eat and live.  It is an exciting and sometimes difficult one.  Just yesterday a friend of mine shaved off her long locks for Aria and raised $1000!! That is exciting!

I guess the next big interesting goings on (does that sound right?) will be the birth of our second baby.  You might notice the bump in the picture.  Well the bump is still a bump and due any day now!!  We are very excited about him/her (we don’t know what gender the baby is) and looking forward to the arrival.

We should also learn early next year when we are heading off to transplant.

Aria is really well at the moment and we are hoping to stay out of hospital for awhile, at least 2 months would be nice.  She is such a joy and we just love having her well and at home!

Thanks for stopping by!