About Me

I am Danielle: wife to Stephen and Mama to Emory, Harper, and Sam.  I love Jesus.  I am a former and future English teacher--I taught eighth grade English for three years, but right now I stay home raising my babies.  I plan to return to teaching one day.  I love reading, crafting and sewing, drinks with lots of ice so when I drink through a straw it's cold all the way down, and beards.  I dislike when people refer to their pets as their children, when people pronounce "amateur" 'am-a-ter,' and seafood.  

In May 2014, Sam was prenatally diagnosed with a series of congenital heart defects: tricuspid valve atresia, a ventricular septal defect, two small atrial septal defects, pulmonary valve stenosis, and Hypoplastic Right Heart Syndrome.  Shortly after we received Sam's diagnosis, I felt like we had already retold our story over and over and over, so I started this blog as a way to update family and friends all at once.  I also wanted to use the blog as a journal for myself and to show Sam when he was older and to ask for prayer for Sam and the rest of our family.

After a mostly uneventful remainder of my pregnancy, we welcomed Sam September 22, 2014.  He was handsome and perfect and my little boy after two girls.  He spent six uneventful days in the NICU, and then two wonderful, memory-filled months with us at home.  He was admitted to the CHSU at Medical City Children's Hospital in Dallas on December 4 because his oxygen saturation was too low.  After 76 days, one open heart surgery, three abdominal surgeries, countless labs and tests, blood transfusions, and medicines, Sam went to heaven on February 11, 2015.  Sam was given four months, 143 days, on Earth.  We have the hope of heaven and know we will be spend eternity with our sweet boy.  We know the Lord has and will continue to use Sam's life for His glory.

I prayed and argued with myself about whether or not I should start a blog.  I didn't want to share anything too personal, too offensive, too much medical jargon.  I didn't know if anyone would read it.  We never expected Sam to spend so much time in the hospital, and we certainly never expected him to go be with Jesus so young.  I am so thankful for the love and support we have from our family and friends.  Thank you for sharing in our journey as we learn to continue living without our sweet Sam.