25 Things about Ava

1. She smelled like snickerdoodle cookies. From the day she was born.
2. She knew her daddy’s voice so well and would always look around to find him when she heard it.
3. She loved being held
4. Her eyes were so big and beautiful. They were blue like mine but beautiful like her daddy’s
5.  She got mommy’s cheeks. They were massive and set delicately on a tiny chin
6. She had a smile that would light up a room.
7. Her feet were ticklish and she would pull her legs into her body when you touched them.
8. She disliked diaper changes. It usually took two people, one to sing to her, the other to quickly change her.
9. She liked to sleep with her arms above her head, just like her mommy. I think it’s one of the reasons she didn’t like to be swaddled too much.
10. She had angel kisses all over her face when she was born. One under her nose, on both of her eyelids, and in between her eyes. They all faded, but you could still see the one in between her eyes when she got worked up
11.     She was observant. Always looking around, taking everything in
12.   She spoke with her eyes. Her expressions would tickle me because you knew exactly what she was feeling.
13.  She had a great grip. Ouch
14.    She liked getting her legs rubbed with lotion, just not in between her toes.
15.   She hated being covered by blankets. If she was sleeping and you covered her, she would wake up just to kick it off.
16.   Her hair was curly and very very soft. It turned a pretty auburn color in the sunlight.
17.     She often moved her arms and legs in the same way she did in my belly. She’d kick them straight out and just hold them there for a long time. So funny.
18.    She hiccupped a lot. It started in my belly and she did it all the time after she was born. I would say almost every day she had the hiccups.
19.     She was so much calmer in my arms. I’m sure most moms could say this about their babies, but it was as if our two little souls were better together.
20.  Whenever the kitties got curious enough to get close to her she would look at them like they were hairy monsters. Which is what they were to her. I’d grab her hand and let her touch their fur and she would get a goofy grin on her face, like maybe they weren’t monsters at all.
21.     She loved sleeping on her tummy. Lying on me, tummy to tummy was the best sleep she ever got.
22.   She pretended to hate it when I kissed her piggies, but she’d always stretch them out again for another kiss.
23. She was ornery, and was sure that we did things her way, I loved that about her. She was strong willed.
24.  She was stronger than anyone thought she was. She showed it time and time again. It was why they went from thinking she had no chance to giving every resource they had to help her fight. She had a stronger spirit than body.
25.  The thing I miss the very most is her sweet little face. She was beautiful, cute, adorable, obnoxious, sweet, ornery, joyful, thoughtful, strong, resilient, and wise.

 

Baby Ava Legwarmer Drive

The Story

The story of Ava’s legwarmers goes back to November 2010, shortly after she was born. My sweet little angel did not like blankets. On a rare occasion she would fall asleep being swaddled, but I would always wake up to her having one arm or one leg out. She would fight and fight until she felt a little freedom, and then she would sleep. She was strong willed and did things her way, that’s for sure.

It wasn’t until I started taking her out with me that it became an issue. She didn’t like to be bundled, but with winter approaching she had no choice. This would often lead to a meltdown and a quick trip home. Unless, of course, I could make sure she stayed perfectly bundled and as happy as possible. Knowing more about her condition now, I know that she probably got warm fast due to her overworked heart.

Regardless, It only took me a few major meltdowns in the car to realize that this sweet girl couldn’t wear pants, or deal with blankets. I had to find a solution and it was legwarmers. Baby legwarmers can be found in stores like Target and Wal-Mart as well as little boutique shops and online. I found most of mine at Target and they worked wonders. Miss Ava could wear a onesie and some legwarmers and socks and be perfectly happy. And when it came time to change a diaper...no problem. Or if she got sweaty, I just had to slip them off. They worked wonders.

By the time Ava was in the PICU at Riley, she had several pairs of her legwarmers. Her nurses and doctors always commented on how cute they were and how they worked so well in the hospital. With all the IVs and tubes, we could rarely dress her in clothes, and blankets still weren’t tolerated. J Several people asked me where they could find them for their own children. For me, it was just nice to have something normal she could wear. And even if all I could dress her in was a baby hospital gown, a bow and legwarmers made it special.

The donation

The date of our donation will be October 25, 2011 to celebrate Ava’s first birthday. We hope to build on this each year and continue it annually. This year we will be collecting items during the month of October. This year most of the collection will be done by contacting us and coordinating times to collect items. We may have a few drop off points, which we will announce here at a later date. I will be collecting in my hometown, Kendallville, on October 1st and 2nd. If you are still collecting at that time we can arrange for a later pick up. Many people are knitting, crocheting, and sewing legwarmers, which I am thrilled with and am hoping to learn to do myself. Please send me an email if you need patterns or ideas and I will connect you one of my crafty friends. Here are some guidelines on homemade items:

• Materials should be new and free of odors/ pet hair
• Wash all fabrics (we will do this after collection)
• Select fabrics appropriate for all age patients (I hear baby yarn is the best)
• Please use bright colors

If you would rather buy legwarmers, you can find them at Target and Wal-Mart, along with smaller boutiques. I bought mine for $4 - $7 at Target. You can also get them online. Here are a few sites:

http://www.babylegs.com/collections.aspx
http://www.target.com/c/baby/-/N-5xtly
http://www.babylegwarmers.com/

Although legwarmers are the core of this drive, I know there is so much more that can be donated to these amazing children. The Cheer Guild of Riley Hospital for Children and Indiana University Hospital provides around 14,000 toys to Riley children each month. They also provide gifts, activities, and other opportunities to enhance patient and family comfort during their stay. I have contacted them and received some info regarding donation items and materials for handmade donations. They ask that all items that are not handmade be new, non-toxic, and non-latex. Here are a few ideas:

Coloring books                                       Pillow dolls                   
Crayons                                                  Fleece blankets
Story books                                            Afghans
Games                                                    Quilts
Crafts                                                     Tote bags
Dolls                                                       Stuffed animals (newborn and up)

Also, the Riley PICU is not set to move to the new Simon towers until 2013. Currently, all the rooms have VCRs and the Childlife department has a collection of VHS tapes that children and families can check out during their stay. If you’re like me, you probably have been looking for a place for all those old VHS tapes, including some of the great Disney classics. This would be a great donation to the Childlife program at Riley.

Another way to help
Also, if you are in the Indianapolis area, click on the link below for the Marsh Fresh idea Card website and register so a % of what you spend will help provide school supplies for the Riley School program.

http://www.marsh.net/srb_education.html

Thank you

Thank you so much for all your prayers and support in our journey with sweet baby Ava. She is such an amazing little soul and I am so proud to be her mommy. I believe my purpose here is to carry on her work and keep her memory alive. Thank you for helping me do that. You can read more about her journey at www.caringbridge.org/visit/babyavabryan.

To arrange collection contact me via Facebook, or email me at asbryan56@yahoo.com.

*Baby Ava Legwarmer Drive logo created by Libby Yeager, Lookgood llc. http://www.imakepeoplelookgood.com/

Two Souls

“Some souls are only meant to come into your life briefly. There to make their mark on your heart, then gone. Their beauty, their energy, their impact lasts a lifetime. Or more. Their soul and your soul, intertwine at the perfect moment, in the perfect place, and you are left changed. Forever changed, In a way that awakens your spirit and alters your path. Two beautiful, kindred souls.” ~ASB~