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I love Brittany, she’s the best. Many would have come and stayed with Amanda, but I don’t think anyone would have been as good of an advocate for Amanda in my stead. Yall should love her, too, because it’s been a long day, and I don’t think I would have been up for making a post tonight. I’ll post an update on Tuesday morning about my Monday, and when I was tagged back in.

Hi Everyone! It’s Brittany again – I wanted to give one more update before I tag Barkley back in. Today (Monday) was a much better day and a bit of a break for Amanda. It was a day off from the PLEX procedure and while there was supposed to be one other item on the schedule, it ended up being pushed to Tuesday. I think we also got more sleep last night. I moved my recliner/bed right under the beeping machine so I could reach my arm up and turn it off without getting out of bed. 

It also seemed to beep less. I spied Amanda awake at one point during the night, so unfortunately she’s not able to sleep all the way through the night. She did fall back asleep eventually because she was resting when I got up at daybreak. I made a quick coffee run for our liquid breakfast. They were out of Oat Milk (Amanda’s favorite) and Peppermint Syrup (my favorite) so we improvised our order. On my way back through the hospital lobby, I stopped to snap a photo of the beautiful nativity scene to share with all of the readers. Unfortunately, a very important member of the scene was missing. Not to worry, there is currently an APB out on Baby Jesus. Early reports are that he was spotted at the nearby Children’s Hospital, however investigators have yet to corroborate. As for me, I believe He has risen! 🙂

When I got back with the coffee, Amanda was FaceTiming Barkley. He was trying to pick out a small tabletop tree and a few decorations from Hobby Lobby to make the hospital room feel more festive. When I walked in the room Amanda was in the middle of telling Barkley to “just get whatever” (very unlike her since Christmas decorating is her specialty), so I grabbed the phone and took over for her. Amanda and I have the same taste, so much so that we often pick out the same clothes and if we lived in the same town, we would probably just share a closet. So I jumped in and began helping Barkley find some things Amanda would love. I can’t wait to see how the tree turns out! 

After Amanda and I got a few sips of coffee in our systems, Amanda was feeling up for some crafting. So I began showing her how to needle felt an ornament. She picked out a really cute design and we got to work on it together. (I’m hoping she finished it and Barkley can drop a photo below!) 

I also left behind some embroidery kits I brought with me that we never had a chance to try. Amanda shared with me that she used to embroider with her granny when she was younger – so I’m looking forward to seeing those on a future blog as well!

Amanda’s regular doctor rounded with his trainee doctors in tow while we were crafting. For what it’s worth, my impression of him is good. He was concerned about Amanda getting proper rest and wanted to make sure she had the right dosage of Ambien each night. Also, from what I gathered he has several ideas for next steps but is waiting to make his decision until after he gets some results from the current PLEX treatments and weighs the cost/benefits of each option. I like that he has a strategic mind and isn’t just following steps from a standard medicine play book. He was also asking Amanda how she was doing and Amanda replied that she’s been doing okay. At this point, I stuck my neck out a bit and shared with Amanda’s doctor how stressful the last couple days have been for Amanda due to the loss of Zoey. I also stated that I hoped the medicine was in fact working and that it was possible her heart rate was not coming down as fast due to the stress of the last couple days. Amanda teared up a bit at the mention of Zoey, and I felt terrible about that, but I firmly believe that our bodies do react negatively to stress and I wanted her doctor to have that data point as he evaluated her heart rate and test results and formulated plans for next steps. 

Amanda’s friend Jenny and her husband came to tag-in for me because I had to make my way home today before Barkley could get there. Barkley and I probably passed each other somewhere on I-10 today. Amanda’s friends were so sweet and brought us lunch. I was glad to meet them and visit for a while before leaving around 1 pm. 

I miss Amanda already and I wish I could have stayed longer. She’s so strong in the face of everything. She exudes God’s grace, strength, and love. It’s so fitting that today’s devotional was about that very thing!