her father’s family.  After spending long hours at the hospital caring for our sweet grandbaby, we are becoming a family.

     In the beginning of Anabelle’s illness, her other grandmother and I divided the week and would rotate staying, so at least one grandmother was there every day to help with Anabelle.  Her paternal grandmother is a retired Speech Therapist who still has a daughter living at home with her husband when she is away.  I have a fifteen year old daughter, Taylor Murray, who attends high school and plays fast pitch softball, (along with every other sport) and lives at home with my husband, Jerry.  We miss Granny, who has been out recovering from a ruptured appendix.

     It takes more than one person to care for Anabelle, so we formed team Anabelle.  We make her medical decisions as a team, each giving their opinion and then deciding as a group which route to take.  This helps in many ways.  It takes the pressure off one person making tough decisions, it keeps communication open to discuss options, and keeps everyone up to date and on the same page with her medical treatment.  We devised systems for making life easier, like the simple task of carrying the baby with feeding pump using a backpack that Granny had sewn and then strategically placing hooks to hang the backpack so that you don’t have to navigate the narrow shotgun Victorian apartment rolling an IV feeding pump, saving time and frustration.  We made a communication board that has central vital information with a list of specialist numbers and a check off system to track when her medications, vitamins and one hour break from the feeding pump occur.  This allows any member of the team to know what’s been given as a safety check and decreases the risk for errors with her complex care needs.

     Ashley, Nikki’s sister, has been a strong member of our team.  She works fourteen hour days in the film industry as a costumer and still checks on me every night.  She has helped watch Anabelle on her days off, giving us a chance to rest.  She is a comfort to her sister.  She adores Anabelle and I don’t know what I would do without her.  Sometimes we just hug each other without words.  We understand each other’s pain.

     Jerry and her other grandfather hold down the home front and give us the privilege of being here to care for Anabelle.  Taylor, my youngest has been so sweet and understanding, never complaining that I am no longer in the bleachers embarrassing her with my over enthusiastic cheering.  I talked to her before coming to take care of Anabelle and it was part of her decision that I be here, and I am grateful of her maturity dealing with such a serious situation.

     Anabelle’s aunt on her dad’s side is an angel from heaven.  She was my assistant when building the website.  It was like the blind leading the blind, but we were diligent and successful.  We surprised our husbands with our newly learned computer skills.

     We each know how much we need each other to get through this, not just emotionally, but we physically need each and every one of us on this team, just to meet the needs of our sweet little girl.  I am grateful God has blessed us with Anabelle and with Team Anabelle.

     Good night.