I'm in Philadelphia....

I came back to Philadelphia on Monday morning and spent the whole day again at the hospital. They had to drain 1.5 liters of amniotic fluid from me and fluid from the baby's lung.  I had grown unbelievably miserable over the weekend and the fluid is the reason. I thought I was going to burst! They had to observe me from 1pm to 6:45pm because I started contracting a little bit. The doctors do not know why the fluid is happening. Please pray it stops!

It was great to be home for a few days to get some work done for my job and few other things that were weighing on me. The best part was seeing my family and my sweet Graham. I'm missing Corey so much but we Skype everyday so that helps some. Keep praying for him. He's living in a hotel and is working straight with no days off.

We got a test result back yesterday and our baby's chromosomes are NORMAL!!!!!! Praise the Lord! I've been begging God for this. We do have one more pretty scary test result lingering. We hope to hear good news about that next week. Please pray that this test would be clear and we can move forward knowing that our little one does not have any mental, developmental limitations.

Continue to pray for his heart to grow and development along with all the arteries, veins, etc. That he would be strong enough for surgery and survive such an intense situation. We are begging God for a new heart all together. Pray that the fluid would not hinder any other growth (lungs, intestines, etc). That he would be growing big and strong in all ways. Please also pray that I do not go into labor until very close to my due date which is August 26th.

So...looks like I live in Philadelphia now. I am on modified bed rest (meaning I can shower and sit back down) and cannot travel back and forth from North Carolina for appointments. We are staying at friend's of a friend's place this week and co-workers/friends from my days at Redeemer in NY are helping us find housing for the coming weeks. I am beyond overwhelmed at everyone's generosity.

Crystal is with me. That's an understatement. We've joke that all of our pictures are "Amy & Crystal in Mooresville," Amy & Crystal in South Africa," Amy & Crystal in France," "Amy & Crystal in Myrtle Beach," Amy & Crystal in NY." We've gone through so much together and she is supporting me beyond belief right now. Getting food, sitting for HOURS at the hospital, being away from her husband, my bro, Bradley. Get this....she dropped her grad school classes...pushing her graduation date...just to be here with me. I'm so overwhelmed by her but not surprised. So now its...."Amy & Crystal in Philadelphia."

We are navigating so much with doctors, finances, living, insurance, care for Graham, work, etc. Thank you for loving and supporting us. We are overwhelmed with gratitude.

Keep praying!!!!

http://www.gofundme.com/havehalfaheart

Current Prayer Needs and Update

So I am back home for a few days from our trip to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. They drained the fluid from the baby's lungs. The fluid is returning so I will have to have it drained again on Monday. I will be traveling back to Philly on Sunday.

We are waiting on genetic test results. Some have come back and they are clear..Praise the Lord! The rest will be back within 2 weeks. Please pray there are no problems at all with the chromosomes. These tests could determine if they can operate on the baby's heart or not. We are begging God for normal, perfect chromosomes to give our little the best shot.

Prayer Needs:

• Safety for the baby. The fluid can cause development delays in blood vessels, lungs, etc. Please pray this doesn't happen and that the fluid would stop returning.
• Pray for normal genetic testing results!!!
• Pray that I do NOT go into labor. This would be terminal for the baby. My amniotic fluid is also increasing which can put me into labor. Pray this would stop. I'm only 32 weeks and need to make it to 39 if at all possible which is August 19th.
• There is a high likelihood that I will be having the baby in Philadelphia, which means a several month relocation. Of course, this will be determined by the survival of our little one. Please pray for all the logistics of this. Housing, cars, finances, my job, Corey being away for the month of July for work, our little Graham, all the medical decisions and appointments. 

Amazing thanks:

In the midst of my darkest days I have experienced generosity from friends, family and strangers. From financial gifts, to encouraging words, to a free home to stay next week from people I don't even know. People have paid for our hotel. Being in this situation has challenged my faith and fortitude like nothing else but seeing other peoples' hearts reminds me of a tender, loving God in a very tangible way. I could easily crumbled and crawl in a dark, dark hole but you all have been the representation of our Holy God to me. Thank you for being that light. I need it so badly every day. Please pray for my and my baby's health but also pray for my faith and mental fortitude. As you can imagine, carrying this baby who is moving as I write and knowing I may never get to hold him, could send me to a very ugly place. Thank you for your perseverance in prayer on our behalf.

Family Labor Day Trip to NYC

Thanks to several very generous people we got to spend Labor Day in NYC with Corey's parents, his brother, Gabe and his sister, Bekah.

I've been thinking of going up to New York all summer but I just couldn't make it work. It was such a gift to get to see so many wonderful friends and also to spend time with Corey's family with our little Graham.

In many ways it felt incredibly normal and like home to be there and in other ways, so much had changed. Some friends have moved or were out of town which made NYC feel different and of course, many shops had changed. My bodega on west 73rd had closed and I was so disappointed not to get to say hello to those folks.

BUT...I did have a great time with these ladies. Our community group had a dinner together. Joanna was also visiting from Virginia. The fact that she had baby Violet just two days before I had Graham still blows my mind.

Daniela, Robyn, Joanna, Me, Erin, Bethany

Adriana also came in from the Hamptons to spend Saturday with us. That meant so much to me!
We got to go for a quick run in the park as well.

Adriana, Robyn, Baby Graham :)

I worked with these ladies at Redeemer for several years. I miss spending my days with them!

Me, Tracy , Joanna, Bethany

"Uncle" Neil also came and spent some time with little Graham.

Graham kissed Neil without us coercing him at all. They are buddies!

We had a great time sharing our New York with Corey's family.

Three Sylvestre Men ;)
Corey's dad, Roger, Corey and baby Graham

Corey and I met on August 28, 2011 in New York and spent that whole day in Central Park. 

This pic below was taken last week on August 28th.

We got engaged on this bench on Sept. 27, 2012.

So crazy how much has happened since that proposal!

Corey and I walked around Central Park for our first date exactly three years to the day of this pic including here at Belvedere Castle.

Just before heading to the airport to come home we got to see the Taylor's.

Margaret, Graham, Hannah

We also attended Redeemer on Sunday.

Graham got the best childcare in the world :).

Pics of my favorite city:

 My home for so many years....

I had such a wonderful time at a little get together with friends and we also stopped by the Redeemer offices. 

It meant so much to me to see all of you. You are my New York family and I miss you terribly. 

This pic says it all....

My Favorite Australian

New York is one of the best places in the world to live..... EXCEPT for one major thing...you have to get really good at good byes and then reinvesting yourself in new community.

Today is the end of an era. My favorite Australian is moving back to Perth from NYC. I met Ashley online :). Well, the Redeemer classifieds anyway. I wasn't searching for a deep friendship as much as I was looking for someone to live on our loft. God gave me both. She moved in wearing a white skirt and pearls and bought shelves to install on the loft for all of her high heels. She had a table up there for her tea set. You can't stand in the space but she had her tea set arranged :). She painted one wall pale pink. She was an amazing roommate to me during the time I was getting to know and date Corey and squealed with me like a little girl when we got engaged! Our 4A parties were spectacular because she brings beauty and thoughtfulness wherever she goes.

I've learned so much from her and she makes me so much fancier than I am naturally :). She helped me plan my wedding and implemented dreams of that weekend that I've had since I was a little girl. She says things like darling, oh suga', toMAto, dear, would you like some tea? She startles easily which Corey loves to take advantage of. NYC will forever have an Ashley shaped hole in it and our community there in NYC is better off for her glamorous presence. We all see that she loves Jesus and spreads His joy easily.

With tears in my eyes we send you off...bride to be....love you so much!! Christian, take good care of our girl! Have a wonderfully special wedding day and send us lots of pictures!

The Whirlwind of 2013

This year has been just that. An absolute whirlwind. It has been wonderful, painful, challenging and a roller coaster of emotions. Below is a time line of all we've been going through. You can plug in the emotions where you see fit. Excitement, Panic, Tears, Feeling Overwhelmed, Loved, Grief, etc. You can decide where they fall appropriately :).

If you haven't heard from me...this could be why.....

Beginning of April 2013: Corey gets a job in SC which means a move for us after getting married
Mid-April: Corey moves to SC; Amy in NYC working at Redeemer and planning the wedding, having bridal showers, planning the move back south, etc.
Beginning of May: Amy moves back south to NC for 2 weeks from NYC after 5.5 years for the last details of wedding planning
May 9th-11th: Wedding Weekend. We get married!! Woohoo!
May 12th: Amy moves to SC to join Corey
May 13th to 18th Honeymoon in Jamaica
May 21st: Corey takes a big exam for work
June ???: Get pregnant!
Beginning of July: find out we are pregnant & super sicko with morning sickness...YUCK!
July: Amy working remotely for Redeemer writing a semester long curriculum (whew!) and overseeing volunteers for VBS; Corey still flying tours a million hours a day.
Mid to End of July: Amy in NYC for work and to see friends
September: Corey wraps up working a million hours all summer long and we head to Charlotte for a week or so; Amy applies for jobs in NC including one at Mitchell Community College.
Mid-September: We head to New Hampshire to visit Corey's family. Corey stays just over a month. I stay almost 2 weeks and then head to NYC.
End of Sept to End of Oct: Amy in NYC working for Redeemer and nannying. Corey is in NH studying, helping on the family farm and spending time with family.
End of Oct: we both return to NC and stay with Amy's family while we get the house ready to move into. This takes WAY longer than we ever dreamed. Stayed for over a month at Amy's parents.
November: moved into house with MUCH still in progress. Amy interviews for a job at Mitchell Community College. Corey takes two intense aviation exams and passes. Yeah!
December: Continued working on our house. Waited to hear about Amy's job and Corey's school (needs to find somewhere with a certain type of training...ugh!!). Amy still working remotely on one last project for Redeemer.
Early Dec: Corey's parents visit from New Hampshire
Mid-Dec: Amy's get a job offer for the Coordinator of Student Activities at Mitchell Community College. PTL!
Dec. 14th: Celebrated Christmas early with family since my little bro and sis in law went to Africa.
Late Dec: My Paw Gene is quite sick. Alexander Family Christmas cancelled/rescheduled.
Jan 1st: My Paw Gene went home to heaven.
Jan 2nd: Amy starts work at Mitchell.
Jan. 10th-12th: Corey's sis Jordann visits
Jan. 15th: My Papal Avery had to be admitted to the hospital for 1.5 weeks
Jan. 20th-27th Corey traveling for flight training

Whew!!!!! Deep breath. The roller coaster is still moving.....
Our baby is due this month!

New Blog Launch!

Here's a little recap of the last several crazy months!

I've been writing under the blog name, "Southern in the City" but will be posting here from now on but will refer back to my other blog from time to time.

As most all of you know I got married on May 11, 2013. Woohoo!!! Here's a sneak peak of some wedding pics.

I moved from Manhattan to South Carolina to join this sweet new husband of mine who had already started at his new contract job as a tour helicopter pilot.

My parents stayed at our place while we were on our honeymoon in Jamaica and then they stayed two nights with us when we got back. My brother Bradley and his wife/my best friend, Crystal also spent a few nights with us over Memorial Day weekend. We also had other visitors (yeah Jordann, Bethany & Kathryn!) which made the summer better. I got to catch up with quite of few Campus Outreach friends as well. We spent until mid-September in South Carolina. We then took a week with my family in NC and then headed to New Hampshire to spend time with Corey's family. I also spent several weeks in New York working for Redeemer and seeing friends. Thanks for hosting me Bethany, Robyn, Katherine & Ashley! I so needed that time in NYC. I took a little detour trip out to the Hamptons to see Adriana for several days as well. So fun to get time with her and work alongside her.

I got two big privileges in November. I got to be the speaker at a women's retreat for a church in Greensboro called The Kirk. A friend who I knew during my time on staff with Campus Outreach, Kate Brittain, asked me to be the speaker. It was so challenging for me to prepare as they asked me to speak about what God is currently teaching me. The theme of the weekend was "The Power of Friendship" and each talk looked at friendship in an unique way. The first talk was about the miracle that Christ calls us friend, the second was about authentic vulnerability in friendship and the last talk was on influence in friendship and how as Christians we can use our voice and world view to change lives and even culture. The other privilege was being on a panel for Campus Outreach seniors at their mobilization retreat. I encouraged them in lasting singleness and in using their skills and talents to advance the Kingdom of God! Both of these retreats were breaths of fresh air for me during such an intense season of change.

After weeks of cleaning, sorting and a bit of remodeling, we are finally somewhat settled in our house in North Carolina. It has taken over a month to get my grandparents' house livable again but we are finally in! There is so much more to do on the house but it will have to happen over time. It is good to be near family again after living far away for nearly six years.

Once I realized I would be leaving the most amazing city in world, I also realized I would need a new name for my blog. I am still as southern as they come but I guess sadly I’m no longer, “Southern in the City”. For now I'll be using my new monogram I got back in May!

Because of all the major changes I've been going through, I've seriously neglected my blog. But, I've been making little notes of things I wanted to be sure I put on the blog. As I planned the wedding I would be tempted to write about different little ideas I had but held back so that they would be surprises for our guests on the actual wedding day.

My plan is to walk through the different elements of the wedding and share with you my planning process and why we chose the things we chose. Some of this is for me to remember the different elements of the wedding that meant so much to me and to Corey. Some of it is to share ideas with other brides who are in the planning process. We wanted a meaningful day focused on Christ surrounded by family and friends and that is just what we had! We will be sharing wedding pictures along the way as well. Plus, we have honeymoon pics to share with you and I will write a post about our trip to Jamaica.

As you can see from the categories on the right, there are lots of topics I hope to cover on this blog and some I'm sure that won't fit nicely into a labeled category. FYI: Some of the label buttons won't work until I post to that category.

I’m excited to be able to rejoin the blogging world after a lapse of writing consistently.

I hope it will be a blessing to you, a way to stay connected to us and a way to see a little bit of our lives from afar.

Stay tuned for the next entry....you won't want to miss that....I promise :)! It might have something to do with the label with ???? on it.