Happy 2nd Birthday Hudson

If this is your first time to visit our blog thank you for taking time to check it out.  I started this blog when I was pregnant with our first and only child.  We found out at 20 weeks that our son Hudson would be born with a complex congenital heart defect called hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), which meant he would be born with only half of a functioning heart.  The truth is we never knew if we would ever bring our baby home or if he would survive the first of the 3 operations that were required to give him a chance at life.  There were some very close calls early on, but Hudson did survive.  In fact he just didn’t survive, Hudson thrived.

Hudson was a miracle from the very beginning.  This beautiful child with half of a heart changed my life forever and the lives of so many others.  Hudson was so full of joy.  He really loved life and made the most of every moment.  Unless you saw the scar that ran down the front of his chest, you would never have known that anything was wrong.  Hudson was full of energy and he loved to dance, sing, and play all the time.

A few weeks ago my life changed forever.  My precious baby boy passed away unexpectedly in the arms of his earthly father and went straight into the arms of his heavenly father.  We miss Hudson every moment, but this life is not the end.  We will be reunited again with our son in Heaven.  Today is Hudson’s 2^nd birthday.  We wanted to do something special to honor him and we thought starting an annual tradition of Hudson’s Day of Kindness would make our sweet boy proud.

I hope if you received a card today and someone was kind to you that you would consider passing it on.  I also hope you know that you are loved by a Savior that died on a cross so that he could have a relationship with you.  We hope that Hudson’s legacy will be one of remembering what’s important both in this life and our eternal life.  We know that Hudson is celebrating his 2^nd birthday this year with Jesus.  While we wish Hudson was here with us, we know that his heart has been healed and he is with the only one that loves him more than we can. 

Happy 2^nd birthday my precious son.  

I love you forever and can’t wait until I can hold you in my arms again!

Link to Hudson's Day of Kindness Cards:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4mfAlWPs28TS1FOU19yVS1LTFU/view?usp=sharing


Photo Credit: HMP Studios

Hudson's Day of Kindness

On Wednesday, June 3^rd we had the most beautiful memorial service to honor the incredible life of our precious son Hudson.  Hudson spent 23 months and 5 days on this Earth before going to his eternal home in Heaven.  On June 25^th, Hudson would have been 2 years old.  We want to start an annual tradition of a day to remember Hudson with random acts of kindness to celebrate his birthday.  We are asking anyone, anywhere to join with us in keeping Hudson’s legacy alive.  I have attached a PDF with Hudson’s Day of Kindness cards front and back so that anyone can print them out.  There are 4 cards to a page and the back of the cards is in the link as a second page but you can just turn the paper around in the printer to print the back.  Please feel free to pass out as many as you would like on June 25^th while performing random acts of kindness.  Thank you in advance for helping us celebrate our sweet son’s birthday while being kind to others.

If anyone is interested in making a donation to help fund life-saving research for other children born with congenital heart defects (CHDs), you can make a donation to Children’s Hospital of Alabama in memory of Hudson Simmons.  If you specify Hudson's name, 100% of the proceeds will go to CHD research.  Donations can be made online at childrensal.org or by mail to the following address: 

Attn: Peggy Darby

Children's of Alabama Foundation

1600 7th Ave South

Birmingham, AL  35233

Link to Hudson's Day of Kindness Cards:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4mfAlWPs28TS1FOU19yVS1LTFU/view?usp=sharing

There's No Place Like Home

On Saturday morning Hudson went to his eternal home in Heaven.  It was as much of a shock to us as to everyone else.  He had been a little under the weather with a minor ear infection, but nothing serious.  In fact Hudson has been doing great for quite a while now.  His last cardiologist appointment in February couldn't have gone any better and we had seen our pediatrician this past week.  

Hudson passed away instantaneously in the arms of his daddy most likely from a cardiac arrhythmia. He didn't suffer and left this world in the arms of his Earthly father and then went straight into the arms of his Heavenly father.  We are devastated of course and feel like our hearts are broken in a way that will never be healed until we see him again.  We are taking this journey one step at a time and find great peace in knowing he is in Heaven with a perfect heart and that we will see him again.

"My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."    Psalm 73:26

We would love to have anyone join us for a service to remember Hudson's beautiful life.

Memorial Service:

Wednesday June 3, 2015 @ 1:00 PM

Church of the Highlands Chapel

5901 Overton Road Birmingham, AL  35210

Believe In Miracles

As another season is coming to a close, I have so much to share about the past several months of our lives.  The first and most exciting thing to report is that we celebrated Hudson’s 1^st birthday at the end of June with the birthday theme Love You To The Moon And Back.  It was such an incredible joyous celebration not just about a 1^st birthday, but also of life and miracles.  I can’t even describe how special this moment was for both my husband and myself.  Before Hudson was born I prayed for this moment.  I wondered if we would ever see that day, and to have an opportunity to gather with family and friends and watch our sweet baby boy laughing, playing, and smashing his birthday cake was more than I could have ever hoped for.  Thank you Lord for performing wonders that cannot be fathomed and miracles that cannot be counted (Job 5:9).  It is truly amazing to see how far Hudson has come in the past year.

What a difference a year makes!

Hudson also had his first real vacation at the beach in July.  He loves playing in the sand and water, and was extremely fascinated with the sand crabs and fish that we saw.  He was not however a fan of the drive down (not that I can blame him).  We had a fantastic time and can’t wait to go back.

We have had the longest stretch of time between cardiologist visits, which is a great thing.  We will be going back this Thursday for a check-up, but it has been 4 months since our last appointment.  Hudson will still need a 3^rd open-heart surgery and tentatively that is being planned for sometime after his 2^nd birthday as long as things continue the way that they have been.  We are scheduled for a minor, non-heart related procedure this October with hopefully just an overnight hospital stay.  Otherwise things really could not be going much better.  Hudson has also rocked all of his developmental milestones.  We were warned that he could potentially have serious delays in both physical and mental developmental milestones due to his heart defect, but Hudson has exceeded everyone’s expectations.  He began walking at 10 months and now cannot be stopped :) He is so smart and just blows me away daily.  I’m so proud of him and proud that I was given the opportunity to be his mother.  Hudson continues to inspire me and show me how precious life is.

Hudson you are loved to the moon and back!

Weeping May Endure for a Night, but Joy Comes in the Morning

I have questioned whether or not to write this post for sometime now.  When I started this blog one of the things that was most important to me was authenticity.  I never wanted to act like that because of my faith everything about this journey was going to always end up picture perfect.  The reality is from February 5, 2013 until now I have praised, questioned, cried, and been angry at God for allowing our family to go through this.  For several months now I have experienced depression and anxiety about Hudson’s heart.  Just to preface this discussion, Hudson is doing amazingly well.  He is crawling and I’m pretty sure he will be walking very soon.  He is the most happy, sweet-spirited baby I have ever seen.  Quite honestly he couldn’t be doing any better.  It might not make any sense to people why I would now have feelings of depression when my child has made it through some of the toughest moments and is now thriving.  The truth is it doesn’t always make sense to me either.  I wasn’t sure if I should write about this because it is personal and one of those things that people just don’t talk about, but why not be real instead of just trying to act like everything is always great.  I’m not looking for anyone’s sympathy, but instead trying to say that if you have ever felt like this it’s okay and you are not alone.  Also friends of people that have had children with health problems or have lost loved ones need to understand that this journey changes you forever.  I have watched my baby and countless other children go through struggles that no one should ever have to go through, but especially not children.  I wish I could erase the images in my mind, but I can’t.  I have watched my baby do so well, but I have also seen others struggle and not make it.  I have witnessed friends mourn the loss of their precious angels. 

I have the kind of personality where I get extremely emotionally involved with people.  When other families have gone through these experiences, I imagine how I would feel if it had been me because the reality is it could have just as easily been us.  To my friends and others that know people in similar situations I would just ask that you cut people some slack.  Everyone handles situations differently, but I don’t think you will ever meet someone who has had a child with a severe health problem say that they are not changed forever.  I think I was running on adrenaline for a long time and now that things have finally calmed down I have actually been able to stop and reflect on the past months.  One of the things that has given me a true sense of peace is knowing that our struggles and time on Earth is just a blink of the eye compared to our eternal life in Heaven.  I am thankful that one day Hudson’s heart will be whole and the memories of watching my precious baby struggle will forever be erased.  I am grateful that God sent his son to be crucified so that we can spend eternity with our Heavenly Father in a place where pain and suffering are no more.  After having my own child, I think I actually understand this sacrifice even more so than I ever did before.  It is horrible to watch your child suffer, but I am thankful that God loved us enough to send Jesus to suffer and die a horrific death on Earth so that we can truly live.

Hudson's 7 month photo shoot (my big boy is now 9 months old!)

Every Good & Perfect Gift

Happy Valentine’s Day!  

Hudson had a cardiologist appointment today and we received some wonderful news.  His chylothorax has finally resolved and is completely gone.  One of the reasons for the lack of blog posts lately is because the chylothorax has basically remained unchanged since November.  This is the first time since September that he has not had any residual chylothorax.  Thank you Lord for answered prayers!  We have been so blessed to be able to stay out of the hospital now for the longest amount of time in Hudson’s life.  We spent Hudson’s first Thanksgiving and Christmas with family, and just enjoyed all of the special moments with our precious baby boy. 

The past few months have had quite a few ups and downs.  Everything with Hudson has been great.  He is now 7 months old and completely on the move.  He loves walking (while holding Mommy or Daddy’s hands), playing with his furry brother and sister, and giving the sweetest baby loves I have ever seen.  Every moment with him is an incredible gift. 

Even though we have not been in the hospital lately, we still developed some close friendships with people we met while we were there.  Three CHD families we met said goodbye to their precious angels as they entered into the presence of our Lord and Savior over the past several months.  Babies W, J, and C will always hold a special place in my heart.  I cannot imagine how incredibly difficult it must be to lose a child.  These babies are true heroes and their lives inspired so many.

No one is guaranteed another day and God has just been reminding me to savor every moment.  I know that in a single heartbeat everything can change, but I am determined to treasure every moment.  Every smile, laugh, and kiss from Hudson shows me how precious life is. 

“Every good and perfect gift comes from God above” – James 1:17

First Christmas, playing with the dogs, and first snow!

Hudson loved meeting Santa Claus

Love, Sweet Love

It has been awhile since I have blogged because the status of Hudson's complication from his 2nd open heart surgery seemed to change almost daily.  Since September 23rd (Glenn surgery date), Hudson has had a heart cath, a pleurodesis, 5 chest tubes, and at least 5 hospitalizations with over 30 days spent in the hospital.  We had a cardiologist appointment this past Thursday and will most likely continue the weekly appointments until we are sure that his chylothorax does not start reaccumulating.  Fortunately Dr. Romp (cardiologist) said on Thursday that he thought things looked pretty good and he was hopeful that maybe the small pockets of effusion which still remain will gradually just be reabsorbed into the body over time instead of getting larger.  We are still not completely over this hurdle, but hopefully the worst is behind us.  We are hoping that we can stay out of the hospital for awhile and that Hudson can celebrate Thanksgiving as his first holiday at home :)  Hudson is now 4 months old and cuter than ever.  He is laughing, cooing, rolling over, and getting close to sitting up by himself.  Thank you for continuing to pray for healing for Hudson.  There are also many others at Children's who need your prayers so please keep them in your thoughts as well.

I also wanted to tell you about a really neat thing that happened while we were in the hospital last week.  Regions Bank sponsored what is called a "Cheeriodicals Day" at Children's Hospital, where as a part of their community service, they gave every child in the hospital (360) a big green box of "cheer" tailored to boys or girls and filled with age appropriate gifts.  Also MoveDaddy.com delivered all the boxes to the hospital.  I can tell you that my face lit up when Hudson got his box full of goodies and I know it did for many other patients as well.  People don't always hear about good things that happen in the news, but for so many sick children this was such a special treat!  Big thank you to Regions Bank for making Hudson's day!

Just a few of the goodies from Hudson's Cheeriodical Box!

Meeting cousins for the 1st time, FaceTime for Great Grandaddy's 91st birthday, Sweet Smiles

Love Letter to my Son

Hudson,

My beautiful 4-month old precious baby I am so glad to have you back home again.  The past couple of months have been so hard and it hurts my heart every time that you stare at me in the hospital when they are about to do something to you.  There have been so many times where I just want to grab you and run out of there forever.  I know it is all necessary and every measure that is taken is to give you the most incredible life that children born 32 years ago with HLHS wouldn’t have even had the chance to know.  Every day I thank God that this incredible 3-step surgical intervention was invented so that I can spend my life loving you.  I hope that you never remember any of this, but when you get older I pray that you look back at what you have gone through with pride and awe for being braver and stronger than most people are ever called to be. 

One of my favorite times together is when I am rocking you to sleep for the night.  A quiet moment with just the two of us, I feel a sense of peace and gratitude for getting the chance to know you and be inspired by you.  You are the best part of me:  my love, my heart, my world.  I consider you my greatest accomplishment and the most incredible person I have ever known.  You are a warrior and a fighter.  Please don’t mistake that you are defined by your heart, because there is so much more to you than that.  You have such a sweet spirit, always smiling when you are feeling good.  When I look into your eyes it is like you are staring into the very depths of my soul.  I love the way that you sometimes get shy and put your hands up in front of your mouth to hide when you are smiling at people.  From day 1 you have had this inquisitive personality that surprised everyone who came in contact with you.  Those cute eyebrows would furrow and they would say that you were taking note of everything that was going on.  I’m not surprised one bit because you are so smart.  I am so proud of you and in many ways consider it ironic that such a strong boy could be born to such a weak mother.  I learn something from you every day, but maybe the most important lesson I have learned is that of courage and enjoying every moment that the Lord has blessed us with.

Your daddy and I love you more than you will ever know, but you are loved even more by the one that created you.  He knew everything about you before you were even born and made you completely unique from everyone else (Jeremiah 1:5).  From the very beginning I have prayed that God would use your story to touch others, but maybe you have touched me the most.  Your beautiful heart has forever changed mine. 

All of my love today and forever,

Mommy