A Thousand Reasons to Smile.: Bittersweet.

I never really knew my Grandpa on my Dad's side. He was very ill most of his life and he passed away when I was just 10 months old. I've always been told just how much he adored me. I've heard stories of how excited he would get when he knew I was coming over, although he pretended he didn't want to see me :) I've heard that I would tickle his feet at the edge of his recliner. I've heard that he would have been so proud of me at least 1,000 times.

Last week, Sophia and I visited my Dad in Asheville, NC. This was the fourth time I have taken my girl across the country to visit her Grandpa. About two years ago, my Dad found out that he has an incurable lung disease called Pulmonary Fibrosis. The disease itself is terrible, it is breaking down the connections in his lungs to the point where he is only able to use less than 1/2 of his lung capacity. They have put him on a new drug to try to slow the decay, but this drug has caused even more problems for him. It is a steroid which has caused him extreme swelling, nervous system issues, diabetes, etc. At this point, they are pretty much trying to keep things stable, but if he wants any chance at a normal life, he will have to undergo a double-lung transplant. In his current health, this isn't an option. He is doing all he can to get himself more healthy so that he can get on the transplant list. If anyone out there is reading this, prayers are MUCH appreciated.

It pains us all that my Dad has only been able to see Sophia in person a few times. We Skype as much as we can to keep her familiar with him. Truly, my greatest fear is that she won't know him. My Dad has always been such a huge part of my life. To think that she won't know his ridiculous sense of humor, giant heart, and incredible intelligence is unimaginable to me. I pray everyday that when Sophia is 30 years old, she will know first hand how much he adores her, how excited he is every time he sees her, and how incredibly proud of her he is, not just have to take all of our word for it.

Since he is not allowed to travel, we have to go to North Carolina to see him. Sophia loves it there! She is completely in LOVE with my Auntie Nonie, as all kids who meet her are. This time I know for sure that she recognized everyone she saw. She had a great time playing with her cousins Bryson and Aiden and discovered that Auntie Nonie's exercise machine makes a great jungle gym. She had us all cracking up when she discovered that each time she climbed all the way on then all the way off everyone would clap for her. She did it over and over and if we didn't clap, she would look at each of us applauding herself saying "Yay!" After a while, her attempts got pretty sad and she expected applause for very little effort :)

Here are some of the highlights of the trip.

Loves her Auntie Nonie ♥