Carley Faith

Thanks!!

2011-10-11T18:24:00.000-05:00

Almost 400 bows and headbands donated to UMC. Thanks to everyone that helped out! You are the best!!

Happy 4th Birthday

2011-10-09T15:20:00.001-05:00

Carley Bow! 3

2011-10-04T12:41:00.000-05:00

Oct. 8, 2011

Texas Tech vs. Texas A&M

11:00 A.M.

Eye see you

2011-09-01T14:48:00.000-05:00

As I was looking through the blog today, I was staring at one Carley's pictures. I've never been able to say, "oh she looks so much like so and so" or "she resembles Kristal's family" or anything like that. But as I stared at her picture, I started to see Emiley in it. I don't know if I've just never seen it or Emiley is starting to look like Carley, but I saw her in Carley's eyes today.

That made my day.

Carley Bowl II

2010-10-01T13:42:00.000-05:00

We had a great tailgate this year during the UT/Texas Tech game. Family and friends donated over 250 bows to the cause. We took these up to the NICU and PICU units at UMC here in Lubbock.

Thanks to everyone who donated and hopefully they have made your precious angel that much prettier.

Happy Birthday! Carley Faith

2009-10-09T10:36:00.002-05:00

Sisters Love

2009-09-04T16:10:00.011-05:00

After I made the previous video, my girls asked me to make them one with this song.

Carley was blessed with two wonderful big sisters. When it came to Carley, there was no selfishness nor jealousy from Bailey or Emiley. They loved her unconditionally. Even though they did most of their interaction through a glass window for more than half of Carley's life, I've never seen two kids love their sibling so much. Thank you Bailey and Emi, I'm really proud of your love for Carley. I'll never forget the love you two had for her, and I'm forever grateful for your actions. It made our job so much easier. We'll never forget her. This is for you Emi and Bailey. I love you two.

Missing You

2009-08-28T17:19:00.002-05:00

Count Your Life by Smiles...

2008-10-09T09:50:00.004-05:00

Not Tears, and Count your Age by FRIENDS, not years. Today Carley would have turned ONE, but in reality she lived to be over one hundred, based on the amount of friends she had. We love you.

Now with God...

2008-09-29T17:26:00.000-05:00

Forever in our Hearts

2008-09-20T14:03:00.001-05:00

Carley Faith Garcia
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
Saturday, September 20, 2008Story last updated at -
Services for Carley Faith Garcia, infant daughter of Carlos and Kristal Garcia, will be 10 a.m. Saturday, September 20, 2008 in Englunds Chapel with Deacon Phillip Maldonado officiating. Local arrangements are under the direction of Englunds Funeral Service.
Additional services will be 10 a.m. Monday, September 22, 2008 in Van Horns First Baptist Church with Rev. Robert Casey officiating. Interment will follow in Vans Horn Cemetery under the direction of Carillos Funeral Home in Van Horn.
Carley passed from this life into God's hands Thursday, September 18, 2008. She was born October 9, 2007 in Lubbock to Kristal and Carlos Garcia.
Carley was a special child to our family, friends, doctors and nurses.
Those left to cherish Carley's memory include her parents; sisters, Bailey and Emiley, all of Slaton; maternal grandmother, Marjorie Garlick of Van Horn; maternal grandfather, Stephan Weiss of San Angelo; paternal grandparents, Celestino and Francisca Garcia of Van Horn; maternal great-grandfather, Buddy Martin, and maternal great-grandmother, Norma Weiss, both of San Angelo; her Nancy "G-Nan" Ince of San Antonio; along with numerous aunts and cousins.
The family wishes to extend a special thanks and appreciation to UMC's NICU and PICU doctors and nurses who will always be in the hearts of Carlos and Kristal.

Gameday

2008-09-20T14:03:00.000-05:00

Considering today is Gameday, I just had to share these photos of Carley from last weekendends Tech/SMU game. Today I think she'll finally get to enjoy the game from the stands. So look out for her in Sec 9, Row 2, Seat 18. But be careful, even though she was tiny, she liked to do things in a GIANT way. Wreckem Tech.

"Let the children come to me!"

2008-09-18T22:56:00.003-05:00

I've typed and retyped what I wanted to write here tonight. I don't even know how to say it and I certainly don't want to type it. But right now this is the only way I can let you know that our precious little angel is no longer with us. I'm grateful for having been blessed with her presence for eleven months. Posting this blog tonight is the hardest thing I'll ever do, but I know that it's nothing compared to what Carley went through every day. At last she has some peace. I miss you Carley.

“Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of God” (Lk. 18:16).

It's Fixed

2008-09-09T17:19:00.006-05:00

There’s no excuse for not updating this blog sooner. Most of you know I’m a procrastinator so it shouldn’t surprise you. The last time I updated the blog was when we Carley went home. Well she's been home for over a month now and Carley has settled into our home and has had her ups and downs.

We currently have one full time nurse, Jamie.

And we also have temporary nurses until they find some that will work full time. I think we may have another, Lacey who may work full time. I'll keep you updated on that. In the meantime, these wonderful temp. nurses are Sheila, Fawn and Asterid. Carley is eligible for about 21 hours of care a day, but we are lucky to use 10. The hardest is not having a full time night nurse. I don’t know how Kristal does it, but she stays up with her whenever we don’t have a nurse. This means she is up at least 5 out of the 7 nights and still manages to take care of things around the house, including everything associated with Emiley. You know what I’m talking about. I’ll tell you one thing, in case she doesn’t know it, and she’ll claim I never tell her, she has my respect and admiration. I couldn’t do what Kristal does and Carley and I really appreciate everything she does.

I’m going to post some pictures of her at home based on the date the picture was taken. The blog will appear to have been updated periodically and not a month late, and you may have to go to the second page in order to see a full month worth of updates (pictures).

As you can tell from the pictures, after she came home, she started out in a basinet. We upgraded her to Bailey and Emiley’s old crib and it really worked well. We know have a new hospital crib that takes less room.

As for San Antonio and the future, Carley has been accepted for the rib expansion surgery. However, this news is a double sided sword because the only reason they accepted her is they feel she doesn’t have much of a chance without the surgery. Plus, during surgery, the risk of losing Carley on the operating table is greater than normal. This isn’t the first time we’ve been faced with this type of decision. However, before we decide what to do, Carley has an appointment with an SED specialist in Delaware. This is the same specialist we had mentioned before. Her appointment is set for October 14, 5 days after her 1st birthday. I’m sure you’ll see plans to celebrate this milestone soon. I’ll keep you posted. That is all for now, and I’m really sorry to have waited so long.

Latest picture:

Nicole visits Ms. Carley, September 2nd.

Crazy Hair Competition

2008-09-01T18:16:00.001-05:00

You decide

Happy Days

2008-08-19T18:15:00.000-05:00

Bath Time

2008-08-17T18:05:00.005-05:00

with my sisters helping.

The Chair Part II

2008-08-11T18:00:00.003-05:00

Sleeping in the chair watching the Olympics again.

What's up? What, I can do that too...

In my sleep! My new friend Jamie!

The Olympics

2008-08-08T17:56:00.002-05:00

Watching the Bejing Olympics with my sisters. Opening ceremonies are fixin (yeah I said it) to start.

The Chair

2008-08-03T17:54:00.001-05:00

Granny visits

2008-08-01T17:49:00.003-05:00

but you wouldn't know it because mommy doesn't know how to use a camera.

At least you can make out the fridge.

Adjusting

2008-07-29T17:37:00.002-05:00

Before After

Happy in her new crib Happy, who's happy?

Four little monkeys jumping on the bed, one fell off....

Two little monkeys... Big Sis

I love my big sisters, they make me happy....sometimes.

The day is here:

2008-07-28T20:59:00.001-05:00

Carley is home. After a long day, we finally got her home today at 7:20 pm. It's surreal. Thanks, thanks for all the prayers!

CSR Day 2

2008-07-24T18:52:00.000-05:00

Carley had a good night, alternating between good sleep and hyper activity. At 2 she got her last meal and she calmed down a little although by the time they came to get her, she was visibly hungry. Anytime anything came near her mouth she tried to eat it. At around 7:30 they gave her some medication to put her to sleep but she didn't react to it and they called in the anesthesiologist that is supposed to sedate her for one of the tests. They decide to go ahead and sedate her for all the tests. She was gone until around noon. She had a fluoroscopy of the Diaphragm. She then had a diagnostic X-Ray of her in various positions to determine the flexibility of her spine. She then had a tomographic image taken of her before her CT scan. The CT evaluates the volume of her lungs and the bony structure. Tomorrow a pulmonologist, orthopaedic surgeon and the thoracic surgeon will evaluate her and then meet with us before we leave around noon. Then on Tuesday, they get together and make the final decision on whether she is a candidate for the surgery.
Currently she is sleeping again after joining me for a three hour siesta earlier. Her vitals are great. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers.

CSR Day 1

2008-07-23T17:37:00.000-05:00

Well Carley got here about any hour before noon. Bailey and I drove in around noon thirty. Carley's flight was a little delayed due to some miscommunication at UMC but once they got airborne it was pretty smooth. Carley was sedated and handled the trip really well. After another delay at the SA airport because her ambulance got lost and was late to picke her up, she made it to Christus Santa Rosa. She's had any EKG and some blood work done. If time permits the orthopedics will try to see her today, but last we heard they were in surgery. Tomorrow she will have a CAT scan and other test done. As i know all the test I'll let ya'll know. And of course as soon as we know the results we'll post it here as well. Thanks and here's to hoping Dolly doesn't altre our plans.

Big Day

2008-07-23T11:16:00.001-05:00

Ready for trip to San Antonio. Made it okay at around 10:45 this am. Will keep you posted.

NICU to PICU

2008-07-15T12:51:00.004-05:00

Yesterday, Carley made the move from the Neonatal ICU to the Pediatric ICU in preperation for her coming home. After spending 9 months in one place you can imagine how hard it was to leave. I think my wife took it the hardest. I hope Carley is too young to realize what is happening. Going home may be a lot harder than we ever imagined even though that was the goal all along. We’ll certainly miss everyone associated with the Neonatal ICU at UMC. There is really no way to pay someone when they care for your child, especially when you consider the quality of care and the amount of love she received. I’m hopeful that they will always feel welcome in our home and that they know how much we appreciate what they do.

Kristal and Allyson getting Carley ready.

Now she's gone. It looks so empty.

Settleing into her new "temporary" home.

Her first visitor, Nicole.

Picture right outside the Pediatric ICU. When I saw it I was scolded by my wife because I wasn't sure if it was Emiley, but after she saw the picture she wasn't sure. Sure looks like her what do ya'll think?

Went home for the weekend. Thought I'd share this picture, for those who know where home is.

New Pictures

2008-07-15T09:03:00.001-05:00

Prior to the move. Update to follow.

Bailey and Carley

2008-07-13T10:20:00.001-05:00

Nine

2008-07-11T17:47:00.005-05:00

Carley is up to 10 pounds 11 ounces. (I'd like to say 10 lbs 9 oz, [her birthday], but I don't want to take anything away from her). She has currently been in the NICU unit for over Nine (9) Months. It’s hard to believe that she has been there that long. The prospects of bringing her home, believe it or not, come with mixed feelings. After the same routine for nine months, and seeing the same people almost everyday for that long, it is difficult to imagine not doing it that much longer. Those nurses at the neonatal intensive care unit have become a part of our family. They have been really good to us throughout these nine months, and in a way leaving the NICU feels like the first time I left Van Horn to come to Tech.

All this means is that soon, our baby will be home. For that we are really excited. From day one, our goal was to bring Carley home. Now that we are close to achieving this goal, it is time to look at the next step. Next Sunday, July 20th we start our rooming in at the hospital as we prepare to bring her home. We will do that for three days then UMC will medivac Carley to San Antonio. She has an evaluation on Thursday and Friday at Christus Santa Rosa. She comes back to Lubbock on the 25th and depending on how she handles the trip, could be home as early as that Friday. Because of the weekend, we’re thinking of waiting until Monday. Either way, we hope to have her home at the latest by Monday July 28th.

Thanks to everyone who in one way or another has been a part of Carley’s life for the last nine months. We are lucky and grateful to have family and friends like you.

Birthday Balloon Video

2008-07-09T22:35:00.003-05:00

Here is a video of Carley playing with the balloon her NICU neighbor Ethan Rocha gave her today on her 9 month birthday. She seems quite amused by it.

Fw: new pics

2008-07-09T21:26:00.001-05:00

----- Original Message -----
From: Allyson <allysonk@suddenlink.net>
To: Garcia, Carlos
Sent: Wed Jul 09 20:48:36 2008
Subject: new pics

Fw: pics part 2

2008-07-05T22:20:00.001-05:00

----- Original Message -----
From: Allyson <allysonk@suddenlink.net>
To: Garcia, Carlos
Sent: Sat Jul 05 21:37:28 2008
Subject: pics part 2

here are some more good ones

Fw: new pics

2008-07-05T21:25:00.001-05:00

----- Original Message -----
From: Allyson <allysonk@suddenlink.net>
To: Garcia, Carlos
Sent: Sat Jul 05 20:04:40 2008
Subject: new pics

I finally got my computer hooked back up so I am sending a backlog of pics....a couple we took today of her in a mess of carrots all over her face....it was hilarious.....the carrots won the fight. There is one pic of just her arm. I wanted to hang a sign above her bed that said Gun Show $2. she has grown so much....it's amazing. I couldn't resist the one of Kathy in Carley's bow either. I thought you'd like the one of Carley holding her own remote ; )

Enjoy---
Allyson

Someone is Happy today

2008-06-09T13:51:00.004-05:00

CMN Pictures

2008-06-02T10:03:00.002-05:00

Look at me!

2008-06-02T10:03:00.001-05:00

Busy weekend

2008-05-30T22:31:00.003-05:00

We have a pretty busy weekend ahead of us. I’m headed to Odessa for “Bulls and Bikes Riding for Faith” and my wife is staying with Carley and doing the Children’s Miracle Network. I should be back on Sunday for Carley’s segment. Hopefully the telethon is as successful as the radioathon was. And I hope we have a good turnout for the rodeo. My family, especially Maria and Oscar, the “Twins”, have really put a lot of time and money into organizing this fundraiser. They have been through a lot themselves, so it means so much to Kristal and I. And it’s not just them two, because the rest of my family has really stepped up to the plate. I love you guys.

We almost have “Carley’s Room” done. Some really good friends of ours, the Ramos’ and Sanchez’ gave up their Memorial Day weekend to tear down paneling, re-sheetrock the room and repair the termite damage. A very special thank you to one of the nurse’s husband for coming out and pretty much doing all the mud work himself. Fred, you’re the man. A special thanks to Circle G Tile for doing laying down the tile as well. With support from friends and family like this, there isn’t anything we cannot handle (and by no means am I challenging God to throw more our way, I’m just saying we have a great network of friends and family).

Funny that CMN’s logo is a hot air balloon. When I was in Turkey I rode in a hot air balloon for the very first time. Hopefully we’ll soar to great heights tomorrow. Click here for a preview of our story that will air on Sunday.

Here is Carley in an outfit that Larissa got her.

fw:

2008-05-30T09:10:00.001-05:00

Carley has a new friend

Nighty Night

2008-05-28T10:01:00.001-05:00

Having a few rough days, but seems to be doing a little better this morning. Another bout of fevers without any indication of what it could be. Then she'll recover nicely and do good for about two to three weeks, then the cycle starts all over again.

Up to over 9 pounds 5 ounces. Getting ready for a busy weekend with the Rodeo in Odessa and CMN Telethon in Lubbock. Be sure to watch for her as she is once again one of the Miracle Babies.

-----Original Message-----
From: Allyson
Sent: Tuesday, May 27, 2008 9:36 PM
To: Garcia, Carlos
Subject: pic

I scored a new nightshirt from Gayle

What UP?

2008-05-27T08:11:00.001-05:00

"Hey Al will ya move your big head so I can watch my Backyardigans already?"

FW:

2008-05-22T08:21:00.002-05:00

Bailey changing Carley's diaper yesterday evening.

From:
Sent: Wednesday, May 21, 2008 8:59 PM
To: Garcia, Carlos
Subject:



Diaper change!

FW: pic

2008-05-21T15:04:00.000-05:00

-----Original Message-----
From: Allyson
Sent: Wednesday, May 21, 2008 12:10 PM
To: Garcia, Carlos
Subject: pic

It appears Carley is quite amused with herself in both pics ;-)

Fw: Carley flyer

2008-05-17T00:17:00.002-05:00

Our family is having a fundraiser for Carley in Odessa. Attached you can see the flyer. The rodeo will take place on May 31st. It is such a humbleing experience to know that so many people care so much. We'll never be able to repay what people have done for our family.

A picture is worth a thousand words.

2008-05-12T16:06:00.005-05:00

Between everything else we have to do before we can bring Carley home, I have very little time and/or motivation for updating her blog. I've discovered that I can send emails to the blog and they are automatically posted. You have probably noticed a lot of pictures lately. What I have done is forwarded all the pictures our nurses send to me and posted them on here. Most times that is what people want to see anyway. My babble gets old and most times my attempts at humor are lame, so it should be better this way.

As for what is happening, they have opened the NICU to sibling visitation. Emiley and Bailey have both enjoyed visiting with their sister. It has been a while since they have been able to touch her so it really has been very beneficial to all our girls. Carley is growing steadily and has had really great days. San Antonio is tentatively scheduled for July, so we are narrowing in on a date.

Thats about it, but keep checking back for pictures. 1 point for every grammer (I think that's one) and spelling error I made in the post. Feel free to post them in the comments page.

FW:

2008-05-12T16:03:00.000-05:00

From: Allyson
Sent: Sunday, May 11, 2008 12:43 PM
To: Garcia, Carlos
Subject: Happy Mother's Day

New pics

FW: more pics

2008-05-12T16:02:00.000-05:00

From: Allyson
Sent: Sunday, May 11, 2008 12:46 PM
To: Garcia, Carlos
Subject: more pics

FW: new pics

2008-05-08T17:01:00.001-05:00

From: Allyson
Sent: Thursday, May 08, 2008 4:56 PM
To: Kristal; Garcia, Carlos
Subject: new pics

FW: Pic

2008-05-07T11:34:00.001-05:00

-----Original Message-----
From: Allyson
Sent: Wednesday, May 07, 2008 11:19 AM
To: Garcia, Carlos
Subject: Pic

I'm all ready for visitors Dad

FW: bananas

2008-05-06T12:46:00.000-05:00

-----Original Message-----
From: Allyson
Sent: Tuesday, May 06, 2008 12:45 PM
To: Garcia, Carlos
Subject: bananas

Carley fed herself some bananas

FW:

2008-05-03T16:20:00.000-05:00

From: Holly Cell
Sent: Saturday, May 03, 2008 4:20 PM
To: Garcia, Carlos
Subject:

FW:

2008-05-03T16:12:00.001-05:00

From: Holly Cell
Sent: Saturday, May 03, 2008 4:12 PM
To: Garcia, Carlos
Subject:
Holly bob fixed my glasses!

FW:

2008-05-03T08:46:00.000-05:00

Bailey visitation!

From: Kristal Cell
Sent: Saturday, May 03, 2008 8:46 AM
To: 3252778348/TYPE=PLMN; 14325998759/TYPE=PLMN; 8067869791/TYPE=PLMN; 4322840372/TYPE=PLMN; 8065498820/TYPE=PLMN; Garcia, Carlos
Subject:

FW:

2008-05-02T18:14:00.000-05:00

From: Holly Cell

Sent: Friday, May 02, 2008 6:14 PM
To: Garcia, Carlos
Subject:

FW: Emailing: spring 08 0166

2008-05-02T18:08:00.000-05:00

From: Allyson
Sent: Friday, May 02, 2008

To: Garcia, Carlos
Subject: Emailing: spring 08 0166

I took this one on my way out the door....pretty cute.

FW: pics

2008-05-02T16:00:00.000-05:00

-----Original Message-----
From: Allyson

Sent: Friday, May 02, 2008 4:00 PM
To: Garcia, Carlos
Subject: pics

Watching a movie in my specs

I can see you now

2008-04-28T21:17:00.003-05:00

Carley is getting glasses. After many visits from different opticians, it was determined that Carley was nearsighted and could see no further than six inches in front of her face. Nearsightedness and retina detachment are a common problem with children with SEDc. Luckily, no retina detachment has been detected in Carley. Tonight she had the different lenses tried on her and we decided to go with the pink ones pictured below. She should have them ready by Friday. I just hope what she sees now doesn't frighten her.

Locks of Love

2008-04-27T09:09:00.003-05:00

Last night Carley got her first haircut. She really likes laying on her right side, so she had some long strands of hair on her left side that was driving us and the nurses crazy. In some pictures, it looked like she had a mullet. After a lot of talk and requests, we found someone willing to do the job. JuAnna did the cutting and Florissa did the holding (to protect the nurses from getting written up, I have changed their names. I heard the last time a nurse cut a parents hair in the NICU, she got in trouble, so I'm going to play it safe). I'm not sure Carley is too pleased, but as the days get hotter, I'm sure she'll appreciate the haircut more.

Two Ounces

2008-04-22T23:27:00.003-05:00

Yep, tonight little Ms. Carley went over eight pounds for the first time. She weighed in at 8lbs 2 oz according to her nurse Nicole. She has had a very good week except for the discovery of a right busted eardrum on Friday. Other than that she's doing great.

Spring Time in the NICU

Spring Camouflage

Look at me pout

Mirror, Mirror, on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?

Have a great weekend

2008-04-18T16:50:00.003-05:00

Nothing new to post really, just wanted to share some recent pictures. Not much happening as we wait for a response from San Antonio. Carley is doing great, so here are a few pictures. Have a great weekend.

Nada nuevo por aca. Todo esta bien y sigue progresando Carley. Bonito fin de semana.

Sleeping, eating and pooping

Jet lag. This was a nap we took together after I got back from China.

8

2008-04-13T23:21:00.003-05:00

Last year, before I knew that Carley would require any form of hospitalization, I applied for a leadership program sponsored by duPont through the National Cotton Council. In essence it is a year long program that takes at least one potential candidate from each of the seven segments of the cotton industry and promotes involvement and understanding in each segment. It takes the ten people chosen for six week-long trips throughout the year to different parts of the country. In each destination they learn about one of the different segments. Last week, we had our trip to New York and Delaware. The trip to New York was to visit the options pits and offices of both the Intercontinental Exchange and Cotton Inc. The trip to Delaware was to visit duPont headquarters and learn more about the company and what they do in terms of crop protection and cotton. DuPont got started on the banks of the Brandywine River and its headquarters is located in Wilmington, DE.

What ties this whole story to Carley is that two days prior to my leaving for Delaware and New York, we got in touch with a family of a child with SED. They told us that there was a hospital in Delaware that specialized in SED. SED is so rare that many pediatricians will go through their careers and never see a patient with this condition. At this hospital, they had a physician that not only performs the rib expansion surgery, but also treats patients with SED. The name and location? duPont Children’s Hospital in Wilmington, Delaware.

Although I could not meet with them while I was in Delaware, we have spoken to the doctors and they have been very helpful with Carley. They have been in touch with our doctors and we have sent some of Carley’s medical records to them so they can review them. This should allow us to follow a path of treatment that has already been laid out for patients with Carley’s exact condition rather than one based on patients with a similar condition.

Now for pictures of this weekend. You can tell that she has been gaining some weight. She finally hit eight pounds at her Thursday night weigh in, even though she’s since lost a few ounces.

It's my birthday!!!

2008-04-09T22:29:00.005-05:00

and my dad finally had time to update my blog. Jeez. I guess he forgot blogs are supposed to be updated daily. But it's okay, he's still the greatest! Even my nurses think so. They are always saying "Aarrgh, that Carlos" but then they whisper. I guess they don't want to say good things about him in front of me.

I apologize for not posting in a long time, but I have been really busy. I had to go out of town again last week and although I thought I'd have time to update the blog, I never found it. Well, here I am tonight just letting everyone know that Carley is six months old. This is a pretty big milestone in her young life, and we are excited. However, I told my wife that I was going to stop celebrating monthly birthdays because I now have my site set on bigger things, like yearly b-days. Anyway, I promise to tell everyone later all about my trip and how it relates to Carley, and everything else that has happened since my last post. In the meantime, here is a picture we took tonight.

Hoy cumplo 6 meses de vida. Gracias a todos de nuevo por todo el apoyo y oraciones en los ultimos 6 meses.

Happy Easter

2008-03-23T22:01:00.005-05:00

Another holiday and another day with our precious daughter Carley. This morning we woke up early and went to the hospital to give Carley her bath and get her ready for Easter. My parents and sisters came up and after that we all went to church. Little Carley looked beautiful in her new dress. She also got many Easter and candy baskets. Her little cousin Yulianna had a birthday party yesterday and sent her a birthday bag full of treats. Nurse Dusti got her some rabbit ears and movies. Nurse Bobbi and Nurse Misti got her some more bows. Perlita and her daughter picked out some pretty spring dresses and a pair of shoes. And my sisters also got her some new dresses. Naomi and family got her some onesies, head bands and some butterfly house shoes. She really did well in the gift department. It was almost like Christmas in March.

Since I have so many pictures to share and my Godson Daniel sent me an email the other day wanting me to play this song for Carley, I thought I’d try to make a video from him to Carley with all the pictures we have. I know I promised. But hey…

Teething

2008-03-19T02:20:00.005-05:00

Seems that while I’ve been gone, Carley has been having some small issues that kind of worry me. I tried to get my wife to update this blog but apparently, her abacus is broken and cannot figure this internet thing out. Anyway, Carley is running a low fever everyday and is on Tylenol and Motrin to control it. They tell me that she is teething which is pretty exciting. However, in the back of my mind I worry about infection or some other ailment.

She has also been losing weight consistently and is down to less than 7 lbs after being as high as almost 8 lbs. I think she is probably working too hard as they continue to wean her dependence on the ventilator and is thus losing the weight. They have started to UN-wean her (not sure if that is a word, but in essence they are moving the settings back to where the machines do most of the work) The most important thing right now is getting her to San Antonio as heavy and chubby as possible. So we’ll see if this works.

Anyway, I miss “My Carley Faith” as Emiley would say and I think she misses me. Why else would she be losing weight? Here is a recent picture of my Carley Faith.

In case you didn’t know, I’ve been in China. Here’s a humorous picture of a Chinese menu. I’ll never tell you whether I tried it or not, but let’s just say I don’t have Carley’s problem of not being able to gain weight.

Be Home Soon

Al parecer, a Carley le esta saliendo un diente. Aunque esto es bueno, tambien sigue perdiendo peso. Despues de subir a casi 3 kilos y medio, hoy solo pesa apenas los 3 kilos. Ahorita los mas importante para cuando la llevemos a San Antonio es su peso.

The Chair

2008-03-10T17:53:00.005-05:00

For Carley's 5 month birthday, we got her a little high chair that reclines. Hopefully it will allow her to be off her back for a few hours. She was put in it today and she's seems to be okay with it. I guess time will tell. I swore the chair looked so much smaller when we bought it. Now it looks huge.

Cinco Months

2008-03-09T23:26:00.005-05:00

Today is Carley’s 5 month birthday. Early during the day Emiley and Bailey were able to go and see her through the window. Of course Emiley kept tapping on the window like kids do when they see the fish at the aquariums. Bailey quickly prompted her to stop as it was not allowed. And, Carley slept through the whole visit.

Later in the day we took Bailey and Emiley to my cousin Laura’s house and she watched them so Kristal and I could go to the hospital together. Again, she slept through most of the visit, but was awake long enough for Kristal to hold her. She’s doing really good and at 5 months is starting to get really fussy and tries to find sympathy in the nurses and trick them into doing the things she likes or try to stop the things she doesn’t like. Holly and Larissa, her nurses today, have her all figured out.

We are truly grateful for this milestone in Carley’s life and we look forward to many more, although we continue to take it one day at a time. As usual, without everyone’s thoughts and prayers this wouldn’t be possible. And of course, the CARE she has received at the NICU has truly been first class. I can’t say brag enough about the nurses that work there. They truly go above and beyond their responsibilities to not only help Carley but to help us cope with Carley’s illness as well.

Hoy cumple Carley cinco meses de vida! Gracias a todos por sus oraciones y por todo el apollo durante estos cinco meses de sube y bajas; alegria, dolor, esperanza, y felizidad. Aunque estos cinco meses han sido meses de incertidumbre, nunca hemos perdido la fe y eso se lo acreditamos al hecho de que nunca nos hemos centidos solos, que siempre estamos en sus pensamientos y oraciones. Y por eso estamos muy agradesidos.

Why is that light bulb moving?

2008-03-09T11:25:00.002-05:00

For sometime now, Drill Sergeant Holly has been trying to move “Carley Louise” to the Growers portion of the NICU unit so that she can be next to a window. This serves two purposes. 1) Since sibling visitation is not allowed, her sisters can see her through the window. 2) Carley can look outside. Well yesterday she pulled it off and now Carley has a grand view of the International Center and the Ranching Heritage Center. My baby saw her first sunrise this morning!

And to think I told Kristal that Carley didn't need sunglasses! Wrong again!

Esta manana por primera vez en su vida, Carley desperto con la luz del dia. Hace tiempo que han tratado de moverla a orto cuarto del NICU que tenga ventana. Ayer la movieron y por primera vez, esta conociendo la naturaleza.

No news is good news

2008-03-03T22:59:00.014-06:00

Things are pretty quiet and that is just fine by us. We already know that Summer 2008 is when she'll be flown to San Antonio for her evaluation. Any other news could potentially be bad. So lets just say our goal right now is to get her bigger, stronger and as healthy as possible. Besides a few bouts with infections, she is doing great. Bailey did catch a stomach bug but Emi is going strong. I can't say this enough, but once again, THANKS to all that donated to the Children's Miracle Network!

A little Mommy time!
What is that sound? I think I hear her tummy growling...

Oh NO!, I think she wants to eat me... Sombody please HELP me...

she's reaching for my nose... I better fight back...bring that finger closer

Gothca. Just ask my nurses whether I bite or not?

The inspiration

New Record!!

2008-03-01T22:20:00.002-06:00

The KLLL/Children's Miracle network raised over $300,000 for the UMC Children's Hospital. Congratulations the the wonderful people Lubbock and the surrounding area. You have a great heart.

Thanks to all the sponsors, volunteers and especially the KLLL staff and DJ's. It was really great to meet all the wonderful parent's of past and present Miracle Children. It was truly an honor. So many kids will benifit from your noble endevour.

Never take a single breath for granted

2008-02-29T00:06:00.006-06:00

I heard this song the other day and it made me think of Carley. So I had to make another video. I promise this will be my last. Anyway, when you listen to the song, pay close attention to two lyrics that really apply to Carley.

“May you never take one single breath for granted!”

Considering Carley struggles for every breath she takes, it really brings so many things into perspective. How many times do we ever stop and think about breathing. How many times do you hear a baby cry and wish they’d stop? I know I have. Yet, I’ve never heard my baby Carley cry. It’s so weird that I’d give anything to hear her cry, because it’d probably mean she’s in some kind of pain or upset or uncomfortable, but just to hear it would give me security in knowing that she was fine, that nothing was wrong with her and that she really isn’t facing the prospect of painful surgeries every two years. But she is and you know what, it’s still better than the alternative.

Another thing that I’ve taken for granted are the nurses that care for Carley. I’ve never met a more dedicated and caring group of people than the nurses in the NICU. As we get closer to having Carley home, my wife and I were talking the other day and she asked me “What if she doesn’t want to come home with us. What if she wants to stay with the nurses? I mean that is the only home she has ever known?” And I told her “You know, how lucky are we that our little girl is treated so well in the NICU that she wouldn’t want to leave. That when we aren’t able to be by her side, nurses line up ready and willing to give her all the love and care we aren’t able to because of work.” And it isn’t like they only treat Carley that way. Those nurses genuinely care for every child that comes through that NICU unit. They say it’s easy for one bad person to ruin the reputation of a whole group of people. But no matter how many bad nurses I run into from now until I die, I won’t ever consider them anything but angels.

“Promise me that you’ll give Faith a fighting chance”

When I heard that verse it was like God was telling that I had missed something. Maybe there is a reason we changed her middle name from Kay to Faith at the last minute.

I don’t know why, but I never imagined she’d be such a fighter. Boy was I wrong. I know sometimes I wanted to give up on her, but I just couldn’t. I mean there was no way she should have made it this far. No way. But look at her now.

I’m just going to step aside and know that no matter the outcome, I gave Carley Faith a fighting chance!

So remember, if something comes up, dance. Only one of two things can happen. You either succeed or you fail. If you fail, you now have a new lesson in life. So go on, dance. I know Carley's dancing! Your dance should be easier. And while you’re at it, pledge to the Children’s Miracle Network.

She's come a long way!!

San Antonio here we come!!!!!

2008-02-27T21:28:00.009-06:00

Because Carley cannot provide enough oxygen for her body due to her lungs being so underdeveloped, her only hope is to have a titanium rib extension. The rib extensions would allow room for her lungs to expand. Then her lungs could supply all the oxygen her little body requires without having to depend on a ventilator. About a month ago we sent in her application for evaluation and we got a response today. Sometime in the summer of 2008 our little girl will be evaluated in San Antonio by the medical staff at Christus Santa Rosa Hospital. Although being accepted for evaluation does not necessarily mean she is accepted for the surgery, at least it gives us more hope than we have had in a long time.

Based on everything we were told when she was born, there are only two reasons why this is all possible. You. And Carley. Your thoughts and prayers mean so much to us and really have elevated Carley to another level. She couldn’t do it without your prayers. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

More news to report that truly baffles science. Carley has now been on a c-pap for more than 20 minutes. I’m sure our wonderful nurses can explain it better, but in essence, instead of the ventilator taking breaths for Carley, she does all the work. And she has been able to maintain her saturation levels and kept her heart rate down. She truly amazes me everyday. Nothing I face can ever compare to what that little girl goes through everyday. She truly is special.

Now for why most of you come here!

I think I scare her!

You really wanted to see me! I know.

Thanks to all once again!!

Children’s Miracle Network

2008-02-26T13:05:00.003-06:00

The KLLL Children’s Miracle Network Radio-a-thon is this weekend and Carley is one of the Miracle Babies. For those of you who do not live in Lubbock, you can listen to the radio-a-thon over the internet. Click here to listen to KLLL Live.

Currently, Carley is on 96.3 KLLL’s website. When we were approached about doing the interviews for the radio-a-thon, I wasn’t exactly thrilled about doing it since I hate to hear my voice over the radio or on any recording. To me I just sound so different. However, after looking around that NICU unit and seeing some of the things Carley has access to that the money raised by the Children’s Miracle Network has provided, I had to do it. How could I not. I’m not one to ask for money, but since this is for an excellent cause, I hope you’ll support KLLL in their effort to raise funds at this years’ radio-a-thon. The money raised benefits everyone in the community. I hope no one ever has to use the different things that will be bought with this money, but it’s nice to know that if you ever need these items, that they are available.

Princess Strawberry Shortstuff!

2008-02-24T12:31:00.004-06:00

Not much time to post a blog today, so a video will have to suffice. Allyson bought her a strawberry shortcake dress. I think it was a shirt but it fits perfectly as a dress! Hope you enjoy.

Carley Marie

2008-02-18T20:06:00.005-06:00

Today little Miss Carley had a MicKey button put in. The MicKey button is smaller and less bulkey than a G-tube. When I got to the hospital to see my daughter, she was watching television. But unlike other times where the TV totally controls her, this time she had a sheepish grin on her face. Something didn't seem right. Usually if you get between the TV and Carley, she literally throws a fit. But not this time. She glanced up at me with a "look what I did" look. Then I noticed that her onesie was wet. I called over one of the nurses and when we pulled up the onesie, her mickey button was nowhere to be seen. Her nurse immediately came over and said,

"Carley Marie!??!"

The nurses have even given her a different name. Well, regardless, they were able to put a new MicKey in and Carley was very content with all the attention.

Of course she got away with it. The nurses blamed it on a faulty MicKey.

Here are a few more pictures of Carley Marie.

In this picture she is wearing one of her Valentines Day bows that the Tammi and Grady gaver her for Valentines Day.

Apparently the NICU had a Betty Boop look-a-like contest and Carley Marie won!

Tech's Number One Fan!!

So What is a MicKey ??
A Mickey is "a gastrostomy tube that is held in place by a balloon inflated with saline. A MicKey tube is a "balloon" type. A MicKey is much easier to replace. You can change it at home on your own, which is actually not as daunting a task as it sounds. It can be very convenient when you accidentally pop the tube out at 3 AM. In addition, you may have an actual tube that protrudes from the body (a Gtube) or a gastrostomy button which lies flat, or mostly flat (again, depending on the manufacturer) on the stomach. When using the button, you attach a feeding tube to the button and remove it when you are done feeding the child. Some surgeons will place a g button directly. Others will place a tube first and watch for any complications, then place the button. Guidelines for replacement are also the choice of the doctor. Some like to replace every six months regardless. Others wait until there is a leak or other problem."

I’m off to see the princess…

2008-02-15T17:37:00.009-06:00

The last time I saw Carley, she was in a very good mood. She had just finished watching her daily dose of Madagascar. The other day the NICU got a new TV that has a DVD and a VHS player. So now she gets to watch DVD’s and one of them happens to be Madagascar. The nurses say she loves the penguins but that parts of the movie scare her.

When they first started letting Carley watch TV, she was watching Baby Einstein in like Spanish. Bailey overheard one of the nurses’ comment that Carley could already understand Spanish. Bailey then got really upset because earlier that day Emiley had told me that she had “mocosh” (Spanish for boogers); and Bailey thought that now both her sisters knew more Spanish than her.

When I got back from Memphis I had dinner with Kristal and the girls and then I went directly to the hospital to see Ms. Carley. When I got there she was wide awake and looking around the room. About 10 minutes later, she was out cold. I’m sure she was still upset with me for not going to see her in over a week.

One of the nurses told me that while Carley was watching Madagascar, she tried to switch the movie back to Baby Einstein but that Carley would have no part of it. Carley cried and turned her back to the television. After the nurse put Madagascar back in, Carley slowly turned back to the TV and was content again.

Speaking of new televisions and other toys that Carley enjoys. The other day, Kristal and I did an interview for the Children’s Miracle Network radio-a-thon that will be held later this month. I’ll tell you one thing; Kristal missed her calling in life. She is a natural at the radio. During the interview she gave some awesome questions while I rambled on in so many directions that they have asked us to come back to I can re-tape my part. My answers were like one of those dreams you have where you start off at a football game then all of a sudden find yourself at your grandma’s house with a unicorn following you around. I guess my interview was kind of like this entry, all over the place. Well, I better head off to see my baby play her game and then head over to see my “miracle” baby. Have a great weekend.

Special Thanks to Alyson and Carrie for supplying the photos for today's blog entry.

Away

2008-02-10T16:37:00.000-06:00

Well I must say this blogger thing may take a little more time to develop as I am now traveling and will not be able to update the timeline until I get back. I'm going to write this as if everyone already knows exactly what is going on. For those of you who stumbled upon this blog and don't know the full story, come back in about a week and hopefully by then I'll have the whole story up.

As some of you know I have been sick for over a week now. I caught whatever is going around the Hub, some kind of upper respiratory illness. Since Carleys main issue is respiratory, I have not wanted to risk her getting sick so that I could get the satisfaction of seeing her. Then I left for Memphis on Thursday so I haven't had a chance to see her for over nine days. I missed her 4 month birthday which was yesterday. But even if I had been home, I wouldn't have been able to see her because I'm still sick.

In the meantime her nurses have been keeping me posted with pictures. There are some cute ones. There is this one where she is telling everyone they are number 1 (sometimes I'm afraid it's aimed at me because I haven't been there to see her in some time).

For those of you that have never met Carley, she has the biggest eyes and she has an amazing ability to convey how she is feeling by the expression of her eyes and face. Her nurses are really good at reading her.
In this picture, she is wondering why you're surfing the net in your underwear.

Well, don't be afraid to leave a comment. Thanks for listening, but as you can see, I'm boring everyone including Carley so see ya'll soon.

New to this blogger thing!

2008-02-06T12:37:00.000-06:00

Well, my wife has been bugging me about starting a website for Carley for some time now. When she was born I thought a blog would be a great way to keep people updated about the day-to-day progress of our daughter. So here I am, trying to make this work. I guess I can't procrastinate anymore. I'll go back and try to fill you in on all that has happened up to this point.

In summary, our daughter Carley was born in October about a month premature...

Meet Carley Faith

2007-10-09T12:45:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to introduce the newest addition to my family. Meet Carley Faith Garcia. She was born October 9, 2007 at 8:14 a.m. in Lubbock, Texas. She weighed 5 lbs 4 oz and is 13.75 inches long despite being six weeks premature. Unfortunately, she was born with a very small thoracic cavity. She has thoracic dystrophy which means there is not enough room in her rib cage for her lungs to grow and develop. Please keep her in your prayers as she still has a long road ahead. She is currently in the Texas Tech University Medical Center Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.