The Prewett Family

I am completely consumed by thoughts and prayers for my best friend and her brand new baby, sweet Adeline Camille. After another update from her sister tonight, I lost it. I love this family so much. 

Stole this pic from Mille's facebook...courtesy of Julie May, I think...

Camille and I became friends at Tech because our college boyfriends were roommates. She grew up in Spearman, another small Texas town no one has heard of, and because of that I felt a little bit closer to home every time we hung out. The boys didn’t last long, but our friendship sure has. After she graduated from Texas Tech and I had had enough of Raiderland, we moved to Austin together to begin a new adventure. She, a recent college graduate embarking on the real world; me, a transfer student trying to find the part of myself that got lost during my two years at Tech. Some challenging times were ahead for both of us and our friendship, but you don’t let the people who mean the most to you out of your life for long. Camille moved to Dallas, and I followed not long after. 

Camille, you look exactly like Cayla here...

We both met our men, got married, and started families. I was there the day that Ellie Claire was born. I waited with her parents and her sisters, convinced I could be a Smith if they’d let me, until Scott finally came out and announced Sweet E’s arrival. Camille, Scott, and Ellie were all there in the hallway when they wheeled Harper out of my room, just minutes after she was born. 

Ellie Claire has been such a special part of our life. Without even knowing it, watching her and holding her helped prepare me for the most important job of my life. When my aunt Mary was sick and I was getting updates about her declining health, I’d call Camille and beg to come hold Ellie, she was a drug free anti-depressant. Just smelling and snuggling her made everything better. I have absolutely loved getting to watch Ellie and Harper become sweet friends over the last few months. One of the sweetest things I’ve ever heard was when I first heard Ellie say Harper’s name. It came out closer to “Hoppa”, and it melted my heart. 

Wildest morning hair EVER!! Love that girl!

When Camille and Scott announced they were pregnant with another sweet baby, and that baby was going to be a girl, I was so excited because I knew Harper would sit right in between these Prewett girls and would always have them both to play with, to lead and to follow. 

But with the news of Adeline’s heart condition came so much unknown. Everything was different. I didn’t know how to be excited and cautious, scared and upbeat for my best friend who just got the worst news of her life. I never knew if what I was saying in an effort to comfort Camille really made things worse. Wednesday, when Addie was born, Harper had a fever. I couldn’t be there to sit and wait with the family. I couldn’t be there to see them wheel her out of Camille’s room. Camille has done so much for me as a new mom; she’s introduced me to other moms, she’s invited me to more playdates than I can count, she’s answered my desperate calls for tips and tricks, and she’s taught me so much in her little time as an “expert” I’m not sure I could have made it through this last year without her. 

But now she’s going through something that no one we know can relate to. She’s being thrown into the dark deep end of some very murky water, and all anyone can do is sit back and watch as they fight their way to the top. We don’t know how to help, we don’t know how to take this pain away. There’s a difficult balance between being helpful and being overwhelming. They have so much new information to take in, so many doctors and nurses to talk to, family and friends who call/text for updates. Should you add one more text and let them know you’re thinking about them or leave them alone so they can spend any quiet time they do have loving that sweet baby girl? It’s a conundrum, but we’re all so desperate to help, to have them know we love them, that we can’t stop thinking about them. 

Tomorrow Adeline goes in for her first surgery. You can read more about the daunting day ahead of them here. It’s going to be a long, hard day for everyone involved. If you can spare a prayer or two or ten, send them their way. I know their story is reaching people they don’t even know, in cities states away; I’m hoping that they are bombarded with a loving comfort sent from all corners of this great network that they have surrounding them.