Moving in a Good Direction

We are getting pretty familiar with the doctor out here in Arizona. Unfortunately, that is not a good thing in an athletes career, but we honestly could not be happier with the hand specialist we have been paired up with. This man has an amazing resume and has been so helpful throughout this entire process. As we arrived at the doctor's office yesterday, the assistant sat us down as he went over Daniel's medical history. Daniel's file is abnormally huge considering all the hand injuries he has experienced. I'm telling you, I'm married to a fighter! We all even made a joke over the size of it. Joking aside though, it really helped them to understand more that this has been an ongoing issue in Daniel's hand and something he has even tried playing through in the past. Although it is disappointing to be out of the game right now, we are happy and thankful to be getting this taken care of once and for all. 


We had to do a little office hopping yesterday. At the first office is where Daniel got his x-ray, but because the x-ray couldn't tell us too much, we had to make our way to a different office to get a MRI done. When we got to the second office, we had to wait for a long time. We later did find out that Daniel was suppose to go in right away, but the lady at the front desk made a mistake. Thankfully, Miss Congeniality was playing & I was thoroughly entertained while I waited. We were in there long enough, that I was actually able to watch the entire movie from beginning to end. I feel bad for the trainer that had to accompany us, but I guess he might be used to it. I caught myself many times wanting to laugh hysterically out loud during the movie, but we were in the awkward quiet office setting, so I was trying to control myself. I love that Lord brings things like funny movies to keep me joyful. 


Anyways so I know you're thinking, well what did we find out... Unfortunately, we haven't been given an exact diagnosis yet, but we are definitely heading in a good direction. They did an x-ray & MRI on Daniel yesterday. We do not know the results from the MRI yet and Daniel will actually be going back for a CT scan tomorrow as well. The x-rays didn't show an obvious break or anything, so that's good! The doctor did say that there may be something there that just isn't visible on the x-ray though, so the CT scan & MRI should be able tell us more. He was able to figure out the exact spot that is causing Daniel pain and said it doesn't seem like the cartilage, which is also good news. So right now, we are still in the waiting process and should hopefully have a better idea of things tomorrow.  


We honestly have such a peace right now though (thank you for praying). I'm not going to lie, it still gets tough when we put our eyes on our circumstance in baseball. Especially recently, with hearing about the trades and call ups. It's a weird feeling to be stuck in one place knowing that baseball continues to go on without you. It's been really neat out here though and the Lord has been moving so much. Daniel has been having bible studies with some of the other players out here that are also rehabbing and it's been such a sweet time. I really see the Lord using Daniel to make big impacts out here. When I think of that, I feel like we have such a clear picture. And that we are where we are for a reason. That's what it's all about. We will continue to trust God. Thank you for the prayers, please keep them coming.

Rehab Update : Prayer Request

Please keep Daniel in prayer. They are scheduling a doctor appointment for him next Monday (wish it could be sooner) to see the hand specialist again. For those of you who are not up to date, Daniel had a setback in Saturdays game. While swinging, he felt an immense pain in his hand. The same hand that his hamate bone was removed from. There are a few possibilities of what might be causing him pain. Best case scenario (like I mentioned in the last blog) is just that his muscles are tight and pinching a tendon that runs along his arm to his hand. If that is the case, it will only require some therapy and rest. Another possibility is that there is built up cartilage in his hand where the pain is which would require another surgery. In 08, Daniel actually also had a fracture in that same hand that was caused by a tendon rubbing against the bone, so that is also another possibility. It most definitely has not been the baseball season we had hoped for. But again, my husband is so tough and I know we will get thru this.  I can say, that although these injuries are disappointing, God has given us both an unexplainable peace that I know can only come from Him (Phil. 4:7). I'd ask that you join us in praying for healing, guidance and answers over whatever is causing Daniel pain. I am claiming Jeremiah 29:11 over our lives, that despite our circumstances, God has GOOD plans for our future. We will continue to TRUST in Him.

"Every Setback is only a setup for a Greater Comeback"

       Daniel began playing in rehab games out here in Arizona last week. He was doing well, even hitting an oppo line drive triple for his first hit back from the DL. You can imagine my excitement. It felt so good to see him back out there again after missing so much of this game he loves. That excitement was unfortunately cut short this past weekend when Daniel experienced a setback while swinging during an at bat. Saturday night, Daniel felt an immense pain shoot thru his arm and into his hand while swinging. It is the same hand that his hamate bone was removed from. The trainer out here did therapy on Daniel yesterday and he is feeling a little better today. The trainer was super informative and said it is common to feel the pain where he does because a tendon runs along the side of the hand into the arm and can get pinched when the muscles are tight causing pain. So Daniel was told that's definitely a possibility and would be best case scenario because it just takes some massaging, icing and rest to feel better. They're going to do that the next few days and see how it feels. If he is still hurting, then we will see the hand specialist again and take it from there. You can imagine our disappointment when this happened because Daniel was so close to getting ready to leave and rejoin a team.

          I can tell you though, my husband is fighter! Since going pro in 2007, he has had many setbacks. Many and most players will experience an injury at some point in their careers, in my husband's case, I feel like he has definitely experienced more then your average player. First full season, he broke his hand which was then followed by a broken hamate bone that he tried playing through. The next year, strained groin and broken thumb. Next season, pulled hamstring. Season after, strained groin. This season, slight labrum tear and broken hamate bone in which he needed surgery for. I have used this metaphor often in previous blogs, but I find it has been so relevant to our experiences... this baseball life is definitely like riding a roller coaster. 

         Getting drafted is like the feeling you get when buckling yourself into your seat. You are excited for what is ahead, you have butterflies in your stomach but you feel secure. The cart slowly starts moving as you start peaking up to your first high. Reaching that top, you feel you have a clear view of the entire coaster ahead. That's how we felt after Daniel's rookie ball season. Everything was going well for him, his team won the league championship and Daniel was awarded team MVP.  We were told he was on a "fast track" to the Bigs. We were on a high. Then came that first big dip ; aka: "the low". The one that causes your stomach to drop and comes when you least expect it as you're enjoying the high. That's how we felt with Daniel's first injury. It was new to us and caught us off guard. Looking back, although hard at the time, I am thankful for that experience. It really humbled us and changed our perspective. From that first dip, the coaster took off and cruised at a fast but steady pace until we started making our way up a high again. I know Daniel is gifted with talents for this game. When he is healthy, he is on fire. Last season he was finally healthy for the majority of the season and really put himself back on the map again. We we're back on that high, which was then followed again by the low of the injuries this season has brought.

         I am thankful that although this career has so many uncertainties, so many twists and turns, highs and lows... I can rest assured knowing that no matter where the tracks takes us along the way, it still leads us back to a safe destination and is being controlled by the ultimate conductor, my Lord Jesus Christ.

       We will continue to fight back during these setbacks. Although it's been a roller coaster, I am thankful for the opportunities baseball has brought to us. It has allowed us to travel across America and even out of the country. It has allowed us to meet some of our closest friends. My husband is getting to follow a life long dream and getting to do what he loves. I pray for health over Daniel so that he may be able to use the gifts God has given him. I also pray for trust over our hearts as we continue to surrender this baseball career and our lives to the Lord. I pray we would choose to worship in the midst of tough circumstances and that we would cease opportunities to share the love of Jesus with those around us.

1 Corinthians 10:31

"So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the Glory of God."

ALL cleared!

As of Monday, Daniel has gotten the official "thumbs up" from the doc & all has been cleared to start in ALL baseball activity again! Thank you to all who have been praying for a speedy recovery over him, God is Great! Daniel will start in rehab games this week out here in Arizona. We're excited to get things going again! Thanks for the constant support!

Copeland Update

Copeland is now HOME and is truly a living miracle! God is so GREAT! Please continue to keep this precious boy and his family in prayer as they adjust to life back at home. Thank you to everyone who has been praying for them, stay posted thru Will's blog at http://willlaurenstartup.blogspot.com/.


There has also been a support fund to help Will & Lauren with the financial needs that come with the unexpected medical expenses. If you feel led to help or are wanting to financial support them in any way you can donate in one of two ways. If you would like to make a deposit into Copeland's fund, you can go to any Bank of America location and make a deposit. If you are outside of Georgia, you will need an out of state deposit slip. Name: Copeland Startup Account #: 334034302802. You can also click on the blog attached to read more info. There is also an option to donate thru PayPal on this blog. Thank you again to everyone for loving and supporting this family thru your prayers. ♥ http://babyhudginsnews.blogspot.com/2012/06/helping-out-startups.html

Happy Birthday America!

We spent our fourth of July with Daniel's parents and where it felt most natural, at a ballpark! This year though, I wasn't in the stands watching a game but with my husband and family enjoying the festivities that were taking place at the Peoria Sports Complex out here in AZ. We had so much fun and even had a few of the other players join us. I'm thankful to live in this country and thankful for the blessings in my life. Hope you all had a fun and safe fourth!

The "Grand" Rehab Life

During a rehab assignment, there is PLENTY of downtime. While it can be a blessing, it can also be a curse. Due to that fact that almost all Arizona days of the late have been triple digits (and who wants to go out in that?)...most of our days have consisted of Redbox and staying indoors. Don't get me wrong, I am absolutely loving all this time with my husband, but being inside all the time can start to make you feel a little crazy.Thankfully, we were blessed to have some of our best friends come visit last week and pushed us to mix up our routine a little bit. We had a blast! One thing we did was go to the Grand Canyon and boy, was it GRAND! I had been once when I was younger, but didn't really remember it and take it in as much as I did this time around. If you have ever been, you know what I mean when I say its look FAKE- it's that beautiful! What a Mighty God we have!