A Lifetime of Love

I know I don't live in Massachussets, but I think if you read the proclamation below you'll realize the prevalence of CDH is rather high, and this is an effective way to spread the word about CDH and honor those who have been affected by it. Through Carole I came to learn about CDH, and I am so glad I did. Carole, this is for you and Joseph. . . Commonwealth of Massachusetts A Proclamation His Excellency Governor Deval L Patrick Whereas Often a life-threatening birth defect, congenital diaphragmatic hernia is an opening in the diaphragm that allows the abdominal organs to push into the chest cavity, causing the limitation of lung growth; and Whereas According to Children's Hospital, a congenital diaphragmatic hernia occurs in every one in 2,500 births in the United States; and Whereas Proactive diagnosis and appropriate management of fetuses with congenital diaphragmatic hernia minimizes the incidence of emergency situations, dramatically improving survival rates; and W...

First, let me begin with the news about Kiana . Her mass is pretty much gone with only a small, residual spot remaining. The doctor is confident it was an infection in her bone and contributed to the pain in her hind legs. She probably got some type of puncture wound (from a stick or something) that was too small for us to notice, causing it to become infected. The vet took her off her arthritis medication because her hips look better, too. We have to monitor her behavior over the next 2 weeks to determine if the pain was mainly caused by arthritis or the infection. If she begins to show signs of pain, we'll put her back on the medication. That was a huge answer to prayer and I thank God for teaching us the lessons we learned but also sparing her life (at this point). Second, Paul made it safely to Iraq on Wednesday. He called my sister and has emailed a couple of times. She seems to be doing okay, but is dreading returning home to an empty apartment. I don't blame her! Kaylee ...

Before I begin, let me just tell you that Th's favorite channel on television is Food Network. He especially loves to watch Ultimate Recipe Showdown, and every night before bed, he is allowed to watch it if he a) had a good day at home/school and b) took a nap. I was up late last night for moral support for TJ . He has some Microsoft tests he has to take, and he took one yesterday and has another one scheduled on Friday. Anyway, he was up late working on homework and needed some computer help. He asked me for assistance, and I offered to stay up with him in case he ran into some more difficulty (it was with Excel, not anything to do with hardware). He said, and I quote, "You're the Excel expert." And I am because of my military training. Crazy, huh. I joined the A.F. to work on airplanes yet I left being an expert on Excel. It's because I created spreadsheets to track different aircraft tools and equipment more efficiently, and you know the saying, you learn by do...

My sis made it late last night with Kaylee. She (my sis) seems to be doing okay considering what she is facing. I spoke to her on Thursday and could tell she was very distraught and trying her best to keep it together, at least until after seeing her husband Paul off on Saturday. I called her about 3:30 yesterday to see where she was. She hadn't left yet. She was at the Marine base until about 1 with P. and was so emotionally drained she went home to nap before driving here. I can't say I blame her. . . I had difficult sleeping Friday night. I kept thinking about her. I experienced a similar situation with Carole the days leading up to Joseph's birth. I really, honestly, with all my heart believe that times like that, the Holy Spirit is prompting me to pray. So I did. I just kept trying to put myself in my sister's place. The fear she must be facing, the uncertainty . She was telling me everything P. is going to be doing in Iraq, and I must say, he will be facing death...

I am still brought to tears when I read the account of Christ’s crucifixion on the Cross. I am still brought to tears as I read the prayer for me, for all believers, He prayed before His betrayal in the Garden of Gethsemane (John 17:20-26). Yet, above all that, I am deeply saddened that so many people of this world do not know Christ as Savior. Even worse, in my opinion, are those who claim to be children of God yet the focus of their Resurrection Sunday (Easter) is on a rabbit, eggs, and baskets of candy. Why? What is the point? It was Christ who died for the sins of the world, not a rabbit. In our family, we bake Easter cookies to provide a more concrete understanding of the importance of the empty tomb (see recipe below). We don’t do baskets, egg hunts, or candy unless they are given as a gift from a family member. My kids received “Easter” cards yesterday in the mail and Th said, “It’s not my birthday. Why did _____ send me a card with a bunny on it?” I smiled inside and thanked th...

I'm applying what I've been learning from my bible study (I lead a bible study with some friends of mine). This week's topic: being thankful for ALL things, even the bad. So, Th finally was well enough to return to school today after missing a week. However, I had Ta and T.G. at the doctor yesterday. T.G. has an ear infection so she was put back on oral antibiotics in addition to the antibiotic ear drops I am already giving her. Last night, I started with a sore throat and ear aches and Ta started with a fever. I rushed him to the doc so a flu test could be given within the 48-hour time period. Guess what- it's not the flu. It's strep throat! Since T.G. is already on an antibiotic, I'm not too concerned about her. I am concerned for myself and Th since his immune system is still weak from just getting over the flu. I have a regularly-scheduled OB appointment in the morning so I'll just deal with the soreness until then. All this with TJ out of town at Micros...

Well, Th's fever hit 102.5 yesterday afternoon. He did so well all morning, and when we went to pick up the other 2 from preschool, he was excited at the prospect of eating out for lunch. But, when we got to the restaurant, he had lost his appetite and just wanted to get home. He didn't eat 1 bite for lunch and napped for 3 hours. The good news- he hasn't had a fever since, and he only woke up twice last night coughing. Ta and T.G. have their well-visits today so I am going to talk to my doc about Th. I am trying my best to keep him "resting" on the couch, but when he has good moments, it's very difficult. That's what happened yesterday. He felt fine in the morning and then crashed in the afternoon. Who knows what's going on with him! I called a friend of mine who used to be a pediatric nurse to solicit her opinion about his fever. She seems to think he has a strain of the flu virus, and I agree with her. There is no way his allergies alone are causin...

T.G. has an ear infection, but thankfully her tubes are working properly so the infection is draining. Th has been sick since last Wednesday. He woke up with a headache, but after some Tylenol, he was well enough to attend school. His teacher said he was fine while there, but when I got home after my afternoon class, he was burning up. He's been running a fever between 101 and 102 since. He has a terrible cough, and vomits from coughing so much. I had him at the doctor on Friday, and the doctor said it was a combination of allergies and a virus. I had never seen that particular doctor before, and I didn't really care for him. I did what he advised and put him back on his allergy meds, and it's helped to loosen everything up, but he's still running a fever. I called the doctor back today and am still torn as to whether I will make him an appointment. Ta and T.G. have their well-visits in the morning, so I may just have my regular doctor take a look at Th while I'm th...

Being pregnant and sick has allowed me to lose at least 4 pounds this past week. Plus, I still don't really have much of an appetite, although I did "splurge" yesterday as we celebrated Ta's and TJ's birthdays. Yesterday began with breakfast at Dunkin Donuts. I love this place, yet nausea limited me to only 1 donut and then regretting it the rest of the day (because I felt worse, not because of it being junk food!) I ate 1/2 a sandwich for lunch, and then we went to Red Lobster for dinner (TJ's choice- Ta's birthday dinner is Thursday night. We switched them because where Ta wants to go, kids eat free on Thursdays). Again, nausea limited me to 1 cheddar biscuit, 3/4 of my salad, 8 shrimp scampi, and 4 fries from Th's plate. I forced myself to eat birthday cake when we got home so I didn't hurt anyone's feelings, but I was stuffed. Today, I had a small handful of pretzel sticks (the small ones), 1/2 of a sandwich, and a cup of tea. I'm just ...

I have survived my cold, although I seem to be regressing instead of progressing. I am back to blowing colored stuff rather than clear, and my chest is still really tight, especially at night. I'm still taking my antibiotic, but maybe I need a different one. Who knows! Ta had his birthday party on Saturday and he was very excited because his friends from preschool came. Plus, he's been wanting this huge digger/excavator ride-on toy from Northern Tool & Equipment. He asked for it for Christmas but we substituted it with a 4-wheeler. It worked for a little while but then he was back to constantly talking about the digger. So, we bought it for him for his birthday and TJ put it together Friday night. He woke up to it on Saturday and had a blast! I brought cookies to his preschool this morning (his choice) to celebrate his birthday today. He was the special helper of the day and got to pick from the "birthday box." He was very excited to have TJ and I there with him...

I just got home from the doctor. . . I have a nasty chest cold, but she's concerned because I'm running a fever. Bacterial infections this early in pregnancy can cause birth defects, so doctor's orders, I'm on bedrest for today. I feel horrible. My chest is so tight, it hurts to cough, I'm achy, my head hurts, and I'm freezing. Plus, morning sickness on top of everything else means I literally feel like death would be better than how I feel at this moment. But, hopefully my antibiotic will kick in before bed tonight and I'll sleep good. Anyway, time to put this heavy laptop down so I can take a nap before TJ and the kids get home for lunch. Have a great day!

Kiana had a bad day today. She was doing so well; TJ had her out yesterday playing with her ball. Have I mentioned how much she loves her ball? It's a big, red ball, and she can barely fit it in her mouth. She has to open her mouth really wide to get it in there, and it's all scratchy and rough from her teeth marks, but she loves it! We've bought tons of tennis balls hoping to get her "hooked" on those, but she prefers the big, red ball and leaves the tennis balls for Jenna to unpeel and break apart. Anyway, she was really playful yesterday morning and spent a good bit of the morning outside with TJ and the boys. I guess she overdid it because yesterday afternoon and all day today she's barely moved. Of course now I worry if the cancer is eating her alive (and I don't even know if it is cancer yet) so I make sure I give her plenty of hugs and kisses before I leave or go to bed at night; I don't know if she'll be alive when I see her next. I know th...