A Lifetime of Love

Erin had a rough night last night. Her heart rate dropped really low so the nurse put a heart monitor on her. It still was not back up to normal this morning so a cardiologist has been called in to examine her. Because of the heart issues, her doctor has ordered her to remain on the IV until they can figure out what's causing her heart rate to keep dropping. So, it doesn't look like she'll be leaving tomorrow or Wednesday after all, which is both good and bad. Good because we still don't know what's wrong with her and bad because she was looking forward to getting back to normal. This heart issue has me worried. I talked to Erin last night on the phone and her spirits were up and other than her weak voice, she sounded like herself. This morning when I called she sounded worn out and a little depressed. I think being cooped up in the hospital is beginning to take its toll on her, especially since she didn't get to see Kaylee yesterday and wasn't sure what tes...

Erin is doing okay. She went off the intravenous steroid and started an oral steroid yesterday for her lupus (although she hasn’t officially received a diagnosis, they are treating it as such). So far she can’t really tell a difference but it’s probably because the stronger intravenous steroid is still in her blood system. She also began physical and occupational therapy on Friday. She has lost so much weight (about 15 pounds) from a combination of not eating or exercising her major muscle groups and just laying in bed. My mom walks with her when she comes to visit to try to strengthen her muscles and lungs, but Erin is so weak that she has to stop to rest often. She can only make it a distance of about 7 feet before she has to stop, and only gets about 30 feet before she has to turn around and go back to her bed. Paul, her husband, flew in from Iraq today so he came to see her for about 3 hours. She was excited to see him and he’ll be able to stay for 2 weeks. Erin got the okay to see...

Sorry for not updating sooner but I really had no news to share until last night when I spoke to my mom. Erin is still about the same. While my mom was visiting yesterday, the internal medicine doctor (who is overseeing the entire team of doctors caring for Erin) came in to say he was releasing the infectious disease doctors and adding an oncologist. He does not believe Erin has cancer of any type, but he wanted some tests run to simply rule it out. Makes sense and we (my mom, sis, and I) feel better knowing that EVERY possible test has been done to figure out what’s wrong with her. So, more biopsies this morning of her lymph nodes (when she had the CT scan the other day, they found some that were enlarged but still within the “normal” range) and more waiting for results. However, the rheumatologist (specializes in Rheumatoid Arthritis) came in last night and said he is about 75% sure Erin has lupus. The preliminary tests all point in that direction, but again, more blood tests are ne...

My luncheon was awesome. It was held at a private banquet room located inside the State fairgrounds in Columbia. From the moment TJ, Th, and I walked into the building, we were treated like royalty, and although it was nice, I was very embarrassed by it. I do not like to be in the spot light and felt very uncomfortable. We were given name tags (Th felt so grown up writing his own name tag!) and immediately escorted to meet Senator Hayes, Radio, and Coach Jones (of the hit movie, Radio ). We mingled a bit, found our seats at our reserved table with Senator Hayes (which were right up front!), and the program began. Radio gave the blessing and we were ushered out the door to the buffet line. The food was wonderful, but unfortunately I don’t know what we ate other than the “basic” names- mixed veggies, baked chicken, squash casserole, potato salad, beef tips, dinner rolls, and of course dessert. I chose the chocolate cake (chocolate, of course!) and Th had a piece of pie. I don’t know what...

Erin is about the same. Still running a high fever despite being on a different antibiotic. She had her biopsy taken from two different places on her arm and has stitches at both places. She said they don't hurt but she's been on Tylenol for her fever so I think that may be masking some of the pain. She also had a CT scan done last night and received the results today. Thankfully my mom was there when the doctor came in so she could ask questions. Everything on the scan looked good (mainly her lymph nodes were checked to rule out lymphoma) but he saw that her lungs are beginning to collapse from the bottom up because they are not filling to capacity. The doctor explained that when a person breaths while standing and walking around, the lungs are able to fully expand. But, when a person is sitting or laying for extended amounts of time, the lungs cannot get as much air as needed and carbon dioxide builds up. So, Erin will now be placed on oxygen while she is in her room in order...

Erin, my sis, has been running a fever of 103 or higher since mid-May. She has gone to a doctor close to her home (NOT a military doctor- a private physician) several times, has had some testing done (i.e. an ultrasound on her kidneys and liver and other blood work) and has had no relief. She is weak and very tired. This past Friday my mom flew down to drive Erin and Kaylee back to Ohio so Erin could have help with the baby. Sunday morning she was so weak she could barely lift her head off the pillow. My mom took her temperature and her fever was 104, so my mom rushed her to the hospital. Because of her low blood pressure and high fever, she was seen immediately in the Emergency Room and was admitted to the Critical Care Unit (CCU) last night. At first she was going to be admitted to the ICU but because her blood pressure stabilized, they moved her up one level. She was given fluids for dehydration and an antibiotic to help reduce the fever. She was doing better until about 10pm when h...

I added some new links to my blog list. I've been reading them for a while, just haven't added them until now. Check them out when you can! ************************************************ Not much going on here. I'm sick, along with Ta and T.G. We went to Carowinds on Friday, a birthday party yesterday, and spent the afternoon hanging a chalkboard that TJ made me for my birthday. Yes, my birthday is in January. Yes, he finished it in June, only 5 months later. He still needs to build a frame around it and we joked that the frame will be my anniversary gift. . . next year. The kids and I are doing some fun things this week. Tuesday is my luncheon with the senator. I am excited yet nervous, especially because I am battling a cold. TJ is coming with me, and I decided to bring Th with us, too. This is a rare opportunity and I want him to experience it with us. I have a sitter coming to stay the day with Ta and T.G. I am nervous because I have to get up in front of a bunch of ...

I know I don't have a long list of "followers" but for those of you who do read my blog on a regular basis, you know I am passionate about advocating for those with special needs, hence my career choice. I received this email from my friend Jess, whose daughter Parker was diagnosed with Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH) in utero and passed away shortly after birth in 2006, regarding the organization founded to honor Parker and support others who receive a diagnosis of CDH. I am posting the email below because I firmly believe that the Lord is using Jess and her husband Ashley in a mighty way. They have responded to their daughter's death in such an amazing way that only God can receive the glory. Despite their own pain and grief, they founded the Parker Reese Foundation to offer hope to those who are facing the same despair and uncertainty they themselves experienced. It is awe-inspiring and I want to help in whatever way that I can, especially with spreading the ...

I think I have lost my mind. Actually, I know I did briefly yesterday. I only hope today is better. I have not had the time nor energy to clean my house since mid-May. I mean really clean. I vacuum and pick up clutter and toys, and scrubbed the bathrooms a couple of times in the last month, but that's it. Last week at VBS a friend of mine offered to bring her two boys over (ages 10 and 12) and the three of them would clean my house as a gift to me. It is a very nice gesture, and TJ and I discussed it, and I we decided it would be better if I dropped the kids off at her house for a few hours and came home to clean without any disruptions or distractions. I talked to my friend and she is insistent on cleaning for me. She doesn't want me scrubbing bathrooms or floors with my belly (it's not that big yet!). I haven't gotten back to her yet. I just don't know what I'm going to do with my kids while they are here. The benefit to having them come (besides them doing...

Father’s Day was nice. TJ was feeling ill and that allowed me an opportunity to prepare the night before so the morning wasn’t as hectic while we got ready for church in addition to our Father’s Day festivities. I was able to get the table set for breakfast, his gifts ready to give to him, and the food thawed for me to make Sunday morning. I was up late Saturday night, but the relatively stress-free morning was worth the effort! I woke early with the kids as they rarely sleep past 6:45am. Sunday was no exception and we were up by 6:30am. I was able to grab a quick shower before heading downstairs to prepare breakfast. Ta loves to watch me cook, so he stood on a chair as I fried bacon and potatoes to add to our breakfast burritos. TJ came down about 7:45am, just as breakfast was almost ready (hmm, do you think he knew it was time to eat?) and we ate before he was able to open his presents. About his gifts. I have been waiting for about a month for this day to arrive. I thought of the pe...

This is my 200th post! I can't believe it took me so long to reach this "milestone", but I guess because I'm so busy it's taken me longer than most. Hmm, that seems to be my theme song. It took me 7 years to complete an Associates Degree, and I've been working on finishing the remaining courses for my Bachelor's Degree for 4 years now (will complete it next year, for a total of 5 years). Oh well, I guess better late than never! I'm digressing. *The kids on the Blue Team *The kids on the Green Team So, VBS ended today. I am exhausted. It was an awesome week; I'm sad to see it come to an end, but I am so tired that I can't stop yawning. I tried to nap but my house has been neglected more than usual all week and my mind was filled with all that I need to do while TJ is home to help with the kids. No Carowinds today- too much piddly stuff to do here. We don't dare go tomorrow because of the crowds. Oh well, maybe next Friday we'll...

VBS- Day 0 Here are some pictures of my classroom while we were decorating yesterday. Before we started. . . One of my helpers, Cody ( Mark's son), hanging a decoration. . . My wonderful husband helped us decorate. Without him, the room would not have turned out as awesome as it did because I don't do ladders (I am afraid of heights). Here is TJ hanging vines from the ceiling. . . TJ, Cody, and Thad (another helper) working hard. . . The finished room. The picture doesn't show it, but there is a dinosaur nest at the base of the tree on the left. My helpers gathered sticks, weeds, and rocks in order to build it. There is also a real tree in the opposite corner of the room that my youth workers built another nest in. They found a stray dinosaur so they put him in there. It turned out great! ************************************************** VBS- Day 1 I had 15 boys in class today. It was less than I expected, but we still had a great time! Today's lesson was on Creation...

It has been so hot here this past week, and it doesn't appear next week is going to bring any relief. To get relief from the heat, we have been keeping cool in various ways. On Wednesday we went to a place in Charlotte called Monkey Joe's, and the kids (and I!) had a blast. It's awesome! It's an indoor inflatable playground. There is a toddler area for kids 3 and under, but of course T.G. wanted to be with her brothers on the big stuff, so I had to climb up the inflatables with her so she could play, too. It was fun, just hard work with me being pregnant and having to carry her up the steps and stuff. My friend had emergency surgery for an ectopic pregnancy Monday afternoon, so I had her little boy with us so my friend could rest and recuperate. We packed a lunch and ate it in the car, and then went back inside to play. Overall, we spent about 3 hours playing. Thursday another friend of mine came over and we hung out at the pool together. It was gorgeous! The water was ...

I just want to write about how proud I am of my sister. She amazes me more and more! Not only is she caring for her infant daughter as a single mom while her husband is deployed to Iraq, she is growing and maturing in her walk with the Lord, and what a blessing and encouragement to me it is to witness this growth. She has been attending a church near her home for a couple of weeks now. The church is similar to mine in doctrine and beliefs, and they have very similar programs for the youth. This past Sunday, she not only attended the morning service, but she braved a horrible thunderstorm in order to go back for the evening service. Not only that, but she doesn't know anyone in the church yet so she goes alone. Why is she doing this? Because she has learned the importance of "training up a child in the way he should go" (Proverbs 22:6). TJ and I have been praying for her, as well as other family members, for so long. It is easy to get discouraged, especially when we have b...

As Vacation Bible School approaches in less than a week, I feel so ill-prepared and it's my own fault. Yes, I have prepared the materials and decorations and incentives for learning Scripture and good behavior (candy, books, pencils, and other rewards), but I have been lacking in prayer. Oh, don't get me wrong, I have been praying, but the overwhelming sense of responsibility has recently hit me and I feel like I haven't prayed enough. When I say 'responsibility', I don't mean in the physical sense, I mean more in terms of spiritually. I will be in charge of approximately 35 third and fourth grade boys for an entire week. Some of these boys may not attend church. Some may not come from a loving home. For others, this may be the most attention they will receive all summer until school begins again and their teacher is there to pick up the pieces from their shattered home life. My attitude and demeanor can greatly influence how receptive these boys are to the Gosp...

Ta and T.G. were both sick over the weekend. Ta started running a fever on Thursday night, and didn't get better until Saturday. T.G. started running a fever Saturday, and even vomited Saturday night. Thankfully I was able to find a substitute to teach Sunday School for us yesterday since we had to stay home. It's been a rough few nights of sleeping. Ta has been waking and coming in our room, and if he's not quiet about it, he wakes Th, too. Last night it was the four of us all crammed together in our bed. I got so frustrated with being kicked in the belly, (Ta refused to sleep with his head on the pillow- he was sleeping the other direction) I finally got up and went in his bed. I have probably only been getting about 5 hours of sleep per night, and I woke up this morning with a killer headache. I am hoping a shower, some coffee, and some Tylenol will help. We were supposed to go over to a friend's house this morning to play, but she had to cancel because she's bee...