A Lifetime of Love

Teagan is not known for her grace and poise. I can't count the number of times she has bumped her head, some worse than others. She had two goose-eggs on her forehead within 3 months of each other because of falls that were only stopped by her head pounding the ground.  Simply put, she is quite the klutz! TJ picked her up from preschool on Monday afternoon to find her crying. Apparently she had just had an incident in the playroom where she was running and ran into another child. Upon their collision, she fell and hit her forehead on the floor. There was no bump, not even a mark, but she was pretty upset. TJ brought her home and we proceded to try to calm her down so she could eat lunch. As soon as she was sitting in her chair, she began to vomit. We knew then that she needed to be seen by a doctor. I called her pediatrician and they recommended we take her straight to the ER. TJ gathered Teagan and had Th go with him to try to keep her awake and talking in the car. In the mean...

...to write this post to its fullest, but here's a snippet of what's been going on around here lately. Annie & Ta celebrated their birthdays by having a (small) party at our house with close friends and family. Annie is the first child (since having Ta) that I haven't been pregnant with the next child by the time the 1st birthday rolled around. Makes me a little sad...  TJ's bike was stolen from our carport the same day as his birthday (Happy Birthday, Babe!). The police were called, a report was completed, and fear set in. Fear that someone had come past both cars parked to block the entrance of the carport, INSIDE my carport & near the back door, rummaged through our stuff, decided on what to take, and managed to do so without any of us waking or dogs barking. SCARY!!!! TJ installed a motion-sensor light with the help of his dad to deter anyone considering returning for more "stuff" TJ finally finished siding around the back of the house. It lo...

Annie celebreated her 1st birthday, and Ta his 6th, last week. I have been battling a chest cold since last Saturday and haven't had the extra time nor the energy to devote to their individual birthday posts. But, they're coming...as soon as I'm feeling better and get caught up on my housework and laundry.

This past week I was once again reminded of the love of God for His children as I was blessed by acts of kindness almost every day. Before I share how I was blessed, let me begin with the why I believe I was blessed . A few days after Christmas I found out that I am again having problems with my thyroid. In the past, my thyroid levels have been too low. However, now they are too high. My doctor was concerned about 1) the elevated levels and 2) the fact that I went from one extreme to the other. I was put on medication to help even out the numbers but as a result, I am plagued by constant fatigue. Add to it that Annie still wakes throughout the night; I am feeling exhausted and unrested most of the day! Until the medication gets adjusted correctly, I will battle this fatigue. I have to go have blood drawn every 2 months until the medication is at the correct dosage. I go back again at the end of February for my next lab work. Any mom will agree it’s difficult to care for kids when she...

I was thinking about (reflecting on, really) Th's eye injury when something occurred to me: the night that it happened, he just wanted me. He wanted me to hold his hand, draw his bath water for him, sit with him, basically be close to him and not leave his side. The next day, when he went to the eye doctor, he wanted me to take him and not TJ. But, now that he's feeling better and his life has mostly returned to normal, he doesn't "need" me as much. I miss being needed and knowing that only I was able to soothe him. Unfortunately, the above scenario describes how I've been with God. During the difficult times in my life, as I struggle to make sense of the hurt and pain I'm experiencing, I seek the Lord and cling tightly to His promises. However, once the storm passes and the fog lifts, I catch myself moving away from the Lord and not seeking Him so diligently. I can only surmise that He, like myself, misses the fellowship that comes with drawing close...

As a mom to 5 kids, it's never a dull moment in our house. It seems like someone is always sick or hurt. This weekend it was Th's turn to visit the doctor. Here's why: It's a long story but thankfully he'll be okay. The Lord's protection is evident as literally 1cm to the left and Th could have been blinded or more seriously wounded. Although it's gross to look at, he can see fine and is in only minor pain. Thanks for the prayers for his quick recovery!

I need to write Th's birthday post/picture, as well as share some pictures from our trip last week. However, a stomach bug has hit our family and in the past 24 hours, 5 of 7 family members have caught it. It's not fun living in this house right now! :(

I had my routine doctor visit this morning. Weight gain is good (only about 21 pounds) and Taylor sounds great, the only concern was some protein in my urine. The doctor wasn't overly concerned because my blood pressure was normal, but in all of my other 4 pregnancies I've never had this. I suppose I am more concerned because of what my sister just experienced (same symptoms- protein in the urine but normal b/p). She ended up being hospitalized for 3 days before finally being induced. As much as I am ready to meet Taylor and end this pregnancy, I don't want it to be under those circumstances. I also have an ear infection, which is no fun. So do Teagan and T.G. We are all 3 on antibiotics although now tonight T.G. started running a fever. I'm not sure what to think now! I am hoping we are all feeling better by the time Monday rolls around. I've been sick since mid-January and I am ready to move on and get well!! The doctor also reminded me that I could potentially be...

Everyone is sick with a cold in my house this weekend. I don't know who started it, but it's made its way to all of us in some form or another. Th and T.G. have been running low-grade fevers, and all of us have coughs and runny noses. Gross! I think T.G. has it the worst, though. She just looks miserable and hasn't been sleeping well at all. Of course, she wakes in the middle of the night during times that I am nursing, meaning TJ has to console her since I have Teagan . No big plans this weekend and for that I am very grateful! We definitely need a break from our chaotic schedules to just rest and stay put. School is very time-consuming for me (between teaching during the day and taking university courses in the evening) so I welcome the opportunity to plan and prepare lessons for next week, as well as work on my university assignments. My supervisor is coming to observe me on Wednesday so I need to make sure my lesson plan is perfect and I am fully prepared mentally for ...

. . . but I'm not. I have a cold, and as the day wears on, I seem to be feeling worse. My bones ache, my throat is scratchy, and I'm exhausted. Plus, I am reading a novel, something I haven't done since the summer of 2007. A friend of mine recommended it, and it's a tear- jerker ! It's called "The Memory Keeper's Daughter" by Kim Edwards, and it's about a girl with down syndrome growing up in the late 60s early 70s, during a time when people with disabilities were still institutionalized at birth. It's really tugging at my heart-strings, and I want to finish it before Monday when the craziness of the semester starts up again. I had Teagan at the doc today for a weight check, and I brought the book to read while I was waiting. The nurse saw it in Teagan's carrier when she called us back, and we began talking about it. The book was published in 2005, so it's not new, and I guess it's also a movie. The nurse said she read the book ...

Well, I wasn't going to say anything until I knew with certainty, but the reason for my tiredness. . . NO! I'm not pregnant (I know that's what you were thinking!) There is something going on with my thyroid. All I know at this point is that my thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) is out of whack. I have to go for an ultrasound of my thyroid, but because of my school schedule, I won't be able to go until spring break- which is in April. I am part of the Veterans Healthcare System through the VA. They cover everything except maternity, so I have a local, private-practice OB/GYN. I also have a private-practice family doctor because the local VA out-patient clinics are so full, making it difficult to be seen when ill. The only other option is to drive to the Veterans hospital in Columbia, and I'd pay more in gas and drive time than to pay a $10 co-pay and prescription cost if seen locally at my private doctor. Anyway, I go see my VA provider twice a year simply for a rout...

We all just got over colds (with the exception of Th, he still has a cough) and now a stomach bug has hit us! Ugh!!! It started with T.G. on Saturday. She seemed fine all morning and played as usual. We came home from Th’s soccer game and the kids played outside until lunch. In the middle of lunch, she vomited EVERYWHERE! TJ stripped her, and I bathed her while he cleaned up. If I haven’t shared it before, I don’t do well with vomit. I get sick at the smell of it. She vomited a couple more times after that, and had diarrhea to make matters worse. Poor baby- her bottom was raw and despite my efforts to keep her diaper fresh and apply cream after each change, it didn’t really help. It’s better today, and so is she. However, the bug met Ta at 1am this morning. Nothing like being woke up to the sound of vomit. Thankfully it was on TJ’s side of the bed. The smell alone made me gag a few times, but I worked my way through it to help TJ clean up. Ta is home with me today and I keep praying he...

We came home yesterday because Teagan's levels were below the 75th percentile. However, we took her back to the doctor today and she is now on photo-therapy at home because her levels have risen. It's the same type of bed as the one in the hospital, only we are at home instead of in-patient. She goes back for another re-check Friday morning. Hopefully she'll be better and we won't have to get more aggressive with her treatment. I know jaundice is common but I've never had to treat any of my kids like this, and they've all had it. It's a little scary because it's new, but I totally trust my doctor and her judgement. *I am thankful to have a pediatrician that my family loves- mom and kids, both!*

Just a quick update. . . Teagan is jaundice and spent the past 24 hours on the "bilibed" to help get her levels down. She is being assessed by the doctor as I type this and is hopefully doing well enough that we'll be able to go home today. Although she has been nursing well, she has not passed enough stools to get the excess bilirubin out of her system. Say a prayer that she is doing better today! *I am thankful for the care and attention we've received while here.*

Believe it or not, I don't really have much to talk about. The derm appointment went well considering I had one child who couldn't sit still, one who wouldn't sit still, and another that was about to break out into tears at any moment. Thankfully the nurse listened to me when I told her Ta was very nervous and asked the doc to take off her white coat (hence the term "White Coat Syndrome"- it really does exist!) before entering the room. It seemed to work great! Ta didn't like her looking at him, and he didn't say one word the entire time the doc was in the room, but he didn't cry, either. That is real progress! Oh, about the diagnosis. All 3 spots are unrelated to each other. The bumps on his foot are a birth mark that will continue to grow as his foot grows. The spot on his leg is, um, I don't remember because I had difficulty concentrating on what she was saying because I was distracted by 2 of my kids. I do know it's not contagious and it f...

I cleaned the house yesterday. I didn't finish everything I had hoped to accomplish, but I made good progress and feel better knowing the house is clean. . . even if it is short-lived. I just have a few minor chores (i.e. cleaning the downstairs bathroom, mopping the kitchen floor, & dusting the dining room) to do today in order to be totally finished, and will do it this afternoon while the kids are napping. Ta has an appointment with a dermatologist today. He has had some bumps on his foot for at least 2 years, if not longer. I mentioned it the pediatrician at one of his well-visits (either 9 or 12-month), and she wasn't sure what they were, but since the bumps weren't changing any, she wasn't overly concerned. Neither was I. Until about 2 months ago or so I noticed a bump on his stomach. It has now "spread" into the same type of bumps on his foot, except these bumps on his stomach itch. He was also scratched by one of our dogs a long time ago, and the s...

Erin was released from the ER last night. She was told she over-exerted herself yesterday which made her heart rate drop too low. I don't know exactly what tests the doctors did, but the last I spoke to my mom, Erin was having a chest x-ray taken. I'm not sure why; I think to check and see if her lungs were collapsing again. I spoke to Erin this morning and she sounded fairly good. Of course her voice was weak, but Paul was there and my mom was home from work today for the holiday. She said her biggest challenge was wanting to care for Kaylee and not being able to, especially when it came to nursing. She is not used to having to depend on others for so much help, especially since Paul has been gone since March. On the other hand, Erin told me a funny story that happened to my dad today, so at least her spirits were up and she was able to laugh (if you know my dad, you know how "accident" prone he is). As far as I know, Paul has to report back to NC this upcoming Thurs...

My sis was released from the hospital Tuesday evening (with no diagnosis and instructions to follow up with the dermatologist and rheumatologist next week). She is staying at my mom’s house where there is more space and less people so she can rest and recuperate. I spoke to her yesterday morning and the plan for the day was for Paul to take Kaylee to his parent’s apartment (30 minutes away) for the day so Erin could nap without worrying how Paul is doing with Kaylee. Paul and Kaylee left around noon, and my mom came home from work at 3pm so she was only “alone” for 3 hours (she was never alone because my dad and brother were there working on the deck outside). I called again this morning to check on her and she still sounded weak but the plan for today was the same as yesterday, with the exception of my brother being gone at Boy Scout camp until Sunday, and my dad stuck inside because it was raining (can’t build a deck in the rain!). That was about 9:30am. At 3:45pm my mom phoned to te...

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...