A Lifetime of Love

We secured childcare for Th and T.G. Sunday night. Nothing like waiting 'til the last minute! It was to the point we were either going to the hospital as a family or either TJ or myself was going to stay home. Thankfully we found someone willing to come over at 5:30AM to be with the others. Ta made it through surgery fine. He was very scared and cried a couple of times while waiting, but thankfully he fell asleep for a bit and when he woke, he was given Versed to calm his nerves so he wouldn't cry when the nurse took him from us. It definitely helped to lessen his fears and worked as it was supposed to. The procedure itself lasted about 20 minutes, allowing TJ and I an oppportunity to use the potty and get some coffee before going back to meet with the doctor. Ta had fluid in both ears (as suspected) and in his right ear, the fluid was really thick mucus (but not infected). In the left ear, it was thinner and clearer. The doctor believes his right ear was in the process of beco...

We are headed to the Wilds this afternoon. My kids are so excited they can hardly stand it. I am excited for them, similar to how I feel at Christmas. I just hope they aren't disappointed. Poor Ta is worried about his surgery on Monday. We talked a lot last night before bed about it. He is dreading it, and I hate that I can't calm his fears. I'm not really sure what he's afraid of, but I do know I am scared, too. I explained to him that he would have some medicine so he'd go to sleep, and while he was sleeping, the doctor would look in his ears and put in new tubes to help him hear better. When he woke up, we'd be there with him and the nurse would bring him juice and a snack. He liked the juice and snack part, but that was it. He asked if he could go to sleep on my lap, and I felt my heart crush a bit as I answered no. Of course then fear and doubt set in, and my mind wondered to all the horrible thoughts of what if he didn't wake up, what if this is our la...

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 ...

Well, we're off to the hospital. I feel like I'm going to vomit at any moment. Please pray for everything that is facing us today. Thanks!