Progress

I am without internet. All the facebooking and tweeting I have been doing, have been from my phone. OH, and email too. I am currently pirating internet from a neighbor (who is unaware). I know...not especially legal, but hey...he's the one that didn't put a password on his wireless modem. :D

I have been flooded with emails and comments and texts about my mom, so I thought I would do a little post and update everyone on this crazy train also known as life around here lately.
Last weekend my mom was watching the girls for us so we could get some work done on the new house. When we got home on Sunday night my mom said she was hit suddenly with a migraine. She took her migraine meds and went to bed. Monday it was worse so she went to Urgent Care (since her doc couldn't fit her in). They gave her a shot and sent her home. Wednesday she was still in pain so she went to the ER. They did a CT scan but didn't find anything so they gave her another shot and sent her home. Friday she woke up and had debilitating pain down her back and her hands were beginning to go numb (in addition to the loss of vision). She thought she might be having a stroke so my dad took her back to the ER. After a CT Scan WITH contrast, an MRA scan, AND a lumbar puncture, they determined that she had a right corotid cerebral aneurysm. It had not ruptured so they sedated her Friday night, through Saturday, and did "open" brain surgery yesterday at 8am. The surgery went well, with no complications, but it's still brain surgery. I would like to say that I was perfectly calm and handled it all with ease, but I can't. Let's just say I had my moments. I am praising God for the doctors. But also praising the Physician. You know...the big one in Heaven.
Mom is still in ICU and a bit hazy, but they are letting her "come to" slowly so that her brain does not swell. We are hoping to have her moved out of ICU by Wednesday. She has a metal plate in her skull, a chunk of hair missing, and a bandage wrapped around her head. She never looked better.
If you have been praying, thank you. If you haven't, please join us as we continue to pray for her recovery. She won't be able to drive for 3 months, which will be a challenge since we are moving 45 minutes away.

Our move is still on for Saturday. Today was Reagan's last field trip. Wednesday is her promotion (I'm working on her class video now), and Thursday is the last day. Friday is her hearing re-check, and Saturday...I mentioned we're moving right? Yes, I meant THIS Saturday. I'm hoping that everything in the house takes a Mary Poppins-esque mentality and just "jumps" into boxes when I snap my fingers. I know it would be a miracle, but hey, we've had a few of those around here already so I'm not ruling it out. The hardwood floors are going in tomorrows (Brian is finishing painting the kitchen cabinets tonight), Reagan's mural is done and Skylar's is almost done. We're in the home stretch. I've had to let go of "perfect" and be ok with "good enough" when it comes to the home improvements. But that's a whole post in and of itself.

We had Baileys 15 month appt today too. She is officially 20 pounds! woo hoo! Skylar has become an eating MACHINE since her tonsillectomy and has gained THREE pounds in the last month! She is now 30 pounds. Oddly, Reagan is 40 pounds. 20, 30, 40, I just find it humorous.

That's all for now. My next update will be a photo of me...a puddle of mush on the floor.

Juggling Chicken Santa

I can't decide which one I resemble more this week....
A juggler, with a ton of balls in the air
A Chicken, with it's head cut off (of course)
Or Santa...Making a list and checking it twice.
Maybe I'm all three. Whichever I resemble, one thing is for sure....
I'm exhausted.

I'm a list maker. I even write things on it that I have ALREADY done, just so I can cross them off.
My to-do list runs through my mind continually. But lately my "list" is overwhelming. I don't want to add anything to it. I just want things OFF of it! I know it's just a few more weeks of craziness, but sometimes I wonder if it really WILL end.
There is something written on each day of my calendar for the next three weeks straight. Here's a small glimpse into why I may not be blogging much in the next few weeks:

Tomorrow is Reagan's birthday party for her friends. We are having it at Pump it Up this year just to make things easier. I didn't want to worry about cleaning the whole house and finding activities for 20 six-year-olds to do.
Friday, we are celebrating her birthday IN the classroom with cupcakes.
Friday night is Family Night at her school. Saturday is her ACTUAL birthday. She wants to go to Round Table and have cake and ice cream at our house that night with family.
Hopefully Friday and Saturday we are having a few guys come and tear the tile out of the new house. Then, Brian gets to "grind" the concrete subfloor to make it nice and smooth for carpet and hardwood.
Sunday, it's back to the house to work on painting and cleaning.
Next week, Reagan has TWO field trips. SERIOUSLY? Both of which I have volunteered to chaperone. Tuesday is SeaWorld and Thursday is the Zoo. Or is it the other way around? I'm not sure. Thank goodness I write these things down.
Some time during next week, we need to have the carpet installed. And Brian is going to start the hardwood floors. And the baseboards.
The following Monday is ANOTHER field trip for the kids to meet their pen pals.
Then, Wednesday is the class party where the class video will be shown. Who's making the video you ask? That would be ME. Of course. That afternoon is "kindergarten promotion" and the following day is the last day of school.
Friday the 12th is Reagan's six year visit and her hearing re-check.
We move the 13th.
Somewhere in there I have to pack....everything.
All of this on top of the normal day-to-day activities of chasing an active baby, cleaning up, making meals, laundry, etc. etc. etc.
Have I mentioned I'm exhausted? :)
Thank the Lord for my mom and her help with the girls. Even so, I'm hoping this "season" passes soon.

SOS-My Baby is all Growed Up!

Shout Out Saturday this week is for my "baby" girl....Reagan Jane.

"Don't blink. It goes by in a flash"

That's what a lady told me at my baby shower for Reagan. I thought she was nuts. Especially during those LONG nights when Reagan had REALLY bad reflux. Those nights didn't go by in a flash. Or teething. She even went through a phase where she threw tantrums (yes, my sweet little girl). But thank the Lord those were short lived.

But somewhere in there, I blinked.

It went by in a flash.

She's almost 6 (in one week!).

She is done with kindergarten in two more weeks.

She changed SO much in the past year.

Can you see it too?

This was her professional 5 year old portraits taken last year:



This is her graduation portrait we just received yesterday:



Her hair is longer. Straighter. She has grown 4 inches in the last year. She will probably be taller than me by the time she is in 2nd grade. More importantly, she is growing into her own little personality. She has a tender spirit. Often, after school, I hear about how someone got their feelings hurt by another student. She usually says, "But I gave her a hug and told her I was still her friend." She has become my little helper with her sisters too.

Yesterday, I overheard a conversation that brought tears to my eyes and then made me laugh out loud.
Here it is, recreated for you:

Reagan: Skylar, did you have a good day at home?

Skylar: Yes, but I missed you Reagan. I don't like it when you go to school sometimes.

Reagan: (putting her arm over her sister) I know. I missed you too. I think of you at school during lunch.

Skylar: And during recess?

Reagan: No, mostly just lunch because you like to eat! (HA!) But when we are in school together, we will get to be together all the time. And the weekend is coming up so we can do something special together, ok? (I can hear myself saying this to them!)

I love those tender moments. Five minutes later they were arguing over the last piece of dried apple, but it was great while it lasted.

I heard a great phrase the other day regarding the recession: "Hold your money tight, and your children tighter."
I know someday my little girl will be on her own, so I'm enjoying the time that I have to hold on to her. I'm enjoying the times that she wants to be with me. And wants to be with her sisters. I know, I know. She's ONLY six. But just yesterday she was ONLY six days, or six weeks, or six months old. Or so it seems.

Reagan six days before she arrived (a month early):



Reagan at Six Days old:



Reagan at Six Weeks old:



Reagan at Six Months old:



Reagan at Sixteen Months old:



For those with babies...Don't blink. It goes by in a flash.

We are not moving to the Promised Land!

My house is a mess. But why clean it? I'm packing. Slowly. Ok, so I only have three boxes packed, but I KNOW that everything is going to end up in boxes anyway, so why clean it/put it away/organize it now?

I realized today that I keep saying "when we move...." (fill in the blank). When we move, Skylar will sleep better. When we move, Bailey will sleep better. When we move, Reagan will be easier to wake up for school. When we move, I will be organized. When we move, I will be able to decorate. When we move we will be able to finally connect with church folks. When we move, I will cook better meals. When we move, when we move, when we move.

It is not the promised land.

But I have a sneaking suspicion that I'm not the only one that does this. It may not be a move to a new city for everyone, but it might be "I will be organized after the kids are in school" or "I will get my body in shape after Christmas."

I'm learning to accept things as they are. Change the things I can, but stop waiting for "after."

My house is a mess. And I can pretty much guarantee that in six months, I will be saying the same thing....from the new house. But my kids are happy; our bellies are full; and we live each day with the Grace that God has given us to try again tomorrow.

SOS (the Monday edition)

Ok, so it's not Saturday. It's not even Sunday. So the "S" in SOS (Shout Out Saturday) is not quite applicable this week. But I always say "Better late than never." I have a good excuse too. I was hardly home this weekend. We've been working on the house all weekend. I hardly even saw the girls. That, in and of itself, was hard, because Skylar did indeed hit that days 5-7 "dip" that the doctors warned us about. She went back onto the codeine and stopped eating and drinking (and went back to the whining and crying from the pain). Thankfully, today is much better and it appears that our "dip" is over. Onward and upward people!

As for my Shout Outs...I have two this week. Two folks that have made a huge impact on my week. They are:

Truett Cathy



and Proctor and Gamble



I know....random.

Truett Cathy is the founder of Chick-fil-a. It just happens to be my FAVORITE fast food place. But, they also have this fantastic SWEET TEA that I love! I make my own sweet tea at home, but it just doesn't taste the same. Also, I make decaf iced tea at home. Chick-fil-a's tea is caffeinated. Needless to say, it kept me going this weekend. I only wish they were open on Sundays (although I completely respect their reason for closing).

Why Proctor and Gamble? Because they invented Pampers? Nah. Although I do appreciate that too. No, this week my P&G product of choice was Downy. Because it makes my clothes smell so nice? Nah. Although it does that too. This week, Downy saved my life. You see, our new house had a lot of wallpaper in it. I started with the downstairs bathroom and it came off SO easily. Then, Bailey's room. Again, probably took 15 minutes of spraying it with warm water and then just pulling it down. "This is EASY" (famous last words). Then, I started working on Reagan's room. It's just a border. How hard could it be? SIX hours later....it still wasn't off. I tried spraying it with warm water. No luck. I tried putting stripper on it. No luck. The largest piece that I was peeling off was no larger than a nickel. And her room is 16x20. It's huge. I tried a razor blade. No luck. Just gouged the walls. I went to home depot and got another stripper. No luck. I scored it with a wallpaper scorer. Then sprayed it again with stripper. No luck. When I was at my WITS END with that darn paper, I googled ways to get rid of wallpaper. One random website said "hot water and downy fabric softener." So, yesterday, I loaded my squirt bottle with hot water and some Downy. I let it sit for five minutes and then VOILA! It started coming off!! Of course there is still a layer of glue left on the wall, but Goo Gone should take that off (famous last words). Who knew there were so many uses for fabric softener? And her room smells April Fresh! Of course AFTER using all the toxic chemicals and burning my hands (should have read the warning and worn gloves), it would be the NATURAL choice that worked the best. Of course.

So, thank you Truett Cathy for putting sweet tea at your wonderful establishments. And thank you Proctor and Gamble for inventing Downy.

On to Skylar's room.....

Turned a corner

Day four has officially been the best day since Skylar's surgery! Thanks for all the prayers! She still had a bit of a rough night, pain-wise, but this morning she woke up happy and TALKING! She hasn't said much in three days so it was great to hear her sweet little voice. I am told that her voice might sound a bit like Mickey Mouse for a while, but we have yet to hear any change.

She even ate four popsicles, a donut hole, nutter butters, teriyaki chicken with rice and veggies, and alphabet soup. Of course it was a few bites of each, but I am thrilled that she is eating solid food and not complaining. She even sat on her swing outside and sang a "popsicle" song this afternoon. Then, she started watering the plants and sang the "watering the plants" song. You see the pattern? :) She was doing so well this afternoon that I even gave her JUST Tylenol (no codeine) for her noon dose and she has done great (knocking on wood).

We were told to expect a "dip" somewhere around day 5 or 6, but we are praying that doesn't happen. We would love to have her just progress upward from here. For now we are enjoying our almost back to normal Skylar!



We are also praying for our dear friend Jaimie (you might remember the Amazing photos she took of our girls). Her little guy just had his tonsillectomy today, so her uphill climb is just beginning. Thankfully I am able to tell her that the BAD part is only a few days long. Hopefully less for him.

I'm off to make chocolate chip cookies (Skylar's request)!

Worse

Roller Coaster: There's no better way to describe the last few days for us. In the days leading up to Skylar's surgery I was a bit anxious but kept thinking 'she's a tough kid. She's going to breeze through this.' I was mistaken. She did GREAT right out of surgery (as evidenced by my 'Awesome' post), but day 2 and now day 3 have been a series of ups and downs. Day 2 was bad. Day 3 was worse.

We were sent home with the painkiller Tylenol with Codeine and instructions to give it to her every four hours (three if ABSOLUTELY necessary). They also said "if the pain isn't too bad, try regular tylenol since the codeine can be addictive." I already strive to do things naturally for our family. I don't like giving the kids medicine unless they seriously need it. I buy organic. We go to a farmer's market. I don't use bleach. So, I was already not thrilled about giving my 3 year old a narcotic that can be addictive. I tried a few times to substitute "just" tylenol but that failed miserably. Not only did it not take away the pain, but then I had to wait four hours to give her the good stuff. Argh! And that 3 hours if "ABSOLUTELY necessary" turned into an absolute necessity. In fact, even with the codeine, she is in pain about 2 hours after taking it, so she has to be uncomfortable for an entire hour before I can give her anything else. After she has it, she does GREAT.....for about an hour and a half. She goes from this:



To this...in about ten minutes:



This is her new blanket and frog that she got at the hospital and they haven't left her side in three days...


We have also discovered that she needs to be medicated around the clock. The last two nights have been a challenge. She wakes up crying and uncomfortable so we give her more meds (but of course they take 15-20 minutes to work). It seems like after a few doses through the day, she has a few GREAT hours in the afternoon. Today I was even able to get her to eat a few french fries and a bit of chicken. The Dr said to let her have whatever she wanted, so I've been doing that. She does ask for food (all day long) but only takes one bite and then says "it hurts. I'm done." It goes against everything I do to let her eat just ice cream, popsicles, and drink gatorade. But, it's just a season. This too shall pass, right?

It's not easy to watch your child suffer. I kept saying, "I wasn't prepared for this." But I don't think anyone can really be prepared. Part of parenting is just learning as you go. I know that there will be a BIG payoff in the end. No, I don't mean eternity in heaven (even though THAT payoff WILL be big!!), but I mean a payoff in the not so distant future. Skylar should be sleeping better, eating better, breathing better, speaking better, hearing better, and reading all in the next two weeks. Ok, so I made up that last one, but you get the idea. I would compare it to discipline. No one likes to discipline a child, but you know that you are doing it for their own good; so they will have a better future (and make better decisions). This temporary pain means a better future for Skylar. And hopefully more sleep for mommy.
Tomorrow will be better. And I may even get a shower.

I just have to keep reminding myself....It could always be worse.

(In a totally unrelated tidbit: If you watch Biggest Loser, you may have heard my "start" song! I'm so thrilled!! Francesca Battistelli is one of my favorite new artists and I love this song of hers.)