Friday, December 19, 2008
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Happy (belated) 3rd Birthday, Abby!
No, I didn't forget her special day. I was just a little bit busy on Monday as most of you know. Abby doesn't mind though. She knows we are planning a Curious George party for her on Sunday. Here's a little stroll down memory lane....
Abby's first birthday
Abby is 3 years old!
Abby at 5 days old in NICU
Abby's first birthday
Abby's second birthday
Abby is 3 years old!
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Post-Surgery Update
While the pain meds are working, I thought I'd take a quick moment to let you all know that I'm now at home recovering. The surgery went well and there were no complications. I came home about 3:30pm yesterday afternoon. I am still very sore, but feel much better than yesterday. Thank you all for your prayers....keep them coming! Friday seems to be approaching quickly and I hope I am up to traveling by then.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Sunday Morning Scripture...and Surgery Update
If I take the wings of the morning, anddwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
even there Your hand shall lead me, and
Your right hand shall hold me.
Psalm 139:9-10
Psalm 139:9-10
***
Gall Bladder Surgery Update: After meeting with the surgeon on Friday and discussing it over with Perry Friday night, I have decided to go ahead and have the surgery now. I will be admitted to the hospital Monday morning around 10am and the surgery will take place around 2 or 3pm. I earnestly seek your prayers for just another ordinary, uneventful surgery and that I will be delivered safely back into the loving arms of my family for a speedy and peaceful recovery. I will be in the hospital for one night, but will give you all a blog update as soon as I get home.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
New addition to the Prayer Requests List
I don't know how often you look at the Prayer Requests List on the left side of the screen. It really doesn't change often though. Not that I don't want to add new requests, but that I don't often hear about them. Or maybe I forget to add them when I do. Anyway, today I added myself to the list.
About 3 years ago while I was pregnant, I went to Labor & Delivery at the hospital because I was having some abdominal pain. After a few hours and an abdominal ultrasound, they determined the pain was caused by a couple of gall stones and some "sludge" in the gall bladder. OK...stay away from greasy, fatty foods and I'll be fine. And I was until about 2 weeks ago. I woke up about 2am with what I thought was bad indigestion and gas pains. After about 2 hours, the pain subsided enough for me to go back to sleep. The next day I started thinking about it and did some research. By that evening, I had decided what I experienced was probably a gall bladder attack.
Fast forward to this past Friday night. I went to bed about 10:15pm feeling just fine. I remember falling asleep on my back...which is rare for me. I woke up about an hour later, still on my back, and thought I had a cramp in my right ribcage. I rolled over onto my left side and it seemed to get worse. I thought to myself that maybe I needed to get up and walk around to make it go away. I got up and started walking to the half bath for a potty run while I was awake. By the time I got there, I was beginning to hurt pretty bad and felt like I might faint. I decided I needed to wake Perry up because I was starting to feel light headed and the pain was worsening every second. I quietly woke him up (Abby was in the bed with us) and went back toward the stairs. By the time I got there, I crumbled into a ball on the bottom step. I was in sheer agony. The pain was excruciating. Perry came over and I could not even talk through the pain to tell him what was wrong. I finally managed to squeak out where I was hurting. Another couple of minutes passed and then my left hand started going numb and started drawing itself closed. I had no control over it at all. This really freaked me and Perry out so he ran to go put on some clothes. He went upstairs and told Emily to come down and stay with Abby because he was taking me to the ER. Then pretty much picked me up and put me in the car. I could barely walk and just stayed in the fetal position once we made it to the car.
After 2.5 hours in the ER, an IV for fluids, something to calm my gall bladder down, some morphine, and an abdominal ultrasound, they told me that I had several gall stones and a lot of "sludge" which meant Gall Bladder Disease. It would have to come out. Since my pain has drastically improved (thanks to the morphine), they sent me home with a prescription for something to calm my gall bladder down should it happen again, a list of local surgeons, and instructions to call one of them on Monday. Oh, and the numbness and drawing closed of my hand? Classic symptom of hyperventilation. Nothing to worry about.
I felt horrible all day Saturday, but returned to normal by Sunday. I did call a surgeon on Monday and I have an appointment this Friday. I am going to beg him to give me some strong meds to keep me hanging on until mid-January. I do NOT want to have surgery right now! Hopefully I can hold this off until the 3rd week of January. Meanwhile, I ask for your prayers.
About 3 years ago while I was pregnant, I went to Labor & Delivery at the hospital because I was having some abdominal pain. After a few hours and an abdominal ultrasound, they determined the pain was caused by a couple of gall stones and some "sludge" in the gall bladder. OK...stay away from greasy, fatty foods and I'll be fine. And I was until about 2 weeks ago. I woke up about 2am with what I thought was bad indigestion and gas pains. After about 2 hours, the pain subsided enough for me to go back to sleep. The next day I started thinking about it and did some research. By that evening, I had decided what I experienced was probably a gall bladder attack.
Fast forward to this past Friday night. I went to bed about 10:15pm feeling just fine. I remember falling asleep on my back...which is rare for me. I woke up about an hour later, still on my back, and thought I had a cramp in my right ribcage. I rolled over onto my left side and it seemed to get worse. I thought to myself that maybe I needed to get up and walk around to make it go away. I got up and started walking to the half bath for a potty run while I was awake. By the time I got there, I was beginning to hurt pretty bad and felt like I might faint. I decided I needed to wake Perry up because I was starting to feel light headed and the pain was worsening every second. I quietly woke him up (Abby was in the bed with us) and went back toward the stairs. By the time I got there, I crumbled into a ball on the bottom step. I was in sheer agony. The pain was excruciating. Perry came over and I could not even talk through the pain to tell him what was wrong. I finally managed to squeak out where I was hurting. Another couple of minutes passed and then my left hand started going numb and started drawing itself closed. I had no control over it at all. This really freaked me and Perry out so he ran to go put on some clothes. He went upstairs and told Emily to come down and stay with Abby because he was taking me to the ER. Then pretty much picked me up and put me in the car. I could barely walk and just stayed in the fetal position once we made it to the car.
After 2.5 hours in the ER, an IV for fluids, something to calm my gall bladder down, some morphine, and an abdominal ultrasound, they told me that I had several gall stones and a lot of "sludge" which meant Gall Bladder Disease. It would have to come out. Since my pain has drastically improved (thanks to the morphine), they sent me home with a prescription for something to calm my gall bladder down should it happen again, a list of local surgeons, and instructions to call one of them on Monday. Oh, and the numbness and drawing closed of my hand? Classic symptom of hyperventilation. Nothing to worry about.
I felt horrible all day Saturday, but returned to normal by Sunday. I did call a surgeon on Monday and I have an appointment this Friday. I am going to beg him to give me some strong meds to keep me hanging on until mid-January. I do NOT want to have surgery right now! Hopefully I can hold this off until the 3rd week of January. Meanwhile, I ask for your prayers.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
A Mom's Letter To Santa
Dear Santa,
I've been a good mom all year. I've fed, cleaned and cuddled my children on demand, visited the doctor's office more than my doctor, sold sixty-two cases of candy bars to raise money to plant a shade tree on the school playground. I was hoping you could spread my list out over several Christmases, since I had to write this letter with my daughter's red crayon, on the back of a receipt in the laundry room between cycles, and who knows when I'll find any more free time in the next 18 years.
Here are my Christmas wishes:
I'd like a pair of legs that don't ache (in any color, except purple, which I already have) and arms that don't hurt or flap in the breeze; but are strong enough to pull my screaming child out of the candy aisle in the grocery store.
I'd also like a waist, since I lost mine somewhere in the seventh month of my last pregnancy.
If you're hauling big ticket items this year I'd like fingerprint resistant windows and a radio that only plays adult music; a television that doesn't broadcast any programs containing talking animals; and a refrigerator with a secret compartment behind the crisper where I can hide to talk on the phone.
On the practical side, I could use a talking doll that says, "Yes, Mommy" to boost my parental confidence, along with two kids who don't fight and three pairs of jeans that will zip all the way up without the use of power tools.
I could also use a recording of Tibetan monks chanting "Don't eat in the living room" and "Take your hands off your sister," because my voice seems to be just out of my children's hearing range and can only be heard by the dog.
If it's too late to find any of these products, I'd settle for enough time to brush my teeth and comb my hair in the same morning , or the luxury of eating food warmer than room temperature without it being served in a Styrofoam container.
If you don't mind, I could also use a few Christmas miracles to brighten the holiday season. Would it be too much trouble to declare ketchup a vegetable? It will clear my conscience immensely.
It would be helpful if you could coerce my children to help around the house without demanding payment as if they were the bosses of an organized crime family.
Well, Santa, the buzzer on the dryer is ringing and my daughter saw my feet under laundry room door. I think she wants her crayon back.
Have a safe trip and remember to leave your wet boots by the door and come in and dry off so you don't catch cold. Help yourself to cookies on the table but don't eat too many or leave crumbs on my carpet.
Yours Always,
MOM
P.S. One more thing... you can cancel all my requests if you can keep my children young enough to believe in Santa.
I've been a good mom all year. I've fed, cleaned and cuddled my children on demand, visited the doctor's office more than my doctor, sold sixty-two cases of candy bars to raise money to plant a shade tree on the school playground. I was hoping you could spread my list out over several Christmases, since I had to write this letter with my daughter's red crayon, on the back of a receipt in the laundry room between cycles, and who knows when I'll find any more free time in the next 18 years.
Here are my Christmas wishes:
I'd like a pair of legs that don't ache (in any color, except purple, which I already have) and arms that don't hurt or flap in the breeze; but are strong enough to pull my screaming child out of the candy aisle in the grocery store.
I'd also like a waist, since I lost mine somewhere in the seventh month of my last pregnancy.
If you're hauling big ticket items this year I'd like fingerprint resistant windows and a radio that only plays adult music; a television that doesn't broadcast any programs containing talking animals; and a refrigerator with a secret compartment behind the crisper where I can hide to talk on the phone.
On the practical side, I could use a talking doll that says, "Yes, Mommy" to boost my parental confidence, along with two kids who don't fight and three pairs of jeans that will zip all the way up without the use of power tools.
I could also use a recording of Tibetan monks chanting "Don't eat in the living room" and "Take your hands off your sister," because my voice seems to be just out of my children's hearing range and can only be heard by the dog.
If it's too late to find any of these products, I'd settle for enough time to brush my teeth and comb my hair in the same morning , or the luxury of eating food warmer than room temperature without it being served in a Styrofoam container.
If you don't mind, I could also use a few Christmas miracles to brighten the holiday season. Would it be too much trouble to declare ketchup a vegetable? It will clear my conscience immensely.
It would be helpful if you could coerce my children to help around the house without demanding payment as if they were the bosses of an organized crime family.
Well, Santa, the buzzer on the dryer is ringing and my daughter saw my feet under laundry room door. I think she wants her crayon back.
Have a safe trip and remember to leave your wet boots by the door and come in and dry off so you don't catch cold. Help yourself to cookies on the table but don't eat too many or leave crumbs on my carpet.
Yours Always,
MOM
P.S. One more thing... you can cancel all my requests if you can keep my children young enough to believe in Santa.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Santa's Politically Correct Christmas
Twas the night before Christmas and Santa's a wreck...
How to live in a world that's politically correct?
His workers no longer would answer to "Elves",
"Vertically Challenged" they were calling themselves.
And labor conditions at the North Pole,
were alleged by the union, to stifle the soul.
Four reindeer had vanished without much propriety,
released to the wilds, by the Humane Society.
And equal employment had made it quite clear,
that Santa had better not use just reindeer.
So Dancer and Donner, Comet and Cupid,
were replaced with 4 pigs and you know that looked stupid!
The runners had been removed from his beautiful sleigh,
because the ruts were deemed dangerous by the EPA,
And millions of people were calling the Cops,
when they heard sled noises upon their roof tops.
Second-hand smoke from his pipe had his workers quite frightened,
and his fur trimmed red suit was called "unenlightened".
To show you the strangeness of today's ebbs and flows,
Rudolf was suing over unauthorized use of his nose.
He went to Geraldo, in front of the Nation,
demanding millions in over-due workers compensation.
So...half of the reindeer were gone, and his wife,
who suddenly said she'd had enough of this life,
joined a self help group, packed and left in a whiz,
demanding from now on that her title was Ms.
And as for gifts...why, he'd never had the notion
that making a choice could cause such commotion.
Nothing of leather, nothing of fur...
Which meant nothing for him or nothing for her.
Nothing to aim, Nothing to shoot,
Nothing that clamored or made lots of noise.
Nothing for just girls and nothing for just boys.
Nothing that claimed to be gender specific,
Nothing that's warlike or non-pacifistic.
No baseball, no football...someone might get hurt,
besides - playing sports exposed kids to dirt.
Dolls were said to be sexist and should be passe.
And Nintendo would rot your entire brain away.
So Santa just stood there, disheveled and perplexed,
he just couldn't figure out what to do next?
He tried to be merry, he tried to be gay,
but you have to be careful with that word today.
His sack was quite empty, it was flat on the ground,
nothing fully acceptable was anywhere to be found.
Something special was needed, a gift that he might
give to us all, without angering the left or the right.
A gift that would satisfy - with no indecision
each group of people in every religion.
Every race, every hue,
everyone, everywhere...even you!
So here is that gift, it's price beyond worth...
"MAY YOU AND YOUR LOVED ONES ENJOY PEACE ON EARTH"
How to live in a world that's politically correct?
His workers no longer would answer to "Elves",
"Vertically Challenged" they were calling themselves.
And labor conditions at the North Pole,
were alleged by the union, to stifle the soul.
Four reindeer had vanished without much propriety,
released to the wilds, by the Humane Society.
And equal employment had made it quite clear,
that Santa had better not use just reindeer.
So Dancer and Donner, Comet and Cupid,
were replaced with 4 pigs and you know that looked stupid!
The runners had been removed from his beautiful sleigh,
because the ruts were deemed dangerous by the EPA,
And millions of people were calling the Cops,
when they heard sled noises upon their roof tops.
Second-hand smoke from his pipe had his workers quite frightened,
and his fur trimmed red suit was called "unenlightened".
To show you the strangeness of today's ebbs and flows,
Rudolf was suing over unauthorized use of his nose.
He went to Geraldo, in front of the Nation,
demanding millions in over-due workers compensation.
So...half of the reindeer were gone, and his wife,
who suddenly said she'd had enough of this life,
joined a self help group, packed and left in a whiz,
demanding from now on that her title was Ms.
And as for gifts...why, he'd never had the notion
that making a choice could cause such commotion.
Nothing of leather, nothing of fur...
Which meant nothing for him or nothing for her.
Nothing to aim, Nothing to shoot,
Nothing that clamored or made lots of noise.
Nothing for just girls and nothing for just boys.
Nothing that claimed to be gender specific,
Nothing that's warlike or non-pacifistic.
No baseball, no football...someone might get hurt,
besides - playing sports exposed kids to dirt.
Dolls were said to be sexist and should be passe.
And Nintendo would rot your entire brain away.
So Santa just stood there, disheveled and perplexed,
he just couldn't figure out what to do next?
He tried to be merry, he tried to be gay,
but you have to be careful with that word today.
His sack was quite empty, it was flat on the ground,
nothing fully acceptable was anywhere to be found.
Something special was needed, a gift that he might
give to us all, without angering the left or the right.
A gift that would satisfy - with no indecision
each group of people in every religion.
Every race, every hue,
everyone, everywhere...even you!
So here is that gift, it's price beyond worth...
"MAY YOU AND YOUR LOVED ONES ENJOY PEACE ON EARTH"
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Busted!
Last night was not fun at the Fxxxxx (have to remain anonymous) house. While paying bills, Perry noticed a significant increase in our cell phone bill. He said there had been a $30-something increase last month, but he was in a hurry when he was paying the bill and didn't investigate why. He planned to do it later and forgot. Last night, the increase was about $66. Certainly enough to warrant immediate investigation. The cause? Emily has been text messaging...a LOT!
Our cell plan does not cover texting so every message, in or out, costs us 20 cents each. Do you know how many text messages (at 20 cents each) it would take to run up a $100 bill in two months? To top it off, Emily was given strict instructions when she received her cell phone: NO TEXTING!
So, after silently venting his frustration, Perry confronted her about it and told her that she was going to have to repay us as well as losing her phone for 2 weeks. Any money she receives for Christmas will be coming directly to us and then she will be working off the remainder through sizeable chores at home. Because we realize that texting is the preferred communication choice of teenagers, when her debt is paid, she will be given the option of paying $4.99 per month to have texting added to her phone. The $4.99 will be totally her responsibility to pay and will allow her 400 messages per month.
Since about 8:30pm last night, it has been very quiet (except for a loud-mouth toddler) in our house and you would never know a teenager lives her because she hasn't shown her face except to walk out to the car this morning to go to school. The commute was made in complete silence though. I wonder if this will last the entire 2 weeks? Nope, I won't let go on that long. She happily made the choice to text even though she knew it was against the rules and now she will have to learn to happily live with the consequences. No exaggerated pouting allowed.
Our cell plan does not cover texting so every message, in or out, costs us 20 cents each. Do you know how many text messages (at 20 cents each) it would take to run up a $100 bill in two months? To top it off, Emily was given strict instructions when she received her cell phone: NO TEXTING!
So, after silently venting his frustration, Perry confronted her about it and told her that she was going to have to repay us as well as losing her phone for 2 weeks. Any money she receives for Christmas will be coming directly to us and then she will be working off the remainder through sizeable chores at home. Because we realize that texting is the preferred communication choice of teenagers, when her debt is paid, she will be given the option of paying $4.99 per month to have texting added to her phone. The $4.99 will be totally her responsibility to pay and will allow her 400 messages per month.
Since about 8:30pm last night, it has been very quiet (except for a loud-mouth toddler) in our house and you would never know a teenager lives her because she hasn't shown her face except to walk out to the car this morning to go to school. The commute was made in complete silence though. I wonder if this will last the entire 2 weeks? Nope, I won't let go on that long. She happily made the choice to text even though she knew it was against the rules and now she will have to learn to happily live with the consequences. No exaggerated pouting allowed.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
I'm Still Here...
Sorry I haven't posted anything interesting in a while, but I've been CRAZY busy! It's definitely crunch time for Christmas (we're having ours on 12/14) and birthday.
I have managed to get my Christmas tree up and completely decorated, the mantle's garland is about 1/2 done, all the gifts bought for the girls, Abby's birthday invitations made (but without a picture yet), and the party PLANS completed (now I just have to follow through with my plans!).
I've made a couple of Christmas cards, but I still am not in love with any of them. We still don't have a picture for the cards anyway though....after 3 attempts. I'm going to try one more time when the mantle is finished and see if I can get a good family picture. If not, I'm just going to photograph the girls and call it done.
Ugh...can I just fast-forward to January 2nd???
I have managed to get my Christmas tree up and completely decorated, the mantle's garland is about 1/2 done, all the gifts bought for the girls, Abby's birthday invitations made (but without a picture yet), and the party PLANS completed (now I just have to follow through with my plans!).
I've made a couple of Christmas cards, but I still am not in love with any of them. We still don't have a picture for the cards anyway though....after 3 attempts. I'm going to try one more time when the mantle is finished and see if I can get a good family picture. If not, I'm just going to photograph the girls and call it done.
Ugh...can I just fast-forward to January 2nd???
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