The Girls

 

Since the girls have been sick I haven't posted any recent pictures of them. In between fevers and coughing I was able to get a couple pictures.

Julie is now feeling quite a bit better and returned to school today....with hesitation. She is coughing a little bit, but she has been sleeping again at night. Alayna is still fighting a cough and runny nose. Last night is the best night's sleep she's given us in weeks. She slept from midnight to 6 uninterrupted. That was progress! Her overall temperament is better too. But guess who's sick now??? Yep, you guessed it! Me!!! After three weeks with sick kids it finally caught me. The cough, congestion, sore throat and fever. I couldn't be happier...ugh!

 

The girls in the recliner sharing a happy moment.

More of The Same...

Since I last posted my back has improved. It's not 100% but I am walking upright again, getting out of bed without making strange sounding groans of pain, and able to do more things around the house. I have one more chiropractic treatment to go to, then we'll see what happens from there. Dave is relieved to be back to work more this week and have his wife somewhat back to normal. As normal as a 6 month pregnant woman can be, with emotions that go from 0 to sobbing in no time. But, at least I'm walking and not hobbling.

The girls are still fighting colds. They were improving and then we had a setback this week. Julie's cough is the worst it's been, and she's started running fevers. I took them to the doctor today and they both have double ear infections. They're both on antibiotics, and I just pray we can get this cleared up soon. Julie has missed school all this week, and we're all missing some very necessary sleep.

This past Wednesday I had a parent/teacher meeting scheduled with Julie's pre-school teachers. They give you an evaluation of how your childs developing physically, socially and emotionally. Overall she's doing well but there is that one tiny little area regarding her stubborness. Ah, the strong-willed child. Apparently she doesn't always enjoy playing with the other kids, especially when they won't let her tell them how to play. This was shocking news to me...My Julie??? She's just not like that at home. She is quick to let us tell her what to do, and takes all instruction without argument...are you sure you're talking about MY Julie??? I love this child so dearly and I just know that this strong-willed temperament will make her a real leader some day, in a positive way...

Happy Valentine's Day...from the cripple

Yes, that is right, I'm a bit crippled right now. Dave and I were supposed to go out for dinner tonight...our first time out alone since around Christmas, I think. Instead, I apparently decided it would be a good week to put my back out of place and be confined to the couch with an ice pack. On top of that, Alayna is still fighting her cold and not sleeping well at night.
I made a trip to the chiropractor today and she confirmed that there were several things wrong in my lower back. I'm out of place in more than one place. She helped me quite a bit, but it's going to take a few more trips back before I'm okay again. I am continually thankful that my husband works from home. He has been such a great help since I can't do much of anything. Last night he got up every time Alayna woke up, and tonight he took care of dinner...chinese take-out. Happy Valentine's Day to us! One of these weeks we will get out alone...maybe not on the same night, but we'll get out alone, nonetheless. :)

Sick...Again....

The official "Cough Scream" is back. Julie has been sick with a cold since last Wednesday. As you may remember from a posting a while back she is ever the drama queen, and when she comes down with a bad cough...be warned! The cough is immediately followed by a scream of pain, which is then followed by my whole body tensing and my blood reaching boiling points that are probably not healthy for a pregnant woman. I have been trying to work with her and explain that her screaming will only cause her throat to hurt more. I think I have gotten through on some level, but she still coughs, occasionally screams, but now she follows up the whole thing with a "sorry mom." Well, that's progress I suppose.

Dave is, at this moment, putting Julie to bed for the night. She is extra miserable right now. A mix of being sick and overly tired. She just said to Dave, "my head hurts, it's from all the whining." Yes, and my head hurts from all her whining, too. :)

Dave had to be away from us this past weekend. He was speaking at a weekend snow camp youth retreat our church hosted. He left Friday, and wasn't supposed to be back until Sunday afternoon. He called me Saturday night to see how Julie was feeling, and I wasn't even able to talk to him. Julie couldn't stop coughing and needed my help. I quickly told him she wasn't good, and I'd talk to him later. A half hour after that he called back to tell me he was coming home to spend the night and help me. What a wonderful man! He was concerned about my not getting any sleep and being up most of the night again with Julie. Even though it's not quite Valentine's day, that was probably the best gift he could have given me. Just his thoughtfulness in coming home meant so much to me!

Today Julie is feeling a little better, but now Alayna and I seem to be coming down with it. I'm anxious for some warmer weather. I'd love to open my windows and doors, and blow the germs out of this house. I guess when the temperature is only 10degrees out, that wouldn't be the wisest thing. Although you never know what a pregnant woman will resort to when she's desperate!!!

Update On My Mom

Thank you all for your prayers for my mom during her surgery Wednesday. I believe we got about the best news possible for the situation. The doctor was able to remove the whole tumor, and the entire procedure only took about an hour. He checked other areas as well, including the bladder, for signs of cancer and found nothing. Another huge praise! She is home now recovering. She is supposed to keep her feet up and rest for a couple weeks, but I know she'll have a hard time with this, especially since she's feeling good already.

She will continue with her chemo-therapy treatments in a few weeks. The type of chemo she is receiving is working well for her, and we are thankful for that. Thank you to all who were praying. God is SO SO good!

More PIctures

These are all pictures that I've been meaning to post since Christmas. This past Saturday we finally entered the more high-tech world and got High Speed Internet!!! Yippee! We weren't able to get it until recently because we live in the boon-docks, and they just finally ran the cable down our road. We've had satellite tv, but now we have cable and high speed...can life get any better??? Okay, life can be more rewarding than just having cable tv and high speed, but it's definitely a less frustrated life. Dial-up was doing me in...especially with these pregnancy hormones. I don't have a lot of patience lately to wait for much of anything...or put up with much of anything for that matter. Just ask the kids and Dave. Actually, don't...they might be more honest than I'd like them to be on this subject. ha!

 

Julie got a new snow suit for Christmas from Mimi & Papa, but Alayna insisted on wearing the coat. She loves to wear coats for some reason. She's always bringing us her coat and wearing it around the house for no reason. Well, no reason other than the fact that she's 16 months old and just wants to wear her coat. I just thought she looked pretty cute and funny in Julie's coat.

 

Here is a picture of "Papa" (my dad) and his granddaughters at Christmas. They were all playing at the top of my parents steps, and I was able to take this picture. My niece Danika, (Doug & Andrea's little girl) is on the right.

 

Here's "Mimi" (my mom) with the girls. I love capturing pictures of my parents with their grandkids.
Speaking of my mom...We would covet all of your prayers this coming Wednesday, the 6th. She is facing yet another surgery. This time to remove a tumor near her bladder. It has been increasing in size for some time now, and chemo is not killing it. It's time for it to come out. The doctor is hoping to remove the tumor by laser, and that's what we're praying for. He won't know until he gets in there if it can be done that way, or not. She may have too much scarring from her previous two surgeries. Thanks for your prayers!