If you read this today...

Please pray for Madison. She is the niece of one of my friends. Madison is 13 years old and having brain surgery today.

You can read more about it over at Allison's blog A Few Sprinkles Short of a Sundae.

UPDATE: AFTER OVER 10 HOURS, THEY ARE FINALLY FINISHING THE SURGERY. I WILL UPDATE AGAIN WHEN MY FRIEND UPDATES EVERYONE.

Allison's update:
Dr thinks he got 75-95% of tumor. She did good. Dr feels positive about it, but there's a chance her eyesight will be compromised. Mom, Dad & Grandma are with her now. They won't know about her vision until she wakes up.

Praise God!!

shot records

Those pesky little things.

Every time my girls got shots, I'd get a copy of the up to date record. Well, as time goes by, I would also tend to lose the copy, even if I tried to remember to put it in the file cabinet.

Now, our former doctor's office (Naval Hospital) has a copy of those very important records. We have tried since Wednesday to get them to fax us a copy of N & A's records since they failed to include A's most recent shots and they also did not include N's shot records at all when they copied our medical records.

I was finally able to get a complete copy of N's shot record from her last school. I called the Preschool Office to get a copy of A's. The lady, who is known for not doing anything in a timely manner, said if the school here called and made the request, then she would fax them the record. I tried to stress the importance of having it done today since school starts on Monday. A can not start school without this one last piece of paper. (not to mention she is not feeling well tonight and may not be starting on Monday due to that)

Please pray that A's record is there on Monday and that she is feeling much better by tomorrow. N & E's parties are tomorrow.

today's the day

the sun is shining, the tank is clean and we are getting out of.... THE TANK IS CLEAN!!!

Actually, the house is a MESS. I think we may finally have most everything ready. I have some last minute things to do, but otherwise, we are good to go.

Except for one small item...

My back.

Yes, I lifted a box that we are bringing with us and hurt my back doing it.

I'd planned to strap Miss E to my back so she would be safe & close. Guess I'm not doing that now.

Please pray that my back will heal soon and that I can find some place safe for Miss E.

Prayer Request

We found out today, after waiting to see if Miss E's eye would improve, that Miss E has pink eye. Conjunctivitis for all you formal types. In both eyes.

Please pray that enough of the medication gets into her eyes to fight the infection.

Medicating a cat has nothing on trying to put eye drops into a 9 month old's eyes. (love ya Hanes!)

Also, when the doctor was doing the normal "listen to the heart/ lungs" check, he heard a murmur. He had another pediatrician listen as well and since there is no record of a murmur except for a short time after birth, they believe it is an innocent murmur. However, they both said that with the way it sounded that it was in the gray area between innocent and not so innocent. We will be asking Miss E's new doctor at her 1 year appointment to check for a murmur. If the murmur is not heard, then most likely it is the innocent type. If it is heard, then we may need to investigate further.

N had the innocent type of murmur that she outgrew by the time she was in Kindergarten, so I am not too concerned at this point. But we would still appreciate the prayers.

Less silly prayer request

A went to see a dermatologist this morning. She had some spots that would come up, and if they were opened, they would become badly infected until we forced all the junk out of them. They were diagnosed as a type of Molluscum, which is nothing to really worry about.

However, the doctor looked at 3 other spots that had been around longer. With those, we were give two options. Watch and wait or biopsy.

I called Michael and both of us agreed that a biopsy was the right thing to do since it is better to know than to wonder.

A did beautifully through the biopsy. She had a lollipop and talked through it all. Until the stitches. Then she cried the most heartbreaking cry I think I have ever heard from her.

Ice cream made everything better.

We should have the results of the biopsy in a week or two. The stitches will come out on the 10th of May and I need to schedule a follow up with A's regular doctor for the 10th or 11th as well.

Please pray that the results show nothing serious or something easily treated.

Jenny, Jessie & Cole

Please pray for these three over the next two days.

Cole's grandmother died on Good Friday this year and his great-grandfather died yesterday. The funeral for his g-gpa will be on Friday.

Jenny and Jessie have arranged for a memorial service to take place for their mom tomorrow night. Please pray for both of them as I know it is a difficult time for both of them.

Recovery

The process has been slow, but it is beginning.

We throughly enjoyed the time that our family was here and the camping trip had some tense and exciting moments. Add that to the hard emotion of grief, and we have been on a rollercoaster ride over the past two weeks.

We praise God for the very tangible way His presence has been shown during this time.

I will admit that I have struggled since I stopped my antidepressant just days before the rollercoaster began. Driving past the tree where Cathy crashed her car has been difficult and I have begun to find other ways or reasons not to pass it whenever possible. For a couple of days, I have felt so weighed down that I didn't think I could even get out of bed. And once I did, all I wanted to do was to go back and sleep to escape. Today was better. And I pray that tomorrow will be even better than today.

Trying again

Dinner is back on!

We need to run get the final touches, but as of 8:04 am EST everyone in our home is well.

I am really looking forward to this.

Pray it goes well??

Just when I think we are on the mend

Miss E starts coughing...

The runny nose has to be the worst part though.

I wore her today in the wrap.
Facing my chest.
With a runny nose.
And she kept giving me "kisses".
With a runny nose.

EEEWWWWW!!!!!

Please continue to pray for my family as we try to recover from everything that seems to be floating around our house. I am so glad that tomorrow will be sunny. Gray skies and illness do not make a happy mommy!

24 hours

No one has gotten sick in the last 24 hours. If they have, no one has notified me with the "Mommy, I threw up" line.

N went back to school today and A will return tomorrow.

I will get to fold the 3 dozen or so loads of laundry that have piled up in our living room. These were washed as vomit and drool and runny noses were cleaned up.

I think N's mattress was salvaged! I will have to double check in the morning, but I believe the stain & the smell are gone.

In other news, we took N back to the doctor today to follow up about her headaches. We ended up doing an allergy screening for her and should have the results in about a week. N did not like having her blood drawn. And since I don't remember if I updated after the eye doctor... N does NOT need glasses!!! She may have her daddy's eyes which would be a wonderful thing.

Thanks for all the prayers over the past few days.

6 Hours

We've made it 6 hours without incident.

If anyone else gets sick... I quit!

I let N jump on the bed today. Found instructions online on how to clean a mattress. It said spray it with a cleaner made for cleaning urine, etc and then to have the heaviest person in the house stand on it until the towel was no longer wet. I took the mattress to the garage & told N to jump to her heart's content.

Never thought I'd ever say "Go jump on your bed!"

Now we are praying that Miss E does not get sick too. And Michael because he left for work this morning telling me that he did not feel well.

I have washed 3 more loads of laundry in an attempt to wash everything that might possibly be contaminated.

I think I have a bit more to do since I don't want the girls reusing their blankets tonight without them being cleaned.

2 steps forward, 1 step back

Yep... I heard those words again this morning.

"Mommy..."

"I threw up..."

This time it is A's turn.

Dinner is canceled.

I am disinfecting the house.

I think I will have washed about every pillow in the house.

I have cleaned 3 mattresses.

I have held hair out of the girl's faces as they throw up.

I have slept on the floor.

I wish for one birthday that everyone would be well.

Pray for me?

And the sick kiddos of course.

10 Hours

Since N last threw up! Celebrating any progress toward health!

Just the words you want to hear...

...at one o'clock in the morning.

"Mommy..."

"I threw up..."

Please pray for our girl. N is not handling this very well.

And I have had a tough time cleaning her bed, bedding, clothing and toys.

I thank God that Michael has a strong enough stomach to help me out.

Need prayer

Michael and I have been asked to make a decision that will greatly affect our family. Please pray with us over the coming days.

Thank you.

Update on all of us

We are all still sick. N & A are showing the most improvement.

E was diagnosed with RSV which can be very serious in a young infant. Praise God that while her appetite is down, she is still eating. And even though she appears to dislike a bottle, she is also taking a couple ounces of Pedialyte every few hours. E has an appointment this morning to see how she is doing. Last night I would not have said there was much improvement but this morning she was alert and played for a few minutes. We will see how the day goes. I am praying that she does not end up needing to be admitted to the hospital, but I do know that God will have us where He wants us. Even if it is not my plan.

Michael is going to the doctor this morning. He thinks that he might have strep. If that is the case, I will be asking my doctor for a strep test as well since I kiss Michael once in a while.

Praying all is well with your families.

Love you!

Branching Out

I recently sent a flyer into A's preschool class to go home with the kids. I offered my services as a photographer. Though I have yet to hear anything from that, I want to have a site that is separate from my family site. Therefore, I have a new blog. Julie Daniher Photography will be up and running soon. Right now I am having some difficulties retrieving the pictures from my 2 actual photo shoots. The pictures were loaded onto Michael's computer which has since died. We did copy the pictures to a CD but my computer is not even recognizing that I have put a disc into the drive. I can view the other discs we made at the same time but not the one I need.

So, I am asking that you pray that I will hear something from the flyers, even if it is only one or two families and that I can recover the pictures I want. Thanks!

Time for an update....

First off, happy birthday to my wonderful husband, Michael.


Then on a sad note, N's best friend & her family move today. They are leaving us for a much colder part of the US. Think summertime highs in the 60s.... Please pray for the Pike family as they travel.

N is looking forward to getting out of school soon. Just a few more days! She continues to grow and is just learning so much. I took her out early so that she could say good bye to her friend. If you have ever seen the movie "Ever After" with Drew Barrymore, let's just say that N was crying like the Spanish princess. It was sad but hilarious at the same time.


A is getting bigger all the time. We have somewhat moved her out of her toddler bed into a twin bed. I say somewhat because she slept in the twin for one night before we had a guest. N shared the room with A while our guest slept in N's room. The night our guest headed home, N went into her room to close the blinds and they promptly broke. So, N & A are currently sharing a room until we measure her window and buy another set of blinds. The girls are doing fairly well with sharing. We have not had too many fights over the twin bed.


Our smallest one is trying to keep the doctors on their toes. At my OB appointment on May 11th, the doctor measured the fundal height. I measured a week behind. At my appointment this past Wednesday, I measured 4 weeks ahead. So, I get another ultrasound next Wednesday, June 3rd, to try to find out what is going on. But the baby's heart rate looks really good.


On Wednesday night I ended up making a quick trip to Labor & Delivery. I was leaking some sort of fluid and with the few contractions I was having, I figured it would be best to check things out. It turned out to be a false alarm. The doctor who checked me also looked at the baby's heart rate. He said he would have expected a much more mature baby just from the heart rate and the variations in the rate. His guess was 32 weeks. Right now I am only 26 weeks. So his thought about the baby being more mature also lines up with my thoughts for where I should be.

Michael is doing well. He is back to work and as of Wednesday was given a clean bill of health to return to full duty. We are still in the process of looking for another motorcycle to replace the other one. Please pray for us as we decide what to do.

And Sarah... This is my 100th post as well.

Stellan

I want to share with you a little boy named Stellan. He is just a few months old, but he has been through some amazing things in his short life.

Stellan was not yet born when an ultrasound showed something wrong with his heart. Doctors predicted that he would die within a couple of weeks of that ultrasound. Later, the doctors revised that prediction to say he would not live until he was old enough to be born at full term. Then the prediction came that he would not survive the labor and delivery process and if he did, he would not live long after birth.

God was working though. When Stellan was born, there was no sign of the heart condition that caused doctors to predict his imminent death.

Right now though, Stellan is in the hospital with the very same heart condition. Basically his heart rate is too high and his heart is enlarged.

If you would like to visit his mom's blog, just go to www.mycharmingkids.net.

Please pray for Stellan and his family.

Prayer request and a little note

Please pray for Athena & baby. She went into pre-term labor yesterday. The doctors were able to stop it and Athena is now on moderate bed rest. After she was discharged from one hospital and on the way home, she started having contractions again. She went to the Naval Hospital and was monitored for several hours.

Her family lives in a different country and her mom will be arriving sometime next week.

Please pray that baby stays put for a few more weeks. Please pray that Athena does well with the bed rest.

Just as a reminder I posted the pictures I took of Cuong & Athena here.

On another note, I should have more baby information for all of you tomorrow afternoon. I have my first official appointment tomorrow morning and I should hopefully find out a more accurate due date.