Not as pretty as it sounded this morning!

Wow, did our day do a 180 degree turn since I wrote that post this morning!  I just reread it, and I can't help but laugh.  I mean, what else can I do but laugh.  I think I mentioned just yesterday that God has a sense of humor (not that I'm saying he is laughing at me, I just think he likes to keep us humble)....well, today I've been humbled a little!

The morning continued to be lots of fun.  The boys played pretty well, despite another loss (which was no great surprise....we haven't actually won any of the games).  It is all about fun and learning for them (and the coaches) and we are all very proud of our little guys.....

Chris and Reeves took off for Tuscaloosa right after the game.  Lucy insisted that we go to Cracker Barrel to have lunch (which turned out to be a decent idea since I found Reeves a halloween costume while we were there).  Chris called a couple of times to tell me how excited Reeves was and that they were OK.

Around 2:00, Chris called to tell me that Reeves had gotten a little carsick on the way to the game....but he was feeling better.  Little did I know, he was NOT OK!  Chris called back right at kickoff to say that Reeves had thrown up again and that he wanted to come home.  He sounded so very sad....and, what I mean is, he sounded so sad for Reeves.  It broke my heart!

Lucy and I headed out for a birthday party (which was great fun by the way!), and left mom home with a sleeping baby G.  I thought that Chris and Reeves would get home and that he would be better.  I am VERY prone to carsickness, and so is Reeves.  I just thought this was a bad case of carsickness...nothing more.

Man, was I wrong.  Currently, Reeves has yet to keep even ice chips down.  He is in horrible pain with his stomach and the phenergan hasn't really kicked in yet.  Chris went to lay down with him and they are watching a little Power Rangers Jungle Fury....I'm praying he falls asleep soon. 

When they got home from the game, my mom said that Reeves was absolutely miserable.  It broke her heart when he said "But Charcey, I only got to see the stadium..."

Why did this have to happen TODAY!?

I know this is going to be hard to believe, but this is the FIRST stomach virus that has EVER happened in our house.  Seriously!  And, it had to happen TODAY!?  My sweet baby boy wanted to sit in that stadium and cheer for Julio....

The greatest blessing in all of this is that I have a dad who is a pediatrician.  It is very helpful (and maybe a little too convenient sometimes) and I am soooo very grateful for it!  My Daddy is wonderful about helping out and he has a soft spot for Reeves (being the only boy in this family of millions of girls!).  He called in some medicine and Chris took off to get it.  

In the meantime, I was dealing with a sick boy, a whiny Lucy, and a tired Greer.  While I was trying to get Greer down, Reeves found his way to her room.  He was sick again, and Lucy was there for moral support.  I sent them across the hall to hang out for a minute, and just minutes later....

Greer threw up E.V.E.R.Y.W.H.E.R.E.!

And, for a few minutes....I didn't move.

I composed myself, called for reinforcements (Lucy was the only option), and headed to the bathroom.  Picture this: 

Greer and I covered in sick.  Reeves moaning in the other room.  Lucy gagging.

It WAS NOT PRETTY!!!

I bathed Greer, put her to bed, cleaned up myself, put Lucy to bed, waited for Chris while holding Reeves, gave Reeves some medicine, tucked him in bed, tucked Chris in the same bed, and well.....

Now, I'm waiting....

What surprise will God have in store for me tonight?!  I'm praying for peace and sleep.  We'll just have to wait and see!

Breathe

I can not even begin to explain how thankful I am for this beautiful morning.  Because I work every other weekend (I used to work every weekend....thank heavens that is not the case any more), I absolutely savor every minute of my weekend off time with my family.  You don't realize how special and different that time is until you almost never get to enjoy it.  The air I breathe on Saturday and Sunday mornings when I am not at work is just different....it is almost impossible to describe.

We all woke up happy and refreshed (God surprised me with a GREAT night of rest!), ate a yummy breakfast in our PJs, played a little Wii, turned on some awesome praise music and laughed together.  Greer is napping and everyone else has already headed off to get our day going.  Reeves has a football game this morning at 11.  We are hoping for a win, but know that it really doesn't matter.  The boys have so much fun.  After the game, Chris and Reeves are headed to Tuscaloosa to watch Alabama play Kentucky....I've never seen a little boy (or his Daddy) more excited.  My mom is coming to spend the day with me and my girls, and Lucy's friend Caden has invited her to his birthday party.

This is what my Saturday is made of.  Nothing too extravagant, but to me it is perfect.  I hope you have your own perfect family day, too!  

Take a deep breath, and Enjoy this awesome day!!

Last night it was the salsa

If I wasn't already convinced that God has a sense of humor, the events of last night might have surprised me. But I know that he does, and well, it didn't surprise me too much.

In our house, a good night's sleep is hard to come by. There is about as much activity going on in the house in the night as there is in the day. I will admit that it took me a really long time to get used to it. I am pleased to say that I am actually very skilled at sleeping, and I am praying that those healthy sleep habits return easily when my children have all left the nest....or maybe a little sooner if I'm lucky.

In the meantime, I have become skilled at surviving my days on very little sleep. I was never one of those lucky ones whose baby slept through the night after 2 weeks....nope. Greer is the best, to date, and as evidenced by the events of last night, it's not something she has totally mastered. When she gives me at least 2 weeks of solid sleeping through the night I may be convinced. As for Reeves and Lucy, well, you just never know what type of night you're going to get. I will say this though, after a major intervention (it took some serious patience) I am proud to say that we have a great bedtime routine going. We just tuck 'em in and down the stairs we go....usually without a fight!

So anyway, I just thought I would give you an example of a typical night.....there is always a little twist added in for some good fun!

Last night it was the salsa!

6:04 pm Took kiddos to the park with Angela for a little playtime. Chris at home, alone (ahh)!
7:11 pm Get home, Chris takes Greer to give her a bath
7:13 pm Settle Lucy and Reeves in with chocolate mocha cake that Angela sent home with us
7:20 pm Go out to put up the bikes and stuff that is all over the lawn
7:21 pm Realize that I left the stroller at the park
7:24 pm Let Chris know I have to drive BACK to the park to get the stroller
7:31 pm Talk to my sister Erin on the drive to and from the park while enjoying the peace and quiet of twilight
7:40 pm Back home again, Chris has just gotten Greer down, Lucy has fallen asleep on the couch in her clothes and shoes
7:52 pm Change Lucy into her pajamas and move her to bed (she doesn't even wake up), Chris tucks Reeves in without a fight
8:01 pm DVR going, pack backpacks, wrap a babyshower gift, pick up toys and clothes, consider that the chocolate cake may come back to bite me, fold a load of laundry
8:17 pm Settle down to watch the Debate
8:39 pm Chris goes to sleep/watch a movie in our room
9:55 pm Realize that I have to make salsa for the babyshower at work tomorrow 10:10 pm Taste salsa....OMG the FIRE !!!!
10:15 pm Flushing out my eyes, brushing my teeth, BURNING LIKE I'M ON FIRE!!!!, washing my swollen face, tears streaming down my face, fingers burning....
10:40 pm Finally calming down, can't sleep yet, too exhausted to get up and change the channel
10:55 pm Can't take it anymore, am convinced nightmares to come, get up and turn off "Silence of the Lambs" (I mean how stupid am I....I hate scary movies!)
11:07 pm The last time I remember looking at the clock
2:04 am I hear Lily (our miracle cat) crying at the door, realize I forgot to let her in. Nana follows me to the door
2:07 am Turn off all of the lights I left on all over the house during my "FACE ON FIRE" frenzy, Nana following me around
2:17 am Last time I remember looking at the clock (this time)
3:03 am Greer crying
3:15 am Greer Still Crying
3:35 am Finish feeding Greer (which I told myself she COULDN't possibly need!), Nana at the foot of the rocking chair
4:01 am Back to sleep again, Nana back to sleep again
5:04 am Phone rings, "Megan, this is Jennifer, would you like to be on call?" hmm "No, I'll be there"
5:25 am Reeves comes and crawls in our bed, he wants his "my my" (aka, the most loved blanket in history), I make Chris go get it (and I am able to tell him it's precise location)
5:28 am Reeves wants juice, I send Reeves to the couch with Chris (who is up already)
6:00 am Alarm goes off
6:09 am Snooze goes off


Wonder what surprise God has in store for tonight?

My New LOOK!

I have 5 billion things to do, but I had to write a quick post to thank Danielle for the AWESOME blogover!!!  

I LOVE IT!  

Anyway, let me know what you think, and Thanks Danielle!!!

P.S.  If you get a chance, go over and check out her site (the link is at the bottom of the sidebar)...she is not only amazingly talented in graphic design, she also has a giving heart.  She is doing some amazing things with her gift!

Port Wine Stain Treatments and other stuff....

One of the primary reasons I started this blog was to chronicle Greer's journey with her birthmark (which has turned into birthmarks).  She was born with a Port Wine Stain on her face/head/neck and later (about 2 weeks after birth) developed a strawberry hemangioma on her back.  You can follow her progress in pictures by viewing the slideshow over on the right side of the blog.  She has had 4 laser treathments on the PWS and we have seen great fading...simply AMAZING fading since her birth.  

Even with the great fading, we have a ways to go, and it will be a lifelong process to keep the fading at a maximum.  PWS is a progressive condition that will recur/worsen over time if left untreated (i.e. it will darken and possibly thicken and possibly develop "blebs" that may bleed easily).  We are also closely monitoring her for a syndrome called Sturge-Weber that can occur when the PWS involves the face/eye.  Because of the involvement of her eyelid, Greer has a 70% chance of developing glaucoma in her lifetime (it usually shows up in childhood) and the syndrome can cause seizures and developmental delays.  So far, Greer has shown NO signs of Sturge-Weber, but we are always on the lookout for those things.  Thankfully, she shows no signs of glaucoma (she saw the opthamologist again in August) and has had no developmental delays.  She is actually doing things ahead of the curve (this week, she is standing up in the middle of the room totally unassisted....and she's not even 9 months old)....that has been a huge relief.  Before I can even worry about her missing a milestone, she has already reached it!  God is good (but I already knew that!).

Greer did start to do this "shuddering" thing a few weeks ago (it looks like an adult getting a chill).  Everything I am reading says that it is something that is benign and seen in lots of infants, but because it "could" be a seizure, we are going to have it checked out.  She will have and EEG on October 7th and an MRI sometime after that.  The MRI is something that we were planning to do at a year of age, but because we are seeing the shuddering, it may happen sooner than January.  She had a CT scan (with and without contrast) on her first day of life.  It was clear, but as I have learned, follow up MRI's are important to continue to rule out problems.  Please keep her (and me) in your prayers.  I really have a peace about it, but extra prayers are ALWAYS appreciated!

Greer was supposed to have a laser treatment this week, but because of some changes in our insurance, that has been postponed until December 2.  It will be treatment #5 (again with general anesthesia...praise the Good Lord!).  We realized that treatments with anesthesia were going to be significantly more expensive under the insurance provided by Chris' company (basically, it was crappy insurance anyway!).  We made the decision that I would work a couple more days a month and carry our health insurance.  It was a decision that was not very hard to make....we had to do it for our baby girl!  To be honest, it is a huge weight that has been lifted off both our shoulders.  The insurance I receive through my employer for simply working 2 days a week is PHENOMENAL (at least in comparison to the alternative)....and it helps that I have an awesome husband who takes care of the kiddos when I work.

NOW, here are some pictures of Greer's progress....

This picture was taken on a day when she had a fever.

I figured out that the birthmark is a bit darker when she has a fever.

This picture shows the PWS on the back of her ear!  Can you see it?

This is the fading we have seen so far.  Check out the slideshow to compare

it to the pictures before and after her treatments.  It has really faded!  

We will continue treatments until we don't see any more fading.

So far, we have seen more and more with each treatment!

What Really Matters

It really doesn't matter that I keep changing things around here on the blog site (and more cool changes to come...promise!), or that I didn't get around to putting away any of the laundry today (although everything is clean and folded in the laundry room....I just gotta put it away), or that I can't seem to keep my house straight and clutter-free no matter how hard I try, or that I have no clue what Reeves needs to do to earn his required Cub Scout badges, or that Lucy should wear really cute clothes to school because this is the South and all the little girls need to wear really cute clothes to school, or that the kids bikes are out in the front yard (oh and the helmet and the golf clubs and the bug spray can and the sidewalk chalk), or that my car looks like a Yoo-Hoo exploded in it, or that my closet looks like a department store threw up in it, or that....well, you get the point!

It matters that my friends know I am here to listen to their struggles, that my kids know I care enough about their day to sit down and listen to EVERY LITTLE detail!, that my small group knows that I have prayed for them this week while we are apart, that my friend Jennifer knows that I am not helping her because I want something in return but that I am helping her because it is what I DESIRE to do, that I am compassionate in my care of my patients and that I realize that my chosen career is a ministry (a calling) and not just a job,  and that I don't pray because I want God to GIVE me what I desire but that I pray because I am YEARNING to be in a deeper relationship with him.  

Just so you know....

"Not me!" Monday

It's that time again! Well, almost...

We are on the eve of my new favorite "bloggy" time of the week....and it's called "Not me!" Monday. It's extremely fun and therapeutic. So, here are my "No never....not ME" events for this week. Hope ya'll join in by linking to MckMama's blog or posting a comment of your very own "Not me!" moments here on my blog! Happy "Not me!" Monday!!!

I did NOT sneak some of Greer's frozen baby food cubes of spinach into the spaghetti sauce I made this week. I did NOT do this in a desperate attempt to get my dear hubby to eat something green.....nope, not me!

I did NOT listen to Christmas music every time I was in my car by myself this weekend. I did not EVEN get embarrassed when the guy at the red light saw me belting out "Go, Tell it on the Mountain" at the top of my lungs....nope, not me!

I did NOT forget ANOTHER one of my children this week! Last week, I did NOT almost forget to pick Greer up from Mother's Day Out, and this week....I did NOT lose track of time while at the library and totally MISS getting home before Reeves' bus. Thank the Good Lord, my sweet (and have I mentioned, patient) husband was very close to home and managed to beat him home....whew...nope, I did NOT do that!

I did NOT secretly get excited when Greer woke up with a fever on Wednesday because it meant that I did NOT have to work all morning long like I had planned....nope, I was NOT happy that I had to stay in my PJ's and drink coffee and cuddle with her ALL MORNING LONG....nope, not me!

I mean, could you resist spending a morning with this adorable little thing!!!?

Nope! NOT ME!!!