Week 8 of Summer

This week was spent getting ready for the "just between friends" sale, organzing, & cleaning. The "jbf" sale is a consignment sale that happens twice a year. You can sale all your used baby/kid items,clothes, & toys. It's a great way to clean out the drawers & then make money afterwards. So, my house was a wreck! Madison had cleaned out her room before leaving & over the weekend I went through all of Gage & Autumn's things. I then had to organoze & tag all the items. My nurse walked in Tuesday morning, saw my dining roo, filled with stuff & said, "It's JBF time again" She's been with us long enough to know what jbf looks like every 6 months :) It took Monday & Wednesday to get my stuff done & Tuesday we worked on my SIL's stuff. Madison was to arrive home Thursday & she wanted me to re-organize her room. I thought it would be a nice surprise to have it done before she got home. I did not want to spend a lot of money so I used what I already had for most of it. I took this bookcase shelf unit & put shoe boxes wrapped in her favortie duct tape designs on the shelves to organize her hair & make-up stuff. I thought it turned out cute. I did buy her some plastic drawers to put in her TV stand for all her office/craft supplies & a shower caddy carrier to organize her markers, pens, & pencils. :) After organizing, I deep cleaned her room. She was excited when she got home. She had a great time on mission, she took 2 hours to tell me all the details. ;) I love that girl! Friday, I cleaned. Saturday, I cleaned. THEN went to see Aerosmith in concert!!!! Oh my goodness, it was so much fun! It was James, Madison, Jen, Chris, Steph, & I. First we went to spaghetti warehouse for dinner. Our waiter was fun. Madison was the first to need a drink refill so he brought her an entire picture of Dr. Pepper & put a straw in it. Next he brought Steph a pitcher of tea to drink too. He then brought James this large salad bowl of Sprite to drink out of. It made our dining experiemce fun, he got a good tip. Madison fell in love with Steven Tyler on American Idol (even though he's the same age as her Grampy). When he heard they were touring again, I had to take her to the concert. I have always loved Aerosmith but never thought I'd get to see them in concert. Yes, our seats were on the last row, very high up BUT we were there. We rented some binoculars & took turns watching the bands (Cheap Trick was with them). I forgot my camera & was so mad that I don't have any pictures to show you. James got some of it on video from his phone to show Gage (Gage knows many of the songs from Guitar Hero). Right when Aerosmith was about to go on stage, the guys in front of us lit up a joint to start smoking. Um, James brought their fun to a stop very quickly. He didn't even have to let them know he's a cop but said my kid is up here so put that out. They actually did it at once, which surprised me. So, my daughter knows what it looks like now so she can be sure to stay away from it. ;) Lessons learned at rock concerts. It may sound cheesy, but James & I both kept saying how happy we were to be able to do something fun like this together. Most of our activities involve us taking turns leaving the house & doing fun things separately because of both Autumn & his work schedule. We have learned not to take our time out together for granted anymore. I was also excited to be experiencing the concert with my oldest daughter & that I was able to be there with her for her first major concert. Updates: I have not heard how court went on Wednesday on the boy. I hope to hear something this week. Clint is healing!!! He's awake & walking around. He still has more surgeries to go but he's doing good. They will fly him from Germany to San Antonio soon (only 2 hrs from his family) so that is a great blessing. Thanks for all the prayers!

Week ?? I think 7?

This past week Gage was gone to Nana Camp & Madison was back home. :) My normal day nurse was out of town all week so we were not able to get out of the house the first part of the week to have girl time. Monday Autumn had a dentist appt. That was rather traumatic but she was a trooper. She gets her teeth cleaned every 3-6 months but usually they only do her front teeth & feel she's had enough so they stop. Well, this time we had a new girl cleaning her teeth & she did ALL of them! I kow it was hard on Autumn but she really needed it. It took 5 of us. Aunt Jen held my ipad with Elmo playing, I held her arms done, one girl held the suction for her mouth, one held the bite guard & her head, & the 5th lady did the actual cleaning. Autumn cried a little (hard enough for us to hear her some), chewed on the bite guard, & tried using jer little tongue to push the dental tools out of her mouth. She fought hard but finally realized it was faster if she relaxed some. We would have to stop every once in awhile to suction her trach & for mommy to hold, hug, & kiss her & then back to business. She was suppose to have therapy afterwards but as soon as we pulled up to the building she started crying & turning blue so I called & cancelled for the day. She had enough for one day & I knew therapy would be a waste of all of our time. Tuesday & Wednesday was a blur. Thursday, another one of our nurses worked the day shift so us girls could go have some spa time. It was me, Madison, my SIL, niece, cousin, her daughter, my SIL's SIL, & her daughter. We got pedicures &/or manicures then all went out for lunch. It was fun & relaxing. Friday, Madison, Jen, Haley, & I went to Grapevine Mills Mall (stopped for lunch at Rosa's on the way). We shopped for about 5 hours which is eternity to me. I really do not care to shop much. A storm came through right when we were about to leave so we had to wait it out & then home we went. It was a good day but my feet were killing me! Saturday, church. Sunday, sent Madison off on a mission trip to mission Arlington. They do VBS for kids in the area. She was super excited about the trip. I think mostly because of the cute boys on her team but if that is what motivates the teenager to share God's love then I'll take it. Oh, I remember the days of being a 13 yr old girl...so different looking through the mommy eyes, much different lenses. ;) No, she really has a heart work with kids & share God's love & she's good at it. I'm blessed. After Madison took off, I drove to Comanche to meet my parents to pick up the boys & attend a family reunion for my dad's side of the family. My grandparents were there as well & I'm always thankful to see them. My MawMaw made me cry though. She expressed how she feels I'm special for all it takes to care for Autumn. Ofcourse, I feel like I'm nothing special...i'm just doing what any mom would do to love & care for their child. I know I'm only capable because I rely on God to give me the strength to do it. She said to me, "She may never walk, she may never talk, but she's such a happy child" & you are special for loving & caring for her. She expressed how she knows it's a tough job that brings challenges & it takes a special person to commit to that day in & day out. That REALLY touched my heart. To just have my grandmother acknowledge that she understands it can be a hard task and she appreciates me for doing it. It just made me think about that I'm not just caring for Autumn for her sake, or mine but I'm caring for my parents (& James')granddaughter & my grandparents(& James') great granddaughter. I realized how important it is deep inside to me that I make them proud for how I raise & care for all 3 of my kids so they will know they raised & taught us how to be good parents. I thank both mine & James grandparents & parents for teaching us those family values & instilling God's love & word into our hearts so that we would be prepared for the journey of raising children & all the challenges that come along. I hope this all makes some sense because it's late & I'm tired & I'm not going to take the time to proofread & I'm crying once again. ;) Before I sign off, our cousin on James' side of the family was in a motorcycle accident in Germany where he is stationed in the air force. He has a wife & 2 month old son. He is in a drug induced coma because he has a skull fracture. We would love for your prayers for his healing & for God's will to be done in this situation. Prayers for his family as they travel to Germany. Prayers for comfort but most of all, prayers this wreck will open eyes to those who know Clint but may not know God. May God use this tragic accident to reach people to see how the body of Christ prays, loves, & surrounds each other in times of need. Clint may not be able to talk right now but his accident is reaching many people across the globe & I'm sure making many realize they are not invinsible & they need God NOW!!! Please add Clint to your prayers, he is an awesome young man & I pray God keeps him with us because He knows there is more for him to do on this Earth. Also, keep Madison & our youth mission group on your prayers to reach many young kids for Christ & keep them safe as well.

Adoption update!!!

Finally got an update!!! Apparently, the boy we have been waiting to get a the psych eval on is in a bit of a holding pattern right now. He has an aunt from Australia who wants him. So, on the 25th the judge will decide if he needs to stay in the states for adoption or if CPS needs to do an international homestudy for placement with the aunt. They have no idea which way the judge will lean towards. The CPS worker wants him to stay here so she will tell him about our family she has lined up for possible adoption. Good news, we look like the top pick. Bad news, not sure what the judge will decide & how long the process can drag out. I am at total peace though. I've been praying for God's will for this situation. I would love for this boy to join our family but I know God knows what is best for both him & us & will make that decision for us. i ask you please pray for God to guide the judge to make the best decision.

Autumn & Pulsey

Ok, my daughter is a little bit obsessed with her pulse oximeter.  We had a Rad 8 pulse ox machine (that I hated) about 2 years ago.  Autumn was always grabbing the machine & messing with it.  I named it "pulsey".  Well, I found a different pulse ox that I LOVED that would last longer so we replaced pulsey.  She NEVER messed with the new machine the entire time we have had it.  Well, a couple of months ago it broke so they had to send it back to the manufacturer to fix it.  They gave us a loaner pulse ox & it was another "pulsey".  It was like Autumn remembered her old friend.  She messes with it SO much.  She smiles when it talks (beeps) at her.  She lays on it, sets it up & drops it, she loves to see the numbers flash.  It's really funny watching her with this machine.  She will have nothing to do with a teddy bear or baby doll, only wants her pulsey.  Well, Monday pulsey had to go back because our new machine was fixed. Thankfully the day before I took pictures & some video of her & pulsey so she would have them to remember when she grows up.  ;)  She is messing with her old pulse ox machine now (which is no fun for us) so I decided to name it, "Noni".  We decided to go ahead & give all her "friends" names so her suction machine is now "Hoover" & her ventilator is "Vinny". 

Here is a video:

Week 6 of Summer

It takes 6 weeks of summer to make a momma ready for school again.  I was having a blast the first month & felt like summer was going too fast.  Well, this week I've decided we've had a fun summer & the routine of school would be nice again.  You can clearly tell I am a stay at home mommy & not a school teacher by that last statement.  :)

It's not that my kids are driving me crazy, it's just that I thrive on a schedule & I'm running out of money.  I like routines to be the same just about daily & all this summer fun has gotten me a little disorganized.  My house is a mess & I don't feel like paying bills.  I just want to be lazy ALL day.  :)

Well, this week the girls are at Nana Camp so we are home all week with the boys.  Monday we (Jen & I) took the boys to Shenanigans. It's a place that has bowling, arcade, go carts, laser tag, miniature golf.  In the summer kids can bowl 2 games free everyday & since the girls do not enjoy bowling we decided to go with the boys this week. They bowled 2 games & played some games.  It was a good 2 hours out of the house entertainment. Since I'm tired of summer already, Tuesday was a pj day.  I did a little catching up around the house but did not get everything done that was on my list. Productiveness is just not happening this summer. Wednesday we (James, Jen, & I) took the boys to the Grapevine Mills mall to do a little shopping & eat at The Rainforest Cafe. They absolutely LOVED the rainforest cafe. It was so much fun watching them get excited over the animals making noises. In the mall they have these large plastic balls that you can get in & run across the water. The boys loved doing that as well. We also made a stop at the candy store & bought way too much candy! It was a fun day.

Gage's turn

Yesterday I spend the afternoon with Autumn at the dr, today spent the morning with Gage. The reason I don't take my kids to the dr when they are sick is because we are always there when they are well. ;) I made James come along this time even though he had to work last night. I knew the dr would push for growth hormones once again & I wanted some back up. First we took Gage to get a hand x-ray for his bone age. Gage has been dreading this appt for the past 3 months since he noticed it on my calendar. He hates getting his blood drawn! Well, he still is not on the growth charts, never has been. His bone age use to be about a year behind his age but now it's on target with his age. This just means he probably will not have a late growth spurt. The dr still adviced she would recommend growth hormone injection because according to his growth chart, he will grow to be 4'11" if he continues on the same curve. There is however no medical reason still for his short stature. Yes, he does have hypothyroidism which can cause growth delay but he's on the lowest dose needed & his growth has not changed much since being on the medication. She said he may not even need the medication much longer but we will wait until next time to talk about that. She thinks even with short parents he still should be taller but can't say for sure if it's just in his genes or not. If we want hormones, we need to do it before puberty hits so it will work. We decided once again against them. We know being a short man in today's society will be a challenge. We all deal with challenges & things we can't change about ourselves. Autumn may never walk & Gage may never grow to be 5 feet tall. We care more about the character of our children than if they can walk or how tall they will become. We told Gage that God created Autumn to have spina bifida & she just has to learn to embrace & accept that & God created him small & he will have to do the same. Honestly, if it does or ever did bother Gage to be small we MAY consider but as of right now we are all on the same page. He says he would like to be taller but not enough to get a shot daily. ;) He's an extremely confident little boy & he knows he can do anything even if he's small. He may change his mind as he ages but for now he's good. Some may not understand our decision but God only sees the inside of a person & is not concerned with outer appearances & we want to raise our kids to God's standards & not the standards of the world. We did all the medical testing to make sure everything is wokring fine so as long as Gage has no medical issues which make the hormones needed, we are confident with our decision & at peace with it. We go back in 4 months to retest his thyroid & see if we need to keep him on his medication or not.

Long Day at Vent Clinic

Every 3 months we go to vent clinic for a check-up. They asked us to show up 2 hours late this time because they had a full list of people coming (it's first come first serve). So, when we arrived at 2pm, clinic had not even started yet and they did not have a room for us. We waited about 30 mins before the first patient was done & we were able to get a room. Vent clinic is always the same. They give you paperwork to fill out & update. A nurse comes in to get info & does vitals. A tech comes in to weigh & measure her. The x-ray team comes in for a chest x-ray. The "dynamic duo" (the title we gave to the ladies who take blood each time) comes in to prick Autumn's finger for her blood gas. We have known them since Autumn was 2 months old in the hospital there. :) A dietician comes in to talk about her diet & let us know how things look. We then wait & wait & wait for the drs to make the rounds. We were last today since we were asked to come later so we were finally done at 5:30pm. Usually we bring lunch with us but since we came later, we wanted a snack or dessert. The vending machine only had healthy snacks & diet drinks. What?! Apparently Baylor has gone healthy so next time I will have to remember that. The drs told us about a cupcake place nearby so after clinic that is exactly where we went. :) Honestly, vent clinic is always long but it really does not bother me. I love the drs & staff & since we lived there seeing the same staff/drs everyday for 2 months, it feels like a home away from home. :) They are the most supportive drs we have & probably ever will. They know us so well & they really do care about their patients like no other drs do. :) I always leave convinced we are their favorite patients because that is just how they make us feel. Ok, back to the clinic details. Everything looked great! Blood gas good, chest x-ray perfect, Autumn is growing on target so no changes in feeds. She 's 33 inches & 26.7 lbs. We are just smooth sailing. They decided to even cut back her Zantac meds to once daily. They can't believe how little medicine she needs & how the only nebulizer meds she gets daily is her Pulmicort. Yes, I have a rockstar daughter. ;) The drs really want to be able to get her off the vent but until her brain is ready we are stuck. They did say we could try doing CPAP with a face mask if we got her trach out but we all agree she probably would not keep it on & having the trach makes it easy & it's what she knows. I do believe one day she will be trach free. They will do another sleep study in 6-12 months when she grows a little more & we will see if the sleep apnea has improved. Praying as always!!

Adoption update

Some have asked what is going on with our adoption? My answer, "That's what I would like to know!". Still waiting & getting no news. We received our end of month report for June. We are listed as still beijg considered a several kids but don't hear a thing about them. The one child who was suppose to give us the evaluation on June 10th, still have not received or heard anything. It's frustrating but I've actually started having some more peace in the waiting. I know God is in control & there is a reason for the wait. I really wanted my new son home to enjoy the summer with us but after all the money spent this summer, I'm embracing our last summer has a family of 5 :) I wish I had a big update for you all but praying it won't be too mich longer.

4th of July Week

It was another fun-filled and busy week.  I feel like that is what I have said about every week this summer but it really has been a fun summer.  I have no idea what in the world we would be doing all summer if we still lived in Midland.  Every summer we have some of our favorite must do things but each summer we also add a couple of new places to visit.  There is just SO MUCH to do in the DFW area that we never seem to run low on activities but we are starting to run low on money for the activities.

Last week we took the kids to Going Bonkers.  It's a room filled with the climbing net things you see at Chuck E. Cheese but the thing is HUGE & stretches across 3 walls.  Madison has decided to make duct tape rose pens to sell for charity so we have been busy all week making the 78 pens!  So, while the kids played, we made pens.  She has already raised about $160.00 so far & hopes to sell more so if anyone is interested....contact me or leave a comment.  ;)  So proud of her!

On the 4th, we went to our first Rockwall 4th of July parade.  I thought it would be too hot for Autumn so she stayed home but we found a great shade tree to sit under so I was bummed I did not take her. :(  Maybe she can come next year.

 Gage stayed the night with a friend the night before so when I picked him up, he had this cool patriotic hair style.  Loved it!

 I did have to get one picture with Autumn in it.  I did not buy any of my kids patriotic clothes this year....I know, I'm slacking.

After the parade we took the kids to a local nursing home to hand out some duct tape rose pen that the kids from VBS made at my SIL's church.  Madison was not thrilled to go see the old people but I made her.  ;)  Gage LOVED it.  Some of the ladies wanted to give him hugs & kisses & he was happy to do it.  We really want to get our kids more involved with giving of their time & not just their money to people & organizations.  After the nursing home, we came to my house to make some yummy 4th of July treats.  The local family members came over to grill out while we waited for the fireworks to begin.

Apparently, Madison can shove an entire watermelon slice in her mouth

I love that we can see the city firework show from our neighborhood so it makes it nice that we do not have to load Autumn in the car & fight the traffic to enjoy the show.  I must say, Rockwall gives a GREAT firework show too.  Autumn crashed though before the fireworks so we loaded her in the wagon outside. No nurse on duty.  She was not happy about it & wiggled the ENTIRE time! She refused to open her eyes to watch but as soon as we got back inside, she was wide awake to watch a little TV before falling back to sleep.

Friday we (me, steph, madison, gage, & jordyn) spent another afternoon on the lake.  It was the PERFECT lake day.  No one was there & the water was like glass.  We were able to go completely across the lake on the wave runner without the choppy waves.  I even managed to knee board too!  I was sore the next day though. (getting a little old)  Gage tried fishing but got nothing.  We swam & had a great time.  I'm actually getting a good tan this year.

Sunday I took Madison & Haley to meet my parents in Abilene so they can go to Nana Camp.  The good thing about living away from the grandparents is they will take my kids for a week.  The boys will go next week.

I just had to add these sweet pictures of Gage & Autumn watching a Mickey Mouse app on my ipad.  Gage will rarely go play with Autumn but he got grounded today so only thing left to do is play with his little sister.  Autumn always looks so big next to Gage but she's even small for her age too.