17 weeks | Pregnancy Update

Some weeks it seems like we just can't catch a break. When I thought I was finally over the pregnancy sickness, BAM, we all got hit with really bad colds. Like, the horrible kind where you can't get out of bed for a day. All of us had it, but I feel like mine was worse because I can't take my regular go-to cold medicines. So, that happened. And we were all feeling fine again... for about 4 days.

Last Saturday morning Zeke woke up in the wee hours of the morning, covered in puke. It was awesome. I know, every parent who has been through this lovely experience knows how fun it is. Especially when it happens in a bunk bed. (Because guess what, even though I love that they are in the same room now, CHANGING SHEETS ON THE BUNKBED IS THE BANE OF MY EXISTENCE!)

So, just about the time I got him out of his nasty PJs, cleaned up, changed the bed linens, and was trying to give him some pepto as he sat on my bed with me he threw up again. Only, why was I not prepared with a bucket or something???  Rookie mistake.  All I had to catch it with was my hands. (and the rest of my body and bed sheets) Manny was able to get a trashcan for us after a moment, but the majority of the damage had been done. Upon seeing (and smelling) me covered in the mess, my husband promptly went to the bathroom and got sick too. He's a contagious puker.

My poor sweet Zeke didn't eat or drink for the rest of that day and the next.  He slept on the couch for about 16 hours. It was so sad!


And then, Tuesday evening it hit me. It was horrific, that's all I'll say about it.

Wednesday evening it hit Elijah. Same thing. Then Friday was Manny's turn.
And so, I spent all of Saturday with the windows open disinfecting my house and washing all the bed linens. I hope we're over it now. But this has been a really rough 2 weeks for my family.

So, in the midst of all the sickness, I had an OB checkup on Thursday. Elijah was still sick so only Zeke got to go with me. We heard baby's heartbeat. I'm measuring on target. As expected, I lost about 4 pounds since my last visit because of the flu, I think. I was so dehydrated after being ill for several days, that I had a massive headache that day. Consequently, my blood pressure was really high. Since she wasn't sure if the headache was the cause or if that was just a coincidence, she told me to take my bp at home (my dad has a cuff), and call her Monday with the results.

I took a reading over the weekend and it was crazy high. I think 152/98. This was too close to the danger zone, so when I told the Dr. about it, she wanted me to come in right away. To be honest, I was slightly freaked out. I was thinking about preeclampsia, kidney failure, preterm labor... the works. 

So I had to go back in yesterday. We took my bp and it was in normal range with their cuff. (140/80) Then we checked it with my Dad's and it was sky high (152/100). After doing this several more times we determined that Dad's cuff is out of order and not to be trusted. In the end, my blood pressure was perfect, 122/78. Absolutely nothing to worry about. But I did mention to her that I'm still having that cramping feeling in my low back, almost like a kidney infection. But when they tested my urine, it was clean for infections. She said maybe the pain I'm feeling was a problem with the placenta, so an ultrasound was in order. But, thankfully, the ultrasound revealed that everything is healthy, where it belongs, and growing as it should. So, praise the Lord for that!!! What a huge relief. We still don't know what's causing the pain, but it's tolerable, and obviously not a problem. 

We also had the bonus of finding out the gender of our baby!!! I was so glad the boys came with me to see the ultrasound. They got to watch the screen, ask the tech a million questions about how things work, and see our little one move and wiggle. It was very exciting for all of us!

After much poking, jiggling, and coercion, the baby finally moved out of a curled up position so we could see the anatomy. And low and behold...

WE'RE HAVING A BOY! 

When she announced it Elijah actually started crying. He was so disappointed because he really had his heart set on a little sister. Zeke was happy, excited, and giggling. After we talked about it for a while Elijah started to come around too. He's happy about a brother now that he thinks about all the things they'll be able to do together, how they'll play, how he'll teach him everything he knows, and how there will be one more guy for the Father/Son campout some day. He even kisses my belly and talks sweetly to his little brother. :)

But still, when we ask him how he feels about it, he kind of deflates a bit. I know its going to take a while to get over the disappointment. 

We called Manny on the way back from the appointment and he was thrilled. He laughed and laughed. Elijah told Mom & Dad when we got to the office. They were happy, of course. Then I called my Grandma this morning and told her. She's sad for Elijah, but happy in general. That's how I felt too. I wanted Elijah to have a sister because he wanted one so badly. But I'm thankful for another son. I LOVE my two boys so much and I can only imagine how fun it will be to have a third. I just keep telling him, God is sovereign over who is in our family and He never makes mistakes. He decided for us to have a boy, and we are happy with that decision. 

And that's true. I really, really am happy.

Now, to start getting baby stuff in order.... since I GAVE ALL our things away. 

11 weeks + 3 days | pregnancy update

I've been sick, like "I think I'm going to die" sick, for 5 weeks now. Only a pregnant woman can understand what it's like to have this feeling for 5 weeks, day and night. Husbands don't get it. They've had the flu, sure. But that lasts, what? 3 days tops. My husband has never experienced a non-stop nausea/puke sensation for 5+ straight weeks.

He has been very helpful, I should admit. He is the only person in our home who has done laundry for 5 weeks. We'd be wallowing in our filth if it weren't for him. Also, he has been kind enough to bring home food nearly every night. Which, I'm sick of, but still thankful for. Because my kids would have starved by now if it weren't for my husband's fast-food runs and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I'm just ready to be out of this horrible rut.

I appreciate that he's willing to come home after a long, hard day and feed the boys, then do bedtime routines with them and tuck them in. Because after 4 pm I'm pretty much worthless. I do my fair share of crying and taking up valuable couch space, though. I tell the boys almost daily how sorry I am for being the worst Mommy ever right now. And every time my sweet Elijah reassures me, "Mom, you're not the worst Mommy, you're the BEST. You're just sick because of the baby and you'll be better soon." Those little guys sure do know how to lift my spirits.

So, about 2 weeks ago my friend, a PA, and mom of 4, recommended a treatment for the nausea/vomiting. She said it works for her so I decided to try it after doing a lot of research about the safety of the medicine.  So, I've been taking a unisom (sleeping pill) + half a vitamin b6 before bed at night. And I'm amazed at how much it helps. It doesn't take it away completely, but takes the edge off. Plus, it delays the symptoms until much later in the day. So my mornings have been virtually normal, just extra tired. And the mid-day is fine. I still have been getting sick in the later afternoon, but it's not to the degree it was before. And still, by bedtime it's as bad as ever. BUT... this helps and I am SO SO SO THANKFUL.

And then, two days in a row (yesterday and the day before) I felt amazing all day. Like my normal, not pregnant self. I even took the boys to the zoo yesterday morning and enjoyed the fresh air and sunshine. (It's warm, finally! High 65 yesterday) I didn't have even the smallest hint of nausea until almost 6:00 last night and I think it's because we waited until pretty late to eat. But that was miraculous!

Unfortunately, I got cocky. I thought maybe I was getting better and I could skip a day of taking my med/vitamin before bed. WRONG!!!!!!!! Biggest mistake ever. For one thing I was so nauseous in the middle of the night that it kept waking me up and tricking me into thinking I needed to jolt out of bed and throw up. Not fun. Consequently, I got a terrible night's sleep. And now today has been one of my worst days yet. I have learned my lesson. No more skipping medicine. Not until I'm super sure I'm all back to normal.

I'm still hopeful that 12 weeks will start to bring signs of relief. Only a few more days to go! I can make it!

A rant about stuff

Something is not quite right with me. I've had an "off" feeling for going on 5 months now. I want to sleep all the time. I'm run-down and weary. But on top of it, I'm dizzy a lot. I've had days of extreme vertigo when I can't walk down the stairs or even get out of bed, and days when it's just an underlying annoyance. I have a strange pressure near my right temple - above my jaw, around to behind my right eye, and up around the side of my head behind my ear. I feel like my temple, eye socket, and cheek are swollen. I have a constant awareness of my face -- which is not normal. I've been to my family doc about this 3 times now and we've treated for inner ear swelling, ear infection, sinus infection, and allergies, with absolutely no improvement. He also ran bloodwork (metabolic) and ruled out anything abnormal. I've had my eyes checked (with the exception of maybe needing readers when I'm on the computer for long stretches) my eyes are perfectly fine. The eye doc even took a photo of my optic nerve to rule out any swelling or things that could be issues. I'm at a loss and I'm frustrated beyond words. My family doc wants to keep treating me with meds. Today's trip resulted in an official "diagnosis" of chronic migraines with prescriptions for Topamax, Imitrex, and Phenegren. I told him, like 5 times, that I'm not interested in taking meds. I want to find out what's really wrong with me! I DO NOT have chronic migraines, contrary to what he keeps telling me. I've experienced pain (HELLO, I had a natural childbirth!) and this is not pain. This is pressure. This is a strange feeling of having part of my head being squeezed in a vice, but rarely does it reach what I would describe as actual pain. I've had my share of headaches in my adult life and I'm familiar with how they feel too. But the headache is the symptom, not the cause. There are times when the pressure on the right side of my head becomes intense and does, in fact, turn into a full-blown, all-over headache. And I'm not denying that I do have migraines occasionally, but THIS is not a migraine problem. Something else is going on. And my doctor won't listen to me. He looked at me like I'm a child who is being unreasonable when I attempted to contradict him. I'm at my wits end and don't know what to do. I need to start by finding a doctor who will listen to me in stead of trying to medicate my symptoms. Gosh! Sometimes I really can't stand the way people think prescription drugs are the answer to every problem. I really need wisdom on how to deal with this situation. I am so stinking frustrated and tired of feeling like this!

Oh, terrible flu.

On Sunday afternoon, a week ago, my sweet little Zeke woke up from his nap with a high fever. He was lethargic, whimpering, and obviously felt like crap.  That night he threw up in his bed, but never cried, so I didn't know it until morning.  I was so upset for being such a neglectful mom - not even knowing that my little one was sleeping in a puddle of his own vomit all night - waking up sticky and covered in it. Poor baby!  That evening at supper he did it again - all down the front of Manny - at the dinner table. (fun for everyone!)

Two days later Manny had the same symptoms. Minus the throwing up, lucky him.

Two days after that I felt fine on my way to morning Bible Study, then on the way home it hit me like a truck.  And by the time I walked in the door at home, it was all I could do to stand.  Thankfully, it was naptime for Zeke and Elijah was willing to watch cartoons all afternoon next to my bed while I shivered and ached and wondered if I would surely die.  Bless my sweet Elijah's heart, he took such good care of me. He went out to the car and got a bottle of Advil, brought it back to me with a drink of water, and kept checking on me, gently touching my cheeks and saying "I love you, Mom.".  What a comfort he was to me. Precious boy.

Sadly, Elijah came down with it worse than any of us in the middle of the night that night.

I changed the bed linens 3 times - until there were no more clean sheets or pillows to use. Poor buddy tried so hard to make it to the bucket in time, but missed (Boy, did he miss!). He ended up sleeping on top of towels and using a tiny baby blanket to cover. The fever was so high the next day that I thought something might be terribly wrong when he was talking nonsense, looking "through" me with glazed over eyes, and couldn't hold his cup.  It turns out he was only talking in his sleep, but he gave his Mommy a good scare.

{This stuff was a life-saver!}

Thankfully, the bug is gone now and we're all feeling back to almost normal. It's strange how weak I am now after missing 2 weeks at the gym.

On the bright side, every bed linen we own has now been laundered, so Spring cleaning is well underway.

Speaking of Spring... come on with it! I'm SICK of this relentless cold and dreary snow.

Sick Day

Poor buddy didn't feel well today so he had to miss school. There are only 3 days of school left before Pre-K graduation.  (I can't believe there is such a thing as Pre-K graduation in the first place.)  Evidence that he really felt bad: I went in the other room with Zeke for a minute I came back to find him doing this.

Naps on the couch never happen around here. Feel better soon, Elijah.

"all done" + a black eye

Ezekiel is 16 months old now and he's really not talking very much. At least not compared to what Elijah was saying by this age. Zeke says your typical mama, dadda, Elijah, bye-bye, hi, and muh (for more - only sometimes). But tonight after dinner Manny asked him if he was ready to get down from the table and he both signed and said "all done". It sounded like "ahh-duuuh", in a little sing-song tone. So cute. Then of course we made over him and he repeated it several more times. I'm relieved to know that he's going to catch up eventually.

Also, a few days ago he fell into the coffee table at my mom's house and got a terrible black eye. It's healing now, but here's what it looks like tonight...


The very next day he and Elijah were playing on the bed and Elijah somehow bounced off the pillows and head-butted Zeke. So now Elijah has a shiner to match and Zeke has a big goose egg on his forehead. You should have heard the screaming and hysteria coming from the playroom when it happened. I thought for sure someone had lost a limb or something.

My boys... they better toughen up if they're going to play so rough with each other.

One Little Monkey

On Saturday my Ezekiel was helping me fold laundry on my bed. Somehow when I had my head turned, he threw his body onto the pillows which catapulted him off the other side of the bed. I didn't see him land but I knew it was bad because it took him a good 20 seconds to start crying. By the time I made it over to him he was laying on his side not moving. It was terrifying! I couldn't tell if any body parts were broken. Nothing looked strange, swollen, red, bloody, or dislocated. But he cried for the remainder of the day, and most of the night.

After the initial hysteria wore off and the Advil took effect, I was able to get a better look. He was able to move his limbs, but he really didn't want me to touch his legs. Changing his diaper and lifting his legs to wipe him caused an all-out wail. He also stopped putting weight on his feet altogether. Where he had been walking the day before, he wouldn't even try to stand or even crawl.

So Sunday morning, after getting my friend's opinion that we needed to have a doctor check him, I decided a trip to the ER for x-rays was in order. So much fun! We were there over 3 hours and in the end they never found the cause for his pain. Thankfully the x-rays showed no broken bones. It's possible that when he landed he could have jammed or bruised his hip, twisted or pulled something in his knee, or hyper-extended his leg. Either way, whatever hurt him wasn't visible to the doctor.

I guess for Zeke's first trip to the ER he got away with a very easy diagnosis. It wasn't my favorite way to spend half of our Sunday, but I'm just glad he's not seriously injured. And I'll not be allowing him on the bed to help me with laundry any more!

p.s. He seems to be fine now. But he hasn't gone back to fully walking yet. A little gun-shy perhaps?

T E E T H I N G - S T I N K S !

I show you this photo, not as evidence that I'm the type of mother who will pick up the camera when her baby is wailing rather than pick up the baby himself. But I would like you to take a look at that bottom row of teeth.

Those wicked, wicked teeth! Since the first of October my poor child has gone from having 4 to 7 on the bottom. And that's not counting the other molar that just peeked out on the bottom right side.

And I think, but don't hold me to this, that he cut 2 on the top. It might be 3, but he never lets me look long enough to count. So by my calculations, less than 3 weeks ago he had 8 teeth. Today he has 14 (or maybe 15). This explains a lot of the above-pictured crankiness we've been enduring these past weeks. I'm just hoping, for all of our sakes, that it's over soon.

those snot nosed kids

My two little guys have had coughs, green snot, and the like for the past few days. Thank you very much, preK. Oh well- part of childhood. But they both seem to be doing fairly well. Zeke likes to spend quite a bit of his time these days reorganizing my kitchen cabinets. He's a fantastic helper. He's so proud of himself when he "helps" me. He sits on the floor among his conquests and squeals while trying to open boxes and packages and dump out their contents.

Elijah isn't letting it get him down either. He spent every waking moment this weekend busy and enjoying the perfect weather. Uncle Keith and Aunt Paula are up for a visit from Texas. He thinks Uncle Keith is either Santa Claus or Jimmy Buffett. That one's a close call.

He has been really letting go of all things fearful when it comes to swimming. Saturday afternoon he went from going down the little orange slide from the patio to the water, to going down head first, then upside down, then backwards, then up off the picnic table upside down and backwards. Plus he now lets my Dad throw him "all the way up to the trees".
All in all, I think they are handling the illness just fine. :)

Too Big for His Britches

Mister Zekers. Oh goodness, where to start? Having just turned a year old I guess he's decided to grow up in a hurry all the sudden. Over the past week he's been pulling some real stunts around here!

1. He discovered how to open my Mom's back door and escape to the porch. I'm serious.


2. He then figured out how to crawl through the doggie door to get out of the enclosed part of the porch.


3. He can hold his breath and go under the water.


4. He kicks to motor his little self around when he's wearing the float.


5. When asked, he can give the sweetest kisses. But only if he's in the mood.


6. The other day he crawled over to touch the night light plugged in the hallway outlet. He knows better as I've told him 'no' 100 times. When he approached it he reached out to touch it, then turned to look at me, shook his head and said "uh-uh" with the same intonation I use when I tell him no. Oh yes, they can learn what "NO" means at this age!


7. I came in the living room recently to find him crawling around on the coffee table. How did he get up there? Why did he not fall off and bust his face?


8. Speaking of busted faces... on Friday night he fell down just 1 step on my parents' deck and got his first fat lip. Sad day.


9. The next morning he cracked his head against the bathtub faucet and got a nice knot.


10. He knows how to climb stools to reach things that are too high for him. He did this yesterday to see what I was doing at the kitchen counter.


11. He loves to stand 6 inches from the TV, holding on to the entertainment center and watch kid shows with his mouth gaping open.


12. He loves puppets!


13. He got his first haircut last weekend and I really miss his soft baby locks.

Post Edit: Zeke went to see Dr. T this morning and weighed in at 22 pounds, 12 ounces, and is 30 1/4 inches tall. (That's 50th and 59th percentile.) He also got 4 shots- poor sweetie- he screamed his lungs out at that mean ol' nurse.

The main reason for our visit though, is a concern I've been having with him. I had noticed a few months ago that sometimes, at random, he has an involuntary spasm, or what I call a jerk movement of his head to one side. He sometimes repeats the movement several times. Although I've noticed it frequently when I'm feeding him at the table, I've seen it when he's playing or just exploring around the house too. So I don't think it's any one situation in particular. It happens at all different times of day too. I considered that maybe it was triggered by being sleepy, or having an ear ache (because he tends to jerk it as if to touch the ear), or frustrated, or even trying to shake his head to say "no".

So the doctor checked his eyes, ears, muscle tone, reflexes, spine, feet, hands, and all the other important body parts for any visible problems. She asked me lots of questions and gave him a good once-over. Her conclusion is that he's perfect. His muscles and reflexes are healthy. He moves the way he should. She thinks he might do it when he's excited or intense. Or maybe it could be a habit that he'll outgrow. Either way he looks fine. And that's what I needed to know. We'll keep an eye on his development and make sure the spasms don't get worse and aren't accompanied by stiffness or flailing of the limbs.

p.s. I noticed the very tip of one more little tooth peeking out on the bottom this morning.

Surgery for Manny

On Friday my husband got sliced and diced. Ok, not really but I like how that sounds. The operation took only about 1 hour and I got to take him home that same morning. He's recovering pretty well so far. His injured hand may or may not be fixed now. The orthopedic surgeon was great and everyone at the surgery center was very nice.

Dr. Johnson told me that when he went to look with the scope he didn't find anything torn or broken (GREAT news!), but there was some inflamed tissue around the bones in the wrist. So he removed that tissue, attached a bionic arm, stitched him back up, and sent him on his way. Ok, he didn't get a bionic arm either. But wouldn't that be cool? In stead, he got a big ol' cast (which has since been taken off).

The unfortunate part is that the procedure didn't necessarily guarantee that he'll be pain-free now. His medical opinion is that the inflamed tissue was the cause, but there is no way to be sure until it heals. So we wait. Poor Manny. I know he's sick of being broken and ready to get on with life and back to work.

{I took a picture of Manny in the OR but it's on my phone and I have no idea how to get it off of there. I'm technologically challenged.}

that figures

My husband is scheduled for surgery (orthoscopic on the right hand and wrist) on Friday morning. I was reading the paperwork last night about what to do and not do prior to surgery, you know to be prepared. They talk about taking medications, what to wear, not to eat after midnight, etc. And guess what's on the top of the list... DON'T GET A COLD. Well, it doesn't exactly say not to get a cold. It just says "Contact your doctor immediately if you get a cold or cough." Evidently it can affect the anesthesia process.

So wouldn't you know who came down with not just any cold, but a MAN COLD. The dreaded MAN COLD, which can debilitate them at a moment's notice. Which can render them completely helpless and in need of their Mommies. Oh yes. The MAN COLD, which causes all ability to care for one's self to cease and diciest. You're right if you guessed Manny.

Super. Just perfect timing.

104.5

My poor Elijah was lethargic for almost two days. He complained of dizziness and a headache. Of course it was after midnight the first time I noticed his high temperature. It was 101.9 on Sunday night, so I gave him a dose of fever-reducer and he did fine the rest of that night. But Monday morning he woke up, got a drink, and went back to sleep until after 10 am. That's SO not like him. The rest of the day he just layed around watching cartoons.

Then yesterday afternoon when we went to swim at my Mom's house he didn't even get in the water. He fell asleep on Ragon's lap. When he woke up he asked for Grandma Gloria to come make him feel better. He told her he was sick. I took his temperature then and it was 104.5 before the thermometer even beeped. He spit it out of his mouth before it had the chance to finish. But I knew from just that. We needed to get to a doctor quick.

Of course it was after 6:00 so we had to go to the urgent care center and wait an hour. But it could have been worse I guess. Turns out he has an ear infection and needed his first ever round of antibiotics. The fever broke and in just 24 hours he's feeling almost back to his normal cheery self. Now he has to keep out of the pool for 48 hours (24 more to go) and take the medicine for 7 days. Poor baby boy. He was so sweet through the ordeal. I love him so much. I hate to see him feel bad.

MRI, VBS, Rx, POOL, and Die-Die-tsA.

MRI: Manny had the MRI on his hand/wrist/arm last week. They found out the pain he's experiencing is caused by a torn something (tendon maybe?) which has allowed a bone to move out of place and twist around. Ouch. He's going to have surgery as soon as the orthopedist sets it up. He's still in the brace from his fingers to above the elbow. Pray for my poor hubby. He's in so much pain and is getting really down about it. He goes to the Dr. again today.

VBS: We started our week of "Gold Rush" last night at church. Elijah was thrilled with the excitement of the "wild wild west", as he calls it. He dressed in his cowboy boots, hat, and bandanna. So cute! I'm assigned to be the event photog, but they were so short-handed in the nursery that I barely got to leave it last night to take any pictures.

Rx: I'm experiencing some stupid hormone problems now that Zeke is cutting back on nursing. I think I might need to re-up the Rx. I'm calling the Dr. today to see about it.

POOL: I might have mentioned it a few times. :) Today is day 3 of construction and when I dropped the boys off they were using heavy equipment to excavate the deep part of the hole and level out the ground around the sides. Later today the cement mixer is going to arrive. "Hot-diggity-dog", said Elijah. We're moving along at a nice pace.

Zeke asks for his brother by name now. It sounds like this "die-die-tsA" {emphasis on the last syllable}. My favorite is when I hear him in his crib in the morning, talking to himself about Elijah, repeating his name over and over again. He loves him so much.

sweet release

Well yippee! My Dad got released from the hospital today! It's funny, I say that and it makes it sound like he was locked up or something. I bet it felt like that to him. I told him he should enjoy the vacation while he can.

Speaking of vacation...
Pool construction begins in 4 days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(was that overkill on the exclamation marks?)
Now, I'm tired of talking about illness and such. Next time I write an entry it won't be about anyone being in the hospital. How's that sound?

Just the facts, ma'am.

Wasn't that from Dragnet? Ah, good old cop shows.

Anyway, about my Dad...
He's feeling so much better now. The private room they have him in is more comfortable. He's able to eat people food (as opposed to chicken broth and jello), take showers, and move about a little.

And best of all, the numbers (measuring his level of Creatinine) are coming down as they should. When he was admitted to the hospital on Wednesday it was at 10 when it should have been 1.5. Today it was at 2.4. This is amazing and miraculous, truly. The specialist said when he gets to 1.5 again he can go home. Dr. S believes this will be tomorrow, at the rate he's been going. We're really hoping for that!

I know he's anxious to get out of there. So there you have it. The facts.

Quiet please; healing in progress

The ICU at St. Mary's is a quiet and somber place. Signs are posted everywhere which read "Quiet please; healing in progress". When you walk in, you kind of feel like you're intruding on some secret that you're not intended to see. All the lights are dim, you hear no clacking footfalls or noisy chatter, nurses whisper, and it smells clean.

If it weren't for the reason my Dad is laying in the bed in room 2523, I'd almost think the place were pleasant and comfortable. And for his sake, I'm glad they designed it that way. On the other hand, I'm overjoyed that as of tomorrow he will no longer have the opportunity to enjoy their hospitality.

Since last night his kidneys have kicked back into high gear. The doctor decided he needs no further dialysis, which means the PIC line can come out. And if the numbers continue to go in the right direction he'll be taken out of ICU tomorrow afternoon. The speed of his recovery thus far has been down-right amazing! Dr. S. actually laughed this morning about how well he has been doing. He was able to eat a little bit and seems to be feeling much better too.

Again, thank you, every single person who has been praying for him. God does answer us, I know it!

"Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much."
- James 5:16

Yesterday wasn't my favorite day.

I sat down and tried to come up with a clever way to write this post. But you know what. I'm sort of at a loss for words, so you'll excuse me if I just present you with the facts, right?

Over the weekend my Dad worked in the yard like always. There were branches from the storm to clear and burn, and the regular stuff too. But he pushed himself way too hard. He became dehydrated and overly exhausted. After three days of sweating too much and doing too much in the heat and humidity he apparently had a heat stroke. He started vomiting Monday morning and didn't stop for more than 2 days. He literally could keep nothing down during that time.

He went to see Dr. S. 1st thing Wednesday morning, had blood drawn, and was told to go home, drink water and rest. A couple of hours later the doctor called and said to come back immediately because the results from the blood tests looked bad. His tone was so urgent that they dropped what they were doing and went right away.

When he got there the doctor actually met him at the door and helped him sign in, whisked him straight up stairs and hooked him up to IV fluids and all sorts of monitors. Right away they could tell by the EKG that his heart was in distress. (Excess potassium from the dehydration leads to kidney failure, which causes heart problems.) So within minutes they had him in ICU and on a dialysis machine. The vomiting finally subsided then.

Apparently there is a window of opportunity to intervene in these cases and he must have barely squeaked in. (God's providence again!) The cause seems to be a combination of dehydration, heat stroke, the continual vomiting and diabetes.

After the initial 3-hour round of dialysis, they started him on a 24-hour round. Since that time the levels of potassium and lactic acid have decreased to a "normal" level, but still have a way to go. The main concern is the function of his kidneys. They were unsure if they would fail permanently or regain function after he recovers from this incident.

I went up to the hospital to see him this morning. He looks a little better now than he did yesterday. As of noon today he was starting to make some urine so that means the kidneys have begun to function. Praise the Lord!! He's in a lot of pain, feeling nausea, and still has blurred vision but that takes time to go away I guess. He'll continue in ICU for 2 weeks, then maybe a little longer in the hospital depending on how things go. After that he'll be off work at least another month or two.

The doctor and nurses have been wonderful at St. Mary's. He is being well cared for. My Mom said his endocrinologist never left his side throughout the ordeal. This morning he came and spoke with her and explained that judging from the test results he really didn't think Dad would make it to the hospital. He had fully expected to see him go into cardiac arrest.

Some people may attribute this to Dad's strength or stamina. But I know better... I know the ONE who sustains our every heartbeat. And it's obvious that nothing can thwart HIS plan. Ultimately He knows the number of our days and He alone is in control! So I'm going to just keep on trusting Him.

What else is there to do?

Please friends, continue to lift my family up in your prayers. It's going to be a long road.

If i'taint one thing, its a daggone 'nother.

Tooth number 4 is finally through! My poor baby Zeke has had a terrible time with it! (top left central incisor)

He was miserable for almost a week! He ran a fever for 5 days, cried NON-STOP, barely napped without being held, and didn't sleep all night for almost the entire time. Plus he didn't really want to eat, had a snotty nose, cough, and kept pulling on his ears.

Then Sunday I noticed a strange rash on his back and tummy -it looked almost like sandpaper, but red. I took him to the Dr. yesterday and he was diagnosed with 4 lovely conditions... 1) Roseola, 2) Fifths disease, 3) Allergies, 4) Teething.

The first 2 are common in infants and transmitted mostly through mucus. Who knows where he could have picked them up! But there is no treatment since they are viruses. They just run their course, about 5-7 days. The Dr. said when the fever breaks that's when the rash comes out, which is why I noticed it Sunday and not before then.

The allergies and teething explain the snotty nose and cough. Again, nothing we can do for that because of his age. We'll just keep giving pain relievers and fever reducers as needed. My poor guy. I'll sure be glad when this jag is over.

I have noticed he's eating a little better in the last 16 hours and seems not to be so cranky. I just hope we're on the last leg of this.

God's provision by way of my husband's laziness.

Manny got hurt at work a couple of weeks ago. His wrist this time. I know, right? You're thinking "Again?! He's always getting hurt!" And you'd be correct. But this time he's covered under workman's comp, thank goodness! He's gone a few times to the doctor and they put him in a brace and gave him some steroid medicine.

I don't know what the medicine is supposed to do. But I can tell you what it is doing. It's making him a growly bear! He's awful to be around. I flat-out don't like him when he's taking this stuff. He's introverted, grumpy, rude, snaps at us for no reason, drowsy, dizzy, and just plain unpleasant. I think he took his last pill for this round of treatment last night. I'll be glad when its out of his system. And I'm sure if he feels as bad as he's acting, he hasn't enjoyed it either. I hope he recovers soon. Poor thing is stuck doing boring stuff at work, which he hates. He has a 5 pound weight limit. That means he can't really pick up Zeke or help me with much around the house either. Joy, joy. Count it all joy.

Also we came home yesterday afternoon to discover the upstairs toilet had been running all day. The bathroom floor was flooded and the water had come through the ceiling into the laundry room downstairs. Praise the Lord that nothing was damaged... that we know of... yet.

For once I'm thankful for my husband's laziness. He had left his towels on the bathroom floor after his shower, which is what kept the water from making it all the way over to the carpeted area. So that's what I'm dwelling on, in stead of being upset right now.

See? God's provision reaches me even in the midst of my husband's messiness. He's good to me and I know it!

So He'll take care of Manny's wrist, and the house, and my frazzled nerves. He always does. :)