The 6 best words I've heard....

"She will live a while longer."
I have been worried about my first "baby", Checkers for a long time. Last summer we made a "hospice decision" of not tormenting her to treat a thyroid condition. She has lost another pound and sleeps lots more and needs help to get up to the bed etc... The past month she has been throwing up more and in preparation for the family staying away for a few days with my upcoming surgery... we need to find helpers to watch the cats. I do not wish our neighbors and friends to have to clean up after such a mess.... nor did I want Checkers to become really ill and die and leave such decisions up to these wonderful people to agreed to help. So to a different vet we went, and he said he was surprised to see how well she looked for almost 16. She has had open access to Cat nip..... our desperate desire for her to be happy in her last days. But he said these wonderful words. "If we can stop the stomach upset.... "She will live a while longer." I could have kissed him!!! I was so happy. He gave her a new injection of a med to control the brain nausea center and she will get a 1/3 of a Pepcid tablet everyday. He really thinks she will be better, and she certainly seams more herself tonight! Our family is so hopeful! Oh how our pets become such a part of our family!

Surgery update

My doctor really wants to use the Robot and the surgery to be at a certain hospital... enough that he opened up one of his days off. March 6 is the big day and I am relieved. Turns out I have enough to keep me busy until then with physicals, EKG and getting insurance records etc... The surgery nurse says to plan for 3 to 4 weeks off. That's much different then the Doctor's input of 2 weeks.... so we shall see. Then there will be follow up in DSM in 2 weeks and hopefully a princess niece babe to see born and my month of March should be pretty exciting. Then the exciting month of April with Call Day on the 22nd and then graduation on May 22. These are Ed's big days.... but the seminary women out there know that these are big days for the family as well! Packing in June, and vacation to CO in July. Exciting times ahead! I am glad to be getting this trouble out to the way.

Random Bullets

My blog has been seriously neglected! Here's what we have been up to the past 2 weeks.

* Yesterday was GOTCHA DAY. 9 years ago the Judge said YES!!! The kids have so much fun (and so do Mom and Dad) just having a special day for the 4 of us. We celebrated a night early by going to finally get Leah's 5 year old pictures, pictures with American Girl, Marissa and some retakes of Luke's fall school pictures. Then we dined at IHOP. Luke's favorite..... funny face pancakes. Luke loves rehearing the adoption story and we love sneaking in extra hugs and whispering the judge said "YES". We are also sadly praying for good friends of ours that recently heard a "NO". The tremendous blessing of adoption and God's precious ways of creating family is not lost on us.

*SATURDAY MORNINGS and some afternoons are spent around YMCA boys basketball. Luke has decided this is his sport and really gets into it!

* Preparing for a NEW NIECE. Last weekend we went to DSM and helped finish up her nursery. My sister kept saying it's not PINK enough. Turns out Leah is a little jealous.... pink is her color! Sorry Leah.... but take heart there is enough glittery pink for many girls! Folding Leah's hand me downs into the new princess' drawers is a huge eye opener. The past 5 years have flown by!

* I am 90 percent sure I will be having "female surgery" on Wednesday in DSM.(Male readers can turn away now) The past 6 weeks have been spent in some pain and getting tests and second opinions. My doctor wanted to do a robotic laproscopy to save as much as possible... but scheduling has been difficult as the Robot is pretty popular. I definitely need my left ovary removed and endometriosis burned. But on Friday, my doctor decided to do a complete hysterectomy. I am actually looking forward to a completion of this!

* I am also planning a trip to Seminary City in 58 some days. Not that we are counting! We did find out that we will be moving somewhere hopefully in Iowa. Ed will be getting a smaller church and our vicarage church will be looking for a Pastor that can continue the Vicarage program that has been a blessing to the church and the seminaries as well. A pastor needs to have 5 years of experience before training a vicar. We have been grateful for this experience and are anxious to hear what plans God has for Ed and our family. Soon we will be getting out the boxes.

More changes and more Blessings for our family!

Family birthday party

What a neat weekend. A February thaw is happening (YEAH!) and we were able to travel to southern Iowa for Great Grandma's 93rd birthday. Another highlight of the trip was seeing Baby E for the first time (off of web cam). She is really cute and has quite an adorable personality! We missed Baby H, as he is recovering from RSV and definitely did not want to share with Baby E or Great Grandma. We are missing our cousin M who lives with her mother on the East coast and 2 of Ed's brothers, but everyone else was there. It was a great party with family and many of Grandma's friends. Great Grandma is really an amazing lady. She still lives in her own home, remembers every one's big days and writes many personal letters weekly on her home computer. Her memory is better than mine. She is the only grandmother I have ever known. All of my grandparents died before I was born, and even if she is inherited through my marriage and my mother in laws second marriage.... I am so proud to call her Grandma!! She has helped me be a better cook, mother and person!




93 and 3 months old. Aren't they beautiful!




Everyone loves great grandma. Next time we want Baby H and M to be in the pics.

WHY??

When a Mama tells her 5 year old daughter to go to her room and get some socks.... why does she come out of the room 50% of the time with a sparkly purse instead? If you know, please share!! It would make getting ready for school so much easier!

Desperate times call for desparate measures

I'm pureeing strawberries to use as pancake syrup on my weight watchers diet;
as the super bowl feasting is tonight. And I think..... maybe I should replace the 3 point Dr. Pepper with something else. (Just can't do the diet DP, I've tried Kate :-) This week, the radio was hyping up new caffeine pills to replace coffee. So in desperation , I look them up..... I'm thinking it's just a new name for Vivarin. The 2 times I tried Vivarin in Nursing School as a 20 year old..... I don't think the world needs to have me strung out on Vivarin with a new name! I'll be trying pureed blueberry syrup next.
Go Steelers and Cardinals! If the PACK isn't in the Super Bowl, I like the Steelers.... but I loved watching Kurt Warner play for several seasons for the Barnstormers and he has quite a Cinderella story.... so it will just be a good game for me!