More Faith Tests

Mom's Condition
Okay, just when you report good news, bad news soon follows. Right? Sandy called me this morning with a report of Mom's condition today. I knew something was strange when she asked me "are you alright today?" She said Dr. King is very concerned about Mom's nutrition. She's still not eating unless you practically force it down her throat. He confirmed she is very malnourished, even though you can't tell it because she is so swollen. The Dietitian reassured Sandy, Dad & Sherry that a feeding tube is probably the best thing because we have all tried to get Mom to eat. She said Mom was very agitated because she didn't want that feeding tube back in her. They have to see within 24 hours if her body will reject the feeding tube. Sandy told me how mean Mom was acting today. The nurse needed her to swallow a few meds and she wouldn't. Sandy tried sneaking it in her food, but she soon figured it out and spit the pills back out. Sandy finally put the pills back in Mom's mouth to swallow and Mom asked her what she thought she was doing. She wasn't suppose to take those pills and spit them out. Sandy said Mom was so agitated that she bit her finger over the whole pill situation. Ugh!

Dr. King was also concerned about Mom's tongue being black, so they called in my cousin, Dr. Hugh Brindley (dentist), to check her out. Hugh said her tongue was black because she wasn't swallowing her food and it decayed on her tongue. He cleaned her tongue and teeth good. Sandy said it looks much better, no smell and her tongue is pink again. Shoo!

At one time, it was mentioned that Dad needed to get Mom to sign a "Living Will." Well, I don't' think he wanted to think about it at that moment. Dad listened to Hugh's advise about the "Living Will." Hugh even told him that he should get one wrote up just in case. Well, Dad and Sandy got the will and went over it with Mom, while she still has her mind. Dad is suppose to meet up with an attorney about his rights if and when Mom will go into a Nursing Home. There is just no way Dad can take care of her in this state with a possible permanent feeding tube in her stomach, Diabetes and not being able to walk. Our hands are tied because we can't possibly take full time care of her. Dad and I barely made it during the one week, she was home.

American Idol
Well, Dr. Dread has left the building. I didn't get to watch the performances yesterday, but I did see the previews tonight. Oh my gosh! Yeah, Jason was never my favorite, but really. He was awful and I think he expected to be voted off the show. Now we are down to three people - Syesha & the two Davids. I still say David Cook will win it.

Doug's Party
Okay, I've got to get on the stick. I spent most of the day working on the slideshow and playlist. Before I knew it, it was 5:00 o'clock and I still hadn't made it to Walmart. Ugh! I've got get to Walmart to finish the vases and posters. Then, I've got to find two more signs for the road and I've got to order the cake from Walmart. I started to call and order it that way, but I'm afraid some wires will be crossed. I would much rather go to the store and order it that way. I was going to get just one cake, but I think I should get two cakes. I'll have to talk with the ladies and get their opinion.

Childhood
Okay, I love the fact that children want to play with Katie. It's wonderful. With that said, it's the constant whining & taddle tailing that gets next to me. I try to understand that's the way kids can be at times. One of Katie's older friends came over and wanted to play with her, but she was still taking a nap. He asked to play in the sandbox until she woke up. Katie took about a 30 minute nap. I was on the phone when she woke up and got into the lotion. She had lotion all over her, I turned around to get a wash cloth and there was Will. He wanted Katie to go outside to play with him. Alright, great idea. I really don't like to leave them alone because a few days ago, Will and Katie both were out in the road playing. Ugh! Doug spotted them and I couldn't get to them because I was in the back yard. Today, I felt at ease as long as I could see Will's head. I told Will not to go to the road and especially not to let Katie go with him. I told him that she wasn't allowed in the road for any reason. Apparently, his Mom and Grandma got a hold of him because he told me "yeah, I know." Thankfully, he wanted to come in and play for a while in Katie's room. I was trying to hurry up and clean the house, when the taddle tailing started. Okay, I was thinking to myself. I said self, we don't have time for this. Will didn't want Katie knocking down his blocks, he didn't want her to play with his toys that he brought over, and he didn't want her wrestling with him. At first, I tried to explain to him that she was still a baby and she doesn't understand a 7 year old very well. She just thinks he's funny. By the time he was telling me she won't play his games, I told them to figure it out for themselves. I sounded so much like my Mother. The only time I got rough with Katie is when she threw her Miss Spider doll at Will, hurting his arm, and she threw something else. When Will got hurt with Miss Spider, I made her apologize and give him a hug. The next time, I made her sit in time out for 3 minutes. She was all upset and Will seemed satisfied. So, he decided to go back home until her 3 minutes were up. Ugh! I got her out of time out early because he left. Just when I got her involved in dusting the furniture with me. I went to vacuum the floor and there he was again. I asked him "didn't you go home?" "Yeah, to get another toy" he said. He had a fit over the last toy he had here because Katie kept taking it away from him. I told him that if he didn't like Katie playing with his toys, then don't bring them over here. I think it went in one ear and out the other. Katie learned a new phrase from him today, "that's not fair." She continued to say that phrase the rest of the night. I finally told her that life wasn't fair, another one of Mom's sayings. I'm officially turning into my Mother, which I guess is alright. I was washing my Kitchen floor and Will announced he was hungry. I thought he would go back home to get a bite to eat. No, he asked me if we had rice for him to eat. Rice? Now, I have to say that's the first time I heard a kid ask me for rice to eat. Most kids like sweets and salty snacks like candy, chips and popcorn. Not rice! He was very disappointed that I didn't have rice, but he settled for chocolate chip cookies fresh from the oven. I gave them two cookies each, but Will informed me that Katie ate one of his cookies. Fine, get another. I never really thought of my daughter being a bully, but according to all the taddle tailing from Will, she appears to be. She beat him up and stole his toys and cookie. Oh well! Life goes on. Right?

This was Doug's first dirt bike. My little dare devil!

Casey and Doug. I think the Chow-Chow came from Brenda, but I'm not for sure.

Millard bringing Doug up right.

God's Hands

I am still amazed every day of God's Almighty power. I mean you know He is all powerful, but just when you think we need to be prepared for the worst (reality), He creates a twist to always keep you guessing. What I believe is happening is God is listening and answering our prayers. He has answered so many prayers (back to back) and blessed me so much that I don't feel like I desire it. A lots happened since I wrote last. Mom has taken a turn for the better. Last week, a source thought Mom might be having kidney problems. She gave me information to do some research and it all pointed towards Acute Kidney Failure. Oh no! Because of the information we were finding out, Maryann made an appointment with all the medical team that is currently working with Mom. Yesterday, Dad spoke with Dr. King and he said there was nothing wrong with Mom's kidneys. In fact, there is just a little bit of C.difficile in Mom's bowels and her health continues to improve. Now, she has to eat in order to get her strength back. The doctor said the big test is if she will start eating good. Her protein level is half what it should be, but that's because the only things she does eat is veggies or fruit. Mom's health has been like a yo-yo (up and down).

Leslie and I visited with her this evening. We got there in time for supper. Mom sounded so perky at first. As soon as the nurse left, she wanted me to lay her down right off the bat. "No, I can't do that" I told her. She started the "awe, Mirya!" I told her that I couldn't do this anymore, being very compassionate, because the doctors and nurses say we have to be a little hard on her for her own good. If she doesn't eat and exercise, she will lay in ICU and die. I think we all pretty much gave her a speech about if she wants to live and come home, she has to eat. She didn't argue with me this time. She joined in on our conversation at times. I was very proud of her, she ate all of her Cream of Chicken Soup and drank some Grape Juice. She was exhausted by the time we were ready to leave. The nurse did tell me, they took a culture of Mom's throat again because her tongue is black. As you may know, she has been dealing with Thrush for the past several months because of all the antibiotics giving her a yeast infection. Well, I've noticed that her tongue started off being very milky white and as time went on her tongue would get darker and darker. I noticed it was black last week, but the nurses didn't tell us if it was normal or not. The nurse today said that it wasn't black because of Thrush. She said her white blood cell count has gone up slightly and they think it's because of the tongue. If the culture doesn't grow anything in the next few days, they might do a biopsy.

Aunt Sherry is leaving tomorrow for TX. We appreciate all she has done for us and being so supportive. She has been a rock for us and we don't know how to thank her. THANK YOU! We will miss her, but we know she needs to be with her family. She needs to be with them because they are her rock through this difficult time. I know her being here has been great support for Sandy. Now, if Sandy can hang in there until we can get Wade here. I don't know how she can be gone from Wade for so long, without going crazy. Doug was gone on a business trip to FL awhile back for a week and I thought I was going to loose my mind. I missed him so bad. Yeah, we get on each others nerves at times, but it's hard when we are a part for any length of time.

On the way home for some reason, Leslie and I were talking about cheesecake. I don't remember how the conversation came up, but I asked her if she had ever been to "The Cheesecake Factory." She told me that she had heard of the place, but had never been. We were not far from it and I told her my treat. Apparently, she didn't catch on to what I was saying. She asked me were I was going and I told her that I wanted to treat her to "The Cheesecake Factory." She seemed surprised. I got to introduce her to "The Summit." She had never been there. As soon as I opened the door to the restaurant, her eyes lit up. I showed her the different cheesecakes on display and we were so lucky to get a seat right away. I told her how I've had to wait for 2 hours to be seated in the past. She couldn't believe it. I warned her about the menu, being a book. She asked if they only served cheesecake, but she soon found out there is a lot more to the restaurant. I don't think she believed me at first when I told her the menu was a book. Her eyes were huge when the waitress gave us our menus. I got tickled at her. I believe she ordered the Caramel and Chocolate Turtle Cheesecake and I got the Chocolate Oreo Cheesecake. Oh my gosh! I think the Chocolate Oreo Cheesecake is new since the last time I ate there because I would remember an Oreo cheesecake. HEAVEN! Sheer heaven. Smooth and not too rich - sheer decadence is what it was. I love their tea. I can't explain it, it's like there's some kind of fruity flavor to it. It's so delicious! Of course, we couldn't finish our cheesecake, so was brought it home with us. I think Leslie liked it because she said that she was going to have her boyfriend, Cody, bring her back again. I told her the secret about placing an order for two people. You both choose one thing that you could split. It doesn't cost as much, you don't waste so much food and you're not stuffed. The trouble is finding something you both would like to eat. Good luck there!

I would like to congratulate Leslie for receiving a scholarship award from AHS Honors Society (I believe, not too sure if that's the name of the organization). Anyway, you go girl!

Doug's Party
Doug's party is coming right along. We are expecting 45 + people, unless something comes up. I've been working like a mad woman for the past couple of days, that's why you haven't heard from me. I thought I was going to loose my mind yesterday, while preparing for his party. The printer and scanner both went on the fritz and I really needed them to work. After working on it for 2 hours, I finally gave up, called Doug and let him know about it. He began giggling at me. He knows how I have a hard time with electronics, especially the computer and TV. Truthfully, they have a mind of their own and they know I go crazy when something doesn't go right. Well, Doug suggested rebooting the entire system to see if the printer/scanner would work. I was able to reboot last night and it worked. I worked on party stuff until 3:00 a.m. this morning. I slept until 8:30 a.m., got up and started on it again until 1:00 p.m. I started running out of supplies, so I've got to go by Walmart and/or Hobby Lobby sometime either tomorrow or the next day. I've finished two posters out of five. Once I get started, it doesn't take much time to get them done, so I'm not worried. I can't go into a lot of detail because YOU KNOW WHO IS READING THIS BLOG! Nosey! tehe!

Decoration Day
With us being glued to the phone most of Sunday morning, we didn't make it to Peggy and Millard's church preaching. We stopped by the cemetery to drop off the azalea on the grave. I found the prettiest azaleas at Food World (of all places) the other day. They are peach or apricot color and best of all, they are double bloomed. I think double bloomed azaleas are beautiful. I grabbed two just a like to go on the graves for decoration day. Apparently, church had just let out because everyone was still there visiting outside. We had a nice visit with everyone at Peggy and Millard's house. Ty, Trey and Katie were off playing. Trey and Katie had a blast running around like little Indians. Ha Ha! I think Pat counted 28 people there for lunch. We couldn't get over the food that everyone brought. I don't think anyone went home hungry. tehe! We have pictures on the photosite for you to look at.

Yesterday, Dad brought home the flowers from the graves and let me take home my azalea along with an azalea he bought for the graves. The sun had really gotten a hold of them, so I went straight home and planted them by my big ol' oak tree. It's real shady and hopefully they'll flourish. Peggy brought me the other azalea today. I wasn't able to plant it tonight because we were going to the hospital, so I watered it real good. As soon as I can tomorrow, I'll plant it with the others. My plan is to slowly fix up the back yard. I guess I can start by planting flowering bushes like azaleas that love shade.

I don't know if I know everyone in this photo. It looks like from left to right: Sis, Henry, ?, Doug, Shawn & Malcolm. I'm sorry, but I don't recognize the girl sitting beside Sis. If anyone knows, please let me know.

Presenting Mr. Kool and The Gang!

As it says at the top of this picture - "Sporting all of his new gadgets!" This is definiately true! If there's one thing about Douglas, he loves to keep up with the latest technology. This is why we are going to have to have our brand new TV serviced already and it hasn't been two - three months since we've had it. Piece of crap equipment.

Looks like their up to something huh? Doug and Wayne on Decoration Day many many years ago. Tehe!


Looking good Doug!

Doug's 24th Birthday

Doug's 26th Birthday. Okay, have you noticed the shirt that he's wearing is the exact same? This must have been his favorite shirt at the time. At least he skipped a year between the two. tehe! Love you baby!

Sick At My Stomach

Yesterday, Doug and I went to Mr. Charles' funeral while Sandy watched Katie for me. It was so sad, but I don't know one funeral that isn't sad. I know that funerals are a way for family and friends to say goodbye, but I told Doug that I would want everyone to throw a party for me. I would like everyone to have cotton candy, music (lively music), popcorn and snow cones. I don't want people to be sad. I want people to rejoice and proud of me that I finally made it.

I drove Sandy back to Dad's after a late lunch. Dad and Sherry were back from visiting Mom during the morning hours. Sherry told us that Mom didn't have a good day. The nurses found blood in her stool this morning and she's still not eating very much. June and I were going down for 5:00 visitation and Sandy tried to prepare me about her body being so swollen. They say it's swollen because of the sodium they are having to give her. She has to have the sodium in body because she doesn't have enough to absorb the nutrients they are giving her. She has to have the nutrients because she's not eating. Her poor body is so weak and she's got to be miserable. It's so sad. I hate seeing her suffer so much, it just tugs at my heart and makes me sick (literally) at my stomach. Everyone in the family (Dad and sisters) have come to realize that Mom's not coming home with Dad and every moment with her is precious. Every one of us at some point are sick with sorrow. I think we are more sorrowful because she has suffered for the past five months. I have to remind myself that God has a plan. This plan is why she has suffered so and we have to sit back and wait. That's the hardest part, I believe, to swollow.

At the hospital, we have a source that I can't mention. She has been so helpful and just as caring and concerned about Mom's condition. She told us that she feels Mom is giving up the fight. She said the blood she saw wasn't bright, but not real dark. She gave me this look like it wasn't good. She said they are giving her Lasik because the Sodium Chloride is causing her body to swell real bad. They had hoped that her kidneys would flush the fluid and the body would absorb the sodium. Well, there could be a problem with her kidneys and that's why they have to bring in Lasik to get the fluid off of her, but it also flushes some sodium out. June and I looked at Mom's nutrient chart and she's not eating much at all now. Her supper came in while we were there. I fed her maybe four, half fork fulls of mashed up squash and that's all she wanted. She told me it was so good, but she wouldn't eat any potato or hamburger with gravy. We tried to encourage her to drink the Glucerna, but she got mad at us and told us no. When we first got there, she sat up and talked to us for a little bit. I told her about Katie streaking in the yard in front of Evelyn's company and I saw a smile. Inside, my heart was filled because I got my Mom to smile one more time. I would love to fill the rest of her days with joy and laughter. We left her resting and I hated with everything in me leaving her, but we had to go.

When we got back to June's house, Kevin and Maryann were on the back porch with Sandy, Sherry and KimAnn. We filled them in on Mom's condition and spirit. We also told them about the kidneys and blood. Kevin didn't think it was a good time to tell Dad that information because he has been so upset all day today. When Dad came out after taking a shower, we told him about her talking to us and smiling. It made him smile to hear she was talking and smiling. For the past few days, Dad has broke down in front of all of us. We are afraid he won't be able to take much more and end up having a heart attack. With all of us girls' nerves being shot, it's beginning to affect us physically, I can't imagine what Dad might be going through. My aunt Sherry gave me some B-12. She said it was good for my nerves. Sandy said she might have to start taking some as well. Susan hasn't felt good for the past few days. She went to the doctor and her doctor asked her if she has been under any stress. Sue told her the story and the doctor said lots of stress like that will begin to show in us physically. I just ask that you please pray for God's comfort with my Dad and other family members.

Shopping
Friday, Sherry, Katie and I went shopping. I needed to go back to Party City and pick up a few more things for Doug's party. Sherry wanted to go to the mall and look for a new metallic purse. I tried to get her to buy this one gold metallic purse, but she wouldn't pay $65 for it. Instead, she found a silver metallic for $20 at JC Penny. I took her to Atlanta Bread Company for soup and sandwich. On the way home, I drove her around the new shopping center "Bridge Street" and she really liked it. We were all too tired to stop and walk around. She said she would like to shop there maybe the next time. It did us both some good to get out, laugh and have some fun.

Momma Staying Home Today

Look at Uncle James and Aunt Vonell in this picture. They are watching Doug ride his tricycle.

Doug and Wayne in this photo. It looks like they are at the state capital. Where were you guys?

This Momma decided that I had better stay home most of the day and give my daughter some attention. After yesterday's little episode, I knew Katie needed her Momma's attention. She crawled into bed with me this morning and we just laid in bed and giggled and told secrets. She finally asked if we could watch TV. It wasn't long before that she asked if could go into the Living Room to watch TV. I called Doug to make sure he called his parents about the funeral arrangements. He told me that he recorded "The Care Bears Movie" for Katie and wanted me to make sure it worked. Well me mentioning "Care Bears" and Katie was all ears. I started the movie and that's all it took.

Peggy and Millard watched Katie while I went to get a tooth filled. I had a shallow cavity on my back molar, so I had to get it fixed. It was great I walked right in, didn't need any Novocaine, and I was out of the Dentist's office within 15 minutes. I took my time going back home because I knew Millard and Peggy enjoy spending time with Katiebug. I've been trying to get ideas for Katie's birthday in July. I've been wanting to stop by the Rec Room to check prices for a play set (playhouse, slide, swing combo). Before I went in the store, I wanted to check out the sets they already had on display outside. The salesperson came out and low and behold I knew the lady, Billie. Her and her husband go to our church and I didn't really know that they owned the Rec Room. Billie was able to answer a lot of my questions and she really sold me on the product that they sell, "Play Nation." They have a website: www.PlayNation.com The "Play Nation" play sets that she showed me in a catalog and displays have a lifetime guarantee. This model is easy to add and change it around whenever you wish. The only thing is they run between $2100 - $11,000. Shoo! She did show me a cheaper model of "Play Nation" called "Ranger" starting at $1500, but it's an as is. This means, you can't put up walls or add anything to it. Looking at it, it pretty much has a little bit of everything. The only thing is that it's very open because it has both a rock wall & stairs. With her being so young, I would feel more comfortable if she started off with three walls & one side open of stairs and slide together. She said that all models are 5' tall and you can add a playhouse roof extension for $50, which she recommended or you could get it later. I asked her about the safety of the play sets as far as children falling out. That's when she recommended the three walls starter playset and she also suggested putting down 6" of mulch around the playset. She said if the child does fall the mulch will cushion the blow. Billie told me that the model, I was interested in, was sturdy enough that it would hold an adults weight inside the playhouse. I like that! I just can't swallow that kind of money right now. Last year, we looked at Sam's Club play set and it was going for $1900-2000 and you have to install it yourself. For the model I wanted, Billie told me that they would install it within 2 weeks for $225. I'm going to continue to get quotes from other people. When it gets closer to Katie's birthday, Doug and I will have to discuss it. We may not be able to afford it this year, we'll have to see.

After Millard and Peggy left, Katie and I curled up in the rocker and went to sleep watching my soap opera, "Days of Our Lives." I started to put her to bed, but I knew she just wanted her Mommy. I put everything down and rocked her. She slept for an hour and half before I remembered that I forgot to take "Waterhorse" back to the Movie Gallery. Yikes! I didn't need a late fee. I had a hard time getting her to wake up, so I told her that we would take "Waterhorse" back and look for "Mariposa." Well, she was all for that idea. As you may know, our neighbor passed away. More of their relatives came in this morning, so there are a lot of vehicles parked along our street. It was so sweet as I was putting Katie in the truck, she told me we needed to find Mr. Charlie. She saw Gary parking his truck and walking up the driveway next door. I was trying to explain to her that Mr. Charlie wasn't lost. She said it again, "Mom, we need to find Mr. Charlie. Where is he at?" I told her "baby, Mr. Charles is with Jesus in heaven." She pointed to Gary and asked if he was Jesus. I answered no that wasn't Jesus. I told her again about Charles being with Jesus in heaven. She looked at me so confused. I asked her if she remembered Jesus, "uh, huh." I pointed to the sky and told her that heaven was far far away in the sky. She looked up as I was telling her, "up there?" I answered, "yeah baby, Mr. Charles is way up there." She seemed satisfied because she didn't bring it up again.

At Movie Gallery, she wanted to be a big girl and look for her movie, so I let her be a big girl. I let her walk around and look for movies until she was pretty much ready to good. She walked right in front of me like she knew what she was doing. I had to point out "Mariposa" to her because she passed right by it. Then, she tells me "Mom, I need another Care Bear movie, please." All of their old children movies are $.99, so I didn't care. I told her she could pick out two movies and that's all. She couldn't decide between all the Care Bear movies, Max & Ruby, and Dr. Seuss movies. I figured she would want "Barbie in The 12 Dancing Princesses" movie once I showed it to her. She held it, but quickly decided that she had to have the "Care Bears to Rescue" movie along with "Mariposa." I picked up "27 Dresses" for me and she kept wanting to look around. It was too cute. She saw one movie "Sweet 16" and she liked it because it was pink. I told her that I didn't think it was a kids movie. She quickly asked, "not a kids movie? What you talking about Mom?" She held on to her two movies all through the store and handed them to me when we got to the check out desk. She had to hold her movies going out to the truck. "Now Mommy, we need to go home and watch my Care Bears movie." I decided to take a different route home and she got so confused "where you taking me Mom? Are we going home? I need to go home and watch my Care Bears movie." On the way home through the back roads, she saw a few play sets. "Look Mom, a slide! Did you see it? I saw a slide." I asked her if she wanted a slide for her birthday. "Huh, Alright!" she responded. Too funny.

I spoke to Sandy and Sherry today about Mom's condition. It's a little confusing as to her progress. All I can say is she seems a little agitated and not herself lately. One minute she's fine, feeling good and the next she is down not feeling good and she's got a temper to go along with it. She's still not eating enough food in order to get her strength back. Dr. King told Sandy and Sherry that Mom will not be moving out of the ICU until she has enough strength to make him feel more comfortable about moving her, which is fine with me. Honestly, I don't think she needs to be moved. She is still eating pureed foods because she chokes too easily.

We got to watch our recorded Hell's Kitchen tonight. I can't believe Vanessa gave it all up because her hand got burnt. Yeah, she couldn't do a whole lot with one hand and she had to watch using her other one, but Chief Ramsey reassured her that she still had a good shot of winning this game. She told him that she was throwing in the towel because if she couldn't cook like she usually does, then what's the use in staying in Hell's Kitchen. What? Didn't she just hear him say that she still had a shot? Oh well, it's her bad. I'm amazed that Matt is still on this show. Doug says he looks like he just farted all the time and I have to agree.

Tonight's Mystery Picture Results

Mystery Photo

From left to right: Doug, Donna, Kay, Shawn & Wayne. Did you guess correctly? This is so much fun, showing old photographs of Doug when he was little.

Here's a picture of my musically inclined husband. I'm guessing that he was probably 2 years old.

My Hands Are Full

Okay, I'm trying to understand that Katie is being carted off from house to house because of all the chaos right now. I can see where she is a little spoiled and confused as to what the rules are and who to mind. By this afternoon, I've just about lost my mind trying to deal with it. I know Katie just wants my attention, but today wasn't the day. I know I sound awful, but there are so many crisis' right now that I can't be every where. I spent a little time playing with Katie this morning before her nap, but she wouldn't let me go. She kept telling me to sit down and to please please please play with her. Every time I stood up to go do some work, she'd start in again begging and crying for me to play with her. Oh me, what has happened to my baby girl that she has to have me entertain her constantly now. I made sure she took an 1 1/2 hour nap before we went to Walmart. I knew that Ms. Evelyn would need paper products more than anything because all the company she's planning on receiving in the next couple of days. We got to Walmart and Katie starts, giving me problems sitting in the buggy. Ugh! At the time, the only way I could get her to cooperate with me was bribing her. I know I don't care for bribes either, but it calls for certain measures. I have to say, I only had to remind her about the prize once. I let her pick between gummies, books, and chips. She begged me for a doll. She said begging, "I need a doll Mommy. Please!" I couldn't find a Barbie doll for less than $5, so I had to tell her no. There were some "My Little Pony" on sale for $3.88. She found a Barbie in "Mariposa" storybook for $3 and had to have it.

At home, I unloaded my vehicle and took all the paper products straight over to Evelyn's house. Katie came with me, but soon became bored. She asked if she could play in her sandbox. I had no problem with her playing in her sandbox. A friend of Charles, Gary, helped me out by taking a few of our chairs over to Evelyn's house. On the way to our house, I noticed Katie was missing. Ugh! The child was stark naked going down Will's slide. All of her clothes were left by the sandbox. I was so embarrassed and Gary started laughing at her. He told me that he heard from Millard and Peggy that she was "something else." I told him, she was a hand full. I excused myself, chased Katie down and got her clothes back on. She asked me to clean off her picinic table. After I swept off her toys, she snuck off again. I thought she went back over to Will's slide and swing set again, but instead I saw her making her way down the driveway. I had enough! She was directed against her will into house. She cried and cried. I washed her up and she begged me to let her go back outside. Alright, she could go outside but in the back yard. I knew she could stay out of mischief in the back yard. Well, she threw a royal fit with me, so I put her in time out. She later decided to go in the back yard, if I put Montana up. I had no problem with it. She played real good for me in the back yard that is until she saw a spider. I've never seen such. She was yelling and crying because there was a spider on the back door. The spider was so small I had a hard time seeing, in fact she had to point it out to me. Then, she sees an ant on the step and begins to scream again. I guess she is a typical girl - afraid of bugs. I couldn't get her to calm down, so I had her come in the house. She was still whiny and I was about to loose my mind, while she complained about her bottom. Well, I laid her down I checked her out and what do I see but sand had rubbed her crack raw. Poor thing. After I cleaned her up real good and put some smooth butt on she felt much better.

What a day!?!

While I washed dishes, Doug was fixing Katie supper. She was treating him somewhat the same way she has treated me. I think he was beginning to get ticked off as well. I asked Doug if he would like to stay in the same room with me at the nut house. Unfortunately, he said no. Hum! I guess I'll have to find someone else to stay with me, so I won't be so lonesome. Tehe! After I put Katie to bed for the hundredth time tonight, she told me that she was afraid of her Daddy. I told her that she needed to be afraid of me and I heard Doug giggling in the next room. Wow! I sure hope tomorrow is a better day.

American Idol

I can't believe Brooke got voted off. I'm just astonished! I didn't get to see all of it tonight, but Doug fast forward to the elimination part of the show. I don't know who will be the final three now. I still say David Cook will win it.

We had to watch "The Waterhorse" one more time before I have to take it back to the Movie Gallery tomorrow. Katie just loves this movie, she smiles the whole time watching it. Tonight was the first time chance Doug was able to see it. I think he liked it as well.

I planted this Rhododendron several years ago in our flowerbed by the back yard fence. I was so surprised to find out that it is blooming for the first time along with our Indian Hawthorne Bush. Last year, I was beginning to think that I had the bushes planted in the wrong kind of soil and sun direction. I planted this bush in honor of my Grandpa Godfrey because he loved flowers. Grandma & Grandpa had quite a few of Rhododendron bushes all over their yard.

Mom's Condition
Sandy, Dad and I drove to the hospital to visit Mom at the 9:00 visitation. Sherry and Renee were already there visiting her. Mom was sitting up in bed and talking with them. She seemed a little stronger and hungry. We were kind of concerned about the breakfast the nurse gave her to eat - scrambled eggs, grits & toast. Sherry and Sandy fed her the eggs and grits. Mom got choked a few times, but kept the food down. Dr. Schaefers' assistant came by to check on Mom's condition while we were in there. She said she is improving every day and her kidneys are working normally now. The GI assistant seemed as concerned about Mom's diet as much as we were. She said that she would be checking in on it. By the time our visiting hour was over, you could tell she was getting tired. Sherry and Renee wanted to go shopping at a mall. So, I went with them to the Galleria, while Dad and Sandy stayed at the hospital. I wanted to look for a purse, but instead I found me a great pair of sandals. Have you ever heard of "Soft Walk?" Oh, they feel wonderful to my heels and ball of my feet. Sherry and Renee got a McDonalds, while I got a Strawberry Banana Smoothie for lunch. I'm not too much into smoothies, but that smoothie was so good. We were able to make it back to the hospital for the 1:00 visitation. Dad and Sandy were already in there visiting with Mom. She was agitated because according to her, she didn't get much rest. She said as soon as we left, her physical therapist came by and worked with her for about 30 minutes. Sandy said that they did wake her up when it was time to come visit. Sherry and Sandy tried to feed her her lunch, but she was so tired. We all felt that the 1-2 o'clock visitation is when she is the weakest. We ended up leaving her bed side a little earlier, so she could get her rest. Sherry and Renee planned to give Mom another massage during the 5:00 visitation. Sandy said that June and Sue were planning to visit Mom during the 8:00 visitation. Mom loves her visitors. She has been begging the nurses and doctors to let her get a room, so she can see her visitors whenever they want to visit her.

I spoke to Sandy this morning and she said at first Mom seemed to feel good. She was sitting up in bed with her glasses on watching TV. She ate a little of her breakfast - watered down pancakes & eggs. Then all of the sudden, she wasn't feeling good. The nurse laid her down in the bed and they didn't know what was wrong with her. Mom said she just didn't feel good. She wasn't hurting in any particular place. Oh me!

Renee flies back home tonight and Sherry is catching a ride with Maryann back home. I think Sherry is staying with either June and Pat or Dad and Sandy. I offered Sandy the blow up mattress at our house, in case it gets too crowded.

Sherry wants to go shopping with me, so I'm going to wait until Friday to get the final party supplies. Hopefully, that will give me enough time to run back to a store in case I forget something. By the way, I still need song selection suggestions. I'm waiting for you to pass them along to me.

Here's our mystery photo for the day. Can you name the people in this photo? Which one is Doug? I'll give you the answer tonight.

Prayer Request
Doug called me while I was on the road with Dad and Sandy yesterday. Peggy called him to find out if our neighbor, Mr. Phipps, had passed away. He didn't know and asked me if I noticed a lot of vehicles next door before I left to go to Dad's house. I didn't notice anything unusual this morning, but I told Doug that I was stopping by the house before I went to Peggy and Millard's house. So, I should find out something at that time. Sure enough, there were cars lined up on both sides of the street. My stomach sank down into my shoes. I had ice cream in the truck, so I had to unload it before I went over to Evelyn. Bless her heart, she saw me walk in her house and she started weeping. She was holding me so tight that all I could do was hug her tighter and tell her how much I was so sorry. I tried to hold back the tears for her, but with everything going on I let them roll. Poor thing, she said she had been watching for my vehicle. She said she noticed that I had left early this morning. She started asking about my Mom and I just told her that she had too much going on that she didn't need to worry about my Mom right now. That is typical Evelyn, her world may be falling apart, but she's always thinking about other people and their needs. Mr. Charles is a big outdoors person. He loves to hunt for practicely anything and fish. I remember, before he retired, how excited he was to retire so he could go fishing and hunting when ever he wanted. Evelyn told me that he was up in Indiana with his brother turkey hunting. He was in his tree stand and he radioed his brother telling him that he wasn't feeling very good. He told him to come over and pick him up. He went on to tell him that his chest had been hurting before he left home to go on his hunting trip. His brother asked him if he needed to call the ambulance and Charles agreed. By the time his brother got to him, he was slumped over on his stand. It took the ambulance 30 minutes to get to him. She said two people worked on him, but he was already gone. He died of complications from a heart attack. Evelyn said that their daughter, Angela, is really having a hard time. Angela's husband, Bill, was on his way to pick up their only son, Will. Will was still in school and didn't know about his Paw yet. Bill and Angela were going to break it to him last night. Will was Charles' only grandchild. Evelyn said that their family are on their way from Indiana to be with her today. Her family alone is as big as mine, so I know she'll get lots of of support. This family really needs your prayers. Evelyn is a heart attack survior and is in bad health herself. I figure Evelyn will probably move in with Angela and Bill because I don't think she'll be able to stay at her house by herself. If I was Angela, I would worry too much because Evelyn has bad knees (they will go out without any warning) and her having a weak heart.

The Waterhorse

By the way, Katie and I liked "The Waterhorse." Doug and I picked it up from The Movie Gallery Saturday in Blu-Ray. Katie calls it a Seahorse and after I corrected her several times, she started calling it tonight "Waterhorse." She liked it so much that I let her watch 1/2 of it again before my stories came on. Her favorite part is when the waterhorse burps in Lewis' face. She'll laugh and giggle because she thinks that's so funny. Now, I have to figure out the next holiday in order to get this movie along with "Alvin and The Chipmunks" for her. I guess it depends on if we decide to get her play set this year or not. We may have to wait until next year for the play set. The Rec Room has one I really like the best. It has a covered spiral slide, swings and play house. I showed it to Doug and he liked it as well, but there's no telling how much it will cost. I'm hoping to get over there and price once everything kind of calms down.

I Need Your Help, Please!

Some more old photos. Can you name the kids in this old photo?
L-R: Donna(I believe), Shawn, Henry, Sis, Wayne & Doug. So cute!

Okay, I need help! A couple of people have suggested having music at the party and I think it is a great idea. Plus, Aaron, Natalie's boyfriend, asked her if there will be dancing. He loves to dance. Well, we are going to have a wide range of attendance (family, old friends & church friends). I don't need racy or vulgar lyrics. I've picked out a few Josh Turner, Kenny Chesney, Kelly Clarkson, Hall & Oates, Hewis Lewis & The News, Heart, Jon Bon Jovi, Shania Twain, LeeAnn Rimes, Keith Urban, and Janet Jackson. I need suggestions - PLEASE! I was thinking about Aerosmith, Garth Brooks and Carrie Underwood.

I was able to do some party stuff this morning. I felt relieved getting some more finished. I'm hoping to get to Party City some time this week.

I also played with Katie a little bit. I feel guilty for not being home with her for the past few days and I shipped her off to her grandparents again tonight. I feel bad, but I'm hoping that Mom continues to improve so I'll be able to stay home more. Katie never really had a schedule, but bless her heart she's all screwed up for the time being. Most of the day today, she'd tell me "Mommy, Mommy let's play. Will you play with me?" That breaks your heart. Needless to say, I didn't get much house cleaning done. I figure I'll be able to get it done some time this century. I've thought about hiring Natalie or Leslie after school to come clean my house. I'm afraid they'll take one look at our house and tell their Momma's "no, I'm not going back!"

Mom's Condition Continues to Improve
According to Sherry and Sandy, Mom seems to be doing better. Sherry said they took out Mom's feeding tube and she ate some of her lunch and all of her chocolate pudding. The nurse told Aunt Sherry that if we bring some of Mom's favorite things to eat, to go right ahead. She went on to say Mom seemed to feel better than she did yesterday. This is very encouraging news. I hope she will continue to improve. Apparently, Mom was sassing the Physical Therapist today, telling her that she had a PT at home. Sherry told her that she needed to have her therapy and Mom resisted. So, Sherry asked her if I came to the hospital would she do therapy for me, Mirya. Mom told Sherry that she would do therapy with me because I knew the correct exercises to do. Ha! Ha! She can be such a hard head! Sherry told me that I had my work cut out for me tomorrow. TEHE!

Special Prayer Request
Liz called me this morning looking for Sandy. She said Jake's abscess came back and she had to take him back to the doctor today. She seemed very upset, poor thing. She needed her Momma to give her a hug. Liz - I hope everything goes alright.
HERE'S A HUG FROM ME TO YOU! LOVE YOU SWEETIE.

Pizza Night & Dancing With The Stars
Doug wanted to make his pizza for supper tonight. We called up Peggy and Millard and they came over to eat with us. It was yummy! For it to be thin crust, it was the best one I've had in a very long time. We all ate pizza and watched "Dancing with the Stars." Katie wanted someone to get up and dance with her. She seemed some what satisified with me sitting on the floor. I was able to dance with her in that position. She likes for me to twirl her around and around in circles until she gets dizzy. She was wanting Peggy to get up and dance with her, but Peggy was giving all kinds of excuses. tehe! When it was time for Peggy, Millard and Katie to leave, Katie was ready to go. I put on her shoes and sweater and she stood by the door telling us "bye." She loves to go any where. As we were carrying her out the door, Doug pointed to the eave of our carport. There was another baby bird resting. The last time, there were 3 or 4 baby birds pirched on the eaves of the carport. Katie was so excited then and she remembered tonight about the baby birds. She was all excited telling her Grandma and Grandpa about the baby bird resting. I told her he was sleeping and she thought that was a big deal.

Having a Hoot!

Doug and I thought about it and decided to go ahead and visit Mom at the hospital. It was my Sunday to greet people coming into the church. After church, I picked Doug up and off we went. We got there early, so we decided to take in the sights. I guess we drove around for about 30 minutes and then headed back to the hospital. Doug and I were asked to wait for 10 minutes later to see Mom. The nurses had to do a procedure on Mom and it would take about 10 minutes. I've noticed that Mom is real swollen and to touch her skin, it's very cold. I'm all the time asking Mom if she's cold, but she is actually the opposite. She's been so warm that she asks for us to take the covers off of her. I just figured it was because of her antibiotics. Well, June and Dad said that Mom didn't like anyone to touch her skin because it was very sensitive this morning. The doctor said it was something about her sodium levels and that she needed an IV in her neck in order to feel better. I don't understand fully. They also put in a bowel bag in her as well. The nurse said Mom still had diahhrea and her skin is very irritated. They are afraid that she will begin to get bed sores, which means more infections. We don't need more infections. I asked the nurse, before we went in, how Mom was doing today. The nurse said that she wasn't doing so well today. While Doug and I were in with her, we didn't think she was doing good at all. She was moaning again and said her stomach hurt again. Ugh! I was so hoping that she would be doing better. Before we got to the hospital, June called me and let me know that her, Dad and Sandy got to meet with Dr. King. He told them that all of Mom's tests came back normal and there's nothing wrong with her Gall Bladder. He said she has the worse case of C.dif that he has ever seen.

We waited around for Sherry and Renee to arrive. They were able to make the 5:00 visitation. I was amazed that Mom was a little more alert. She looked much better than she did earlier today. I've noticed that her condition is like a yoyo (up and down). Her eyes were wide open and she was cutting up with Sherry. I was so glad to see that tonight. Later, Sherry and I were talking about stopping some where for Supper. She said she wanted to go to Hooters. My aunt is crazy, I know. I told her that we would meet her and Renee there for supper. We asked everyone else (Dad, Sandy, June, Nick, Jon, Sue, Tim, Doug, Maryann, Leslie, Natalie, and Whitney), if they would like to go to Hooters for Supper. We didn't have to say it twice around Tim, Nick and Jon. Their eyes lite up and they all said "yes, I going." Men?

There ended up being a total of 15 of us eating together. I asked the waitress if she could accommodate that many people. They made it work and I had a good time. We all made pictures with our camera phones. Natalie was the only one that had an actual camera in the car. She went back to the car to get it and came back snapping pictures of all of us. What started all the picture taking was Jon, who is 14 years old, asked Sandy if she would get him a Hooters calendar for his birthday. Ha! Ha! It was so funny to her that she went over and told Susan about it. "No, no, no!" she said. He isn't getting a calendar and then she whispered something in Sandy's ear. Then Sandy had a clever idea. Why don't we take a picture of him with a couple of Hooster's girls there at the restaurant? Great idea. Oh, Jon was all over that idea. His dimple was just a showing. The two Hoosters girls couldn't believe that Jon was only 14 years old.

Then Nick had to get into the action as well. Ha! Ha! I think we all had a good time picking on one another and just having a good time. I think we all needed a good laugh.

(From Left to Right)Renee, Sandy, Sherry & Susan. We all had some kind of hot wings except for Sandy, she gets Crab Legs. tehe! More pictures are on the photosite.

Renee and Sherry are staying in a hotel very close the Mom's hospital. They planned on seeing her again during the 8:00 visitation before going to their room.

If everything goes as planned, Peggy and Millard are going to have Katie spend the night with them again tomorrow night. This way I can ride down with Dad and Sandy on Tuesday and visit Mom. I hope she continues to improve. Thank you so much for all of the prayers for Mom and our family. They are much appreciated.

I haven't seen Katie since Friday at 1:30, I believe. I missed her so much and I think she missed me a little. When we walked in the house, Peggy was rocking her. She was all smiles. When she finally gave me a kiss and hug, she wouldn't let go of me. Then as I'm talking to Peggy and trying to tell her all I knew about Mom, Katie insisted on having all of my attention. Everytime I was talking to Peggy and not her, she would take her hands and physically turn my head towards hers and start smiling. When she figured out that it wasn't working, she tried covering up my mouth and telling me "shhhhh!" By this time, Peggy and I both were giggling. Then, Katie got all wound up and wanted me to get down in the floor with her and play. "Come on Mom, let's play. Come on, come on, come on" she insisted. After Peggy and Millard left to go home, I took her in the bedroom to put on her PJs. "I not ready to go to bed Mom. I want to play" she said. We all ended up in the King size bed watching TV, Katie is eating fries, Doug's asleep and I'm blogging. What a wonderful end to a stressful day?

Guess Who?

Guess who this is? This is Doug at 10 months old. Can you believe it? He was a cute baby.

Thus far, the party is slowly coming together. I'm still getting RSVPs today and I'm sure I'll get some more tomorrow. At first, I was a little concerned because I wasn't hearing from anyone and I went ahead and got the food ordered. I knew that I could call Gary and change the quantity, I just want people to come. I've got to get a few more things - no I can't tell what because of YOU KNOW WHO will find out. He's like a little kid in a candy store. One of his best friends in school left a message saying that they'll be able to make it. He couldn't get over that I thought about inviting Wesley & Kathy. He asked me "who all did you invite?" I told him "it's for me to know and you to find out." I know it's killing him to find out exactly who, but he'll play it cool like he doesn't care.

Saturday

Doug and I picked up Maryann and we headed to the airport, in order to pick up Sandy. I got tickled at Doug because he found a great spot to view the airplanes coming in. We spotted the terminal that Sandy would be coming out and Doug had it all planned out. Well, my Diet Sun Drop kicked in, so I told Maryann that I was heading to the restrooms. I was entertained by the new toilet seat covers. They look like clear plastic sleeves around the seats. All you do is press a big red button and the sleeves move around until a new clean cover is ready for you sit down and relax. Wow! How nice! Just as I'm walking out of the restrooms ready to tell Maryan about the neat toilet seats, she steals my thunder by telling me that Sandy has already landed and is waiting for us by the luggage. Okay. I had to look at my watch twice because she got here real early; however, she made up the time by trying to find her luggage. Ugh! It wasn't on the same plane she was on. Why do they do that? It beats me. Anyway, she got her suitcase and we were headed for the door. She was telling us on the way to the hospital about the blizzard her and Wade had to go through on their way to Cheyenne. Bless her heart.

Doug didn't care for the hotel that Aunt Sherry made reservations, near the airport. We drove over there and I had to agree with him, I didn't particularly care for neighborhood. It's bad news when you have a chain link fence around the premises. Yikes! We drove on down past the hospital into a fairly new development and found both a nice Hampton Inn and Marriot Courtyard. We stopped by the hotels in order for me to get their business card and other information. Hampton Inn offers hospital and senior citizen discounts, whereas Marriot doesn't. We found some of my aunt's favorite hot spots like Hooters and Chili's Restaurants and a Starbucks Coffee. Doug took us to Jim and Nick's BBQ for a late lunch and I called Aunt Sherry and let her know. She seemed to like that idea a lot better and decided to book a room with Hampton Inn. Plus, her daughter, Renee, has decided to come with her. I thought that was a great idea. I know Aunt Sherry needs her family with her to help comfort her, if things get worse with Mom. The area that she will be staying is 1.8 miles from the hospital and there is great shopping around there as well.

We went to the hospital for the 5-6 o'clock visitation. They are now making family members go 2 at a time and you have to wear full garb (garment cover, gloves & mask). By the way, I hate the mask. It's bad enough the gloves make your hands sweat, but the mask makes your face sweat because your talking and I guess it's the hot breath that makes you sweat. I don't know, but I don't like it. After visiting Mom this afternoon, I am encouraged once again. It's like limbo (her condition is up and down). They did have a feeding tube in her nose. I'm guessing that is what is helping her feel better and a little stronger. She had a little color in her cheeks. She would open her eyes for a little while and then her eyeslids would get tired again. When she first started talking to you, she started off strong and later you had a hard time hearing what she was saying. She said that her stomach isn't hurting anymore, she's not moaning and groaning anymore. She told me that her diahhrea has stopped. Thank goodness!! She didn't seem as weak as last night. I looked at her lunch plate and she ate a whole lot more than she did yesterday. Maryann said that if she had to guess, she ate about 1/3 of her lunch. Her spirits seemed to be up a little more tonight than last night. Sandy got her to smiling. It began to rain when we got back there to see her and I brought it to her attention and she opened those eyes to see it rain. She said overall she feels better. She had a CT scan today of her Gall Bladder. We won't know the results until some time tomorrow. The nurse gave Maryann the phone numbers of Mom's doctor offices. She is suppose to call them either tomorrow or the next day to find out the results of the test and find out the doctors' opinions of Mom's progress. As soon as Maryann finds out something, she is to contact us and let us know what's going on. We all seemed very encouraged about her progress, but it's like I said - limbo. She has bad days and good days. Today was a good day. Thank you for all the prayers.

Tim, Susan, Leslie & Jon are suppose meet Aunt Sherry and Renee at the airport and drive them to their hotel room and then later to the hospital. June, Dad and Sandy are to meet them at the hospital. I think Maryann, Natalie and Whitney are suppose to go during the 1-2 o'clock visitation. There is a scrub store near Aunt Sherry and Renee's hotel that Whitney wants to check out. Whitney is going to start her new job soon and she needs some scrubs, so Maryann said she would help her out by buying her a few to start out in. Whitney seems excited about her new job at a hospital in Florence. I think it will be good experience for her. With everyone visiting Mom in the morning, Doug and I have decided that we would stay home tomorrow. I told Dad and Sandy that I might be able to go with them either Tuesday or Thursday. We will have to see.

I just spoke to June and they are going ahead and put a feeding tube in Mom as we speak.

Sandy is flying this afternoon and Aunt Sherry is coming in tomorrow.

I ask you to please pray for our family! Thank you!

Friday Night

Maryann called me yesterday morning, letting me know that Mom had been moved to CICU. Dad told her that Dr. King wanted Mom moved there in order to be closely monitored and receive more drugs that she otherwise couldn't get in that part of the hospital. He didn't know what the other drugs were for and why she needed to be closely monitored. He did say that her breathing seemed to have gotten worse that morning and she wasn't eating well. I can't imagine what was going through Dad's head and knew that someone needed to be with him. I had Katie and couldn't go right then. Maryann couldn't get off work. I called June and Sandy, while Maryann called Sue. I told June about how I felt terrible that Dad was at the hospital alone, but I couldn't be with him. Luckily, she was able to get off work to be with him. When they were able to go back there with Mom during visitation hours, they still couldn't get a lot of questions answered. Dad said that her breathing got much better. Dr. King told Dad and June that Mom was ate up with infection (C. dif) and he wanted her some where where she can be closely monitored. They left the hospital soon after the 1-2 o'clock visitation hours to come home.

Susan called and asked me yesterday, if I would like to go with her to see Mom at the hospital. She knew Maryann was riding down with Natalie. Sue wanted to go and have someone to ride along with her because it can be a long lonesome trip. Thankfully, Peggy was able to come by and pick up Katie and take her home with her. At the hospital, Maryann, Natalie and Whitney were there all in their garb. The doctors and nurses are saying that C. difficile was very contagious. In order to see Mom in her room, you have to wear a garment cover and gloves. The nurse said that all of Mom's tests came back normal. We met with her GI doctor, Dr. Schaefers. He was very sweet, understanding, and straight forward. Susan and I have been concerned that maybe the odds were stacked against Mom's survival. Dr. Schaefers said Mom was a very sick woman and her kidneys were not functioning properly. She doesn't have any white blood cells in her stool and that concerns him. He wants to check her Gall Bladder to see if we might be facing something other than C. difficile. He wants to do a scan on her Gall Bladder today. He won't be able to do a regular CT scan on her Gall Bladder because it will really damage her kidneys. He said with her history, diabetes, some kidney troubles, heart problems, extreme weakness, yeah she has a lot of odds stacked against her. He later told us that Mom and her family were in his prayers. He went on to ask us to pray for the infection. What? I was amazed that a doctor said that to us. It's very rare that you have a doctor to say that to a patient or patient's family. We all really like him. Him being straight forward with us and showing his Christian side automatically gained my respect. The nurses and doctors at this hospital have been so good to Mom and making sure that she is comfortable. Maryann, Whitney, Susan and myself went out to eat after the 5-6 o'clock visitation hours. We needed to just have a laugh together. Later, Susan told me how she felt guilty from time to time about laughing and having a good time, while Mom is in the hospital fighting for her life. I told Sue that I thought of it from time to time, but I think Mom would want us to continue to laugh and enjoy our life. We made it back to the hospital for the 8-9 o'clock visitation hours just in time to feed Mom her supper. Because she is so weak and she is choking easily now, they have her on pureed foods. They puree the food and put it in molds that look like a pork chop. She was really getting sick to her stomach, so she ate enough that I would say was equivalent to 1 1/2 tablespoons. Earlier, the nurse told June that Mom may need a feeding tube. They have a catheter in Mom now. Whitney noticed her bag (how it wasn't full) at the 5-6 o'clock visitation. When we got back to the hospital at 8:00, Susan asked Whitney about the color of the urine (dark). Whitney said the color was fine, it was the amount she was concerned. In other words, Mom's not urinating very much. You would think that she would because they are pumping her full of fluids and proteins. This might go back to what Dr. Schaefers was saying that Mom's kidneys aren't functioning properly.

Susan and I talked and I believe that we are accepting what is to come. She has suffered for so long, even before the surgeries, with her back and legs. I still have hope that Mom is going to pull through this, but I honestly believe that God has been preparing us for what's to come. Months ago, I've been encouraging Mom to fight to stay with us and not to give up. For the past several weeks, I haven't encouraged her to fight because I know she has suffered so much. It may sound selfish, but I don't want my Mom to continue to suffer. I don't think anyone would say that they would like to see their Mother suffer. It's been very difficult watching her fight and struggle from infection to infection. I found out last night, Susan has stopped encouraging her as well. We are afraid now that Mom is hanging in there for us. Whatever happens, I thank God for allowing me to be with her all last week when she came home from the hospital. That was my blessing! If God calls her home, I have no regrets and I'm at peace because I'll know she's at peace. I told Susan last night that I know Mom misses her parents and her uncle Tom so much. Yeah, we are going to miss her terribly, but it won't be for long. In order to stay sane, I've been thinking of good memories. Some not as clear as others. Memories are a wonderful thing and it's the good ones that will help me get through this time in my life.

A friend from church forwarded me a reminder of prayer for our country. I would take it one step closer and add to pray for your own needs. Please read below for our country and family. I love you and God bless you!

To my friends and relatives: if WE all did this -- even just for a week -- God would take our prayers seriously. Government isn't going to heal our land; our repentance is. Running our country according to the biblical commandments will heal our land -- nothing else.

~~~~~~~~ ONE MINUTE EACH NIGHT....8:00 PM Central Time. God Bless !!!

Do you believe we can take God at His word? Call upon His name, then stand back and watch His wonders to behold. This scripture gives us, as Christians, ownership of this land and the ability to call upon God to heal it. I challenge you to do so. We have never been more desperate than now for God to heal our land. This election is the scariest I remember in my lifetime. 1 Chronicles 7:14: If my people, which are called by my name shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. During WWII, there was an advisor to Churchill who organized a group of people who dropped what they were doing every night at a prescribed hour for one minute to collectively pray for the safety of England, its people and peace. This had an amazing effect as bombing stopped. There is now a group of people organizing the same thing here in America. The United States of America and our citizens need prayer more than ever ! ! !

If you would like to participate: each evening at 9:00 PM Eastern Time (8:00 PM Central, 7:00 PM Mountain, 6:00 PM Pacific), stop whatever you are doing and spend one minute praying for the safety of the United States, our troops, our citizens, for peace in the world, the up-coming election, that the Bible will remain the basis for the laws governing our land and that Christianity will grow in the U.S. If you know anyone who would like to participate, please pass this along. Someone said if people really understood the full extent of the power we have available through prayer, we might be speechless. Our prayers are the most powerful asset we have. Thank You. Please pass this on to anyone who you think will want to join us. 'But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.' (Josh. 24:15)

Mom's Condition

June and I got together last night and went to the hospital to visit Mom. Dad stayed with her most of the day yesterday and he said that she looked better than Wednesday. Well, I didn't see her Wednesday, but she must have been in terrible shape because yesterday she looked awful. She is very pale and weak. She kept her eyes open for the first few minutes when we arrived, but quickly closed them for most of the time. She had a hard time catching her breath, just lying in bed and not even talking. I asked her why she was breathing so hard. She didn't know. The last time she breathed real hard in the hospital like that, she developed pneumonia. She developed pneumonia because of the C-Dif, she was extremely dehydrated and most of the fluid went straight to her lungs. Even when she would talk to us, she had a hard time catching her breath and concentrating. The nurses seem to be taking good care of her. Her night shift nurse came in and I asked her about Mom's breathing. She checked her lungs and heart. She said that her lungs sounded clear and she didn't hear any abnormal heart rhythms. Mom had a bad stomachache, which is one of the symptoms of C-Dif. I tried to get a giggle out of her, but nothing seemed to work. I felt so bad for her having to suffer so much. They did a blood test to see about her oxygen level. It came back normal. According to her nurse, Melanie, they are planning to doing the test again today.

Sherry called us while we were with Mom. She can't stand being in TX and not being here with her sister. So, she told us that she is flying in on Sunday. She plans to get a hotel close to Mom's hospital, instead of staying with one of us. She wants to stay as close to Mom as possible. She said the trip to and from our house to the hospital wears her out. I have to agree. I know the trip makes me tired, so I can't imagine the discomfort for someone with back trouble.

On the way to the hospital, June and I talked about Nursing Homes. I don't want my Mom to go to a Nursing Home. If she comes home in the same state that she was in last week, I'm afraid Dad won't be able to take care of her. I'm hopeful that once the C-Dif is gone, she will be able to walk and concentrate a little better. In my opinion, I believe the rehabilitation center sent Mom home with C-Dif. I was telling June that it was so strange how the PTs went on about how Mom walked so many feet and we couldn't get her to do a simple pivot from chair to chair, while she was at home. Dr. Stewart sent her home with Cipro, antibiotic, because they thought she had a UTI. I think you remember the story. Anyway, we gave Mom Cipro every morning. She took her last Cipro Friday morning and her symptoms of C-dif came back on Saturday morning. I believe the Cipro was sustaining the C-dif symptoms, but not strong enough to kill it. June seems to agree with me. C. difficile is bad about coming back over and over. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/c-difficile/DS00736 here is a link from the Mayo Clinic for further information. June asked the nurse, if Mom's chances of getting this again was high and the nurse agreed. Apparently, June had been talking to Kim Ann about Mom going into a Nursing Home, so she can get full time assistance. Kim Ann told June that if Dad decides to put Mom into a Nursing Home that he needs to put her name on the list as soon as possible. Most of the time, there are not enough beds to accommodate all patients and you'll have to wait. She also said that most Nursing Homes will take all of Mom's Social Security check except for $30 a month, to pay for her expenses. The $30 a month will go to Dad. She said they will take anything with Mom's name on it for collateral.

My family and I appreciate all of your thoughts and prayers! Thank you!

On a lighter note, I was able to get a few more things for Doug's party. Yesterday, I worked on some of the decorations and plan to work some more today on it. I really need to go back to Party City. I just need to find the time to go. ;) Sorry, I can't give you a lot of information for fear of some certain person reading this post.

I have to tell you a Katie story. I've been meaning to post, I just kept forgetting to write about it. I've been working on Katie about names. She pretty much knows me and Doug's name, so I tried to get her to name her baby dolls. Last week, we were playing baby dolls in her bedroom when I asked her for the hundredth time what her baby dolls' names were. I started off naming one of the dolls, Olivia. Nope! She didn't like that name. I said, "what about Lauren?" She liked that name better. Well, there were two more babies. I asked her "what are their names?" Finally, she said "Bria" and "Sicky." Okay, I know they are not your traditional names. I was just tickled that she finally got the idea. I don't know where the word "Bria" came from, but I do know that Katie says "Sicky" a lot. When she talks her baby talk, she'll throw in the word "Sicky."

American Idol

I can't believe what happened to American Idol last night. First, Michael Johns and now Carly Smithson are voted off the show. What is this world coming to? Sure, neither Doug nor I liked the songs that the contestants sang the other night, but out of all the contestants, we liked Carly's performance the best. It was such a shock when they said she had the least votes. I just knew Jason or Syesha would be voted off last night. What a surprise!

Speaking of Jason. When is that boy going to fix his hair? I never really liked his hair, but last night it looked awful. My opinion, he would look gorgeous if he cut that mess off and show off those baby blues.

C. diffile Shows It's Face Again

If you don't already know, Mom's back in the hospital. Susan and June told me Monday morning about Mom having extreme diarrhea starting Saturday morning and it got worse Sunday. When I got over there Monday morning, I could see Mom was very weak and tired. By that afternoon, she was feeling much better. She ate good and she felt like doing a few exercises. She messed up maybe 4 diapers. Dad told me that she looked and acted a lot better than she did that weekend. According to Dad, Monday night into yesterday morning she wasn't so good. All day yesterday, she slept and couldn't keep her eyes open. I was afraid she was dehydrating fast. As soon as I got there yesterday, I went over to June's and grabbed a jug of Gatorade and had her drink it. I had Dad pick up some yogurt. I got on the phone with the Pharmacist about Mom's drugs. We thought that maybe some of the meds had diarrhea as a side effect and it turned out three of her drugs would cause diarrhea. Ugh! The Pharmacy told me not to take her off any of her meds without consulting her doctor. Do you realize how hard it is to get a hold of a doctor much less his nurse? Very very difficult! Maryann got a hold of the Alacare nurse to get a hold of Mom's doctors. By 1:30, Dad and I got real nervous. So, I got on the phone to the doctors and I still didn't get anything other than, "go to the hospital if you feel she is dehydrating." @!#$@! Dad wanted me to get on the phone with Dr. Lunsford's office to see if they could see Mom in the morning. This is the internal doctor that we want to transfer her to that way it will be closer for her to travel. The receptionist tried her best to fit Mom in, but couldn't. She told us that she thought Urgent Care could give her fluids, if we don't want to go to the hospital. I called Urgent Care and they can no longer give fluids and I wasn't about to send Mom back to our local hospital because of past events that have happened. Dad was afraid the trip to B'ham would take it's toll on Mom. He didn't want to take her back to St. V's because he's afraid they are the reason she's in the condition that she's in. He started talking about the hospital that her current internal med doctor resides. I asked him how he liked that hospital. Around 3:30, we were getting ready to leave for MCE when the phone rang. It was the Alacare nurse. She said that she finally got a hold of one of the doctors and he sent in a prescription for an antibiotic, Flagil, for her to take for the diarrhea. June couldn't understand why a doctor would give her an antibiotic to get rid of diarrhea. While Maryann and Dad went to get the prescription, June and I thought we should get her to the hospital for fluids. When Maryann and Dad got back, we told them what we thought and they agreed. So, Maryann, Dad and Mom loaded up in the vehicle and June followed in her car. I cleaned up the house, got April fixed up for the night and Katie and I left to go home. Susan kept me in touch with anything and everything Dad and them were finding out. Finally, the doctors discovered that Mom has C-def again. If you remember, she got this infection awhile back when she had the Strep Germ. According to doctors then, the antibiotic she was taking to kill off the Strep Germ was so strong that it killed off all of her good bacteria, causing the bad bacteria to take over her body. The main symptom of C. diffile is severe diarrhea and weakness. Maryann told me this morning that she was extremely dehydrated. The doctors have her in a room and she is on "Flagil." Her regular Internal Medicine doctor is suppose to come in to see how she's doing this morning. Yesterday, Mom's Physical Therapist, Cal, said that C-def is very hard to get rid of. He went on to say that some of his patients would have a history of C-def, show no signs, they are tested clear for the infection and six months later, they are diagnosed with it again. Maryann seems to think Mom had C-def before she left the rehab because the weekend she was suppose to leave, she got real bad sick with diarrhea and weakness. The rehab doctor thought she had a UTI and gave her antibiotics, Cipro, for it. She took the last Cipro Friday morning. This would make since because Mom started getting sick again Saturday morning. The Cipro might have been working, but just not strong enough like Flagil. I guess we'll give her the Flagil pills the next time she begins to show signs again.

Poor Mom, she didn't want to go back to the hospital. She was begging for us not to take her back. I felt so bad because it seems like as soon as she is released from the hospital, she is put right back into the rehabilitation center. If she had this C-def the whole time than that would explain why she couldn't do a whole lot like walk, stand, pivot around, exercise, etc. I'm still hopeful that once she is free of infections and other sickness that she might come back to us.

Thank you for all the prayers!

Katie Update
I haven't been able to stay focused on the potty training because I've been at Mom and Dad's most of the day everyday, except for this past weekend. In the over all, she is still doing pretty good. She still doesn't like to go to the potty, she'll cry and beg not to go to the bathroom. When she does pee-pee in the potty, she gets excited and reminds me that she gets a piece of chocolate. Unfortunately, the time when she wants to potty train is around 9:30 - 11:00 at night, when it's time to go to bed.

Dad has learned this past week that you can't let Katie see you do anything because she will try her best to copy you. He rode her around on the lawn mower and later she tried her best to get it started. She is very independent and thinks she can do anything.

I've noticed this past week that she feels that I should do what she wants to do. She tells me where she wants to go and she notices the route I take. The other day, we were heading to Walmart. She said, "no Mom, I not want to go to Walmart today. I need to go to the playground." If she sees that we are taking the route home, she'll say "no Mom, I not want to go home right now. I want to see Grandma." If she thinks that I'm ignoring her, she'll say it louder. It's funny.

I've recapped our day in the past with her during bedtime. Now, she likes to recap her day with me. The way she says it is cute.

Political News
Are you tired of this election yet? Doug and I are pretty tired. It seems like this race has been on going for years. Did you happened to see WWE the other night with all the politicans? Doug wanted to me show you our favorite clip on my blog. We liked Obama's the best.


CPSC Recall Notice
Beco Baby Carrier Recalls “Beco Butterfly” Infant Carriers. Link: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml08/08253.html

Bloomin' Festival

Grandma Peggy and Katie get their picture make at the Ave Maria Grotto

Peggy, Katie and I went to the annual Bloomin' Festival today. We had a good time, but were very tired by the time we left. There were several different vendors. We kept seeing little kids walking around with puppet animals like dogs, cats and bunnies. When we finally found the vendor, they had been picked through. Peggy and I didn't see any like we saw walking around that were precious.


Katie and her new friend, making a wish in the wishing well.


Liz - I saw this statue and I thought of Little Jake.


Grandma Peggy and Katie going on a train ride. Katie loved it!


Katie sliding down! Out of all the blow ups, this was Katie's favorite. We had the hardest time getting her out of it.


Katie gets her face painted. I was surprised how still she was the whole time. Of course, when the girl put her first brush of paint on her face, Katie had to touch it. After that she was very good getting her face painted.


Katie wanted a pink butterfly. It turned out real cute. Katie started crying because she didn't want to leave the slide. She really loved it. It was a beautiful day for the festival this year. We ate a strawberry icy and funnel cake. Katie liked the icy until she tried the funnel cake - YUMMY! She wouldn't eat anymore of the icy because she was too busy eating up the funnel cake. I have more pictures on the photosite.

Update on Mom
Yesterday, Mom did pretty good. She seemed very distracted while doing her exercises. Dad and her opened up the rest of their Christmas presents. The presents were from Sandy and Wade, Sarah and Allan and Doug and myself. They loved everything that they got. I brought a couple of videos for them to watch. They seemed to enjoy our big Snow Day, Katie Dancing with the Stars, Easter Egg Hunt and her reading to herself. Susan came to Mom and Dad's this morning and is planning to stay the night.

Happy Belated Birthday Sarah!

I want to wish Sarah a very Happy Belated Birthday!

I'm sorry I didn't get this out to you on your birthday.

I hope you have a wonderful day.

Day 3

Yesterday was very tiring, so sorry I didn't write. I loaded up the vehicle and headed out around 10:00 yesterday morning and didn't get home until around 9:30 last night. Katie and I had to stop by Maryann's work to pick up a few documents for June and Susan. Katie had some Library books that were due and Walmart was our last stop before heading to Mom and Dad's house. Our Walmart is always changing their store lay out. It really gets on my nervous! Just when I finally remember where everything is located, they move it around and I stay lost for months trying to find things. Ugh! On top of that, they are changing their cashiers around. I have my usual cashiers that we talk back and forth, well now I've got to break in some new ones. They are young and not very nice. I think I offended one of the cashiers by asking about the store change. I was just joking around, but apparently she didn't hear me giggle and I know she did see me smile because she wouldn't look up for a second. She was very in-to her job. Anyway, she said it would be this messed up for the next 12 weeks. YUCK! Target - I would love for you to move into my back yard, so I can avoid Walmart's annual store flipping.

I didn't get to Mom and Dad's house until after 1:00. I felt bad because I didn't get there earlier. Dad can't handle Mom very well. I got Mom a few things that I thought she might want. For instance, I got some games - Connect 4, Candy Land and Memory Game. I thought it would be fun for Katie, Mom and I to play games, plus it would be good for her mind. I picked her up a jumbo word search for her to do, while she is sitting in her chair. I also picked up some Sprite Zero, Pimento Cheese Spread with Croissant Rolls, Splenda sweetened canned fruit, and etc. When I walked in their door, I could see that Mom was getting tired. I asked her if she had a nap and she said that she had been sitting in that chair since 8:30 this morning. Okay. Right off the bat, Dad started asking me about her medication and checking her sugar. Her sugar levels have been good and in control between 90-140. After I checked her sugar and gave her the noon meds, I made her lunch. She was just too tired to eat. It wasn't long after she laid down, the Occupational Therapist showed up. I hated having to wake her up. After we rolled her into the Living Room, she was still real sleepy. Dad took Katie outside because she was getting rowdy. The OT and I kept asking Mom if she was okay because she kept putting her hand to her head. He said he was done with her, so Dad and I rolled her back to bed. I was waiting for Dad to pull the sheets back when all of the sudden, Mom's body started rolling forward. I couldn't grab her fast enough and Dad heard me yell. He couldn't get to her either. Poor thing, she fell face forward down on the floor. Her eyeglasses hit the register and broke. I felt terrible. We don't know what happened to her causing the fall out like that. Thank goodness, the OT was still there and I asked him to check her out. He thinks she got a little banged up, but nothing serious. He called it into Alacare for precaution and advised us to use her strap even while she is in her wheelchair. She has a couple of places on her face where she got carpet burn. She didn't get to rest much all day. When the OT left, it wasn't long before the Physical Therapist and Nurse showed up as well. Mom was wiped out before Susan, Leslie and Jon showed up. Sue brought us Supper and it was so good. I got Dad all fixed up. I made him a binder with a color coded "Mom's Medication Schedule", Meds Taken Check Off List and Meals Journal. He said today that it seems to work for him better than what the hospital gave him.

Today, we got over there around 9:00. Mom had been up since 7:30 this morning. She ate all of her breakfast and most of her lunch. I would have to say that today was a good day for her. She was able to help us more with using her own strength - standing, stepping, sitting up and pulling up. I was so proud of her. Dad and her have found a method to pivoting from the wheelchair to either the bed or chair. I tell Mom to do her waltz, they slow dance. The rocking motion keeps her feet in rhythm. She did her Word Search for about 15 minutes before she began to get frustrated. I suggested a game, so we played Connect 4 for a few games before she got wiped out. We let her rest for 1 hour. I think the good rest did her a lot of good because she was able to do all of her exercises in bed; whereas, she couldn't do much the first day home because of her being so tired. Once she was able to sleep and exercise, she built up an appetite for lunch. We had to leave at 2:00 because I had an appointment to meet the lady about the Scout's Hall for the party next month. June said she would get home right after work, so I didn't feel bad about leaving them alone for 2 hours. I think June and Dad are going to try to give Mom a bath this evening.

Potty Training Update
Believe it or not, the training is coming right along. She's had dry pants all day, except for when she had a bowel movement this afternoon. I've kept Pull-Ups on her for fear of her making a mess while we were at Mom and Dad's house. I just knew our potty training days would come to a halt for a little while or until we could get back on a schedule. She loves getting her prize for going to the potty and I keep my promise, even if it's midnight and she has to go potty.

CPSC Recall Notice
Push Toys Recalled by Santa’s Toy Corp. Due to Violation of Lead Paint Standard - Link: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml08/08249.html

We got our Pampers' reward today. Katie saw her new puzzles on the table and asked me where I got them from. I told her that it came in the mail. She likes her new puzzles (4 total), but they are still a little hard for her yet because she needed help.

I also got my Bare Escentuals Eye Makeup, Brush and free samples in as well. I can't wait to try the eye shadows out tomorrow. I'm tempted to spend some more of Doug's points to get another egift certificate from Sephora. I enjoyed spending that certificate so much. Watch out Doug!

Have a great Friday!