Just Stuff

Bry woke up on Friday and these were the first words out of his almost 8 year old mouth: "Mom could you make me some coffee?".
No joke. I asked what on earth he would want coffee for and he said he was so tired he needed some cafine to help him wake up. First it was electronics and now our kids are passing us by in acquiring a taste for beverages. What's next?

Today I put water in a clear glass pitcher with some MINT from my herb garden to try to be fancy for our dinner guests. Tonight while I was cleaning the kitchen DJ came in and asked for a drink of water. She said, "Can I have some water but just without the PARSLEY". ...so much for being fancy!

Elle is just as funny as the other two but in a "you had to be there" kind of way. She doesn't say a lot of funny things but she is hilarious to watch. Like when she dances to a slow song and sways back and forth so slowly that she barely keeps her balance. Or when she sings "patty cake" and then laughs at herself because she knows she's being cute.

Cal and I are both trying to do a better job these days of just slowing down, reducing our commitments outside our home and making time to just be with our kids. We're getting better at listening to their (sometimes long) stories and descriptions of things that are special to them. We're savoring each day with them because we're realizing it just goes so fast. Our hope is that by listening to them and building trust now, they'll want to talk with us when they're teens and adults. Maybe we're (FINALLY) growing up a little bit. Thank goodness for grace!

Bry turns 8 in less than 2 weeks. Half way to driving! Where does it go?

Back and Forth

Hey everyone, sorry if you've recently tried to access my blog but couldn't. I got a strange comment on one of my posts and didn't really have time to deal with the issue. I went back and forth on what I should do. So I deleted the comment and put my blog on "Private" status until I could make a good decision on how to handle it. After talking with several people who received the same exact comment on their blog throughout the country and having a little time to think it through, I decided to take our blog off of "Private" status and just change my settings so I can monitor all comments.

I'll try to post more soon.
Thanks for reading!
J

QT with BK

Quality Time is no doubt Bryant's primary love language. It is so obvious when Bryant is getting QT and when he's not. It is clearly the way he translates love. That is why I was so glad to get to go on his field trip with him on Monday. Just the two of us. I could tell it meant the world to him. He continually hugged me throughout the day and would say things like, "You're such a good mom". My primary love language is Words of Affirmation, so of course that gave me a full measure of feeling loved too. It was such a great day for us. Here are some pictures we both took at Cypress Gardens. If Bryant is in the picture, I took it. If he's not, he took it. (with the exception of the picture of both of us together)

A Quick Stop to the Emergency Room?

Last week was full of plans that included going to the Flowertown Festival, grocery shopping and getting our house perfectly clean for Caleb's parents and grandparents' visit. None of which happened. Instead we took an unexpected trip to the Children's E.R. because our Delainey got sick with some frightening symptoms.

It all started right after we got back from Georgia. That Monday, I found a tick in Delainey's hair. I saved the tick in a plastic bag and immediately called her Pediatrician. They said to just keep an eye on her for the next 24-48 hours. She seemed fine for the next few days. That Friday, however, she didn't feel well and threw up. The next day I was gone all day shooting a wedding on Edisto Island but Caleb didn't notice any strange symptoms. Sunday morning she woke up with a fever and a strange rash on her face. I called her Pediatrician's after hours/weekend service and they instructed me to take her to the Children's E.R. at MUSC. We had no idea she wouldn't be coming back home until Wednesday!

Caleb and I were sure it wasn't going to be a big deal so we loaded up the whole family to head downtown. Our thought was that Caleb, Bryant and Elle could walk around downtown and enjoy the sunshine while Delainey and I got our prescription for an antibiotic. I thought I would just call Caleb on his cell when we were all done and he could pick us up at the curb. We could be back in Summerville in perfect time to make the Flowertown Festival... after all, surely she wasn't contagious and she seemed like she would be okay.

WRONGO! Within the first few minutes they had started an I.V. and were talking about doing a spinal tap to check her for Meningitis of the brain, which ticks can spread. The thing that had them so concerned was this rash on her face. Since we knew she had been bitten by a tick and this rash is sometimes associated with Lyme Disease and Meningitis, they didn't want to risk overlooking anything. I called Caleb and asked him to get back to the E.R. right away. Our friends, Brian and Annie kept Bryant and Elle so Caleb and I could focus on what was going on with Delainey.

Sunday was a very rough day. I felt so helpless and overwhelmed. I was scared like I've never been before and would have done anything to take Delainey's place in the hospital bed. I stayed the night with her that night and started out on the couch in her room. She woke me up at some very early hour and said, "Mommy, I don't like you over there. Can you come sleep in my bed with me." So we cuddled between I.V. lines, monitor cords and many nurse visits to check vitals and temperature. Neither one of us were able to rest well at the hospital but she was in good hands so it was worth it.

The next day, Caleb came and stayed that night with her. I went home to be with Bryant and Elle and fell into bed that night with exhaustion and sadness lurking over me. Test results were beginning to come back by then but we were still waiting on cultures. The time at the hospital felt like a big blur. Delainey started out very polite and even thanked the nurses for taking her temp. Each day she got more and more fearful of needles and people. Even if someone came in to take out her trash, she would hide under her pillow. She was quickly tired of being in the hospital and cried a lot while we were there. By the time we left, she wasn't making any friends and she didn't care any more. Tuesday rolled around and since I had gotten some rest at home, I went to relieve Caleb who was in serious need of sleep at that point. Finally, on Wednesday they let us come home with Delainey. Her tempt was still up to 104 but because her cultures were coming back with good reports and her White Blood Cell count was coming back down, they felt it was safe to release her. As of last Friday, she is fever free. She's back to her beautiful, feisty self!

Thanks to everyone for praying for Delainey's healing. Also, thank you for helping with our kids, for bringing food to us, for visiting us, for the thoughtful gifts, cards, and many calls to check on her.

Back to her self..

Blogging Siestas

Here is a picture of some fellow "Siestas" (ladies who correspond on Beth Moore's blog)I met at the LPM event this past weekend. Good times! Thanks to Angie at Little Steps of Faith for sharing this picture with me.