Posted in The life and times of my family

Here are some (not so great) shots from Amanda's 17th birthday party in Feb.  I forgot to charge the camera before the party!!  Sometimes I'm not a good mom in the memory dept.

Here's the cake which she decorated herself.  In retrospect we realized that it looks like a pentagram but really she was just trying to make a star.

Here she is with her best buddy!  Don't they look lovely!

The day after her birthday we drove over to the airport to visit with my Grammy and my Uncle Brian.  They were flying to Chile to visit my cousin and had a long layover at DIA.  Uncle Brian went for Stuart right away!  He's a natural grandpa.  We took pictures!

Here's the whole group, taken by friendly travelers nearby.  Notice who has the baby, lol!

Uncle Brian is a shutterbug.  I'm still waiting for his pictures of our visit!  I'm sure they're better then mine.

Here I am chatting with my beloved Grammy.  She's 93 yrs. old btw! 

Bryan interned with Mike Rosen (a conservative talk radio guy/columnist) at a local radio station for the first few months of the year.  He came to the conclusion that radio wasn't his cup of tea (in spite of how fabulous his speaking voice sounds).  In spite of that it was a neat experience and both of our teens got to come to the station and check it out.  Amanda met the governor (not one of our favorite politicians but still pretty cool).  Here she is with Governor Ritter.

When Matthew went the day's guest was Mayor Hickenlooper of Denver. 

He also took some pretty cool pictures of the displays they have at the station.  KOA is one of the oldest stations here in the area and they have a small museum type area in the Clear Channel building.  Here's a picture of some old equipment from the station.

These were pretty cool field trips for my teens!  A very special opportunity.

That's all I have time to share right now but stay tuned, lol!!  I'll post more another day.

Posted in The life and times of my family

Things have been pretty busy around here!  I just haven't had time to do any blogging.  I'm going to try and post some pictures and brief blurbs on some of the stuff we've been doing for the last few months.  It's pretty pathetic that my last entry was on my oldest dd's 17th birthday and she didn't even get a mention.  I'd planned on posting pictures, etc. of her party but never got a chance.  A quick follow up on that last entry.  Stuart saw the urologist one more time in May after a follow up U/S.  His kidneys looked much improved (although still somewhat swollen) so he won't be going back until early next year.  We'll continue with a very small does of antibiotics to protect him from infection but he's just fine otherwise.   We're relieved that he seems to be outgrowing the issue and will be spared surgery.

Posted in The life and times of my family

It's been over a week since Stuart went for his U/S and VCUG at Children's and I haven't had a bit of time to come and update my blog.  The U/S showed that he still has hydronephrosis so they followed that up with the VCUG.  This test is for reflux.  They put a catheter into his bladder and put in a special dye.  This dye shows up under an xray machine.  Then they xray his kidneys to check for dye.  His left kidney had a lot of dye in it!  His reflux was given a grade of 4 on that side.  There was a much smaller amount in the right kidney and that side was given a grade of 3.  Reflux is graded 1-5 with 5 being the most severe.  Results in hand, our pediatrician referred us to a Pediatric urologist.  We have an appt. to see him on Mar. 5.  He will decide on a treatment once he's seen us.  According to info. we've been given, severe cases are treated with surgery.  I'm not sure if Stuart's will require surgery.  We'll have to wait and see.  Meanwhile I continue to give him a daily dose of antibiotics to prevent kidney infection.   He is doing well otherwise.  He's constantly eating and has gained just over a lb. since he was born.  He's becoming more alert and social and we're enjoying him.

Posted in The life and times of my family

I continue to give Stuart a dose of antibiotics everyday to protect his kidneys from infection.  That led to a yeast infection so now we've added an antifungal cream for his rash.  Hopefully we'll be done with all of the extra stuff after next Wed.  Children's hospital called and we have scheduled a renal U/S and another test for next Wed.  We're praying the tests will find everything is normal and healthy.  We continue to adjust to our new family member.  He is a sweet baby who likes to be snuggled a lot!  I'm still quite sore from the surgery and I've been told to expect some soreness for a few months.  I think that being so sore has been a much more difficult adjustment for me then the baby.  He's really not a lot of trouble if I wear him throughout the day.

Posted in The life and times of my family

I went to the OB for my post op yesterday.  He was very pleased with my recovery.  My incision is almost completely healed and I'm moving around fairly well.  I'm still feeling a good bit of pulling inside but he said that was normal and would last for a while.  He released me to drive (yippee) and said I could gradually increase my physical activity.  I weighed in and was very excited to discover how much weight I've lost!  I gained 15 lbs. with this pregnancy and I've lost 23 lbs. since my final prenatal check up.  That's a good start towards the large amount of weight (over 100 lbs.) I need to lose to be healthy.  I'm actually looking forward to the time when I can start doing walk away the pounds again.  Since I had to have a c-section I'm going to wait until after my 6 week check up before I attempt that.  I will start with the 1 mile, 3 days a week and gradually increase the intensity.  I hope to be up to the 3 mile tape 3 times a week and the 2 mile 3 times a week in 6 months.  Stuart and I are starting to establish a routine.  I'm remembering all the little things that make life with a newborn easier.  He really seems to sleep better at night when I wear him most of the day.  Last night he actually slept for 3 hours in his own bed!!!  I didn't sleep very well during that time though!  I kept waiting for him to wake up, lol.  Hopefully he'll make that a nightly habit so I can get some rest.

Posted in The life and times of my family

The newest addition to our family has arrived!!  He was born by c-section.  The dr. told dh that the placenta was abrupted.  She originally said I should do a c-section because his heart rate dropped every time I pushed and after an hour of pushing he wasn't moving down like he needed to.  I'm tired and sore and a little anemic but I'm recovering.  He had a renal U/S on Friday and he still has some hydronephrosis in his left kidney.  The pediatrician prescribed oral antibiotics for 2 weeks and a follow up U/S then.  He's doing really well and other then the daily routine of giving him his antibiotic he's like any of my other newborns.  Here are his stats and a picture.  Stuart Leonidas born January 7, 2009 at 7:15 AM.  He weighed in at 8 lbs. 12 oz and was 21" long.  Now, here's a couple of pictures!   Here is one taken just a couple of hours after he was born.

Here's another one when he headed home on Saturday.

Posted in The life and times of my family

Here's a group photo of the kids on Christmas.  My oldest wanted everyone to dress for dinner so I took the opportunity to get a current group photo.  It took quite a few shots to get one I liked and then I had to crop it some!  The results aren't too bad in my opinion.

Posted in The life and times of my family

Most years dh and I are unable to give our dc very much for Christmas.  We stuff their stockings and sometimes I make then something but we have never been able to do much more then that.  In spite of that, there are always tons of gifts under the tree.  Each year I take a photo as a testimony of God's provision for my dc.  He is so generous through His people in providing above and beyond the things they need.  He blesses them with things they want too.  This year they received gifts from "Jesus" (members of our church), the youth minister and generous members of an online group I'm in.  They also each received a gift card and a small gift from my mom, sisters and bils.  Here's a photo of the bounty under the tree, none of which was purchased by dh and I.  Btw, the build a bear box is actually a gift from my 10 yr. old to her 3 yr. old sister!  The 3 yr. old is the only child in the family who doesn't have a build a bear.  My 10 yr. old ended up with more then one so she blessed her little sister.  She even included an outfit.  They were all so thrilled and thankful for each gift.

Posted in The life and times of my family

Wed. I had my 36 week checkup and a follow up ultrasound to re-check the baby's kidneys.  It looks like he's still got some issues.  The baby still has kidney abnormalities. He has a condition called prenatal hydronephrosis.   Here's a link that briefly describes it for anyone who's interested.   The ultrasound did indicate that I have plenty of amniotic fluid and we know his bladder is working just fine since he peed during the ulrasound, lol!http://www.keepkidshealthy.com/Newborn/newbornproblems/prenatal_hydronephrosis.html    

I've gotten plenty of reassurance that this will most likely resolve itself with little or no intervention.   As a matter of fact I took my boys to the pediatrician the next day and when I mentioned it to the Dr. he told me it was very common and not a big deal.  He looks like he's a big boy. The U/S tech said he was a bit over 7 lbs. and he's measuring at 38 weeks. He's 36 weeks gestation as of today. The midwife said that since I've delivered several babies over 8 lbs. that I should be fine. She did say that if I passed my due date that they would probably do another U/S as a precaution and then talk about options. She said that they don't push inductions for size alone because natural labor is more effective at delivering big babies then induced labor. The gal I saw yesterday is actually the midwife that delivered Alex who was my smallest baby. He weighed about what this one does now (according to the U/S which I know isn't gospel truth, lol). I think I like her best out of all the midwives in the practice. I like the others too but I don't like that U/S tech very much.   Here's an ultrasound picture of his very chubby face!!  I've never had a baby this chubby and he's not even born yet!

Posted in The life and times of my family

and toilet and sink!!  After months and months of delays our downstairs bathroom was finally finished this week.  No more midnight treks up the stairs to use the bathroom!  There is some finish work that still needs to be done but that doesn't effect the functionality much.  The property manager will come and look at it and we'll make a list of all the misc. items that need to be finished up.  It's things like toilet paper and towel holders that need to be reinstalled/replaced, drywall that needs to be put back up in the coat closet and both bathrooms will likely need a new coat of paint.  When all of that is done I may just celebrate by actually decorating my bathroom.  I am planning on putting a changing table in there since there's room.   I'm so very relieved to see the light at the end of the tunnel!

Posted in The life and times of my family

For those who don't know, we're expecting baby #6 to arrive in early January.  Yesterday was the big ultrasound and everything is looking pretty good.  It took over an hour so I was very tired by the end.  Being on your back for that long when you're 22 1/2 weeks pregnant is no picnic!   I will have another U/S at 36 weeks to double check something on his kidneys.  He's got a little extra fluid that could be a problem but that he'll likely outgrow.    We feel very blessed to be adding another precious life to our family.  

Posted in The life and times of my family

I'm a couple of weeks behind but here are pictures of my new 16 yr. old!  We celebrated by having some of her friends over for dinner and a movie.  They watched Night at the Opera starring the Marx brothers.  It's satisfying knowing that we've educated her in the finer things in life.    Now, for your viewing pleasure and my mommy brag, my dd! 

Dec. 9, 2007:

Sweet 16!

Posted in The life and times of my family

Today my dh and I celebrate 15 years of marriage.  It has been hard a lot of years but God is faithful, even when we're faithless.   I expect that the next 15 years are going to be much better!  God is working miracles in our relationship everyday!  It is only through His strength that we can do this.  I'm glad I'm married to my guy!  He's taught me so much about myself, about life and about love. 

Posted in The life and times of my family

Here's my menu for this week:

Mon.: ham and bean soup

Tues.: turkey with fruit sauce and rice

Wed.: chicken with noodles

Thurs.:Thanksgiving dinner (menu tbd tomorrow night when we get our box from church)

Fri.:turkey soup

Sat.:leftovers from Mon.

Sun.:leftovers from Fri.

Posted in The life and times of my family

I've decided to participate in Menu Plan Monday this week.  Here's my fabulous plan for the week.

Mon. Buffalo chicken over rice
Tues. southwest chicken and bean tacos
Wed. chicken and gravy over potatoes
Thurs. ham slices with cranberry sauce
Fri. eat at church
Sat. chicken in some sort of sauce (to be invented on the fly) over pasta
Sun. Ham and black beans over rice

Posted in The life and times of my family

We had a ladies brunch today at church and on the way my truck made a very scary sound.  I'm no mechanic but I knew enough to get off the road.  I eased over into the right lane and pulled into a parking lot.  It has been temporarily repaired and it needs a new U joint.  That's a $10 part and so it's affordable.  Throughout the whole ordeal I had no idea how we were going to get it repaired but God was still revealing His tender mercies and care to me.  Here are the things He did for me, even before I knew how it was going to get it fixed.

1.I was planning to take the freeway but dh called and wanted me to drop some stuff at work. I took surface streets instead.  If I'd been on the freeway I may have lost control of the car when the rod broke and been in an accident.
2.I had the cellphone with me. I don't always take it as it's really dh's phone.
3.I was able to move it off of the street and into a parking lot so no towtruck expenses.
4.Our friend, Jordan was able to come pick us up and since I only had the girls we all fit in his little car.
5.I had decided to just go home and give up on the ladies brunch but Jordan misunderstood so we went to church.  While there I shared my struggles with the other ladies and the church secretary took it upon herself to call Jack, a member who mechaniced professionally for years.
6.Jack was going to be passing where our truck was and had time to stop by and take a look. 

It's still parked where I left it, I'm not comfortable driving it but Jack was able to get it driveable again, PTL!  Jordan will take dh to get it tonight after work.  Meanwhile, I'm praising my Father in Heaven for caring for me.

 

Posted in The life and times of my family

Our family is proud to announce that dh AKA Daddy is the proud recipient of an Associates of Occupational Science from Colorado School of Healing arts with certificates in cranio-sacral therapy, neuro-muscular therapy, sports massage and trauma touch therapy.  That adds up to a total of at least 2000 hours of training in massage therapy, enough to practice anywhere in North America.  We celebrated at his graduation on Sunday and followed it up with a quiet get together for friends at our house afterwards.  We're rejoicing that 2 1/2 years of hard work and sacrifice has resulted in a succesful finish to his education.  Praise the Lord for His faithfullness to us throughout this journey.  Here is a picture of the proud graduate.

Posted in The life and times of my family

Dd has been home for almost a week now and we've started to get back into our normal routine.  She worked really hard and had some fun.  They were careful with the budget so the kids were able to go to the San Diego zoo on their way home from Mexico.  The hardest part of the whole experience for her was the camping.  Especially the 2.5 gallon showers and the horrible outhouses.  These aren't your garden variety outhouses like we have in many parks in the U.S.  They were just wooden benches over a hole in the ground that wasn't as deep as dd would have preferred, blech!  The AMOR camp is in an industrial area of Tijuana.  She camped within shouting distance of a large refinery.  Not exactly a stellar first camping trip.  We've tried to explain to her that camping is much more pleasant then that here in Colorado.  She was amazed at how many little cultural things she was already familiar with in spite of the language barrier.  She was a great barterer in the market and was able to help her friends figure out what the drinks were.  We quite often drink Jarritos here so it wasn't at all foreign to her.  One thing that really surprised her was that when they returned to the U.S. the border patrol didn't even look at their passports.  They asked if everyone was a citizen and after receiving an affirmative response they were waved right through.  I'm glad she had this experience.  I think she had a chance to really find out what she's made of and a chance to grow some too.  Now she's on a mission to influence her youth group in a positive way.  What a blessing she is to us!

Posted in The life and times of my family

My 15 yr. old dd is in Tijuana, Mexico right now.  This morning the crew got up and headed to the work site to begin constructing a house for a needy family.  The house they're building is insufficient by American standards but it's a vast improvement for the family that will live in it.  Most of the families that receive AMOR homes live in the dump outside of Tijuana.  The homes consist of four walls, a cement floor and a simple roof.  I'm not sure if the homes have doors or just doorways.  The family works alongside the visiting crews and then after the home is completed they prepare a meal to thank the many people who built their home.  There is a certain level of risk in eating these meals (they certainly don't follow the food safety rules we do here) but dd has all her shots and won't be drinking the water.  I continue to pray that God will teach her and protect her as she goes through this experience.  I'm so grateful that she's able to have it!

Posted in The life and times of my family

Helen said "please" this morning!!!  She's taken quite a long time to begin talking but over the last 6 months or so has slowly taken off.  She now has about 20 words in her spoken vocabulary and is gaining new ones very quickly.  This morning when it was time for breakfast she said, "peace" while she made the sign for please!  I was thrilled.  Now when she wants something she urgently rubs her tummy (the sign for please) and repeats, "peace, peace, peace."  Sooooo cute.