JUDAH

These last 2 1/2 - 3 weeks have gone by in somewhat of a blur. I am going to now share what has been going on with Judah's health. This is going to be a hard post for me. I REALLY want to think that this has all been some sort of a dream that never really happened at all; but there have been some major victories too so I guess I wouldn't want to throw it ALL out.
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Our family had a virus last month. All of us seemed to get well, but Judah was still complaining of headaches a week later. He has a HIGH pain tolerance (once walked on a broken foot for 24 hours before crying that he couldn't walk any more) and I thought it odd that EVERY DAY he complained of a headache.

At first I was thinking that it was just allergies to pollen (although he'd never seemed remotely bothered before) and then after it had rained and it was still an every day thing I thought perhaps he had a sinus infection. So, I took him to the DR about 2 1/2 weeks ago. We started antibiotics.
About this time he also started drinking and urinating EVERY 5-10 MINUTES. He was even waking up during the night to drink and urinate. It was starting to get really weird. The antibiotics didn't seem to relieve the headache after the first few days. Then other symptoms started: strange eye movements, fatigue alternating with normal play, anxiety, asking us to pray for him about 20+ (no exaggeration) times a day, mood change from hyper to quiet, wanted to rest more, had trouble concentrating, seemed to have trouble processing what we were saying to him...etc.

I went away on my girl weekend hoping that day 4 of the antibiotics would make his body turn a corner. I really figured it was just some weird sort of virus messing with his body. I was really worried over that weekend. I did have fun but it was REALLY difficult for me. Michael and I were talking on the phone about taking him to the ER for a CAT scan and other tests; however, we have no insurance...We decided that unless he started vomiting or fainting that we would wait.

Monday rolled around with no change. The drinking thing was the MOST freaky thing. Michael had to do some errands anyway so he said he was going to take him back to the DR. I told him that I DEFINITELY wanted him to be tested for diabetes. (It runs in both sides of my family.) She did that test but it was negative. The DR switched his antibiotics again (this was the 3rd switch- first one did not serve him well and the second was too weak). She also talked to Michael about scheduling an MRI. We were going to try to get insurance before the MRI which ended up being scheduled for 9 days out. She said that she thought it was probably just sinus but there was a VERY SLIM possibility that there was a tumor. We all figured that the tumor was such a slim possibility that we weren't really worried.

On the way home Michael ran him by our Chiropractor (whom we LOVE). He adjusted him. He was out. Judah stopped complaining of head pain the next day and looked more normal. I thought "YES! That was all it was!" However, the drinking, fatigue, and personality change remained. :(

We went on the Pigeon Forge vacation and things stayed about the same. HE just wasn't himself even though he did manage to have a pretty good time. He was still drinking about every 5-10 minutes. When he vomited, for no apparent reason, in the middle of the night one night I actually started to get really worried.

Sunday we went to church and happened to talk with the DR (She just happens to go to our church and was sitting directly behind us!)
We chatted for about 15 minutes. She said that she wanted to do some more lab tests possibly Monday and then Tues we would do the MRI. She said that she would research, think it over (I'm assuming PRAY about it because she is a genuine believer) and call us the next day. We decided to go ahead with whatever tests even though insurance hadn't kicked in yet. Our paperwork was in the holding process.

Monday we were in Walmart when she called. I must pause to say that Thomas was having a VERY VERY ROUGH obedience day so I was already exhausted. Michael happened to be there too. She spoke with Michael first and then spoke with me. Here's what she basically said," I think I know what the DX (diagnosis) is. I have been researching it and here are the symptoms. (Which completely matched Judah to a T) Tomorrow morning I want you to wake Judah up and feed him a protein meal at 4:00AM. Give him as much water as he wants at that time. Then, leave for the hospital and be there at 5:00AM. We are going to have you check into the hospital (without being admitted) and go straight to Pediatrics. They will give you a room but you will NOT be admitted. It's cheaper that way. They will put in an IV line, they will draw blood, we will be depriving him of both food and liquids for 6 hours. Each hour we will get his Blood Pressure, weight, heart rate, and oxygen level. If it's what I think it is- he will continue to urinate normal amounts without having anything going into his body. His urine will NOT concentrate and he will start to become dehydrated. She then delivered the words NO parent ever wants to hear. "I have to tell you that one of the most common causes of this DX is a tumor in the pituitary gland." (For those of you who are unaware...the pituitary gland is located at the base of the brain.)
I got dizzy, I started to shake, I thought I might vomit, and I WISHED that I had had more than a cup of coffee that morning.
I said OK to her, got off the phone, and IMMEDIATELY called the sitter to see if she could sleep over the night before. She said YES! I also lined up childcare for the next night and day with someone else because the DR had told us that if there was a tumor that we would be checking into a hospital in Atlanta THAT NIGHT. Soooo much to do. All the while, we were just talking to Judah matter of factly about what was going to happen the next day. He was worried about the MRI. Even though it was an open machine and I had showed him pics online, he was worried that he wouldn't be able to lie still enough. We kept explaining that they were going to give him medicine to help with that. That seemed to make him MORE nervous.

We went about Monday is a weird state. We bought new bikes for the boys and helmets (at Thomas' request). We went home after we had gotten those and the groceries. Between calling people to pray and talking with Judah and Thomas about what might happen (If we have to go to another hospital for more tests, Thomas you will go here, etc.) I packed bags for us all...just so we could be ready...if THE WORST happened. Judah was asking questions and was nervous. I kept explaining that everything was going to HELP the DR find out what was wrong so that he could feel better. We were also praying for God to heal him and for peace. I knew Judah was going to be OK when he came up to me that afternoon and said this, "Mom if I ask them if I can be awake for the test (he meant the MRI) and they say yes I will be happy; but if they say no, then that will be OK too."
I breathed a sigh of relief after that statement.
I was more worried about the water deprivation test because if he had to wait at home he would get HYSTERICAL. It was more than just a fit. It was a REAL desperation. I was NOT looking forward to that part.
Tues. came way too early for me. I was tired from lack of sleep. Thomas was upset the night before that Judah was allowed to sleep with us but he had to sleep in his own bed. I had also had a really hard time getting Gideon to sleep the night before. So I basically had gotten about 4 hours of sleep. We got ready, fed Judah his Peanut Butter sandwich and went to the hospital. When we got there Michael went to check him in. I went with Judah and they immediately put in the IV line. I was SOOOOO PROUD of how he handled that. The vein kept going back into his hand. They had to stick him at least twice and dig on the second one. Once he moaned, and once he said, "Mama." That was it and he WATCHED the whole thing. I didn't even watch. Amazing. They got his height, weight, urine, BP, oxygen, and led us to him room. Michael was back by then. Judah and I played checkers for about an hour while Michael slept in a chair in the corner. Michael cannot go without sleep. Literally. His body refuses to function. :) Judah wanted to watch TV about 7:00am but there was nothing acceptable on so we went into the play area. He had a great time there. He stayed there for almost 2 hours. They did the tests every hour. About 9:00am the DR was talking to the nurses when I heard her say, "That's not at all what I expected to see." She didn't realize that we were right behind her in the play area and I called out, "I HOPE you're not talking about Judah." She laughed and came over and told me that she was. Everything up to that point was normal. Weird. He wasn't even acting as strange as he had been acting. He was complaining about the no water thing but was nowhere near hysterical about it. We just kept telling him, "You're doing great! You can do it! You're almost there!!" She had told us that after the MRI (which was scheduled for 10:00am) we could feed him and give him water. HOWEVER, since the tests were still coming out normal she wanted to go longer but we could feed him after the MRI. I asked here if the CBC (cell blood count) showed anything. She asked the nurse and the nurse told her that the blood had clotted before they could test it. DR laughed and wondered allowed WHEN they were going to tell her that. I laughed with her and said, "I'll bet they weren't going to tell you." About that time the lab person came up to re stick Judah. I turned to DR and said, "they were just going to re stick him without telling you." We shared a grin (I working in the health care field as a receptionist before having my kids. I know things that go on behind the scenes. I found it amusing as did the DR.) DR told Michael to go tell the lab to wait. She said that she might want more blood later and they could draw it then. Michael told the lab tech...she wasn't really happy about it. :):):) DR and I talked a little more. She asked why Judah seemed to be acting normal for the first time in weeks (she was watching him play). I told her that I was asking myself the SAME question. I laughed and said, "Maybe God healed him on the way over." She replied, "It's entirely possible." (I LOOOOVE THAT DR!! So awesome to have a believer for a DR who not only acknowledges that God heals through DRS but that He also heals miraculously.) Soon after that, she left to go see her other patients.
Around 10:00am I was wondering where the sedatives were for Judah. I asked the nurse who had just gotten off the phone and said that the MRI guy didn't have Judah on his schedule. I informed her that he did Sunday because I had called the hospital to confirm the time. :)
They eventually found him- paperwork issue- and they administered the sedatives orally. The real problems began here.

Judah was wheeled down to the MRI in a wagon which he LOVED. When we got there he was COMPLETELY awake. It didn't seem to be affecting him AT ALL. They tried to get him positioned for the MRI. He was cooperative but VERY VERY thirsty and with no toys to distract him just could not lay still enough. He tried. We sang to him, told him stories, held his hands, rubbed his legs...no deal. They stopped after about 5 minutes. The tech told us that if we could get him sedated enough later that he could put off another patient and work him in. Apparently 6 year olds are hardly EVER good candidates for an MRI where you have to lay COMPLETELY still for 1 hour.

We took him back upstairs where they gave him more sedatives. I went out to call the babysitter and let her know what was up. She said that the kids (ours and her little girl) were playing VERY well together and that there were no probs. I was greatly relieved and she also said that she could stay as long as we needed her too. :) Yeah!

I got some coffee. It was now about 11:00am.

Back up in the room things were getting interesting. Judah was loopy from the double dose of sedative. He WOULD NOT fall asleep. It wired him up. He would laugh hysterically and they start crying. He would say silly things. He had to be physically restrained by me and Michael because he kept trying to jump out of bed to go and take the test but he couldn't walk or even stand. We had to hold him up to pee. We had to hold him while they got his weight. (That was funny. I couldn't BELIEVE they INSISTED on getting his weight when he could not sit or stand without assistance. Like it was really going to be accurate that way.-heehee) We tried to rock him to sleep, read him to sleep, sing him to sleep, pray him to sleep, etc. No GO. We tried letting him watch TV. He was watching the Teletubbies and said, Mom they counted 4 but I see 6. I laughed out loud. It was just too funny. He was aware enough to know what was going on but NOT aware enough to make much sense. :):):)

An hour later the meds wore off. -Hehe We told them they could put him under. We didn't want to have to come back another day. By this time he had gone about 9 hours without food or drink and had been up since about 3:30 in the morning. I WANTED TO GO TO SLEEP. Michael did too. In fact, earlier, when they were putting Judah under the MRI Michael commented, "I wish someone would give me drugs and let me lay down!" heehee :):):)

The lab tech came up about this time to do the re stick for the flubbed CBC. We told her to wait till the DR okayed it and/or ordered the other tests she wanted. The lady looked confused and told me, "I've waited as long as I can." I said, "No, the DR said to wait because she may order more. You can call her if you have any questions but this is what I believe she said to us." Michael agreed. The lab tech looked like she was going to argue and I said kindly but firmly, "We are refusing. You may not do it. Please call the DR to confirm. If we're wrong then come back and get it." She left. The nurse in training looked over at me and smiled. I told Michael, "We have a legal right to refuse ANY test we want. They cannot force us even if it doesn't make us very popular." The nurse in training agreed. ;) side note: We would not have refused had the DR not told us to. :)


During this time the DR was on the phone with Anesthesia and thought we had it all worked out and then the bombshell came from the MRI dept. We can't work him in. Too may people this afternoon.

WHAT!!

The Dr asked Michael and I what we wanted to do. She said she could call MRI and play the DR card or we could just come back tomorrow. By this time Judah was DESPERATELY asking often for food and water. We decided to let them feed him and just come back in the morning. We were all exhausted and even if they were to work him in he would have to go about another 4 hours with nothing to eat or drink and I didn't think he could handle that.

We told him,"Good news! You can eat now!" He was happy and excited until I told him we had to come back in the morning.

He REFUSED to eat. He had been a little over 9 hours with NOTHING for which he was awake the entire time. He said, "NO! We've been here for HOURS! I want to do it NOW!" I was amazed. The pizza was sitting 4 inches from his face. The water was on the edge of his tray and he wanted to gut it out! I was REALLY proud of his perseverance. I told him that he would have to wait another 4 hours till they could work him in and he said, "No, I want to do it NOW." I told him it wasn't possible and he said that he didn't like any of the choices. I told him that I didn't either. :):)

I went back to the nurses station where we got the DR on the phone. I explained to her what Judah wanted (keep in mind that Judah is 6). I also asked her if we could just change it to a CAT scan. You only have to hold still for 5 minutes with that test. I knew he could make himself do that without drugs. She said she would check. She called back and said that they could do the CAT RIGHT NOW!!! YEAH! We took Judah down and it was done right then. He still moved a tiny bit because he kept looking for us. I had to constantly remind him the entire time to look at the ceiling and watch the machine. He really did the best he could. We went back to the room where he was given his food. He ate normally and the strange thing was...he hardly drank anything...hmmmm...

I will pause here to say that the CAT scan was not NEARLY as hard on me as the MRI was. There was just something about seeing him in the MRI with the face mask on, with the laser pinpointing where to shoot the pic, that FREAKED me out inside. In all my time as a mother- NEVER have I felt SO HELPLESS. NEVER. I just had to lean on God and pray and pray and pray.

I went downstairs while he was eating to make a few phone calls to the prayer warriors. Thomas meanwhile was starting to have a bit of a hard time at home.

I got back up to the room and Michael said, "The CAT scan was clean." I almost didn't believe him. I had so psyched myself up to hear the worst (so I wouldn't freak out) that I couldn't believe this nightmare was almost over. I was also VERY VERY relieved. We hugged. Judah ate and then they came to remove the IV line.

We went to the bank, and picked up dinner. Then we went home. The DR had said that she would review the lab work and call us the next day.

The good news was- NO TUMOR, normal lab work
The Bad news was- Now what????

Thomas had thrown a fit before we came home. He gets very emotional and then doesn't always do the right thing with his emotions. We corrected him for his behaviour and then talked about praying and giving Jesus our feelings and not listening to what our feelings are telling us to do if it's inappropriate behavior. Gid was VERY happy to see us. We were WIPED out. We went to bed early.

Yesterday, Judah woke up, consumed normal amounts or water, urinated normal number or times, had normal energy, etc, etc, etc.

We're going with- Jesus healed his body from whatever it was.
If it was a psycosymatic thing then obviously during the deprivation he realized that he COULD go without it. He could do it. He was strong. Jesus could give him peace. :)

Today- normal. He has asked me to pray for him a few times and he was REALLY nervous when he hit his head. He doesn't want things to start all over again. He associates head pain with all that happened the last few weeks. Please pray for continued healing, NO fear, and perfect peace. Pray against fear and for peace for me also. Every time I heard the computer or another machine yesterday I had a flashback to the MRI room and my stomach would clench. I almost threw up last night. This is semi-normal for me. I am GREAT in a crisis. It's afterwards that I have to work through everything. :):)

Pray also for Thomas and Gid. All the emotions and chaos have messed them up a bit. Gid is marathon nursing. Thomas is really struggling with emotions (although that's much better today). We are continuing to have patience and taking everything to the cross and our wonderful compassionate Saviour. (and dealing with the disobedience but that goes without saying)

Thanks for reading this story.

I'm glad that the nightmare is over.

Yesterday I had to hear the DR say one more time that we didn't miss anything. I was worried. Today I'm much calmer. I'm more confident in Jehovah Rafah. He is God our Healer. He is a wonderful, Saving God. We honor Him and would have worshipped Him regardless of the outcome. Still, we are HAPPY that we are celebrating today!!

Blessings!- Angela :)

Meme-Tagged by Terry

Favorite Person outside of family?
I cannot answer this question. I have several friends who would fit that bill and I'm not just choosing one. :) You'll just have to assume it's YOU.

Favorite food?
Any breakfast food (except the nitrite laden meats), pizza, ice cream. :)

Quirks about me?
Where do I even begin?.. I'm a bit of a germ freak. I don't like people's feet near me but kids' feet are fine even though they tend to be MUCH dirtier. See It doesn't line up with the germ freak thing. Weird.

How would the person who loves you most describe you in ten words or less?
The apple of His eye.

Any regrets in life? So many I wouldn’t know where to start. I try to focus on growing in Christ and not beating myself up over the mistakes I make/have made. I acknowledge them...just cannot dwell on them or I will be consumed with guilt.

Favorite Charity/Cause?
Anything to do with African children. I also have great respect for World Vision.

Favorite Blog Right Now?
I would answer this if they had categories:
Funniest family stories: Tonya; best homemaking advice: Terry; etc.
I will have to say that Tia is a great read because she challenges me to think outside the box and I like to think outside the box. I like to remember that God isn't in this pretty little package we like to picture Him in. He's wild, alive, fascinating, awesome, powerful, loving and good. Tia reminds me to look at God and Christianity and other things in all different kinds of ways.

Something you can’t get enough of? Good worship time

Worst job you’ve ever had? Picking strawberries in the hot sun for 4 hours a day.

What job would you pay NOT to have? Cleaning chicken poop out of chicken houses before the next shipment. YUCK!!!!

If you could be a fly on the wall, where? Oh, soooo many places. I would like to hear what people REALLY think/say about me when I'm not around. I know some people would rather be ignorant but I've been hurt so many times by people who claimed to be my friends that I still like to know. :)

Favorite Bible verse right now? Hebrews 13:5

Guilty Pleasure? Ice cream

Got Any Confessions? Not that I'm sharing on a non-private blog. :)

If you had $1000 to spend on yourself, how would you spend it? VACATION for our family probably. If not that then, books, clothes...hmmm that's a tough one. (not because I cannot think of what I would buy myself but because it would be hard to narrow down)

Favorite thing about your house? Size and layout

Least favorite thing about your house? SIX bathrooms!! Who in their right mind?!...

One thing you are bad at? Being patient

One thing you are good at? Music

If you could change one thing about your circumstances, what would it be? Less Satanic attacks

Who would you like to meet someday? Peter (from the Bible)

What makes you feel sexy? HA! Like I'm really going to answer that!! My DAD reads my blog.

Who is your real life hero? Jesus

What is the hardest part of your job? I’m a mom, so I wouldn’t know where to begin. First, to live a life consistent with what I “preach”.

When are you most relaxed? in the hottest bath you can imagine, with a glass of ice water and a good book

When are you most stressed out? When my kids are completely out of control or when Michael is mad at me.

What can you not live without? Oxygen

Do you agree or disagree with the recent article saying that blogs are authored by narcissists? Maybe some. I think that there are people who have other reasons for blogging though. For me it's easier/less time consuming to write one "letter" to all family and friends and post it than to type multiple emails. Also, you get to "talk" to others from completely different situations/circumstances/states/countries and you can learn a lot from different perspectives.

Why do you blog? I answered that in the last question. Also, I like to connect with the Body of Christ and I can meet new people this way from all walks of life. It's really fun. I also want people to see that a real Christian doesn't have it "all together" but we struggle and fall and get back up and continue to grow.


Okay, now I tag 2 newish bloggers: Ashley and Carlos

I tag 2 bloggy friends: Tia and April

Bloggers you'd like to know better: Whomever wants to do this. Some people really like these kinds of things. If you accept the meme then leave a comment please so I can read yours. :)

Blessings everyone!!
-Angela :)

At the Speed of Light

That's how fast (or nearly anyway) I feel like our days are going right now. I haven't blogged because after I got back from girls' weekend last weekend I was so tired that I couldn't even hold a decent conversation for a couple of days (no exaggeration). Then, Thursday, we left for a couple of days and nights in Pigeon Forge, TN. You can obviously assume why I would not blog that we left our house unattended...although we do have a GREAT alarm system...and a dog...heehee
So this is a catchup post. Hope you enjoy it.

GIRLS' WEEKEND

We had a blast!! I left Friday at about 1:00pm from home and got to our hotel at around 3:00pm, just as traffic was starting to get slow. Yeah! I finally located the parking garage to our hotel with little difficulty. (I AM getting better!) I checked us in and then went straight to the stairwell to walk down 44 flights to the exercise room. heehee (We were on the 54th floor. Our view was WONDERFUL!!) I worked out for about 1 hour (so nice!)and then headed back to the room to shower. I decided that I didn't really want anything on the room service menu and went upstairs to the bar to order a virgin drink and a fruit and cheese plate. (It was WONDERFUL!- just in case any of you were wondering. ) While I was waiting on the fruit and cheese plate Amy got into town but since she'd never been to Atlanta before it took her a bit to locate the parking for our hotel. Actually she ended up parking across the street and got out cheaper that way. :):):) I ran my stuff to the room and met her in the lobby. I was great to see her. The years fell away as we chatted in the room. She opted not to use the room service menu either and we walked across the street to the McDonald's so she could get a salad. :) Back in the room we just rested and enjoyed the view of the sunset over Atlanta. We stayed up till about 1:00am and then slept. We got up around 7:00am and she got ready while I worked out in the exercise room again. Let me just pause the story here and tell you about my experience in the exercise room. Usually in a hotel, on a Saturday morning, there are maybe 3 people TOTAL working out and we're talking about 1 overweight person, 1 in shape person, and me. :):) At this hotel I was TOTALLY outclassed the last 2 times. There was a guy there (approx early 50s) Saturday morning who was RUNNING on the treadmill ( I jog) and he was there before me, left after me, and looked more in shape than I am. (I'm in decent shape.) He also got to see me fall off the treadmill. CRINGE. It was rather funny actually. I was getting tired about halfway through and I was trying to relax so I closed my eyes for a couple seconds and fell off the treadmill. I jumped right back on and kept going. He definitely noticed but nothing broke his concentration or speed. I want to BE HIM when I am in my 50s...or now for that matter...:):):)
We ate breakfast in the hotel and it was really nice. :) We grabbed some Starbucks (located IN the hotel) and we were on our way. We headed out to Underground and walked around until we saw the "Half Price Ticket Sale shop". We just happened to glance at the posters and saw the RIVERDANCE was playing that weekend. RIVERDANCE!!!!!! OH. MY. GOODNESS!!! I have been wanting to see that show FOREVER!! (So had Amy). We were going to go to Stone Mountain for the afternoon and early evening but we quickly shoved those plans aside for RIVERDANCE. We did get tickets and we were STOKED but I had brought NOTHING appropriate for an evening trip to the theater. So, we spent the rest of the afternoon shopping for a dress. We were trying to stay close and not go too far out of the city. We took the Marta to the Lenox mall. That was a JOKE!! Even their half priced on sale stuff was WAY WAY WAAAAY out of my league. I was tired, grumpy, and in LOTS of pain from not having nursed in 24 hours. Not a great combo...ask Amy. :) We headed back to Underground and went across the street to some of the other shops. I did noticed that we appeared to be in the minority but it wasn't till later that Amy pointed out that we were the ONLY white people on that street and in the shops. We NEVER felt in danger. We were hit on twice. :):):) I was so focused on the dress thing that I didn't notice how out of place we must have appeared. I would do it again. No big thing to me. (not to Amy either.) I FINALLY found a dress and shoes, and bracelets. We hurried back to the hotel to get ready. I was SO EXHAUSTED that I HOPED that I would even enjoy the show. THAT wasn't a problem!! I had never been to the FOX before. I would have spent money just to sit in that theater all night and stare at it. It was PHENOMENAL!!
It is made to look like a castle decorated in Egyptian Old World Style decor! ( I LOOOOOOVE Old World Style decor!) The ceiling is a sky with twinkling stars that looks like the turrets are fading into it. Awesome! I tried to take a pic but was immediately told that I wasn't allowed. Bummer. I wanted y'all to see it....You'll just have to imagine it if you've never been there.
Anyway, the show was the BEST that I've EVER seen. Seeing shows is ALWAYS hard for me because it makes me miss performing. I hope that when my kiddos are older that I can get into a bit of community theater! :) We'll see.
After the show we survived a harrowing ride through town back to our hotel. I was FREAKED OUT! It appeared that two cars were having some sort of a small race while weaving in and out of the rest of us. Grrrrr! I did well on the road and freaked out on the lobby. (That's true to form for me. I'm super great in a crisis and tend to fall apart afterwards!) We talked for a while as we gazed out our window at the lights of the city. It was really nice to catch up. I DO have pics but I cannot post them tonight. Not enough time sorry. Hopefully tomorrow, or really really soon. :)
We ate brunch at the Sun Dial (at the top of our hotel). It's a revolving restaurant. It's really nice. Brunch was outstanding. We decided we definitely needed to make this an annual event. :)
We left for home around 1:00pm. :) Very very nice time. :)

The next 3 1/2 days were a BLUR and I was very very tired.

THOMAS' BIRTHDAY!!
Thursday morning at about 8:30 am we left for Pigeon Forge, TN. We arrived there in pretty good time for what we had to work with. Judah has been sick and he's wanted to drink A LOT of water. So we had to keep stopping for him to pee but we did make it. :) We checked in around 1:00pm after stopping for lunch at Burger King. We let Thomas open his presents in the hotel room. He got a police uniform and a real 24" guitar from my parents. From us he got a snorkel and goggles and a toy FBI gun set. :) Judah also got a police uniform and the pool toy and FBI set. Gideon got the pool toys and FBI set and a small motorcycle. :) For those who think that's weird...my parents have always sent either extra gifts or extra money. I thought it was not very good because they would feel entitled to presents on someone else's birthday but actually the time Judah shared his birthday with someone he gave him 2 of his presents so the other boy would have some too. I guess it's been a good thing after all. :)
They played police for awhile. I have some GREAT pics of that but you'll have to wait a couple of days for those too. :)
Then we all went down to the pool and hot tub for awhile. We had a great time!! We can back to the room, took showers and went to Denny's for dinner. We all ordered kids desserts to celebrate Thomas' special day and then we rode a few rides at one of the Go cart parks. Thomas LOVED his fifth birthday!! He was the one who requested this trip. Yesterday we got up and I exercised. We got a late start so we just ate a brunch at a Buffet, rode around for awhile to let the kids nap, and then did a few things. (I CANNOT believe how much things COST nowadays! I'm getting old y'all!!) Michael and Judah and Thomas toured the police museum while Gid and I hung out and then went to a gas station to get water for all of us. We went back to the Go Kart place and had a great time. It was short though because of the INSANE prices!! After all that stimulation (which GID LOOOOOVED by the way! You should have seen that little guy riding in the big Go KArts with me and Michael, full bore, around the track!! We have another ride king in the family!!! We now out number Michael 4 to 1!!) We went to our new hotel (changed due to price and better service at the second) used the fun outdoor pools and then went inside to shower. Nobody was very hungry so we let the (older) boys play on the balcony in their uniforms. It was SOOOO funny and cute. Wait till you see the pics. (They were doing "Surveillance".) Gid fell asleep about 8:00pm and Thomas and I went out to get pizza. We got lost and when we got back Judah was already asleep. We tred to wake him to NO avail. Thomas and I ate the pizza. Michael ordered at steak dinner from Denny's and Gid and Judah slept. :) Judah did wake up hungry at 4:30am so I got him a piece of pizza. :):):)
We got up this morning around 7:00am and Michael wanted to head down to breakfast to beat the rush. We did but I hadn't exercised yet so I couldn't eat. :) I made a waffle and took it back to the room for later. Actually I made 5 waffles. (2 for me and one for each of the kids- I ended up with most of 1 when it was all said and done. hehe) We went back up. The boys watched TV, Michael slept, I exercised, and Gideon played around. :) We left around 11:30am. The trip was long but uneventful. None of the boys wanted to come home. I explained the concept of non-Endless money several times today. :)
We got home around 4:00pm (LOTS of bathroom stops again) and we let the boys play outside for a couple of hours AFTER they helped me clean out the van.
We had a very nice time. I wish I had gotten more sleep. (I was up during the night both nights. The first night Judah threw up all over the bed at about 1:30am and the second "night" I had to get him the pizza.) Speaking of sleep...I really need to go get some. Hope that everyone is having a GREAT weekend! Blessings!- Angela :)

:):):)

Have a GREAT weekend everyone!! I know I will. :P

Blessings!
Angela :)

CHECK

SHOWER-check

school- tried but Judah was too sick. He's been feeling really bad for a few days.

fold laundry loads- 1 1/2 from yest evening- check

lunch- check

clean up- check

nurse toddler- check

naps for Thomas and Gid- check

Judah and Mommy work on verse number 2 during nap time.- tried but again the sick thing was a prob

TOOK JUDAH TO DR.

Walmart for weekly perishable shopping and RXs. The RX was an OUTRAGEOUS price in GENERIC form so we left without it. Michael will pick up newly called in RX tonight.

fold laundry load 2- check

play- nope. no time.

make dinner- brought dinner home

dinner- check

clean up- mostly. I have one still eating.

More updates in a couple of hours.

"TOMORROW

tomorrow, I love ya tomorrow- You're only a DAAAY AAA WAAAAYYY!!"

Pitiful; I know, but that's the song that's going through my head. What will be going through my head tomorrow night is, "My boys! How can I leave them for 3 days?" sob sob

Anyway, the last minute prep has begun. When you have 3 young boys the last minute prep starts the day before. lol

AM Exercise- check

boys' breakfast- check

sweep and mop all linoleum floors- check

start a load of laundry- check

place dishes in the dishwasher- almost all done

clean and stock all 5 bathrooms- check (I LOVE when that chore is done! It's not that I mind cleaning bathrooms. There are JUST SO MANY of them!!)

Have Judah learn first verse of the day- check

It's only 10:20 am. I hit the ground running this morning. I think I started exercising at 10 till eight so I'm not doing too badly. Much faster than I thought it would go. Although Gid is doing pretty good today. He's not being destructo toddler...yet!

The rest of the day goes something like this:

SHOWER
school
fold laundry loads- 1 1/2 from yest evening
lunch
clean up
nurse toddler
naps for Thomas and Gid
Judah and Mommy work on verse number 2 during nap time.
fold laundry load 2
Walmart for weekly perishable shopping
play
make dinner
dinner
clean up
play with boys
Judah learns final verse for Awana.
bedtime for boys
nightly exercise
bedtime for me.

For Ladies Only

OK a guy COULD read this but #1) it's TMI (too much information) and #2) You probably wouldn't "get it" anyway. LOL

I went bra shopping tonight. This is significant for a couple of reasons. First of all, I have been pregnant and/or nursing for 7 years (this month in fact). The last time I bought a non nursing bra (besides a sports bra) was over 6 years ago. BOY HAVE THEY CHANGED. Most of them are padded nowadays. Don't want that FOR SURE! My chest is on the lower end of med/higher end of small side and THAT'S JUST FINE with me. I don't want to call attention to that area of my body. Nuff said'. Also, since it's been so long, I had NO IDEA what size I actually am. heehee I took a long time just staring at the big diff btwn a B and a C cup. Then I was worried that if I bought them and they didn't fit that I wouldn't be able to return them. Here's the weird part. I got them at Walmart. I asked TWO different employees if I could return them if they didn't fit. They both assured me that I could. Great, I thought... That will solve the prob. Then I thought about the fact that I could try them on at home and return them but trying them on in the store is forbidden. Weird. Anyway...2 out of 3 fit. I will exchange the other one tomorrow when I grocery shop with the boys. I felt like a little girl buying her first bra. Over SIX years people since I've bought a non nursing bra. Anyone want to celebrate with me?
The funny/ironic part is that I'm STILL nursing. heehee I will use my nursing bras at home still until he weans. The reason I bought the new ones tonight was for GIRL weekend. Now, we aren't going to sit around in our underwear and talk... but when I was getting ready to pack a couple of bras for the trip today I noticed that I had only 1 acceptable option. The others are yellowed, torn, WAY too big, etc. I would have been VERY embarrassed to pull out my yucky bra on the way to the shower. :):)
Please pray that I won't get engorged on the trip. Since Gid is still nursing it is a definite possibility. IF I do I ted to get mastitis. If Amy was a Mommy I wouldn't think a thing about it to pump but she has yet to experience having a conversation with pumping Mommy. heehee So, I will refrain unless I HAVE to.
Would appreciate the prayers though. Mastitis is NO fun. I've had it enough times to know. :):):)
Gotta go exercise. Hope that everyone is doing well.
Blessings!- Angela :)

3 DAYS!!

In exactly 3 days Amy and I will be talking it up in Atlanta. Wahoo!

This week is passing at the speed of mock 10. Judah is the only one who has school left to do. He is plugging away at his math every day. He HATES when he misses any answers. I wonder where he gets that competitive spirit from? heehee :P Here's a realization that I had over the weekend that will help you figure it out...

Someone asked me this weekend why I get nervous every time I have to sign something for a deaf person. (I guess I appear so confident in everything else. :) Singing, piano, acting, speaking, teaching, etc. )
When she asked me why it is that way for me I noticed something...
Those other things I listed that I do- I can practice those until I am nearly flawless. I don't have to show anyone all my mistakes. I don't have to be vulnerable. With sign (or French, or any other language) I MUST practice with someone who is fluent. I make mistakes. I flub up. I must be vulnerable and open to criticism. I must be humble enough to learn. That doesn't come super easy for me. I have to lay down pride for that and that is one of the things I struggle with. I would have to say that it's gotten much better but it is still one of those sins that's so ingrained and sneaks up on me before I realize it. It was definitely something to look at about myself and ask God for help in that area.

Judah came up to me today and told me that he is almost ready for the 2nd second grade reader. I was SHOCKED. I couldn't believe that he'd read through the first one already. He reads during rest time. I don't listen very often because I had stopped giving him formal training in reading right now. (doing light school these days) He mostly reads on his own. I was surprised to find, as I listened to him read me a story, that he really is reading almost everything correctly. Not everything of course but good enough. I hate that I can hardly take any credit for teaching him. He's a definite natural. I guess he takes after me in the reading thing. I remember my dad having me "show off" to his friends by reading the paper. I read well above my grade level in school. Math on the other hand...not so much. Judah seems to understand Math at this point but it's not all that hard yet so we'll see once he gets up in 4th grade or so. That's about when I will turn the Math education over to my husband. haha

Thomas is so funny these days. He makes up these stories of all the things he SUPPOSEDLY used to do. "When I was a baby...," he begins and then fabricates these hilarious stories like- "When I was a little baby I could swim and I was the fastest one." (He can't swim at all now. I wonder where that skill went? lol)
You should have heard them tonight as Michael was explaining the phrase, "dying to self." I almost burst out laughing at the questions they were asking. Too funny.

It's late. I must get some sleep. Happy Wednesday everyone!!

Blessings!- Angela :)

Wedding, Loose Teeth, and Mother's Day

all rolled into one post! :):):)

Thanks to those of you who prayed. Thanks to those of you who left encouraging comments. The wedding went beautifully. I did pretty well. It wasn't perfect but it was good. :) Her father REALLY appreciated it and that made it a wonderful experience. Right before the ceremony I was talking with the pastor and I was just reminding him to pause every now and then to allow me to catch up.
He said that even if I couldn't that her (the bride's) father pretty much understood what was going on and it wouldn't matter too much. Inside I cringed. The pastor wasn't being mean or snide. I think he was trying to encourage me but it just hurt my heart. I was thinking, "of COURSE it matters. This is his daughter's wedding. He SHOULD be able to understand it in his own language!" I didn't say that to the pastor. I smiled and went back to the front row to wait. :)
The ceremony itself was very pretty. Formal evening wedding. Black and white with light blue as an accent color.
The only slight glitch that happened during the ceremony was when the pastor fumbled a couple of words. It was funny because it was like one of those places he was supposed to say "should NOT" instead of "should". Well, I was on top of what he was saying at the time and I signed what he said...then I chuckled and signed the correct thing to her father and step mother. I didn't think my little chuckle was obvious but one of my pastor's wives was there and she asked me later why I laughed. She thought it was because the pastor messed up. Hopefully nobody else noticed or thought that- OY!
Judah's two bottom teeth have been loose for a couple of months. Yesterday one was really loose and I asked him if he wanted me to pull it for him. He did and we got it out. The other one was loose enough tonight to pull so we did. :) He lost his first two teeth. sob sob...my boys is getting BIG...I remember when he GOT those two teeth. It sure doesn't seem like 6 years ago. I will try to post pics as soon as I can find my software for my camera. After the computer crash I got a new hard drive and I cannot seem to find the disk to reload it ANYWHERE!! As soon as I do you will get to see him in all his toothless glory! You will get to see Gideon's toothless glory too. I'm STILL not used to his being gone, although it really makes his beaming smile that much quirkier and cuter!!

Mother's Day today was really nice. We didn't get to church because Thomas seems to have developed a painful ear infection and a couple of the kids are still coughing. We did go to lunch. It was nice. We didn't go anywhere grand because Michael is giving me money for my GIRL'S WEEKEND trip that is coming up in FIVE DAYS!!!!! (Thanks honey!!) The boys each gave me a balloon. Then they each took them back to play with them. It was funny. They also picked out a flower for me. I love flowers. :) I got to take a 2 1/2 hour nap today so that was lovely. We went out to dinner tonight (Arby's- I like the chicken salad sandwich) because we had some business stuff to do and then we went home. The boys got ready for bed while I nursed Gid and put him in bed. Then we read a Bible story and forgot to pray with all the excitement over the tooth and trying to get garlic oil into the older boys' ears before bed. Whew! I was a really nice day.

One funny thing...the boys were old enough this year to ask..."When is kids' day? Why isn't there a kids' day?" heehee

Goodnight everyone!!

Love, Angela :)

I'm Nervous

Okay, now I'm really nervous about tonight. (the signing thing)

At the rehearsal last night it was mass chaos. It was THE most chaotic wedding rehearsal that I've ever been to. sigh. In fact, the pastor did not even go through the ceremony. He only said bits and pieces at a speed of mock 5. I did meet her dad and step mom and because it's been awhile since I signed with actual deaf people that was also an adjustment. I can sign much better than I can read what he is signing but it was ok. We talked some. He has a great sense of humor that was SOOOO appreciative last night. Plus, he's nervous about having to walk his daughter down the aisle and give her away. So we're even. We're both nervous.

At one point he tapped me on the shoulder and asked if the violinist had started playing yet. I nodded yes. I must have looked a little quizzical because he signed- "I can't hear it. I'm deaf." He was kidding around so I singed back, "REALLY? I didn't know." We shared a laugh after that. Great guy. His wife was much shyer so I didn't talk as much with her.

I guess I'd better go. Michael is working all day so I have to figure out how to practice and later how to get ready for a formal wedding (hair and all) with 3 small very rowdy boys. :O

Blessings!-Angela :)

BUSY BUSY BUSY

Yes, we have been. It's been almost impossible to post anything substantial. Don't get me wrong... I have LOTS of things to say. In fact, several times a day I think to myself, "Oh I need to post this,"... but somehow the time gets away from me. :)

We have been trying to finish up Judah's math book. He is doing well in it. He is finished for the year in language arts and both boys are finished in Science and Social Studies. We will probably do little Science projects during the summer. Technically we school year round but I can tell that they need a bit of a break. So, when Judah finishes his Math book next month we can take some time off. He was through with formal reading training also but he LOVES to read. He reads SO MUCH by himself that he is picking up more and more. He is halfway through his first second grade reader. WOW! He has a couple friends at church who are PS kiddos and he asked me the other day, "Can I go to Kindergarten?" I laughed and told him that he would be bored since he is ready to start 2nd grade in a couple of months. heehee

We are doing Park Day once a week. I just take the boys to a different state park. The last time we did the nature journaling but tomorrow they want to go swimming for the first time this year. We were going to go down the road to Tugaloo State Park but the swimming area is closed there due to the low lake level. The swimming area is basically nonexistent. :( I am going to try to find an alternative when I get finished with this post.

This is the CRAZIEST month is a LONG time. Between finishing up school I have a FABULOUS weekend planned with my best friend since eighth grade. We haven't seen each other since her wedding a little over 6 years ago. :( We just never seem to be in Ohio visiting our parents at the same time. So, we decided a girls weekend was in order this year. She will meet me in Atlanta next weekend. NINE more days!! Wahooooo! (Can you tell I'm slightly excited?)

A few days after I get back Thomas will turn FIVE years OLD!!! How did THAT happen? Anyway, he wanted to go on a trip for his birthday and stay in a hotel so we are going to Pigeon Forge, TN for a couple of nights. That should be lots of fun.

And if that wasn't enough craziness I was asked to sign (as in American Sign Language) for a wedding this weekend!! I don't know either the bride or the groom and in fact will not even meet them till the rehearsal tomorrow night; so it's all a little weird for me but I was asked and I wanted to help. ANY prayers you offer up will be MOST appreciated. :)
I am hoping that I will be able to do a good enough job so that her dad and step-mom (who are both deaf) will be able to enjoy and "participate in" the ceremony.

I REALLY do need to go now. I must do stomach crunches and GO TO BED!! Wedding Rehearsal tomorrow night. BLESSINGS everyone!- Angela :)

WeCLEANED up!!

No, I'm not talking about my house. That is a hopeless disaster. (Just kidding. We clean everything according to our weekly chart but since we have a 2 year old...well, you know. heehee)

I was talking about our monthly Bargain Foods run. I want to share with you what I was able to get and I will tell you the total at the end.

Produce:
2 bunches of bananas, 2 cantaloupes, 2 lbs lemons, 2 Vidalia onions, 3 cucumbers, 1 5ct pkg corn on the cob, 1 4ct pkg yellow squash, 2
one pound pkgs baby carrots, 1 large bag of grapes (at least 2 pounds), 2 eggplants, 2 heads fresh broccoli, 3 medium tomatoes, 2 pints of grape tomatoes, 3 lbs apples, 4 lbs oranges

Dairy:
2 pounds butter, 2 pounds Smart Balance, 2 15 oz containers of Ricotta cheese, 3 containers pineapple yogurt, 1 12ct pkg string cheese, 1 12 ct box pineapple yogurt

1 dzn eggs

Frozen:
2 lbs broccoli
2 pkgs 6 ct mini corn on the cob
1 box mini corn dogs (YUCK!)
8 lean Cuisine indiv. pizzas

Juice:
4 cartons Tropicanna Organic orange juice
3 64 oz bottles of Cran/raspberry juice
1 48 oz bottle of Cran/Raspberry juice
1 64 oz bottle of Ocean Spray Ruby Red grapefruit juice
1 64 oz bottle of Apple Juice

Snack Stuff:
2 6pk Motts NO sugar added Strawberry Applesauce
4 1 pound jars salsa (HOT of course)
1 8 oz can toffee peanuts
1 5pk snack size organic chocolate mini cookies
1 12 ct box Entenmann's doughnuts
5 bags Cape Cod potato chips (various flavors)
2 bags other chips
2 8 oz bags trail mix
2 10 oz bags dark chocolate pieces
1 14 oz bags peanut M and Ms
1 box 30 ct snack sized Pop Secret Microwave popcorn

Cereal:
3 boxes Kashi Orchard Spice granola
1 box Berry Basic Flakes
2 Boxes Banana Nut granola
4 Boxes Nature Valley Cinnamon Granola Flakes
1 box organic Spelt and Cranberries
3 boxes Post Apple Cinnamon HArvest Organic
1 box Psyllium and oatbran
2 boxes Corn Puffs (no BHT or Partially Hydrogenated oils)
1 box Annie's organic Cinna Bunnies
7 boxes Cinnabun Caramel Pecan Crunch (again, NO BHT or PHVO'S!!!)

Bread:
All these are Pepperidge Farm -High Quality (over $3.00 a piece)
4 soft oatmeal
1 soft 100% whole wheat
2 Sourdough
1 German Dark Wheat
1 light soft wheat
1 light 7 grain
-------
1 Health Nut (Arnold's brand)
4 pkgs Thomas' English Muffins
1 pk Thomas' mini square everything bagels
3 bags Pepperidge Farm Soft Hoagie Rolls (2 whole wheat, 1 white)

Household Items:
1 pkg 8 ct Sparkle paper towels
1 9 ct pkg Charmin TP
3 100 fl oz Gain with Bleach Laundry detergent
1 50 ct container or muffin/cupcake baking cups
2 pkgs 250 ct napkins

1 50 ct box sandwich baggies
1 20 ct box quart freezer bags
1 15 ct box gallon freezer bags
1 sink strainer

Coffee:
1 10 oz bag coffee
1 12 oz bag Seattle's Best coffee (YUM!)

Soup:
All Progresso 16+ oz cans
3 cans Minestrone
5 cans Lentil
3 cans Vegetable
3 cans Pasta E Fagioli

Oils:
2 8oz bottles Flax oil
1 8oz bottle Flax/Sunflower oil
1 8oz bottle Flax/Sunflower/Olive oil

GRAND TOTAL:
$244.45

Awesome isn't it??!!!
I LOVE that place!

Breads and Juices are in our deep freezer. They freeze quite nicely and we can get them out as we need them. Almost everything I got was NOT out of date. You do have to check things carefully there. I will buy soup or cereal that's a couple months old but not much over that. :) Most everything we got seemed to be overstock items. :) My pantry is full, my fridge is full, my freezer is full. Thank-you Lord!!

Gotta go! I've lost my voice and feel slightly crummy. I'm going to go soak in a HOT (sauna like) bath while the youngest 2 are napping. :)

Hope that everyone has a great day!

Blessings!-Angela :)


p.s. Anyone in GA or South Carolina can email me and I will give you directions to Bargain Foods!!!