Suzy Homemaker

WoW! That Housework post has really got me going. I was a busy little bee today. First of all, we got up early, took Abigail to therapy, and then I took the "big girls" to Cathy's Corner for breakfast. That was the first time I have taken the girls to breakfast. It was a lot of fun and the food was yummy. After breakfast, Mary Grace and Hannah went to their first day of swim lessons. The girls had a blast, and Hannah got to move up to MG's class.

Swim class ended, we picked up Abigail, and went to Wal-Mart. I usually dread this task with three children, but it actually went very well. We got our groceries; which I might add is steadily increasing as the gas prices rise. They aren't rising a few cents at a time, but rather 50 cents at a time. When everything increases by 50 cents; the result is a much higher grocery bill than I had originally anticipated. Sorry. Back on track.

Once we got home and the groceries were brought inside, I made the girls lunch. Then they laid down for a rest. While the girls were resting, I made dinner for three nights, baked two loaves of banana bread and banana mini muffins, cleaned house, and did a few loads of laundry. Yeah, for my productive day! I hope your day was as productive as mine.

June 2nd Biopsy Results

I just spoke with Abigail's GI at ACH. The biopsy showed that Abigail has increased eosinophils at 12/hpf in her lower esophagus. This number is no where near the 90/hpf like it was in December, but there should never be any eos present in the esophagus. There was also slight furrowing again. Her doctor doesn't want to change anything right now since we will be going to Cincinnati Children's in August. My question is; if we sit, wait, and do nothing will her eosinophils continue to rise? I guess that is something we will have to wait and see about. Abigail is still only drinking about a maximum of 21oz. per day, but she is maintaining her weight so her doctor is happy with it. For now anyway. Thankfully, her doctor is going to email, Dr. Putnum (Cincinnati GI) to give him the results of this last biopsy. Now, we continue to wait.

Housework

Why has housework become so dreadful? When did things change? How can I get back into the cleaning mode? I used to enjoy cleaning house. Strange I know, but I loved the feeling of accomplishment at the end of the day when the house looked and smelled crisp and clean. I'm not going to lie, I have never really enjoyed laundry, but now I hate it! I cannot tell you have many times I have taken it to the laundry mat since Abigail has been born. Not because my washer and dryer aren't working, but because I have let it pile up so much that I couldn't possibly ever get it caught up otherwise.

My husband, on the other hand, has become a cleaning machine. He cleans the house, and does laundry! What an amazing husband I have! However, has that made me even more complacent? I don't know, but I don't like it. My job as a wife and mother is to stay home, keep a tidy house, have dinner on the table for my family, and take care of my children. There's another thing, "take care of my children", I have been taking care of them, but when have I really stopped to play with them and see the joy they bring me? I have only been completing 1/4 to 2/4 max of my job that the Lord has blessed me with. Why?

Ross and I were discussing this the other day, but every time we get our house in order and the laundry done, something happens with Abigail. She either has a flare-up or has to spend time at the hospital. Maybe I am looking at this all wrong. Perhaps I should be grateful that during the though times my house is clean. At least that is one less thing I have to worry about. Think about it. How would it be if I needed to take Abbz to the hospital and I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off because I have to wash cloths to be able to pack, or do the dishes because I don't know when I will be home again. My attitude should be, "I'm going to get up today, get my house stuff done so I can enjoy my children and be prepared in case something happens." This was obviously written for me today, and I don't think there is anything else that should be said. I am going to try to take my own advice for the remainder of the week and see how it goes.

Chill Pill from Above

I know that I shouldn't be stressed, but I am. Completely. Mary Grace had her first grade entrance exam this morning. Afterwards, the lady doing the assessment went to the counselor to make sure they didn't need anything else, and as they were walking out of the office they were whispering back and forth. The counselor walked over and told me they might be able to have a decision by tomorrow. MIGHT?!? Seriously, did she do that badly? She said that they wanted to make sure they had plenty of time to review her scores and give it the attention the Mary Grace deserved. I'm thinking, how hard can a first grade test be? How long can it possibly take to score her test? Why can't they tell me now? MG said that she had to write all of the words that she knows...okay, NOT her strong point, and it's MY fault! We have been so focused on reading and math, that writing got put on the back burner. I had her write words when we got home, not very pretty. They ran together, were spelled correctly, but all ran together like one big long word. Okay, I am going to go take a chill pill, and trust my daughter when she said, "I did good Mom. I read two stories and didn't even have to sound them out!" I am so proud of her! I did find it a little strange that they didn't check to see if she knew addition, subtraction, time, money, measurements, etc. The only "math" assessment was counting by 5's, 10's, and only to 50. That was a bit surprising.
My chill pill: My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers. "He hath said...so that we may boldly say..." Heb. 13:5-6. This is what the Lord had to say to me during my quiet time as he spoke through Mr. Chambers. "The Lord is my helper, I will not fear-" I will not be haunted by apprehension. ...but I will remember God's say-so. I will be full of courage, like a child "bucking himself up" to reach the standard his father (mother) wants. The only way to get the dread taken out of us is to listen to God's say-so.
Isn't that so true from today's situation. Mary Grace was like the child reaching for the standards mommy instilled in her from kindergarten this year. She was confident, strong and brave this morning. I, on the other hand, had dread and apprehension. I should not have dread nor apprehension in anything I do, because the Lord is my helper and he promises that "He will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." Heb. 13:5. Now if that isn't a strong chill pill that shines prespective on things, nothing is. I just couldn't help but share what the Father who created me and loves me, showed me today.

My Precious Girls

I found this video clip when I was looking through our old photos, and it just made me smile! My two precious daughters singing to their precious new baby sister. This was Abigail's first night home. I hope it brings a smile to your face as it does mine.

The Race is On...

Will it be ACH or Cincinnati? With any luck Cincinnati will be the winner! I'm sure you are wondering where I am going with this. I spoke with Dr. O'Connor this morning and after a little research and her expert opinion; she and I think that Abigail's recent flare up was caused from an internal reaction to zithromax. So, she wants us to wait until Thursday to see if Dr. Putnum can get Abigail into their clinic sooner. If he has not called by Thursday, and Abigail still isn't feeling well then we will schedule another scope for sometime next week...my best guess is Monday. With any luck and A LOT of prayer, we will hear something from Cincinnati. Really, I just want the timing to work out for Abigail's best interest. Even if that means waiting until August!
On a laid back note, Ross and I took the girls to Tulsa yesterday. We didn't do anything special, but it was a nice change of scenery. Especially from the stressful weekend we had. We went to Golf Galaxy first. The girls had a blast putting golf balls into the hole, with Daddy's help. Then we went to the mall. We walked around, looked at stores, and Ross bought two shirts that were normally $58 for $14. What a bargain! I do like a deal. Anyway, we let the girls play in the play area until I couldn't stand the chaos anymore. Afterwards we went to eat dinner at ZIO'S Italian Restaurant. YUMMY!!! Ross and I shared and it was the perfect amount of food for each of us. Plus, not only did it satisfy us, but it cut the calories in half and saved money in the process. Of coarse we needed to make up for the lost calories so we went to the Cheesecake Factory for dessert. YUMMIER!!! The girls didn't want cheesecake, so Ross and I got ours to go and off to Cold Stone we went. The girls got their favorite...cotton candy ice cream with rainbow sprinkles. After that day, we are all fat and happy! :)
Hannah keeps asking me to color with her, so I better be a good mommy and color with my four year old while Abigail is still sleeping.

Isaiah 41:10

"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."

This has been a weekend that our family has definitely had to call upon our heavenly Father for strength. On Thursday, Abigail started refusing to drink her formula again. She only drank 9 of her minimally required 28oz. Friday and Saturday were about the same. These few ounces caused some dehydration; which in turn caused constipation. On Friday, we took Abigail to the church where four godly men prayed over her. After we left the church we called Children's expecting them to say come on down so we can start fluids through an IV. This was not the case. They wanted her to see her PCP to ensure there was no other reason for the immediate feeding refusal. Off to her PCP we went. Of coarse, clinically she appeared healthy. No ear infection, upper respiratory infection, fever, or sore throat. Dr. Anderson spoke with Dr. Putnum (GI in Cincinnati) and he said that he and the board would review Abigail's case to see if they could see her sooner than August 11. What a blessing that would be!! Anyway, for the rest of the weekend. After speaking with the GI on call at Children's, she felt that Abigail would be okay to wait and see how she was doing until Sunday. She also suggested giving her Miralax for the constipation. Sunday we went to church and Sunday school where several members and ministry staff prayed over Abigail, Ross and I. We left Sunday school early with the intention of calling ACH when we got home. However, on the way home Abbz fell asleep in the car, so we laid her down and when she got up; she not only had a bowel movement, but she drank 7oz.! She has had a total of 20oz. today! More than doubling the last several days! Praise JESUS!! All the thanks goes to HIM! So for the moment Abigail is doing well. We will prepare for tomorrow, and with God's help stay home for another day. Tuesday I will call and speak with Dr. O'Connor, her primary GI. Hopefully, she will have a plan of action, and maybe we will hear from Cincinnati.