Goodbye Gramps...

My Gramps has always been ornery and strong willed. That lasted all the way to his last minutes. Friday night all five of his daughters spent the night at his house. Hospice sent a shift nurse to spend the entire night with him, so everyone got a good night’s rest. He slept all night holding Grams’ hand. Ever so often, he would squeeze her hand and she would sit up and talk to him. In the morning, the next nurse arrived and assessed him. He noticed some of the signs that the end was now beginning. His blood pressure was still good, but his heart rate had increased and his feet and hands were beginning to get cold. All the girls and Grams were gathered around his bed to listen to the nurse’s assessment. He was holding Grams’ hand. The nurse told them they had several hours to probably about a day left. My mom asked a question. Grams began to tell a story. My mom looked down at her Daddy…..and wondered…..she looked around the faces in the room to see if anyone else was wondering. Auntie T leaned in to look closer. The nurse stepped over with his stethoscope and listened, then patted Grams and Gramps’ clasped hands and told them, “I’m sorry, but your Daddy has just passed away in his sleep.” Just like that. We laugh now as we say that when the nurse said they had “hours” Gramps probably lay there thinking “That’s what YOU think!” He did things his own way, right to the end. He did not follow the “normal” progression of signs. He saw his window of opportunity to go the way he wanted to go, and that’s exactly what he did. There was no pain, no fear, no struggling for breath. He left the world surrounded by all his babies and holding the hand of his bride. My Gramps is an amazing man……

Gramps

When you loose someone you love unexpectedly, you always think, "I just wish I could have said goodbye." But the truth is....... you don't even know HOW to say goodbye.......

Gramps

This is just a quick post to let you know what is happening with Gramps. Things have not gone well the last few days. His kidneys are shutting down, and the tear in the aorta is getting worse. There is nothing that can be done for him medically but keep him comfortable. He is going home with hospice this afternoon. We are very blessed that he will be able to go home before he goes home.

It may be some time before I am able to post again, depending on how the next few days go. Please be praying for my Gramps and all of our family. I will update when I can.

God Bless each and every one of you! Go hug the ones you love.

THANK YOU JESUS!!!

God really does answer prayers!

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. James 5:16

AMEN!!!!

The latest news on Gramps is that he has a tear in his aorta. That sounds bad, but here’s the good news: there are three layers in your aorta, and the tear is in his middle layer. This will contain the bloodflow, and this is the layer that is able to heal itself. They are admitting him into the hospital and will be monitoring him closely. This has caused some damage to one of his kidneys, but it looks like the damage is minimal and will require no intervention. They will look into that more tomorrow. The tear went in the downward direction, which is what caused kidney damage. If it begins to go upward, that is what causes big trouble, so they will be watching closely for that. It looks now like he will be in the hospital for about a week.

Praise Jesus!!!

Now let us continue to pray for his recovery and for the doctors and nurses who will be caring for this ornery old man who is used to smoking like a train and having his way, and can now do neither! LOL

Thank you to everyone for your prayers! Big hugs!!!

Please pray!

This is my wonderful Gramps. He and Grams will be celebrating their 50th anniversary in May. He and I have been very special buddies since I was tiny. He calls me his “pork chop.” He used to put a rope around the handles of my tricycle and pull me around the circle driveway. I used to love doing chores with him. We would go around the farm together and feed and water all the animals. When we were done, he’d let me drink water from the garden hose and that was a huge treat! He taught me how to drive his tractor. My Gramps is the bestest Grandpa ever!

I just got a phone call from my Mom saying that my sweet Gramps is in the emergency room right now with an “enlarged aorta.” They are doing more tests to find out just how enlarged it is and what they want to do about it. The cardiologist will be seeing him soon. I am asking for your fervent and heartfelt prayer in this situation. Please pray for my Gramps’ health, and for his soul. Please pray for my Grams and for all the family to be strong and keep their faith and see him through this. My heart is breaking. I know he must be scaed. My Gramps hates doctors, and hospitals even more. Thanks in advance.

HOORAY!!!!

Well, I mentioned before that my babe was starting to pull himself up. Well, guess what? That's right! He made it all the way to his feet! Woo Hoo! Look out world, here he comes! I am so excited and just want to cry for joy! I got an email from my mom telling me all about it. Here's her description:

Guess what your little man just did???? THAT'S RIGHT!!!! I heard him jabbering, so I just sat down here in the computer chair, and watched him. He worked at it for about 5 minutes, but when that tiny head popped up over the railing, he just looked right at me and SMILED!!!!! You could tell the whole world looked different to him from that perspective. The wheels were turning 100 miles an hour!!!

Baby Laser Tag

So, the audio didn't come out real well on this, but if you could hear it, you'd hear four adults and a teenager laughing thier heads off! This was one of the funniest things we've ever seen! J chased this little red laser light all over the living room till I thought his Daddy was going to hyperventalte from laughter. He thought it was fascinating. And for the icing on the cake, our little daschound in the backyard could see it through the window and was going crazy scratching at the window trying to get the light too! Good times....good times......

Picture Post

Here you see Big Bird has been at it again! We received another big box on Saturday. It was filled with all the things you see here: 5 summer outfits, one birthday outfit, toys, shoes, 3 baby einstein videos, toys, 2 pairs of summer weight footie pajamas, and a bunny suit! I cannot wait to get some props together and do some pictures in the bunny suit! Thank you, Big Bird! We love you so much!

Here is the only good 10 month picture I was able to get. J would have no part of sitting still for his picture this month. This was the first time he's made it difficult. He just wanted to climb out of the chair.
Here is J with our good friend G. We used to see each other every week, but have lapsed and not been together since late November. BIG MISTAKE! Not only have we missed them, but J didn't remember G. For quite a long time he would literally scream and cry and cling to me every time they made eye contact. They finaly became friends again after a good nap and a game of cards. (J ate several cards out of his own personal deck while we played) This photo was taken as we said goodbye.
Look what my little man is doing! He just started this Sunday. So far he only gets up to his knees, but he is learning fast. I can't wait to see his first tottering little steps! But at the same time I am sad that I cannot capture this time and relive every sweet little kiss and the excitement of every new discovery.

One Day at a Time...Part One

So, I’ve been gone for a while, and there is a LOT we have to catch up on! I think I will try to post about one day at a time.

Thursday was a rough day for me. That’s putting it VERY mildly! I woke up just before 5:30am feeling…….yucky. I got out of bed and went to the bathroom, and…..there’s just no nice way to put this…..was suddenly violently and explosively sick! Yuck! When I was finally able to, I stepped out of my clothes and got straight into the shower. I didn’t even make it through washing off my body before I felt round two approaching. I also heard J begin to babble on his baby monitor. Rick was out at work that night. I got out of the shower, wrapped a towel around me, stepped over my mess and ran to the other bathroom. Thankfully, I did think to grab my cell phone on the way. I was stuck there for a while. I had to call my mom and ask her to come over and get the baby out of bed. (Let me pause here a moment to say that I have the very best mom in the entire world!) So my mom came and took J home with her. For the next 10 hours, I was up about every 40 minutes to run to the bathroom. In between all I could manage to do was crawl to the couch and sleep. I was alternating between sweating and freezing. I couldn’t even sit up to pump. I cannot remember the last time I was ever that sick. I was finally able to manage myself like a human by about 3:30 in the afternoon. My mom came over in the evening and stayed with me for a while. She had brought me sprite and checked in on me through the day while Grams was at her house with J. She really IS the best momma in the world! I never had a bite to eat that entire day. Being that sick dehydrated me in a hurry! So, lets see, what happens when you combine lack of pumping, lack of calorie intake, and lack of fluid intake? Yep, lack of milk! My supply took a drastic dive! I managed to sleep all night that night and was feeling some better the next morning. We’ll talk about Friday in the next post!

Tanker Trucks, Doctors, and Spit Stones...

Well, yesterday was an interesting day. I had to drive myself to work because my dad, who normally drives me, was out of town on business. To start out, James had a really tough night Monday night. He woke up just as it was time for me to go to bed, and kept me up till midnight. Then he was up just a few hours later, and kept on getting up. I finally brought him into my bed, but that was not helpful. He squirmed and whined for an hour before I finally just got up with him. He finally went to sleep really good at about 5:15am. My alarm goes off at 5:30! I went ahead and went to bed thinking I’d take a 30 minute power nap. I got up an hour later and had to rush around to get ready for work. James was sleeping soundly, so I had to do a “scoop and run.” This is what we call it when I take him out of his bed, put a jacket on him, and put him in his carseat and go. He gets dressed and has breakfast with his Gammo. It’s been a long time since we’ve had to do that. So I ran in to drop him off and had to hurry in to work. I didn’t even stop for my usual breakfast biscuit and soda because I was too late. I wasn’t very far down the road when I heard on the radio that there had been a big accident very near my route, and it had traffic all jacked up everywhere. They still don’t know just what happened, but a semi tractor and its trailer somehow got disconnected and the trailer went over a guardrail and fell onto the road below. The trailer happened to be a tanker filled with over 8,000 gallons of butane! Ouch! So there were all kinds of police and fire and haz mat crews out and all sorts of road closings and detours had traffic messed up no matter what route you took. Thankfully, they were eventually able to clean up the scene without any injuries or explosions. Amazing!

I had planned to work half a day because I had a doctor appointment in the afternoon. Well, about five minutes before I was supposed to leave I got a call from a customer who needed me to make some revisions for him on a job I’d quoted that bid THAT DAY. So I had to get it done before I left. That meant contacting two different suppliers and waiting for their responses. Long story short, I left work an hour later! Grrr! When I called my mom to tell her I was finally on the way, she informed me that despite all the best efforts of her and grandpa, my precious baby had only eaten 2 ounces of milk so far! This was at 1:00. Needless to say, I got worried. I didn’t want my little guy to end up dehydrated. So, since I was going to be in the clinic anyway, I called up J’s doctor and got him an appointment as well. We had to rush just a bit, but we made it on time, and my grandma came along with me to help take care of J while I was at my appointment.

So J is perfectly fine. His ears and throat are good. Doctor basically said don’t worry.

I was going to the doctor because I had a strange lump appear in my cheek last week. It was large and very tender. By the time I got to the doctor yesterday it was almost gone. In fact, I felt like a total doofus because I almost couldn’t even find it to show him. It took him forever to find it after I did! In the end he concluded that I’d probably had a “stone” in my saliva ducts/gland. Kind of like kidney stones. Who knew that was even possible?! So when I told R, he was naturally very R about the whole thing. He is now laughing at me for having “spit stones.” LOL

After that we did a little shopping. I got J the most wonderful little board book about celebrating Jesus at Easter. Once we got home, J was a happy and active little boy. We had a nice evening together. And, thankfully, he slept through the night last night!

J's first illness...

Hi everyone. I guess I caused a little concern when I posted that last time about Autism. Let me just clarify that at this time we have no concerns about J’s development and he’s shown no signs of Autism or any other problems. The reason I posted that was simply because there is so much talk in the media and around the water cooler about autism and the possible vaccine link. I wanted to be one of the people out there giving factual level headed information in the discussion. Most people that I talk to or read from are either skewing the facts to push their own agenda, or are so completely uneducated on the topic that they totally misunderstand what’s going on. So everyone rest at ease, J is fine!

This weekend J was sick for the first time. He had some sort of bad cold and a fever. It started Friday night with a low fever and trouble sleeping. By 11:00 Saturday morning his fever was 102, and his nose was running like a faucet. We started giving him Tylenol, and anything with vitamin C we could think of. We were keeping the fever under control, around 101 but peaking slightly between doses. Soon he began to cough, and was sooo tired! He just wasn’t himself at all. His eyes were distant, and he was very lethargic. He was super cuddly, and we just held him most of the day. He couldn’t sleep very well, and would wake up after only a 20 minute nap. It was a long day. Followed by a long night! My mom came over in the evening to help us out. She and I ended up taking turns holding James while he slept so that he could be upright and actually sleep. He would cough and it would wake him up and startle him and he’d cry. Finally somewhere around 3 or 4 in the morning I finally got him to lay on a pillow that was propped up on a small boppy (U-shaped pillow). The only way I could get him to lay still was to play his Baby Einstein “first signs” video. We had to set it on “repeat play” and I laid down beside him on the floor and we all were able to sleep for several hours that way.

Sunday he was better. The fever was lower, and his nose had stopped running. He was able to take longer naps. At first I had him sleeping on his “pillow pallet” but later he was able to sleep well in his own bed. He was very tired and slept a lot. He was not drinking too well, and seemed to have a sore throat, as he’d cry every time he coughed.

Last night he slept very well. He didn’t wake me up at all until around 3:30am. I did have to bring him into bed with me around 4:00, but after that he slept so soundly! I kept waking up to check that he was breathing, he was so still! Today the fever is totally gone. He is happy and playful again. He still has a slight cough and is tired. He’s been sleeping a lot today. He is not real hungry, but is drinking much better.

So, we made it through J’s first illness just fine. It’s so great to be a mommy! I do not relish my son feeling bad, but I’m glad I was there to hold and comfort him and help him through. I felt awful that he was sick, but I was glad to know that my instincts kicked right in, and I just did what I had to do to help him get better. I never felt afraid or unsure what to do. I’m sure that will change drastically as he gets older, but I’ll try never to let him know that I’m winging it!

Mom, I want my Sandwich

Hey Mommy this is the best grilled cheese!!!

(Yep, it's E posting for H again..) I cannot believe my little buddy J is munching on a Grilled Cheese!!

Autism Information

I have been in several discussions lately, both in person and online, about the issue of Autism. The government has recently decided to pay damages in a case of one little girl who was diagnosed with Autism following a set of vaccinations she recieved. This has long been a hot button issue, and the recent decision has brought it to the fore front once again. I am not a medical professional. I have no scientific or medical training. I have not done hours of research. But I am a Mommy. I have God-given Mommy instincts. I have made certain decisions concerning J's medical care based largely on those instincts. We will discuss that more later. For now, I thought it would be good to share with you some factual information from credible sources. Too many people are out there pushing thier own agenda (on both sides) and presenting "facts not in evidence." I think everyone has the right not only to make healthcare decisions for thier children, but to make INFORMED decisions.

Facts about Autism
Did you know…
-1 in 150 children is diagnosed with autism
-1 in 94 boys is on the autism spectrum
-67 children are diagnosed per day
-A new case is diagnosed almost every 20 minutes
-More children will be diagnosed with autism this year than with AIDS, diabetes & cancer combined
-Autism is the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the U.S.
-Autism costs the nation over $90 billion per year, a figure expected to double in the next decade -Autism receives less than 5% of the research funding of many less prevalent childhood diseases
-Boys are four times more likely than girls to have autism
-There is no medical detection or cure for autism

Incidence vs. Private Funding
Leukemia: Affects 1 in 25,000 / Funding: $310 million
Muscular Dystrophy: Affects 1 in 20,000 / Funding: $175 million
Pediatric AIDS: Affects 1 in 8,000 / Funding: $394 million
Juvenile Diabetes: Affects 1 in 500 / Funding: $130 million
Autism: Affects 1 in 150 / Funding: $15 million

What is autism?
Autism, part of a group of disorders known as Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), is a complex neurobiological disorder that typically lasts throughout a person's lifetime. The disorder is characterized by varying degrees of impairment in communication skills and social abilities, and also by repetitive behaviors. Symptoms range from mild to severe. One milder form of the disorder is known as Asperger Syndrome. Other developmental disorders that fall under the Autism Spectrum Disorders are Rett Syndrome, PDD NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder), and Childhood Disintegrative Disorder. Parents are usually the first to notice unusual behaviors in their child or their child's failure to reach appropriate developmental milestones. Some parents describe a child that seemed different from birth, while others describe a child who was developing normally and then lost skills. If you have concerns about your child's development, don't wait: speak to your pediatrician about getting your child screened for autism.

How common is autism?
As many as 1 in 150 children are autistic, according to the Centers for Disease Control. That adds up to almost 1.5 million people in the United States. Also, government statistics suggest the rate of autism is rising 10-17 percent annually. Unfortunately, the numbers appear to be continuing their upward climb. In fact, it is the most prevalent developmental disorder to date; according to the Centers for Disease Control, of the approximately 4 million babies born every year, 24,000 of them will eventually be identified as autistic. Also, recent studies suggest boys are more susceptible than girls to developing autism. In the United States alone, 1 out of 94 boys are suspected of being on the spectrum, with perhaps more going undiagnosed to this day. That said, girls appear to manifest a more severe form of thedisorder than their male counterparts.

How did my child develop autism?
No one knows for sure. Though it's understandable to expect that a disorder as common as autism would have a known cause, in many ways it's still quite mysterious. Recent studies suggest a strong genetic basis for autism -- up to 20 sets of genes may play a part in its development. Genetics alone, however, can't account for all the cases, and so scientists are also looking into possible environmental origins, as well as other triggers.

How can I tell if a child is autistic?
No two autistic kids are alike, but there are some signs that many of them share and that experts agree may be as recognizable as early as the toddler years, or even sooner. Children on the spectrum generally have difficulty relating to others; they may hardly speak, and if they do, they may not communicate in ways that other people can easily understand (they may screech loudly when they're upset, for example, instead of crying). They don't usually sustain eye contact – it's too intense -- and have trouble reading social cues. They're also prone to repetitive behaviors, flapping their hands constantly or uttering the same phrase over and over again. They may also be more sensitive than typically developing children, or dramatically less so, to sights, sounds and touch.

What should I do if I suspect something is wrong with my child?
Don't wait--talk to your doctor about getting child screened for autism. New research shows that children as young as one may exhibit signs of autism, so recognizing early signs and knowing developmental milestones is important. Early intervention is key.

A good place to start doing your own research is autismspeaks.org

New Blogging Buddy!

You heard it here, folks, we have another brilliant blogger to add to our circle of friends! My god daugter K Bug started one. She is a hilarious little kid......oh, excuse me K........young lady. She is totally adorable and has the greatest sense of humor! And she is quite the talker as well, so we should have plenty to read from her! Here is a link:

http://kaitlynmccoy.blogspot.com/

I'll add it to my links at the bottom of my page too. Everyone enjoy!

(now we just have to work on her sister! LOL, get the WHOLE family going!)

J is Crawling!

Ok so this is Elizabeth (yes, yes I'm signed in as Heather-I had to and yes I had permission.) :0)

I wanted to post this little video for my bestest girlfriend in the world.... My little J-man is crawling... Way to go buddy!!!

Love ya both! E

10 MONTHS OLD!!!

It’s so hard to believe, but my little man is already 10 months old today! I was looking through all the photos on my computer last night, and I’m just in awe over how much he’s changed. I pulled up each picture from his birth to today and watched as his personality developed before my eyes. I really do miss that sleepy cuddly little newborn who would snuggle up in my neck for hours a day. But I am having so much more fun with my laughing smiling babbling little crawler! I thought it would be fun today to list all the skills he has mastered and is developing now that he is 10 months old:

Mastered
Smiling
Laughing
Kissing
Giving “noggin” (bumping forheads)
Sitting
Babbling and imitating sounds
Manipulating toys appropriately (rolling truck/car on floor, shaking rattle, banging hammer)
Rolling around
Reaching for people/things he wants
Self feeding with hands (no utensils yet)
Eating “big people food” (bread, diced veggies, crackers, meat bites, cheerios)
Pincer grasp
Splashing in the tub
Visually tracking objects as they go by, such as cars
Turning to look in the direction of a sound
Wrapping Parents, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, and even total strangers in stores tightly around his little finger!

Developing
Using words appropriately (Ma Ma, Da Da)
Sitting for extended periods of time
Pulling up from laying to sitting position
Crawling (is more of a commando crawl so far, but lightning fast!)
Giving “high five.”
Making faces
Shared experiences (I play music from his toy, we make eye contact, then he looks at the toy, then back at me)
Giving objects to another person (he’ll hold it out to you, but forgets to let go of it)
Concept of “in” and “out” (putting small toys into a container and taking them out)
Concept of object permanence
Obedience/Testing of Rules (Grandma says it’s a ‘no no,’ does Grandpa?)

The last time we had him weighed was almost two months ago and he was 23 pounds then. He wears size 4 diapers, size 18month clothes and size 3 shoes. I am amazed when I sit back and realize just how BIG he is! He started out so tiny and skinny. He was dark skinned, and black haired. Now his hair has finally started growing back in, after having all fallen out, and it is a nice light brown. His skin has turned paler. His eyes are kind of brown in the middle, but still grey/blue around the outside. He has seven teeth, four on top, three on bottom. His favorite food is bread. He wants to drink ANYTHING he sees big people drinking. (He loves soda, milk, water, juice, tea, and coffee) He will grab food out of your hand and eat it. He wants only big people food, and it is very hard to get him to eat his baby foods anymore. He is just recently beginning to “play shy” with strangers when we are in public. When someone speaks to him, he will smile real big and lay his head down on my shoulder.

I am thinking about what I want to plan for his first birthday, and astounded that it is time to do that already! I have no idea what kind of theme I want to have. I guess we will probably do it at our house. I’m sure it’ll be a big crowd!