Where Have We Been?

Seems like 2011 keeps finding ways to knock me down, but I keep on getting up!

My newest adventure involves yet another trip to the emergency room followed by another surgery.  I was fine last Saturday morning even participating in the JDRF walk with my nieces' team and spending the afternoon with family.  By the time 7 PM hit though, I was in so much pain I could barely move - abdominal pain is nothing to joke about under normal circumstances, but being pregnant, I called my OB who had me come in to get checked out.  I was hoping it was just that I have over-done it like my OB suggested at first, but I was fairly certain that was not the case. 

Luckily baby was dong perfectly fine, and we found a nice strong heart beat right away.  No contractions.  No bleeding.  Lots of abdominal pain though!  They quickly rule out any type of bladder or kidney issues and by the time my blood work came back it was not a surprise to see an elevated white blood cell count.  I was admitted overnight and sent to ultrasound to check for appendicitis.  The ultrasound was inconclusive (and very painful I might add) as they couldn't find my appendix.  A CT scan usually is the next step, but being pregnant we of course wanted to avoid that.  The doctor decided to wait until morning and check my blood again to see what we found, of course keeping me on some good pain killers overnight.  Blood work was again inconclusive in the morning, so it was decided to send me for an MRI.  Ever had one?  They are pretty terrible.  About an hour of sitting totally still with no one around while in a big tube magnet. I shudder to think I"ll ever need one again.  Thankfully, the results of the MRI were much better than the ultrasound and we found I for sure I had appendicitis.  While it's never "good" to have something like this, the timing as far as the pregnancy is concerned couldn't have been much better. 

I went in for surgery that afternoon, and came out perfectly fine with a very healthy baby.  The concern of course was that the surgery would irritate my uterus enough to send me into preterm labor, but despite a few contractions we never had issues.  I'm now a week post-surgery and while very sore, I'm doing well all things considered.  Baby is kicking away and very healthy - we had a level II ultrasound a few days ago that was pre-scheduled and did go very well.

We're hoping the rest of the pregnancy proceeds without any other complications.  I'm halfway there, so it's looking good.  Still considered high-risk due to some other issues, but all this means really is we'll be seeing baby on ultrasound once a month unless something else is detected. 

So...that's been our last week or so!  I hope all of you out there have had much more productive weeks than I have.  Hoping to resume some normal posting in the next day or two.

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45 Lessons Life Taught Me

Sometimes, you're given just what you need to make it through the day.  A fellow FX blogger shared this on her blog today.  I thought I would take a few minutes to share with my readers as well.

Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, The Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:"

01. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

02. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

03. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

04. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

05. Pay off your credit cards every month.

06. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

07. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

08. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

09. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past, so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. No one is in charge of your happiness, but you.

25. Frame every so-called disaster with these words ''In five years, will this matter?".

26. Always choose life.

27 Forgive everyone everything.

28. What other people think of you is none of your business.

29. Time heals almost everything. Give time, time.

30. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

31. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

32. Believe in miracles.

33. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

34. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

35. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

36. Your children get only one childhood.

37. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

38. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

39. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

40. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

41. The best is yet to come.

42. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

43. Yield.

44. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

45. The most important sex organ is the brain.

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First Day of School 2011

Since this is our first year of school that I've had this blog going when school starts, I wanted to start a new tradition for Ayden.  At the beginning of the summer, I was able to post our first and last day of school pictures from the first year in ECSE.  Well, this year I decided to write a letter to Ayden.  Not the typical "this is how Ayden is doing" but instead a letter meant especially for him that hopefully I can share with him someday.

Dear Ayden:

Today was your second year of pre-school, or ECSE as it's proper name.  We have a few changes this year in that you are heading to the "big kid" class in the afternoon.  It is a big change for you, as you still haven't stopped your afternoon naps and school happens to fall right during that nap time!  I know this change will be difficult for you as has any change in your habitual life, especially one relating to sleep.  I'm hopeful though that this transition doesn't last too long and that your love for school will help you overcome any issues you have with change.

I'm so glad you have the opportunity to go to a place you love for a few hours each day.  I will always prefer to have you here with me, but know that for now this is best for you and your dad and I will always do whatever we can to help you be the best Ayden you can be.

Already today, you easily fell back into the routine of waiting for the bus.  When I got your school shoes and backpack out of the closet, your entire face lit up!  We put on your shoes and backpack, then headed outside to wait for the bus and of course get some first-day-of-school pictures.  You'll probably get a good chuckle out of this when you are older because your mom always has a camera, I'm sure that won't ever change!  As the bus pulled up, you grabbed my hand and walked there with me where without looking back you got onto the bus and into your seat from last year - even buckled yourself in!  As I was talking to your bus driver, Dave, you sat very patiently just looking at us like "C'mon, I'm ready!"  I was a very proud mom seeing how independent you are becoming.  Sometimes when you're with me all the time, I tend to forget and just do things for you instead of waiting for you to do them yourself.  I'm getting better, but even moms have a few things to learn.

I'd be remiss if I didn't add in a little snippet about your brother Issac here.  I think he had the most difficult time with school this year.  He's not used to being without you, but especially not used to napping in your room alone.  He cried and banged on the door for a good half hour crying and yelling things like "A-A-BAY BACK!" and "GET UP, A-A-BAY!".  He took not having big brother around a little more difficult than I expected, but was so excited when you came home.  I don't think he looked at you once the entire evening without saying "A-A-Bay BACK!", which also happened to be his answer to his favorite part of the day.

You also were very excited to arrive home.  I arrived at the bus to find you waiting at the top of the stairs squealing with delight.  As much as you love school, I'm so glad you are just as excited to arrive home.

I'm very excited to watch you grow and change again this year.  We have such an excited few months in front of us as we will be welcoming another member to our family before school is out.  I was a lot more worried when we were welcoming your brother, but I know this time you will be just as an amazing big brother if not more.

Last, though certainly not least, remember that I love you, Ayden.  I know you probably won't remember this day when you are older, but I hope this letter will give you a small glimpse into your life as a 4 year old and you'll be able to see that the one thing that won't ever change is how much your dad and I love you.

Always
Momma

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Oh, how far he's come!

I finally got the pictures off my camera from our visit to Grandad and Nana's house back in August.  I was more than happy about how they turned out, as I really captured so many of the things that mean so much for me to see.  It's amazing to me exactly how far Ayden really has come even just looking back at these pictures.  From actually playing, to running around in the grass, to picking up and holding a tennis ball, petting a dog, and even standing patiently while watching the car cruise with the family.  You'll notice how none of these pictures include tears or sadness, and it's important (at least for me) to note those pictures weren't left out or not taken - this was Ayden pure and simple.  Happy.  Excited.  Enjoying summer.

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