Wow we have had a few things going on.

Justin got his wisdom teeth out Monday. (all 4 at once!!!!) He did awesome. He was eating soft foods that evening and didn't spend too much time complaining. The same day, Marcus got some fillings and Alec had an orthodontist appointment.

Today, I took Maggie to get her 3 month photos taken. They turned out cute of course. Hopefully, I will be able to post them. Saira is doing good with her learning. Her reading and writing is getting better. Of course, I have to be thankful for the computer and all of you that take time to IM back and forth with her.

I am still asking for prayers for Marty for a job. Hopefully the one at Fort Bliss comes through. That would be awesome!

Me - well I am just me. I am okay. I have been fighting my usual depression, but it hasn't gotten the best of me and some days it isn't bad at all. Other days, I just can't seem to get motivation to do much of anything other than take care of Maggie and make dinner. The reason I cannot take my meds is because I am breastfeeding. Once Maggie has decided that she has had enough of that, I can go back on my meds. Till then, I just pray about it and push myself to do a little more.


Well, I hope you are all having a great summer!

God Bless you all!
Kathi

Oh my......

Justin is running a fairly high temp again. I don't know what to think or what is up. I am hesitant to start him on another round of antibiotics - unless really necessary. He isn't as bad as he was before. He is up and functioning, whereas before all he could do was lay in bed. I am trying to push fluids into him and tylenol. Please pray that we get this figured out or that he just gets better!

On the other hand, I am up at 2 in the morning because I am having contractions. I figure I will time them for awhile and if they seem to stay consistant or get closer together, then I will call the doctors office. So, only those of you that actually read this will know that it is a possibility right now.

My mom and dad made it in safely. They got here Saturday evening. The kids were really excited to see them. It is nice seeing them again.

It also makes me realize that our big move is just around the corner. As excited as I am, it also makes me sad to be leaving so many people behind.

Please pray for Justin to get better, and then me to have a safe and uncomplicated delivery (whether that is today or tomorrow).

Thank you and God Bless,
Kathi

I forgot to update after the last appointment...

Well, the last appointment went well. Her heart rate was 152. So she is still doing great. My numbers have been awesome with the GD. Actually, they have been normal. Everything is set as far as hoping to deliver on the 8th. I go in the morning to have her lungs checked to make sure she is ready. (She should be - it is only 10 days early.) If all is good, she will be born that evening. I would have preferred first thing in the morning, but I keep forgetting that things happen in God's time, not mine. So, as long as it is the 8th I will be happy. Everyone things I am crazy for getting her baptized on Easter, because she will only be a few days old. We will try to limit how much she is being passed around because of all of the virus' floating around right now. We don't want her to end up sick.

Speaking of which, I am on antibiotics for a sinus infection right now. Justin is on them for whatever. He was still sick and lying around sleeping all day acting like he was on his death bed. You can tell he never got sick much as a kid. He has dealt with over 30 surgeries but can't get over a cold/flu. Saira was on antibiotics for a bladder infection. So, I think we are all on the mend now and getting better. I hope so, I need to get all of these sick germs out of the house before the baby gets here.

So, anyway, one more appointment for next week, then the next week we find out the big day.

I know I edited the last post to say that I had an awesome baby shower with my church family, and it was! I am going to miss those ladies so much when I move.

God Bless,
Kathi

I am excited today!

A couple of very dear ladies from church are throwing me a baby shower today!! Yeah!! Thank you Jane and June!!! I can't wait. I love hanging out with all of these ladies and it will be fun, I am sure.

The only bad part is that I have a cough and head congestion. I am waiting for the pharmacy to open so that I can get some sudafed. Then I will feel better and more up to the whole party. I woke up at six feeling miserable. At least I didn't get the flu like the kids had. Justin, Saira, and Alec all just have the cough now. We sound horrible, but all in all are feeling better.

They all want to go to the shower, so sure why not? They may get bored, but I think they will have some fun. June always makes yummy deserts!

Nancy is still doing well. She is weaning down to lesser pain killers. God is Awesome!

My mom and dad will be here in 2 weeks. Our little one will hopefully be here in 2 1/2 weeks. They want to check for lung maturity that morning, and then will deliver her that evening if everything looks good. So, she is going to be an evening baby, like Marcus. The other 3 were all born in the morning. She is still breech, but since it is a c-section that isn't a problem. Everything else looks good. My numbers are still about the same for the GD, so no meds. This is a blessing, being able to control through diet (and exercise). Her heart rate was 154. That is good and strong. We go to the doctor every week now.

Well, Walgreens should be open soon, so I gotta run....

Blessings,
Kathi


I just wanted to add that I had a wonderful time at my baby shower. There were so many lovely ladies there! My baby girl got tons of great gifts! June made an awesome lunch! Thank you all very much! I am gonna take a nap and when I get up, make dinner and start writing thank you cards to all of the wonderful ladies!

uuuggghhhhh!

Well, 3 out of 4 kids have the flu. I am trying very hard not to catch it. I am spraying Lysol daily.lol. Alec is on the rebound now and doing better. Justin and Saira just started yesterday really so they have a few more days ahead of them. Yuck!!
On a good note - 3 weeks from tomorrow our little one should be here. I can't wait to hold her in my arms instead of my stomach. haha.
The weather has been gorgeous the last 2 days. It is supposed to be cooler for the next few days but not too cold.
Please pray that I don't catch the kids flu.
thanks,
Kathi

Things were pretty productive.....

I made it through the garage. Alec helped me sort through everything. We have one corner of stuff that is what we are taking with us. The rest has to go. It was pretty liberating getting that done. Praise God that we had warm weather for a couple of days. We sold the trampoline and basketball hoop already. I have some stuff on Craigslist. We threw out a bunch of stuff. A friend/neighbor is in the process of moving and they got a big dumpster. I asked and they said we could throw out stuff in there because they were never going to fill it. Thank you Nova!

We have gone through most of the stuff in the house, but I did realize that there is one set of cupboards that I completely forgot about. So, that will be the next area.

I go to the doctor on Wednesday and I will be able to see what he says about baby being so big. I also have to ask about something for heartburn. I am getting tired of chewing on tums. blech.

Only 4 1/2 weeks until my mom and dad get here.

Well, I think that is about it for now.

An update...

I got back from the doctor and he said still no meds for the gestational diabetes. That is good news, I hope. I have had some numbers that are high, but he said that overall they look good. And the ones that are high weren't horribly high. I did get an ultrasound scheduled for next week. They want to check on her size and weight and make sure she isn't getting too big. I guess that can happen with GD. I hope not. I want to hold my little newborn. Her heart rate the last time was 160 and this time it was 154. It has been staying pretty high. I don't remember what the other kids were. I have to go for another blood test to check on my thyroid. They haven't checked it for awhile and I guess that it can go haywire when you are pregnant. I hope it is okay - I don't want to increase meds.

The colds are pretty much gone now. Everyone is healthy.

I packed up a few more tubs. I threw out a couple more trash bags full of stuff that we don't need or isn't really usable to anyone else. I have some stuff set aside to sell. We have the attic floor and upstairs done. (Meaning that we have gone through everything that we can right now.) The main things upstairs at this point is clothes. I have gone through mine and Saira's. Marty still needs to go through his. Alec went through his and so did Marcus.

Well, I better go. I gotta start supper.

There is a cold going through our house.

I started it all. Of course, with being pregnant, my immune system isn't what it could be. I caught a cold. Then Alec and Marty caught it. Now it looks like Justin and Saira might be getting it. It has been a week and I am feeling better for the most part. There are certain times of day though that I just feel beat. Hopefully, it won't last much longer. I hope everyone else is avoiding being sick. I hear there is a lot of flu going around. I am thankful that I only have a cold and not the flu.

It is cold again.

Ever since the other day it has been cold again. I had to go apply for medicaid today since our insurance runs out tomorrow. Hopefully we will hear something soon. I went to the doctor yesterday and he said that even though my overnight numbers are a little high, he doesn't think that I need to be put on medication. He said we will just watch if for now and to keep working on keeping it down. So, I guess that is a praise - it isn't out of control.
Well, I had better start figuring out what needs to be done around here.

February has already started out to be stressful

We still haven't gotten any unemployment for Marty. I had him call today and after he was on hold for about an hour and a half, he finally got to talk to a real person. They told him that his employer hadn't turned in any wages since 2003! What is up with those people. So, Marty came home got his W-2 and got on the phone again and of course that meant being on hold for another hour. He finally talked to someone and got it worked out by giving them the info on the W-2. We should get a check this week. Then there was the issue with my gestational diabetes supplies not being covered by my insurance. So, after calling the insurance company to find out why, I found out that it has to billed as a medical expense not a prescription expense. Whatever! I swear, everyone likes to make things difficult. On a positive note, we got a 3D ultrasound done of the baby and they even gave me a short 4D clip of her moving.

Wow 2009 - what else?

I am almost afraid to ask that question. First - Justin ended up in the hospital for a week. It looks like he will be getting his shunt back in on Monday. yeah!! Second - My kitty had to be put to sleep. Now Third - Marty is getting laid off this week. His shop is slow.

Marty and I have been really trying to figure out what to do. The job situation in Michigan is horrible. We always talked about moving south after Marty retires. He asked me about going now. I told him that if he thought that was what we needed to do, I would be behind him. It is a hard decision to make though. I love my friends, my church family, and my house and yard.
But most of all I love God and if this is where He is leading us - who am I to question? The kids are excited to move - which surprised me. They have always been against it before when we talked about it. (and that was still 8 years in the future) To me that is a God thing. Why else would they have such sudden change of hearts?

So, we have started the process to see what we need to do to get everything organized to get this all started. We won't go until after the baby is born, because I don't want to change doctors mid pregnancy. I also don't want to travel in ice and snow being pregnant. I also want to have the baby baptized at 'our church' like the other kids were. No matter where we move, and no matter what other churches we may join and may love - New Community Fourth Reformed will always be our church!

So friends, our time together might be limited, but I want you all to know that you have all touched my heart and will forever have a place there!

Blessings,
Kathi

Another vent ~ sorry......

Justin's doctor came in this morning and said that the soonest they would put his shunt back in is next Tuesday. I asked if there were an infection and he said not yet. Okay so why did you initially tell us 4-5 days? His reply - he must have been delirious. Uhh Gee thanks?!?! I am so irritated right now. I just want to be done with this and go home. I am 7 months pregnant and trying to sleep on some little cot like thing is not comfortable and I am not getting much sleep, let alone - no exercise. This just royally sucks. It was bad enough before, but now it is worse. On top of that, I can't quit thinking about my kitty.

Okay enough feeling sorry for myself. I just needed to get that off of my chest.
gotta go......

Wow! I thought 2009 was going to be a pretty good year....

Well, when it rains, it pours! That is all I can say. As I type this, I am sitting in Detroit at Childrens Hospital. Justin's shunt was having issues. We got here on Monday and they ran tests all day long. We got in a room at 6:00pm. Tuesday they took him into surgery and removed the shunt and externalized it so that it drains on the outside of his head. Apparently, with all of the tests, it showed that he had a psuedo cyst at the end of his shunt tubing. The fluid that was there is typically there because of an infection. So, they drained that and are culturing it to see if anything grows. The first initial result showed no infection, but we still have to wait 3-4 days to see what the other ones do.
Then if that isn't bad enough, our cat has gotten very ill while we were away. So, my husband is taking her to have her put to sleep. I feel bad that I am not there. She was more my cat than anyone else's.
I know they say things happen for a reason, but seriously, I think I have had enough this week. I tell you my week has really sucked!
Of course, I keep looking to God and of course, I don't want her to suffer until I get home, but that doesn't make it any easier. I know that Saira is going to be heartbroken. Alec handles everything, but I know that it bothers him.
Well, here are few pictures that I actually have on my laptop of our kitty Omega - rest in peace.

Some days.............

I love my kids! Remind me of that please!? They are normal kids - sometimes they don't listen. I holler and they get louder and louder. My husband turns the tv up louder and louder. Right now I can barely even think - they are all being so loud. It doesn't change how much I love them, but I wish there were a volume control. When I holler for quiet, my husband doesn't say a word. He just turns the tv louder. I think if he would help voice his opinion to them instead of always to just me, there might be better results. I have stopped hollering. It has been about 5 minutes and they aren't any quieter. My husband just looks at me and then at them. What does he want me to say? I am out of things to say. If it doesn't bother him enough to say something - why should I let it bother me? It really doesn't bother me - other than the sheer volume of it all. But I have decided not to stress myself out, trying to keep them quiet for him. Don't get me wrong, I love my husband. I just hate that he puts me in the roll of the bad guy. Well the tv just went up even louder. He doesn't say anything because he doesn't want the kids mad at him. Well, about 10 minutes later, the kids have toned it down a little, but the tv is still blaring. I will probably hear about it later. What do I say? That I hate yelling at them as much as he does? It is true - I would rather be their friend. But I also know that God gave me a responsibility to raise these kids right. That means I need to be their parent not their friend. In all honesty-I feel like they respect me more than they do him. I encourge them to do things for their father and show him respect. I don't know if he does the same for me. I do know that my kids like to hang out with me. Even their friends like to hang out with them and me. Well, my instigator of a son, just stopped and got everyone ice cream. It is quiet now except for the tv. Honey, can you turn the tv down? Please?!?!?