Archive for the ‘Grammy’ Category
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Grammy, Papa & Their Favorite Grandkids
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What Our Family is Good At
… according to Punky and Spunky…
- Daddy: fixing fences, doing the computer
- Mommy: making food, washing the dishes
- Leo: eating food
- Papa: making things
- Grammy: buying presents
- Aunt Lu: building things like tall buildings
- Grandpa: killing bugs
- Grandma: making cereal
- Aunt Rachel: making pizza
- Uncle Kyle: cutting the grass
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A Not So Routine Check-Up
On Friday, I took Bunky for his 9 month check-up. I assumed it was just going to be routine, no surprises, especially since I didn’t have any major concerns about him. We arrived a few minutes late because Punky was throwing one of his tantrums. Yes, he is four and a half and still frequently throwing major tantrums- more on that later.
We were sitting in the waiting room when out of the corner of my eye I saw Spunky throw up. She had covered a chair, a book and the floor and her clothes needed to be changed. I called the receptionist to help, and she ran to get supplies to clean up. As she did, Spunky threw up again, but this time I was able to get her to land it in a garbage can. I don’t typically bring a change of clothing for my older children, so I took off Punky’s long-sleeved shirt (he had a t-shirt on under) and put that on Spunky like a long over-sized dress. She said she felt fine, and I have no idea why she threw up because she has been perfectly healthy since.
A nurse took Bunky into the other room to weigh him while I cleaned up Spunky. I could hear Bunky screaming it in the other room and it broke my heart. Spunky was finally semi-presentable, so she, Punky and I were able to go to the examine room to be with Bunky. He immediately stopped crying and reached out his arms as soon as he saw me. My sweet boy!
That was when Punky started freaking out- there is no other word for it. He started screaming and crying. He even kicked the wall and window. He took his shoe off his foot and threw it across the room. He was terrified that Bunky needed to get a shot, which Bunky was not going to, but it didn’t matter because he was all worked up about it. He fought with his sister and yelled at me. (A couple of years ago, Punky came down with a really bad case of pneumonia, as a result, he had to have blood drawn and a shot of antibiotics. He has been scared of shots ever since.)
All the while I was trying to take care of Bunky and talk to the pediatrician. At the nine month check-up, they do a heel prick to check the baby’s blood. It turns out that Bunky’s iron count was really low, so they had to draw more blood to check his hematocrit level. The normal range for a child his age is 33-40%. Bunky’s was 8.2%.
The pediatrician also heard a slight heart murmur during the exam, which could be related to the low hematocrit level. I have to now give Bunky vitamins with iron and two serving of iron-fortified cereal a day. I am also going to take iron supplements because if Bunky has low iron, I probably do as well. Hopefully, Bunky’s problem is just low iron and not something more serious. When I asked the pediatrician what else it could be, she said, “we’ll talk about that when we get there,” which made me even more upset. I have to take Bunky back to have his blood checked again in two weeks.
After the appointment, I was feeling like such a failure as a mom.
Punky couldn’t behave to save his life, Spunky threw up out of no where, and now my poor baby boy was not healthy. I felt like I could have somehow controlled all of these things. I needed to make my baby healthy again, keep a close eye on my princess and determine how I could help Punky.
And all this happened before 10am!
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I would appreciate your prayers for both of my boys.
Thankfully, Spunky is completely fine! Grammy’s theory, which I think is probably true, is that Spunky may have been trying to make herself burp. It is her not-so-secret talent that she does to impress people. That girl cracks me up!
I’ll update you as I know more.
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Happy Mother’s Day!
I am so fortunate because I have the best mother in the world, really I do.
She is my best friend.
She listens to all my struggles.
She is an excellent role model.
She offers advice when needed.
She never interferes.
She is a constant support.
She has always given me the privacy that I need.
She makes me laugh.
She is stronger than any other person I know.
She loves my husband.
She thinks of others before herself.
She is an amazing cook.
She loves jokes and a good pun.
She is devoted to her family.
She has great common sense.
She understands the tones of my voice.
She is able to see good in bad times.
She loves my dad and always shows it.
She is intelligent.
She sends my children letters.
She thinks ahead about special days.
She is so beautiful.
She always treated her daughters equally.
She offers me encouragement.
She cherishes my children.
She is level-headed in times of stress.
She can calm me down when I’m upset.
She is a wonderful listener.
She is someone I cannot life without.
She is my Mama.I love you Mom, more than you can ever know.
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I Am Just Bummed…
In the past several of months, there has been so much sadness in my life and the lives of those around me. I am having a very hard time this evening with it all.
In a short period of time, our family has been constantly sick, my mom is dealing with her cancer and constant testing, my friend, who had been trying to conceive for nearly two years, miscarried her baby, my Nonna struggles in a nursing home, my other friends found out that their future plans are being delayed indefinitely, another friend delivered a stillborn full-term baby girl, my husband’s Aunt Joy passed away after a short battle with brain cancer, several people that we love have been trying for years and cannot conceive, my in-laws are going through a hard time at their church, a friend’s step-mother was diagnosed with cancer, and the wedding of our friends that was supposed to be this weekend had to be cancelled due to immigration issues and the groom is now detained, separated from his fiance AND his young daughter, on the weekend that was to be his wedding.
On top of this, now that our family has been exposed to a “highly contagious” virus, we have to cancel our trip back home. My mom’s side of the family, all four of her brothers and their families, were getting together. One of my aunts has brain cancer and I have an uncle who is very ill. I so wanted to be there because this may be the last time that everyone is together as a family, and now we can’t go. We can’t expose these two family members, who are in compromised physical states, to this stupid virus.
I am angry. I am sad. I am disappointed. I am confused. I am frustrated.
I just wish things weren’t like this.
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Christ Is Risen!
Our Service
Our Pascha Basket and Kulich
Easter Outfits from Grammy & Papa
The kiddos and Sarah & Jason
Our Paschal Feast and Red Eggs
Baskets
Easter Egg Hunt
Our godson and one of my favorite little girls
Our swingin’ girl and our runnin’ boy
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Multitude Monday: Week 4
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A Week with Grammy
I haven’t spent much time online this week
because I’ve been enjoying time with my Mom.We kept very busy! And the kids had a blast with her.
My hubby and I even got to go out on a really long date (more on that to come later).My mom is one of my best friends. She is honestly one of the most loving, considerate, thoughtful people that I know. She always goes out of her way to do things for others. She’s even been known to buy Christmas presents in March when she finds a gift that is perfect for someone. She is also very intelligent and introspective. We spent a lot of her visit just talking, in the car, on the couch.
I so enjoy talking with her.As for the children, they couldn’t get enough of her!
They even sent her home with drawings and little presents for Papa and Aunt Lu.We can’t wait to see you again!!
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Biopsy Came Back Clear!
We’re all excited because my mom’s biopsy came back clear!
She doesn’t have to go back to the oncologist for a couple of months.
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2010 Thus Far…
For some time now, I have felt like I am just getting by. I’ve been very busy and have had a hard time getting things done. I have piles of papers to go through and organize. I even managed to forget to pay the electric bill at our other house. Oops! I need to get life in order. I am really looking forward to Lent this year. It should be a good time to slow down and focus on the things that are important.
I have to say that many of my distractions have been good. I’ve been spending a lot of time with my children, doing crafts, baking, reading books and just hanging out with them. I’ve also been traveling: visiting family for Thanksgiving, Gatlinburg for the New Years and then New Orleans. I’ve had both good and bad days, and I pray that the coming months are peaceful ones for us all.
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This little girl is a teenager in a two and a half year old’s body. She says things like, “Well, that’s just too bad” and “That’s wonderful” or “I just can’t believe that!” After their stay with Grandma and Grandpa, Spunky went through a terrible phase of separation anxiety, where she wouldn’t let me out of her sight. But that has passed, and she is back to her normal, energetic, stubborn self. She still wants me to “cuddle her” at night and naptime, but she is doing better. She also knows how to use her cuteness to manipulate us. But, man, is she adorable! She loves reading and has reached a new stage where she is pretending all the time. She loves playing with her kitchen and taking care of her babies.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bunky is also becoming more independent. Thankfully, he is FINALLY sleeping at night! He doesn’t sleep much at all during the day, though. He maybe sleeps for a total of 1 1/2 hours during the day, but that doesn’t seem to bother him too much. He has started talking. He can say things like “dadadada” “boo” “maaama” and today we think he said his brother’s name. He still adores his siblings and has a lot more fun interacting with them now. He hasn’t started eating any solid food yet, mainly because I want to talk with his pediatrician first. He has terrible eczema, and I want to get that checked out again before I feed him anything. He is a sweetheart!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Punky is growing up right before our eyes. He is currently in the middle of a growth spurt and is eating us out of house and home! He had FIVE bowls of cereal for breakfast the other day and continued to eat just as voraciously all day long. He has been complaining of his legs/knees hurting; so I think he is having growing pains. He has been in Speech Therapy for two months now, and his speech is steadily improving. He is starting to get very excited about going to school (more on that in a later post). Check out what he did the other day:
He loves practicing his letters, whether that be writing them down or learning how to say them correctly. He always tells me that when he “grows big” he is going to teach his sister and brother how to speak correctly and write letters. He loves being a big brother.
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My beautiful mother has some tests done recently, and they revealed something on her sternum. Tomorrow afternoon, she is has a CT-guided biopsy of her sternum. She also had a bone marrow biopsy of her hip done two weeks ago, and everything came back normal with that. She feels healthy. She has been back to her normal self, working hard and enjoying time with her friends and family. Please say a prayer that the biopsy will come back negative for cancer and that the doctors will be able to determine what is going on. Thanks!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In January, we found out that my husband’s aunt has a malignant and rapidly growing tumor that is taking over the speech area her brain. Surgery would only remove a portion of the tumor, thus leaving cancer in the brain. Radiation and chemotherapy would of necessity follow that kind of surgery. The risks of surgery would entail the high probability of further deterioration of speech, as well as the side effects of radiation and chemotherapy, in addition to a significantly diminished quality of life. To do nothing, allowing the malignancy to run its course, would mean a life expectancy of less than a year. Even with surgery, radiation, and chemo or without it, there is no cure. Her condition is terminal. Taking the approach to “do everything possible,” would only promise minimal additional time.After prayerful reflection and medical advice, in addition to prior personal consideration of these kinds of circumstances over the years, his aunt has made the decision to allow the cancer to run its course. While choosing this course will mean a slightly less life expectancy, it will mean an increased quality of life while she is with us and result in a peaceful home going.
From their online journal: “Recently, Joy has made her intentions clear. “I’m so tired. It would be fine with me just to fall asleep and go to Heaven. All I can think about is the joy of Heaven. I don’t want to fight this.” It is with our deep faith in God that we believe He is the Great Physician and is our Healer. We do believe God could choose to heal her while on this earth, but we also know the ultimate healing will be in Heaven. It is with the assurance and promises of a gracious God that as a family we face the future. We rest in the confidence that, “For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.” (Rom 14:8) Finally, “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (2 Cor 4:18) Our faith still holds to an unfailing God.”
Please keep her and the family in your prayers.
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Prayer for Children
O God, our heavenly Father, who loves mankind and are a most merciful and compassionate God, have mercy upon Your servants for whom I humbly pray to You to care for and protect. O God, be their guide and guardian in all their endeavors, lead them in the path of Your truth, and draw them nearer to You, so that they may lead a godly and righteous life in Your love as they do Your will in all things. Give them Your grace, and mercy so that they may be patient, hard working, tireless, devout and charitable. Defend them against the assaults of the enemy, and grant them wisdom and strength to resist all temptation and corruption, and direct them in the way of Salvation, through the goodness of Your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
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