Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Have I told you lately, that I love you?
Where does time go? Oh I know... friends, family, pets, school, church all those little things. Do you know where yours goes? Today I am writing because so much is happening in our little community and one in particular is tearing at my heartstrings tonight. A little 8 year old girl was kidnapped in a tiny little town just about 10 miles west of here. For those in Central Nebraska, it's a little Wood River to Grand Island type of town. Why? Why! Why does this happen? :( Every day as I am rushing to work, getting my daughter dressed and cared for and screaming at my son to hurry up and get dressed I forget. I forget that this may be the last time we ever have together. It may be the last time he says, "I love you Mom" as he gets out of the car and goes across the street to school. My paranoid self always watches him to walk all the way into the school and after the news of our kidnapping today it will ALWAYS happen. I don't care if I am 2 hours late for work. It will happen. I don't ever want to risk losing my son in any way. I don't ever want to hear him say "I love you Mom" for the last time. These are my kids :( My life would be absolutely nothing without them. So much goes wrong so quickly you never know what could happen. So tonight, I am challenging you. The next time your kid is getting crabby about getting ready for school, or whiny because they don't want to be at daycare or in the carseat. Remember to ALWAYS tell them you love them. Always, no matter how bad it is or how mad you are. You may not get another chance. Life is an open book, and you don't always know what the final chapter will entail. Love them, hug them, kiss them, and yes... discipline them once in a while but don't make it your life. If you were to pass away in your sleep tonight what would be the last thing your children will remember about you before they go to bed. Keep that in mind as you hurry through your morning routine or your nightly routine. Just like the old marriage advice says, "don't go to bed mad" Well practice this on your kids and I promise, your heart will feel better. Mine does. On the days I do forget, it saddens me quite a bit. Today was one of those days. Thank God that my son came home safely to me tonight. I wish I could say about every child out there. Love your kids and they will love you always...
Monday, April 11, 2011
It could be worse...
It could be worse...
This one has been stirring in my brain. Twelve days ago our home was burglarized. I was devastated, depressed, I felt invaded and I couldn’t even imagine WHY someone would be so mean. Violent thoughts entered into my mind. Unfortunately I have seen the person who did it so the visual of his face never leaves my head. I picture myself catching him in the act and slamming a baseball bat into his face or pointing a gun at his forehead. REALLY?! Crazy Cari, calm down! Anger Management is not my specialty as you can tell if you know me AT ALL. I have this vulnerable part of me who is always willing to give someone the benefit of the doubt. I even blamed the burglary on myself thinking I left the door open but then I found the broken window... That set me off. I knew it was him instantly. I could only see RED. All over a TV, a couple of game systems and some cameras. The most hurtful part was that we worked hard to save the money for those things. We don’t buy on credit and we EARNED those things. We didn’t buy them for some criminal to come take whatever he pleased. I didn’t have a camera to take any pictures of my sister’s one and only 30th birthday party. My son will turn 8 this weekend, no camera. My daughter is starting to learn to crawl, no camera. Her 1st Birthday is in a month. NO CAMERA! I keep telling myself, it could have been worse...
Last night as I was catching up on my DVR episodes of “The Celebrity Apprentice” I was viciously thrown back to reality. Leave it to a reality show to do that to you, right? I was watching last week’s episode. They were auctioning off artwork that they made to raise money for their charities. The amount of unselfishness and compassion by those people just hit me like a ton of bricks. John Rich’s team was raising money for St. Jude’s. He had a little boy on who had been fighting cancer his whole life and had some sort of device around his neck to even help him talk and breathe. Can you even imagine? Can you imagine what it would be like to be his mother? The anxiety and thoughts that are constantly going through her mind have to be so extreme. I know what would be going through my head. “WHY? Why me, why my son? What did I do wrong, what else can I do for him? Is he in pain? Does he know? Why are those people staring at him and why are they feeling sorry for him? He is just like you and me. He’s just sick!” My children are my entire world. They are the reason I get out of bed every day. When I get off work I can’t wait to pick up my daughter at daycare and see the smile that comes across her face just from seeing ME. ME! I can’t even say how different our life would be if my child had cancer or some other disease because I do not know. We have dealt with my sister being disabled for her whole life but it has become part of our life and we do not know anything different. It is something she has had her whole life. How do people do it? How do they wake up the day after their daughter’s 10th Birthday and she all of the sudden doesn’t feel good. After a few doctor visits she is diagnosed with Leukemia. How does that happen! How do you just not give up? People are AMAZING, that’s how. The workers at St. Jude’s and every other Children’s Hospital in the world have to be the most unselfish people on the planet. Heaven’s gates are already open for them whenever they are ready. I’m sure there’s not even a pre-approval process for them J
So, after that amazing episode I started thinking. It could be worse. We always complain that we are broke. Well guess what, we might not have a lot of money to spare but we have A LOT to show for it. We drive nice cars, we own a beautiful home. I am able to get my hair and nails done and my son usually has the newest video game on the market. We don’t eat like kings, but at least we have food! We have cable TV, internet, computers, all of it. So what am I complaining about?!? It could be worse. We could be without jobs. We could be standing in line at the food bank. We could be moving from house to house, renting and getting kicked out for not paying because we have no job. For that matter we could be homeless! Our children could have an incurable disease or disability and we could have no medical insurance. We could have no family or friends that cared about us. It really could be a lot worse. So when I complain about not being able to go to that concert, or missing a night out at the bar with my friends just smack me. Really? It could be worse. I don’t think I’ll be able to stop complaining about money. Gas Prices, grocery prices, daycare prices. I don’t think I would be a normal human being if I didn’t always want a little more money in my pocket. HA.
As far as the burglary goes, yes I am still UNBELIEVABLY angry about it and I want justice. I plan to go to court and watch his testimony. I want him to know I am there watching him and I want him to see that he did not scare me off. I will not sit back quietly, he will pay for everything he stole from me in one way or another. Every time I see something missing I just think of the extra license plate he will have to make while he’s in prison. LOL! However, I am thankful that we were not home. We have all of our animals and family members safe. Material things can be replaced but I could never replace any of my family or animals. Never. It will be a long road to travel until I feel safe again in my own home but I will get there. It might take a 4 Wheel Drive, but I’ll get there. I really have to thank my friends and family for all of your support lately. I have the best friends and family on the PLANET! I just have to remember, it could be worse...
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
A Helping Hand
Over the past 18 years I have severely struggled with my weight. I have never blamed my weight on anything other than my passion for food. Everything I have been given I dealt myself but my dependency on food was becoming an addiction. The way we live our lives today fast food is always the most convenient substitute for time. Eat in the car, eat out after baseball practice, or Cub Scouts. Whenever we have a birthday or promotion or holiday the first thing we do is go to a restaurant and celebrate! I tried over the years after my son was born to lose the weight myself. Weight Watchers seemed to work the best for me, I lost 4 sizes in a few months but then my uncle passed away and again we were back to the fast food for convenience because of traveling. After that one stint of fast food I could not break the habit no matter how hard I tried.
In May of 2007, after over a year of deciding and health checkups, I opted to have bariatric weight loss surgery (otherwise known as the Lap Band). I was against the surgery from the first suggestion from my physician. I was not about to have this “thing” in me for the rest of my life! I learned more about the surgery and found out that you still have to make healthy eating choices to lose weight. I thought well if I can do that I don’t need to spend the money on the surgery because it won’t work anyway! Well, I decided to go for it. What did I have to lose besides weight right? The day I had my surgery I weighed an astounding 275 pounds! How shameful. What an embarrassment I must have been to my friends and family to have this fat lady around all the time. Who really wanted to look at me waddle around at the pool? What a disgrace I was.
After I had the surgery I was scared to death to eat. I had heard the horror stories about people who ate too much and hurt themselves. I was scared to even take a drink of water. “It is going to hurt”, I would think to myself. Eventually I started off small with the watery mashed potatoes, pudding and jello. I slowly moved to yogurt with fruit chunks and that wasn’t too bad. It was strange to feel the pressure there and to actually realize something was happening when I was eating. As I eased back into food I couldn’t help but try the fast food. Chik-Fil-A was my first solid fast food. A kids meal. I knew it wouldn’t even come close to making me full but I didn’t want to push it. Boy was I WRONG! I could barely finish the meal. It was so filling. Wow this thing is really going to work, I thought to myself! Later that summer we had our annual 4th of July BBQ. I cried. My whole family was eating T-Bone steaks and potato salad and all the fixings. I took 2 bites of meat and I couldn’t eat anymore. It would hurt to eat anything else. How embarrassing to have a plate of food and not be able to finish it. I would look forward to my weekly Friday lunches with my sister. Every Friday we go to lunch as a celebration that it is the end of another long work week! One of the first times we went out after I was back to work we went for Chinese Food. I ordered my usual, Sesame Chicken. Mistake #1. I took one bite and felt some pressure so I thought well I will take a drink of my water to help this thing along through the band. Mistake #2. Then I have water stuck in my throat and breaded chicken stuck in my band. I was so embarrassed. I couldn’t talk because I was scared I would get sick all over the table. Eventually I got up and tried to walk quickly to the bathroom. Thank GOD gravity kicked in as I stood up and pushed the chicken on through my band. Needless to say, I only ate rice the rest of the meal. I had made several more mistakes like this but I learned to work around it. This was not a good thing.
A year passed and I had only lost about 50 pounds. Now I say only but I was under the stupid impression this weight would just melt off. I was depressed. How lame was this? All this pain and suffering and I can’t even eat anything and I’m still FAT! Ok, I thought, it is time to get serious. I went back to my doctor regularly after that and had my weight checked. If I didn’t lose enough weight I made him give me a fill on my band and tighten me up. It had to be the surgery wasn’t working. Eventually the doctor started asking questions. What are you eating? What are you drinking? Well, I was eating normal food. I was drinking pop. I was drinking a cappuccino every day from the gas station. He looked at me like I must be crazy. He told me to cut the cappuccino and cut down on the pop. What a difference little things make. After I cut the cappuccino and cut back on my pop I started to realize I couldn’t eat hardly anything. Beef, what’s that?! Chicken, oh no way! Fish. All I could eat was fish. No hamburgers. No chicken sandwiches. Forget the meat I couldn’t even eat the bun! Uh oh something was going to have to change. Steak, ya right. That was a thing of the past. So, I dealt with it. I started up at the YMCA on the Elliptical 3 days a week. I drank 2-3 bottles of water a day. I ate fish, soup and anything I could get down with ease. The weight started melting. By the end of my 2nd year I had lost a total of 100 pounds!! I was down to 175! Now, this may seem like it is heavy to you, but remember. I was 275 pounds! I went from a size 24 (tight) to a size 14. Amazing. I was so happy. I was not paper thin, I couldn’t wear a bikini but damn it I flaunted it! During the 2nd year I had also dealt with braces. Then I opted to get rid of the red hair and go for natural with blonde highlights it got blonder as the summer went but I loved it! So I had lost 100 pounds AND had straight teeth and was blonde! I looked damn good according to me. I went back “home” in August of that year to see old friends. I actually had someone call me and tell me they wanted me to come see them because they couldn’t believe the pictures I had up of myself on Facebook! I felt so good about myself. FINALLY I was the one that people were looking at saying dang she looks pretty good! I even was with a friend uptown and we got called a couple of “HOT BLONDES” by some drunken guy stumbling through the beer garden. Man. Normally I would say what a drunk but I felt good. I felt good to be the one whistled at!
Two months later, I was pregnant. Oh well, I thought, I’m not going to get the band let out. I’ll be fine. Boy was I wrong. I was puking everything up. I mean EVERYTHING. So they let it all out. What freedom! I could eat!! During my pregnancy I only gained 30 pounds. It doesn’t seem like much but I was humiliated. What a waste. I lost all that weight and now look at me. Fat AGAIN! Since Kherington was born I have had trouble getting back on the bandwagon but I’m getting back into the groove. I have lost about 15 pounds of the baby weight but it is not falling off fast enough for me. I am starting back into the YMCA routine and getting more appointments booked with the doctor to get filled up again.
Ok so finally, the reason I am writing this is because I am SO SICK AND TIRED of people out there who say that people who have bariatric surgery get the easy way out. It is not an easy way out and anybody who tells you that is FULL of bullshit. It is hard work, it’s embarrassing. If you eat the wrong thing at a family meal you have to get up in the middle of the meal and book it to the bathroom. It doesn’t just happen overnight and it takes work. You have to work at it from more than just cutting back on your food intake. You can’t eat whatever you want. It is a LIFESTYLE change. It is nothing more than a diet with a helping hand. If you are overweight and need some help I urge you to look into this helping hand. Do I get mad I can’t eat what everyone else is eating? Yes. Do I get frustrated when I am thirsty and I can’t drink a whole bottle of water within a few minutes? Absolutely. Worst part... I can’t even do a shot at the bar! HA! I have to take it in 3 separate sips. But guess what... I get drunk quicker! HA HA! Don’t believe everything you hear. Get a professional opinion and if the option is given to you for this help, take it. Take it, Take it, and Take it! Thank you, Dr. Holloway for giving me a helping hand at my weight loss. I may hate you when I’m out to eat with friends but I am thankful in the end. I’ll get back down there eventually and maybe this summer someone will be whistling at me again! I have put before and after pics of myself below. Take a look. I actually like getting my picture taken now!
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Why do we say we are Thankful?
You see it all over the place. Newspapers, blogs, Facebook posts, text messages, email chains... everyone is thankful for their wonderful life. They always say, "I am thankful to have such a wonderful family". Why are you thankful? Have you ever stopped to wonder what about them makes you thankful that they are around? Well, I am here to tell you what I am thankful for as we get ready to celebrate another Thanksgiving Day and exactly why I am thankful.
My Husband. I am so thankful for my husband because he really cares about me and our children. He takes the time to help Lawrence with his homework and to "teach" him the ins and outs of all the latest technology for a 7 year old. He gets up with Kherington at 3 or 4 every morning and feeds her before getting ready to go to work so that I can have that extra hour of sleep. He sticks up for me, he worries about me, he cries real tears when we watch sappy movies. He is my Husband and I love him and I am thankful that he loves me for who I am. I'll be the first to admit I am not the easiest wife to have and I am demanding but he loves me anyway and you know what... I love him too!
My Kids. My life would be completely different without my children but I am so thankful that Leon made me realize that we really did want some of them running around our house. I am thankful to have had a little boy to buy all of the trucks and sports gear and gadgets for. We had no boys in our family so he has been so much fun to watch grow. I am thankful that he teaches me things about killer whales and dolphins when he comes home from school. What a smart kid! I am thankful for my daughter. I was pretty much a tomboy until after high school so I am thankful I get to enjoy the pink and dresses for a little while anyway. I thank God every day that my kids love me, tell me they love me and give me kisses every night before bed. Thanks to my kids for making me such a great mom.
My Sisters. When we were younger and would beat each other up and tattle on each other I would always think, "I wish you weren't my sister!". Today I am thankful to have 2 grown women who love me unconditionally and are there for me any time. I am thankful that my sister Katie works at the same place as me and I can spend almost every single break and lunch with her. I am thankful that Becky is right on top of things. She always keeps me informed, whether I missed a birthday or she just read a book I always know what is going on in her life. I am thankful that they love me even though I am not the best sister in the world and even though I am too busy most of the time to stop by and say hi. My sisters are one of the best things in my life.
My Job. I am thankful for my job. Yes, I know, people complain about my company all of the time. We complain about our bosses, our co-workers, our wages and working environment but shouldn't we really be thankful? That job gives me a paycheck which pays my bills and gives me a nice home to live in. It feeds my kids and lets them have a life that some do not have. I am so thankful to have the knowledge and ability to work in the position that I do. Thanks to the person who hired me 12 years ago and gave me a new chance to start my career.
There are many more things that I am thankful for but you would be reading all night long. So, with that said, why do you say you are thankful? Are you thankful for your husband? Why? Do you ever sit and think of all the special things that you have in life. This Thanksgiving take time out from the turkey and really be thankful. I know that I am and my life is wonderful because of it.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone, enjoy your friends and family!
My Husband. I am so thankful for my husband because he really cares about me and our children. He takes the time to help Lawrence with his homework and to "teach" him the ins and outs of all the latest technology for a 7 year old. He gets up with Kherington at 3 or 4 every morning and feeds her before getting ready to go to work so that I can have that extra hour of sleep. He sticks up for me, he worries about me, he cries real tears when we watch sappy movies. He is my Husband and I love him and I am thankful that he loves me for who I am. I'll be the first to admit I am not the easiest wife to have and I am demanding but he loves me anyway and you know what... I love him too!
My Kids. My life would be completely different without my children but I am so thankful that Leon made me realize that we really did want some of them running around our house. I am thankful to have had a little boy to buy all of the trucks and sports gear and gadgets for. We had no boys in our family so he has been so much fun to watch grow. I am thankful that he teaches me things about killer whales and dolphins when he comes home from school. What a smart kid! I am thankful for my daughter. I was pretty much a tomboy until after high school so I am thankful I get to enjoy the pink and dresses for a little while anyway. I thank God every day that my kids love me, tell me they love me and give me kisses every night before bed. Thanks to my kids for making me such a great mom.
My Sisters. When we were younger and would beat each other up and tattle on each other I would always think, "I wish you weren't my sister!". Today I am thankful to have 2 grown women who love me unconditionally and are there for me any time. I am thankful that my sister Katie works at the same place as me and I can spend almost every single break and lunch with her. I am thankful that Becky is right on top of things. She always keeps me informed, whether I missed a birthday or she just read a book I always know what is going on in her life. I am thankful that they love me even though I am not the best sister in the world and even though I am too busy most of the time to stop by and say hi. My sisters are one of the best things in my life.
My Job. I am thankful for my job. Yes, I know, people complain about my company all of the time. We complain about our bosses, our co-workers, our wages and working environment but shouldn't we really be thankful? That job gives me a paycheck which pays my bills and gives me a nice home to live in. It feeds my kids and lets them have a life that some do not have. I am so thankful to have the knowledge and ability to work in the position that I do. Thanks to the person who hired me 12 years ago and gave me a new chance to start my career.
There are many more things that I am thankful for but you would be reading all night long. So, with that said, why do you say you are thankful? Are you thankful for your husband? Why? Do you ever sit and think of all the special things that you have in life. This Thanksgiving take time out from the turkey and really be thankful. I know that I am and my life is wonderful because of it.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone, enjoy your friends and family!
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Friends ARE Family
Wow, my last blog got a lot of attention. Hopefully it didn't seem like I wanted anyone to pity me. I only wanted others to know how lucky we really are to have our kids. When they are screaming, puking, arguing or even giving you big hugs and open mouth kisses remember how blessed you are to have them around. It took me a long time to realize that with my son after feeling like he was always an obligation and something that "married" people does is have kids so I HAD to do it. When my little girl joined me I realized what it really means to be a mommy.
Well, on to the subject of the week. My wonderful friends. Where would I be without all of you. I most definitely have to dedicate this one to Crystal and Shae. You guys have been there for me almost 20 years now!! My life would definitely be different without you. I was able to travel back to Wood River last weekend to visit with the two of them and a few other friends from school. What an amazing thing that we go from riding bikes up to Casey's and sleepovers to sitting in the kitchen visiting about our kids and families. Time sure does fly.
Shae, I will never forget riding my old ten speed by your house the week before school started. You were out in the front yard with Heidi and Dani and stopped me to find out who I was, where I was from and how old I was. Thanks for being the one to take the first step. I was so shy and self conscious I would have never stopped. I am SO glad I did :) Gosh will you ever forget when we were outside of Dowd's talking to you know who and my Dad pulled up? Oh my GOD I thought we were dead meat. HA The old Omega. We sang a lot of songs in that thing didn't we. You boosted my singing confidence so much. I loved singing with you because you made me sound so much better! You really kept me grounded though and I needed that. Somebody had to keep me in line! You still do and that's why I love you babe.
Crystal, I don't even remember when we first started hanging out we spent so much time together. Holy cow, remember when you test drove that white convertible! LOL Our hair was all over, you had yours tied down in the seatbelt. We froze our ASSES off but we had to have that top down! Oh my God I can't even listen to that Silk song or LL Cool J without thinking about you. Holy cow we caused some trouble didn't we? We never did open that "Professional School for Liars" oh well, probably a good thing. HA! All of those all nighters we pulled. I think I slept through break every day at work. We were the best at what we did though. We never got caught!
You two were major molders for my life today. You guys both got me through a VERY bad boyfriend and even a couple more after that. I made it through the hard times with my Mom and Dad with your support. To this day I still tell people about my best friends and how you would come over to help me clean and do my chores just so we could go hang out. I am so proud to still have you as friends and active parts of my life today. I could have never picked 2 better Godmothers for my kids or 2 better bridesmaids. Thank you for all that you do and all that you have ever done for me. Sometimes we forget to say it but I love both of you guys from the bottom of my heart. You ladies prove to me that Friends ARE Family and I would lose two sisters without you guys.
Don't forget who your friends are, they are the ones that get you through it all. Like the song says, if I had only one friend left.. I'd want it to be you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPnhSFrkpno
Well, on to the subject of the week. My wonderful friends. Where would I be without all of you. I most definitely have to dedicate this one to Crystal and Shae. You guys have been there for me almost 20 years now!! My life would definitely be different without you. I was able to travel back to Wood River last weekend to visit with the two of them and a few other friends from school. What an amazing thing that we go from riding bikes up to Casey's and sleepovers to sitting in the kitchen visiting about our kids and families. Time sure does fly.
Shae, I will never forget riding my old ten speed by your house the week before school started. You were out in the front yard with Heidi and Dani and stopped me to find out who I was, where I was from and how old I was. Thanks for being the one to take the first step. I was so shy and self conscious I would have never stopped. I am SO glad I did :) Gosh will you ever forget when we were outside of Dowd's talking to you know who and my Dad pulled up? Oh my GOD I thought we were dead meat. HA The old Omega. We sang a lot of songs in that thing didn't we. You boosted my singing confidence so much. I loved singing with you because you made me sound so much better! You really kept me grounded though and I needed that. Somebody had to keep me in line! You still do and that's why I love you babe.
Crystal, I don't even remember when we first started hanging out we spent so much time together. Holy cow, remember when you test drove that white convertible! LOL Our hair was all over, you had yours tied down in the seatbelt. We froze our ASSES off but we had to have that top down! Oh my God I can't even listen to that Silk song or LL Cool J without thinking about you. Holy cow we caused some trouble didn't we? We never did open that "Professional School for Liars" oh well, probably a good thing. HA! All of those all nighters we pulled. I think I slept through break every day at work. We were the best at what we did though. We never got caught!
You two were major molders for my life today. You guys both got me through a VERY bad boyfriend and even a couple more after that. I made it through the hard times with my Mom and Dad with your support. To this day I still tell people about my best friends and how you would come over to help me clean and do my chores just so we could go hang out. I am so proud to still have you as friends and active parts of my life today. I could have never picked 2 better Godmothers for my kids or 2 better bridesmaids. Thank you for all that you do and all that you have ever done for me. Sometimes we forget to say it but I love both of you guys from the bottom of my heart. You ladies prove to me that Friends ARE Family and I would lose two sisters without you guys.
Don't forget who your friends are, they are the ones that get you through it all. Like the song says, if I had only one friend left.. I'd want it to be you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPnhSFrkpno
Thursday, November 11, 2010
My Miracles
So, it is time for the story to be told. It carries a lot of emotion so I have not really shared it with too many people. I have two little miracle angels in my life. I have no one to thank but God and my FABULOUS doctor for giving them to me. I was reminded how lucky we really were by my doctor the other day and I think my true friends would really want to hear the story.
When Lawrence was born, he came to us through a natural delivery and only 9 days early. The week before he was born I started spotting. This was worrisome for us because a year earlier I had miscarried and it started out with the spotting. After going in to the hospital to check it out, the doctor trusted the hospital ultrasound techs when they told him everything was fine. Immediately when Lawrence was born I knew something was wrong. He was very tiny and it scared me. 3 pounds 11 oz. How can a baby be that small and be ok I would think to myself. After 9 days in the NICU and some exams later we found that my placenta had started to age and my little boy was actually losing weight in the womb. The doctor swears had it been 1 day later, we would have had a delivery but nothing good would have come of it. My heart broke. I swore I would never go through that again. Little did we know...
In January of 2009 I had some pain in my hip. I went to the doctor and we thought it was sciatic nerve issues so he gave me some vicodin. A week later I was laid up and could not walk. My leg had swollen so big I could not get pants on. So, I decided we had to go back to the doctor and see what was up. I have never seen a look like the doctor gave me. He immediately said there was a clot in my leg and scheduled an emergency ultrasound. They found a DVT that ran from my abdomen all the way to my foot. I was immediately admitted to the hospital and had surgery to remove the massive clot. At that time I was told that my contraceptive had most likely caused the clot and that I was lucky to be alive. We went to the doctor in May to get clearance to have another baby. They said yep everything is ok. You are good to go! Yay, we were so excited! By September we found out we were expecting... that's when the fun began.
Shortly after I learned I was pregnant I was diagnosed with a blood disorder. MTHFR. This disorder is known to be the main cause of miscarriages and placenta tears and aging. This explained Lawrence's issues. Now what do we do? I can't get rid of this baby because I am scared! My doctor started taking preventive measures immediately. I was required to give myself a blood thinner shot in my stomach every day and had regular ultrasounds every other week. 1 month before Kherington was to be born the doctors found a clot in her cord. I was scheduled for induction 3 days later.
When I went to the hospital to start my induction they found I had dilated so they decided to just put me on monitors and start the process in the morning. We were sitting around the room visiting and watching TV and all of the sudden a rush of doctors and nurses ran into my room. I was instructed to immediately lay on my left side and they put an oxygen mask over my face. What was going on!? I have never been so scared in my life. My poor baby was in distress. Her heartbeat was low and she was no longer kicking. She was dying inside of me and I could do nothing about it! They rushed me to the delivery room and decided to induce me right away. That wasn't going to work, she was too high up to come out. Then the discussions came for an emergency C-Section. There was 1 problem. My blood disorder. As I am crying and holding the oxygen mask on my face the anesthesiologist came in the room and started giving us options for the procedure. He said if I were to be completely put out it would cause a problem with the delivery and cause a lot of stress to the baby. However, if I chose to be awake I was at risk of blood clots in my spine and permanent damage. What do I do? My amazing doctor sat by my bedside and started to calm me down. He filled the anesthesiologist in on all of my blood problems and then he told me we needed to address if I was going to go through with getting my tubes tied. I had never even though this was an issue. Now he is telling me we can't guarantee that the baby will live and did I really want to tie my tubes in case something bad happened. I had accepted the worst and we opted out of the tube tying. What was about to happen?!
The doctor sat by my bedside for the next 20 minutes while they prepped the OR. Emergency C-Section was the solution and I was not allowed to be awake because it had to happen that fast. I was being given all kinds of medications to prep me for the surgery, my Mom was running around to find my Dad so he could take Lawrence. Leon was running around to find his dad and get Lawrence from him to pass him off to my Dad. I was left with my doctor. He truly was my light through the whole thing. I remember crying and looking at him telling him I was scared. He patted my hand and promised he would make it ok. By 8:15 they were wheeling me into the OR. I was moved over to the operating table and given a bigger more secure oxygen mask. Something was wrong, the monitors were not beeping. They worked quickly and got me all prepped. I had 3 anesthesiologist around my head. One was holding my IV, one was holding my mask and another one had his fingers on my throat prepping me for the tubes. By 8:28 they were ready, I looked at the clock they told me to count backwards from 10 and breathe deep. I woke up at around 10.
I was a mommy again! I had a beautiful baby girl. She was in the NICU which we expected because she was so early. She weighed 4 lb 2 oz. She was amazing. Still not knowing anything horrible I was relieved. Then the stories started coming in. Kherington was born at 8:34, 8 minutes after I looked at the clock. She came out with no heart rate and not breathing. They had to resuscitate her. She needed oxygen and heart monitors. Her NICU visit would be totally different than Lawrence. My baby had actually tried to leave me, but she came back. God knew that I needed my little girl more than he did that day. My doctor still to this day reminds me what a miracle she is and had we waited one day longer we would have had a tragedy. I am so lucky to have found such a great doctor and he will forever be someone I thank on a daily basis for both of my kids.
Today I sit and think, how lucky am I to have both of my miracles. My dear friend lost her little girl, and it is horrible that I didn't even realize what that was like until mine was almost gone. Be thankful to God and to your doctor for your children. I may complain a lot but my kids are my world. I wouldn't give them up for anything and I don't know what I would have done had one of them not made it through.
Thank you Lord for blessing me with such wonderful kids and a loving husband. When I live that day over and over again in my head, I know my faith has brought me through this. Once my miracles were born, I knew immediately I had to express my love for them by getting their names put permanently onto my body. Ty Armstrong did an amazing job making sure that I always carry my kids on my shoulders.
Love life and cherish it!
When Lawrence was born, he came to us through a natural delivery and only 9 days early. The week before he was born I started spotting. This was worrisome for us because a year earlier I had miscarried and it started out with the spotting. After going in to the hospital to check it out, the doctor trusted the hospital ultrasound techs when they told him everything was fine. Immediately when Lawrence was born I knew something was wrong. He was very tiny and it scared me. 3 pounds 11 oz. How can a baby be that small and be ok I would think to myself. After 9 days in the NICU and some exams later we found that my placenta had started to age and my little boy was actually losing weight in the womb. The doctor swears had it been 1 day later, we would have had a delivery but nothing good would have come of it. My heart broke. I swore I would never go through that again. Little did we know...
In January of 2009 I had some pain in my hip. I went to the doctor and we thought it was sciatic nerve issues so he gave me some vicodin. A week later I was laid up and could not walk. My leg had swollen so big I could not get pants on. So, I decided we had to go back to the doctor and see what was up. I have never seen a look like the doctor gave me. He immediately said there was a clot in my leg and scheduled an emergency ultrasound. They found a DVT that ran from my abdomen all the way to my foot. I was immediately admitted to the hospital and had surgery to remove the massive clot. At that time I was told that my contraceptive had most likely caused the clot and that I was lucky to be alive. We went to the doctor in May to get clearance to have another baby. They said yep everything is ok. You are good to go! Yay, we were so excited! By September we found out we were expecting... that's when the fun began.
Shortly after I learned I was pregnant I was diagnosed with a blood disorder. MTHFR. This disorder is known to be the main cause of miscarriages and placenta tears and aging. This explained Lawrence's issues. Now what do we do? I can't get rid of this baby because I am scared! My doctor started taking preventive measures immediately. I was required to give myself a blood thinner shot in my stomach every day and had regular ultrasounds every other week. 1 month before Kherington was to be born the doctors found a clot in her cord. I was scheduled for induction 3 days later.
When I went to the hospital to start my induction they found I had dilated so they decided to just put me on monitors and start the process in the morning. We were sitting around the room visiting and watching TV and all of the sudden a rush of doctors and nurses ran into my room. I was instructed to immediately lay on my left side and they put an oxygen mask over my face. What was going on!? I have never been so scared in my life. My poor baby was in distress. Her heartbeat was low and she was no longer kicking. She was dying inside of me and I could do nothing about it! They rushed me to the delivery room and decided to induce me right away. That wasn't going to work, she was too high up to come out. Then the discussions came for an emergency C-Section. There was 1 problem. My blood disorder. As I am crying and holding the oxygen mask on my face the anesthesiologist came in the room and started giving us options for the procedure. He said if I were to be completely put out it would cause a problem with the delivery and cause a lot of stress to the baby. However, if I chose to be awake I was at risk of blood clots in my spine and permanent damage. What do I do? My amazing doctor sat by my bedside and started to calm me down. He filled the anesthesiologist in on all of my blood problems and then he told me we needed to address if I was going to go through with getting my tubes tied. I had never even though this was an issue. Now he is telling me we can't guarantee that the baby will live and did I really want to tie my tubes in case something bad happened. I had accepted the worst and we opted out of the tube tying. What was about to happen?!
The doctor sat by my bedside for the next 20 minutes while they prepped the OR. Emergency C-Section was the solution and I was not allowed to be awake because it had to happen that fast. I was being given all kinds of medications to prep me for the surgery, my Mom was running around to find my Dad so he could take Lawrence. Leon was running around to find his dad and get Lawrence from him to pass him off to my Dad. I was left with my doctor. He truly was my light through the whole thing. I remember crying and looking at him telling him I was scared. He patted my hand and promised he would make it ok. By 8:15 they were wheeling me into the OR. I was moved over to the operating table and given a bigger more secure oxygen mask. Something was wrong, the monitors were not beeping. They worked quickly and got me all prepped. I had 3 anesthesiologist around my head. One was holding my IV, one was holding my mask and another one had his fingers on my throat prepping me for the tubes. By 8:28 they were ready, I looked at the clock they told me to count backwards from 10 and breathe deep. I woke up at around 10.
I was a mommy again! I had a beautiful baby girl. She was in the NICU which we expected because she was so early. She weighed 4 lb 2 oz. She was amazing. Still not knowing anything horrible I was relieved. Then the stories started coming in. Kherington was born at 8:34, 8 minutes after I looked at the clock. She came out with no heart rate and not breathing. They had to resuscitate her. She needed oxygen and heart monitors. Her NICU visit would be totally different than Lawrence. My baby had actually tried to leave me, but she came back. God knew that I needed my little girl more than he did that day. My doctor still to this day reminds me what a miracle she is and had we waited one day longer we would have had a tragedy. I am so lucky to have found such a great doctor and he will forever be someone I thank on a daily basis for both of my kids.
Today I sit and think, how lucky am I to have both of my miracles. My dear friend lost her little girl, and it is horrible that I didn't even realize what that was like until mine was almost gone. Be thankful to God and to your doctor for your children. I may complain a lot but my kids are my world. I wouldn't give them up for anything and I don't know what I would have done had one of them not made it through.
Thank you Lord for blessing me with such wonderful kids and a loving husband. When I live that day over and over again in my head, I know my faith has brought me through this. Once my miracles were born, I knew immediately I had to express my love for them by getting their names put permanently onto my body. Ty Armstrong did an amazing job making sure that I always carry my kids on my shoulders.
Monday, November 8, 2010
OH Grow Up!
So last night and today I learned yet another drawback of Facebook. Good Lord. I make a simple comment about how I have a horrible cough and it turns into a bar room brawl about people with cancer! For Pete's sake, give it a rest will ya? So the last thing I will say about that is you are an EFFING B!TCH and get over yourself.
On to bigger and better things...
This weekend we will be getting our family pictures taken in Wood River. My old stompin' ground. I just can't wait to get back there to visit. I always swear if I didn't have a good job and my family here I would move back in a minute. I miss that place every day. Lucky for me, I have some GREAT friends back there and I really look forward to seeing all of them when we go back to visit. Unfortunately, we happen to be on the "outs" with a portion of Leon's family. Too bad for them. We've been together for 13 years now. If they can't accept the fact that he has a wife and family of his own and that life is a two way street then EFF them too :) HA I guess I'm in an EFF WORD kinda mood tonight. I'm glad my family has always been there for us not just with any $$ trouble but for any kind of advice. I go to my Dad for almost everything. God knows I am going to be a complete and total mess when he leaves us. It helps to know that when he does leave he will be joining his big brother and raising a little hell up there road hunting like the good old days.
So, here I am telling you all to grow up and I go on about how I depend on Daddy for everything. Well, I guess I'll never get away from going to him and will most likely still go to him for help when he is gone. Guess I better leave it at that for today and get ready for more baby time :) I love my kids!
On to bigger and better things...
This weekend we will be getting our family pictures taken in Wood River. My old stompin' ground. I just can't wait to get back there to visit. I always swear if I didn't have a good job and my family here I would move back in a minute. I miss that place every day. Lucky for me, I have some GREAT friends back there and I really look forward to seeing all of them when we go back to visit. Unfortunately, we happen to be on the "outs" with a portion of Leon's family. Too bad for them. We've been together for 13 years now. If they can't accept the fact that he has a wife and family of his own and that life is a two way street then EFF them too :) HA I guess I'm in an EFF WORD kinda mood tonight. I'm glad my family has always been there for us not just with any $$ trouble but for any kind of advice. I go to my Dad for almost everything. God knows I am going to be a complete and total mess when he leaves us. It helps to know that when he does leave he will be joining his big brother and raising a little hell up there road hunting like the good old days.
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