Quick Update

Thanks to many of you for the calls/emails. It means a lot to know that so many people care and are concerned about our current situation. I am sorry that I haven't been in touch- I have gotten the messages. In all honesty, by the time I wind down enough at night to have a chance to return messages, I am so wiped out (emotionally and physically) that I can't even muster up the energy to carry on a co-herent conversation.

So, I figure since many of our friends and family read this, it would kill many birds with one stone to update a little bit here.

For those of you that weren't aware of the situation, my grandma and grandpa (for all practical purposes) both ended up in the hospital a week and a half ago. Both of them have had rapidly declining health in the past month or so, which was exacerbated by Grandma getting hit with shingles. She had a lot of nerve pain from them, followed by neuropathy, resulting in an inability to care for herself or Joe, and at least 3 falls. She declined to the point that mobility was not even an option because of intense pain, and because of no mobility, her health and nutrition went down hill. Joe has also been ailing, accompanied by shortness of breath and a 50 lb. weight loss.

They both were discharged from the hospital late last week, and are currently in a nursing home rehab program trying to increase strength, endurance, etc., and will be going into long term nursing care after this. Grandma's hip/leg is still in intense pain, and they aren't sure what the source of the pain is. There is no fracture, it is the opposite side of where the shingles had been, so now the doctor is *hoping* it is a bad case of bursitis- and gave her a steroid injection today. We will know in a couple of days if that seemed to help (fingers crossed). Her overall health is bouncing back now with proper nutrition and care. Joe has been diagnosed with very low heart rate, congestive heart failure, and lung cancer- well, 99% sure that it is lung cancer. The PET scan came back showing reactive malignancy, but at his age (almost 93) they aren't following up w/ any further testing because of the risks involved.

This is my dad's mom, so the responsibility falls on me to be the one dealing with the bulk of the situation. My aunt flew in from California, but due to her own husband's health, and the distance, she isn't in the position to do much more than offer advice, support, and so on- which is completely understandable. This week has been a crazy whirlwind of meetings with lawyers, doctors, nursing homes, banks, etc., etc., etc, not to mention emotionally and physically draining. I have had to take over all grandma's finances, and now will have to start clearing out the house and decide if it is more advantageous to use it (a duplex that has a renter on the other side) for rental property, or sell. Words can't even describe what lies ahead in clearing out the house, regardless of what decision is made!

In the meantime, my mom (also my childcare while here) has ended up in the hospital for the past 5 days. She will be released, but will be needing to go to a hospital a couple hours away from here for surgery. That is where she has had here past surgeries for her cancer/pseudo bladder done, so the doctors here want her same doctors there to do the follow up surgery since they are familiar with her situation, and the rarity of the type of reconstruction that she has had done in the past.

So, that is the very, very abridged version of what has been going on with us. I would imagine that I will be here at least another couple of weeks trying to tie up as many loose ends as I can, and then will have to be back pretty frequently.

Never a dull moment for our family! I guess what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger..... at least that is what "they" tell me. I will update when I can. Thank you again for all of the thoughts- I appreciate it!

MIA

I am in my hometown, indefinitely, dealing with some matters. I don't know how long I will be here, or how often/when I will get a chance to pop online for any "me" time, or to update here. Just thought I would let people know that I haven't dropped off the face of the earth entirely, or been abducted by aliens (although, that doesn't necessarily seem like the worst case scenario right at the moment! "Stressful" is much too glamorous of a word to use to describe the situation!).

The boys are with me, at the moment, although Jason will be coming up next week to join the "fun", and returning with at least Brayden (because of school). We are all fine, just I am very overwhelmed to say the least.

Will update when I/we can!

"That's Great it Stars with an Earthquake...."

Anyone else in the area been having the following go through your head all day long?!?!

For those of you that aren't fortunate enough to live in the flat-land, full o' corn, and (not so much) excitement, we woke up to a 5.2 earthquake in the middle of the night! You can read more about it here.

We are fine- still really freaked out. I had stayed up late catching up on things (like washing toys) from Rhylan being in the hospital- and Jason had left for a business trip earlier in the evening. So, I was in bed, alone, half asleep and heard my lamps start rattling- I remember looking at the clock exactly at 4:38 , hearing stuff falling off my dresser, and then my window shade started banging, the glass rattling, and it literally felt like someone was picking the bed up and shaking it in mid air, then the whole house started creaking and moving!! I thought I was dreaming (or having some sort of super natural occurrence happening!). I realized that whatever was happening was real, and then I thought maybe a tornado, or something, but then it stopped.

I was too freaked out to get out of bed, then I heard Brayden's little voice come in my room saying "Mommy, my bed was moving- what's happening?". He crawled in bed w/ me, and HE slept there the rest of the night- and there I was, still wondering what the heck was going on, with a tossing, sleep talking, teeth grinding, snoring 4 year old- well just chalk it up to another night with no sleep for the Mommy!

It was a bit later that the thought of an earthquake entered my mind, then I thought "No Way!", I contemplated going to the computer to look online, but I was still too scared, and was all comfy, cozy, and "safe" under my blanket, and with my snoring kid next to me to protect me from whatever it was. No way was I leaving that bed! I was rather relieved this morning to find that it was an earthquake, and not that I am crazy!!! We have had some aftershocks today-we are not far from the epicenter- the largest being at 10:15 this morning, and being a 4.6. That one felt more like a big train going through/or extremely close to our house.

Who knew there was more to the Midwest than tornadoes, blizzards..... and of course, corn?!?!

On the mend

We had one sick baby here this week! Rhylan had a tummy bug that sent him on a downward spiral pretty quickly. I took him to the doctor on Tuesday because of unrelenting vomiting/other end, fever, lethargy, etc. He was admitted to the hospital due to a 2 lb. weight loss (a lot when you only weigh 18!) and dehydration. Once there, they also found that his blood sugar was really low as a result of being so sick. Poor little guy- it broke my heart to see him like that- I remember the misery all too well; that was me less than a year ago while pregnant w/ him (several times!). Seems he has his mommy's luck- healthy as a horse, but when he does go and get sick, he really does a number!

He was discharged at about 6 o'clock last night after holding down enough liquid that the doctor wasn't worried about his ability to stay hydrated at home, and his personality coming back very spontaneously. YAY! The lab cultures came back that he tested positive for Rotavirus (apparently sends about 70,000 children, under 5, to the hospital each year)- not that it changes how to deal with the situation, but at least we know what it was. And, also on the plus side, usually once a kid gets a case this badly, they are immune to future bouts.

We went for his recheck today, and he is doing wonderfully! You would never know he was sick at all. He has gained back all but 5 oz. of the weight that he lost (all liquid, I am sure), and is back on a normal diet as tolerated. Kids bounce back so quickly, which is terrific!

While at the doctor's she went ahead and did his 9 month check up, which was scheduled for next Thursday anyway. The little man is 29.5 inches - time for the big boy car seat, and 18 lbs. 7 oz. That puts him in the 80th %-tile for height, 12th %-tile for weight. He looks pretty pudgy to us though, and his growth is staying at a consistant rate on the chart.

Here's to a healthy baby! Now to get more of that nice weather that we missed out on this week while couped up. Can't wait to take him to the park, etc.!

(Mommy, this sucks, I am not happy about this in the least!)

(No, really, I mean it- If you love me, you WILL get me out of here!!!)

Lots O' Stuff

I obviously haven't had a chance to update since our return on Sunday night. I apologize- things have been a bit crazy with settling back in, and now having a very sick baby (hopefully it will pass quickly!).

Jason and I had a wonderful, wonderful time in Galena. It was the perfect get away weekend to reconnect- low key, yet lots to do (if that makes sense?). Here is a brief rundown of the weekend- easier than telling it over and over:

Friday afternoon: Arrived in our room (which, by the way, I would HIGHLY recommend to anyone looking for a nice long weekend away from reality. the room was perfect, the B&B owners were wonderful, no details forgotten! More info can be seen about the B&B on my previous post, our specific room details are here-- and they always have packages for special occasions. No wonder it is rated 5/5 on tripadvisor.com!) early afternoon and were welcomed by balloons, cake, and champagne to celebrate our anniversary/my birthday.

After settling in, we went downtown for dinner at Fried Green Tomatoes (Yummy!!!). Post dinner, we waddled our very full stomachs down the road to the DeSoto House- the oldest operating hotel in Illinois- for the "Haunted Galena Tour". Can't say that the tour was as "haunting" as I had expected after doing this sort of thing in other old cities, but was very historical and interesting none the less! (Who knew that Field of Dreams was filmed there?! We now have pictures to prove it!) We then headed to a local bar for a drink before calling it a night. Actually, we made it to 2 of them- the first we walked in and out after being looked at like we had three heads, and had no seat available to be properly served our Bush Light- or maybe it was Old Style- in a can...... the second choice seemed more our speed... until Karaoke began and we seriously witnessed a 6'5", 400 lb. (very) white guy, start singing (rapping?) Nelly! It was hilarious, Jason tried to capture it on his phone video, but it didn't turn out. Guess you would have to be there to fully enjoy the sight!

The next day we woke up to the most wonderful smell of breakfast cooking permeating our room (and the whole B&B). We ate like pigs- and I am NOT a breakfast person, and headed downtown again for a full day of shopping and a couple of hours at the history museum. Once our arms were full of bags, and I am pretty sure the checkbook empty, we made our way back "home" for our couples massage. It was heaven, plain and simple! Jason had never had one, and I am sure that he will now be a repeat customer! Our massages were followed up with a wonderful dinner for 2 served in our room, and watching a couple of movies- the things that just don't happen with 2 kids at home.

Sunday we woke up to another wonderful breakfast, a little more shopping...... and a 6 hour trip home. Among unpacking and settling back in, we did find time for a "little" birthday celebration. Brayden insisted that we have a cake (left over from Galena) with candles, and he made me a card. I should have scanned it to post here, but he asked what numbers are in thirty five and made his card complete w/ 3 and 5 (albeit, upside down), princess stickers- because mommy is a beautiful princess, you know?, and a cake.... with 35 candles!

The kids were in good hands over the weekend, staying with my sister and brother in law. As if playing Wii weren't bad enough, Brayden has now become an expert at playing "Rock Band" on PlayStation 2. It is a game much like Guitar Hero, but each player plays a different instrument or sings. Quite addictive!

And lastly, Rhylan experienced his first taste of pasta when we got home. Can't figure out who liked it more the first time.......

Rhylan (9 months):

Or Brayden (9 months):
(Yes, Brayden was a bit messier..... some habits die hard!)

Get Away Weekend

We are out the door for a long Get Away Weekend, just Jason and myself. My sister is keeping the kids, and he and I are heading to the Bed and Breakfast shown below, for a quiet, relaxing time to celebrate our anniversary and my 35th birthday. I will update when we get home.

What's so funny

Just thought that we would share the type of mood Rhylan was in all day yesterday. He had us cracking up at him cracking up- and we really never could figure out what was so funny, but he was in a terrific mood!

Wii 're Having Fun

While I was out sailing in the Gulf, Jason decided to get a Wii for the family. It is so much fun!! At first Brayden had a bit of a hard time learning how to coordinate his motions with the controller, but he ended up catching on pretty quickly....... and beating his Daddy in a game of bowling!
To rub some more salt in the wound, not only was he beat by a 4 year old, but I also kicked his rear in bowling AND boxing. (I don't know which is the worse defeat on his ego- as I am NOT athletically inclined or coordinated!) In his defense though, he killed me tennis and baseball--- but, then again, I was holding the controller facing the wrong way, and didn't realize it; so we shall see if that changes the challenge for the next go round. I can see this becoming a real tradition in our home, a nightly ritual. There are definitely worse things to incorporate into daily life- it is a great workout. We were both totally winded after just 3 rounds of boxing!

Silly Faces

I know I have mentioned it before, but Brayden just adores going to his Book Cook's Class. Every week he asks "Is today Thursday Mommy?"! It seems that each week the class gets cuter and cuter. This week's book was Today I Feel Silly, And Other Moods That Make My Day by Jamie Lee Curtis (click title to learn more). The kids loved the story, and were cracking up through the whole thing. After the book, the kids got to "cook" silly face sandwiches. How cute are these?!?!?

Anchors Away!

What do you get when you take 2 sisters, put them on a ship in the Gulf of Mexico, with a drink in their hands, and 5 days to kill? FUN---- and lots of it!!!

Bethany and I are back ashore (and trying to get our "land legs" back) after 5 wonderful, fun filled days and nights at sea! What a much needed break from reality, and even more fun that either of us could have imagined. We had such a terrific time just laying out by the pool, eating great food anytime/anywhere we wanted, having some drinks, being a little pampered and spoiled, meeting new friends, and just spending time together.

I am not known for my good fortune in life, but this time, everything was smooth sailing (no pun intended) from the get go. Our flight to Houston actually arrived early, so we thought that we would have to kill almost 2 hours at the airport waiting for our shuttle that we had scheduled. It just so happened that our luggage was the first to come off of the carousel, and our shuttle company had a shuttle pull up right then- and they had room for us even though we didn't have a reservation for that time. So, off to Galveston we went- of course thinking that we would have to spend the afternoon exploring the port, since we couldn't board the ship until 2 pm. We were fine with that, heck, killing time in a tropical location wouldn't be a problem for me! Upon arriving at the terminal, we were handed a notice that we could actually board the ship right away, and even though we couldn't go to our stateroom yet, we could certainly do everything else on board- they were even serving food early. Luckily, we had thought ahead to pack our swimming suits in our carry on, and were able to grab a drink and catch a few rays poolside more than 3 hours before we even thought we would be allowed to step foot on board! During the course of the trip, the ship apparently had to divert some storms in the Gulf, so we ended up having an entire extra half a day tacked on to our adventure. Sure, there were people on board that were upset about it because they were going to miss their flights, but we were completely fine with it- I will take an extra half a day of vacation for free any day! We were already booked on the last flight out anyway (hoping to go standby on an earlier one if we could), so it worked out perfectly for us!

View of the Lido Deck Pool upon boarding

Not wasting any time!

Once our stateroom was available, we unpacked and rested up a bit before getting ready for dinner. Each and every night, when coming in to turn down the bed, our room steward would make a different animal out of a towel, and it would be on our beds waiting for us. I won't bore you with all of them (yes, we took pictures every night), but just an example:

I must admit, neither of us were overly excited about having to dine with perfect strangers for our dinner every night, as they assign you to a table and table mates. To our surprise, we got what could possibly be the coolest cruise ship table in the history of cruises! We sat with two wonderful, fun, couples and hit it off with them right away. We ended up spending much of our time hanging out the 6 of us, and have already been in touch by phone and email many times in the couple of days since coming home. We are all already talking about a reunion cruise next spring!! In that short of a time of being together, we all really formed a neat bond. Thank you guys for helping to make this so much fun- we miss you already! (And I think Jason is getting sick of hearing about "the guys"! - Just kidding, he actually wants to come and crash our fun next year.)

Our "Group" (Lalo and Dave, us, Blake and Matt)

With Tina, the cruise director at the Lido Deck Party

Anyone who has ever cruised before knows that there is always at least one formal night on the ship..... and anyone that knows me knows that that it is rare to see me out of sweats and with makeup on (my stay home mom uniform, as I call it). Here is your proof, I can clean up when I have an occasion to do so:

We spent only one day at our Port of Call, Cozumel, Mexico. There is so much to do on the ship, that we didn't even come close to marking off our "to do list", so one stop was more than sufficient. We spent the day there doing some local shopping, stopping at a Fat Tuesday's for a drink (can't be on vacation in the tropics without a Fat Tuesday run, if it is available!), and going to Chankanaab National Marine Park. We ate a Mexican lunch in a straw hut restaurant, right on the water. After lunch, we went swimming in the ocean- where we were had natural rock formation steps that led down into the water. It was crystal clear, aqua blue, and the tropical fish would just swarm around you, and let you touch them. So beautiful.

(What's a vacation without sticking your face in at least one cut out? We had to do it!)

Cozumel from our ship as we pulled in

Mmmmm..... Daquiri and Pina Colada at Fat Tuesday's

This is our boat as seen from Cozumel

Our ship (Ecstasy) docked next to it's sister ship (Fantasy) out of New Orleans

As with all vacations, it went too quickly. It was a wonderful time, and I am so glad we were able to have the chance to do this. Now it is time to get back to reality..... and start planning for next year!

Easter 2008

The kids and I spent Easter with my family. Jason was unable to come home with us due to a huge deadline on a project for work. Bethany and I were leaving from up there for our cruise a couple of days later, my friend Susan was in town dealing with everything- and as I mentioned, my grandma needed my help as well. So, since Jason was going to be spending every waking moment at work, it just made more sense to make the trek up for the holiday.

The boys had a great Easter at Tata and Grandpa Bob's. Rhylan slept through finding the eggs that the bunny had hidden the night before, but we figured he wouldn't be too disappointed about it, so I let Brayden go ahead and find them all. He did have to wait for his brother to get his basket full of goodies though. Here are a few shots of him finding his eggs:

Here are the boys before Church, with their baskets from the Bunny (who, by the way, left real tracks in the snow in the front yard, leading right up to the front door. Brayden got so excited when he saw them!).

There was also an Egg Hunt at church:

Brayden getting ready for the hunt

Some of the kids that participated

After church, we all went out for brunch. It was nice and small- just my parents, my sister and brother in law, and me - with the kids. Usually we have more family and close family friends for holidays, but it was just us this year. I really missed my Grandma and Grandpa Joe - they weren't able to join us because of Grandma's health, but I took the boys over there later to visit her. I think that her youngest Great Grandson brightened her day a bit- what do you think by the expression on her face (and his)?!?!

All in all, it was a good Easter. We, of course, missed Jason, but the bunny came to visit our house too while we were gone, so Daddy got to have some Easter fun with the boys last night. He was happy to be able to partake in some of the fun, especially since he hadn't seen his sons in nearly 2 weeks.