Asking For Prayers

As i said in my last post Sione' had to have his PKU test redone. However we found out today it is not the PKU that came back abnormal.

The results came back abnormal for Biotinidase Deficiency. Once again i had no clue what this was nor did his nurse since this is only the second case she has seen in the 3 years at the office (there are 1 in 60,000 babies diagnosed with BD). She wrote it down for me and i came home and looked it up.

What i found out is that if he does have this deficiency it can come with some serious side effects such as seizures, weak muscle tone, breathing problems, and delayed development. If it is left untreated the consequences can be great. Thankfully there is a treatment and when caught early most side effects can be helped or even stopped.

We wont know the results until Wednesday or possibly even Monday and i am a wreck. I know things could be so much worse. This is not a death sentence but it is heartbreaking none the less.

I dont think any mom wants her baby to be sick even with a cold much less an autosomal recessive metabolic disorder. It hurts my heart to think that this is something that i passed on to my baby (since parents have to be carriers). I just want my baby boy to be healthy and happy.

So if you could please keep my baby boy and our family in your prayers. I need strength right now to keep from crying non stop. I dont want to over react but between hormones and stress and this news i am finding it hard to keep it all together.

God has blessed us so much and i know he will not give us more than he knows we can handle.

200!!!!

So yea i have been putting this off for a week or more now but could not wait anymore as i have a lot going on in my head and wanted to blog.

This will be my 200th post on my blog and i am thrilled that i have made it this far. I do have a giveaway to go with this post but it will probably not come for another few days as i need pictures to post so you can see what you are competing to win. No one wants something they don't know what looks like lol. I do however promise it is cute and if you have a little girl in your life that you adore, you will love it!

On to more serious things.

I was reading Grammy Girlfriend's blog this morning and was brought to tears. She is requesting prayer for a beautiful little girl named Maggie. Maggie is 9 years old and was diagnosed on May 19th with an inoperable brain tumor on her brain stem. The family is obviously devastated and is searching for help from St Jude's. If you could please pray for Maggie and her family in this scary time. We all know that God can bless use in many many ways unknown to us and prayer is the best healer. For more information please go to Grammy's blog and feel free to pass this on to any other prayer circles or church groups as you can never pray too much.

Also asking for prayers for Elaine over at The Miss-Elaine-ous Life. She is going today for her 20 week anatomy scan. Pray that God has blessed her with a healthy baby and maybe throw in that the baby legs wont be crossed lol. God does hear all prayers!

Now on to lighter stuff...

One of my frequent reads is always The McMommy Chronicles! Today she has ask a very good question. What would you do with $25,000.00? I don't know if i have the best answer but i can honestly say i do know what i would do with it. My husband and I have found our dream house for our growing family. (If you wanna see it click here) The house is not horribly expensive but we don't have the money for a down payment which would help lower the payments. I would take $15,000.00 and put it down on that house today, right now, this instant. The other $10,000.00 would go into the savings account for tax purposes and rainy day needs. I know it isn't exciting but it is my dream! Now only if someone would loan (or give) me $25,000.00!

On to pregnancy stuff...

Since my last appointment i had been having a lot of dizzy spells and nausea which since i am no longer in my first trimester was odd to me. I landed in the ER one day only to be told i was pregnant and that explains it all. Gee thanks i had no clue that i was 14 weeks pregnant with a bug lol! The nausea finally became so bad that i couldn't eat without laying down for an hour afterwards and always felt dizzy. I called my midwife and explained to her what i was feeling. We talked for about 30 mins before she told me she thinks she knows what is wrong.

Now this wont be confirmed till my next appointment on June 4th but i am pretty sure she was right. She thinks that my body is producing too much insulin which was attacking the food when ever i would eat causing my sugar to drop very low. This intern was making me very nauseous and dizzy. The cure? Eat every hour along with my normal meals. Now i have been doing this for 2 days now and it seems to really have helped. I am not nauseous, i am not dizzy, and i am also not as tired as i had been. It is a little aggravating to have to constantly be shoving food in my mouth but her if it makes me feel better and helps keep my baby safe bring it on.

the down side of this is that i have now lost 2 lbs. This leaves me at 15 weeks pregnant and -1lb from my pre-pregnancy weight. I know most people would say it could be worse; I could have gained 15lbs or something, but i hate losing weight while i am pregnant as it makes me feel like i might be harming my baby. On a up side i got to try out this yummy check mix recipe. I needed something to snack on that was healthy and not overly heavy so that was the first thing that popped into my head. I must say we are all enjoying it and it was so easy to make.

So just for kicks to end things on a fun note here is a picture of my (huge!!!!) 15 weeks belly!

Busy Busy Busy

So we got our income taxes back on Friday and have been going non stop since. We had a list of things that we needed to buy and what not when we got out taxes and we have spent all weekend getting them.

We got a queen size memory foam mattress and box set for $499.99 and a new headboard set for $199.99. We also got a beautiful bedding set fro Wal-mart for $69.99. So we essentially redid out whole bedroom for less than $1000.00!!! How awesome (or cheap) am I!?!

We are also redoing the kids bedroom. We got those colorful foam connector tiles for the floor which cost about $20.00 for a 4x4 square. Phabian loves them because they have them at school. He says they are fun to play on. We also bought them bunk beds which we will leave separated till they get a little older. Right now i am still to scared that Phabian would pull a stunt like the kid off Big Mama's House 2 and head dive off the top bunk. Those only cost us about $200. Of course they got new bedding sets as well. Phabian got Super Hero and MJ got (can anyone guess) drum roll please............................................Cars! Those cost about $60 total.

We also got some random stuff like my Wii Fit, some new games for the Wii, my new Flip Camcorder, and a new bigger memory card for my digital camera. Also my birthday is tomorrow so i have a lot of plans on a relaxing me day.

My sister's birthday is on V-day so we always celebrate together. Tomorrow we are getting up early to go to the gym, then we are going for Mani/Pedi's and lunch. We were hoping to go get a massage as well but it looks as if we might have to put that off for another day. Tuesday my hubby (because he is the greatest man alive) has made plans for my sister and I. All i know is he is taking us to dinner at my favorite restaurant Hibachi's. Other than that i have no clue what he has up his sleeve.

I am still fighting Bronchitis which sucks big time! Luckily it isn't as bad as it was this time last year when i thought i was going to die! I just have all this junk in my chest and nothing will help but coughing the crap up (sorry for TMI).

The kids are doing great (if you count great as acting wild and stomping my last nerve). They attended a B-day party at Chucky Cheese last night and had a blast. All i can say is the next time i attend a party there on a Saturday night i will bring a volume and some tranquilizers. I need anxiety meds just to walk through the door of that place (which i don't have any meds so i was a wreck the whole time). Cross Chucky Cheese off the list of places that i might have the kid's birthday parties this year!

Other than that we are coming up on a busy few weeks at work and i am so looking forward to both the paychecks and the time away to myself. I enjoy my time at work socializing with other adults about adult stuff.

To anyone who made it this far thanks for sticking with it! I am sorry i am so boring today but i just have not been feeling well so nothing interesting has happened. I will be trying to post a review for the Wii games we got the other day and possible for my Wii Fit and Flip Camcorder as soon as i get some time. Hope all are doing well.

P.S. Please keep my friend Danielle and her newborn baby Mallory in your prayers. Mallory has been admitted to the hospital with RSV. They need your prayers. Mallory is only 3 weeks old and needs as much sweet thoughts as she can get.

My Night/Day

So as promised i am done being lazy and i will explain why i was soooooooo exhausted today!

So last night the kids laid down and went to bed around 10. At about 11 Phabian woke up crying saying his jaw was hurting. We checked it out by naturally assumed that he had bit his cheek in his sleep or something, so we kissed it and sent him back to bed. He went back to sleep but woke up every 10 minutes or so still crying that his jaw hurt. After checking on him about 4 times we began to ignore him thinking he was just trying to prolong bedtime (he wasn't crying more of a whining).

At midnight he woke back up saying that his head was hurting. At this point i was like he is trying awful hard to prolong bed time. He went back to sleep but woke u about 2 minutes later really screaming and crying that his head hurt. I laid down with him in his bed thinking maybe he had given himself a headache by staying up too long or crying too much. I held him for about 3 minutes till i saw him rubbing the side of his head.

Finally after watching him for about 10 minutes i ask him to show me where it hurt and he, without hesitation, pointed directly to his right ear. So, being the horrible mother i am that has no Motrin or Tylenol in the house, i took him into my room and laid with him. He tossed and turned all night long as did i (i don't do well sleeping with kids in the bed). He popped up at 6:00 this morning when i finally said forget it and got up (after MJ ended up in bed with me also).

He begged and cried to go to school so we let him since he wasn't complaining about his ear, but i still called and made him a doctor's appointment. We went to the doctor at 2:10 and sure enough his ear is infected. The doctor said that he was surprised that he hadn't been complaining about it for days because it was so infected. He said he was glad we came in when we did because if we would have waited a few more days his ear drum might have ruptured it was that bad.

This of course made me feel horrible because either A) my baby has been in all this pain and didn't want to tell me or B) my baby has been in all this pain and i didn't even notice. This is Phabian's very first ear infection which according to the doctor is odd in a good way. He said about 50% of kids will have an ear infection before their first birthday and 75% will have one before their second. This is the first for Phabian and he will be 4 in March and MJ has never had one (knock on wood) and he will be 3 in April. I guess i have been blessed with such healthy kids.

So he prescribed us some antibiotics for Phabian (which i hate to give unless they are really needed but that's another story) and said to give him Motrin as needed. I am keeping him home from school tomorrow because we usually walk (since i am an idiot with no licence and Marcus works mornings) and it is going to be like 28 degrees in the morning and snowing. I want the antibiotics to be able to get into his system first before i go marching him out into the cold.

I really hope he gets better soon. Please keep my baby in your prayers that he heals quickly from this and that his pain is minimal.

Gazillion Bubbles

Bubbles, bubbles, and more bubbles is what we did yesterday. We had a crazy warm day with a high close to 70 and sunny skies. It was really a beautiful day all be it weird for December. We took the boys to get their hair cut and then watched the WVU game while the boys napped. Marcus had to be at work at 4 so me and the kids were on our own last night.

When they woke up from nap time we traveled to the front porch for some bubble fun. They were a little disappointed that i wouldnt let them off the porch to play in the yard but it was muddy from all the rain so we stayed on dry ground. They played for about 2 hours with the Gazillion Bubble, Bubble Grill my Aunts got for them. That thing was throwing bubbles everywhere. It really did make a gazillion bubbles lol.

As it got dark we ventured back inside but first they called my Aunts to tell them how much fun they had with the Bubble Grill. They talked for a bit them we came in to fix dinner which ended up being PB and J sandwiches (yea i know bad mama lol).

Yesterday was a fun day and i hope today is the same. Please continue to pray for Brittney and Baby Kaci and Baby Stellen. They really need your prayers right now and i know God is listening.

Prayer Request

I have 2 prayer requests tonight.

Please can everyone pray for Baby Stellen and his family. MckMama had to take him to the ER tonight because he was not breathing very well and his heart rate was very high. Please send some healing vibes their way.

Prays also need to be sent to Brittany and Baby Kaci. Brittany has been struggling through this pregnancy with various illnesses and landed in the hospital dehydrated and having contractions. Please keep her in your prayers tonight that she will recover quickly and all will be well with baby Kaci.

Thanks everyone!

Prayer Request

Hi all just a quick post here to ask for some prayers for a sweet bloggy friend of mine. Brittany is pregnant with her first child and just found out the baby's heart seems to be enlarged. She is having a little girl named Kaci. Please send many prayers to God tonight for her and her family so that they can be strong and that he would heal any complications that little Kaci might have. If you would like post a prayer request on your blog or spread the word. All prayers are welcome. Thank you all!!!

Rough

So tomorrow is going to be a rough day. Phabian has school in the morning as usual but tomorrow is Drew's funeral. After Phabian gets out of school we are taking them to a friend and getting ready for the viewing at 11 and then the funeral at 2. It is going to be a long hard day for all of us. I met Drew before i even met my husband. I had no clue they were cousins till after we started dating. Drew was such a sweetheart and never had a bad word to say about anyone. I wish there were more people in this world like him. The world needs more people like Drew!

I just keep thinking about his little boy. His name is Joseph and they call him Jo Jo. I call him Cookie because when he was born, the first time i saw him i said, "He is so cute i could eat him in one bite like a cookie"! He had the sweetest little spot of brown hair on top his head that reminded me of one of those Hershey Kiss cookies. So i have called him Cookie ever since. He is such a Daddy's boy i hope he knows and will always know how much his Daddy loved him.

It makes me cry when i think about another baby growing up without his daddy. I wonder if he will be told what a good man his daddy was or if he will be left to wonder. I didn't know his mother too well and i don't know how good or bad his mom and dad got along. I just know that he deserved to grow up with his Daddy in his life and now he wont get to. It is sad but ultimately i know it was his time and God has a plan.

That in itself is very hard for me to admit. I was angry at God for a very long time after my Mom died. Like Drew my mom was a good person. She would have done anything for anyone and never thought twice about it. I remember thinking if their was a God why did he take the good people? Why did ones who did him justice, who proved that he was good have to be taken away? Why would he leave a 15 year old girl in this cruel world without the guidance of her mother? I remember thinking all of these things and more. I was angry for a long time and it wasn't until i had my first child that i came to peace with God and his plan. I realize that if i had not lost my mother my life would be so different. I would have never met my husband and i would have never given birth to these two beautiful boys. Sometimes i still ask God why but i think that my questions are rhetorical because i don't need to know why i just have to trust that it is the way things have to be in his plan. As hard as that is for me to accept.

So if you all can continue to pray for the family that is grieving the loss of a wonderful son, grandson, cousin, friend, nephew, father, and boyfriend. Pray for me that i may have the right words to comfort my husband and that God will help me deal with my emotions because only he knows that i am not good with this type of thing. Thank you all so very much!

Updates

Hi everyone! I hope you all are having a great day!

As a follow up from my post titled Prayer Request i thought i would let you know how my grandma's biopsy went. She had her biopsy yesterday morning and is back home feeling well. The procedure didn't go as smoothly as they had wished. My Grandma is allergic to a lot of medication (basically anything that ends with "cilin" and a lot of other stuff) and some of the anaesthetic they use in surgeries. The did the biopsy using a sonogram which ended up not turning out as clear as they has wished for. It made the procedure run long than expect but they did finally get a tissue sample. I am not sure if they were able to remove the whole mass as i had suggested in the previous post. Because the procedure ran long the anaesthetic they use (which was something different from what they would have normally used) started to wear off during the last 1/3 of the surgery and she was very uncomfortable but not in horrible pain. She went to lunch after wards being very very sore but other than that not feeling too bad. They will get the results from the biopsy next Tuesday! So if you could continue to pray for her (Her name is Chloe for those of you who like to have a name).

Also as an update from my post Not So Happy Day about the passing of my husband's cousin. We have since found out the whole story which as that insinuated there were different stories coming from different people. He did go to the ER and they did give him 2 shots and sent him home with pain pills. He also walked to the store and back before sitting down to watch TV and passing out onto the floor. What has come to light is that his girlfriend waited 20 minutes before calling 911 because she said she did not want to leave his side. I so understand panicking but if someone passes out and has no heart beat a normal person calls 911 immediately right? I mean i have my 3 year old trained to call 911 if something like that ever happens. If my 3 year old can do it i would think a 22 year old woman could do it. Anyways to move on from that they still don't know what happened. His mom requested an autopsy which was preformed Monday and we will have the results in 10 to 15 days. The viewing and funeral is on Friday and i am sure it is going to be a sad day for us all. Drew was loved by so many and as i said before he was such a kind person. My husband went and helped clean out his apartment yesterday and brought a lot of stuff home with him (cds, pictures, and video games) that Drew's mom told him he could keep if he wanted. He still isn't talking much about it but i know that he is hurting. So continued prayers for the whole family as we try to understand and deal with this devastating loss.

i think that is it for now. I am try to wrap my mind around all of this stuff and deal with emotions. I am not good with death and my emotional comprehension kind of halts at about 15 years old. I don't know how to deal with things pertaining to loss and i never have the right words. Sometimes i come across as cold or angry and i don't really know how to fix that. It is a kind of wall i have built after my mom died to not allow me to feel that kind of pain ever again. So please pray for me to have the words i need to help my husband through this time and be strong for him if he needs me to be.

Thanks everyone for the prayers!

Not So Happy Day

Our family is in need of prayers today. My husband's cousin died last night. It was very sudden and very unexpected. He was only in his early to mid 30's and had a wife a 1 1/2 year old son. After going to the ER yesterday morning complaining of back pain he was sent home. They gave him a few shots and a bottle of pain medication. Later yesterday he walked to the store and back home. They said he sat down to watch TV and just passed out. They were able to revive him but he passed away once they arrived at the hospital. I have not heard the final word but the doctors were pretty sure that it was a massive heart attack.

My MIL called me and told me and then i waited till Marcus got home to tell him. I spent a good deal of the time between finding out and telling my husband worrying about how i would tell him. This is a very very close cousin. They were best friends and very close. It has not hit him yet and he said that it probably wont til the funeral.

I ask that you all pray for Drew's family and ours as we move through this horrific time. Drew was such a kind soul and would have never hurt anyone. He was always the first to ask if you needed anything and always the first to help. If the old saying is true that "the good die young" than he was one of the good. He was a loving soul mate and wonderful father. He worked hard and too care of his family the best he could.

I am hoping this will be a call to my husband and i to get our health together. We don't eat right by any means as much as we may try and we don't get nearly enough exercise. My husband looked at me last night and proclaimed that he didn't want anymore fried foods in our house and i agreed. It scares the bajeeshus out of me that at anytime i could lose the love of my life. We do not know God's plans for us and it is scary. So if you could please send out prayers for the whole family.

Prayer Request

Hey everyone i was going to wait before i mentioned this since we don't know much but some extra prayers can never hurt. My grandma in Florida has to go in for a biopsy next week. They found a pea sized lump in her left breast. The doctor is pretty sure that they will be able to remove the whole lump when they do the biopsy and then we will know what it is and how to proceed. We would really appreciate the prayers and well thoughts. She is 82 years old. She quit smoking 15 years ago when she had her quadruple heart bypass. She has been in a decline with insulin dependent diabetes and is tired a lot. We only get to see her once a year and i have never been terribly close with her but she is my grandma and i love her. I am praying for the best results. We have no history of breast cancer in the family so i am hoping maybe it is just a cyst or non malignant mass. Please send prayers her way and i will update more when i know the exact dates and results.