Feeling Better!

Oh man am I feeling better! I am so thanful that I woke up today without a headache! A headache can really get you down...it's hard to move when your head is pounding! I have a cough and a sore throat, but other than that I'm much better! Thank You, Jesus!

Eli stayed home from school today because he was running fever this morning. He's napping right now, and seems to be feeling fine. He'll go to school tomorrow.

Mercie's better, too. She has been sleeping well without coughing. She is also napping right now.

Silas has a cough, but he has been much more agreeable today. He also slept much better last night. He is also napping right now.

So while all 3 littles are napping, what is Mommy doing?

Folded a load of clothes.
Made daddy a gallon of sweet tea. (a neccessity each day)
Swept the floor.
Picked up toys.
Started a load of clothes in washer, then transfered to dryer.
Went through a pile of mail.
Thought about scrubbing the pan from dinner last night.....but decided it needed to soak a little longer. :)

I am also thinking about this little face:

                                                                                                                                                        

I have been seeing alot of this face the past few days. But I'm so glad he's feeling better.

As I was rocking him to sleep earlier, I was staring at his adorable face. The way he sucks on his lips as he's falling asleep. (cute, I know) The way his eyes roll up in his head as he attempts to stay awake. The way his fist always finds his hair, pulling it, playing with it, rubbing it. The way he finally gives up staying awake, and gives in to sleep.

There is nothing in the world like rocking a baby to sleep.

I'm so TIRED

My last post...where I was bragging on Silas sleeping ALL NIGHT for 2 nights in a row??...well that stopped that night. I don't know what's wrong with him, but he has not been sleeping much at all. He's so fussy...crying all day...crying all night...not happy with anything....I took him and Mercie to the doctor Monday. Mercie has an ear infection, but the doctor said nothing was wrong with Silas, except he could see some more teeth coming in. He wasn't this fussy with his other teeth, though. Hmmm...he is acting so different from his usual self. I am so stiff and sore from not sleeping well at night. My headache hasn't gone away since Friday afternoon. My house is in serious need of cleaning. I can't put Silas down all day long because he has been screaming when I do. He is actually on the floor playing right now (first time in days...) so maybe today will be better!!

Mikaela and Eli started riding the bus to and from school! It's so funny to me how much Eli loves school. I really didn't think he was going to like it at all. But he loves it! Mikaela is doing well, catching on very fast to some math concepts we hadn't learned yet. I'm so proud of both of them.

Ugh..I'm sick!!

I started getting sick on Friday...I had a terrible headache all day, and about 4pm it got a lot worse. By that night, my entire body was achy, I had fever, I felt terrible!! I couldn't sleep very well Friday night; partly because Mercie was coughing SO BAD ALL NIGHT LONG that she was vomitting, and partly because my body was hurting so bad I couldn't get comfortable. Saturday I still felt horrible. Mikaela had to entertain Silas most of the day because I couldn't get off the couch! Thank goodness she is such a good helper. She made lunch for the kids (corndogs) and kept me covered up and did a little laundry and most importantly, she watched Silas. I barely had the energy to nurse him! I felt a little better last night, still had a headace and a little achy, but I could at least get up and walk around a little bit. Rod cooked dinner and cleaned up a little bit, and Mercie was still coughing and vomitting. She didn't go to sleep until after 9pm because everytime she laid down she started coughing. I put some cough medicine in a her cup and that helped a little bit. She got in our bed, I piled her head on top of a bunch of pillows, and we got a little more sleep. Silas SLEPT ALL NIGHT AGAIN! The Lord had mercy on me because I needed to rest! I woke up feeling a little better today, still popping Tylenol every 4 hours for my headache and fever. However, Silas puked everywhere this morning! I had finished nursing him, and he just laid on me, which is unusual. He usually wants down, to play and roll around. Then he vomitted everything he just ate! He hasn't felt good today. He's very whiny and fussy, he hasn't thrown up anymore thank goodness, but he just looks like he is miserable. He just nursed himself to sleep and I laid him in his crib, so hopefully he'll sleep for a while. Mercie's cough is a little better. Rod has been cleaning ALL MORNING. He washed our bed sheets, loaded the dishwasher, cleaned the countertops, swept, cleaned up the bathroom, HE IS JUST WONDERFUL. He is gone right now to get some firewood. We are expecting some bad weather. It's been sleeting all morning, and supposed to accumulate several inches of ice! If that happens, we'll lose electricity...so he went to get some firewood so we'll stay warm if that happens! He is also going to cook lunch when he gets back. He is such a sweet heart. I hope and pray that we get well SOON and remember us in your prayers. It's so hard when kids are sick and double hard when mommy is sick, too!

Updates

Eli's upper GI went well yesterday. He drank the (disgusting) barium and the radiologist took xrays. Eli was really good about it, and he got that thick white barium all over his shirt, his mouth, it was so funny. The radiologist showed him an xray and pointed out his lungs, stomach, spine and ribs. Eli thought that really cool. OH YEAH and he has no heria and his reflux wasn't that bad! The prevacid is working (he's been on it nearly 3 weeks now)! He has only woken up 2 x's with reflux since the meds. I hate him having to take medicine, but he was miserable with the reflux.

We went to the mall and rode the carousal after that, and we ate a late breakfast at IHOP. I took my mom, sister, Mercie and Silas with us. Mikaela was at school.

After that, Eli and Silas had to get their vaccinations.  They both had to have 3 shots! Eli did not cry at all, I was so proud of him. Silas was mad, but he got over it pretty quick. He ran slight fever today, but other than that, no side effects! Thank you Jesus! Eli's arm was sore this morning where he got his tetnus shot, but other than that, no side effects for him either! God is so good to my family. We don't deserve it, but I am so thankful for it!

They are loving school. They are both doing so well!! They are both excited about going!! I am so proud of them. They are both smart, well adjusted youngin's...I guess I've been doing something right, even if sometimes I feel like I'm doing everything wrong!

Silas is sitting up now without falling over! He is trying so hard to crawl. He can get on his knees and rock, and then he lunges forward and falls. He just can't figure it out yet. He is still not sleeping all night, except last night he slept from before 7 pm to almost 7 am! I guess the shots tuckered him out! I woke up at 2 am totally freaked out when I realized he wasn't awake! I start him out in his crib, and usually he wakes up around 10 or 11 and gets in our bed for the night. It was different, sleeping without him! I missed him!

Mercie is enjoying having me to herself during the week, and I have to say, I'm enjoying her as well. She is so sweet!!

I love my family so much and so thankful for them.

First Day of School

Yesterday was Mikaela and Eli's first day of public school.

And they had a blast!

I was worried about Eli, because he's never been to any formal school before and he's kind of a "mama's boy". He doesn't want to go anywhere without me lately. He was nervous before we went, but when we got to his class, he hung up his backpack and sat down where the teacher showed him, and waved bye-bye to me! I was just standing there, because I expected tears and protests, and he just waved at me! The teacher said, 'He's going to be okay, but is mommy going to be ok?' I was okay! I left and I was okay! I had to go back and bring him a few things he needed, and he just waved at me again. The teacher said, "You've done a good job with him! He knows it all!" That made mama proud!

Mikaela is being tested, but they're letting her go ahead and start 2nd grade because they're pretty confident she'll test at the right level. Which she will, because she's smart! She loved school, and I wasn't worried about her because she is confident in who she is, and she's outgoing, and she's a good kid!

They both talked my ear off about school, and Mikaela had homework. We have a little catching up to do in math, because they were ahead of where we were, but other than that, she's doing great!

Eli was up, dressed and had his backpack on before 7 this morning! Mikaela had the same enthusiasm! Thank you Jesus for wonderful children who are thriving!

I am going to enjoy my time with Mercie, I can already tell. She's a sweet baby and we had a blast yesterday. She was staring at me earlier this morning and I said "Do you need something?" And she said, "I just looking at you, Mama. I love you." And I almost starting crying! I grabbed her and hugged her so tight! It's these moments that make life worth all the trouble!

Health

I am so thankful for the health of my children. I have been encountering blogs lately about sick children and children and babies who have died...it is heartbreaking. I will have tears streaming down my face as I read the mother's thought and feelings put into words, I can feel the hurt, some of it anyway. The loss of a child or watching a child suffer through a painful lengthy illness has got to be the worst pain.

Thursday, Eli is going for an upper GI series. He had GERD very severly as a baby and was on Prevacid and Reglan for about a year or so. We took him off as soon as I thought he didn't need the medicine. He has dealt with reflux his whole life, not every day, but quite a bit. Rolaids are in high demand! I took  him almost 2 weeks ago to the doctor and had him put back on Prevacid because his reflux was getting to be an everyday affair, waking at night crying, gagging, coughing, trouble breathing. The doctor decided he needed an upper GI to check for a hiatial hernia (I know I spelled that wrong!). I'm not worried...I'm sure he is fine...but if he has that, he will have to have corrective surgery, which is scary thought. Pray for him...for God to take away his reflux...to heal any problems.

Mercie actually had a barium esophagram done when she was just a few months old. She was having trouble eating, and would cough the entire time she ate. After several tests and blood work, the doctor (a different one) was sure she had a hole in her esophogus (again I know I spelled that wrong). We took her to church Wednesday night and the preacher laid hands on her and prayed for her. Rod was also fasting and praying for her. Thursday morning we took her to hospital (she couldn't eat anything after midnight), and they gave her a bottle of barium, which she sucked down, poor starving baby, and performed a video x ray (which was really cool). The radiologist said, "We are supposed to be looking for a hole, but there's none! There's nothing but minor reflux." AMEN. I know God healed her because she was one sick little girl.

As you can probably see, chronic reflux runs in my family. My dad has is SEVERE. I have it a little. Eli has it, Mercie had MINOR REFLUX but never had any problems with it after she was healed.

All in all, I am thankful for the health of my kiddos. It is not something I will ever take for granted.

New Years Resolutions

I rarely make new year's resolutions just because I usually forget about them! But I have a few goals that I would like to meet this year.

1) Read through the entire Bible. I've done this once before, but I'd love to do it each year! I'm going to try to read it through in 90 days, but we'll see how this goes!

2) Spend more time with Mikaela and Eli before bed, especially since they'll be going to school. I'd like to have 10-15 minutes of conversation, prayer, tickling matches, or whatever with EACH of them ALONE.

3) Get Mercie's behavior under control. She is a sweet precious toddler, but she is the most stubborn, disobedient, rebellious, prideful two year old I've encountered. Hopefully with the kids in school, I can spend more one on one with her, correcting her and training her. Hopefully, it won't take all year! :)

4) Drink more water! I'm so hooked on diet cokes and diet A&W root beer, that I hardly ever drink water. And since I have around 10 pounds I'd like to lose, drinking water will help that. I've already started this morning! Usually it's a cup of diet coke first thing, but now I have water!!

5) Lose 10 pounds.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!