Catching Up

It is too overwhelming to even begin to go through the photos and events of the past 3 or so weeks.

Baby L and I are just home from the hospital.  He is fine.  He was not so fine yesterday morning when we woke in the wee hours to find he had a temperature of over 103 degrees.  The ER measured his heart rate at over 230 bpm and his white blood count was critically high.  He underwent standard tests--urine and blood--which were so traumatic that I will never forget the look in his eyes as he lay screaming in terror on the hospital bed.  When the docs told us they needed to do a lumbar puncture (spinal tap) I took the chicken route and left the room.  A dose of IV antibiotics and 24 hours later he is well. 

I am grateful for the ability we had to seek medical attention.  I am grateful that he is well.  I am also recommitted to keeping my wait-and-see attitude whenever possible because the tests were dreadful.  To mothers of children who need lots of medical intervention, I take my hat off to you!  And I pray that God will support you.

E15 broke her arm during a soccer game.  She is in a hot pink cast.

S12 might have broken her arm at a roller-skating birthday party . . . x-rays are inconclusive.  She is in a thumb-spike splint until Wednesday when we'll return to the orthopedic clinic for further evaluation.

M13 is off crutches and wearing an ankle brace to protect her from further injury.  She is back to playing soccer after 2 weeks off.

J11 has painful plantar warts.  The podiatrist prescribed Tagamet--apparently it stimulates T-cell production which attack viruses like the ones that cause warts.  She said it works best in kids under 18, so we're hopeful it will work for our girl.

The older girls have finished their hunter education manuals, turned them in to the state conservation department, and had them returned.  They are getting excited for camp this June.

We studied frogs at a recent Explorer's Club meeting.  The little ones explored the frog lifecycle and got to visit with E15's tadpoles.  They also built a frog habitat and received supplies to build their own mini-frog ponds at home. The older kids explored interesting frog facts, anatomy, and classification.

We began reading aloud Freckles by Gene Stratton-Porter.  All of the kids love it.

M13 and S12 put on a baby shower for one of their church youth leaders.  It was a success. :)

We tried to work on math for several days, but the medical issues took over.

The sun has come out, so the kids are spending increasing time out of doors.  I'm hoping to join them and encourage some nature studies.

There's more, but I'm too tired to remember it all.  My PPD meds are working, and I am filled with joy each day at the life I am living.  I'm a little confused as to why we're having so many medical issues, and I'll be researching what I can do to improve our general health, but I'm not discouraged or defeated.  I can look at a sunrise and breathe a prayer of gratitude . . . and I do the same every time I look at my husband, my children, and especially the beautiful roly-poly body of Baby L.