Just as an update, my surgery was pretty successful. The doctor blasted the lower of the two stones into pieces. I am currently passing those fragments with no pain. The doctor could not completely blast the higher stone. There is still a large piece of the stone that they're hoping I can pass on my own...yikes! We'll find out if I have at my two week follow up appointment. If I have not, I will need to surgically remove that stone - either with lithitripsy again or by going in to get it like my last stone. I'll keep everyone posted. I have some localized pain/soreness but other than that, I'm doing pretty well. Thanks for everyone's thoughts, prayers and wonderful meals!!
I have recently downloaded all of the photos off of the new camera. I will try and post pictures tomorrow...
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Two things baby...
Well, I just wanted to blog a little bit about some new developments on the baby front: 1) CCR and I went to the Austin Children's Museum and 2) I have officially started making CCR's baby food.
ACM
CCR and I went to the museum last Sunday during the open to the public free time. That is from 4-5pm. The museum has a place just for those babies that are 2 and under. It's a very sweet area with lots of neat things to do and see. We hung out in the "plush" corner for the duration of our visit, but I put Colton in the plush zone as well as put him on his tummy on a blanket on the carpet. Here's my conclusion about the museum: The 2 and under area is intended for children that are at least sitting up. While we will continue to visit between now and when CCR is officially sitting up on his own, but he will be severely limited in what he can interact with. I'm pretty much his toy whether we're at home or at the museum. Once a child is sitting up, they can take advantage of a very neat texture area. There are mobiles to look at when the babies are on their backs which is neat. However, I also recommend that your baby be at least sitting up because parents don't do a great job of monitoring their children. That goes for babies that belong in this area and those that are too old yet still come in. The baby area is fenced off and has little pass gates that are latched from the outside of the area. If children are old enough to operate these latches, then they come in. CCR was almost steam-rolled twice by children that were obviously older than 2 years. Not that I would anyway, but you CANNOT take your eyes off of your child, and you must be prepared to put your arm out to move a child away from yours or make assertive efforts to protect your child. I witnessed very sweet interaction between a few older children (about 1 year) because I was near a small steps/slide area of the baby zone. It's a great place for exposure to other kids without a formal playdate. The free time was busy, but the baby zone wasn't too bad. I would recommend going during the free time to allow your baby a short time to get accustomed. Just a few words of wisdom: Park in the AMLI parking garage, get your ticket validated at the little window in the lobby of the museum, don't pack a bunch of stuff (bring a backpack as a diaper bag because there's not really a good place to put strollers/bags that is supervised), and bring a camera. I thought at first that the trip would be wasted because I took CCR alone, but it turns out you can hang out, feed and photograph your baby by yourself. Try going by yourself and with your hubby, but you may find that a 2 adult to 1 baby ratio is cumbersome in the museum. I hope that I can go with some friends the next time. It was a lot of fun!!!
Baby Food
Tonight, Doug and I started making CCR's baby food. So far we've been feeding him Gerber 1sts which have been great for testing adverse reaction and traveling. Now we're trying to move into the habit of making his food. We want to start him on a diet limiting processed ingredients and an inundation of salt as well as expose him to foods outside the range of Gerber. My mother-in-law gave me a great baby puree book for Christmas, and I bought a second book from Amazon. They both have great recipes, tips about a particular ingredient and health information. Tonight we cooked pears on the stove and baked sweet potatoes in the oven. I made a pear puree which didn't need any additional ingredients. I also made sweet potato puree which ended up being 2 medium potatoes with 6 oz. of baby formula. I bought neat storage containers and I filled up 30 of my 40 1 oz. containers - 13 pears and 17 sweet potatoes. They're now in the freezer, and we'll start trying them out tomorrow. Hopefully he likes them. He is a mediocre fan of sweet potatoes and hasn't had any fruit yet. We shall see if we're successful. So far his favorites are squash, green beans and carrots - in that order. He's not a big fan of Gerber sweet potatoes (but he'll eat them) and he absolutely detests sweet peas...I'll continue working on that one obviously without pushing him too much. I want eating to be a great experience for him. A few words of wisdom: Involve your husband (Doug offered to help, and it was a great time for us), making the food - even with all of the steps - was very therapeutic, and you don't need to let the food cool all the way before you puree/chop/etc. We steamed the pears on the stove ( regardless of what your recipe says, peel the skins off first) and pureed. We baked two medium sweet potatoes in the oven and then pureed them. I ended up adding 6 total ounces of formula to the mix, but I did it 2 ounces at a time to get the right consistency. If anyone would like the recipes from my books, I'd be more than happy to post them. Just let me know if there is a specific ingredient you are interested in.
That brings me to another quasi-big announcement. We are no longer breastfeeding. When we introduced CCR to solids he naturally stopped wanting to nurse in the evenings. He would eat some solid food mixed with a formula bottle and would naturally fall asleep. So I would take care of the mommy duties after he went to bed. I continued nursing him in the mornings, but that was it. Last Thursday, I nursed him in the morning and then got really sick for the duration of the day. I concluded that I had eaten some spoiled eggs. Not wanting him to eat anything that was bad, I decided I would give him a bottle Friday morning just to be safe. I pumped and threw the milk away. I wanted to nurse until CCR was 6 months old, but he didn't seem to have any problem with the morning bottle on Friday. He had already reduced his nursing time as well as his interest in nursing altogether. About halfway through our morning time, he would lose interest and start arching his back, turning his head and just moving on to better activities. To me, he was letting me know that he was growing out of nursing on his own. When he didn't seem to have any adverse reaction to the bottle Friday morning, I figured he was done with nursing. So we just started giving him a formula bottle in the morning, and he's been doing great. Now without pumping and nursing, I find we go through canisters of formula much, much faster than before, but it seems to be CCR's natural progression as he is getting older. On a side note, I ended up stopping nursing just 3 days before I went to the ER with a kidney stone and they pumped me full of drugs. I am very thankful that the timing worked out such that I didn't have to discontinue nursing while dealing with a kidney stone. I am so blessed to have a baby that has simply grown out of nursing early but at a time when I would have had to do it anyway. My surgery on Monday would have required me to make some serious adjustments. I'm just glad they happened before all of this medical drama. Thank the Lord!
ACM
CCR and I went to the museum last Sunday during the open to the public free time. That is from 4-5pm. The museum has a place just for those babies that are 2 and under. It's a very sweet area with lots of neat things to do and see. We hung out in the "plush" corner for the duration of our visit, but I put Colton in the plush zone as well as put him on his tummy on a blanket on the carpet. Here's my conclusion about the museum: The 2 and under area is intended for children that are at least sitting up. While we will continue to visit between now and when CCR is officially sitting up on his own, but he will be severely limited in what he can interact with. I'm pretty much his toy whether we're at home or at the museum. Once a child is sitting up, they can take advantage of a very neat texture area. There are mobiles to look at when the babies are on their backs which is neat. However, I also recommend that your baby be at least sitting up because parents don't do a great job of monitoring their children. That goes for babies that belong in this area and those that are too old yet still come in. The baby area is fenced off and has little pass gates that are latched from the outside of the area. If children are old enough to operate these latches, then they come in. CCR was almost steam-rolled twice by children that were obviously older than 2 years. Not that I would anyway, but you CANNOT take your eyes off of your child, and you must be prepared to put your arm out to move a child away from yours or make assertive efforts to protect your child. I witnessed very sweet interaction between a few older children (about 1 year) because I was near a small steps/slide area of the baby zone. It's a great place for exposure to other kids without a formal playdate. The free time was busy, but the baby zone wasn't too bad. I would recommend going during the free time to allow your baby a short time to get accustomed. Just a few words of wisdom: Park in the AMLI parking garage, get your ticket validated at the little window in the lobby of the museum, don't pack a bunch of stuff (bring a backpack as a diaper bag because there's not really a good place to put strollers/bags that is supervised), and bring a camera. I thought at first that the trip would be wasted because I took CCR alone, but it turns out you can hang out, feed and photograph your baby by yourself. Try going by yourself and with your hubby, but you may find that a 2 adult to 1 baby ratio is cumbersome in the museum. I hope that I can go with some friends the next time. It was a lot of fun!!!
Baby Food
Tonight, Doug and I started making CCR's baby food. So far we've been feeding him Gerber 1sts which have been great for testing adverse reaction and traveling. Now we're trying to move into the habit of making his food. We want to start him on a diet limiting processed ingredients and an inundation of salt as well as expose him to foods outside the range of Gerber. My mother-in-law gave me a great baby puree book for Christmas, and I bought a second book from Amazon. They both have great recipes, tips about a particular ingredient and health information. Tonight we cooked pears on the stove and baked sweet potatoes in the oven. I made a pear puree which didn't need any additional ingredients. I also made sweet potato puree which ended up being 2 medium potatoes with 6 oz. of baby formula. I bought neat storage containers and I filled up 30 of my 40 1 oz. containers - 13 pears and 17 sweet potatoes. They're now in the freezer, and we'll start trying them out tomorrow. Hopefully he likes them. He is a mediocre fan of sweet potatoes and hasn't had any fruit yet. We shall see if we're successful. So far his favorites are squash, green beans and carrots - in that order. He's not a big fan of Gerber sweet potatoes (but he'll eat them) and he absolutely detests sweet peas...I'll continue working on that one obviously without pushing him too much. I want eating to be a great experience for him. A few words of wisdom: Involve your husband (Doug offered to help, and it was a great time for us), making the food - even with all of the steps - was very therapeutic, and you don't need to let the food cool all the way before you puree/chop/etc. We steamed the pears on the stove ( regardless of what your recipe says, peel the skins off first) and pureed. We baked two medium sweet potatoes in the oven and then pureed them. I ended up adding 6 total ounces of formula to the mix, but I did it 2 ounces at a time to get the right consistency. If anyone would like the recipes from my books, I'd be more than happy to post them. Just let me know if there is a specific ingredient you are interested in.
That brings me to another quasi-big announcement. We are no longer breastfeeding. When we introduced CCR to solids he naturally stopped wanting to nurse in the evenings. He would eat some solid food mixed with a formula bottle and would naturally fall asleep. So I would take care of the mommy duties after he went to bed. I continued nursing him in the mornings, but that was it. Last Thursday, I nursed him in the morning and then got really sick for the duration of the day. I concluded that I had eaten some spoiled eggs. Not wanting him to eat anything that was bad, I decided I would give him a bottle Friday morning just to be safe. I pumped and threw the milk away. I wanted to nurse until CCR was 6 months old, but he didn't seem to have any problem with the morning bottle on Friday. He had already reduced his nursing time as well as his interest in nursing altogether. About halfway through our morning time, he would lose interest and start arching his back, turning his head and just moving on to better activities. To me, he was letting me know that he was growing out of nursing on his own. When he didn't seem to have any adverse reaction to the bottle Friday morning, I figured he was done with nursing. So we just started giving him a formula bottle in the morning, and he's been doing great. Now without pumping and nursing, I find we go through canisters of formula much, much faster than before, but it seems to be CCR's natural progression as he is getting older. On a side note, I ended up stopping nursing just 3 days before I went to the ER with a kidney stone and they pumped me full of drugs. I am very thankful that the timing worked out such that I didn't have to discontinue nursing while dealing with a kidney stone. I am so blessed to have a baby that has simply grown out of nursing early but at a time when I would have had to do it anyway. My surgery on Monday would have required me to make some serious adjustments. I'm just glad they happened before all of this medical drama. Thank the Lord!
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Stone Update...
Well, I went to the urologist yesterday to figure out the right plan of attack for this stinkin', cheesy kidney stone. Well, turns out the xray they took at the ER was not going to work since I still had contrast solution in my body from the CT scan they did to diagnose the stone in the first place. So there wasn't much that could be done at the doctor's office without a good xray. I did give them a urine sample which showed I still have blood in my urine...pretty typical for stones. So they gave me an order ticket for a new xray. Before I went to get a new xray, she showed me my CT scan from the ER visit. They had trouble finding the non-contrast scan on the CD the ER gave me so they had to pull it up on some sort of medical network system. She showed me that I actually have TWO stones!!! One is floating around in my kidney and the other is lodged up high which is why it's giving me fits. Sheesh!!!
I went across the street to get my new xray. It was very strange. I got checked in...no biggy there. The xray tech took me and another woman back to get ready for the xrays. We went around the corner from the waiting room and there was a hallway with a bunch of little changing rooms along it. So I went in to the little changing room and had to put on these very attractive elastic waistband shorts and remove my bra. I came out of the changing room and they took me right in to get my xray done. The tech actually did two xrays since I was already there, and the urologist was thankful to have them.
After I got the xrays done, I grabbed a bite for lunch and took it over to Jen's. The babies were all headed to nap time so we had a few minutes to just chat and catch up. It was really nice. I can't even put into words what a blessing Jen and her family are and continue to be for me and my family. It was nice to actually have a few minutes to just visit with her instead of trying to squeeze it in when I'm either dropping off or picking up CCR.
Then I went back to the urologist's office. She was able to see my stones on the film. Whew! She brought in the doctor that will actually be performing my surgery so they reviewed my film. They found my xrays very interesting...I don't really know what that means, but they were commenting that I have very good bone structure - in other words no sign of osteoperosis - but that I have a lot of calcium depositing in my cartilage of my ribs. I don't know what causes that or if it's something to worry about, but they made the comments nonetheless. I'll inquire about that when I go in for surgery.
So here are the surgery details:
Monday, January 26th at 8 am.
I will be having a lithitripsy which is a procedure that uses shock waves that are administered from the outside of the body and used to shatter the stone(s) in order to facilitate my body passing them naturally. I don't know at this point whether the doctor is planning on putting in a stent in order to help pass the pieces easier and in theory less painfully...we'll see. I will be completely "under" so I won't know until it's over whether they'll be putting that in. I had one installed with my previous stone, and let me tell you - they are awful to get removed! But I'll do whatever is best to get this whole thing over with!
A little side note related to the previous post - turns out the enlarged lymphnodes are probably from the food-based illness I had late last week. I am going to follow up with my primary care doctor in two months to check my white blood cell count just to make sure, but it looks like it was just coincidental that I got a CT scan to diagnose the stones at the same time my lymphatic system was doing its job. Whew!!
So I was telling Doug about the scheduling of the surgery, and I heard a loud Uuhhh! on the phone...I completely forgot he is going to trial on Monday. He is trying a misdemeanor case, and his associate is trying a felony case starting on Monday. So he's totally booked. So that said, once again the Wilcoxsons to the rescue! Noel is going to drop me off for surgery and then come back to pick me up and take me home so that Doug doesn't have to file for a continuance on his trial...what a huge blessing!!!! And Jen will have CCR for the day which will allow me to fully recover at home.
I think that covers all the high points to date. Now I'm just trying to get from now until Monday morning. I'm allowed to take Tylenol for the pain, but othe than that, I'm not supposed to take any medication...sheesh! I'm not excited to have to deal with the pain of the stone until then, but I'm thankful that we have the means to get this taken care of for me.
Thank you to everyone's thoughts and prayers! I really appreciate that! I have been blessed with such wonderful friends and a fantastic family. Thank you Lord!
I went across the street to get my new xray. It was very strange. I got checked in...no biggy there. The xray tech took me and another woman back to get ready for the xrays. We went around the corner from the waiting room and there was a hallway with a bunch of little changing rooms along it. So I went in to the little changing room and had to put on these very attractive elastic waistband shorts and remove my bra. I came out of the changing room and they took me right in to get my xray done. The tech actually did two xrays since I was already there, and the urologist was thankful to have them.
After I got the xrays done, I grabbed a bite for lunch and took it over to Jen's. The babies were all headed to nap time so we had a few minutes to just chat and catch up. It was really nice. I can't even put into words what a blessing Jen and her family are and continue to be for me and my family. It was nice to actually have a few minutes to just visit with her instead of trying to squeeze it in when I'm either dropping off or picking up CCR.
Then I went back to the urologist's office. She was able to see my stones on the film. Whew! She brought in the doctor that will actually be performing my surgery so they reviewed my film. They found my xrays very interesting...I don't really know what that means, but they were commenting that I have very good bone structure - in other words no sign of osteoperosis - but that I have a lot of calcium depositing in my cartilage of my ribs. I don't know what causes that or if it's something to worry about, but they made the comments nonetheless. I'll inquire about that when I go in for surgery.
So here are the surgery details:
Monday, January 26th at 8 am.
I will be having a lithitripsy which is a procedure that uses shock waves that are administered from the outside of the body and used to shatter the stone(s) in order to facilitate my body passing them naturally. I don't know at this point whether the doctor is planning on putting in a stent in order to help pass the pieces easier and in theory less painfully...we'll see. I will be completely "under" so I won't know until it's over whether they'll be putting that in. I had one installed with my previous stone, and let me tell you - they are awful to get removed! But I'll do whatever is best to get this whole thing over with!
A little side note related to the previous post - turns out the enlarged lymphnodes are probably from the food-based illness I had late last week. I am going to follow up with my primary care doctor in two months to check my white blood cell count just to make sure, but it looks like it was just coincidental that I got a CT scan to diagnose the stones at the same time my lymphatic system was doing its job. Whew!!
So I was telling Doug about the scheduling of the surgery, and I heard a loud Uuhhh! on the phone...I completely forgot he is going to trial on Monday. He is trying a misdemeanor case, and his associate is trying a felony case starting on Monday. So he's totally booked. So that said, once again the Wilcoxsons to the rescue! Noel is going to drop me off for surgery and then come back to pick me up and take me home so that Doug doesn't have to file for a continuance on his trial...what a huge blessing!!!! And Jen will have CCR for the day which will allow me to fully recover at home.
I think that covers all the high points to date. Now I'm just trying to get from now until Monday morning. I'm allowed to take Tylenol for the pain, but othe than that, I'm not supposed to take any medication...sheesh! I'm not excited to have to deal with the pain of the stone until then, but I'm thankful that we have the means to get this taken care of for me.
Thank you to everyone's thoughts and prayers! I really appreciate that! I have been blessed with such wonderful friends and a fantastic family. Thank you Lord!
Monday, January 19, 2009
God's Plan
I know in my heart, and my head for that matter, that my world is not ticking to my clock. Everything runs off of God's watch. He controls the timing of events, the sequencing, and so on. I am always humbled when I am abruptly reminded of this fact. Tonight, Monday, was supposed to be a relaxing night filled with laundry, chores and possibly errands. Of course, there would be some Colton time as well - before we went to bed. Well, at about 4pm this afternoon, I started to not feel very well. Let me stop here and go back for those I haven't spoken with recently.
Thursday morning I woke up feeling pretty under the weather. I thought maybe it was a blood sugar issue so I had some breakfast. Apparently, my breakfast was my problem. See, I made a stratta Sunday night and cooked it Monday morning. This was my attempt at eating healthier at home, introducing more vegetables in my diet and not wasting my entire paycheck on sausage burritos and hot chocolate from McDonald's. Well, apparently the eggs in my stratta couldn't hold up for more than just a couple days. So I ate the Sunday old stratta Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and then Thursday. Well, my system didn't think that was cool. So I had some pretty less-than-ideal symptoms all day Thursday. Friday I was still a bit queasy so I stayed home from work but kept Colton with me. The weekend was better. I did notice some serious dehydration symptoms so I did try to rehydrate myself before today. And so here we are on Monday...
So I'm not feeling well at work. I decide to leave early (for me) to head home and relax. I'm coming down with another cold (sore throat and congestion in my nose) so I had suggested to Doug that we eat at our favorite Vietnamese restaurant so I could have pho (pronounced phuh as in funky). As I was finishing up loose ends at the office, I started to get a lot of abdomenal cramps. This seemed odd, but they were dull so I figured it would all pass. On my way to the car, I started to get a sharp pain in the left side of my body. As I drove to pick up Colton and take him home, I realized the cramping was subsiding and the piercing pain was getting worse. I called Doug and told him that any food for me was probably not a good idea as the nausea was setting in. He headed straight home instead of picking it up for me - which was a very sweet gesture on his part! Well, after talking through my symptoms, I realized the pain I was feeling was oddly familiar to the kidney stone pain I suffered back in 2003.
So Doug dropped me off at the ER to get a CT scan. Turns out...I have a 4mm kidney stone, and it's location is very high. This complicates things, but that didn't surprise me because I had to have my previous stone surgically removed as well. So long story short, I'm going to see the urologist tomorrow to schedule surgery to remove this stone. For the first stone I had, the urologist removed it with a little basket tool that has a built in camera attachment. It was a non-invasive surgery. The method that will be attempted for this stone will also be non-invasive, but it will utilize shock waves to shatter the stone into much smaller pieces and hopefully dislodge it so I can pass them all naturally. Both methods require me to be completely under. We'll see how it goes...
On top of the stone diagnosis, the CT tech noticed something wrong with my abdomen. He noticed that I have a more than normal quantity of lymphnodes in that area of my body. They are also increased in size. However, my white blood cell count for now is low. The reason this is of a major concern is that non-Hodgkins lymphoma runs in my family. My dad has had it twice, and we lost my dad's brother/my uncle to it as well. Genetically, I follow my dad so that's even more of a concern. I will be following up in about a month with my general doctor to monitor my white blood cell count. If it elevates, or they believe they should biopsy sooner rather than later, we may find ourselves with a very precarious diagnosis.
Anywho, all of that said, please pray for me and for the doctors that I will be in contact with this week for the stone surgery as well as the doctors that will help me to monitor my lymphatic system. And please pray for Doug as he will become an even more tremendous help with Colton. And please praise our God for sending me a kidney stone so we could find the abnormal lymphatic set up in my abdomen. The laundry can always wait to another day. God had very important information to tell me, and I thank Him for the message. 10-4 Father God!
Thursday morning I woke up feeling pretty under the weather. I thought maybe it was a blood sugar issue so I had some breakfast. Apparently, my breakfast was my problem. See, I made a stratta Sunday night and cooked it Monday morning. This was my attempt at eating healthier at home, introducing more vegetables in my diet and not wasting my entire paycheck on sausage burritos and hot chocolate from McDonald's. Well, apparently the eggs in my stratta couldn't hold up for more than just a couple days. So I ate the Sunday old stratta Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and then Thursday. Well, my system didn't think that was cool. So I had some pretty less-than-ideal symptoms all day Thursday. Friday I was still a bit queasy so I stayed home from work but kept Colton with me. The weekend was better. I did notice some serious dehydration symptoms so I did try to rehydrate myself before today. And so here we are on Monday...
So I'm not feeling well at work. I decide to leave early (for me) to head home and relax. I'm coming down with another cold (sore throat and congestion in my nose) so I had suggested to Doug that we eat at our favorite Vietnamese restaurant so I could have pho (pronounced phuh as in funky). As I was finishing up loose ends at the office, I started to get a lot of abdomenal cramps. This seemed odd, but they were dull so I figured it would all pass. On my way to the car, I started to get a sharp pain in the left side of my body. As I drove to pick up Colton and take him home, I realized the cramping was subsiding and the piercing pain was getting worse. I called Doug and told him that any food for me was probably not a good idea as the nausea was setting in. He headed straight home instead of picking it up for me - which was a very sweet gesture on his part! Well, after talking through my symptoms, I realized the pain I was feeling was oddly familiar to the kidney stone pain I suffered back in 2003.
So Doug dropped me off at the ER to get a CT scan. Turns out...I have a 4mm kidney stone, and it's location is very high. This complicates things, but that didn't surprise me because I had to have my previous stone surgically removed as well. So long story short, I'm going to see the urologist tomorrow to schedule surgery to remove this stone. For the first stone I had, the urologist removed it with a little basket tool that has a built in camera attachment. It was a non-invasive surgery. The method that will be attempted for this stone will also be non-invasive, but it will utilize shock waves to shatter the stone into much smaller pieces and hopefully dislodge it so I can pass them all naturally. Both methods require me to be completely under. We'll see how it goes...
On top of the stone diagnosis, the CT tech noticed something wrong with my abdomen. He noticed that I have a more than normal quantity of lymphnodes in that area of my body. They are also increased in size. However, my white blood cell count for now is low. The reason this is of a major concern is that non-Hodgkins lymphoma runs in my family. My dad has had it twice, and we lost my dad's brother/my uncle to it as well. Genetically, I follow my dad so that's even more of a concern. I will be following up in about a month with my general doctor to monitor my white blood cell count. If it elevates, or they believe they should biopsy sooner rather than later, we may find ourselves with a very precarious diagnosis.
Anywho, all of that said, please pray for me and for the doctors that I will be in contact with this week for the stone surgery as well as the doctors that will help me to monitor my lymphatic system. And please pray for Doug as he will become an even more tremendous help with Colton. And please praise our God for sending me a kidney stone so we could find the abnormal lymphatic set up in my abdomen. The laundry can always wait to another day. God had very important information to tell me, and I thank Him for the message. 10-4 Father God!
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Feed it Forward...
I love Restaurant.com. It's a great site where you can buy gift certificates to restaurants in your area for a discount. When they have 70% off sales, it's great because you can get a $25 gift certificate for 3 bucks...it's awesome! It's a great way to budget for a nice meal out.
So I got this email where they're allowing registered users of the site to send free gift certificates to recipients for 30 days...you can send 3 per day. You can't duplicate your recipients, but you can send 3 per day for the 30 days...that's pretty good!
So I have started sending out my free certificates. I think if we all include each other as one of our recipients, we'll eat good for most of 2009. So I hope that if you get a free certificate from me that you will send me one too. Thanks!! Here's the site:
http://www-ws20.restaurant.com/FeedItForward/
Happy emailing and eating!!
So I got this email where they're allowing registered users of the site to send free gift certificates to recipients for 30 days...you can send 3 per day. You can't duplicate your recipients, but you can send 3 per day for the 30 days...that's pretty good!
So I have started sending out my free certificates. I think if we all include each other as one of our recipients, we'll eat good for most of 2009. So I hope that if you get a free certificate from me that you will send me one too. Thanks!! Here's the site:
http://www-ws20.restaurant.com/FeedItForward/
Happy emailing and eating!!
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
TAG, I'm it...
Thanks Cassie! This is my first too. I feel so behind the times...here goes.
*Link the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog
*Share 7 random/weird facts about yourself
*tag 7 other people and link to them at the end of your blog
*let each person know they've been tagged by leaving a comment
Seven random/weird facts about me:
1) I share my birthday with Helen Keller
2) I have a dimple in my right ear - it looks like it's pierced
3) My birthday falls almost right smack in the middle of my sisters who are 13 years apart.
4) Since my dad and his brother only had girls, I dropped my middle name and moved my maiden name to my middle name to keep it without hyphenating my new last name.
5) When I was a little girl, my dad asked me where I got my blonde hair and I told him from my older sister Molly; he asked me where I got my blue eyes and I told him from him; he asked me where I got my nose and I told him from my grandfather (his dad); he asked me where I got my armpits and I told him from my uncle Rook (his brother). I couldn't think of anyone else I guess...
6) I have hints of auburn in my hair. When I'm photographed, the red really shows up. My college roommate didn't recognize me when I showed up to move in because the picture I sent her made me look like a red head/auburn head. I get it from my dad who has auburn facial hair.
7) Doug and I originally planned to get married on the beach in the Keys. We changed the wedding to Orlando to accommodate my dad's chemo schedule. The wedding was postponed because Hurricane Francis hit Florida that weekend. Doug and I got married at the local church in Pearland TX, went on our honeymoon and did our Florida wedding in February. My mom called Part Deux. They both were great!
I tag: Jennifer W., Cristina F., Jennifer E., Kelly W., Jenifer H., Cynthia C., Marti S.
*Link the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog
*Share 7 random/weird facts about yourself
*tag 7 other people and link to them at the end of your blog
*let each person know they've been tagged by leaving a comment
Seven random/weird facts about me:
1) I share my birthday with Helen Keller
2) I have a dimple in my right ear - it looks like it's pierced
3) My birthday falls almost right smack in the middle of my sisters who are 13 years apart.
4) Since my dad and his brother only had girls, I dropped my middle name and moved my maiden name to my middle name to keep it without hyphenating my new last name.
5) When I was a little girl, my dad asked me where I got my blonde hair and I told him from my older sister Molly; he asked me where I got my blue eyes and I told him from him; he asked me where I got my nose and I told him from my grandfather (his dad); he asked me where I got my armpits and I told him from my uncle Rook (his brother). I couldn't think of anyone else I guess...
6) I have hints of auburn in my hair. When I'm photographed, the red really shows up. My college roommate didn't recognize me when I showed up to move in because the picture I sent her made me look like a red head/auburn head. I get it from my dad who has auburn facial hair.
7) Doug and I originally planned to get married on the beach in the Keys. We changed the wedding to Orlando to accommodate my dad's chemo schedule. The wedding was postponed because Hurricane Francis hit Florida that weekend. Doug and I got married at the local church in Pearland TX, went on our honeymoon and did our Florida wedding in February. My mom called Part Deux. They both were great!
I tag: Jennifer W., Cristina F., Jennifer E., Kelly W., Jenifer H., Cynthia C., Marti S.
Friday, November 14, 2008
A blessing I don't deserve...
Most of you know that I took 10 weeks of leave to stay home with Colton. Well, three weeks ago I went back to work. A few months ago, Doug and I visited 3 daycares in a search to find the right fit for us. Well, we settled on one location which we were both excited about sending our son. The Friday before I went back to work, we were finalizing all of the details for Colton's attendance starting Monday the 27th of October. I confirmed that he would be starting Monday and that we were looking forward to his going there. I was confident that he would have a great time at this daycare and they would take good care of him.
Well, the Lord had a different plan for us. For those of you who don't live in Austin, there is a close friend of mine that lives here in Austin that I went to college with. He and his wife have ever so generously reached out to Doug and me in so many ways. We've spent many a night at their house for dinner and games or a movie. One such movie - Knocked Up - we like to say is the reason we have Colton.
Well, I have had the wonderful opportunity to get to know Noel's wife Jennifer very well over the past year and a half. She is one of the most amazing, Godly women I know. Her cup overflows, and she is a great sharer. When Doug and I found out we were pregnant, she was there to help me through the aches/pains, planning and declining confidence. When Colton was born, she came to visit me at the hospital the day he was born. Noel delivered her home-cooked meatloaf, mashed potatoes and green bean casserole - along with two desserts - to our home the evening we brought Colton home from the hospital (along with frozen meals and a bassinet). During the 10 weeks I was at home, they let us take Colton over to their house to avoid a major window replacement to our house, the cleaning lady and just to hang out. We even set up the bili-suitcase on their dining room table when Colton was severely jaundice. Needless to say, they have been a blessing in our lives for quite some time.
Well, the Lord didn't stop there. The Friday evening before I went back to work (as I sit on the couch a nervous wreck about going back) I get a text from Jennifer. Her and Noel offered to take Colton full time. It was a win for me since she's the best mom I think I know, and and a win for them since they were looking for some supplemental income. I talked it over with Doug...I say that, I actually said "Jennifer offered to take Colton.". Doug says "For the night?" I say "No. Full time." Doug says "SOLD!" We are both very impressed with Noel and Jennifer - as husband and wife, parents to 5 young children and followers of Christ. Needless to say, we were thrilled with the change in plans.
So, now Colton's been going to the Wilcoxson's house during the day for three weeks. Jennifer's got him on the Boppy pillow, in the Bumbo chair, in the sit-in-spin, on the floor working on rolling over among other places...she works him so hard that he sleeps the entire next day to recouperate...she loves on my son as if he were her own. I couldn't ask for anyone to take better care of my pride and joy!
Heavenly Father-
Thank you for Your blessings. Thank you for Noel and Jennifer who are a blessing in our lives. Thank you for their generosity and their love. Thank you for bringing us to Austin and surrounding us with such Godly people during such a major event in our lives. Thank you for placing my son in the best and healthiest environment possible. Thank you for allowing us to help the Wilcoxson's meet their needs. And thank you for great friends. I am humbled by their capability to love You, their children and their families yet still find enough to love mine. I have You and You alone to thank for placing them in my life. You truly have a plan for each of us. Amen.
Noel and Jennifer-
Thank you. I love you and your family very much.
Well, the Lord had a different plan for us. For those of you who don't live in Austin, there is a close friend of mine that lives here in Austin that I went to college with. He and his wife have ever so generously reached out to Doug and me in so many ways. We've spent many a night at their house for dinner and games or a movie. One such movie - Knocked Up - we like to say is the reason we have Colton.
Well, I have had the wonderful opportunity to get to know Noel's wife Jennifer very well over the past year and a half. She is one of the most amazing, Godly women I know. Her cup overflows, and she is a great sharer. When Doug and I found out we were pregnant, she was there to help me through the aches/pains, planning and declining confidence. When Colton was born, she came to visit me at the hospital the day he was born. Noel delivered her home-cooked meatloaf, mashed potatoes and green bean casserole - along with two desserts - to our home the evening we brought Colton home from the hospital (along with frozen meals and a bassinet). During the 10 weeks I was at home, they let us take Colton over to their house to avoid a major window replacement to our house, the cleaning lady and just to hang out. We even set up the bili-suitcase on their dining room table when Colton was severely jaundice. Needless to say, they have been a blessing in our lives for quite some time.
Well, the Lord didn't stop there. The Friday evening before I went back to work (as I sit on the couch a nervous wreck about going back) I get a text from Jennifer. Her and Noel offered to take Colton full time. It was a win for me since she's the best mom I think I know, and and a win for them since they were looking for some supplemental income. I talked it over with Doug...I say that, I actually said "Jennifer offered to take Colton.". Doug says "For the night?" I say "No. Full time." Doug says "SOLD!" We are both very impressed with Noel and Jennifer - as husband and wife, parents to 5 young children and followers of Christ. Needless to say, we were thrilled with the change in plans.
So, now Colton's been going to the Wilcoxson's house during the day for three weeks. Jennifer's got him on the Boppy pillow, in the Bumbo chair, in the sit-in-spin, on the floor working on rolling over among other places...she works him so hard that he sleeps the entire next day to recouperate...she loves on my son as if he were her own. I couldn't ask for anyone to take better care of my pride and joy!
Heavenly Father-
Thank you for Your blessings. Thank you for Noel and Jennifer who are a blessing in our lives. Thank you for their generosity and their love. Thank you for bringing us to Austin and surrounding us with such Godly people during such a major event in our lives. Thank you for placing my son in the best and healthiest environment possible. Thank you for allowing us to help the Wilcoxson's meet their needs. And thank you for great friends. I am humbled by their capability to love You, their children and their families yet still find enough to love mine. I have You and You alone to thank for placing them in my life. You truly have a plan for each of us. Amen.
Noel and Jennifer-
Thank you. I love you and your family very much.
Friday, October 31, 2008
A month in the life of Colton Cash Ranney...
I know I haven't posted pictures in a while so here are some great pictures from the past month...at the Ranney house...
Here's a great shot of Colton sleeping with his buddy Ike.
A little more...
Look at those cute little feetsies!!!!
My little FBI agent - Fat, Bald and Innocent...thanks Auntie Lori!!!!!!
What a good dog Frisco is...watching over his new friend...
In his daddy's arms... 
We're working on sitting up...we'll see how it goes because we've got a big brain to hold up!
Do you think he's tired of being the center of attention??
He sure loves his daddy!!!
What a big boy in his new pack n play!! Thanks Irene!!!!
God has blessed me with a beautiful son! I am the luckiest mom in the world!! Praise the Lord!!!!
Here's a great shot of Colton sleeping with his buddy Ike.A little tummy time...
A little more...Look at those cute little feetsies!!!! I love this picture!!!! What a pair...
My son the little LSU fan...tee hee!
What an adorable shot - don't you think!?!
A day in the life of...
They are very close...I tell ya...
Colton has found the sweet spot...
My little FBI agent - Fat, Bald and Innocent...thanks Auntie Lori!!!!!! What a good dog Frisco is...watching over his new friend... In his daddy's arms... We're working on sitting up...we'll see how it goes because we've got a big brain to hold up!
I love the mouth!!!!
I love the bottoms of his onesie!!! ROAR!!!
Do you think he's tired of being the center of attention?? He sure loves his daddy!!! What a big boy in his new pack n play!! Thanks Irene!!!!What a great shot!!
So sweet...
Look at that face...Jennifer - doesn't he look a little like Elijah in this picture...too funny!
God has blessed me with a beautiful son! I am the luckiest mom in the world!! Praise the Lord!!!!
Monday, October 20, 2008
Shots, shots, shots!!!
Well, Colton went in for his 2 month well check up today. I have been dreading this doctor visit since he was born! But first things first, here's his stats:
Weight - 13 lbs. 11 oz.
Height - 24 1/4 in.
Hat size - 40.5 cm
Everything else checked out, and the doctor gave him an A+!! Woohoo!!!!!
Well, that part was great. Dr. Prochnow answered all of my questions and assured me that everything that I inquired about was normal...whew! So on to he immunizations...
Doug held his hands, and I sat on the other side of the room. He was a trooper with the oral dose. When the nurse gave him the first shot, he started to cry right away. He went right into the cry where he stops breathing for as long as he can make it...Doug blew in his face to get him to take a breath and that did absolutely nothing...so actually, he didn't realize he got the second shot because he was still holding his breath from the first one...then the nurse told us that the last one would hurt worse than the other two...argh! She gave it to him and he immediately started crying and went right into screaming. He screamed twice, but quickly after that I was cleared to snuggle/console him. As for me, I started crying while she was swabbing his leg - sheesh - cried during the first shot, was relieved a little when he finally took a breath but was quickly losing it again when he started screaming...that absolutely broke my heart! I know what we're doing is good for him by preventing life threatening illnesses, but the pain just eats me up! But I told Doug that his pain is part of his growing up, and my hurting heart is part of growing into my role as mother (of a son - tee hee). I feel that I need to prepare myself for the future broken bones, sprains and other injuries that come with growing boys...
So I'm glad that my son is healthy and that his first round of shots are over! Now I'm nursing his little legs back to health after their pricks this afternoon...I'm sure he'll be back up and about tomorrow...tee hee
Praise God for a great check up!!
Weight - 13 lbs. 11 oz.
Height - 24 1/4 in.
Hat size - 40.5 cm
Everything else checked out, and the doctor gave him an A+!! Woohoo!!!!!
Well, that part was great. Dr. Prochnow answered all of my questions and assured me that everything that I inquired about was normal...whew! So on to he immunizations...
Doug held his hands, and I sat on the other side of the room. He was a trooper with the oral dose. When the nurse gave him the first shot, he started to cry right away. He went right into the cry where he stops breathing for as long as he can make it...Doug blew in his face to get him to take a breath and that did absolutely nothing...so actually, he didn't realize he got the second shot because he was still holding his breath from the first one...then the nurse told us that the last one would hurt worse than the other two...argh! She gave it to him and he immediately started crying and went right into screaming. He screamed twice, but quickly after that I was cleared to snuggle/console him. As for me, I started crying while she was swabbing his leg - sheesh - cried during the first shot, was relieved a little when he finally took a breath but was quickly losing it again when he started screaming...that absolutely broke my heart! I know what we're doing is good for him by preventing life threatening illnesses, but the pain just eats me up! But I told Doug that his pain is part of his growing up, and my hurting heart is part of growing into my role as mother (of a son - tee hee). I feel that I need to prepare myself for the future broken bones, sprains and other injuries that come with growing boys...
So I'm glad that my son is healthy and that his first round of shots are over! Now I'm nursing his little legs back to health after their pricks this afternoon...I'm sure he'll be back up and about tomorrow...tee hee
Praise God for a great check up!!
Saturday, October 18, 2008
A few more milestones...
Well, today Colton is 2 months old. I can't even believe it! However, I was looking back at my pregnancy photos, and I have to say the last month of my pregnancy was a complete blur...my memories of the end are so vague I think because my delivery came so suddenly, that I didn't have any sort of transition from pregnancy to motherhood...but I'm so thankful that we got pictures done of us when I was 32 weeks. Those help me to remember that time...
Anywho, back to Colton's milestones. Last night, Colton slept in his crib in his big boy room for the first time. He did really well. We'll pray continuously that it stays that way. He went to sleep at midnight - we're night owls - and he slept until 5:30. He was up off and on until 6 when he slept until 6:30. He was up briefly and slept until 7. I fed him and let him sleep with me until 9:30. It was nice that he slept for so long in his crib and that I got to snuggle with my little man for a few hours...it was very sweet!!!
I have to say that I am madly in love with the two men in my life. I have been blessed more than I deserve!! Praise God!!!
Anywho, back to Colton's milestones. Last night, Colton slept in his crib in his big boy room for the first time. He did really well. We'll pray continuously that it stays that way. He went to sleep at midnight - we're night owls - and he slept until 5:30. He was up off and on until 6 when he slept until 6:30. He was up briefly and slept until 7. I fed him and let him sleep with me until 9:30. It was nice that he slept for so long in his crib and that I got to snuggle with my little man for a few hours...it was very sweet!!!
I have to say that I am madly in love with the two men in my life. I have been blessed more than I deserve!! Praise God!!!
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