We're there!

We arrived in Williamsburg, VA last night. Overall, the roadtrip was a success since we arrived safely, but I'll say it wasn't the most enjoyable trip I've been on. Riding in a van with 3 men and 2 little girls...well, I spent the day listening to financial and sports talk and then the notorious, "Are we there yet?!" We all had a big giggle when only 13 minutes after pulling out of the driveway, we heard Braylee's first, "Are we almost there!?" :) I'll also say for all those minivan junkies out there...I still am not convinced. We rode in Marv and Lou's van. I realize it was a bit more packed than usual (although all of the luggage was in a trailer being towed behind us) with some blankets and snacks though. I'm sure I'll change my mind when baby #3 comes along in the future, but for now, I'm glad we went with another SUV.
The kids are all having fun, but Brynna and Gabe are both missing their puppies and have asked about them this morning. :) Ok, we're off for breakfast. Hope you all have a great week too!

"I can't help it!"

One thing I love about our church is that it's not a "feel good" church. Of course we receive love and encouragement from our sisters and brothers there, but the sermons aren't about making us "feel good"...they are about making us better Christians, better witnesses, making us feel convicted to strengthen our relationship with Christ. Well, Pastor Shawn's sermon spoke directly to me on Sunday morning. Ever find yourself saying, "I can't help it!" Such as I can't help it that I'm a worry wart or I can't help it that I'm easily angered or my personal favorite, "I can't help it that I easily get my feelings hurt." On Sunday morning, Shawn told us to turn to 1 Corinthians 10:13 and underline it if we hadn't already. I didn't even flip to it because that's one of the verses I've known since childhood...but I never really GOT it until Sunday! 1 Cor. 10:13 says, "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And He is faithful, He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. For when you are tempted, He will provide a way out so you can stand up under it." (That may not be exact since I'm typing it from memory.) Anyway, when I've read or heard this verse over the years, I always considered it a BIG temptation. But Shawn pointed out that this is referring to ALL temptations...the temptation to be angry, proud, jealous, worrisome (big kick in the gut when he mentioned this one), etc. And the biggest point Shawn made...We have no excuse! He promises us a way out! Suddenly, the "I can't help it; God made me this way." excuse no longer seems feasible. Granted there are things I will always be working on, but it will definitely make me think twice before I say, "I can't help it." again. We can help it! We receive help from Christ during any temptation! So, now if you hear me saying, "I'm really working on that!" you'll know where I'm coming from and can pray for me. :)

Autumn Leaves

The girls couldn't wait to get out into the leaves on Saturday when Alex got home. They loved running and jumping in the pile, which Braylee kept calling a leaf puddle. ;) Last year, Brynna was a bit scared of the leaves, so it was fun to watch her enjoy them this year.


I worked over the weekend at Quick Care, a convenient care center about 5 minutes from our house. Saturday was pleasant...Sunday not so much. The shift is 3 hours shorter on Sunday, yet I saw 5 more patients than I did on Saturday. We were late to Max's 3rd Birthday party...and I still had to go into the office yesterday to finish my charting. He seemed to enjoy his Captain Hook party. My girls sure did, even though they decided to skip the hayride. I don't blame them because I was trying to talk their Daddy into riding with them b/c it was COLD! ;)

Yesterday, the girls picked out their gift for Alex's birthday. I kept stressing to Braylee how it's a big secret. Alex had barely walked in the door when she ran up and told him we'd been picking out his birthday stuff! Thankfully, she didn't gab what the gift is! Today, we're spending a relaxing day at home and packing for our upcoming trip.

Back to Work

I made it back to work on Thursday. It was great to see my coworkers and hear what they've been up to. As the day went on, I kept having more and more pain in my right lower jaw. By 4pm, I finally called the orthodontist b/c I felt like something wasn't right. She had me come straight over...and worked on me for an hour. She said my right lower jaw was shifting to compensate for my top teeth being out wider now...and she was glad I didn't let the problem continue. She used some type of material to build up my teeth in the back...feels like I have big chunks of food stuck in my teeth. It has helped though...for the pain and I can tell my bite is better. Unfortunately, to prevent these pieces from breaking off, she put me back on the soft diet. :( Oh well, what's another couple of weeks of mashed potatoes and pudding?! ;)

Monday, we visited Jenn and new baby Brent. Then, Trista and Ava came home with us for a sleepover. The girls were sooo good! Brynna provided most of their entertainement...
Several people have asked about my Gramps...thank you!! He had surgery on 10/22 to remove his sternum. He remained in ICU on the ventilator until the following Tuesday when a plastic surgeon recontructed his chest using his own chest muscles. I think it was Thursday evening that they extubated him b/c he was fighting the tube so much. He stayed in ICU until a few days later. My Grammy said he was VERY confused at first but doing better now. He moved out to the regular cardiac floor a couple of days ago. I spoke with him on the phone this morning. He was up in the chair and talking with my mom when I called. There is another complication, and the doctors are considering another surgery to see what the problem is. Please be praying things resolve without surgery and he can come home soon. I keep praying he'll be home for Thanksgiving...and especially Christmas.

It seems like this was a long week, but I can't pinpoint why it felt like that. I was disappointed when Brynna had on different clothes after daycare on Thursday (meaning she had an accident) until Lori explained it was b/c they had forgotten to put a diaper on her at nap...so no big deal. I was still happy to see she had on the same clothes yesterday though...I feel like she's really potty-trained when she can do it for other people too! ;)

Some exciting news for us...we're meeting with the drafter/architect guy on Nov. 25th to start plans for our house!! We have had our lot since before we were even engaged. Sometimes it seems like forever since we started talking about our "dream" house...and then there are other times when it scares me that the time is really here! We're planning to start building next fall so the house can be done by Spring/early Summer of 2010...in time for Braylee to get settled in a little before kindergarten starts in the fall. Please be praying for us to make the right decisions during this process. I've always heard horror stories about how stressful building a house can be on a marriage. So far, we seem to agree on most things...or are willing to agree anyway. I'm praying we can be an exception and the entire process will allow us to grow even closer instead of causing arguments.

Alex went into the office this morning, but the girls can't wait for him to get home. He promised he would pile the leaves together for them...pictures coming soon!

Halloween Week

I have lots of catching up to do! First of all, I am feeling great...still have some swelling and of course the hillbilly smile is not much fun, but at least I am back to doing normal activities and haven't taken any prescription pain pills since Thursday!

While I was trying to recover last week, the girls' halloween costumes arrived. Brynna loved putting hers on and saying, "I fly, Mom! Flap Flap Flap!" as she ran around the house. Braylee's costume was beautiful, but such a pain! It made her neck itch, she was losing feathers all over the county and all of the tulle made it difficult to buckle her in the carseat. But, she sure looked angelic! One night the girls carved pumpkins. Brynna really enjoyed participating this year.

Tuesday night, Alex converted Brynna's crib into the toddler bed. She couldn't wait to try it out and slept all night through without problems. My little baby really is growing up...sniff sniff. She has had only a handful of potty accidents over the last 2 weeks. One night, we even forgot to put a diaper on her at bedtime and she woke up dry the next morning! Yeah! It dawned on me Thursday evening that I don't carry a diaper bag anymore...I needed a wipe for Brynna's hands and realized I didn't have any since I had only carried Braylee's dance bag into her class. It's kind-of strange to be out of that baby stage without another one on the way (And it's going to stay that way for awhile).
I'm not sure where Braylee's recent wedding obsession has come from, but after marrying Daddy last week, this week she asked me if I could pretend to be a boy for her. She did look awfully cute in her "wedding gown." Friday night while I was putting on her make-up for trick-or-treating, I said, "Braylee, you look so pretty. You'll have all kinds of boys wanting to date you when you get bigger." She replied, "Well, I'd need to get to know them a little first!" ;)

Thursday was my first venture back out into society after being a hermit for over a week. I was feeling fairly well considering how I'd felt with the thrush (and only having 3 hours of sleep...stupid insomnia!). So when Krista asked me about taking the girls to the newspaper to get pictures in their costumes, I decided we were up for the challenge. After pictures (which BTW, the girls all looked absolutely adorable and were so sweet posing for pictures), I took Braylee to dance class...didn't have much option since Alex had bball practice too. By the time we made it back home, I was really hurting. I took some ibuprofen and then gave in and took a half of a pain pill. When Alex arrived home, I said, "You are officially on Daddy duty." and then I crashed!


Thankfully after a visit to the orthodontist on Friday morning, I started feeling sooo much better. She modified my bite block (the retainer thing I have to wear over my bottom teeth...not sure what the real name is) and it has made a world of difference. She also said I could leave it out for short periods of time throughout the day. This makes it much easier to talk...which is good for me since I talk a lot! ;) The girls and I went trick-or-treating Friday evening with Abby, Lillie, and Karson. They live in the subdivision where we'll be building next fall. You can see our property in one of the pictures. We just walked down the main road, thinking it wouldn't take us too long. Still, we were all worn out by the time we made it back to Abby's! My new smile tricked a few people...they thought I had in Halloween teeth! :)

Sunday after church, we drove up to my brother Travis' house so the girls could show my family their Halloween costumes. My dad, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and some cousins were there too. The girls took a ride on their mule, played by their pond, and did a lot of Hannah Montana dancing in Emilee's room. We made a quick stop by the hospital to see Mamaw at work too. She had special treats for the girls. Then we went to Small Groups at Amanda & Jodey's. I had to give her a big thank you for making all soft foods! It was my first REAL meal in over a week, except for some chicken and noodles Mandy sent to me. Alex teased me when I went back for thirds, but I didn't care! When I went to the orthodontist on Friday, she also realized my right jaw was locking up a little. With a few exercises, it has really increased my ability to chew and I've been eating regular foods since Sunday evening. Yeah!! I'm sooo over pudding!

Tuesday, when I was in bed...thinking I might die and praying for Alex to come home from work early, I got up to check on the girls once and guess what I found?!! They were using nail polish to paint their wooden step stool! Luckily, I caught them before it became too big of a mess. For the most part, the girls were very good while I was trying to recover. I'm thankful they had each other to play with.

Life is feeling back to normal for me, even though I don't look very normal. ;) I'm excited to get back to work on Thursday, but I'm afraid I'll scare some of my patients! I'll be back to work for 2 weeks, then off for 2 weeks for vacation and Thanksgiving. Then, back to work for 3 weeks and off for almost 2 more weeks with Christmas and New Year's coming! My surgery came at a good timing because hopefully my smile will be looking much better by the first of the year. It will be nice to not have to explain my gap-toothed-crooked smile to too many patients over the next couple of months.

Some relief...

My tongue and the roof of my mouth really started hurting on Sunday night. Since I had eaten some of the food Jamie brought, I thought it was related to that. It felt like my tongue was burnt or having a reaction to something. Monday, I kept thinking...it will get better with time. I had a horrible night Monday night. When I woke up Tuesday morning, I went into the bathroom, stuck out my tongue and had my answer...I had developed thrush!! (probably from the combination of trauma to my mouth and being on antibiotics) Luckily since I work in a doctor's office, I called one of the nurses first thing and asked her to call me in some medicine (gotta love that about my job!). I couldn't wait for Alex to bring it home at lunch time. I woke up at 1am and could tell it was starting to work! Today, my tongue/roof of mouth/throat still aren't back to normal but at least I could drink some water without being in pain. Yes, it was that bad...last night, I was almost in tears when I was taking my medicine b/c it hurt to even drink water!! So, thank you Nurse Janis for calling in the medicine! I'm feeling much better today and hoping it will be completely gone by tomorrow. I also noticed this morning that the swelling around my cheekbones was bothering me more...I think because the pain from inside my mouth was so great yesterday, I didn't even notice the swelling! Anyway, I just kept thinking yesterday, what if I wasn't an NP and would have suffered through it longer just assuming it was part of the process?!

Oh- Brynna slept in her toddler bed last night! She read some books and then went to asleep without a problem. I checked on her during the night...so sweet! Braylee woke her up this morning, so not sure what she would have done if she'd woken by herself. Anyway, I'll post pictures when I am feeling better.

Edit- For those wondering...yes, I prescribe medicine, but it's unethical for me to call it in for myself. ;) And since we're talking about my job...you should check out our new website. I added it in the sidebar- Heartland OB/GYN. I'm quite proud of the site since I wrote several of the topics for the webpage. :)

Quick update on us

Friday evening and Saturday were the worst for me as far as swelling goes. My right side has been worse, and the swelling was so bad, I actually had difficulty seeing out of my right eye. Sunday evening, my parents came for a visit because I felt like I was up to it...but it was probably too much. My mouth has been killing me (well, not really, but it's been hurting really bad) since then. Jamie brought us dinner Sunday evening, and I went against my "non-chew foods only" order because it smelled sooo good...this probably has something to do with my current pain situation. ;) Today, I had my follow-up appointment with the surgeon. He's pleased with the progress...said more swelling will come down over the next week but to expect some swelling for at least another month. I still can't blow my nose yet...which is part of the pain since the sinuses are so full of blood. I had hoped to return to work on Thursday, but it's just not going to happen. Alex said he does think I look a little "deflated" today compared to yesterday. I'm taking that as a compliment and sign of improvement. ;) I know I've bragged on Alex before, but he really is such a wonderful help. (T.W. and M.O. that's for you guys...go tease him now.) He's been doing all of the housework and taking care of the girls and me. With the way the market as been, his work has been crazy so I'm sure this was some unneeded stress for him, but he hasn't complained once.
I will make the bold statement and say Brynna is potty-trained (not at night of course) now. I'm always afraid it will come back to bite me, but she's doing great. I'd have to ask Alex to be sure, but I think she has only had one accident since Friday. She's been wearing panties all of the time except in bed. Also, she climbed out of her crib for the first time yesterday. It's not on the lowest setting yet, so I figured we'd just lower it more. But Alex thinks she's ready for the toddler bed...I'm sure she's ready, but I'm not! :) I like knowing that she's confined until I get her out in the mornings. She knows how to work the backdoor/lock and I'm afraid she'd go outside while I'm sleeping! But, I do realize we moved Braylee to a twin bed at 22 months and she did great, so maybe it's time. I just like having Brynna as my baby.
The girls are excited about carving their pumpkins and trick-or-treating this week, so hopefully, I'll be feeling up to all of it. Again, thanks for all of your prayers, calls, flowers, and meals. We appreciate you all so much!

Chipmunk cheeks

My surgery went well. I was already asleep before I made it into the OR and vaguely remember being in recovery. I was anxious to leave the hospital and get home before all of the pain medicine wore off, but when I tried getting dressed, I got my first nose bleed. I had been warned this would happen, but my goodness, it took over 40 minutes to get to from pouring out my nose. I slept all the way home...and have slept most of the last 2.5 days. My cheeks are the most swollen today. The nose bleeds are better but I'm still coughing up quite a bit of blood (from it draining into my throat). I definitely have the hillbilly teeth...the expansion temporarily separates the two front teeth. I'll have to deal with this for the next 3-6 months, but I'm more anxious to get rid of the swelling right now. Alex has been taking good care of me, changing my ice packs, bringing me pudding and mashed potatoes, and keeping track of when I took my medicines. The girls have been very gentle and have colored lots of pictures for me. :) Thank you all for the prayers...I didn't throw up one time!! I've been nauseated a few times, but I'm sooo thankful I haven't thrown up. Thanks also to those of you who called or texted to check on me. I'm headed back to bed.

Fall Fun and a New Arrival

Our fall camping trip is one of my favorites. Since we sold our camper and haven't found a replacement yet, we stayed with Alex's parents on Friday night and then came home Saturday evening after supper. Andre' and Mandi stayed in the camper too...which makes for some crazy middle-of-the-night sounds having a 17 mo. old and 24 mo. old in the same camper! :) Poor Gabe had a cough and ear infection and Brynna...well, Brynna woke up at 3am. She acted as though it was noon! She was bubbly and talkative...counting and pointing out colors. She'd quiet down for a bit and I'd start praying, "Lord, let this be it." and then I'd hear a little, "Mom, I love you!" It's hard to get frustrated when she's being so cute! Unfortunately, I think everyone else in the camper would have rather been sleeping. We enjoyed the camp fire Friday evening and then made our annual trip down to the village on Saturday morning. We usually get a picture of us "girls" (even though we are now all moms) on the stone fence. But considering Mandi recently broke her back and is currently pregnant, we figured we better pass on that this year! ;) Braylee and Trista were brave and climbed up there though. My poor camera...I take good care of my nice camera, but I have a slim version that I like to toss around in the diaper bag/my pocket. The screen is all scratched from my nail bag in Mexico, it's been dropped on the ground more times than I can count (including recently being tossed on the concrete when the lens was zoomed out and I'm still not sure how I fixed it), but I think I've really done it now. It fell out of my pocket into the creek. I didn't even notice it, but Alex's uncle jumped in and grabbed it for me. I think it's officially dead now. I pulled the card out right away and saved my pictures. I'm letting the camera dry out and maybe, just maybe I can still use it?! Oh well, it was a great deal I found on ebay so I'm not too worried about it. (Alex had bball practice, so he missed the trip down to the village.)

Sunday after nap time, we went to Lark Ranch for some pumpkin picking. Lillie went along with us. The girls rode the pumpkin-barrel train and ponies, and then we headed to the pumpkin patch. Lillie took family pictures for us. I called her "Little Abby" and told her she was going to be a photographer like her mommy. She had a huge grin on her face and did a great job! :) Thank you, Lillie! The girls loved picking out their own pumpkins. The last few years, the owner has used my dad's Agrigold corn for the corn maze. He had several Agrigold signs up...which I appreciated since Agrigold paid our bills growing up. ;) When we got home that evening, Braylee decided she was going to marry her daddy. I hope she realizes it's not a good sign when the guy doesn't want to quit watching the Colts game long enough for the "ceremony." Lucky for her, it was DVRed so he did agree to a first dance with her...very sweet.

Yesterday, Mandy watched my girls while I went to get more hardware put in my mouth. :( Then we enjoyed lunch at Mi Pueblo with Mandy & Emily. It will be my last time enjoying chips and salsa for awhile I'm afraid.

Today was storytime at the library. The girls made scarecrows...very cute! Then I had more appointments for pre-op. Yes, that's right, my insurance approved the procedure as medically necessary! My doctor's office called this morning to say she had the official pre-certification number and then shortly after, I received a call from the insurance company too. Thank you for all of your prayers!! When I got the calls, I instantly started singing Our God is an Awesome God! Tomorrow morning, I'm having surgery (maxillary expansion) at 7:30. Prayers are welcome! I've been under general anesthesia before and being an NP, I'm not too worried about the medical stuff. But, I become nauseated and throw up easily. I've been through 3 surgeries before and every time, I've thrown up. They are going to try extra hard to prevent that tomorrow due to the nature of the surgery. I won't be allowed to blow my nose, bend over, etc for awhile, so you could imagine what the force of vomiting could do. Sorry for being graphic.

My mom called this morning to say my Gramps is not doing well. :( He has a major infection and they are pretty sure it's in his sternum (breast bone). He's going back to surgery in the morning at 9am. I desperately wish I could be there with him and my family, but it's not possible. My mom is up there with my Grammy now and my dad and aunt/uncles will be joining them tomorrow. They are afraid they will have to remove his sternum. If they do, the wound will be left open until a plastic surgeon can reconstruct his chest. Even if all goes well, the doctor said he'll probably be hospitalized for at least another 3 weeks. My Gramps is getting depressed and my Grammy is absolutely exhausted. The good news is the heart pump is still working great and so far, it doesn't show any signs of infection. Please pray for all of them tomorrow. My mom was upset to tell me she couldn't be with me because she needed to be with her dad, but she knows I completely understand...and knows I want to be there with them too.

Happy Birthday to my nephew, Ely!! He turned 9 yesterday!! He is seriously one of the cutest, sweetest kids....and very funny too!! We love you, Elyas Gabriel!!

The big news from today... Jennifer and Brad welcomed our newest cousin!! Brent Robert arrived today at 12:02pm. He's a little thing...only 6 lbs. 12 oz. and 20 in. He has the cutest blonde hair. I hear Trista was a bit upset at the prospect of another little brother, but she soon came around and got her fair share of holding in. Brody seems to be super excited about another boy in the family! Congratulations on another blessing, Jenn & Brad! We love you all!

Insurance...such a pain

I'm thinking I won't be having the surgery on Wednesday. :( I'm so bummed because I just really want to get it over. I'm nervous about the surgery, but even more so about the recovery...and I really do not want to be dealing with that at Christmas time. When I called the insurance company today, the first lady said they should know something in 10-15 days!?! I told her I had been told we would have an answer by Monday. I talked to two different people and they gave me 3 different dates on when my information was supposedly received. It's so frustrating. I'm grateful to have insurance, but it seems ridiculous that they are trying to decide if this surgery is necessary. It's not like I'm asking for a nose job! ;) I would never voluntarily ask for my jaw to be broken! So, here I sit...waiting to talk to my oral surgeon's office tomorrow to see what the plan is.