Delaney's 12th Birthday!

My firstborn is now a 12 year old.....it's unbelievable to me. I will try to write something sweet and caring, but I'm smack in the middle of birthday prep. Nothing like waiting until the last minute to wrap presents. I am also in the process of baking her a chocolate cake from scratch (she is a huge chocoholic, like her mom and gram). That said, this batter is TERRIBLE. I'm hoping that is not a precursor to a horrible cake. If so, I'll have to make a quick run to the store for the tried and true Betty Crocker or Duncan Hines cake mix. The recipe does not call for eggs, which seems quite odd to me. Reviews to come :)

Anyway- 12 years have certainly flown by. My daughter is about 5'4" these days, and has the same size foot as myself. She claims to have superior taste in clothing, although I wouldn't necessarily agree. She is 12 going on 16, but I'm going to force her to stay 12 for the next few years- I'm so not ready for a teenager in the house. She's a wonderful daughter (most days), a great big sister, and a true friend to many (as is clear from the amount of phone calls she receives.....).

Happy Birthday Delaney!

A moment to reflect...

The last two weeks (plus, at this point), have been such a complete whirlwind. Picture that you get the worst message you would EVER want to receive, only to be shortly followed up by one 'still cautious' but much more optimistic, and then have every possible scenario go the right direction. And, I'm talking in a 24 hour period.

Then, watch your loved one continue to do well, but be in extreme pain, not necessarily 'all there' (for lack of a better way to state it), and know that they were out of danger, but be wondering what exactly the future held (and I'm reminded of this daily- a story for another time but truly a reminder of how fortunate we are). This is now Day 3.

Then picture your loved one doing SO well, meeting every best case scenario, but have minor, SO minor setbacks (like fever, etc), and deal w/ how much it throws your world off. I like to think of it as delayed reaction...otherwise I'm just crazy :)

Now, we sit at over two weeks later, and the sheer exhaustion has just set in. We have great days, we have tired days, we have 'wow, did that really happen days', and yet, I realize how wonderfully blessed, lucky, etc. we are. We still have my husband's dad here (thank you 'mom'), my parents here (thank you mom and dad), so many friends and families making us dinner, carpooling etc, and I realize that sometimes out of those 'worst moments', you truly realized how blessed you are- and it's overwhelming.

That's where I sit right now. Good days, bad days, and all. Thank you blogworld for continuing to check-in, despite the poor posting record :)

Stolen moments.....

so needed, but so hard to come by. I'm sitting here 'stealing' a few, listening to the sounds of the boys destroying my bathroom. Trey was taking a quick bath, and by the sounds, I can tell Jake has joined him, and I'm envisioning the mass of water all over the bathroom right now. Loud giggles, shrieks, and oh, the splashing.....

Delaney is sitting next to me, reading my blog, listening to the music that is really in need of some updating. Rob is napping downstairs, watching a baseball game w/ his dad, and my parents have Emily at the grocery store. I've learned to appreciate these small moments- even if the cost is a lot (like mopping up a sopping wet bathroom).

Lots of soccer tomorow- stories and pictures to come, as well as pictures from the non-muddy Pumpkin Patch- a huge improvement over last year :)

When given the choice of sleep or blog posts, sleep is winning.....

And my hours in the middle of the day are hard to come by lately. Between doctor's appointments and just our normal schedule there's not a lot of time at home. Trey has more nastiness in his ear (yes, the implanted ear that developed the mastoid infection), so the CI surgeon fit us in yesterday. This time it's just a tube infection/middle ear infection. Nothing some antibiotics won't knock out. Fortunately he's our child that LOVES medicine.....ear drops, oral medication, you name it, he likes it. Weird!

Trey also has school pictures today- too bad he cut a chunk of his hair, right in the middle of his forehead. Not sure how to hide that one, but I'm sure going to try.

The kids are very glad their dad is home (as am I)!

Happy Monday

We're all home- sorry about the lack of posting. I was so tired I just couldn't bring myself to sit in front of the computer. Still waiting for news from the school district (meaning the actual report showing how they are a superior option for Trey), and hoping Rob mends quickly. Even with extra 'hands' in the house, I miss having a partner to tuck kids in, carry them when they're tired and be there to play endless rounds of "Madagascar" on the Playstation 2.

D Day (A.K.A. Defibrillator Day)

The last step before Rob can come home- the defibrillator. The procedure is going to be done this afternoon, with a likely release from the hospital by tomorrow. I'll be so ecstatic when we're all home again. Emily started crying last night and said, " I just want things to be normal again-- I want my mom home and my dad home". Hopefully we can get that done for her by tomorrow.

To switch gears, I received a call from the school district and I guess I'll be receiving a full report from the visit, but boy did the teacher swap idea backfire. They now think they can do not only *just* as good as a job, they think they can offer superior instruction (w/ no teacher of the deaf, and no audiologist, as of now). I'll be curious to see the report, but certainly not the news I was hoping to hear. Don't get me wrong- if I really felt confidant they could get it done, I'd switch in a heartbeat. It would save me two hours of driving a day, and with gas being what it is that would be HUGE. But, I just don't see it.

Better run- I need to get dressed, get the kids off and head over to the hospital.

Most likely a Friday "escape"....and for the record- the nurses make the visit!

Since Rob's admittance we've had such a range of nurses. Male nurses, female nurses, hands-on nurses, more by the clock nurses....those that have gone out of their way, and those that have said, don't come out and ask questions- use the call button only. It makes such a big difference. Especially when the patient is so groggy that their 'guests' have to be the mouthpiece. All in all, the doctor's have been great, and the nurses have been great. But there have been a few that have made tensions run high, etc. I SO appreciate the nurses that have provided comfort, reasurrance, a hug when needed, and have been willing to answer question upon question. But, it makes the "call button only" nurses a bit off-putting. It also makes me really appreciate the outstanding nurses from our children's hospital. They were as much nurses for the kids as for the stressed out parents.

Just my rambling thoughts from tonight. Looks like Rob's final procedure will be Thursday, with a Friday 'get out of jail' free card ( I hope......)