Life Lesson # 1

NEVER leave your child unattended... we had just walked in the door tonight from dinner- Brian and I are in the kitchen...the kids are in the living room playing. They're together- I check on them every few minutes. I know Riley is playing with Lulu- her baby that goes everywhere she goes. Cole is at her side. So I go back in the kitchen for a minute, go back to check on them and find this: diaper cream EVERYWHERE!

This is Lulu's back side- she had her on the rug, diaper nearby, getting her ready. Are you laughing yet? I was.

My guess is she realized she used too much and didn't have anything to wipe it off of Lulu so Sadie got Lulu's backside down her back. Poor dog- she didn't like getting a bath afterward.

oh, and yes, I'm sure this is where she left the cream after she decided she had used enough. Good thing this is old furniture...I had tears in my eyes I was laughing so hard. New furniture- I would have been upset.

What I learned: the only thing that removes diaper cream from surfaces is Dawn dish soap- on Riley, on the ottoman, on Lulu, on Sadie. Tomorrow is another day!

my Roo bug...

praise God!

The ultrasound was completely normal and nothing was there! yes, that's what I just said!!

She walked in after what seemed quite a while waiting for the "news" and said, " well, call me crazy but your uterus was enlarged last week and now its not." She seemed surprised herself knowing what she felt last week and today, everything's the way it should be. Nothing there that shouldn't be, nothing enlarged. All I can say is thank you for your prayers and well wishes because the expert didn't even have an answer.

The only thing out of whack is my thyroid but that's easily managed and very common. So it's off to the endo for me... :) Have a GREAT weekend- I know I will!!!

some results are in...

My bloodwork is back from Saturday and the results show abnormal levels of my thyroid...as suspected. My dr. called me tonight and told me I am hyperthyroid, which explains all the symptoms I have had. They are referring me to an endocrinologist for further tests and simply because they specialize in this.

Apparantly my levels for T4 were way over 13.0, which according to her, is very high. I don't know what normal levels are.

So good news... one problem solved, probably easily managed. I hope.

She did mention tonight that while my uterus felt enlarged last Friday that it wasn't anything too alarming. The ultrasound is mostly to be thorough and just have a good look to be double sure there aren't any other problems existing. So we're still on for Friday at 3...the best news I got was that she definitely cleared me of cancer- no concerns there. THANK GOD!!

thoughts and prayers...

I don't even know how to start this and I debated about posting this...mainly because what the issue could be, could actually turn out to be nothing too concerning at all. Easier said than done...

Yesterday I went to the dr. for my regular check-up, Friday the 13th. Many have superstitions about this day and believe it brings bad things. In my case that may be true, hopefully not!!!

I began by telling her that I am concerned about some things... I feel like I have never fully "bounced back" from havng Cole. It seemed after Riley that things just got back to how they used to be. Things as in those things dealing with me. She asked me what things are different. I began explaining that I usually feel tired, feel like I keep losing weight (which is not on purpose), feeling like one day is great and the next any little thing can upset me for no apparent reason. Feeling hungry all the time...even after eating big meals. This hunger shows up again not too long later. I wake up in the middle of the night starving, I feel like no matter what or how much I eat, it's gone a little later and I find myself rummaging around trying to find something to eat. Even if I sleep for 9 hours a night, I am still exhausted the next day.

So let's backtrack for a moment and just say that with these so -called problems could just be the workings of my life...it could just be that I am a working mom and BUSY and tired. I work full time and then come home and do all that that entails. By the time Brian and I sit down at nights and relax, it's usually after both kids are in bed around 9. I have a 7 month old who still wakes up starving between 3 and 5 every night. Riley slept all the way through at 9 weeks!! Maybe we're spoiled! One might think so...

In any event, I just feel not up to par all the time. So she told me that she needs to run some lab work- I was relieved that she agreed with what I thought. My thinking is that there is something going on with my thyroid. She agreed.

Then she did the yearly exam and mentioned that my uterus is enlarged...and no, I'm NOT pregnant or else I'm sure she would have said it yesterday. It shouldn't be enlarged 7 months after giving birth. She didn't say much, but that it was bigger than it should be. I told her it was tender when she pushed on it- the left side. Right side felt fine when touched. She tells me to get dressed and come outside. I'm getting a little worried and upset by this point.

I meet the nurse at the station, get my paperwork for the lab, and she's telling me to make sure I don't leave yet...she's in her office. I have no idea what shes doing. So she tells me I need to come next week for an ultrasound to check what's going on. Of course, I cry just because it's the fear of the unknown. I had to ask before I left what she thinks could be the isse at hand.. the thyroid is not my concern. If it is over/underactive then it's fixable with medicine. The word ultrasound os what worries me, knowing I'm not pregnant. My initial thoughts are the reasons you get an ultrasound when you're not pregnant are because there is usually something else there.

She tells me, " well, I don't think that this is what it is, but on the worst case scenario, it is possible and could be ovarian cancer." I freak out. She says, " It's ok, we're going to check it out and I don't think it is that, but on the other end it could be a cyst or fibroid." Well, I'm sorry but I didn;t handle that well. She threw the "c" word at me and scared me half to death. So next Friday is my ultrasound. I have to wait a whole week to see what's going on! I'm going to check and see if I can make it in earlier.

So this morning, yes on valentine's day, I had to get up early and not eat or drink ANYTHING, go get blood drawn. They are running 5 tests: T3 (thyroid), Lipid panel for LDL/HDL, metabolic screen, red blood cells, and one called Luteinizing Hormone, which after doing some research on my own I found out that this is the one that could be an indicator for abnormal hormone levels and an indicator for cysts.

I am trying my very best to keep my cool but I have my moments. This is not sitting well with me. I'm sure there is nothing major- I'm 28! But I write this to ask you to keep me, all of us, in your prayers. When I know something, I will update. Until then, say some prayers because I am concerned.

And the survey says...

Well, the paint is almost done...and while I LOVE the color red, I am just unsure about it here. This is Red Bay from SW and I am in a debate within myself. Part of me says it needs to be a neutral contrast color while the other half says, " keep it, it's a good pop of color." I don't want it to be overwhelming. So I'm polling you for your opinions...



I did plan to have black and white pics, black decorative accents, and brown baskets to change it up a bit. And maybe once all that is there, it wont seem as bold to me. The columns will also be white. Take and look for yourself and let me know:






The survey is on the side... Please let me know so I can stop obsessing over this... :) And dont worry, it's anonymous.

recent days...

I feel like I'm neglecting my kiddos by only posting about the project going on...so here you go fam and friends...these are from the last week.

This is what we found Sunday morning while we were getting ready for church...we find it hilarious because they are both rarely sitting still. They were both captivated by the "toons" of "Micktey Mouse" as Riley would say it.

I think this was her thoughts at this moment..."yes, mom... I see you, but I'm not looking just because you said to."

Where as this one does nothing but come toward the camera.

shelves!

Today's progress....and tomorrow...PAINT!!

The raw edges will also be trimmed and cornered at a 45! And coming soon, the columns will be covered in wood and trim with moulding at the top.

some more updates...

Well, I know it's been about a week but with good reasoning...we have had lots of sheetrock work going on ( the ceiling is fully patched back up and back to normal with texture and paint). I would have posted pics of what's been going on but what's been done would pretty much look the same in a picture. It is just not easy to see any differences in the sheetrock mud that was added each day. This whole process of "mudding" the walls and floating them out takes a lot of time- especially on a two story wall that used to just be at the one story level. Then it has to dry each day and repeat the next and the next until its just right so you don't end up having a "bowed" out wall. And it's not painted yet, but will be the same color as the wall as you go up the stairs, which is SW Sawdust. So today we got texture and electrical run through the bookcase. Here's where we're at:


The angle (trapezoid shape) you see in the corner as you go upstairs is new- it used to be nothing and was a 90 degree angle upstairs where the corners of the banisters met. Does that make sense? Basically an open space, nothing there.