Complaints with Thanks

I am posting this from Elizabeth's blog...  you get to complain but have to follow the complaint with thanks.


I am aggravated this morning that I have spent the morning cleaning so our builder could bring someone to look at our house and now he isn't coming... as well as having to do it by myself since we got home late last night.  I am so very thankful for our wonderful home and the ability to clean my own home.  I am thankful that I have the energy, stamina, and health to vacuum, mop, dust,  wash dishes and wash clothes. I am thankful for those dirty dishes and those mounds of clothes because that means I have a family that gets them dirty. I am thankful for my big burly husband that dirties up lots of clothes working in the yard, my big stinky 11 year old, my mud-dobber 2 year old, and all the spit up and poop from my almost 3 week old.  


I am so tired this morning. We didn't go to bed until late, then Eli woke up screaming right when I was getting ready to dose off. I was up an hour later feeding baby Olivia, and then finally caught a few zzzz's before it was time to feed the baby again... by then Josh's alarm was going off a thousand times, Eli woke up and the house alarm started beeping. I am thankful for my bed (it's awesome for those that are wanting to buy a Tempur-pedic.. go for it!), for my sweet 2 year old that can scream, for my healthy baby that loves to eat and for the ability to nurse her and not have to get up to make a bottle. I am thankful that my husband loves his children and went to comfort Eli last night without being asked. I am even thankful for that blessed alarm clock because that means my husband has a job to go to. 




Wow.. this is pretty easy to do. The good things way outweigh the bad! Thank you God for my many blessings. 




http://heplerfamily.blogspot.com/

Lloyd Christmas

Eli's bangs were botched after a hair cut... So bad I didn't want to take him out in public!! With his 1 centimeter bangs and chipped tooth we called him Lloyd Christmas! I decided it would be best to buzz it and start over. Here are a few pics of the adventure. Bubbles, baby powder, Cheerios, and lots of hair everywhere got us through the adventure.

Stir crazy and more

So I'm used to running 100 miles an hour and I've pretty much been grounded at home the past two weeks. We haven't wanted to take Livi out in public places too much because she's a newborn.. But I had to take her to the doctor for a repeat hearing test so Josh and I went to lunch and ran around Asheville shopping for a while. Here are the pictures from Mellow Mushroom. The boys were with grandparents so we just had one today. Side bar.... I'm worried about Olivia's hearing now since she failed the hospital test and the retest. Her Dr is going to refer us to the audiologist for a better test. She seems to respond to noise so I don't know why she is failing her hearing screens. Pray that all is well with her little ears.

Milk drunk

I ventured out today...

With two babies and the double stroller! I met Audra at the Greenway this morning at 8:30.. Carter and Eli took their Trikes and we put Olivia and Camden in the double stroller. It went great until we had to turn around and Eli didn't want to ride anymore. I ended up carrying his trike on the way back. Luckily Olivia slept through the adventure. Then we went to Audra's and the boys played on Carter's new swing set, blew bubbles and rode the John Deere. Eli had a melt down at the end so we journeyed home for a nap and lunch. I managed to nurse Olivia while fixing Eli milk and lunch. It's getting easier by the day... Sleep helps me be human again! Last night Olivia slept from 1130 to 300 in her bassinet!! That's progress because she's been sleeping in my arms :)

Olivia's newborn pics

Katy Cook came out Thursday to photograph sweet Olivia. She did great except for the explosive massive poop she had while I was holding her NAKED! It went everywhere... The rug, dresser, floor, my hands, clothes, etc... I can't wait to see the rest of the pics... Here are a few proofs she posted on Facebook.

Isaac's getting tweeny

He has gelled his hair two mornings in a row. Josh dropped him off this morning and one of the teachers said, "the girls will get nothing done today, they will be too busy looking at Isaac". Here he is in the blue shirt on stage at a school skit today. Amber sent me the pic since I'm not there to see :( :) that was a smile and frown... Cause I'm happy to be with the little babes but miss my big babe!

I got happy with Instagram...

Eli and Olivia this morning

Carter turns 3

Carter had a birthday May 14th and turned 3. Aunt Sissy ( that's me) got him a backpack with his name on it and I filled it with things he likes. Audra says he loves it. I'm so glad they live back in town where I can watch him grow. Camden.. Aka Mr Baby, Cami, and Camico is 7 1/2 months old now! He's such a cutie pie. This is a pic of him taking a few sips of a bottle of juice. He has refused bottles.. and Audra tried every type of bottle out there.

Milk... Milk

Too much milk! Good problem though. Just pumped this off one side in four minutes while I fed Olivia off the other!

The latest update on Aunt Jane

This is her post from Caring Bridge,..

The University of Alabama Dr. Estes was extremely nice and comforting. He had read all my reports before he saw me and I really appreciated that. What a gift. Here's basically what he said, "Frequent Surveillance is needed,meaning pet scans, but no chemotherapy at this time, , because chemo would weaken the bone marrow and should I have a reoccurrence of the sarcoma the 3rd round of chemo would weaken the bone marrow so much that I would be unable to fight infection. He supports the tumor study that Dr. Schnell is getting me into.

He gave me symptoms to look for if the cancer returns which is very helpful.

I have 2 types of cancer unfortunately. The lottery ticket I pulled is pretty tricky and pretty aggressive. They are carcinosarcoma and rhabdomyosarcoma. No tumor marker for these types of cancers work. We talked about experimental research studies, diet, exercise. The good news is that I'm cancer free at this time, that recoveries from both surgeries and chemotherapy have been phenomenal. Dr. Estes told me that if he had seen me on the street he would never have guessed that I've been this sick in a year because I look healthy.

So that's what I'm going for: exercising, healthy diet, volunteering, travel, I know the odds and I'm not waiting to do anything I want to for too long. I also hope to beat the odds with God's help and family and friends' prayers, and thoughtful doctors.

I'm tremendously grateful for the calls, cards, meals, prayers, everything. The smallest gesture touches my heart. Hugs are always appreciated.

Can't wait to travel, Richard is willing if I will just make up my mind where I want to go. First place is NC to see my girls' and their sweet children and their great Mama.

Of course my team of Richard and Judy went with me to Birmingham. Richard was a wonderful navigator and the hotel was right across from the university hospital. We walked to the appointment. Everthing went extremely well. Thank you God!



We are praying this cancer stays away!

Olivia's Newborn check

Olivia went in for her newborn check up. She has already gained 5 1/2 oz and 1 1/2 inches.  When we left the hospital she was 7 lbs 2 oz and today she weighed 7 lbs 7 1/2 oz and was 20 1/2 inches. Evidently her milk is agreeing with her. She has her days and nights mixed up... or maybe it is just normal newborn sleep habits? My best sleep is between 4 am and 7 am... this is the stretch where she goes the longest. She is nursing every 2-3 hours.. we are still on demand and not really on a set schedule. Lots of pees and poops with every feed though which is reassuring that she is getting plenty to eat. Wow.. these newborn days are tough but they are so brief.

Eli has decided that Baby Sissy does exist and now he wants to give her kisses all the time. I had to have him practice on Isaac because he likes to lean his head into someone to give a kiss and I was afraid he would knock her out! We've also practiced lightly touching her head... his favorite thing " I want to pet her head."

This is The Princess and the Tempur pedic... She likes my bed better than her cradle

Dear Daddy..

Dear Daddy,
It's 4 am and I just finished feeding your first granddaughter. I wish you were here to see and hold her. We named her Olivia Jane... of course after Aunt Jane and Audra Jane. Now we have Eli Thomas and Olivia Jane. I hope they love each other as much as you and Aunt Jane loved each other.  You had a special bond. I know that if you and Bubba were here you would be down in Georgia helping Aunt Jane deal with her cancer and get better. You were such a good brother, son and Daddy. I miss you so much. I remember you coming to the hospital when Eli was born and holding him in your arms and calling him ET...I know you would find a nickname for Olivia as well. I so wish you were here to hold her in your arms; you would be smitten. You took such good care of us in life and death. I love you Daddy.

Love,

Your daughter

Su-mar-ie

The milk has arrived

I'm engorged!! You know the typical second night cluster feeding... Well Olivia did that the first night and brought my milk in yesterday on her second day of life. Today I'm so engorged... I've broke out the pump and already have 9 oz in the refrigerator. She is nursing great. Eli is more fascinated with my breast pump than his sister!

Olivia Jane Allison

Olivia Jane Allison made her appearance into the world Wednesday, May 9th at 7:13 am. She weighed 7 lbs 10 oz and was 19 inches long. We are so thankful for our sweet daughter.

Olivia's birth story:

Well after my last post.. the contractions kept coming. Not very painful but regular. I called Josh (he was on his way home from work and picking up supper) and told him to hurry home and then called Mom. Mom and Jim came over and helped out while I took a bath and laid down. Finally I decided to call the doctor around 7:30 pm and my doctor.. Dr. Goodwin was on call! She said "Come on in, I'll see you in an  hour". Josh took a shower, I dried my hair and dressed, and Mom got our stuff together and packed bags for the boys. I did have the baby's bag already packed!

We headed up to Asheville and got to the hospital a little after 9 pm. They hooked me to the monitor and the contractions were coming.. not very strong but regular. The nurse checked me and called Dr. Goodwin. When she checked she said I was 4 cm and still 50% effaced. She said we could either go on home and wait it out or she would go ahead and admit me. Since I had Group B strep and needed Vanctamycin and benedryl before my water broke I thought it was best to go ahead and stay.

We headed up to Labor and Delivery and got admitted into our room. The nurse was great and got my IV started on the first try. They started the Vanctamycin after the benedryl had time to work... it took around 1/2-2 hrs to get in because it's such a strong antibiotic.  We added pitocin to speed up my labor around 2 am. Josh was dozing on the couch and I was resting for the next few hours. Around 4 Dr. Goodwin came in and we ordered the epidural (that went great!) and then she broke my water. When she checked me I was already at 6 cm and 80% effaced. An hour later my epidural started to wear off so they came back in and added another dose which helped and when the nurse checked me the baby's head was right there! She called Dr. Goodwin and my Mom arrived right in time. I pushed 3 pushes and baby was out! We decided to name her Olivia Jane. Jane is after my sister, Audra Jane and my sweet Aunt Jane; two wonderful women whom I love dearly. Olivia was just because we liked the name.

She had the cord wrapped around her neck and my doctor had to clamp it and cut it off before she was fully out. When they pulled her out she wasn't crying but after suctioning she started grunting. I got to hold her briefly before the took her over to try to get the fluid out of her lungs. She was still grunting and her heart rate was elevated so they called the NICU team to come evaluate. They came down and called her pediatrician and he said to send her to NICU for observation. The observation time was 4 hours and so I was pretty bummed out not having my sweet new daughter to hold. Eli and Isaac came in to see me. Josh went with the baby to the NICU.

I was able to go up to the NICU and see our sweet baby. She was doing great... her oxygen was normal, heart rate normal and she wasn't grunting. Josh's parents took Eli home after a while because he was ready for a nap, Jim and Isaac went to get lunch, Mom stayed with the baby in the NICU, and they transferred me to my mother-baby room. After a brief nap, we got a call saying they were bringing Olivia down to me. Her blood work had come back normal and she was doing great. As soon as they brought her to me she knew exactly what to do and latched on and started nursing like a champ.

We had several visitors.. Isaac and Eli of course...Josh's parents, my Mom, Jim, Audra, Sonja, Allie, Gabe, Tim, Chris, Jan, Bryce, Braedon, Pam, Amber and Mark, and Heather.

Isaac is in love with his new little sister. He didn't want to leave her and stayed in the NICU with her for a while. Eli wasn't able to see her until the evening. When he came in she was getting her bath and she was crying. He said "Why baby sissy crying?" He did give her a little kiss before he left.

Josh and I are so thankful for our sweet, healthy daughter. God has blessed us with another wonderful addition to our family.

It's been a day... 1st day off work

So I wake up early because I can't sleep any more... my back is aching, my sides are aching, it's all aching. I start a list of all the things I need to do before the baby comes... It's a page long. I offer to take Isaac to school because Eli is already stirring on the monitor... and so Josh will get home sooner. I lift him out of the crib while I have a contraction.. change his diaper and we head downstairs. It's pouring.. I mean absolutely pouring the rain. Of course our garage isn't cleaned and the car is across the drive way. I asked Isaac to go back up the car but then realized ohh yeah he's 11 and we have more than 1 car in the driveway he could possibly back into.  Eli is in his PJ's and socks.. and did I mention it's pouring .  I hand Eli to Isaac and move the car closer to the garage. I throw very gently put Eli in his seat, buckle him and drive 15 min across town to get Isaac to school.

On the way home I remember I needed to stop at the drug store so I detour and pull in.. but it's closed for 30 more min. Eli is hungry we can't wait. I stop by McDonalds to get breakfast. We get home, Eli eats his oatmeal and sausage biscuit and I eat a bacon egg and cheese biscuit (just what I need since I have already gained 37 lbs). I clean up his highchair, clean up the crumbs in the floor. I put in some laundry, go collect more laundry. Eli wants me to come sit in his playroom on the tiny chairs ( we haven't picked up the couch from Mom's that's going in there).  I send Josh a mean text message about hurrying to get the couch. Eli pitches a fit... I put him on the cry mat. He cries for his passy and blanket. I tell him he's going to go back to bed if he needs his passy. More crying. I sit down on the couch in the living room... he's still crying. He finally stops. I go in his playroom and try to sit down on the floor to play a puzzle with him.  We play and I do laundry in between.

It's almost nap time. I give Eli lunch and some strawberries and yogurt before his nap. He pours the yogurt on his plate and it's everywhere. I clean him up and the high chair up. Time for nap... he doesn't want to go go sleep today.. I trek back up stairs to tell him to go to sleep. Wheew finally, he's down! 

Nap or work on the list????? I work on our business checkbooks and filing for the next 2/12 hours. My in-laws stop by unexpectedly to pick up the grass seeder... (that's okay). I work on filing, going through the mail, and paying bills. Oh crap.. my Tahoe (the one that's ready for the hospital has an expired tag. I try to pay it online... wait it needs to be inspected. I call and make an appointment for this afternoon. 

He's awake.. I change his diaper.. and he wants milk and a snack. He eats bananas and peanut butter and doesn't make a mess! I get a call from Isaac's school saying that he is still there... What! My step-dad was supposed to pick him up... guess he forgot. I grab Eli very fast, my bags, phone and keys and head out the door. Oh it's POURING again. Repeat morning process. We drive back across town.. run in school and pick up Isaac.... we're only 45 minutes LATE! I'm having contractions... stronger... gosh they hurt! 

Time to go get the car inspected. We get there.. it's still pouring so we run in the lobby. After 10 minutes they tell me it won't pass inspection because 2 of the tires have the cord showing and the other two are pretty bare. I realize I don't have my wallet.. (it's still at home where I tried to pay the inspection online). I find 12 dollars in a bag.. wheew! My car fails inspection... I need new tires.. that's only $865.00!! More contractions.. they are 5 min apart.

I stop by the post office (it was on my list). I  check the mail but then realize that my PO Box needed to be paid... oh yeah I don't have my wallet. Let's go home. We get home.. Eli says "it's not raining". He wants to play outside. I let him ride his car while I get my things out of the car. He rides it straight in a huge mud puddle. I take off his clothes and hose him off. Oh yeah did I mention his shirt is WHITE and it's new! I scrub it and put it in the laundry room sink. He stubs his toe (the other two have just gotten better).. we go in. I put a diaper on him and sit down. Contractions are still coming.. Will we have a baby today???

What you do to get a toddler to sit on the potty for more than 2 seconds

My boys

Eli would live outside if I would let him. See those poor knees and legs.. he is ALL BOY! He wanted a peanut butter sandwich and milk but he was so dirty I made him eat outside. He could use 2 baths a day. 

Isaac on his last field day at Glenwood! My big 6th grader. He is getting quite "tweeny". 

39 weeks......

Okay, baby no name...  we love you and are ready to meet you even though you don't have a name yet! Hurry... hurry!

I had a check up on Friday.. my blood pressure was normal, I've gained 38 lbs so far (yikes!), urine good, measurements and heartbeat all normal too. I was still 50% effaced and a 'tight' 3 cm... I think she was being kind. We talked about induction and since my cervix is still not optimal and could result in a c-section we moved my induction date back to the 12th. This is a Saturday and my actual due date. I  My doctor doesn't normally set inductions for Saturdays but she did! I have seen her the entire pregnancy (I choose not to rotate since I had just had Eli not long ago) and she was my primary doctor and delivered Eli so I would really like Dr. Goodwin to deliver our baby girl as well.

I am okay with an induction because I have had 2 vaginal deliveries and because I have group B strep... but I also want my body to be ready for it. All my babies seem to like their watery womb. Isaac was 4 days late, Eli was induced at 40 weeks 5 days, so I really am not counting on Baby Girl to arrive early. However, we have a "Super Moon" tonight so maybe it will encourage her to come on out! We picked up some more organizational tools for the garage and I think I over did it last night trying to move boxes and clean. I hardly slept last night because I had so many contractions.

Aunt Jane

Aunt Jane had her surgery to remove a mass they recently found in her lung from her latest PET scan. The surgery was successful and they were able to remove the mass and some lymph nodes but they did have to remove one entire lobe. We found out the pathology results last week and it is the same type of cancer she had before in her uterus.. a sarcoma. She meets with her oncologist on Monday to determine treatment. We are very upset that the sarcoma is back.. especially this soon. However we are going to pray and trust that it will stay away and she will be back to her  old healthy self. Audra, her boys and Mom all went down to Georgia to visit for several days. I couldn't go of course because I'm pretty pregnant. They had a great visit and I am glad she was able to go. Here is a sweet picture of Aunt Jane and baby Camden.

Putting things together

I've made progress on getting settled.. Finally got the dining room together, and the kitchen. We still have a few things to hang in E's room and the playroom needs a lot of work. My next project is the garage... You would think that with 3 bays we could get at least one car in... but no! We have seen quite a bit of wild life at our new abode. We saw a deer in the back yard yesterday. Better than the mama opossum and her babies we found in our garage this weekend!