Well, I finally got a comment. thanks Cath ;)
Today is the last day of 2010. It has been a good year, and a bad year.
On the one hand...Chris got a great job, with great people so life isn't so scary anymore, but that meant leaving behind some of the best neighbors we've ever had, a giant home with oodles of yard to play in, deer and all sorts of wildlife in our yard every day, a great doctor for the kids and one of the best libraries I've ever seen.
We have a nice home here in East Ridge, life on the side of a mountain is....different. Being from Michigan, when I see 1/4" of snow, I don't give it a second thought. But here....well, that same 1/4" of snow causes massive pileups on the freeways and too many slip and falls to count (my sweet Chris being one of them!)
We do have a great pediatrician here, and the nurse practitioner at the office thinks out loud...which may have saved my Noah's life. See, she was seeing him for thrush...and I commented on how he must be getting ready for potty training because he really goes a LOT when he goes...but sometimes he goes alot...too often. She said she wanted to do some blood work and get a urine specimen to check for sugar....rather offhandedly. When he didn't go there at the office, she sent us home with a couple pucs (sticky bags to collect urine on children). Next morning, he was pretty miserable and kinda lethargic, which is huge for him because he is ALWAYS on the go. I don't know why it popped into my head, but I'm so grateful it did. Check his sugar! I did, and initially thought my meter was broken. I did it again and checked the manual of my meter. It was too high for the meter to read!
So...he was officially diagnosed with Type 1 Juvenile Diabetes, adding another condition to his large list. My poor fellow.
Earlier in the year, right around the time we were moving, I heard from a dear friend about a family who suffered the greatest shocking loss of their lives. Their beautiful 8 year old daughter, who was born with Down syndrome, had a heart defect necessitating open heart surgery and beat Leukemia suddenly, and without warning, stopped breathing, her little heart stopped and she was gone!
I was asked to make a memory quilt, and although it took me much longer than I would have liked, it was finished and under her Christmas tree for her first Christmas without her beautiful Carly. I was so incredibly honored to be entrusted with the project...as difficult as it was having to constantly think about their loss and the fact that it could happen to anyone of us at anytime!
The year also brought with it the news from my son that he is bi-sexual and needed a home for himself and his boyfriend Jordan. He seemed shocked that we didn't hesitate to offer up my sewing/craft room for them and accepted them both. See, he doesn't have children, and although I've always told him that people are not disposable, meaning you just cut them out of your life if they do something you don't approve of or like...but he gets it now. My kids have always been my whole life. I'm really all about family.
Some things have happened over the past 3 + years that have hurt me more deeply than I ever thought I could be hurt...but I'm looking past that.
This New Year that is upon us will be brighter, better and more loving than any we've ever known....I just know it!
Happy New Year everyone!
Friday, December 31, 2010
Monday, December 27, 2010
Hello? Hello, hello, hello
Is there anybody out there? It kinda sorta feels as if I'm talking to myself here. I mean...NOT ONE COMMENT? Come on folks. Show me some love.
thought for the day
Today is the tomorrow we dreamed of yesterday.
thought for the day
Today is the tomorrow we dreamed of yesterday.
Saturday, December 25, 2010
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS!!!
This morning, we woke to Simon telling us..."Guess what? It's Christmas!!!" LOL. So we got up, tried to wake Noah, who was having none of that! LOL! and started coffee and cocoa. Simon proceeded to open his gifts very slowly and carefully, center stage and loving all the attention. He is very impressed with Santas choice and ours as well. Then, when Noah woke, Simon "helped" him open his gifts.
Then we took a good look outside. Now, we knew it was supposed to snow, but OH MY GOSH!
See, we live just 5 miles or so off the TN/GA border. East Ridge TN. We have 4 1/2 inches of snow in our yard, with Chattanooga proper having 6+ inches!
A veritable Winter Wonderland in TN on Jesus' birthday!
So Simon went outside with his brother and Jordan and when they froze, he made Daddy take him out, and he made is very first snowman! Complete with cowboy hat, coal eyes and buttons, and a carrot for a nose.
Merry Christmas everyone.
Then we took a good look outside. Now, we knew it was supposed to snow, but OH MY GOSH!
See, we live just 5 miles or so off the TN/GA border. East Ridge TN. We have 4 1/2 inches of snow in our yard, with Chattanooga proper having 6+ inches!
A veritable Winter Wonderland in TN on Jesus' birthday!
So Simon went outside with his brother and Jordan and when they froze, he made Daddy take him out, and he made is very first snowman! Complete with cowboy hat, coal eyes and buttons, and a carrot for a nose.
Merry Christmas everyone.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
gorgeous frames giveaway
http://www.soulographer.com/
Check this out and enter to win 2 of these gorgeous frames. Perfect for a baby's room or anywhere you want a touch of whimsy!
Check this out and enter to win 2 of these gorgeous frames. Perfect for a baby's room or anywhere you want a touch of whimsy!
Saturday, December 18, 2010
PLEASE HELP US HELP ABBOTT!
Please, watch this video and then give. Give whatever teeny amount you can afford. Every CENT helps. Please do not let this be Abbott's fate!
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Friday, December 10, 2010
Thursday, December 9, 2010
I'm a Christmas Warrior!!!
I'm sponsoring Abbott, a boy with Down syndrome in an orphanage in Russia. All proceeds from the sale of the following items will go toward his adoption fund. PLEASE help us get him into a forever home! I'm taking best offers on everything here. Please, be generous. This little man needs every cent.
http://reecesrainbow.org/abbott-3g
Super soft and cozy baby ear flap hat. Stretchy and has a cute tassle on top.
This is a baby blanket. Really more of a shawl with it's open weave, the bonnet comes with. The color is blue with a strand of hinted pink, so it is neutral. Stroller size.
This is a very thick, soft and cozy blue and white stroller size blanket. Perfect for covering the carseat too!
Beanie cap for a girl 8-12 years old. Soft and warm.
a toboggan style boys hat, very colorful and warm. Size 8-12 years.
VERY thick and toasty warm ear flap hat for a baby girl, 6-24 months. Bright pink with strands of orange, purple and yellow. VERY cute!
Ski hat for boys, double strand so it is nice and thick. Boys size 4-10 years.
UBER thick and toasty scarf. FUN pompoms on the ends and extra long! Matching hat is up for grabs too.
Matching jester style hat. Size 12 years to adult.
Nice and warm stocking style hat for girls. 12 and up~!
Super soft and thick lime green beanie. 12 years to adult. Flower can be removed.
Cozy raggy quilt for a baby girl. Done in all cotton flannel, this will get softer every time it is washed.
Noahs Ark quilt or wall hanging. Satin edged in blue and reversible.
Waffle weave long scarf. Perfect for any age. Very stretchy and warm. Matching hat for girls to women size.
And lets not forget our Furr Babies!! This is super thick and stretchy, made for a lady pup. Waffle weave gives lots of wiggle room for your little lady 12-20 pounds.
Little boys stocking type hat. Warm and cozy. Perfect for that baby boy in your life. Small.
Long hat. Warm and unisex colors, dark blue, maroon and off white. Fits my 20 year old great!
Another festive coat for your fur girl! Same size (12-20 lbs as the other but in a plainer weave. Bright Red and white. Perfect for this time of year!
Please feel free to spread the word. I'm a Christmas Warrior for Abbott. He is a boy with DS who is currently in Russia. He is very at risk for being institutionalized and needs our prayers to help him find a forever family. Everything you see here is for sale with ALL proceeds going to his adoption fund. I haven't figured in shipping charges so you will have to add that cost. Please, help me help him!
http://reecesrainbow.org/abbott-3g
Super soft and cozy baby ear flap hat. Stretchy and has a cute tassle on top.
This is a baby blanket. Really more of a shawl with it's open weave, the bonnet comes with. The color is blue with a strand of hinted pink, so it is neutral. Stroller size.
This is a very thick, soft and cozy blue and white stroller size blanket. Perfect for covering the carseat too!
Beanie cap for a girl 8-12 years old. Soft and warm.
a toboggan style boys hat, very colorful and warm. Size 8-12 years.
VERY thick and toasty warm ear flap hat for a baby girl, 6-24 months. Bright pink with strands of orange, purple and yellow. VERY cute!
Ski hat for boys, double strand so it is nice and thick. Boys size 4-10 years.
UBER thick and toasty scarf. FUN pompoms on the ends and extra long! Matching hat is up for grabs too.
Matching jester style hat. Size 12 years to adult.
Nice and warm stocking style hat for girls. 12 and up~!
Super soft and thick lime green beanie. 12 years to adult. Flower can be removed.
Cozy raggy quilt for a baby girl. Done in all cotton flannel, this will get softer every time it is washed.
Noahs Ark quilt or wall hanging. Satin edged in blue and reversible.
Waffle weave long scarf. Perfect for any age. Very stretchy and warm. Matching hat for girls to women size.
And lets not forget our Furr Babies!! This is super thick and stretchy, made for a lady pup. Waffle weave gives lots of wiggle room for your little lady 12-20 pounds.
Little boys stocking type hat. Warm and cozy. Perfect for that baby boy in your life. Small.
Long hat. Warm and unisex colors, dark blue, maroon and off white. Fits my 20 year old great!
Another festive coat for your fur girl! Same size (12-20 lbs as the other but in a plainer weave. Bright Red and white. Perfect for this time of year!
Please feel free to spread the word. I'm a Christmas Warrior for Abbott. He is a boy with DS who is currently in Russia. He is very at risk for being institutionalized and needs our prayers to help him find a forever family. Everything you see here is for sale with ALL proceeds going to his adoption fund. I haven't figured in shipping charges so you will have to add that cost. Please, help me help him!
Sunday, April 11, 2010
It's Official
We are moving to the southeast end of Tennessee. Chris starts his new job June 14. We are busy looking for a place to live. We like the rural type and don't want to be looking into a neighbors house when we look out our windows. I really love the mountains and hope to find a place where we can watch the sun rise or set over the Smokies.
The kids are out of school May 24th so this makes it nice so we can move and be settled into a new home before daddy leaves for the day.
We've been trying to prepare Simon for this...he is such a creature of habit tho. School will start up again beginning of August so we are gonna spend evenings and weekends exploring our new neighborhood and all of the Chattanooga area.
Christopher wants to remain here...but needs to buy a car first. He has a possible lead to a decent one for $450 from a friends dad...so we've been trying to get him some odd jobs so he can get it.
In other news, I cannot BELIEVE that Danas wedding is so quickly approaching! I'm fighting the pounds but since being diagnosed with diabetes a month ago have lost 10 lbs just by avoiding carbs and "white". I want to lose another 35-40 pounds before the wedding in September, so we started a morning walking routine and strive for 10,000 steps a day. I'm going to add some strength training in this week. Shouldn't be too difficult since I have all this packing and sorting and organizing to do for the move...right?
Ok...all for now...
The kids are out of school May 24th so this makes it nice so we can move and be settled into a new home before daddy leaves for the day.
We've been trying to prepare Simon for this...he is such a creature of habit tho. School will start up again beginning of August so we are gonna spend evenings and weekends exploring our new neighborhood and all of the Chattanooga area.
Christopher wants to remain here...but needs to buy a car first. He has a possible lead to a decent one for $450 from a friends dad...so we've been trying to get him some odd jobs so he can get it.
In other news, I cannot BELIEVE that Danas wedding is so quickly approaching! I'm fighting the pounds but since being diagnosed with diabetes a month ago have lost 10 lbs just by avoiding carbs and "white". I want to lose another 35-40 pounds before the wedding in September, so we started a morning walking routine and strive for 10,000 steps a day. I'm going to add some strength training in this week. Shouldn't be too difficult since I have all this packing and sorting and organizing to do for the move...right?
Ok...all for now...
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Please help spread the word.
I know I don't have many followers, but just in case any of you can help I'm posting this for a member of the DS community.
Alessandra is a 6 1/2 year old girl with Down syndrome. She is
one of the sweetest and funniest little girls that you could ever meet. Last
Monday, March 22nd, 2010, we were told that Alessandra has malignant non
germinoma (or mixed) cell brain tumors. These make up only 2-3% of all
pediatric brain tumors so they are quite rare. They are curable though!
Although our neuro-oncologist has treated several patients with these kinds
of tumors, in his 20+ years at several leading cancer centers, he has never
treated a child with Down syndrome.
We are desperate to find other families, doctors, or anyone who has come
across a case like this or similar so that we can know how other children
with DS have responded to treatment. There are a couple variables that are
unknown that we don't want to take our chances on and we know that if we
look hard enough - there are other people out there who have gone through
this or treated someone who has. Thank you for helping us look!
Questions we have:
1. The chemo being recommended to us is a mixture of Carboplatin, Etoposide
amd G-CSF for half of her chemo cycles and Ifosfamide, Etoposide and G-CSF
for the other half. Etoposide can have a side effect of leukemia. Children
with DS have a 50% higher rate then typical kids of getting leukemia. Should
we give her Etoposide?
2. Radiation - we are getting conflicting recommendations about giving
children with DS radiation. That are prone for early onset alzheimer's
disease and doctors are not sure how radiation will effect her cognitive
abilities in the future. It might accelerate the on set.
Here are the facts -
2 to possibly 3 large tumors in her head
1 in the superseller region of the brain that has completely wiped out her
pituitary gland and its functions, has grown into her cavernous sinuses and
is compressing lightly on her optic nerve although there doesn't look to be
any damage to her sight yet.
1 or 2 in her pineal region of her brain. It's either one tumor with an
extension or two separate tumors.
Beta HCG levels of nearly 8000
AFP levels of 10
No tumors found on the spinal MRI
CSF levels of 1500
We don't need to find someone who matches exactly because there may not be
anyone out there. We would love to find anyone who has had, known or treated
a child with Down syndrome who had a brain tumor even if the outcome was not
successful. Anything and everything we learn may help us help our daughter.
Please email tashamalla@hotmail.com.
Alessandra is a 6 1/2 year old girl with Down syndrome. She is
one of the sweetest and funniest little girls that you could ever meet. Last
Monday, March 22nd, 2010, we were told that Alessandra has malignant non
germinoma (or mixed) cell brain tumors. These make up only 2-3% of all
pediatric brain tumors so they are quite rare. They are curable though!
Although our neuro-oncologist has treated several patients with these kinds
of tumors, in his 20+ years at several leading cancer centers, he has never
treated a child with Down syndrome.
We are desperate to find other families, doctors, or anyone who has come
across a case like this or similar so that we can know how other children
with DS have responded to treatment. There are a couple variables that are
unknown that we don't want to take our chances on and we know that if we
look hard enough - there are other people out there who have gone through
this or treated someone who has. Thank you for helping us look!
Questions we have:
1. The chemo being recommended to us is a mixture of Carboplatin, Etoposide
amd G-CSF for half of her chemo cycles and Ifosfamide, Etoposide and G-CSF
for the other half. Etoposide can have a side effect of leukemia. Children
with DS have a 50% higher rate then typical kids of getting leukemia. Should
we give her Etoposide?
2. Radiation - we are getting conflicting recommendations about giving
children with DS radiation. That are prone for early onset alzheimer's
disease and doctors are not sure how radiation will effect her cognitive
abilities in the future. It might accelerate the on set.
Here are the facts -
2 to possibly 3 large tumors in her head
1 in the superseller region of the brain that has completely wiped out her
pituitary gland and its functions, has grown into her cavernous sinuses and
is compressing lightly on her optic nerve although there doesn't look to be
any damage to her sight yet.
1 or 2 in her pineal region of her brain. It's either one tumor with an
extension or two separate tumors.
Beta HCG levels of nearly 8000
AFP levels of 10
No tumors found on the spinal MRI
CSF levels of 1500
We don't need to find someone who matches exactly because there may not be
anyone out there. We would love to find anyone who has had, known or treated
a child with Down syndrome who had a brain tumor even if the outcome was not
successful. Anything and everything we learn may help us help our daughter.
Please email tashamalla@hotmail.com.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
feeling poopy
Yeah...so...headcolds STINK! I rarely get them, maybe 1 every 2 or 3 years...but when I do, they knock my back on my butt! I'm on the tail-end of this one, and it could be over ANY time now!
Simon...this poor kid has had quite a bad way of things. December had him down with pneumonia. Then January brought H1N1 to his puny little self. February socked him with Strep throat. He lost a few pounds, and stays so dark under his eyes, but is full of fire and rottenness...God bless little boys!
Noah has this recurring sinus infection. His little face is so red and chapped anyway because of the excema but now his nose has joined in. He looks like a little elf. He remains a sunny beam in our days tho. Nothing keeps this kid down for very long.
Chris is busy with his studies. He is in the second month of a 10 month course for Computer Tech. He is doing well, tho he had a hard time getting back into study mode after 30 years of no school.
I'm getting ready to post up a TON of new items on my Etsy...so check me out! I have discovered I LOVE beading, and adding beads to my crochet work. And with Prom and Wedding season fast approaching, I'm hoping my items fly!
All for now.
Simon...this poor kid has had quite a bad way of things. December had him down with pneumonia. Then January brought H1N1 to his puny little self. February socked him with Strep throat. He lost a few pounds, and stays so dark under his eyes, but is full of fire and rottenness...God bless little boys!
Noah has this recurring sinus infection. His little face is so red and chapped anyway because of the excema but now his nose has joined in. He looks like a little elf. He remains a sunny beam in our days tho. Nothing keeps this kid down for very long.
Chris is busy with his studies. He is in the second month of a 10 month course for Computer Tech. He is doing well, tho he had a hard time getting back into study mode after 30 years of no school.
I'm getting ready to post up a TON of new items on my Etsy...so check me out! I have discovered I LOVE beading, and adding beads to my crochet work. And with Prom and Wedding season fast approaching, I'm hoping my items fly!
All for now.
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