Update on Ellison

We went back to the doctor this morning and found out that she has a sinus infection. I've given her antibiotics and some tylenol to help with the fever. I'm hoping that by the time tomorrow rolls around she will be back to herself.





Poor girl has worn a mark in this spot this week.

One Tough Week...still going

Stick with me this is a long one.....

On Sunday afternoon my friend Joy and I attempted to make it to Target for a toaster oven while our guys enjoyed a game together. Soon into our trip Ellison started to look really bad. So Joy and I packed the kids back into the car after 10 full minutes of shopping and headed home.

That night Ellison was up in the night feeling terrible. On Monday I stayed home from work to care for her. She was pretty much lethargic but I figured it was a virus. Monday night, no sleep again! Poor Ian had to get up at like 5:30 to leave for a trip so I know he was exhausted. Since he was going out of town, I had to strap on my boots and "get her done." So I kept Ellison at home on Tuesday. Soon into the morning she seemed that she was ok and I was just complying with the 24 hour rule of preschool. She went in to work with me for a little bit and then we had lunch together. Mexican our favorite! After lunch she went downhill once again. My young moms group meets every other Tuesday and I thought I'm really going to have to miss now. After laying down for a nap she woke up with a high temp and vomiting again and I decided to take her to the doctor. This meant me and 2 kids in the rain going to the doctor. I was not so happy! They tested her for strep and the flu and concluded that "it's just a virus. If she is still sick on Thursday bring her back in and we'll do some more testing" they say. I should have said "can you just do it now becasue I don't have 60 dollars to give to you guys in one week." I mean didn't they know I'd had to miss work!!

So on Wednesday she seemed pretty much normal. We even had a friend over to play. She had some moments in the afternoon but I just figured she was sleepy. Last night was small group and I was so pumped to go and have some adult interaction. Mind you the last adult that I talked to was on Monday evening so by Wednesday evening I was ready!! I get a call from the sitter about an hour into our group that she had thrown up and I rushed home. It seemed though that her coughing had caused it more than anything else. She was not running a fever and was smiling when I walked in the door. So I was determined that I was going to work and the kids to school today! HA....it was another eventful night with not a lot of sleep. She coughed for like 2.5 hours straight and then Jude woke up from a storm so I rocked him and helped him get back to sleep. When I was done with that I set up the humidifier for Ellison who was in our room and I slept on the couch. So I had about 4 hours of very interrupted sleep last night. Can you say TIRED!!

Ok now for the confession. Moms out there, have you had one of those moments when you wake up and get everything all ready for something you're looking forward to only to see a symptom in your child that may mean they are sick? You keep moving along trying to convince yourself and your child that they aren't sick but in the back of your mind you know they are? This morning was that way for me. She had no appetite and was very whinny. I was determined, however, to go to work and have 4 hours of time for something that I enjoy. I even had a lunch date planned with a friend...BONUS. There was no way we were staying home. I felt her head.....it was warm. I thought maybe it's because she was under a blanket. Finally I got out the thermometer and sure enough she had a temp. I wish I could say that I didn't think of myself at all when I realized that Ellison was not feeling well again which meant another day at home. I wanted to scream NO!!! In fact I went in the bathroom and said "God... really. I'm tired. I need to go to work. I want to go to work. Why is this happening." So I texted hubbie and Joy and asked them to pray that I not be overwhelmed with feelings of selfishness. I wanted God to give me empathy and mercy for this little one. I HATE that sin and struggle with it all the time.

After about an hour I started to feel a lot better and regained some perspective. I so wish that the reaction time and the correct response could come closer together. Not just in this situation but in every situation. Although this has been an incredibly hard week (and I mean the kind of hard where when Ian gets home tonight I wish I could say see ya for a day or so and head to the Hilton) God has been right here with me. Don't get me wrong, I have been upset (did you see the last paragraph) and I've even cried..a few times... but in spite of that He encouraged me in a number of ways. First through a wonderful letter that the leader of my young moms group sent out that basically mirrored my week, He encouraged me by letting me have an hour with my small group making Easter baskets, He encouraged me through the prayers of those who love me. I've also been preparing my answers to some theological questions this week which has required me to be in the Bible at any moment I could get. Last night I answered the question about the Holy Spirit and doing the research for that question was such an encouragement. We are not alone!! The Comforter is with us and He is ever present when we need Him!! WOW!!

All in all I've survived and the bonus is that I got lots of time in with my girl. I never get to have her one on one and although most of the time has been spent waiting on her and serving her needs there have been moments of joy in the midst of it too. Now I need to go take care of a little boy who is splashing in my cup of water that he stole off the table :-).

If you've made it this far, you really love me :-). I just needed to talk thanks for listening.

Ellison's loosing teeth!

In the month of March Ellison lost 2 teeth. Here are some pictures.

She is OVERJOYED at losing her teeth. Her mom....not so much.

Approved

We finalized our foster care process today and we are officially approved!! Today at lunch we received our welcome packet and were told that our names would be put on a list of eligible parents. WOW! When I look at the big picture I am so excited about this. A tangible way to help the widows and orphans (James 1:27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress...)

I am a planner, however, so I need to go and organize my thoughts a little and develop some systems. I have to be really honest. Am I nervousYES..Do I have a lot of questions...YES. Many of you are probably saying "why would they want to do this" and I sometimes find myself asking the same question. We have 2 children who are healthy and we are blessed. We have always wanted more children, however, and our ultimate hope in fostering is to adopt our third child.

So now that we are approved we need a toddler bed &/ crib (if anyone has one that they would like to get rid of let me know) and we could use another infant car seat as well. Once we have a child in our home there are resources that we can use, but we have to prepare ahead of time just in case we get the call...soon :-).

As our family and friends we would love if if you would be praying for us through this time. Pray for God's wisdom and discernment as we begin to get phone calls about potential children. We know it will be so hard to say "no we can't help that child" but at the same time we have to be wise for our families sake. Pray as we look for childcare for this child (I work 2 1/2 days per week and would like to continue to do that at this point) that we would pick the right place and that everything would work out. Most importantly pray for the chid who will come to our home. This child is already out there in who knows what kind of a situation. Pray that God would protect him/her either in the womb or in the home. And please pray for all of the children in foster care. We will only be able to help one of these kids but there are over 20K in the US alone in foster care right now!!!

Thanks for your prayers and support. We are so excited about taking this step and having a new little one in our home soon.

Jude gets a baby

Jude has had quite the week. He had a stomach bug, lice (maybe still not sure about that..i know i know..) and a perforated ear drum! While we were out shopping I gave in to his request for a baby on the shelf. This is a picture of him. 

Bread of Life

I discovered a new blog which is GREAT. If you are a mom of preschoolers you know what it's like to try and think of things to keep your little one busy. Well, this site is fantastic. I have a link to it posted to the right. Check it out if you get a chance...I promise you will love it.  

This month the site is helping mothers teach their kids about the I Am statements about Jesus. For the first week of March the statement is " I am the bread of life." So yesterday Ellison and I put together our poster and we baked some homemade bread. I have a bread maker but we chose to do it all by hand to drive home the point and to make it more hands on. While we were making it we talked about the yeast and what it does and how that relates to what Jesus can do in our lives. I must admit that I was more excited than she was but I hope that some of what we did sinks in. 

Here are some pictures of our fun times!

Also if you're interested in a good recipe just let me know and I can email it to you. 

PS- I really need to learn how to put these pictures on in order and to add captions. If you know would you mind telling me ;-). 

 

Update on the Kids

Hi Everyone!

I have missed updating. It's been a very busy couple of weeks but a lot has happened. I'm beginning to wonder if there is ever a dull moment with kids and I have concluded....not so much! 

I have recently had a chance to be a part of a young mother's group which has been incredible. It has really helped to challenge my thinking on a lot of things and it has given me a renewed hunger to discovering my identity in Christ. The focus of the group is on mothering and I've found over the past few weeks a soft spot when I just look at my kids. The blessing of having them and watching them grow just overwhelms me. Now I don't want to give you the impression that every moment is filled with love and laughter because that is just not the truth :-). I have found that it's easier to see the joy in the midst of the difficult times. So, with that n mind I would like to share some updates on the kiddos. 

Ok. So Ellison went to the dentist and has 4 loose teeth. She is only 4 and won't be 5 until November. The dentist thinks that they will fall out within the next 3 months. She is very excited, and it's funny to see her shaking those teeth all the time.  In other Ellison news she moved out of a car seat and is now only in a booster. This is her first really "girlee" seat and she loves it. She is having trouble getting buckled in so we have to work on that with her. She is really growing up so much and is really growing into a sweet big sister. When Jude gets disciplined he goes and lays his head on her lap and she just rubs his back. She loves being with him and they really get along well (ok, not all the time). 

Jude is really growing up too. He is 18 months old now and is definitely a toddler. His favorite things include: throwing a ball, catching a ball, playing basketball...notice a trend here. Really he just loves to throw anything and that is our biggest challenge right now. He throws food off his tray, throws blocks, basically anything in his hands. He has a very high pain tolerance (I'm not just saying that either. The boy barely cries at vaccinations) which makes it even harder because if you pop his hand he just looks at you like "what?". He really is our little cuddle bug which is so sweet. 

So here are some pics of our last few weeks.