Renal Scan Results

Well, if I knew, I'd tell you!  I feel like the doctors don't tell us anything.  They just ask us to come in for another test in a month.  But it's a different test at a different location.  So right when I figure out where to park and how to get to the right check-in desk (Children's Hospital must have at least 50 check-in desks) and meet the technician, it's BAM, they ordered a different test at a different location with a different technician.

I know they are only doing what is best for Claire, and I appreciate that.  And other than this, I have been so happy with Children's.  They have toys and books for kids to play with, cartoons playing in every exam room, wagons to take them from one room to another.  It is a Children's Hospital.  But children have parents, and those parents are terrified to be there in the first place.  Tell us what's going on with our kids!

:::focus on the positive, Gini, focus on the positive:::

Hydronephrosis does not hurt Claire.  She experiences no discomfort, no pain, and I am so thankful for that.  And while it may not hurt her, Mommy may have when she put the band on a little too tight!

Today, Claire received IV fludis (since she couldn't have anything to eat or drink) and let me tell you that she is not a fan of needles!  Or the nurses who poke her with needles! 

Then, they put in a catheder and injected dye into her kidneys.  (She's not a fan of those either!)  But it was all for a good reason, or that's what I have to tell myself to make it through the torture that is your child's screaming and looking at you like "mommy, how can you let them do this to me?"  Under the machine she goes so that the technician can record the dye as the kindey empties it into the bladder (sort of like an ultrasound from afar).

And I had to keep her still (with the help of straps of course) for 30 minutes.  She calmed down after a bit, but she was just looking for something to nom on.

And I knew Claire was trying to figure out how to get that needle sticking out of her arm into her mouth.  I mean look where her hands are!  So Wubbanub saved the day!

And can you see her super cool neon green bandaid to prove she's a tough kid?  I just melted.  And those poor eyes, red from crying make me want to cry!

According to the technician (I was supposed to see the doctor today, but he was at a different location), the right kidney is not emptying properly.  It is emplying some, just not as much as it should and not as quickly as it should.  The left (good) kidney is picking up the slack and doesn't appear to be hurt by the extra load.

But we have faith in our great God and His power to heal.  We know that His will for us and for Claire is holy and perfect, and we are trusting in that.  We'll have to wait and see what the doctor says about the results of this test (it's called a MAG3, although I have no idea what that means) and go from there.

We are so grateful for all of the prayers, support and encouraging words from our family, friends, and e-friends!  It means so much to Luke and I.  We are off to visit Luke's family in Knoxville but will keep you updated if we hear any news.

Happy Friday and Have a great weekend!

Thankful on a Thursday

After a week off, I'm getting back to Thankful on a Thursday.  I think I'll start a list and just continue it each week.

1. My wonderful husband.  Luke is the rock that holds our family together.  He thinks I do all the work (and I do alot of it, don't get me wrong) but he supports me in a way that I couldn't do without.

2. Bella coming for 6 weeks in 6 weeks.  Our Summer visitation has been set for June 6-20 and June 30- July 28 (with a break in there for Bella to see her mother's side of the family coming in from out of town).  I can't believe it has been so long since we have seen her, but I am focusing on how thankful I am that she will be here in less than two months.

3. Spring.  Luke is out in the yard, fertilizing the grass, filling in the holes Cooper has dug, and bugging me about planting flowers in the front garden.  But Spring brings new life, and that's what I'm all about.  We have a new baby, new job, new friends, and we are so thankful for all the newness Spring can bring.

4. Bathtime.  It's become less of a routine necessity and more of a time to watch Claire learn and grow.  She is loving Bella's bath toys, so I just sit and watch her play until fingers turn to prunes (and she has likely peed in the water).

5. My God is a Healer.  Tomorrow is Claire's renal scan to determine the functionality of her right kidney.  We'll be at Chilsren's Hospital downtown bright and early in the morning, as we pray things are improving and not getting worse.  Whatever the outcome of the tests, we know that He is the ultimate healer and makes all things well.

Be sure to go see Nish and what she's thankful for too, okay?

Gettysburg, South Dakota: Where the Battle Wasn't

While the EHS team and I flew into Rapid City and drove two and a half hours to Pierre, I spent most of my time in the lovely town of Gettysburg, South Dakota.

I know I should have framed this shot better with the John Deere sign more visible in the background, but I was in a moving car, okay.

Let me just say that these people know how to do a small town good.  They were so lovely to us "outsiders," and we were quite identifiable by our Southern drawls.  We ate all of our meals in Gettysburg at the quaint Medicine Rock Cafe, where they make apple pie to die for (I would link it, but of course, there is no link).

They may not be a big city, but at least they have the town of Agar beat.

And the day after I took this picture (which came out way better than I thought it would given that I was again in a moving car, only this time I was driving- eek) there must have been a baby born in Agar because someone had placed a sticker on this sign to read: POP. 83!  No joke people, true story.

And the ladies at Community Care Clinic were wonderful!

  

And, of course, the reason for the post title...

What I learned from this trip had more to do with life and less to do with work.  These people love their small town.  They love the kinship it brings and the community, in the truest sense of the word.  Yes, I missed my family terribly, but they reminded me to be grateful for where I am at this moment in life.  Don't look forward to where you'll be next week, or backwards to where you were last year. 

Live in the moment that is today.  And love it.  Own it.  Own your small town, big city, small family, big family, good job, hard job.  It is where you are now.  And whether we know it or not, it is teaching us how to be better in the future.  So that when the future comes, in it's own time, we'll be ready for it.

Thank you Gettysburg, South Dakota.  You will always hold a very special place in my heart.  You taught me to embrace the present and that everything is better with homemade apple pie!

Interesting Times in South Dakota

So, the week was filled with lots of learning and even a little fun.  We were in the middle of nowhere, South Dakota, and I have the pictures to prove it!  Just farms and cattle as far as the eye could see (and a rainbow, too!).

We made a pit stop at Wall Drug, an apparently very famous tourist venture, but I must admit, I was a wee bit disappointed.

And my co-worker buddy, Von, with the cowboy

And Su, the dinosaur... Something about fossils from the largest

 T-Rex were found here?

More about the rest of my trip to come!

Sweet Home Alabama

Man, it's good to be home.  I had a wonderful time in South Dakota and really learned alot, but I missed my babies (yes, Luke is still my baby) very much.  I'll have lots to post about my trip, but in the mean time, here is what you really came to see!

Look at those teeth!  Two more coming in on the top!  Very funny stuff from my trip is coming up so check back in later this week.

Nu Chapter Turns 100 Years Old

So before I headed to South Dakota for work, I trekked down to Tuscaloosa for Nu Chapter's 100th Anniversary.  We had a wine & cheese Friday night at the Westervelt Farm.  Sisters from all decades were present to celebrate the best four years of our lives.  Here are a few pics...

Katie, Emily and I

My little sis Scarlet and I

Scarlet is just glowing since she and her husband,

Eric, are expecting their first baby very soon!

I'm not totally sure what Anna is doing here?

Yes, we closed the place down. 

Only people left: my pledge class girls and Mrs. Diane (who still works at the Zeta House)

The Zeta House and the HUGE sign they had made to celebrate the occasion

Brooke, Katie and I after a wonderful lunch of fried chicken and zeta potatoes (note to self: Brooke said she has the zeta potatoe recipie, so jump on that)

Thank Goodness It's Friday!

It's been a rough week for us, so I am really looking forward to this weekend.  The Nu Chapter of Zeta Tau Alpha (where yours truly spent four of the best years of my life) is turning 100 years old.  The sisterhood is celebrating with a wine & cheese tonight followed by lunch tomorrow of our famous fried chicken and Zeta potatoes (I really should find this recipie because the world could always use more Zeta potatoes).

It is also the University of Alabama's Spring Game, so some will be taking part in those festivities as well.  Me, I'll most likely be found on Saturday afternoon on the patio at Phil's with a large draft.  Luke is keeping Claire (practice for the time mentioned below) so I can have a little girl time, and man does momma need some girl time!  Lots of old friends are coming in from out of town and we may even hit up our old college hot spots.

Then, I regret to inform you (my dozen or so readers) that I will leaving the blog for some time.  Stop crying... (just kidding)!  It will be a little over a week, because on Monday I am leaving for Fort Pierre, South Dakota for work (I know you're jealous).  Four co-workers and I are going to assist a client who has begun to use our software and requested support.

A few things on this...
1. I am really excited to go.  I feel very honored that after less than three months with the company, the powers that be feel like I am ready for this.  I know I will learn so much and gain some needed "real-world" expertise.  And I am glad to get my first "go-live" out of the way before Bella comes for the Summer.
2. Yes, I am sad to leave Claire.  Yes, I will miss her.  But yes, I feel confident in Luke's ability to care for our child for five days. 
3. Yes, this is Luke's first time to be alone with Claire.  She may not be clean or well-dressed, but she will be changed and fed, and as long as she lives, I'm okay with that.
4. Yes, his mother is taking her for two of the four nights I will be gone.
5. Yes, he left me for five days to go on a bachelor party cruise and I had no help whatsoever, so... No, I do not feel bad for him.  It's his kid too.

So miss me while I'm gone, but I will return with good pics of good times from this weekend and some funny stories from work.  Have a good weekend!

Thankful on a Thursday

So, Nish over at The Outdoor Wife does "Thankful on a Thursday," in which she simply lists the things she is thankful for.  I think it's a great way to throw out all the negative thoughts and focus on the things we have to be truely grateful for.  You should really check her out anyway...

So I'm going to join this parade.  This week I'll start with what Claire is thankful for... SWEET POTATOES!  My mom said they were a fave when I was a tot, so we picked some up last time she was in town.  With all of the craziness we are just getting around to trying them, and needless to say, sweet potatoes are a hit in our house!

Some other mommy bloggers that do Thankful on a Thursday are Blair over at The Heir to Blair, Tiffany at Feel Like Home, Jessica at The Southern Belle Baby and Kelle at Enjoying the Small Things.  Hope you are thankful for a lot this Thursday!

Does this look like a kid who just had surgery?

I think not!  Claire is doing well, just a little fussy.  But here she is, fairly content as long as she has something to nom on.

Going for a follow up in six weeks to make sure all is still well.  Thanks for all of your continued prayers for our sweet angel.

EHS Night with the Birmingham Barons

Last Friday, we had our company night at the ball park.  Claire was a big hit and got passed around to all of my co-workers.  Here are a few pictures from Claire's first baseball game...

I am lucky enough to work with my good friends Tiffani and Emily's husband John.

Momma and Claire

And I can already hear my dad saying, "hold your head up straight!"

Six Months and Sitting Up

Claire is six months old!  I could hardley believe that half a year has passed since the most wonderful blessing had entered our lives.  I snapped a few pics out on the front lawn, and this is just making me want a new camera.  Yes, my birthday (or should I say "our birthday" since the hubs and I share the same birthday) is appraoching, but I have already been told we don't need a new camera,

So dreams... meet getting shot down.  But here are the pictures I got with my (will do until I wear him down) camera.

And I asked Luke to see if she would sit up by herself (since she hasn't really done it much) and she did!  Again, she blows me away.

"I have the cutest comb over you've ever seen, no?"

"Daddy was holding my favorite toy a little too high here!"

"What's this?  Do I eat it?"

"I'm done sitting now"

"I'm from Alabama, and I dig the mullet!"

"And yes, that is a fish on my butt!"

Hope you had a wonderful weekend!

Hydronephrosis Update

So, this is not the way I wanted to end the day.  I slipped out of work for an extra-late, extra-long lunch to meet Jessica, Camille, and Claire at Children's South.  We did our routine with the ultrasound and Claire screaming because she couldn't eat for 2 hours before the test, and by gosh, she was hungry!

There is nothing more pitiful than your child, who cannot yet speak, looking at you and saying "mommy, why are you letting them do this to me?"  It hurts.  And it hurts bad.  But once the ultrasound was over and the bottle resumed its rightful place in the mouth of the babe, all was right with the world once again.

The Claire was weighed (16 pounds, can you believe it?) and we went back into the exam room.  Then we proceeded to wait, and wait, and well, you get the idea.  Thankfully, Children's Hospital was kind enough to place televisions in the exam rooms, so Camille could watch cartoons while Jessica and I gabbed about all kinds of randomness.

And then the pediatric urologist came back with the news I didn't want to hear.  Claire's kidneys are looking worse.  There is more pressure and dialation on teh left kidney than our ultrasound three months ago had shown.  He reccomended we have a renal scan to determine the functionality of the kidney, and that would tell us if "intervention" (aka surgery) is neccesary.  So that is scheduled for April 30th, and we just ask for your continued prayers for healing. 

"Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security." Jerimiah 33:6

Tubes... Here we come!

So, remember when I wrote this post?  Yeah? well, I lied.  Two more ear infections later, and we have scheduled Claire to get tubes in her ears next Wednesday morning.  Momma and Daddy are ready for some relief!  We know that God is the ultimate healer and that He will be with Claire through the surgery.  I've heard it only lasts a few minutes, but I'm sure it will feel like hours to us. 

Until then, when she is upset we just put her here...

and then she's happy.  Snotty nose and all.

With that out of the way, she has he hydronephrosis check up this afternoon. Poor baby hates the ultrasounds, but no cathederization today!

Luke and I are taking sweet Claire to the Birmingham Barons game tonight for an EHS event.  My co-workers are so excited to meet my baby girl (and Luke too).  It will be filled with baseball, bar-b-que and beer, so an overall good time in my book.  Hope you have a great weekend!

Life is a Highway

This is what I saw when I pulled out of the garage this morning...

Wow!  I couldn't belive it!  My (wonderful and generous) parents bought this car for me the month after Luke and I got engaged in 2006.  It had 27 miles on it when I drove off the lot.  I can't even begin to describe the 74,973 miles we have driven since then.  How far we've come.  As friends.  As Christians.  As husband and wife.  And now as parents.

I can remember driving home after we flew back to New Orleans from our honeymoon.  I remember loading this car as we moved into our first home.  I will never forget that drive to the hospital when my water broke.  Or the drive home with our new baby girl, feeling overwhelmed with joy and anxiety at the same time.

That number just hit me like a ton of bricks!  How much has changed.  How much has stayed the same.  We are so grateful this journey and are anticipating the road ahead!

Life is a highway, I wanna ride it all night long.

If you're going my way, I wanna drive it all night long.
- Tom Cochrane (although I like the Rascal Flatts version better)

New Kid on the Block

No, not the oh-so awesome boy band of my youth (yes, I believe I even had the sleeping bag), but this is the new kid on the block...

And I call her a kid because she no longer looks like a baby, and while other might relish in this growing up, I simply do not.  I want her to stay a baby forever (sans middle of the night feedings).  Her cute baby fat rolls and adorable belly laughs make me melt and I do not want to turn around and see a back talking, money grubbing, car borrowing teenager.

But I digress.  I did a Boston Tea Party-esque boycott of cleaning Saturday (yes this pic is a little late) in favor of an afternoon stroll with my kid.  I told Luke we needed a maid and now that I am working, I deserve Saturdays off.  He did not agree, but I am still looking into.  I don't want to spend my weekend with my head in a toilet bowl or my hands in a sink full of dirty dishes.  I want to spend my weekends, especially the beautiful ones we have been having in Alabama, with my family.

I'll let you know how it goes as I try to win the hubbs over on my idea!

Happy Easter Sunday (errr, Monday or Tuesday)

So, since I won't be winning any Mommy of the Year Awards (and that's fine by me), I thought I'd share the ultimate Easter mommy FAIL: no pictures of the most adorable little bunny in her Easter dress.  Since my own mommy bought the dress, I just put it back on last night (who cares it was no longer Easter) and took some pictures.

Get ready to squee inside (and if you are not a mommy blog reader, squee - pronounced sckweee- means exactly what it says: that feeling you get when you are so excited by the cuteness that is your baby, someone else's baby or some other cute baby stuff)

We are moving and shaking these days, so pretty much every shot is an action shot. 

And since she is a girl after her mother's heart, shoes are already gone (if you know me, you know I hate wearing shoes and I swore to my mother that I would get married without any on, but I did end up in some fabulous peep toe pumps on my big day)

And there is still nothing cuter than baby shoes and a monnogrammed butt!  (But forgive the dirty sofa- I had to wake Cooper from her nap to stage this pic)

Here's a little tounge, as if to say,

"Nanny nanny boo boo, I'm cuter than you!"

And sorry, I did not make Luke put his Easter clothes back on for a picture.  But I did want to share some AWESOME news about Church of the Highlands!  

From a Dream Team email:

20,924 people attended our 29 Easter services and 3,421 people made decisions for Christ. 

I served in the nursery for two services Saturday and two Sunday.  Luke and I were able to have a great Easter lunch with some friends attending church for the first time in many years.  Overall, a wonderful day to celebrate our risen king!

Hope you had a wonderful Easter weekend as well!

And we have a talker!

Claire said her first words Saturday... da da!  We were so excited (although I think she started saying it Thursday) but as you can see, she didn't know what the big deal was!

He is such a proud poppa!

Easter pictures coming soon, but honestly I have to redress Claire in her Easter outfit tonight because I forgot to take pictures yesterday.  Oops!

Why is this Friday Good?

Well, not good for the Savior, but good for us!

"He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that bought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.  We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.  He was oppressed & afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter."Is 53:5-7

I have to keep in mind that if it wasn't for Good Friday, there would be no Easter Sunday.  I pray that each of you have a blessed Easter weekend and soak in the glory and ressurection of our Lord.

The Most Wonderful Feeling...

Yes, this picture was taken during Spring Break and could have been included below, but I thought this deserved a post all to itself.  This was only the second time that Grandmomma and Grandbarry have had all four of their grandchildren together.  The first time, it was so sweet and special, we all teared up.  I hope there are many more of these photos to come.  Our children growing up around family is so important to Luke and I.  These people love and care for our girls so much and we couldn't ask for better grandparents!

Spring Break with Bella

 I know I'm late in posting this, but I figure better late than never.  We had a wonderful Spring Break visit with Bella.  We picked her up after work on Tuesday and left dinner up to her.  Of course she wanted pizza from Chuck E Cheese, and being the push overs we are (especially when it comes to her) we obliged.  She may be the cutest big sister ever and loved being with Claire.  She even let her baby sis nom on her finger, which may or may not have been clean, but I'm over it.

She wanted to take Claire to play every game in the place, but after the newness wore off and the kids (being Bella and Daddy) left me for some air hockey and ski ball.  Luke isn't letting Bella win anymore, but she is still beating him (and I am smiling inside for her but Daddy's ego is bruised).  But Claire was a little afraid fo Barney, can you tell?

The next day we baked a cake for St. Patricks Day and Bella was quite a sight to behold during her first experience with an electric mixer.  But she died the icing green and decorated it with every topping in our pantry.  It was an interesting combination of funfetti cake mix, green icing, some chocolate mint pieces, parcils, and sprinkles, but overall delicious because it was made with love (and lots of fun)!

Grandmomma and her Aunties took the girls to the petting zoo at Oak Mountain State Park and the Children's Hands On Museum.  Here they are at Grandmomma and Grandbarry's house.  Claire's not really sure what to think!

And Bella is reading like crazy now.  She loved reading to Luke and I over, and over, and over, and well you get the idea.  We savored every moment knowing it would be months again until we would have the distinct privilege of being an audience during story time.

Bella will come back in June, but until then it's phone calls and Skype.  Since Hawaii is five hours behind us (it was only four hours but they don't observe daylight savings time) we can't see Bella until around 10pm our time and Claire is long in bed.  Weekends are typically "too busy" for them to Skype but maybe one day.  Continue to keep little Bella in your prayers.  We are believing in God's will for her life.  Hope you enjoyed your Spring Break as much as we did ours!