Giving Challenge: January's Final Round-Up

Here is the final picture of the stuff that will be going to the Ronald McDonald House next week.  Just to recap, I am budgeting $25 a month and buying as much as I can with that money by using sales and coupons.  Each month I will donate to a different charity/cause.  This months haul:

-14 boxes of cereal =$1 a box or less (I don't normally pay over $1 for cereal)
-4 cans of soup=$0.50 each
-3 boxes of pop-tarts=$1.16 each
-2 boxes of cereal bars=$0.50 each
-2 bottles of detergent=$1.99 each
-box of microwavable noodles=FREE
-3 packs of popcorn=$0.21 each

I used the packs of popcorn to fill the gap to the $25.  This actually goes a few cents over $25, but I got a few cents overage on some of the other items so it all equals out.  I'm not counting tax cause, well, I'm just not=)

With this donation I will be taking in a coffee can full of pop-tops.  We don't always drink pop, unless it's on sale.  When we do, I save the cans for our neighbor (minus the pop-tops) and he takes off all the tops of his cans and gives them to us.  It's a pretty good trade. 

I'm not sure what who will be the recipient of February's donation.  I have several places on my list.  We shall see what sales we have, what coupons we have, and that will make determine who's next. 

Remember to leave me feedback if you are participating!  Y'all have a good night!

Our Crazy Life

Life has been quite interesting lately.  On Oct. 8, Makayla was admitted at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital for halo traction.  She is currently up to 13 lbs and the goal is 15 lbs.  She is scheduled for spinal fusion on Nov. 12.  I hope to document this excursion a bit more extensively over the next few weeks.  Please bare with me. 

When antibiotics fail...

Photo Credit

Makayla started showing symptoms of illness on Sunday.  On Monday she got worse.  We visited the ER three times in four days.  Today she went back to the doctor to have her ears checked.  Four days of oral antibiotics and one day of an antibiotic injection didn't phase her infected ear.  She has apparently grown a resistence to these meds.  So therefore she has been admitted to the hospital for IV antibiotics.  Will this happen again when she gets her next ear infection?  Shew...I hope not.  But we definatly need to consult with the ENT to discuss the next steps.

A new opportunit​y, with some much needed accountabi​lity

I'm excited about a new opportunity. For a year or two I've been following Lisa's blog over at Warrior MAMA. Lisa has since taken on another blog Organize 365. Lisa is the mother of two children with special needs, runs a home based business, is a professional organizer, and writes these two blogs. Obviously, she has her plate full...so she has offered me the wonderful opportunity to work with her on Warrior MAMA.

All posts will be her original work.  I will be helping her sort through all the technical stuff, make it look all pretty, and schedule the post. I'm hoping this will help me to post more here.

I still want to keep this blog about motherhood, special needs, life, and faith, but I would also like to throw in a mix of home management ideas to help make life run smoothly.

-Felicia

Visit to Shriner's

We've known for quite a while that Makayla has scoliosis. After regularly visiting one orthopedist who just kept telling us we would follow it and monitor it, we had to go to another doctor. He was local, but not a peds specialist. He scared me to death. He referred us to Shriner's and we went last week.

We found out Makayla's back has gone from 80 degrees in August to 105 now.  It began to drastically increase after open heart surgery in August 2010.

The option is to put an extension rod in her back. She will have to have outpatient surgery every 6 months to extend it for the next 10 years or so, until she stops growing. The doctor also wants her to wear a halo for a month or two prior to the surgery. He would like her to be hospitalized the entire time:/

It can't be done at that Shriner's because she needs a Cardiologist and Pulminologist available, which they do not have at that facility. We would have to go to Shriner's in St. Louis or we can go to Vanderbilt since it is in our state. Still yet, that is 4 hours away. We are hoping the doctor will approve Home Health to monitor her at home instead. If not, we hope she can be transferred to the local Children's hospital until time for the procedure. Our last option, but not last resort is to move to the Nashville area (something we had already been considering before learning all of this information).

For now, we will wait to return to Shriner's next month. I will be working on getting the house market ready, "just in case." Some things on my to do list is:

•  Repaint every room except the girls room and the laundry room.
• Back splash in kitchen
• Handles on cabinets
• Finish roof (not me of course;)
• Clear out large lot behind the house (currently in progress by someone we hired)
• Paint the deck
• Paint iron screen doors
• Putting cabinets up in laundry room
• Put up door up in laundry room

I'm hoping these changes will help sell the house quickly and for a great price if we put it on the market. 

**Update-I might have the hubs convinced to stay, but we will still prepare just in case. 

January 3 in 30 (Big Massive FAIL!!!) & other news

Yes that is right folks, I did not accomplish all my goals for January=(  I did pay off a debt (woot! woot!).  The closets have come along, but are not completely in order. (Do I get brownie points for progress made?)  And as for the 10 lbs in the month of January??  I haven't weighed myself in 2 weeks, but the weight is slow to come off=(  I've had some blood work done to determine why I'm so tired and slow to loose weight.  So far everything seems okay, but my Vit. D is low so the doctor put me on 5000 IU a day.  Hopefully that helps give me some energy, which in turn will help me loose weight *fingers crossed.*


On to other news...


Makayla took a trip to the endocrinologist for the first time this past week.  We now have a plan to keep her blood sugar stable, and hopefully all these sick episodes will subside.  That also reminds me, she was hospitalized a little over a week ago.  It appears as if she had pneumonia, but the next day she woke up, took off her oxygen, and just seemed perfectly happy!  We only had to stay one night (thank God).  This was our first overnight stay since "the incident" back in September...


One more thing that I wanted to touch on....we've had some scary episodes with Makayla.  I also read Choosing to See by Mary Beth Chapman (Fabulous book!  Highly Recommend!).  Plus I watched an episode of Oprah where these parents lost all three of their children in a car accident.  With all this, on top of the doctor this week asking the life expectancy of Makayla with her Chromosome condition, it got me thinking...thoughts that...I don't...want...to...think...but...they're there=( 


So I read in a magazine a suggestion to keep a one sentence journal.  Everyday just write a sentence about something from that day.  It is "time manageable" with my busy life.  So I purchased a very pretty journal yesterday at TJ Maxx and began.  But I am writing one sentence for each of my kids.  Some days they may be combined depending on what happened that day.  I don't want to miss a thing, and I don't ever want to get to the place where I forget "the little things."  As time allows me, I think I will also write a sentence for myself as encouragement on days in which I need it. 


So, now that February is about to begin, what are my goals for this month?  I will be thinking about those tonight and hopefully get my post up tomorrow, if not then by Friday.  Everyone have a fabulous week!  Until we meet again...

Peanut Pie Update

WOW! 

What a day!! 

My mom stayed with Peanut Pie last night, so Daddy B and I could go home and get some rest.  Just before 6am the phone rings.  Unbeknown to me why I didn't have my phone beside the bed (?)  I run through the house in the dark to answer it.  She tells me we need to get to the hospital because MB's sats were dropping and they had nurses, respiratory, and doctors in working on her.  I moved as fast as I could getting JD up and dressed, myself dressed, and grabbing what we needed. 

I called the nurse on the way and she said they had her up to 100% oxygen and they thought that the tube had moved in her chest.  X-ray confirmed that and they had to reintibate.  She did okay after they got it fixed, only to have another episode while Mommy Me stepped down to the cafeteria to get some coffee.  Daddy B was here and his nerves were on end.  She had to be suctioned because some secretions were blocking her airways.

So....

Even after all that, this afternoon she was able to COME OFF THE VENT!!! YAY!!!  She is doing well.  She is on 2 liters of oxygen and her sats are 98-100%  She has gained 1 lb 10 oz since Sunday.  She is definitely on the road to recovery!  Thank you to everyone who have been praying for her!  I may know you, but God does and I pray blessings upon blessings for everyone of you!

The Last 3 Days

Wow!  I am so overwhelmed I don't even know where to begin.  Sunday morning I took Peanut Pie to the ER with low blood sugar.  It was registering at 68.  After some fluids we were able to get it up to 128.  Everything was looking good so we were discharged.  She seemed fine that evening.  She ate, drank, and played some.  I thought a major crisis had be averted.  

Until the next morning......

She seemed to have slept well that night. I woke up as usual and was getting Daddy B and JD ready for work and school.  Since Peanut Pie didn't have school Monday she normally sleeps until right before we leave.  I walked in to wake her up.  She had gotten sick all over her bed.  She looked bad.  I called Daddy B, and plugged her up to the pulse ox meter.  Her oxygen was at 92%, which is still good for her.  I grabbed some things, and out the door we went.  I thought she just had a stomach bug and would need more fluids, so I took JD to school first.  On the 25 minute car ride to the children's hospital she was a little lethargic.  But she always came back to reality when I called out her name.  Once we got to the ER she cried a little because she didn't even want me to pick her up.  Again, I just thought she was feeling bad.  

They immediately took us back to a room....

They told me to lay her on the bed...

When I went to pick her up she went limp and unresponsive...

They rushed her into another room and immediately went to work on her.  They got her on oxygen, IV, etc.  I called Daddy B very frantic for him to get to the hospital!  Once he got here MB seemed somewhat stable.  The doctors, nurses, and respiratory had all left the room.  I was sitting beside her bed when Daddy B asked, "Is that her heart rate?"  

I looked up and it was very low.  

I looked down at her chest and it wasn't moving...

I screamed, "SHE'S NOT BREATHING!!!"

Round 2 Began....

They intibated.  The first tube was too small.  It was taking so long.  Her heart rate was dropping again.  Her oxygen saturation had went from 92% at home to a low 33% with an oxygen mask on her face.  It happened so fast.  She was put on a ventilator Monday morning.

Fast forward to Wednesday...

She has 2 viruses.  Rhino-virus and Para influenza.  Her blood sugar had spiked to nearly 400 during her traumatic episode.  Her body just couldn't handle the stress.  It has leveled back out.  She went for an MRI earlier to determine if she had a seizure in the ER.  We are awaiting the results and trusting in Him.  She has been placed on anti-seizure meds "just in case."  They hope to be able to ween her off the vent after the results are back.  Her blood culture started growing a bacteria, but we are hopeful that it is just a skin contaminate from having to put a line in so fast in the ER.  

My mom stayed with Peanut Pie last night while Daddy B and I went home to try and get some rest.  I had a good nights sleep, but have found I would rather have the broken sleep at the hospital then the dreams.  

I don't like the dreams=(

But He has everything under control!

So now, we still wait....

While I'm Waiting By John Waller

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience
While I'm waiting
I will serve You
While I'm waiting
I will worship
While I'm waiting
I will not faint
I'll be running the race
Even while I wait

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it's not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve you while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting on You, Lord

"Peanut Pie's" first horse riding experience

Today our Mommy Central group at church had a play date and all the kids got to ride a horse. This was Peanut Pie's (MB) first experience on a horse. I was a little nervous. She has sensory issues and she did just have open heart surgery 6 weeks ago. But....short little Mommy Me mounted Cowboy the Horse and so did Peanut Pie. Guess what? SHE LOVED IT!!! She laughed the whole time and even clapped a few times (despite me trying to explain that she should hold on instead of clapping;). It was so wonderful to hear her laugh like that. For a child who verbalizes very little, that precious sound is like music to my ears! Love you Peanut Pie! Can't wait to see you on a horse again!