Poor Evie!

Poor Evie has been sick with a tummy bug since Sunday.  Today she is just sick of being sick! Her fever is gone but her stomach still hurts.  She hasn't vomited since early afternoon so hopefully she's on the mend.  She got her appetite back this evening, but I didn't want her to eat to much to fast.  She wanted chicken nuggets so bad.  I caved and let her have some.  She ate the first one fine but gagged on the second.  Then her tummy ached a little so I said no more.  She was bummed, but I think she was afraid she would vomit again to.  The doctor said its Gastroenteritis.  Apparently that is going around.  I'm just praying it doesn't go around my house!  One thing kids seem to be really good at sharing is their germs! 

allergies or something else

I posted last year about the horrible itching on my palms and soles of my feet.  No I haven't had time to get it checked out.  I need to go in for fasting blood work.  I have a slightly elevated liver enzyme, but my doctor assures me that if it were my liver these incidents would happen more often.  The last one woke me up from sleep at midnight.  I thought maybe it was stress so I took one of my husbands muscle relaxers and keep my mind busy till I fell asleep.  Anytime I start to feel tingly in my palms I try to relax and practice some deep breathing.  I'm not sure if it helps or not.  I think it does.  So that's where I am at with that.  I feel so guilty taking time for my self to do anything even doctor appointments that I often put them off.  I know I shouldn't and this is important to have checked out, but so is everything else.  I learned the hard way not to put the dentist off. LOL

Funny things my 2 year old says!

My two year old is the best!  She says the greatest things, no joke...

I am driving home after taking my oldest, Evie, to the doctor.  Ally (the 2year old) and Thaddeus the baby are in the car as well.

Ally says "Mom, Evie called me a name!"

"Oh, what did she call you?"  I ask.

"She called me 'ALLY'," she responds.

I smile.  "That's because that is your name!" I say trying not to laugh.

"Oh, you call me that all the time...(giggles)...I'm so silly!" she laughs!

Then she makes monkey noises for a while to show me how silly she is!

I say, "Yes, you are silly!"

She adds, "you are too, mommy!"

My children never cease to amaze me!

Hello World!

I haven't posted in almost a year!  I don't know why.  It's hard to find time for myself.  Also when things are rough sometimes it is difficult to put them into words.  When you write down your feelings they become real and you can no longer escape them or deny them.  The reality is that the past year has been a roller coaster.  So many ups and downs I have no idea where to start.
       First, I will start with the positive.  The best thing that happened in 2012 was the birth of my second son, my fourth and most likely final child, Thaddeus Samuel Menear.  I didn't post during my pregnancy because it was rough.  I had gestational diabetes again and I was just miserable.  Plus, the thought of another C-section was really dragging me down.  In fact during my C-section I said "I'm never doing this again!" Having a C-section is nothing like they show on TV! It is horrible.  I freak out every time and have a massive anxiety attack.  I was also nervous about having another baby because of our life in general.  I was finally at a point where I could go back to work.  Lord, knows these days most families need or can use a second income.  In fact I was working up till the day before the baby was born.  I just can't bring myself to put him in daycare.  (I may be slightly neurotic but I can't trust strangers with my kids till they are old enough to talk to me about problems!)  I can admit now I had doubts about whether having another child was the smart decision, but God knows best!  I am Thankful for that.  I couldn't imagine life without any of my children.  Thaddeus is a gift from above and his smile, hugs, and kisses remind me every day how precious life is.  (Not that my other children don't as well, but with Thaddeus it is a little different.)
    That brings me to the negative of 2012.  The rock bottom of my roller coaster ride.  A couple weeks before the birth of Thaddeus my mom was diagnosed with ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease, and given three to five years to live.   My mom went from being a hard working, outgoing, and completely self sufficient person in the beginning on 2012 to hardly being able to walk, lost the use of her arms, can no longer drive or do any self care without assistance.  She spent the week before Christmas in ICU at Northwestern in Chicago.  She now has a feeding tube.  She can still eat foods, but not enough to maintain.  This has been devastating to our family.  My 15 year old sister is now home schooled to help mom during the day.  My mom was her mentor but as of November mom could no longer use the computer.  I took over and am now homeschooling my sister.  I am also doing all my moms work at the family business.  I don't really get paid for any of this.  I'm not complaining about that I just wanted to mention it since I had talked about money above.  Life right now is just bearable.  I'm grateful my mom is still with us, but can't bear to see her suffering.   So when things get completely unbearable Thaddeus give me a big kiss and reminds me that life goes on.  He is my sunshine through the darkness.  A gift of life from God sent at just the right time to remind me that everything happens for a reason.