Ice Storm!

We had an incredible ice storm here on Christmas Eve. We lost power at 9am Christmas morning and it only just came on yesterday afternoon at 2pm!

I cannot wait to upload all these pictures and maybe some video. Samaritan's Purse has their Disaster Relief workers working on helping people out of their homes and back into them. Click here if you want to help.

We were blessed that we didn't have any damage to our home, and that two of our neighbors kept supplying us with wood for our stove (we ran out twice!). We finally moved into another friend's house who was out of town until today. Hot showers and a warm meal was just what we needed after four and a half days with no water or power!

Apple Pies

Everyone's talking about apple pies this season. I think it is one of the most-baked pie at Christmastime in America. Personally, I LOVE making apple pies. I love the varieties that I can make that have such diverse flavors and are still delicious, once baked and steamed under a flaky crust.

If anyone is looking for a fantastic cookbook on apple pies, I've got just the one for you. Bill gave this one to me about five or six years ago for Christmas. It was a funny gift, because before that moment, I had never made but one apple pie. He loves apple pies and even chooses them over birthday cake at his birthdays. But because I wasn't very good at apple pies (I didn't even want to try), he handed me this book and told me he knew I could do it. And here were are a few years later, and there's nothing I love to bake more than apple pies. Mostly because Bill fights so fiercely over them - he will not share happily - so I know that he loves my apple pies. That gives this wife a great satisfaction.

If you're still thinking about a gift to give someone this Christmas, or for an upcoming birthday, or even for no reason at all, check this cookbook out. You won't regret it.

SNOW!

Edited to add pictures!!

We've had about two feet of snow over here. I can't upload the pictures...again, because of a hardware issue. But I will get it done eventually. I can't wait for my laptop to get back here.

The kids have enjoyed making a gingerbread house (see pictures on FB), lots of different kinds of cookies, fudge, sledding, shoveling and anything else we could think of to keep them busy. It's been a blast. Carolina has really enjoyed it, even though she is a tropical baby. Sam decided he was done for the day on Saturday when he got some snow in his face after a really daring sledding attempt with me. I was surprised when he wanted to go again yesterday.

The snow is so dry and powdery we are unable to build a snowman (which is inevitably everyone's first question).

The kids and I are still snowed in, as Bill's car has a dummy tire on it and it completely stuck behind six feet of snow. He took my car to work this morning for snow-duty at Samaritan's Purse, where he helped scrape the sidewalks to keep everyone safe.

Other than not getting to the rest of our Christmas shopping (yes, I'm a procrastinator...and quite frankly don't really care for buying Christmas gifts or any kind of shopping for that matter), we're happy as clams. Yeah for snow!!

Pictures

Ahhh, finally...

Sweet reunion with the Crawford side of my family

Wowza!

The last week has been very trying on all of us. Bill was out of town for two days while the rest of us struggled with the flu. Yes, the flu. Even after having seasonal flu shots AND H1N1 shots, both kids got the flu. So did Mom. And now, so does Dad. He was delayed a bit on getting it, merely because he was out of town, but rest-assured, when he came back we shared our germs full on.

Thankfully, the kids no longer have lingering fevers. Sam appears to have avoided any heart arrhythmias. Carolina has stopped crying at the drop of a hat. So have I. We only have congestion, coughs and some sore throats now. But, honestly, we're feeling better.

I still wouldn't invite anyone to enter my home right now though. Bill has had the worst of it today, while my symptoms climaxed yesterday and Sam's were the day before that.

In other news, I can't remember if I have shared this or not, but my blog seems to be the right forum for it. Sam is reading. All out reading. I cannot believe it.

When we went to the pedi's office earlier this week, I was writing words and sentences on the paper covering the exam table. Sam demands this of me every time we go now (which seems way too often for my liking). He was reading things like, "The cat is black." and "The dog is green." He read a few new words like, "grass" and "moon" that day too. He's learned that two letters together make the "e" sound or "oo" sound. Tonight he read "noon" and "apple" for the first time. We can't seem to get it on video, as he starts acting out every time the camera is turned on.

His pedi was amazed, to say the least. He said he taught all three of his children to read and the earliest he could get them to even begin was three and a half, but mostly age four.

I was really encouraged by this, but at the same time, I can see that I need to step up my teaching him. He obviously desires to learn more, as he begs me every day to help him learn to read more words. I can't keep up! He read the sentence, "He is wet." all by himself to Bill. The more he reads, the more he wants to read. It is amazing. And it makes me happy that he is book-smart too - because I may have to deal with less struggles as he grows up and I have to say no to certain contact sports.

I am starting to think about schools for him for next year. He has two more years before kindergarten starts. Two. More. Years. Holy moly. I really want to enroll him in the Montessori school Mountain Pathways, but it's just too expensive. Pray with us as we make this important decision. Oh, and for all of you die-hard home schoolers...this is not my calling. It's just not.

Carolina is fully potty trained now. Night time and nap time. I cannot believe it. She is a prodigy in so many ways. She is more empathetic than any other child - nay, PERSON - I have ever met. If I cough she runs up to me and rubs my arms and asks, "you okay?" If Sam cries, she rushes to take him his sippy cup and rub his back or play with his hair while asking, "okay, Gege (哥哥) ?" Even if she's in the throws of screaming herself, if she hears her Daddy cough, she'll stop to ask if he's okay. She is the single most loving creature I have ever known. We are blessed more every day for knowing her and having her in our lives.

In other news...we are still unable to upload photos. It's a hardware problem, not a software one. Eventually we'll get to it, but for now there are hundreds of photos sitting on our CF cards waiting to be uploaded. Maybe one day Gateway will fix the BRAND NEW laptop my parents bought for me (that I got to use for three weeks) and send it back to us.

Until that day...my words will have to suffice.

Dieflugasoftheyougag

We've got it. The whole family. Every last one of us is miserable. Sam had 104.1F and Carolina had 102.1 on Saturday morning. The fevers seem to have abated, but the crud is still hanging on.

I love my grandmother's old expression of die-flu-gas-of-the-you-gag. It really encompasses how we all feel right now. Sam and Carolina both have terrible coughs. Bill and I are only dealing with congestion and sore throats.

Back to the grind...

Post-Thanksgiving Update

I am currently without a laptop again, and so relying on the desktop to do everything a girl needs. Unfortunately, we had to wipe the desktop clean and there are no programs on it to upload pictures or do anything productive. Therefore, you'll have to do without pictures again.

We had a great Thanksgiving with Bill's family. Unfortunately, we spent the eating portion of it apart, but that's what happens when everyone eats during nap time. I have learned one thing about my kids, Carolina in particular, routine is everything. She absolutely has to sleep and it has to be a familiar place. If I try and make her sleep in an unfamiliar place, she throws a fit and won't sleep. Because of my good decision making on Thanksgiving Day, she slept for over two hours. Thank goodness.

She has done an amazing job with the potty training. She didn't have any accidents in the car rides, which were very long. Instead, she rose to the challenge and started going potty in every public restroom I took her to. She is one brilliant child.

So, this week holds many exciting times for us. Friends from far away places are visiting and the weeks ends with a wedding of two of our best friends. I'm so excited to be a part of it all. On to the baking...

Target Giftcard Giveaway

Our friend and mortgage broker is doing a $25 gift card giveaway from Target. Check out his BLOG to enter and win!

Potty Training

I have officially potty trained Carolina now. I cannot believe she is as brilliant as she is, but she is. She can identify many letters of the alphabet, knows her colors, can count to five, say four or five word sentences, and now she can potty when she needs to.

I did a loose version of what I did for Sam earlier in the year. She didn't need the chart or even the M&Ms like he did, nor did she need huge rewards. Carolina is a very empathetic person...she feels sad when Sam or I feel sad and she feels happy with us. She responds very well to high fives and praise, but of course, she needed a potty dance too. We used the following video for her dance - she LOVES this song.

She had a couple accidents yesterday because we went out for the first time, but today she's already asked to go five times and has produced something every time.

Gotta say, I am proud of this girl. She really is very smart. I wouldn't have even tried to do it so early (she just turned two last month!) except she was telling me she was ready.

There's no going back now!!

Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Time!!!

Don't forget to make a shoebox!!

A Story From China

Last week, after uninstalling and reinstalling our monitor heater (a kerosene heater that heats our whole house from the basement), Bill turned it on for us to keep warm. Within 15 minutes, I was lightheaded, felt my heartbeat increase and heard a ringing in my ears. I kept saying something wasn't right, but couldn't move my body fast enough to get outside. Bill, who had been in and out of the room, had to carry me outside to get me fresh air. We think it was related to a leak that caused some kerosene to spill and then it was burning off...or it could have been a leak causing carbon monoxide poisoning. I was fine within an hour.

But it reminded me of a long ago story. A story from China. I don't tell many of our stories from China, mostly because I don't think people are generally interested in them. But this is one I think you'll want to hear. This many years away from it, I can laugh about it. I hope you get some enjoyment out of it too, but it's a bit graphic. So be forewarned, don't read it if you don't want to be grossed out.

I'm changing people's names too...


A long long time ago, way out East somewhere, there were some weary travelers going on a strange trip together.

I don't even remember why we went on the trip, actually, but I think it was just for fun. We took two vans. Molly was with us and the Peace family (mother, father, daughter and two sons).

That night, we were very cold, after traveling all day through the very high mountains. Melinda Peace asked the inn keepers for some coals to warm up with. They brought a tray of hot coals to our bedroom and we nestled into our cozy sleeping bags. Little did we know what we were about to face.

I was sleeping against the outside wall. I was still struggling with low blood pressure at the time and when I awoke an hour or so later, I felt my heart beating very quickly and my ears were ringing. It felt like I was about to pass out due to low blood pressure. I started breathe in and out very slowly and deeply, as that sometimes helps when I'm about to pass out. Things started getting really bad after that.

I heard a distant pounding on the door, and watched helplessly as Melinda kept trying to get out of bed to answer it. Molly started screaming at Melinda that she was going to hit the floor and to stop trying to get up. Melinda was talking gibberish. Her young daughter (about 9) was weeping. Molly finally got out of her bed, still wearing the sleeping bag and hopped over to the door to open it. The owner's wife was the one banging and yelling. She hadn't realized that we were going to go to sleep with the coals and knew the danger of carbon monoxide poisoning. Apparently, she was sitting around her own fire downstairs with her husband and suddenly and "inexplicably" started worrying about us and came to check on us. She knew immediately that we were in danger and couldn't get the door open.

Our men were on the other side of the wall from us. D Peace came and swept his girls out very quickly. Melinda passed out outside the door. Her daughter just kept weeping. Bill got me outside and had to go back in for Molly. All the girls were leaning up against the wall in the breezeway on the second floor of this hostel (in a very very tiny town, I might add), when a couple of them started vomiting. I screamed for Bill that I was going to have diarrhea (no vomiting for me). Bill grabbed me and tried to carry me up these long, tall, uneven steps that lead up a steep hill (this hostel was built into) to go to the latrine. We didn't make it - he had me in his arms and all 116lbs of me was too much for him at that point.

He took his next left into another level of the housing that had a courtyard in front of it. It was seemingly empty at the time. I was still hearing ringing and was so dizzy, plus my head hurt really badly and I was weak all over. He tried to take me to the grassy courtyard, but didn't realize it was higher than the sidewalk, with a small cement wall raising it up. He hit his shins on the wall at which point I flew out of his arms while I was pulling my pants down and having diarrhea all at the same time. He was bleeding profusely from his legs and was so concerned with me as I LAY on the ground getting sick. Oh, and it was pitch black, thank God.

He carried me back down the stairs. His hands had gotten bloody too. I leaned up against the wall with the other girls, while the owner's wife was jabbering on and on about how stupid we were and how amazing it was that she just had the idea to check on us. (I hope you're reading into that.)

That's when I heard John Peace (maybe 12 at the time) ask Molly if she was okay. She said, "I'm fine" at which point she threw up all over the blanket that was over her legs and a little on him, I think.

We all had migraines or bad headaches the next day, but everyone was fine. I still remember D calling another friend from some other small town and saying something about almost killing all the "women-folk."

And that, my friends, is why you should always make sure you're outside when you burn coals. Even if there is lattice work in the wall and plenty of adequate ventilation, it's still NOT enough.

My Leaf-Addicts

Sam and Carolina have thoroughly enjoyed playing in the leaves this Fall. Carolina is so funny about it, because just five months ago she couldn't even stand on the grass out of fear. Now she's just in love with everything outdoors.

Sam has amazing discipline as he will let me completely bury him in the leaves and then wait a few moments before jumping out.

I think she just kept running and running and running...sort of like Yellow Dog in the movie "Funny Farm" (still one of my all-time favorite movies).

Fall Photos

Carolina and Sam are loving being with family right now. Especially because Mamaw has so many oaks and sugar maples around her house that create amazing amounts of leaves!


My family finally gets to meet Carolina - I think this will be almost everybody.


Here are they with Mamaw...

High Country Mom Squad

Check out this article on our life with Carolina. It was published on www.highcountrymomsquad.com this morning. Part 2 is coming tomorrow.

Beach

Walking Pneumonia

If you're a friend on FB, you already know that Sam has been diagnosed with walking pneumonia. He got a cold a week ago and his cough got a whole lot worse yesterday. He finally vomited after an especially bad coughing spell.

He also started limping yesterday morning at 11am. For no apparent reason, I might add. The doctor took a look at it and said it looks like it's coming from Sam's hip or joint, despite Sam saying it's his knee. The pedi thinks it could be an injury from playing OR a hip infection. We are now on the lookout for a high fever spike or Sam not being able to bear any weight at all on that leg. He is still limping today, more as the day progresses, actually.

Carolina seem to be doing well, despite all the sickness around her. She pee peed in the potty this morning after asking to go. She's the only child in the world who is happy with crackers as her reward. I'm planning on beginning potty training with her in a week or two, when we have three days to stay at home and concentrate on it.

The new basement floor is being installed today by our neighbor. He is a carpenter and happy to have the extra work. We're happy to be able to save some money, so it's a win-win situation.

Bill's deacon ordination is tomorrow morning. It's such a blessed time for our family, to be able to serve our church this way. We had a fabulous Fall Festival at our church this last Wednesday night, where Sam even got to ride a one-eyed horse named Bo. Once I get the pictures, I'll post them.

This is of me and my friend Julie being silly. We went to a bridal tea last week and everyone had to wear hats. It was especially funny because my hat had to be pulled down low over my eyes (as per the style of the 1950's), so I couldn't see much all night.

The bride, Alison, and me

Health Care

This story really touches me, because we are starting to see our own "insured" doctor's bills come in from Sam's most recent hospitalization. I am extremely concerned about our health care costs, as well as how insurance has inflated our general costs across the board.

Even with the flood in the basement, because we have home owner's insurance, the total bill to dry out the basement and remove the flooring cost over $2000. If we hadn't submitted the claim with our insurance it would have been much less.

I am deeply concerned for our nation and our health care. This story is just one of, I'm sure, many.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

We're Back

I have had several phone calls in the last week regarding our blog. We lost our desktop several weeks ago due to a (possible) broken fan. Since we live on the mountain, it is very difficult to go down to the nearest Best Buy and get a new one. So, we've just had to do without.

However, my loving parents have missed their Skype sessions with their grandchildren so much that they decided to buy me a new laptop! So, here I am - with a computer at last!

Here's a rundown of what you missed in our very busy lives:

• Sam's 3rd birthday
• A trip to the beach (our first family vacation in over two years!)
• Carolina's 2nd birthday
• A water main break in our basement
• Over $2000 to have the basement flooring ripped up and dried out
• Both kids got the H1N1 vaccine and flu vaccine just this morning

Here's what's to come:

• Tomorrow morning at the Optimist Club on State Farm Road - a yard sale! Begins at 8am and finishes at 1pm - come out and support us!
• Next week, a new floor put in, plus new padding, and repair of the bathroom wall where we had to break into the wall to make it large enough for repairs
• I'm catering a wedding with my partner in our new business TLC (Teesa and Lauren's Cooking) - I can't wait to share more about that later

I think that's about it. To say the least, we are definitely keeping very busy over here. So busy we can't even mow the lawn!!

I don't have the camera right now, but I'll get some pictures as soon as I can. Please leave a comment to update me about your lives, since I've been MIA for so long!

Before I write another post, please know that I have thoroughly enjoyed actually speaking to many of you on the phone, rather than it being a bit one-sided and only you keeping up with me on the blog. I love knowing what's going on in your world. Please continue those phone calls! I love human interaction!

Ann

Our dear friend, Ann, is always outfitting our kids with handmade clothes. Last year she made an adorable Christmas outfit for Sam and recently she spent a long long time smocking this dress for Carolina.



I cannot believe how adorable Carolina is in it. She literally looks like a doll when she's sitting still while wearing this dress.


Very few people know how to smock anymore - the detail in this dress is absolutely breathtaking.


Thank you, Ann, for lovingly making my children these special outfits. A woman was telling me how beautiful this dress was today as we were leaving church. I told her that our friend Ann really loves Carolina and her response was quite accurate, "Oh, I bet she loves her more than you know and her making that dress is only one way she shows it." AMEN!! Thanks for your prayers too, Ann, and your friendship.

Birthday Party

Sam had an awesome birthday party today! We had fishing, pin-the-tow-hook-on-Mater and lots of games. It took a long long time to make the cake, but it was totally worth it.

His birthday isn't for another week, but we had fun celebrating on this rainy cold day.





Lots of people came and we had 15 bean soup, corn bread salad, and tons of cake. It's always nice to have 30 of your closest friends stuck inside to celebrate! LOVED IT!!

Even Carolina got some of her gifts a little early.

Happy birthday, kiddos.

Life Without a Computer

Life has continued at our household despite not having a computer to connect us to the world during the daylight hours. Bill has been bringing home his work laptop and offering me a chance to catch up with friends once the kids are in bed.

Playing with a caterpillar

Today was the first full sunny day we've had in over a week and we were definitely feeling water-logged. We all need to get out in the sun just to feel better in general. We've kept up our normal activities, which Sam is doing great with so far. His stamina is just about where it should be for a child who is about to turn THREE next week.

Lounging in the rocking chair after church

Carolina is progressing so much. She's saying even more words and her agility is progressing as well. Just this morning she was doing Tae Bo with me. HA! Sam just kept asking, "why did that man take his shirt off?" I had to explain that Billy Blanks was just so hot and sweaty he didn't need a shirt. It was a good explanation because Sam and Carolina both went without shirts yesterday during a two-hour stint of sunshine we had.



Sam has a cardiology appointment next Thursday, so we'll be able to see exactly how his heart has been over the last five weeks. I can't believe it's been that long since his surgery. I can't believe the child below is the very same child who is in the picture above. God is amazing and has done an amazing work in both of my children.

Sam in the PICU

But life is moving on for us. Despite the fact that there are quite a few friends falling ill with H1N1 here in town (we're praying for you), Sam and Carolina have remained healthy. I am continuing good hygiene with them, but mostly just praying.

I have so much more to say, but will end on this note. God is good. I'm so proud of my children and what they are learning about Him every day in life and at our amazing and wonderful church (which Bill was just voted to be a deacon in on Sunday!). I am learning so much through my children as well, especially in my relationship with Christ.

Enjoy your week!

This Week

We had a weekend without Daddy here and not only survived it, but we finally made it to church on Sunday! It was an extremely exciting time for me, because it was the first time I had been without the kids for even 45 minutes in a long long time and a time to enjoy talking about the Bible with other adults. Carolina did exactly what I would have wanted her to do when I left her in the nursery. She cried for about 10 minutes after I left and then got back to playing. She was happy to see me when I returned too.

Sam is now in big boy Sunday School as well, and learned a Bible verse as well as a Bible story. No more nursery for Sam...he'll be in Children's Church too. I didn't think it was fair to leave Carolina for longer than an hour on her first day in the nursery, so we left after Sunday School. But, it was definitely a great milestone for us.

Unfortunately, our final computer, the desktop, died on Saturday night. Bill has been trying to fix it all day, but the parts are nowhere to be found on the mountain. The laptop died about 6 months ago.

Nevertheless, life goes on. Bill has a work laptop that I can use at nighttime, so at least I can keep up with a portion of what's going on out there.

Meanwhile, we went to the library story time today and had a wonderful time. It reminded me, once again, of why I love living in a small town. The librarian who Sam loves the most (and talks about on a daily basis) had no idea that Sam had had surgery (four weeks ago today!!) and doted all over him for the rest of our time there. Another librarian went out to my car to put a parking pass in it so I wouldn't have to lug both kids out there. His favorite librarian pulled tons of books on construction equipment and a few extras because of his inquisitive attitude towards life. We left with a canvas bag FULL of books. It was great to be in public again.

I'm praying hard over these kiddos and using a ton of hand sanitizer, plus washing hands a lot. Sam knows the ONE rule I have is to not put his hands in his mouth while we're out. It seems to be working so far. So...we're thrilled to be out and about again. Sam is still tiring easily, but that just means nap time is longer than normal. Oh, and Carolina has moved to a toddler bed and hasn't fallen out of it in almost a week now. So, as I said...life is moving FAST here!

Big Idea

Last week I was speaking with a co-worker of Bill's at Samaritan's Purse. I told her how I had recently watched an episode of Sesame Street with Sam and saw one of the Muppets (named Murray) looking for a horoscope in a newspaper.

I let her know that that was the last straw for me. I have seen several episodes of Sesame Street where they are teaching things about the "Big Bang Theory" (more specifically that we were all sludge to begin with, after the "big bang," and we evolved to be sentient beings) being the absolute truth or that the world is actually billions and billions of years old. I remember a couple other episodes that were very off-putting too, I believe one dealt with divorce. We don't watch Sesame Street every day, so I was still trying to figure out if it is a normal thing or just with the few episodes I've seen.

I was so surprised by the horoscope scene that I shut off the television and made the decision that we will never be watching Sesame Street again in this house. A lot of the PBS shows have surprised me, though we will still watch Super Why.

The worldview depicted on Sesame Street just doesn't mesh with the one I want to teach my children. I realize that there are a ton of TV shows that also teach a worldview that I don't agree with and that I won't be able to protect them forever, but I'm certainly going to try. Eventually, I want them to be aware of the different worldviews and to be able to make an educated choice for themselves, but during these first few years of their lives, I want to be the one to expose them to what WE believe, as a family. After all, isn't that what raising your children is all about? Training them in the way they should go, so that when they are old they won't depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6)

Bill's co-worker, Susan, has a son who works for Big Idea. Apparently she contacted him and let him know our story and he mailed her NINE Veggie Tales DVDs for our family, to replace any Sesame Street exposure my kids would have gotten.

I cannot believe the generosity of this man, nor can I believe that Susan was so affected by our story that she shared it with him. I know that Operation Christmas Child has now partnered with Big Idea to do a project for Christmas and it's really exciting to hear about their work. But here we are, just making good decisions for our family, and they are rewarding us! How amazing.

Is there a show that surprised you when you sat down to watch it with YOUR kids? Tell us about it.

Sam Update

We got to visit Bass Lake in Blowing Rock with Elijah and his parents a couple days ago. I forgot to take my camera, but Trish got this adorable shot. There weren't any without an apple to Elijah's face, but I guess he was really hungry.

Sam is doing amazingly well. We're down to one wake up during the night, but that one usually lasts about a half hour or more. I can't figure out how to fix the problem - whatever it is. I think, in the end, he's just been traumatized from his hospital stay and wakes up in fear for his life. It's very difficult to soothe him.

Nighttime experiences aside, he is physically doing amazingly well. He gets tired very easily, but is able to regulate himself. Today he sat at the dinner table by himself for almost one hour. I had gone out grocery shopping with Carolina and when I came back, Sam was still there. Bill said every time he asked Sam if he wanted to get down he said no. He only had a sippy cup in front of him, as he had finished his snack in about ten minutes. I know he was tired, despite no activity today. So, I put a coloring book and some markers in front of him and he set off to coloring (and gluing). After another 15 minutes or so, he was ready to get up. The entire time, he was just talking to himself and having a grand ol' time.

Carolina is doing well too. She's communicating like crazy, but mostly with her hand signs. I need to teach her more, because she often just goes through all of them if she doesn't get what she wants the first time. She's very attached to us too. If I leave the room, she either cries or watches me from a distance. When she sees Bill, she often says, "Daddy!" and runs to him for a big hug. She loves jumping and rolling and any other kind of tumbling activity. She's very obedient, but really pushes to find out what she's not allowed to do. I think that comes from lack of experience in a lot of ways. But, if I say to put the remote control down, she puts it down without complaint.

She and Sam are playing well together these days. She's catching up in a lot of her development too. I think she's quite bright (if I do say so myself) and as she experiences new things she will absorb them like a sponge.

Sam is working on memorizing Psalm 23 for his birthday. He's got the first couple of verses down pat, but we have a few more to do. Last year he did John 3:16 on his birthday. I'm hoping each year I can get him (and Carolina, eventually) to memorize longer and longer verses. They're not for him to recite in front of everyone (unless he wants to), but for him to recite to our family on his birthday. I think it is a great tradition for us to have. I'm looking forward to the day he can pick out his own Scripture to memorize.

Hope you have a happy Labor Day!!

Family Photos

Life at our house has been so much better since Daddy came home and since we've come home from the hospital. I think I've mentioned this before, but in the interest of being redundant...we are definitely whole now. Carolina is eating a little better, she's definitely sleeping better and Sam has healed in an amazing way.


Carolina is still a tiny little bird, but she can wear so many different sizes. She's worn 2T, but in the above picture is wearing 3-6 month coveralls (that belonged to Sam).



Sam can wear size 2T, but the shirts are always a little short, while the pants aren't long enough but always fall off his waist. He's a tall skinny man, like his daddy before him. Here he is watching Bill come home.


Carolina is a ball of fun. She is constantly making me laugh so hard my side hurts. Usually it's because of something very clumsy that she's done, which doesn't earn me the mother-of-the-year award, but at least we're all having a good time.


And here are my loved ones together. Carolina with the perpetually perfect tan, Sam with skin so pale he reflects any light (like his mommy) and Daddy with the perfect smile.

Just wanted to say I love my family.

By the way, I finished reading Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers and just want to recommend to everyone. It is an amazing tale of love and not at all the kind of book that a person breezes through. I cried when I read the last line because it was absolutely perfect and for no other reason. I haven't been so impressed by a book in a long time - definitely one of my top five favorites. See if your local library has a copy and read it today!

Clean House

We have been through so much in the last month, my house has been clearly neglected. I was a part of MOPS last year and won a door prize of one free hour with two people cleaning my house from The White Glove.

Well, the two women just left and it only took them one hour to clean my home from top to bottom. Granted, we don't live like pigs, but there were still a lot of details I just haven't been able to get to. I am so grateful that I didn't have to spend a penny on it and so grateful I didn't have to do it myself. My house hasn't been in this good of shape for a loooong time.

My parents said they would pay for any additional time, but we didn't need it.

On the kid-front, we had a great playdate this morning with Sam's best friend, Trathan, at his house. Seeing the two boys together is so amazing in my eyes. They really act like brothers in a lot of ways - they love each other, that much is evident, but they fight some too. I was watching them play with cars together and saw that Sam had two and Trathan had two and when Sam would take Trathan's he was okay and when Trathan would take Sam's he was okay. Brotherly love is amazing to see in a tangible form right in front of me. We are so blessed for Trathan and his family and the love they show us. Trathan even asked if he could "see Sam's surgeries" when we first got there, and Sam was more than happy to oblige.

Carolina has been fever-free for a while now and seems to be on-the-mend. She's a real cutie pie these days. I think my love for her exploded when she started sleeping through the night. Still, it's all-consuming and I can't stand to be away from her.

So, with a clean house, I am going to continue reading the book Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers and enjoy some quiet time.

Surgery Pics

Lately, Sam's been saying things like, "help me up in my chair, I don't want to bust my surgeries." Or, "I need to be careful with my surgeries."

I know everyone wants to see what Sam's "surgeries" look like.


I finally got the adhesive off a couple nights ago - that big rectangular dark mark around the incision.
You can see just under his left arm the largest and most offensive incision. I say "offensive" because it is the most painful and most difficult to heal from. Just under it is the stitch for the chest tube. He had the stitch out Friday morning and took it like a champ, even saying that it was "ticklish" as it came out.

And, here is my little monkey, who has been running a 102.9F fever for two days straight. We think she's got a virus and she's handling it well, however it could be teething. But, our biggest worry, apart from her, is that Sam will catch it. Please pray with us that Sam will be spared this bug. With his heart having recently gone through so much, it's likely that he will have an arrhythmia if he has a fever.

China Doll

Seriously, could she be any cuter?

Carolina's Antics

My little girl is going to need for me to hire a full-time EMT to follow her around. She has performed some amazing acrobatic-style feats in the last few weeks. The more confident she feels, the more amazing and daredevil things she does.

Two days ago she was coming down the stairs and apparently hit the second step too hard and pitched forward. She landed on the crown of her head and fell backwards to her back. When Bill tried to console her (she wasn't actually crying), she was more irritated with him than with her amazing fall.

Yesterday, I was in the living room when I saw her fly, Superman-style, head-first into the screen door. She was about six inches of the ground and parallel to the porch as she did it. I keep the screen door open so the kiddos can come in an out as they please, and she landed head-first into the open door, her outstretched arm went just under it. I couldn't believe what I had just seen, so I ran over to her to hug her and "console" her (again, she wasn't crying) and she was (again) more irritated with me for stopping her from doing whatever it was she wanted to do.

This is what I found this morning when I went to get her out of her pack-n-play.

She's definitely a little gymnast. I have already decided to start her in tumbling classes as soon as I can. I need someone to teach her how to properly handle her little body without hurting it.
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Sam, on the other hand, is still very cautious. Although he is running around like he didn't just have major surgery last week, he is still very careful with what he does. He told me this morning that he needed help getting into his booster seat because "I just had surgeries, Mama." He is still having a lot of pain when everything settles down at night, but last night was our best yet. He's stopped eating though - and will only eat berries or maybe goldfish. I'm going to speak with his pedi about this on Friday when we get his stitch out.

We might even try to escape the house today. It's supposed to be a beautiful day and I am itching to get out. I know they are too. I'll take my camera.

Wow

Wow, this video amazed me. I know it really opens up the possibilities for Sam when he grows up - he can really do anything he wants. And, for the record, that is EXACTLY what it looks like when Sam gets shocked. Everyone always asks...

Two Years Ago Yesterday

Yesterday was the two year anniversary of our first knowledge of Sam's condition Brugada Syndrome.

I posted about our story over the course of several days last year. You can revisit it here, here, here and here. It can be a bit difficult to read at times, because it was difficult to live through, but if you're new here, you might want to settle in with a cup of coffee and learn more about this dangerous heart condition. It could save someone you love's life one day.

11 month-old Sam in a wagon at UNC Hospital

Now here we are two years later and Sam's had an even more major surgery, with even more painful incisions. The difference is that now he has a little sister and I wasn't sick this time (praise God!). Also, we live in a different town. But, one of the similarities is that we are still contemplating what we should do for our future. We took a two year leave of absence from our previous position and the time is closing quickly when we will have to make a final decision. We were hoping this surgery would tell us more of what we needed to know.

This morning, Sam saw his pediatrician. Everything looks great. Sam's lung sounded clear and his incisions both look wonderful. I also got permission to skip the ophthalmologist appointment Carolina was supposed to have this week (which we have to pay 80% of) and just see the pediatrician on Friday when Sam gets his stitch taken out. Her doctor will check out her eye (in a very detailed way) again on Friday and we all get to skip going back to yet another doctor this week.

This is especially important because the H1N1 flu bug is going through our town. I cannot tell you how packed the parking lot was today and how many teenagers I saw with masks on at the pedi's office. They rushed us right back, skipped the co-pay (they'll bill me later) and one of our church members who works there came back to help me with the kiddos the whole time. Sam wore a mask and they gave us several more to come back with in the future.

I love small town life.

The bad news on Sam is that he's still in a great deal of discomfort over night. I awoke this morning at 1:30 with him standing by my bed screaming. I don't know how he got out of his twin bed without hurting himself more, but he was in an extreme amount of pain by the time he got to me. He told me he didn't call for me at all, he just got out of bed. Then he woke up again at 4:30 screaming out in pain. This time we pulled out the big guns and gave him his narcotic. He slept peacefully until 9am. So did Carolina, actually. I think she just needed an excuse to sleep in - she's totally beat just like the rest of us.

Sam seems fine with just Tylenol throughout the day. At night, especially after an active day, he gets a bit stiff and uncomfortable. I think we'll continue the narcotic when he wakes up in pain throughout the nights this week, but it should be less and less that we give it to him.

So, we're officially quarantined again, but this time Daddy is home so it's not so bad. Keep praying for Sam!

Sunday Evening

We made it home yesterday without event. It was a difficult ride for Sam during some portions, but for the most part he did great.

When we got home last night, there was a huge bin of groceries and hot dinner waiting on our front porch. It sure was a nice welcome home. My friend Casey and her family are really taking care of us. Even today my friend Lauren did a bit more grocery shopping for us. There's just something about being home...

I noticed that Sam has some bed sores on his back when I went to bathe him last night.

For the record, Sam has three incisions - one straight down his chest, one starting on his shoulder blade in back and going under his armpit toward his chest and the third is the chest tube that was for draining (under the armpit one). He noticed the huge stitch in that one tonight and asked what it was, but the other two are glued shut on the outside.

I can't remember exactly what I wrote before about his procedure, but I wanted to clarify a bit on the subject since there has been some question. Skip down below the italics if you're already on board with what happened.

Sam had a defibrillator implanted when he was almost 11 months old. One of the wires connected to his heart was not reading correctly, and the number kept going down (they implanted it at a 7 and it went down to a 1.8). His doctor wanted to reposition it, hence this surgery.

What we didn't know was that Sam's doctor didn't actually want to "reposition" it, but instead wanted to add a new one and leave the old one where it was. If he actually removed the old one, he'd have had to crack his breast plate and it would have been very difficult for Sam. Instead of removing it, the surgeon just cut the wire and capped it off.

In the meantime, the surgeon put in a new lead on Sam's left ventricle, hence the under-the-armpit incision. The surgeon tried for over an hour to find a good number and kept coming up with fives or sixes even after sewing it onto Sam's poor heart, which aren't great numbers. Then, all of the sudden, he landed on a 22. I have no idea what the unit of measurement is, but I know a 22 is a great high number. He sewed it on and it stayed at low 20's and upper teens.

Then Sam's surgeon had to make an incision down his chest and belly again to actually remove the defibrillator in order to unplug the old wire and plug in the new one. He had to make the incision a lot longer than he intended because it was such a tight fit. His surgeon said Sam's body had really embraced the defibrillator over the last two years. He said, "Getting it out was tight and getting it back in was even tighter."

So...any questions? Feel free to ask.

The VTAC episodes Sam had were probably a result of high fever, electrolyte imbalance and irritation of his heart. He will always struggle with arrhythmia's and high fevers as is typical of Brugada patients.

We heard that last week here in our county there were 31 cases of the H1N1 flu. As a result, Sam's cardiologist has suggested we not do anything public for several weeks - no church, no playground, no library...nothing. When we go to the pediatrician's office, we need to put masks on the kiddos.

We have an appointment in the morning. I will write more as I know more.

Thanks for your continued prayers and support. A special thanks to Doug and Nina who spent the night with me in the hospital that crazy VTAC and convulsion night. And to Shannon for always being willing to post here. And to my brother and his wife for surrounding us with love and providing meals from folks we have never even met.

Hopefully we'll have good news tomorrow about Sam's lung and his swollen incision.

Going Home

Shannon one last time...

As I talked to Teesa just a minute ago, they were in the car headed back home. Everyone is ready to get back, and the doctors felt confident releasing Sam.

No word yet on how the chest x-ray looked this morning, and Sam has been in a good deal of pain today, but they gave him some oxycodeine.

Please continue to pray for quick healing and recovery, for protection from any illnesses, and for this family to get some good rest in their own beds!!

Praise God for His goodness and blessings!

Friday Evening

I realize everybody has been itching to see pictures, so I'll start with some that I haven't uploaded yet that were taken on the day of surgery.

Here is Sam just before the surgery. He seemed pretty

happy for the most part, but occasionally would ask to just go home.

This is in the PICU

Also in the PICU

On to more happy photos...taken today.

After dinner tonight, Sam was rewarded with a cupcake

We were reunited with our favorite nurse from two years ago tonight. Holly is from Mainland China. Sam spoke his first Chinese word with her two years ago. She is thrilled to be back with Sam and keeps doting over how brilliant he is. She is the one and only nurse he has actually spoken to this week. Every other time a nurse has tried to ask him questions or engage him, he turns his head the opposite direction and won't speak or make eye contact. With Holly Sam counts to ten in Chinese, reads his letters, answers her questions and takes his medicine without complaint. What a blessing.

When he woke up from his nap today, Sam was in an extreme amount of pain. It took narcotics to help him feel better. After dinner tonight, he was begging to go for a wagon ride. We rode him down to the interactive computer game on the floor and he put puzzles together with it. I was blown away by how fast he caught on. It took him about 20 steps before he started walking more comfortably. At first he was slow and unsure. He was still walking gingerly towards the end, but with more speed and grace.

We looked at his thorocotomy incision tonight and it's still a bit swollen. I'll be interested to hear what the doc says tomorrow.

Maybe we'll go home tomorrow, depending on everything. We are trying to determine whether or not we should just stay here one more night even if we're discharged tomorrow. I am not looking forward to a three hour drive of Sam in a car seat with restraints pushing on his incision. Maybe one more day might help the healing process a bit more.

Oh, and he's still refusing to use a diaper, but is routinely going potty in a little portable urinal and even used a portable toilet (adult size!) earlier to have his first bowel movement (sorry for TMI, but it's a BIG achievement!). It was quite funny because Bill held him on the potty (since he kept falling in) the whole time and ended up getting sprayed a bit. The fun never ends over here!

Friday Afternoon

Sam's thorocotomy incision is a little bit swollen. We are going to have to keep an eye on it and the surgeon will come back by in the morning to check. As long as it's not red and oozing, we should be okay. But, his temperature was creeping up about an hour ago...so we need to take special care to make sure he doesn't have an infection OR fever. I've asked them to check his temp every hour now, instead of every four hours, just to keep on top of it.

He is off the narcotics now and only on Tylenol. This seems to be working for him so far, but if he needs the narcotics, they are available to him. We'll see how sore he is from playing so hard earlier. He is currently passed out from the weariness of playing.

His lung still has some congestion in it, which is normal from spending so much time in bed on his back. They will check via X-ray again tomorrow morning to make sure it's not still collapsed (even partially) and that there's no fluid on it. They gave him some Lasix last night to try and get him to pee off some of that fluid.

He seems in good spirits and is talking a lot and even laughing some.

Carolina is much happier today, since she's not being neglected anymore. She's very happy to be in the Ergo Baby carrier while we're walking around or just hanging around the room. But, she had her second night terror today during nap time (since being here). It had been almost three weeks since she had one, so obviously she's under a lot of stress. A night terror is very scary for everyone who is involved - she doesn't open her eyes and just screams with a rigid body. Today and a couple days ago she kept reaching out for something behind me. We are inclined to believe she's having night terrors about being taken away from me, since that's exactly the scenario that has been happening over the last four days.

I believe it will take a few weeks for our whole family to detox from this experience, but I'm sure time will heal all wounds. We have felt the Lord with us and comforting us in our darkest hours here. Thank you so much for your continued prayers and love for our family. I know there have been a lot of behind-the-scenes praying and other helps going on - so thank you to all of you.

We are blessed to be prayed for, blessed to be given such a cloud of witnesses and blessed to be in this position to testify that our God is greater than anything.

Sam wanted me to read this to him the night he was shocked, and I think this is highly appropriate. You've heard it before - you know the words...

Isaiah 43:1-8

But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob, and formed you, O Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name: you are mine.

When you pass through the water, I will be with you; in the rivers you shall not drown. When you walk through fire, you shall not be burned; the flames shall not consume you.

For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in return for you. Because you are precious in my eyes and glorious, and because I love you, I give men in return for you and peoples in exchange for your life. Fear not, for I am with you; from the east I will bring back your descendants, from the west I will gather you. I will say to the north: Give them up! and to the south: Hold not back! Bring back my sons from afar, and my daughters from the ends of the earth: Everyone who is named as mine, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made. Lead out the people who are blind though they have eyes, who are deaf though they have ears.

Photos

Yesterday - Sam twirls his hair (like Mommy does) when he needs comfort

Taking a wagon ride to get an X-ray

On the way to get an X-ray

In the atrium playroom - working on standing up

He figured out he could walk and was very happy about it

Of course, we found the train tracks

You ought to take note of the pajamas Sam is wearing. Mrs. King, our neighbor and dear friend, made them for Sam. One pair of Thomas PJs and one pair of construction PJs. We had to verbally wrestle him to take off the Thomas ones today, which have been soaked through with sweat. He's very happy with the construction ones, but wants to keep them buttoned at all times. He was very resistant to going to the playroom, but once we got there and he figured out he could walk, it was all we could do to slow him down. He even walked up a big ramped area and slid down a slide, against my wishes. I had to get Bill to help me because Sam was refusing to obey me and just kept walking despite my saying no. He finally said, "just one slide down."

No doubt your prayers have helped him.

Just a few minutes ago - with a foul ball from the Durham Bulls game last night.

Miss Carolina appreciated the playroom too

(note the double chin)