Fun in the SNOW

Several days ago we had a very small snowfall which the kids enjoyed to the max. We live on a hill and even though there was maybe only 2 inches of snow outside the kids found their sleds and our driveway became a wonderful sledding mountain.
I was able to capture several pictures of the fun.

On another note, I contacted the school district today just to make sure that S's China paperwork would be sufficient for her kindergarten registration in two weeks and to my surprise...NO, it wouldn't. I either need a U.S. birth certificate or U.S. passport and of course, I have neither. We did not readopt S on U.S. soil, as we did not think it was absolutely necessary.
Now we need to attempt to get a passport for her....ASAP. Great..but it is what it is.

Until the next time,
J

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, E!

We finally were able to make it out for E's birthday dinner on Saturday night. After a couple of weeks of postponing, the flu seems to have made its way out of our house for the time being and we all got out to dinner. I told E that we would take him to any restaurant that he wanted to go..it was his choice. (of course I gave him a few choices that mommy liked) but for some reason he had his heart set on APPLEBEES so that is where we went. It actually wasn't that bad, the service was decent and for once the food was okay. The boys ate almost everything on their plates. Afterwards we headed back to our house for some cake and a bit of WII. I was pleased that everyone had a good time and most of all that E was happy.

On another note, I spent many days the past week on a hunt for snow pants. Who knew how difficult it would be to find them in the middle of winter????( I saw bathing suits and summer clothes though...) I looked online and shopped at 3 or 4 stores before finding several at Dick's Sporting Goods on clearance...
I am planning on taking the kids snow tubing next weekend....(Looking forward to that.)..and we all needed some snow gear to help keep warm and dry.

On a final note, this is the anniversary week of my Katie's death. It will be 4 years since I last held my baby in my arms. Please remember her this week and warn others of the dangers of unsecured furniture.

Until the next time,
J

LAST WEEK IN REVIEW

It all started last Saturday morning when E awakened not feeling too well with a sore throat and fever. He quietly lay around the house that day not really eating, not wanting to do much of anything. We had his birthday dinner planned for that evening with several of his friends that I needed to postpone for the next Saturday. E felt a bit better on Sunday and on Monday I let him go to school as he hadn't had a fever for 24 hours....( I follow the 24 hour rule). By Tuesday morning the poor boy was so sick, feverish, achy ( is that spelled correctly), and feeling just plain crummy. From that Tuesday morning until yesterday morning, he had a temperature usually above 101 and had even spiked to 104.6 at one point. I felt so bad for him. The doctors thought he was brewing a sinus infection on Tuesday, little did they know...when I called again a day or two later, I was told..."well, it could be the flu."
Poor E was the only person in our house that did not receive the flu shot this year. At the time we had taken the kids for their appt, he had a fever and they wouldn't give it to him. The next time,,,,we were told they had run out! What? Who is running out of the flu shot this year???
ON Friday I got a call from the pediatrician's office saying that they received more flu shots in and would we like to bring E in???? I laughed sarcastically and gently told the (incompetent) flu shot orderers, that it would do little good now as he is strickened with what we believe to be the FLU!
His 2nd birthday dinner has been postponed again until next Saturday provided everyone is healthy. I've notified the parents again and this time we are all keeping our fingers crossed that we can eventually celebrate E's double digit birthday with his friends next week.

ON another note, I spent my first week home from work ( going stir crazy). ON Tuesday afternoon when Big B went to pick up E's prescription at the pharmacy we so luckily found out that our health insurance had been dropped! WHAT! As of January 6th, someone dropped us...The employment agency that I was working through informed me that it was United Healthcare's fault and of course UH informed us that it was the agency's fault. On that day, Big B had fasted all day and was about to begin the "so looked forward to" prep for his test that was scheduled the following day. Needless to say I was livid. The test had to be cancelled until the mess was cleared up...I spent a sleepless night wondering and praying that nothing huge would happen to anyone in my family while we were "insurance less."
I have been told that it was a big mix up...still don't know whose fault it was and I do not really care as long as we are all covered.

I was offered a part-time position to go back to the company with which I had just resigned... They want to know what hours I would like to work and when I can start....(UGH) about that one. Not sure that I want to do this....I've only been home for one week and I still haven't had a chance to work on http://katieeliselambert.org/ (The Katie Elise Lambert Foundation). However, it does make me feel kind of good that I was liked and the job would like to have me back.

Big B did come home early on Friday so I could meet a friend for lunch with S. My friend, A, is excitedly preparing for her family's journey to China to meet her youngest daughter. Her daughter is about 16 months old, incredibly cute and is waiting for her forever family to come take her home. They will be travelling in about 3 weeks and if okay with my friend, I will post updates as they make their journey of a lifetime half way around the world.

The pictures are from the one day that E felt good enough to eat his cake (the big cake that we had ordered and still had to buy even though his party was posponed).









Until the next time,
J

My MOM

My mom is a wonderful woman who dedicated the majority of her life to the raising of her 8 children. My dad worked in the real estate industry, therefore working most nights and every weekend. He would leave by 8:30 in the AM, be back to have dinner waiting for him on the table then head back to the office until 9PM. My mom stayed at home and did her best trying to teach us to become the best possible people that we could be.
My dad passed away in July 2001, 17 days before my beautiful Katie was born. Her birth helped soften the pain and hurt of his death.
My mom then spent much of the next few years occupying herself with my 3 little children by spending much time at my house keeping busy. After the unexpected death of Katie something changed though. We began to notice little things....forgetting this, forgetting that...maybe it was depression?
As time crept by the memory lapses grew worse. One doctor attributed the forgetfulness to age-related factors and brushed it off.
My mom has Alzheimer's. It is a difficult, devastating and will eventually become a debilitating disease..and there is nothing anyone can do about it. As a nurse who worked in geriatrics, dementia and Alzheimer's are common items seen quite frequently in a patent's medical history. We learn that patients diagnosed with these illnesses are poor historians, will have difficulty following simple instructions and will need frequent verbal cues for their ADLs.
My mom has no short-term memory left. Her conversations consist of repetition and constant questioning. It is devastating for not only those who surround her but to her as well. She realizes her memory is failing and wants desperately to cure her lapses. There is no cure. Sure there are medications which claim to help ease the symptoms of the disease, but for her, they have not worked.
As my mom's memory of her life continues it's vicious disappearing act, the memory of who my mom once was will remain forever strong in the depths of my heart.
I posted several pictures taken of my mom from the holidays at her house. Included in the pictures is my nephew M, Little b, S and me.

J

One Chapter Ends, a New One Begins

As I left my "new" job on Friday, bittersweet thoughts filled my mind. Even though a very short chapter of my life has ended I am left with memories and thoughts that I would never have imagined I could or would ever have. The work, well, that was okay. Doing Medicare referrals was something completely different from every other nursing job that I had held. It was my first office position, with a desk, a copier and even a water cooler. Quite different from the dog-eat-dog world of floor nursing, insulin injections and the basic hospital environment. Pretty cool it was.

But what I will miss the most, is the wonderful people that I had met along the way. Some pretty good friends were made along the way, one or two ...very, very special ones. So, as I walked out of the building, to my car, I wasn't filled with child-like excitement of someone who was about to "not have to go back to work Monday," but instead with bittersweet feelings of missing those who have grown so special and a new chapter of my life about to begin. As I end this part of my "today's" post, please remember that we do not always choose the people who will enter our lives and most times, they will enter spontaneously, without us knowing the reasons for their purpose at the time. Value each friendship that God gives you the chance to nurture, and value the time spent together, whether laughing, griping or sharing stories of your kids. Don't question the "whys" but just sit back and enjoy.

And now that I have probably confused most of my 4 readers....
Until the next time,
J