From hear on out...

So I was told today should be my toughest day, yet, and I think they were right. The pain is hard to describe, as it is not like I expected it to be, but intstead is muscle spasms that almost take your breath away, meaning they are unreleaved by pain medication. Now I am taking a muscle relaxor as well, but these spasms are also causing me to have nerve pain running down my back and shoulder, which they are trying an anti-seizure drug to relieve this pain, so we shall see! Despite these past few difficult days, I am still thankful I opted for this surgical option, and am so thankful to have had no surgical complications thus far. I have received so many kind cards, and have had wonderful meals brought to our home every day by some friend or family member. We are absolutely overwhelmed with your kindness and generosity that has allowed me to focus on healing, and taken much of the cooking burden off of Chris, which I know he is so thankful for! I will update more tomorrow, but for this evening I am heading off to bed, and thanking God for his faithfulness and blessings in out lives.Here's to hoping tomorrow brings me one day closer to complete healing, and here is a glimpse of the beautiful cards I get to enjoy from my friends and from Emilia's class mates at school! It is impossible for them to not bring a smile to your face! 

Help relieve the pain

So today was another tough day.  Elizabeth is still dealing with a lot of pain and the doctor didn't offer any other ways to help relieve the pain.  She was only prescribed about 4 days worth of pain medicine.  So, Elizabeth has not been taking as much as prescribed and spreading them out a bit farther so that she will have some sort of pain medication for more than the four days prescribed. She doesn't want to take it all these first few days and not have anything for any pain relief later. This was one of the main concerns that she shared with the doctor before the surgery in hopes of being able to get back to clinicals late next week. She wanted to make sure that the pain would be under control in the beginning so that she could rest and hopefully heal quickly.  I just can't figure out why a doctor would only prescribe four days of medication after a serious surgery while another doctor would prescribe a whole month worth of medication when we were under the impression that the bulging discs were causing the problems. So please continue to pray that God will help relieve the pain and let her rest and heal quickly and completely.  Thank you so much to everyone that has called and brought dinners by. 

Chris

Finally Home

Elizabeth finally got home around 1 pm today, however she is battling some major pain after the surgery.  She woke up in the middle of the night in extreme pain and it took them a little while to get it back under control and she was able to get a few hours of pretty good sleep.  She was also supposed to have a pain management consultant this morning to try some different combinations of medicines, but they did not show up by the time she was discharged.  So, we are now still waiting for the Dr. to call back and see if we can try something different to control the pain.  Please continue to pray that the pain will be relieved and that she can rest comfortably.  Thanks again for your prayers and thoughts in helping Elizabeth get through this.

Chris

Another Update

Well, we finally got a room around 3 pm and she is now resting for a bit.  And of course, she got to eat some of her favorite food.....Chipotle.  She has also decided to stay the night tonight to make sure that her pain will stay under control and managed.  So the plan is for her to get discharged tomorrow morning after breakfast.  She has also been up and around a few times this afternoon and has been doing pretty good for having surgery this morning. 

For everyone that would like to know...Emilia did a fantastic job today being at the hospital since 6 am (up at 5:20) and with no nap.  She and Hudson had a good time and had fun walking to the gift shop and buying a "Get Well Soon" bear.  God has blessed me with two wonderful girls in my life.  Thank you again!!

Chris

Update for Elizabeth

Great update for Elizabeth's surgery.  She is finished with surgery and everything went very well.  She is in recovery right now and is responding to commands, but is still very sleepy.  The surgeon removed two small pieces of the disc fragment that was compressing the nerve. He said that once they were removed the small pieces, the nerve returned back to where it is supposed to be....I just got back from visiting her and she is awake and talking.  She is in quite a bit of pain, but the nurses are working to reduce it.  I will update again later, but the great news is that the surgery was a success and everything is still intact, so no fusions.  Thank you again for everyone's prayers and support through all of this.  I just want to thank God for watching over Elizabeth through this and helping calm and comfort her heart during this.  He is an amazing God!

Chris

all my bags are packed...

So tomorrow is the big day, and I find myself getting calmer and less nervous as I get closer to the time of surgery, and I am so thankful to God for that. I had an absolutely wonderful weekend with Chris and Emilia, complete with a trip to kaleidoscope and topped off with a caramel and M&M apple… can it get much better than that? Then today we went to church and listened to an excellent sermon and lesson in class, and had a great time with friends this evening.  It was a great weekend, and I am so grateful for all the kind words and prayers. I know God will be watching over me tomorrow, and guiding the hands of those caring for me. I am hoping to come home tomorrow evening, but realistically I will be staying overnight and coming home Tuesday. Chris will be updating the blog when I get out of surgery safely, and when I come home.

change of plans

Prior to yesterday, I had scheduled surgery April 7^th with Dr. B at St Jo. Fear got the best of me Thursday night and I began searching for neurosurgeon lawsuits (which are public records), and came across a public case for a patient with the last name Jenkins that was paralyzed by a local neurosurgeon at St Jo. I will admit this paralysis was not caused by Dr. B, but it still freaked me out a bit, rightly so, right? Anyways, after reading this I was glad I had agreed to my mom’s request that I get a 2^nd opinion. So I met with another neurosurgeon that operates and teaches at KU. My mom knows him and his office manager, and when she called and explained my situation/diagnosis, they offered to get me in the next day, which was yesterday. Yesterday’s appointment was much different from my 1^st neurosurgeons appointment. If you recall the 1^st neurosurgeon I met with, Dr. B. actually told me to go home and reread my MRI report, that it was obvious that I had a disc fragment causing my issues, and he actually made me cry, which is pretty hard to do! You may be asking why I would go ahead and schedule my surgery with him? Working in the medical field, I have a theory that bedside manners should be a mandatory class for physicians, because they spend so much time in school that some social skills are lost, but this does not make them incompetent in the operating room, just hard to talk to. Luckily, the 2^nd neurosurgeon, Dr. H., being a teacher himself, had a much better personality, and actually spent 2 hours with Chris and I, going over my test results.  After him walking us step by step through my CT, it was obvious there was a disc fragment causing my issues, and he explained it is something you know looking backward- once you operate. He said every patient that has this CT scan findings, he will go in and find the same thing, which is why it is obvious to a neurosurgeon, not a radiologist, who writes the CT report. So he said the 1^st neurosurgeon was right in his diagnosis, but wrong in the fact that the report did not diagnose this issue, it was something he knew by looking at the CT. He also said the 1^st neurosurgeon was very good, but he would also be happy to do the surgery, but this is where it gets more interesting. He offered me surgical options, where as Dr. B did not- sold! There are 2 options, and I will explain them. Option 1 (which is what Dr. B. wanted to do): an incision is made in the front of your neck on the opposite side of the issue, and they enter at a diagonal angle, push your “voice box” out of the way, and go for the bad disc. You will have the bad discs removed, and your vertebra fused using “donor” bone or a metal plate. Pros: higher reimbursement for the surgeon (seriously?!)and less pain for the patient because you don’t go through any major muscles… sounds good, right? Cons: loss of some mobility because your discs are fused, risk of complications from moving your “voice box,” which can range from permanent hoarseness to loss of the ability to talk, difficulty swallowing, which can be temporary or permanent, and I should mention that they do go right next to your carotid artery, which is a risk as well, oh, and no pregnancy for awhile, because your bones must heal first. Option 2: the “old school” approach, the surgeon will enter through the posterior (back), cut through a ligament, and pull the muscle away from bone to enter, remove the broken off piece of disc, and sew you up. Pros: you eliminate all the voice/swallowing/carotid artery risks, and they don’t fuse discs, or remove bulging discs that are not causing me issues, and pregnancy is not an issue, just as soon as your neck is healed.  Cons: lower reimbursement for the surgeon (which is why many don’t offer it), and the pain and recovery is more significant because the muscles are pulled away from the bone and must heal. Risk of paralysis is equal for both surgeries. Dr B. had also wanted to fix all my bulging discs, that are not causing me problems and have probably been there for awhile, but this would leave me with a multilevel fusion (AKA loss of more mobility). So Dr. H let me choose… drum roll, please! I will be going with the 2^nd option, and here’s why…. I fear complications, not pain; I don’t want my vertebral discs fused, because you are setting yourself up for osteoarthritis when you do this at 30 years of age; and I don’t want a scar on my neck… haha! Ok I am actually joking about the last one, because they hide it in neck creases, so you don’t really have one!  And I will be having it done Monday morning, instead of waiting. It just so happened that while I was there for an appointment, they had to move his 1^st surgery on Monday to the next week, because the patient is sick, and anesthesia won’t allow a sick patient to be put under, so he offered me the spot, and I agreed, but with a contingency- he would be the only one operating. Weird request? Nope, KU is a teaching hospital, and he is a teacher! He agreed, as long as I would agree to let the resident watch, since this procedure is not as common anymore, and I said they could watch, just not touch!  He said my loss of arm function was impressive (which I think is a weird way to refer to it!), and he thinks the sooner we do it, the better outcome I will have.  For once, I am glad I listened to my mom (yes, I am putting this on record), because I feel so much more comfortable with this procedure and surgeon, which I think will lead to a better outcome. I am a bit nervous about the pain and recovery, because I will be trying to return to clinicals 10 days after surgery, which means no pain meds while at work, but I am just hoping my body recovers quickly.  Oh, and I will be graduating with my class on time in May, and will finish clinicals the week after graduation. Yea!

bummed

So today I find myself bummed… while there are many other words I could use, such as angry, sad and scared, I think that bummed is a good summary. I have officially scheduled my spinal surgery- April 7^th. I am trying to accept that I am not improving and that I am risking loosing my muscle function by avoiding surgery, but this is easier said than done. I have worked so hard the past 3 years to complete graduate school, while balancing home, school and work, and here I am 6 weeks before graduation faced with a choice to make… graduate and possibly not regain my left arm strength or have surgery and delay graduation.  Not to mention the risks associated with spinal surgery or anesthesia. It’s weird, because I have had 3 surgeries prior to now, and had no problem with recovery or anesthesia, but these were all prior to having Emilia. The thought of something happening to me that allows me unable to care for her just scares me senseless and frankly makes me cry. When a baby is going to be born premature, the mother gets a “NICU consult.” This is where the neonatal nurse practitioner goes in and basically tells the mom what to expect with her baby- everything that could possibly go right or wrong. This week I did my first consult. The mom came in with extremely elevated blood pressure and was going to have an emergency c-section, and I went in to talk to her prior to delivery. She was teary and I could see she was scared, but I reassured her that her baby should do well and that babies are born frequently at this gestation and do well, but I could see how fearful she was. Her baby’s delivery was routine to me, and I was right, he was fine, but today as I went to my appointment and spoke with my doctor, and he gave me the same “routine” speech, I could relate to the fear I saw in her face. Lucky for my doctor, I deal with my fear with dry sarcasm, and I actually told him I may be willing to sacrifice my left arm function permanently to avoid surgery, but the truth was, I was only partly joking. It’s not so bad being weak in the left arm, and if I did not want to have more children, I would not have surgery, but the truth is I could not pick up a child right now if my life depended on it. I can do my job, and function at home with the help of Chris, but I could not lift a little one at all. Emilia is old enough I don’t have to carry her, but I want more children… many more, and I need to be able to hold and carry them, so I feel as if I have no choice, unless Chris and I give up our dream of a large family. It’s a difficult decision either way. So surgery is in 2 weeks, but I will be exhausting all options until then and am scheduled for my 1^st  decompression therapy with cold laser therapy next week at my chiropractor’s office. I am praying for a miracle from God, to get complete feeling and muscle function back, but regardless of what happens, I do know God’s plan is perfect, and I am learning more than ever to rely on Him, and maybe that is just what His plan is for me.

I've got friends!

I have to admit that I have never been one to have an over abundance of  close friends... just a few, but I have to say these few have been my lifesaver and my support through the past few years in grad school and the challenges that life has thrown us along the way. I am not sure why I thought this circumstance would be any different, but I have had so many nice surprises over the past few week... I have has several families from church bring meals, which was a huge blessing, and then I had other friends offer to visit and bring their kiddos for company for Emilia and I when I was supposed to stay "down." I am no good at staying down, but the company was so appreciated. My friend, Audrey and her daughter, Emily, made the above pictured treats for us, and Emilia has the chocolate leftover on her cheeks!

         

Her friends, Lilly, Bently and Joshua, have given me an assortment of sweet cards, and these have brought such happiness to my heart!

cracker jack box degrees?

So I am questioning the education of either one or many doctors after Tueday's visit to the neurosurgeon. I thought I was just going as a "formality," since I have improved so much after my 1st steroid injection, I would not be thinking surgery was an any-time-soon-option. I had gone for follow up with my spine dr Monday, and received a 2nd spinal injection then, and he recommended "touching base" with a neurosurgeon. So I show up to the appointment Tuesday, and the neurosurgeon walked in and basically told me I had no other option but surgery for my ruptured vertebral disc at C7, and I was risking permanent nerve damage by not having this done. ??? This was the first I had heard of a ruptured disc, because I was told we would not do steroid injections if this was the case... SO, I asked him why he thought my disc was ruptured, and he told me he read it plainly in the report, and I think he got his chickens mixed up because my report in fact referred to my discs as intact, but he told me to reread the report... as if literacy was the issue? I didn't have time to argue, as I had in fact left my 1st day back to clinicals for this appointment, and thought I should probably reschedule with a surgeon who reads the reports before recommending surgery. The funny thing was he just kept explaining that he would "simply" enter through the front of my neck, remove the disc, and permanently fuse my vertebrae, and he does like 2-3 per week...he even explained the rate of success and such, but he could not tell me why you would perform this surgery on somebody without ruptured discs? And 2-3 does not boost my confidence if this is the wrong procedure!  And if my disc is ruptured, then the radiologist and spinal specialist I have been going to are the ones who are wrong, and that's no good either! :) I left my appointment feeling beyond frustrated, and what do you do when your frustrated? Call your mom... that's what I did, and in true mom fashion, she called my family practice physician, who I love, and wanted his opinion on piecing together info since he was the 1st to see me (and I had no time to call because I went back to clinicals), but unfortunately he was out of town til Monday. I have clinicals til Thursday, though, so Friday I will be calling my spinal dr and another neurosurgeon for a 2nd opinion, and we shall see. In the meantime I began a new clinical rotation at Truman Medical Center (I have been at Children's Mercy), and I absolutely LOVE it. I have attended many deliveries, and have just plain loved it. My preceptors have also been really great. That's the good news... the bad news it I have had no improvement since the 2nd injection... my left pointer finger has a small numb spot, and my left shoulder and triceps muscle are still profoundly weak, but I am still counting my blessings!

frustrating progress

So the past two days I have woke up and felt more and more of my hand, and today I can officially feel mostly all my fingers… just not the tip of my pointer finger, but who really needs to feel the tip of their left pointer? Right? I am so grateful that I have already seen progress with the steroid injections, and while my muscles are still overwhelmingly weak, I thought at least being able to feel my hand would raise my spirits... yet I have found today one of my most frustrating days throughout this whole process. Why? It’s easy to not use a hand and arm you can’t feel, but today I could feel it, which makes it frustrating that it just isn’t working right… especially when you try to use it out of habit… I mean we’ve been together for 30 years, and I have found it quite a reliable left hand and arm! My greatest weakness right now is in my upper arm and shoulder muscle, which sounds like no huge deal, until you go to reach across your dishwasher to put away dishes and lean on that arm, and almost face plant right on the countertop… when my hand was numb I never would have done that, but it is hard to REMEMBER that the arm you can now feel still isn’t working. I have had many close calls like this today, and have just been plain frustrated. Then I get frustrated at myself for not being more grateful, and on goes the circle! To top things off, I accidentally left my heating pad I have been sleeping with on high and burnt my shoulder where the cover slipped off… ouch! SO now that I have rattled off my frustrations… things I am thankful for today…

1. I can feel most my arm and hand.
2. I had a wonderful time at lunch with my dad today.
3. Today is the best I have felt yet and least pain I have been in since all of this happened.
4. Emilia did so many sweet things that brought such joy to my heart today, from helping me make the bed to just encouraging me with her kind works. She told me today, “Mama, even if your arm never works again, you will still be the best mama, and if you want to have another baby, I will carry it around so you don’t hurt your shoulder!”
5. I began a new Bible Study today that I am super excited about.
6. It was so nice to see the sun today.

Here's to hoping for a less frustrating day tomorrow!

more testing...

Well, yesterday I received my first steroid spinal injection right in the base of my neck. The procedure went quickly, and while it was uncomfortable, pain has become a somewhat relative term of my vocabulary, and comparatively speaking,  it was not that bad. My doctor was disappointed by the lack of strength in my arm, and I was disappointed by his reaction, because I honestly thought I was doing a tiny bit better. He ordered an electromyogram, which was done today by a neurologist today, and if you have no idea what this test is, just picture my arm and neck as human pin cushions, and that helps paint the scene. Once the 3 inch needles were inserted 1/2 to 3 inches deep, he would have me flex that muscle, with the needle in it, and the screen would read electrical response, or lack thereof. This is to test central nerve damage or neuropathies related to pinched nerves, carpel tunnel, or random reason... like mine. Today he saw nothing overly worrisome, but he said it takes up to 3 weeks for true dysfunction to show, so we will be repeating it then, and today's would give us a baseline. One thing interesting he mentioned was that I had an elevated scapula, which I have been going to a chiropractor for, but he thinks I may not have proper nerve function innervating my latissimus dorsi muscle (under your scapula), and this may lead to the overall weakness I have been having with my left shoulder, which could explain a lot. So I will see him in 3 weeks for a repeat electromyogram and testing of the latissimus dorsi muscle, and we will go from there... that said, I am hoping to be back to work/driving by then. Emilia has really wanted to go to testings with me all week, but since most have been radiology procedures, I have had to be in them by myself. This has made her very sad, and so she asked to go to my appointment today with me, and the neurologist actually let her stay throughout the procedure. She was brave, and was a good little support person, although she actually only watched the 1st couple needles be inserted, and then when she saw it was not hurting me, she finished coloring her picture. So the game plan for now is to wait until Monday for my next steroid injection, and then I am hoping to be released to go back to clinicals if my arm continues to improve. The most exciting news was that when I woke up this morning, I could actually feel most or part of all my fingers on my left hand, which I think is really encouraging since they said it will take 3 days for the steroid to take full effect. In the meantime I will obey the doctors orders and rest, and pray for continued improvement.

some news... kind of

Well, I got some news, not sure if good or bad yet, but the melogram/CT scan showed there is a blunting of the left C-7 nerve root at the C-6 to C- 7 level, which is causing the inability to use my triceps muscle, but they are still unable to tell me what this is causing it... bummer. Good news is whatever is causing it is not so large that my doctor feels uncomfortable at least trying steroid injections to see if this might help... I would like to exhaust all options before surgery is even considered. So tomorrow I will be going in to meet with Dr. H to discuss all the results, and get my 1st spinal steroid injection. I am a bit disappointed to still feel like I have no definitive answers, but no answers is better than bad news, and I can live with that for today. I am so grateful for the staff I had taking care of me today... I was so impressed with everyone from the techs to the nurses to the radiologist... they were amazing and for that I am grateful.

Also a big thanks to my dad and Uncle Danny for picking up Emilia and watching her for the afternoon so Chris could be there with me... it is such a blessing to have family so willing to help, that I know will take good care of our little bug. And thank you to those who have offered to bring meals... you have no idea how much this means to us and we are thankful to have such amazing support from our friends and family.

PS Melissa, thanks for bringing my headphones up to the hospital so I could listen to my music...it calmed my nerves, and I really appreciated you going out of your way to do this!

Thankful and waiting

Well, I am done with at least 2 procedures for the day, and laying in recovery for now. I am so thankful the procedures went well and as painless as I could ever have imagined considering the size of the needle used! The radiologist was amazing, and alleviated my fear by putting a large screen in front of me, so I could watch the entire procedure, which was nice... I felt like I was in school learning how to do a spinal, and not laying on a cold table having the needle put into my spine. Now I just wait, and should have the results soon... in the meantime he burned all my images onto a CD to I could see them while he did another procedure, then he will read them. In the meantime, for your viewing pleasure....

The left upper film in this 4 screen just shows the needle in the spine, and right below it you will see contrast being injected into my lower spine, then the two films on the right are after I was literally laying with my feet strapped to the table and head tilted toward the ground... it was a bit comicals, especially when he was asking, " now can you still see the screen and what I'm doing?" I'll bet he's a great teacher, because he seemed to love explaining, and like I said, I enjoyed the distraction.

 Then here's the CT... I am no expert, so we will just wait for the results, but until then I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has been praying. I have truly felt overwhelmed with the support of friends and family, which makes this much less scary to go through. Please continue to pray for good results and I will post news as it comes!

Time for an Update

So this updating blogging is coming along slower than I had hoped, as formatting photo layouts with one hand is difficult, so now I will stick to typing. As to my current state, I wanted to post how many things we have been blessed with in the past year of my non-blogging, but I will get to those posting slowly but surely in the next few days, as I will be doing plenty of sitting. First things, I wanted to update on my dad...last time I posted was when we received my dad’s diagnosis, which was followed by a quick family trip to Branson to process this diagnosis as a family, and just get away (photos to come soon). My dad was diagnosed with frontal temporal lobe dementia, which you may read more about here. While it’s just Wikipedia, I think it gives a good overview, and bottom line, the diagnosis sucks. Because there is no treatment for this disease, my dad has been sticking with a brain training program, exercise, and vitamins. He has monthly visits with his neurologists, which we make fun by visiting PF Changs for lettuce wraps afterwards! His most recent visit was the only one that may have revealed something new, that some of his symptoms lately may be more related to his latent multiple sclerosis, which they would like him to go to the Mayo clinic for further testing. If it is the MS causing problems, the good news is that there are treatments available to slow the progression and/or symptoms of this disease. In the meantime, he has had to have many life adjustments, and one of the most difficult was having the freedom of driving taken away. While even he agrees it is best, it has still been a huge adjustment for him. Having last semester off from working was such a huge blessing, because I was able to help more, but with this semester’s clinicals, my husband, Chris, has been a huge help since he works nearby my dad’s home/work. My dad is also officially retired and just working a few days a week at Home Depot, which I think has been good for him to keep his mind active, and its problem solving and helping others, which are two things he really enjoys.


So it seems as if every semester I have been in school, our family has been faced with some major challenge/and or obstacle, so I am not sure why I thought this last semester would be without the same… wishful thinking, I am sure! Our latest challenge happened this week. On Tuesday evening, I was outside coloring with Emilia with sidewalk chalk, and when I went to pick up a piece of chalk I realized my left pointer finger was a bit tingling, and then the next morning I woke up with half my hand numb and almost complete loss of my upper arm strength. I called my doctor, and he got me in immediately and then sent me for a MRI, which showed I have degenerative disc disease, two bulging discs, and a disc osteophyte complex, which may or may not be the primary problem at this point. See? Right between C4 and C6…(yes this is mine!)

I can say I wasn’t too worried until my specialist I was referred to call this an emergency... then I cried. That said, even though this was an “emergency”, apparently emergencies still work Monday though Friday, 8-5, so my next procedure will be tomorrow morning. I will be having an myelogram and CT with contrast, and from those results they will determine whether spinal steroids are even an option, or whether I will be having spinal surgery this week. Either way, the doctors are unsure of what is causing the numbness and inability to use my arm. The specialist said that a bulging disc alone shouldn’t be the cause of such an acute loss of function, and he feels there is probably a broken off piece of bone causing the issues that wasn’t seen with the MRI, so tomorrows viewing with contrast injected into my spine should give them a better idea. Sooo… this obviously means I have not been in clinicals this week, and will probably be missing next week as well. My graduation is supposed to be exactly 60 days from tomorrow, but everything is kind of up in the air at this point until I am able to use my left arm again… obviously. This is very frustrating and disappointing to work so hard to get to this point where I am so close, and yet now temporarily unable to continue. I am lucky that my boss at work is also one of my school instructors, and she has been kind and understanding of the circumstances, as they are obviously out of my control.

My biggest fear at this time is just the possibility of not regaining all my feeling or strength in my arm or hand. I can honestly say I have never thanked God for having both my hands/arms working, but I assure you once I am able to have them working again, that will go on my thankful list. It has been a very difficult past few days just trying to learn to manage to care for myself, let alone take care of Emilia and our home. Chris has been absolutely wonderful about helping, but at a certain point, there are some things that are nice to be able to do on your own, like button your child’s pant, or your own, for that matter! Right now I am very limited not only by the use of my arm, but am also in a lot of pain. We are so lucky that his work is being so understanding as well, so he has been able to be there for my appointments, and will be there for the procedure tomorrow. So as for right now, we don’t know what is in store for our week, but I know God is faithful, and He knows what’s in store for my week… I am finding comfort in this and knowing we have so many praying for us. The biggest lesson I have learned lately in my walk with God is that He is today and tomorrow what He said He will be... meaning no matter what storm we are facing or in the midst of, God is still there in the details, and if we can only seek His will through the difficult times, and ask Him to reveal Himself to us, we will see his hands at work. I am praying this week for God to give us peace, calm our fears, and prepare our hearts for what our week will hold, and I am praying for others who are in the midst of their own personal storm, that God would grant them the same.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

Last september...Royals fan... or is it the cotton candy?

I don't know what it is about going to the Royals games Emilia loves more... the game or the cotton candy, but none the less, she loves going to the games. She watches the entire game and cheers...

she even does the wave~

This sweet little boy, Cade, thought she was a bit crazy, but entertaining!

Here's Hannah ahd her Uncle Markus...

And Hudson I think kept his ears covered the entire game...

And Emilia enjoyed her cotton candy thoroughly...

Here's grandma with Emilia and Hudson!

Until next season...

flashing back to the highlights of the past year...August

Emilia turned 4 in August... can you believe it? I hardly can. We just had a small party at home with a few friends and family, but it was fun none the less. I made her cake, per her request, but honestly think next year I will leave it to the professionals!

  

She received many wonderful gifts...

 

one of which was her baby "Bella"

 

Bella, of course, received a new outfit as well as her baby Sara!

My battery actually went dead on my camera before I got a pic of all the cousins together, but I know my mom got one, so I will post one as soon as I get a copy from her!

flashing back to the highlights of the past year...July

So this past year has been quite busy and challenging, but now I have found myself with doctors orders to stay down (more on that later), and so am free to blog away. Unfortunately typing is somewhat difficult, so I will just be posting pictures of the highlights, and let them do most the talking…so starting in July...

In July, I received an awesome job opportunity through Children’s Mercy Hospital that was an answer to prayers. Not only did they offer me a job for when I graduate (May 2011), but a salary and school tuition for my last year of school, and best part being I didn't have to work and could just focus on school and clinicals. While the decision to take the position was easy to make, I never realized how much I would miss some of my coworkers. Luckily, I have been able to stay in touch with many of them, but I do miss working with them and with my sister, Heather! Here are a few snapshots of some of my favorite coworkers that I just happen to have because I helped take photos for a NICU book the unit was putting together!

My last day....

Here are two of my coworkers that I worked with on my last day, Charlotte and Ashley. These photos were taken in the new addition that just opened that day! Then my coworker and friend, Audrey, made me the yummy treats seen below. Chris knew this would be a hard day, and brought me the prettiest flowers to brighten my day!

 Here's a few snapshots a some of my coworkers...

I learned so much working at Overland Park Regional as a nurse, and now I am looking forward to what I have left to learn to be a NNP at Childrens' Mercy, and so grateful for this opportunity!

Chris also turned the big 31 in July, and while I had to work the actual day of his birthday, my mom and Emilia had a homemade cake waiting for dessert, then we celebrated as a family later that week in Omaha!



Emilia designed the above cupcake for him... it is a picture of Chris and I swinging Emilia in the air... and then my mom actually did the decorating!

I actually had a few weeks off between when I quit OP and when I was starting at Children's Mercy and beginning fall semester, so we opted to head to Omaha for a quick mini vacation. We couldn't decide where to stay, so we spent our 1st few nights at the historical Magnolia Hotel, which had a evening cookies and milk bar, and was in a beautiful historic stone building, and then the last few nights at the Embassy Suites, which had an indoor pool, yummy breakfast, and was in a great location to walk around the market area.

So 1st the Magnolia Hotel...

It had this great little courtyard out back that we could enjoy our evening cookies, and one of Emilia's many evening dance performances, of course.

 

When I have more time, I will post more photos of this hotel... it was amazing!

  

Emilia loved the little bars of soap... only hotel downfall was no bathtub, but it had a nice big shower that Emilia thought she was big stuff being able to shower on her own.

   

  The hotel was charming, clean and we loved it. We also loved the Omaha Children's museum... especially Emilia!

Creating one of our many masterpieces...

 

    

       

Emilia went on her 1st carriage ride through the old downtown part of Omaha.

One of my favorite things about this town is the old buildings... so many things to take photos of!

No matter where we stayed, though, almost everyday begun and ended with a pillow fight!

Then came union station...

    

They had a neat little soda shop that we enjoyed some morning icecream at, then off to sight see a bit more...

        

Sara, Emilia's baby, of course, went with us everywhere. Emilia had even packed Sara her own suitcase for the trip... what a good little mama!

We are still trying to teach her how to use her pointer finger, but in the meantime hope others do not get offended by her finger of choice!

                          

Admiring her pretty baby girl, while I admire my pretty baby girl!

  

      

       

hanging out, and finding slides to slide down!

They actually caught air one of the rides down, when they opted to use a piece of wax paper someone so kindly offerred... then they ended up on the ground in a pile of gravel!

She's out little thrill seeker, though, so she loved it!

Stopping to feed the geese...

Then off to the zoo... the best part!

        

This little owl seemed so sweet, until we began talking to him, then he hopped right down and began walking around fluffing his feathers and acting like he was trying to impress or attack somebody...

       

       

We loved the tigers, but our favorite was the polarbears...

   

   

this little guy was looking quite comfy!

         

comparing monkey hands!

This fancy peacock spent much of his day following us around begging for cherios, which Emilia was happy to share!

                      

I'm not sure if Sara liked the elephants or frozen lemonade more...

I am not sure who had longer legs, Emilia or this Giraffe! :)

 The butterflies wouldn't hold still long enough to get many good pics!

   

    

And there was nothing we could do to get this little guy to cheer up... he just seemed so sad!

Our all time favorite was the aquarium, though... 

  

               

And then we had one last hot adventure at the blueberry patch, but the pickings were well worth the heat, and we even found a little unexpected suprise in the middle of a blueberry bush!

                  

It was a great July!