This afternoon I went to the eye doctor for the very first time every. If you remember a few weeks ago I told you all how I have been straining to read reports at work and I have to be closer to signs to read them than I used to be.
Well it seems I do need reading glasses! The doc said they should get rid of all the headaches I've been getting at work and that I should also wear them at night when I'm driving but I don't need to wear them all the time.
It was very weird sitting there picking out a pair of glasses. I have always had problems finding sunglasses that look right but this was 10 times harder. In the end I ended up going with the first pair I tried on and I do like them. They were very comfortable. They are all metal frames with springs in the sides and they seemed to be more sturdy than some of the ones I tried on which is very important since I have two little ones.
So in a week I will be sporting my brand new reading glasses! I promises I will post a picture of me in them so you can all see me.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Friday's Foto Finish Fiesta
It's Friday again and I am excited about this Friday. Not because of anything I'm going to do but because it's the last Friday of January and that means the month from Hell is almost over. Of course it's Friday Foto Finish with Candid Carrie and that always helps cheer me up.
There have been two major headlines at The Wilson's House this week.
Headline #1
A Mother who spent a day and a half in bed suffering from the worst cold in the history of colds comes out to discover her husband and children have destroyed the entire house.
Now while my house is still a complete mess from this I really didn't want to share a picture of it's messiness and there is no way you all are getting a picture of me sick. So it's on to the next headline.
Headline #2
Chiuaua almost killed by enormous icicles from the latest snow and ice storm.
I don't talk about Ginger much because she gets on my last nerve most of the time but we do have a Chiuaua named Ginger. Ginger is only 6 pounds and she hates the cold, snow, and rain. As you can imagine this makes it alto of fun to take her outside. Of course Tuesday afternoon we got hit with a huge snow and ice storm. Whenever it snows here we get icicles on our roof like these
Well last night as I was headed to the bathroom I noticed Ginger sitting by the back door. This is usually a good sign that she needs out so I stopped and hooked her to her chain then opened the door. Normally the icicles are on the outside portion of the overhang but for some reason with this storm some formed on the inside of the roof. When I opened the door it knocked on off and it came crashing down right on top of Ginger as she was headed out the door. Don't worry it came down on it's side so Ginger was not harmed but now I can't get her to go out the door at all.
It also didn't help that the kids watched this happen and now they are convinced that one is going to come down and stab them when they are going in and out of the house. Unfortunately I think we are going to be stuck with these icicles for a while since more snow is coming tomorrow and and even bigger storm is coming next week.
Alright, I shared my story so now it's you turn. Head over to Candid Carries and sign up using Mr. Linky. It's really easy and lots of fun.
There have been two major headlines at The Wilson's House this week.
Headline #1
A Mother who spent a day and a half in bed suffering from the worst cold in the history of colds comes out to discover her husband and children have destroyed the entire house.
Now while my house is still a complete mess from this I really didn't want to share a picture of it's messiness and there is no way you all are getting a picture of me sick. So it's on to the next headline.
Headline #2
Chiuaua almost killed by enormous icicles from the latest snow and ice storm.
I don't talk about Ginger much because she gets on my last nerve most of the time but we do have a Chiuaua named Ginger. Ginger is only 6 pounds and she hates the cold, snow, and rain. As you can imagine this makes it alto of fun to take her outside. Of course Tuesday afternoon we got hit with a huge snow and ice storm. Whenever it snows here we get icicles on our roof like these
Well last night as I was headed to the bathroom I noticed Ginger sitting by the back door. This is usually a good sign that she needs out so I stopped and hooked her to her chain then opened the door. Normally the icicles are on the outside portion of the overhang but for some reason with this storm some formed on the inside of the roof. When I opened the door it knocked on off and it came crashing down right on top of Ginger as she was headed out the door. Don't worry it came down on it's side so Ginger was not harmed but now I can't get her to go out the door at all.
It also didn't help that the kids watched this happen and now they are convinced that one is going to come down and stab them when they are going in and out of the house. Unfortunately I think we are going to be stuck with these icicles for a while since more snow is coming tomorrow and and even bigger storm is coming next week.
Alright, I shared my story so now it's you turn. Head over to Candid Carries and sign up using Mr. Linky. It's really easy and lots of fun.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
" The Cowboys"
Dave and I both listen to a wide variety of music. Everything from Heavy Metal to Big Band and everything in between. Of course this means Emma and Ian have always listened to lots of different types of music.
Emma seems to have developed her music preferences like me and it all depends on her mood at the time. I will say that she seems to listen to Top 40's music more than anything but when the mood strikes her she can headbang as good as her dad.
Ian is a little different and goes through phases of what he wants to listen to. This summer he wanted to listen to all 80's Hair Band stuff, he always called this the jumping music probably because that is how he liked to dance to it. Shortly before Christmas his preference changed again and now it's all about the Country music. Only instead of calling it Country he calls it "the cowboys". He has become more picky about "the cowboys" the past few weeks and will now only listen to the old country music and mainly only the songs that men sing. As soon as we get in the car he asks to listen to it and if it's a newer country song or one he doesn't like he will scream at the top of his lungs to put on "the cowboys" until I find a different song on. At first I thought it was really cute but it's starting to get on my nerves. So as much as I like to here him call Country music "the cowboys" I can't wait til he is done with this phase.
Emma seems to have developed her music preferences like me and it all depends on her mood at the time. I will say that she seems to listen to Top 40's music more than anything but when the mood strikes her she can headbang as good as her dad.
Ian is a little different and goes through phases of what he wants to listen to. This summer he wanted to listen to all 80's Hair Band stuff, he always called this the jumping music probably because that is how he liked to dance to it. Shortly before Christmas his preference changed again and now it's all about the Country music. Only instead of calling it Country he calls it "the cowboys". He has become more picky about "the cowboys" the past few weeks and will now only listen to the old country music and mainly only the songs that men sing. As soon as we get in the car he asks to listen to it and if it's a newer country song or one he doesn't like he will scream at the top of his lungs to put on "the cowboys" until I find a different song on. At first I thought it was really cute but it's starting to get on my nerves. So as much as I like to here him call Country music "the cowboys" I can't wait til he is done with this phase.
Monday, January 26, 2009
A break between all the Chaos
The kids had their first weekend with my MIL since the weekend after Thanksgiving. You all know she usually takes them one weekend a month but the last weekend in December when she would have her sister moved in with her. So that was out, and every weekend since then has been as well because of the move. Things finally settled down there for her to be able to get them again. Or she sensed that I was on the verge of a mental breakdown and decided to give me a break even if it meant chaos in her house.
Whatever the reason I am so grateful because I really was close to having a complete meltdown. I mean really I went straight from all the stress of the holidays into worrying about Ian's growth, to getting the bad news that about IGF-1, to my grandpa passing away. Then add in the stress of work and going through an Administraion change due to the former Attorney General resiging because of a sexual harrassment case. Oh and the normal issues of a mother and it was all becoming to much for me.
So when my MIL called last week and asked if she could have them I was so excited for the break and some peace and quiet to relax and reflect a little as well. I also knew I wanted to do something fun but I wasn't sure what. I called my sister to see what she had planned for the weekend and was very surprised to find out she wasn't doing anything on Saturday night. So we decided that we would hang out together just the two of us which is something we don't get to do very often. Neither of us wanted to go out anywhere so Dave made plans to go over to a friends house and play Rock Band which left Steph and I at home alone. We decided to go to Blockbuster and we rented Mama Mia (not as good as the broadway show but not bad)and My Best Friends Girl (really funny but very vulgar).
I woke up Sunday feeling rested and relaxed which was something I hadn't felt for a while now. It was so nice, unbelivably nice and it made going to Wal-mart that much easier. During my trip I picked up a clearenced book for $4.00 and after I put all the groceries away I sat down and spent the rest of the afternoon and evening reading the entire book.
I really think this past weekend was just what the doctor ordered for me. It gave me the time to work through some of the things going on in my life and make room for what is to come. Some of that being the email I recieved from my mom around 9 this morning. It seems the only Grandfather I have left, my Grandpa Jurden, was in the hospital. He had a heart attack last night. They were able to go in and put one stinit in an attary but had to stop because his kidneys were not doing good. Now they are saying they want to put him on dialysis but his heart ins't strong enough for that. So it's not looking very good right now. I am just praying that things work out and my Grandpa is able to pull through this. I guess this means my wonderful weekend was just a break in the chaos and not the end of it.
Whatever the reason I am so grateful because I really was close to having a complete meltdown. I mean really I went straight from all the stress of the holidays into worrying about Ian's growth, to getting the bad news that about IGF-1, to my grandpa passing away. Then add in the stress of work and going through an Administraion change due to the former Attorney General resiging because of a sexual harrassment case. Oh and the normal issues of a mother and it was all becoming to much for me.
So when my MIL called last week and asked if she could have them I was so excited for the break and some peace and quiet to relax and reflect a little as well. I also knew I wanted to do something fun but I wasn't sure what. I called my sister to see what she had planned for the weekend and was very surprised to find out she wasn't doing anything on Saturday night. So we decided that we would hang out together just the two of us which is something we don't get to do very often. Neither of us wanted to go out anywhere so Dave made plans to go over to a friends house and play Rock Band which left Steph and I at home alone. We decided to go to Blockbuster and we rented Mama Mia (not as good as the broadway show but not bad)and My Best Friends Girl (really funny but very vulgar).
I woke up Sunday feeling rested and relaxed which was something I hadn't felt for a while now. It was so nice, unbelivably nice and it made going to Wal-mart that much easier. During my trip I picked up a clearenced book for $4.00 and after I put all the groceries away I sat down and spent the rest of the afternoon and evening reading the entire book.
I really think this past weekend was just what the doctor ordered for me. It gave me the time to work through some of the things going on in my life and make room for what is to come. Some of that being the email I recieved from my mom around 9 this morning. It seems the only Grandfather I have left, my Grandpa Jurden, was in the hospital. He had a heart attack last night. They were able to go in and put one stinit in an attary but had to stop because his kidneys were not doing good. Now they are saying they want to put him on dialysis but his heart ins't strong enough for that. So it's not looking very good right now. I am just praying that things work out and my Grandpa is able to pull through this. I guess this means my wonderful weekend was just a break in the chaos and not the end of it.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Friday's Foto Finish Fiesta
Thank the lord that Friday is right around the corner! This week has been so long and stressful. Of course with tomorrow being Friday it means it's time for Candid Carries Friday's Foto Finish Fiesta.
Since this week has been all about Ian I thought it would be appropriate to share a picture of him.
This one was taken on Emma's birthday this past October. It was very strange but when I started taking Emma's picture that morning Ian wanted me to take his. This never happens, usually Ian runs and hides from the camera and when he is forces to stand there he will only look down. This is actually just one of about 6 pictures with him in them from that day and he is smiling in all of them.
Now it's your turn to go over to Candid Carries and join us.
Since this week has been all about Ian I thought it would be appropriate to share a picture of him.
This one was taken on Emma's birthday this past October. It was very strange but when I started taking Emma's picture that morning Ian wanted me to take his. This never happens, usually Ian runs and hides from the camera and when he is forces to stand there he will only look down. This is actually just one of about 6 pictures with him in them from that day and he is smiling in all of them.
Now it's your turn to go over to Candid Carries and join us.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Wait and See....
That was the prognosis today at Ian's Endocrinologist appointment.
Even though I went into the appointment hoping for answers and a clear plan of action I am ok with the way everything went. Ian's Endo Dr. Lazono is awesome and I really like him, Ian even seemed to be comfortable with him which is huge for Ian. We spent about two hours with Dr. Lazono today. He went over Ian's medical history and lifestyle as well as Dave and I's and our families. Then he explained to us how the body grows, then he went into what IGF-1 is and what it does.
The simple verison of this is that IGF-1 is in your liver. Your growth hormones send a signal to the liver telling it to grow then the IGF-1 is supposed to send a signal to your growth plates so you will actually grow. Since Ian's IGF-1 levels are so low (and they are very low according to Dr. Lazono)it means that they aren't working properly therefore not sending the signals to the growth plates.
Once Dr. Lazano was sure we understood how the body worked he went over the test that Ian had done. Everything looked very good except for the IGF-1 levels. This is actually really good news because it means that there isn't anything causing the IGF-1 levels to be so low like a liver disease or celiacs disease. The test also showed that Ian's Growth Hormones levels are great meaning that the pituitary gland and his thyroid are working properly.
The plan from here is to go back in April (3 months). They will measure Ian then and calculate his growth velocity. If it comes back the same or lower they will have to run test. Those test will include more blood work to see the IGF-1, thyroid, and growth hormone levels, an MRI to make sure their isn't some sort of mass in the pituitary gland, and a stimulation test. The stimulation test involves them injecting hormones into Ian and then taking blood to see how his body reacts to that.
If these test still point to the IGF-1 (which Dr. Lazona thinks they will) then we would have to start treatments. The treatment for this would be ton inject Ian with a synthetic IGF-1 hormone that would send the proper signals to the growth plates. The injections would be given during meals to avoid hyperglycemia. We didn't go into great detail about this part of it because we are not really 100% certain it will come to this so he only explained this to us as a heads up as to what to expect.
One of the last things we discussed was that IGF-1 deficiency was actually discovered in Jewish people that moved to Israel during the Russian invasion of Afghanistan in the 70's. A Dr. Lorna was confused as to why these Jewish men were so much smaller than the ones in Israel. What he found was their IGF-1 levels were low due to malnutrition (another cause but not for Ian). It is still a rare disease but Dr. Lazona is treating a few patients for this right now.
So I guess we will wait and see what April holds for us. Until then it's life as normal for us.
Even though I went into the appointment hoping for answers and a clear plan of action I am ok with the way everything went. Ian's Endo Dr. Lazono is awesome and I really like him, Ian even seemed to be comfortable with him which is huge for Ian. We spent about two hours with Dr. Lazono today. He went over Ian's medical history and lifestyle as well as Dave and I's and our families. Then he explained to us how the body grows, then he went into what IGF-1 is and what it does.
The simple verison of this is that IGF-1 is in your liver. Your growth hormones send a signal to the liver telling it to grow then the IGF-1 is supposed to send a signal to your growth plates so you will actually grow. Since Ian's IGF-1 levels are so low (and they are very low according to Dr. Lazono)it means that they aren't working properly therefore not sending the signals to the growth plates.
Once Dr. Lazano was sure we understood how the body worked he went over the test that Ian had done. Everything looked very good except for the IGF-1 levels. This is actually really good news because it means that there isn't anything causing the IGF-1 levels to be so low like a liver disease or celiacs disease. The test also showed that Ian's Growth Hormones levels are great meaning that the pituitary gland and his thyroid are working properly.
The plan from here is to go back in April (3 months). They will measure Ian then and calculate his growth velocity. If it comes back the same or lower they will have to run test. Those test will include more blood work to see the IGF-1, thyroid, and growth hormone levels, an MRI to make sure their isn't some sort of mass in the pituitary gland, and a stimulation test. The stimulation test involves them injecting hormones into Ian and then taking blood to see how his body reacts to that.
If these test still point to the IGF-1 (which Dr. Lazona thinks they will) then we would have to start treatments. The treatment for this would be ton inject Ian with a synthetic IGF-1 hormone that would send the proper signals to the growth plates. The injections would be given during meals to avoid hyperglycemia. We didn't go into great detail about this part of it because we are not really 100% certain it will come to this so he only explained this to us as a heads up as to what to expect.
One of the last things we discussed was that IGF-1 deficiency was actually discovered in Jewish people that moved to Israel during the Russian invasion of Afghanistan in the 70's. A Dr. Lorna was confused as to why these Jewish men were so much smaller than the ones in Israel. What he found was their IGF-1 levels were low due to malnutrition (another cause but not for Ian). It is still a rare disease but Dr. Lazona is treating a few patients for this right now.
So I guess we will wait and see what April holds for us. Until then it's life as normal for us.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Be Nice, I have been to you
I know this is a risk to post but I'm going to put it out there anyway. I am not happy about what today is historical importance or not. I am actually the exact opposite, sad and scared.
Anyone that knows me knows that I did not vote for President Obama. I am a conservative Republican and even now I am not afraid to admit that. I am however afraid of what our newest President and his liberal friends will do to our country.
I asked in my title that you be nice to me because I haven't said anything mean to anyone who did vote for him and is excited and happy about this. I am just saying I'm not happy with it, thats all.
I will leave you with a quote I recently came across that seems to be appropriate, at least for me, right now.
You cannot help men permanently by doing
for them what they could and should
do for themselves.
Abraham Lincoln
Anyone that knows me knows that I did not vote for President Obama. I am a conservative Republican and even now I am not afraid to admit that. I am however afraid of what our newest President and his liberal friends will do to our country.
I asked in my title that you be nice to me because I haven't said anything mean to anyone who did vote for him and is excited and happy about this. I am just saying I'm not happy with it, thats all.
I will leave you with a quote I recently came across that seems to be appropriate, at least for me, right now.
You cannot help men permanently by doing
for them what they could and should
do for themselves.
Abraham Lincoln
Monday, January 19, 2009
Healthier Living
I'm not sure if you all remember this or not but one of Dave and I's new years goals was to live a healthier life and I don't just mean dieting and exercise. I'm talking about taking better care of ourselves all around and teaching our kids how to do the same.
Dave realized that part of his problem was that his mother instilled bad habits in him. Ones like fast food dinners, pop, and junk food. While my mom instilled the bad habits of not going to the dentist twice a year but once a year and not exercising in me. We do not want to do this with our children, we want them to grow up and be healthy happy adults.
So we set a plan for our year. For Dave he wants to loose the 40 pounds he gained last year while quitting smoking, he will make sure he has his yearly physical, and he will get to the dentist twice this year.
My goals are a little harder to define but going to the dentist twice this year is one, going to the eye doctor (in two weeks) is another, and then exercising more to strength my back as well as to loose a little weight would be great.
A huge part of this plan revolves around our diet. While I love to cook and have always cooked most meals for the family I have not always cooked the most healthy of meals. For instance one of out favorites is Baked Ziti which has lots of heavy cream and butter in the sauce. I would always serve it with a nice salad and garlic bread so it wasn't all bad but it wasn't quit good either.
Dave and I knew this was going to be one of our goals for the year back in November so we started then by cutting out the red meat in our diet. While I do enjoy a good steak or roast this wasn't as big of a deal for me as it was for Dave. I can tell you that after two months of not eating any red meat my system can no longer handle it all which I guess is a good thing.
So once Jan 1st came our menu changed. I have been searching the Internet and magazines for meals that are quick and healthy for us to eat so that we are not eating the same 5 or 6 meals every week. I know if that happens this lifestyle change will not work for us. Since this is a lifestyle change and NOT a diet I do understand that some not so good things for you is ok but it's about moderation with those. For the most part though I have done a good job. I was starting to get tired of the same menu of meals though and decided to buy a Cooking Light magazine.
The first article I read gave me hope that I was doing something right. The article was about planning your menus and grocery list out in advance. It also talked about having 5 or 6 go to meals to use throughout the month and then supplement other meal ideas in between. So clearly I am moving in the right direction which was just the boost I needed.
As a went through the magazine I saw several meals I want to try but this week I picked one to go with. Sunday meals are normally the nights where I make big meals that take more than 30 minutes so when I saw the recipe for Buttermilk Oven-fried Chicken I knew that was what we would have. It also had a recipe for a low fat version of coleslaw. So yesterday evening I fixed the chicken, coleslaw, and I added some low fat buttermilk biscuits to the menu. Everyone loved it, the kids cleaned their plates and even had an extra biscuit. I made sure with Dave and my plates that I measured out the right portions so that we wouldn't overeat. It didn't look like much on out plates but it ended up being very filling for us.
So I think I have found a great staple to add to our menu and I can't wait to try some of the other recipes in the weeks to come.
Dave realized that part of his problem was that his mother instilled bad habits in him. Ones like fast food dinners, pop, and junk food. While my mom instilled the bad habits of not going to the dentist twice a year but once a year and not exercising in me. We do not want to do this with our children, we want them to grow up and be healthy happy adults.
So we set a plan for our year. For Dave he wants to loose the 40 pounds he gained last year while quitting smoking, he will make sure he has his yearly physical, and he will get to the dentist twice this year.
My goals are a little harder to define but going to the dentist twice this year is one, going to the eye doctor (in two weeks) is another, and then exercising more to strength my back as well as to loose a little weight would be great.
A huge part of this plan revolves around our diet. While I love to cook and have always cooked most meals for the family I have not always cooked the most healthy of meals. For instance one of out favorites is Baked Ziti which has lots of heavy cream and butter in the sauce. I would always serve it with a nice salad and garlic bread so it wasn't all bad but it wasn't quit good either.
Dave and I knew this was going to be one of our goals for the year back in November so we started then by cutting out the red meat in our diet. While I do enjoy a good steak or roast this wasn't as big of a deal for me as it was for Dave. I can tell you that after two months of not eating any red meat my system can no longer handle it all which I guess is a good thing.
So once Jan 1st came our menu changed. I have been searching the Internet and magazines for meals that are quick and healthy for us to eat so that we are not eating the same 5 or 6 meals every week. I know if that happens this lifestyle change will not work for us. Since this is a lifestyle change and NOT a diet I do understand that some not so good things for you is ok but it's about moderation with those. For the most part though I have done a good job. I was starting to get tired of the same menu of meals though and decided to buy a Cooking Light magazine.
The first article I read gave me hope that I was doing something right. The article was about planning your menus and grocery list out in advance. It also talked about having 5 or 6 go to meals to use throughout the month and then supplement other meal ideas in between. So clearly I am moving in the right direction which was just the boost I needed.
As a went through the magazine I saw several meals I want to try but this week I picked one to go with. Sunday meals are normally the nights where I make big meals that take more than 30 minutes so when I saw the recipe for Buttermilk Oven-fried Chicken I knew that was what we would have. It also had a recipe for a low fat version of coleslaw. So yesterday evening I fixed the chicken, coleslaw, and I added some low fat buttermilk biscuits to the menu. Everyone loved it, the kids cleaned their plates and even had an extra biscuit. I made sure with Dave and my plates that I measured out the right portions so that we wouldn't overeat. It didn't look like much on out plates but it ended up being very filling for us.
So I think I have found a great staple to add to our menu and I can't wait to try some of the other recipes in the weeks to come.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Four Eyes
By the end of this month you may be able to add Four Eyes to my list of nicknames.
I broke down today and called to make an appointment with an optometrist. A few weekends ago when my sister and I were in Dayton because of my grandpa we were trying to find one of my sisters banks. Her bank uses Green signs and I saw a sign that had green on it like her bank but I couldn't make out the words on it. I made a comment to my sister about how I couldn't tell what it said. We were fairly far away so I didn't think anything about not being able to see it but then Steph said she could read the sign. It used to be that I could see better than her even when she had her contacts in so this was a little alarming for me.
I started to think about it and realized that things that I used to be able to see I can't as well anymore like street signs and reports on my computer.
This week I have had to spend allot of hours reviewing reports and I've found myself squinting to see the words clearly which is something I have never had to do before. Once I realized this I started zooming in to enlarge the reports but the system we have makes it a pain in the butt to do this so I still spent allot of time squinting. Of course this has made my eyes and head hurt.
This afternoon I had finally had enough and I got on my benefits site and found an in-network doctor just down the street from me. I have an appointment on the 31st so we will see what is going on with my eyes.
I broke down today and called to make an appointment with an optometrist. A few weekends ago when my sister and I were in Dayton because of my grandpa we were trying to find one of my sisters banks. Her bank uses Green signs and I saw a sign that had green on it like her bank but I couldn't make out the words on it. I made a comment to my sister about how I couldn't tell what it said. We were fairly far away so I didn't think anything about not being able to see it but then Steph said she could read the sign. It used to be that I could see better than her even when she had her contacts in so this was a little alarming for me.
I started to think about it and realized that things that I used to be able to see I can't as well anymore like street signs and reports on my computer.
This week I have had to spend allot of hours reviewing reports and I've found myself squinting to see the words clearly which is something I have never had to do before. Once I realized this I started zooming in to enlarge the reports but the system we have makes it a pain in the butt to do this so I still spent allot of time squinting. Of course this has made my eyes and head hurt.
This afternoon I had finally had enough and I got on my benefits site and found an in-network doctor just down the street from me. I have an appointment on the 31st so we will see what is going on with my eyes.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Friday's Foto Finish Fiesta
Thank God it's Friday, this has been the week from Hell for me so I am ready to leave it all behind and start a new one.
So I was sitting here going through my picture folders looking for a specific picture to send my sister when I came across this
Man I miss the days of shorts, sandals, sun, and walks to the park. Today's high is 8 and if you factor in the wind chill it's negative something. Tomorrow its supposed to be even colder than that and we have about 8 inches of snow in our backyard.
Now it's your turn to share a picture just head over to Candid Caries and follow Mr. Linky.
So I was sitting here going through my picture folders looking for a specific picture to send my sister when I came across this
Man I miss the days of shorts, sandals, sun, and walks to the park. Today's high is 8 and if you factor in the wind chill it's negative something. Tomorrow its supposed to be even colder than that and we have about 8 inches of snow in our backyard.
Now it's your turn to share a picture just head over to Candid Caries and follow Mr. Linky.
Snowy Roads and Sick Babies
From the time I left my house yesterday morning till sometime after 9pm last night it snowed here. Most of that time the snow was coming down so hard that all we saw out our office windows was white instead of the normal skyline of downtown Columbus.
This of course means that by the time I got out of work yesterday everything was covered in almost 6 inches of snow including the roads. Now I HATE driving in the snow especially in downtown. There are so many people all going one way, OUT, and tons of traffic lights. The combination of these two things and snow cause major traffic jams. So my normal 20 minute commute was turned into an hour and a half long commute. The only bright spot in it was that Dave was off yesterday so he was able to pick the kids up from the sitters so I could come straight home and once I got home Dave was pulling the frozen pizza out of the oven.
Typically around here if the road crews have all night to clear the roads they are in pretty good condition the next morning. However, this morning the roads sucked and it took me an extra 30 minutes to get into work which made me about 15 minutes late. Plus side to this my supervisor is amazing and was also running late because of the roads.
Now comes the fun part. About 30 minutes after I got to work I got a phone call from the sitter saying Ian is sick and vomiting.
Yipp-freaking-ee (not just yippee)
Of course he had to get sick on the day of my rescheduled meeting that I had to be in attendance for. So I called Dave and he went and got Ian instead of leaving for work but it's a darn good thing he was running late today. Once my meeting was over I came straight home and here I sit. Of course it would have been much easier if Ian would have gotten sick before I left for work, then I could have avoided the crappy roads.
Since Ian has been home he has only gotten sick one time and he has been able, so far, to keep half a grilled cheese sandwich down. This is not typically what I feed my kids when they have the stomach flu but I was making one for Dave to take to work with him and Ian wanted one. He wanted it so much he was crying on the floor when I said no. Usually I can handle these types of meltdowns but when they are sick for get it.
So that has been my last couple of days, how have yours been?
This of course means that by the time I got out of work yesterday everything was covered in almost 6 inches of snow including the roads. Now I HATE driving in the snow especially in downtown. There are so many people all going one way, OUT, and tons of traffic lights. The combination of these two things and snow cause major traffic jams. So my normal 20 minute commute was turned into an hour and a half long commute. The only bright spot in it was that Dave was off yesterday so he was able to pick the kids up from the sitters so I could come straight home and once I got home Dave was pulling the frozen pizza out of the oven.
Typically around here if the road crews have all night to clear the roads they are in pretty good condition the next morning. However, this morning the roads sucked and it took me an extra 30 minutes to get into work which made me about 15 minutes late. Plus side to this my supervisor is amazing and was also running late because of the roads.
Now comes the fun part. About 30 minutes after I got to work I got a phone call from the sitter saying Ian is sick and vomiting.
Yipp-freaking-ee (not just yippee)
Of course he had to get sick on the day of my rescheduled meeting that I had to be in attendance for. So I called Dave and he went and got Ian instead of leaving for work but it's a darn good thing he was running late today. Once my meeting was over I came straight home and here I sit. Of course it would have been much easier if Ian would have gotten sick before I left for work, then I could have avoided the crappy roads.
Since Ian has been home he has only gotten sick one time and he has been able, so far, to keep half a grilled cheese sandwich down. This is not typically what I feed my kids when they have the stomach flu but I was making one for Dave to take to work with him and Ian wanted one. He wanted it so much he was crying on the floor when I said no. Usually I can handle these types of meltdowns but when they are sick for get it.
So that has been my last couple of days, how have yours been?
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Confessions of a Shopaholic
I am sitting here watching 90210, yes I watch it and like it, and a commercial break came along. Now normally I get up and do something during commercial breaks like clean or let the dog out but tonight my back is seriously hurting. So I was just sitting here watching the commercials thinking about what I wanted to write for my post and what commercial came on?
A preview for a movie coming out on Valentines Day. A movie that I have been waiting for to come out. A movie based on my all time favorite book series written by my favorite author. The movie Confessions of a Shopaholic.
Words can not describe how excited I am that they have made this series into a movie. I just hope that they do it well.
Of course once I saw the commercial I immediately got online and viewed the trailer and from the looks of it, it seems to be following the story line pretty well.
Man oh man Valentines Day can not get here fast enough.
Now for your pleasure I have added the trailer so you can fall in love just like me so enjoy!
A preview for a movie coming out on Valentines Day. A movie that I have been waiting for to come out. A movie based on my all time favorite book series written by my favorite author. The movie Confessions of a Shopaholic.
Words can not describe how excited I am that they have made this series into a movie. I just hope that they do it well.
Of course once I saw the commercial I immediately got online and viewed the trailer and from the looks of it, it seems to be following the story line pretty well.
Man oh man Valentines Day can not get here fast enough.
Now for your pleasure I have added the trailer so you can fall in love just like me so enjoy!
Monday, January 12, 2009
Grumpy Guss
So I know I have been a little bit of a downer the past few weeks but there have been some sad, unhappy things going on in my life and this is my place to get them out. I really shouldn't have been surprised by my thoughts this evening yet I am. Well maybe not surprised but wishing I could get out of this funk I'm in.
After a horrible day at work I come home to find a packet of papers to fill out before we go to Ian's Endocrinology appointment. It's really the standard issue paperwork. Insurance information, payment policies, and family history. Only with this the family history is much more extensive than your typical primary care physicians. In most of the research I have read it does talk about how much Growth Hormone deficiencies are genetic and while I haven't found anything that states this about IGF-1 I still wonder if maybe this is as well but since most of them are the paperwork has an extensive family history section.
The part of this thought that brings me down is that both Dave and I only know half of our family history since neither of us know our birth fathers. A wise lady once told me that if the only reason I had tried to contact my birth father was for medical reasons then there really wasn't any reason to keep trying because it didn't much matter. I had after all made it all these years with out needing to know this information. While I still think that advise make perfect sense I do find myself wondering if knowing his medical history could in some way help Ian.
What if Growth Hormone Deficiencies are prevalent in his family could that information cut down on some of the test they will have to run on Ian? I know what if these things are not part of his family then it really doesn't matter but I can't help but wonder.
Of course one of the groups of questions is asking if any grandparents, aunts, uncles, or cousins suffer from any of the following. It goes on to list about 20 different disorders and diseases and I don't really know. Of course I will answer them based on the information I have but this brings up another issue. When we meet with the doctor should I explain to him that neither Dave or I know our birth fathers so we don't have a complete family history?
Am I over-reacting to all of this? You can be honest it's ok I do tend to over-react to things but I can't seem to move past this one. So thanks for listening to me rant and complain, I do feel a little bit better now.
After a horrible day at work I come home to find a packet of papers to fill out before we go to Ian's Endocrinology appointment. It's really the standard issue paperwork. Insurance information, payment policies, and family history. Only with this the family history is much more extensive than your typical primary care physicians. In most of the research I have read it does talk about how much Growth Hormone deficiencies are genetic and while I haven't found anything that states this about IGF-1 I still wonder if maybe this is as well but since most of them are the paperwork has an extensive family history section.
The part of this thought that brings me down is that both Dave and I only know half of our family history since neither of us know our birth fathers. A wise lady once told me that if the only reason I had tried to contact my birth father was for medical reasons then there really wasn't any reason to keep trying because it didn't much matter. I had after all made it all these years with out needing to know this information. While I still think that advise make perfect sense I do find myself wondering if knowing his medical history could in some way help Ian.
What if Growth Hormone Deficiencies are prevalent in his family could that information cut down on some of the test they will have to run on Ian? I know what if these things are not part of his family then it really doesn't matter but I can't help but wonder.
Of course one of the groups of questions is asking if any grandparents, aunts, uncles, or cousins suffer from any of the following. It goes on to list about 20 different disorders and diseases and I don't really know. Of course I will answer them based on the information I have but this brings up another issue. When we meet with the doctor should I explain to him that neither Dave or I know our birth fathers so we don't have a complete family history?
Am I over-reacting to all of this? You can be honest it's ok I do tend to over-react to things but I can't seem to move past this one. So thanks for listening to me rant and complain, I do feel a little bit better now.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
The Funeral
The Airman's Creed
I am an American Airmen.
I am a warrior.
I have answered my nations's call.
I am an American Airman.
My mission is to fly, fight, and win.
I am faithful to a proud heritage,
a tradition of honor,
and a legacy of valor.
I am an American Airman,
Guardian of freedom and justice,
My nation's sword and shield,
its sentry and avenger.
I defend my country with my life.
I am an American Airman:
Wingman, leader, warrior.
I will never leave an Airman behind,
I will never falter,
And I will not fail.
This was on the inside of the memorial pamphlet (not sure what to call this) and it describes my Grandfather to a tee. My Grandfather was a World War II Army Air Corps veteran who served as an aerial gunner in the Pacific Theater. He retired as a Chief Master Sergeant with the U.S. Air Force and then he went to serve for the Maryland Air National Guard.
As a kid most of the stories (there were alot) he would tell us were from his time in service. He told us how during the War he was a belly gunner but in order to make the planes lighter and faster the belly gun was taken out so he spent most of his time doing misc. jobs on the plane including flying it while the pilot would rest. The most memorable story for me and probably for him as well was the one of how he was part of the bombing on Hiroshima (SP?). In order for the main plane to get close enough to drop the atomic bomb two other planes had to go in first and take out some of their bases. One of those planes was the one my Grandfather served on. They were able to get in and do their job successfully which allowed the third plane to get in and successfully drop their bomb. The following day my Grandfathers group was sent back in to photograph the bombed area. They placed the camera where the belly gun would normally go. Since he was the one in charge of that area he was the one responsible for taking the pictures. Now I'm sure back then he was not supposed to do this but he kept one of the pictures taken of Hisoshima for himself. If you have ever seen the photograph that appeared on the cover of TIME magazine then you've seen the picture my grandfather kept for himself. It is truly an amazing to see something of such historical value that close up.
Because of my Grandfathers love of the military my Grandmother had him buried in his dress blues with all his ribbons. At the cemetery the Honor Guard from Wright Patterson Air Force Base was there to serve as pale bearers. The casket was covered in an American Flag that the honor guard folded into a triangle in an amazing way. After the minister said the last prayer the Honor Guard fired their shots, both of my kids just stared in amazement during this. After that came TAPS played on a bugle. Our family is from Southeastern Ohio which is nothing but hills and farms. The cemetery sits atop a large hill and is surrounded by even larger hills so the music just floated through the hills and valleys. I think this may be the most beautiful thing I have ever heard. To conclude the memorial service my Grandmother was presented with the American Flag on behalf of the President and all the American people for Roberts dedication and love of his country. She was also given a small velvet bag with three of the shells shot during the service. I know that if my Grandfather could have said anything to us about his service it would have been how happy he was for the way in which we choose to honor him.
The last thing I want to say about that day is a very big Thank You to the men and women of the Honor Guard who volunteered there time to make the long trip from Dayton just to honor my Grandfather. They are truly special people for this.
I am an American Airmen.
I am a warrior.
I have answered my nations's call.
I am an American Airman.
My mission is to fly, fight, and win.
I am faithful to a proud heritage,
a tradition of honor,
and a legacy of valor.
I am an American Airman,
Guardian of freedom and justice,
My nation's sword and shield,
its sentry and avenger.
I defend my country with my life.
I am an American Airman:
Wingman, leader, warrior.
I will never leave an Airman behind,
I will never falter,
And I will not fail.
This was on the inside of the memorial pamphlet (not sure what to call this) and it describes my Grandfather to a tee. My Grandfather was a World War II Army Air Corps veteran who served as an aerial gunner in the Pacific Theater. He retired as a Chief Master Sergeant with the U.S. Air Force and then he went to serve for the Maryland Air National Guard.
As a kid most of the stories (there were alot) he would tell us were from his time in service. He told us how during the War he was a belly gunner but in order to make the planes lighter and faster the belly gun was taken out so he spent most of his time doing misc. jobs on the plane including flying it while the pilot would rest. The most memorable story for me and probably for him as well was the one of how he was part of the bombing on Hiroshima (SP?). In order for the main plane to get close enough to drop the atomic bomb two other planes had to go in first and take out some of their bases. One of those planes was the one my Grandfather served on. They were able to get in and do their job successfully which allowed the third plane to get in and successfully drop their bomb. The following day my Grandfathers group was sent back in to photograph the bombed area. They placed the camera where the belly gun would normally go. Since he was the one in charge of that area he was the one responsible for taking the pictures. Now I'm sure back then he was not supposed to do this but he kept one of the pictures taken of Hisoshima for himself. If you have ever seen the photograph that appeared on the cover of TIME magazine then you've seen the picture my grandfather kept for himself. It is truly an amazing to see something of such historical value that close up.
Because of my Grandfathers love of the military my Grandmother had him buried in his dress blues with all his ribbons. At the cemetery the Honor Guard from Wright Patterson Air Force Base was there to serve as pale bearers. The casket was covered in an American Flag that the honor guard folded into a triangle in an amazing way. After the minister said the last prayer the Honor Guard fired their shots, both of my kids just stared in amazement during this. After that came TAPS played on a bugle. Our family is from Southeastern Ohio which is nothing but hills and farms. The cemetery sits atop a large hill and is surrounded by even larger hills so the music just floated through the hills and valleys. I think this may be the most beautiful thing I have ever heard. To conclude the memorial service my Grandmother was presented with the American Flag on behalf of the President and all the American people for Roberts dedication and love of his country. She was also given a small velvet bag with three of the shells shot during the service. I know that if my Grandfather could have said anything to us about his service it would have been how happy he was for the way in which we choose to honor him.
The last thing I want to say about that day is a very big Thank You to the men and women of the Honor Guard who volunteered there time to make the long trip from Dayton just to honor my Grandfather. They are truly special people for this.
Monday, January 5, 2009
"Cheif Mac"
Outside of the Air Force "Chief Mac" was known as Robert McKee. Robert was my Grandmothers second husband but someone that all of my family has known all of is life. My Grandma and Robert were married in the fall of 1990 and for almost 10 years split living in my Grandmas house in Heath, Ohio and Robert's house in St. Lawrence Maryland. In the fall of 1999 they sold both of their homes and custom built a home in Troy, Ohio close to my Aunt Pats house.
The past 9 years have been rough health wise for Robert, it's been one thing after another. About 3 years ago things got really bad when Robert starting having mini seizures. I can't really remember but it seems like since then Robert has had extensive stays in the hospital 3 or 4 times a year but someone he always managed to pull through and go back home with Grams.
So Saturday afternoon when my Aunt Pat called to say Robert was being taken to the hospital I just thought it was like all the other times and everything would be ok, but I asked my Aunt to keep me posted on things. Early that morning Robert was having some gas pains and after trying some Gas-X it went away but came back and then he started having heart burn and some slurred speech. My Grams called the squad thinking he was having another one of the mini strokes.
Around 7 that evening my Aunt called to tell us that things were not good. While Robert was in the hospital he suffered a major heart attack and they recommend having Robert life flighted to a bigger hospital in Dayton. Robert was still conscious at this point and they just happen to have him in a room by the helipad. Being a Air Force man and World War II vets Robert wanted to watch the Helicopter come in so they opened the window and raised his bed for him which seemed to perk him up just a little bit. This was somewhat surprising to the doctors because they weren't sure if Robert was going to make the flight to Dayton. Anyway the point of my Aunts call was to let us know the doctors were recommending that family come in.
By some weird coincidence both my mom and Aunt Pat are sick but my Aunt being the only one close to my Grams was fighting through it to be with her at the hospital. So Steph and I decided we should go down to help and we wanted to be there for both Robert and Grandma. We got to Dayton a little after 9:30. During our drive Robert was taken down to the Cath Lab to have a heart cath. During the prep and surgery Robert coded 8 times one of which lasted almost 30 minutes. They were able to bring him back and complete the heart cath and place two stints. Somewhere during all of this Robert also had a massive stroke on top of the massive heart attack.
At 11:30 the nurses came out to get us and take us back to see Robert in is ICU room. They had him in a coma because of the medication. His heart rate and blood pressure were very low. The nurse told us it would be a long night and that Roberts condition was very very critical. Steph and I told my Aunt to go home and get some rest and we staying in the waiting room with Grams. It was a long horrible night! They had what looked like comfortable leather recliners but they were not comfortable at all. Grandma slept some off and on and Steph and I just tossed and turned the entire night. I think we each got about an hour of sleep between the chairs, the bright lights, the two men snoring in some of the other chairs, and the doors that kept opening.
Finally at 8 Sunday morning we pressed the call button and nurse came out to get us and take us back. Things were not looking very good. They had Robert maxed out on all the medications they could give him to bring his heart rates back up but they weren't really working. They told us to go eat because the doctor wouldn't be in for 30 minutes. After we ate a very gross breakfast we went back up to the ICU and the Kidney doctor met us. He explained the things the surgeon had the night before and said that because of the long period of time Robert had coded the blood wasn't getting to his organs causing extensive damage. He also said that both of Roberts kidneys had completely shut down. The only things keeping Robert alive at that point were the blood pressure medications he was on and that there was nothing else they could do for him because he was too weak for surgery. He also told us that they had stopped giving Robert the sedatives so he should have been awake but he wasn't and he wasn't responsive in anyway.
At this point my Grandma had to make the decision of what to do. Since the only things keeping Robert alive were the medications Grandma made the very difficult decision to sign a Do Not Recessitate and go into what they were calling Comfort Care. At this point they said they would make sure Robert wasn't in any pain but he could hang on on his own for minutes or days. The rest of our family showed up during the next few hours and we took turns sitting with Robert and making sure Grams was getting food and her medications. Surprisingly Roberts numbers stayed up throughout the afternoon. So Steph and I ran to my Grandmas house to shower and get her a clean set of clothes. When we got back to the hospital we went with Grandma to get some dinner so she could take the last pills of the day. Once we were done my we told my Aunt and Mom to go home and we would stay with Grandma again.
For an hour things were as they had been all day then out of nowhere alarm sounded on the machines that we hadn't heard. Steph immediately could tell that Roberts heart beat was showing some kind of abnormal rhythm (I can't remember the name). About15 minutes later it happened again. Then 30 minutes later it happened for the third time only this time it didn't go back to normal and his numbers started dropping. I walked out to the nurses station to see exactly what this meant even though I already knew. The nurse told me that this was the end and it wouldn't last very long. She asked if we would like to have the monitor turned off because otherwise the alarm would continue to sound. To make things more peaceful and calm for my Grandma we decided that would be best. The next 15 minutes were really hard, my Grandma stood by his bed and held his hand while I stood by her and held her and Steph held Roberts other hand. Steph and I were there to keep my Grandma calm but we cried more than she did which amazed me.
At 8:45pm Sunday January 4, 2009 Robert passed away. He was proceeded in death by his step son Leslie Harmon. He left behind his wife, two step daughters, 8 step grandchildren, and 3 great grandchildren. While I never called Robert my Grandpa he always treated me and the rest of his as if we were his children and grandchildren and we all greatly loved him. I know he lead a full and wonderful life but he will be greatly missed.
If it weren't for the amazing nurses Kim and Stacey at Good Samaritan Hospitals Heart and Vascular ICU I don't know if I would have made it through one of the hardest 2 days of my life. They truly were Angels in disguise and we were so lucky to have had them with us through it all.
Roberts funeral will be in Southern Ohio where both his and my Grandmas family are from on Thursday. Since Robert was a career Air Force man that was fairly high ranked he will have a full military service which I know he will really love.
The past 9 years have been rough health wise for Robert, it's been one thing after another. About 3 years ago things got really bad when Robert starting having mini seizures. I can't really remember but it seems like since then Robert has had extensive stays in the hospital 3 or 4 times a year but someone he always managed to pull through and go back home with Grams.
So Saturday afternoon when my Aunt Pat called to say Robert was being taken to the hospital I just thought it was like all the other times and everything would be ok, but I asked my Aunt to keep me posted on things. Early that morning Robert was having some gas pains and after trying some Gas-X it went away but came back and then he started having heart burn and some slurred speech. My Grams called the squad thinking he was having another one of the mini strokes.
Around 7 that evening my Aunt called to tell us that things were not good. While Robert was in the hospital he suffered a major heart attack and they recommend having Robert life flighted to a bigger hospital in Dayton. Robert was still conscious at this point and they just happen to have him in a room by the helipad. Being a Air Force man and World War II vets Robert wanted to watch the Helicopter come in so they opened the window and raised his bed for him which seemed to perk him up just a little bit. This was somewhat surprising to the doctors because they weren't sure if Robert was going to make the flight to Dayton. Anyway the point of my Aunts call was to let us know the doctors were recommending that family come in.
By some weird coincidence both my mom and Aunt Pat are sick but my Aunt being the only one close to my Grams was fighting through it to be with her at the hospital. So Steph and I decided we should go down to help and we wanted to be there for both Robert and Grandma. We got to Dayton a little after 9:30. During our drive Robert was taken down to the Cath Lab to have a heart cath. During the prep and surgery Robert coded 8 times one of which lasted almost 30 minutes. They were able to bring him back and complete the heart cath and place two stints. Somewhere during all of this Robert also had a massive stroke on top of the massive heart attack.
At 11:30 the nurses came out to get us and take us back to see Robert in is ICU room. They had him in a coma because of the medication. His heart rate and blood pressure were very low. The nurse told us it would be a long night and that Roberts condition was very very critical. Steph and I told my Aunt to go home and get some rest and we staying in the waiting room with Grams. It was a long horrible night! They had what looked like comfortable leather recliners but they were not comfortable at all. Grandma slept some off and on and Steph and I just tossed and turned the entire night. I think we each got about an hour of sleep between the chairs, the bright lights, the two men snoring in some of the other chairs, and the doors that kept opening.
Finally at 8 Sunday morning we pressed the call button and nurse came out to get us and take us back. Things were not looking very good. They had Robert maxed out on all the medications they could give him to bring his heart rates back up but they weren't really working. They told us to go eat because the doctor wouldn't be in for 30 minutes. After we ate a very gross breakfast we went back up to the ICU and the Kidney doctor met us. He explained the things the surgeon had the night before and said that because of the long period of time Robert had coded the blood wasn't getting to his organs causing extensive damage. He also said that both of Roberts kidneys had completely shut down. The only things keeping Robert alive at that point were the blood pressure medications he was on and that there was nothing else they could do for him because he was too weak for surgery. He also told us that they had stopped giving Robert the sedatives so he should have been awake but he wasn't and he wasn't responsive in anyway.
At this point my Grandma had to make the decision of what to do. Since the only things keeping Robert alive were the medications Grandma made the very difficult decision to sign a Do Not Recessitate and go into what they were calling Comfort Care. At this point they said they would make sure Robert wasn't in any pain but he could hang on on his own for minutes or days. The rest of our family showed up during the next few hours and we took turns sitting with Robert and making sure Grams was getting food and her medications. Surprisingly Roberts numbers stayed up throughout the afternoon. So Steph and I ran to my Grandmas house to shower and get her a clean set of clothes. When we got back to the hospital we went with Grandma to get some dinner so she could take the last pills of the day. Once we were done my we told my Aunt and Mom to go home and we would stay with Grandma again.
For an hour things were as they had been all day then out of nowhere alarm sounded on the machines that we hadn't heard. Steph immediately could tell that Roberts heart beat was showing some kind of abnormal rhythm (I can't remember the name). About15 minutes later it happened again. Then 30 minutes later it happened for the third time only this time it didn't go back to normal and his numbers started dropping. I walked out to the nurses station to see exactly what this meant even though I already knew. The nurse told me that this was the end and it wouldn't last very long. She asked if we would like to have the monitor turned off because otherwise the alarm would continue to sound. To make things more peaceful and calm for my Grandma we decided that would be best. The next 15 minutes were really hard, my Grandma stood by his bed and held his hand while I stood by her and held her and Steph held Roberts other hand. Steph and I were there to keep my Grandma calm but we cried more than she did which amazed me.
At 8:45pm Sunday January 4, 2009 Robert passed away. He was proceeded in death by his step son Leslie Harmon. He left behind his wife, two step daughters, 8 step grandchildren, and 3 great grandchildren. While I never called Robert my Grandpa he always treated me and the rest of his as if we were his children and grandchildren and we all greatly loved him. I know he lead a full and wonderful life but he will be greatly missed.
If it weren't for the amazing nurses Kim and Stacey at Good Samaritan Hospitals Heart and Vascular ICU I don't know if I would have made it through one of the hardest 2 days of my life. They truly were Angels in disguise and we were so lucky to have had them with us through it all.
Roberts funeral will be in Southern Ohio where both his and my Grandmas family are from on Thursday. Since Robert was a career Air Force man that was fairly high ranked he will have a full military service which I know he will really love.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Insulin-like Growth Factor-1
Ian's doctor called last night around 5:30. I was in the middle of changing Ian's diaper when my cell phone rang so I just grabbed the phone without looking at who it was. When our Doctor said who she was my heart immediately started to pound. She started by telling me that the x-rays of Ian's growth plate came back normal so his skeletal structure is normal. She went on to say that Ian's Growth Hormone levels were all normal as well. At this point I was thinking to myself great he has celiacs dieseas, but no that came back negative. Ok so what the heck, all of this and he really doesn't have anything wrong with him?
Apparently my brain was thinking a little to fast because at that moment is when our docotr drops the bomb. The one thing we did find in the blood work was that Ian's IGF-1 levels were only at 31 when they should be between 50 and 150 for his age. Of course I had no idea what IGF-1 was so I asked about it and all she said was that it was the Insulin-like Growth Hormone. Of course after I got off the phone with her I immediatly looked it up and this is the definition I found.
Insulin-like Growth Factor-1, better known as IGF-1 is a polypeptide protein hormone similar in molecular structure to insulin. It plays an important role in childhood growth and continues to have anabolic effects in adults.
Backing up a minute though my doctor did say that while Ian does show some growth it's very small and she wants us to see a Endocrynologist. She recommended the Pedatrics group at Children's hospital or a small private practice here in town. I wasn't sure which to go with so I asked her what she thought. We came to the conclusion that the small private practice would be a better fit for Ian. After the last experiecne at Childrens I'm not sure how well he would do there and I like the idea of this being a little more personal.
As I said before as soon as I was off the phone I got online and started looking up IGF-1. There really isn't a whole lot out there about this but what I have found is that it was just discoverd a few years ago and it is part of the Growth Hormones but it's also seperate. It can not be treated with the same techniques and medications as Growth Hormone Deficencies. he good news is that there are some medications out there that have been sucessful in treating this.
So first thing Monday morning I will be calling to schedule an appointment for Ian. I am praying that they can get us in fairly quickly because I do not do well with this waiting stuff. I want to know exactly where we stand and what we need to do to fix this or make it better. This waiting game is really killing me.
To the anonyomous commenter on my 3rd Percentile post thank you very much for recomending I look at The Magic Foundation. That was one of the first places I went after I talked to the doctor and it was the place that had the most information.
Apparently my brain was thinking a little to fast because at that moment is when our docotr drops the bomb. The one thing we did find in the blood work was that Ian's IGF-1 levels were only at 31 when they should be between 50 and 150 for his age. Of course I had no idea what IGF-1 was so I asked about it and all she said was that it was the Insulin-like Growth Hormone. Of course after I got off the phone with her I immediatly looked it up and this is the definition I found.
Insulin-like Growth Factor-1, better known as IGF-1 is a polypeptide protein hormone similar in molecular structure to insulin. It plays an important role in childhood growth and continues to have anabolic effects in adults.
Backing up a minute though my doctor did say that while Ian does show some growth it's very small and she wants us to see a Endocrynologist. She recommended the Pedatrics group at Children's hospital or a small private practice here in town. I wasn't sure which to go with so I asked her what she thought. We came to the conclusion that the small private practice would be a better fit for Ian. After the last experiecne at Childrens I'm not sure how well he would do there and I like the idea of this being a little more personal.
As I said before as soon as I was off the phone I got online and started looking up IGF-1. There really isn't a whole lot out there about this but what I have found is that it was just discoverd a few years ago and it is part of the Growth Hormones but it's also seperate. It can not be treated with the same techniques and medications as Growth Hormone Deficencies. he good news is that there are some medications out there that have been sucessful in treating this.
So first thing Monday morning I will be calling to schedule an appointment for Ian. I am praying that they can get us in fairly quickly because I do not do well with this waiting stuff. I want to know exactly where we stand and what we need to do to fix this or make it better. This waiting game is really killing me.
To the anonyomous commenter on my 3rd Percentile post thank you very much for recomending I look at The Magic Foundation. That was one of the first places I went after I talked to the doctor and it was the place that had the most information.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Friday's Foto Finish Fiesta
I know Christmas is over but I haven't had the chance to share this amazing picture since I got it.
Remeber that ice storm that caused me to miss most of the kids Christmas Party at the babysitters? Well this is one of the pictures a friend of mine took for me since I wasn't there to take it myself.
Out of the 3 times we saw Santa this year this was the only time Ian would go near him without screaming crying.
Now it's your turn go to Candid Carries and share one of your favorite photos.
Remeber that ice storm that caused me to miss most of the kids Christmas Party at the babysitters? Well this is one of the pictures a friend of mine took for me since I wasn't there to take it myself.
Out of the 3 times we saw Santa this year this was the only time Ian would go near him without screaming crying.
Now it's your turn go to Candid Carries and share one of your favorite photos.
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