Medical Issues

Spring of 2011 was full of medical issues for our family. Thanks goodness none of them were too serious but it was still a lot of doctor's visits, vet visits and hospital visits. It wasn't exactly how I wanted to spend my days.

We started off with our dog, Rosie, needing surgery. She didn't just need some run of the mill, couple of hundred dollar surgery either. She messed up her knee and had to have very expensive, long recovery surgery. We had noticed her limping since December of last year. It didn't seem to improve so we took her to the vet in January. We were told that she had probably strained/pulled a muscle and to let her rest more and it would heal. Well, it didn't. So, we went back to the vet and had x-rays done. We were concerned about hip displaysia, however, her hips looked fine. That was the good news. The bad news was that her knee cap was detached and causing her a good amount of pain. So, she went in for surgery to have her knee cap reattached and her tendons tightened. The poor dog! When we brought her home a few days later, it was to place her in her crate where she would need to remain 24/7 for the next two weeks. Carlos even had to carry her outside to go potty. It's been about two months now and I am happy to report that she is healing well. She still has a slight limp and will probably favor that leg for quite some time, however, she is tons better than she was.

Rosie, a few days after her surgery.

As I have mentioned before, I will be 35yrs. of age when Claire is born in a few weeks. So, I have had to have a few extra tests run as well as a few extra ultrasounds. Currently, we are keeping an eye on Claire's size. My third daughter, Lily, was a little over 9lbs. at birth and I am concerned that Claire is going to surpass that! I had an ultrasound a few weeks ago and she was already measuring large, however, my belly was still in the normal range. Well, I went to the OB a few days ago and now my belly is also measuring large. So, we will do an ultrasound in about a week and a half and if she is still large then we may opt to go with a c-section this time around. I am quite nervous about it since I have never had a c-section. However, I also need to have an umbilical hernia repaired sooner rather than later, so it may make sense to take care of it all in one day. So, that has been weighing on us a bit.

My second oldest daughter, Megan, has had some health issues as well. She is normally my healthiest child but for some reason has had a rough time as of late. First, she had some major constipation issues after Easter (darn all that sugar) and it was a rather traumatic few days while we dealt with that. Trust me, you don't want any details. Let's just say that both Mommy and daughter will not soon forget. Secondly, she began having side pains one day. I figured she was coming down with a virus and didn't think too much about it. However, after 24hrs. of her complaining we decided a trip to the ER was in order. Our pediatrician was concerned about a possible appendicitis so we were taking things very seriously. She spent the evening in the ER having all sorts of tests run. The doc did discover she had gallstones, but didn't think that was causing the problems. So, they eventually sent her home with instructions to call our pediatrician if things got worse. Well, within 12hrs. we were back at the pediatrician with a VERY dehydrated and sick little girl. I knew before I even got there that they were going to send her to the childrens' hospital and I was right. She was admitted for two days while she received IV fluids and had numerous blood tests run. In the end it was determined that she had some nasty virus that had taken her down. So, she came home but it took several more days before she started to exhibit much life. It was a scary 3 days while we tried to figure out what was going on. The doc said that while she does have gallstones, she didn't believe they were causing her any issues right now, however, she can probably look forward to gallbladder surgery when she is a teen or an adult. :(

Meg receiving IV fluids at Kosair Childrens' Hospital.

We thought we were finished with the medical drama, and for the most part we are. However, Carlos got bit by a spider or some such creature last week and we are now dealing with that. He has a very scary looking bite on the back of his leg and is currently taking antibiotics for it. He also has poison ivy that he is taking steroids to control. So, we are keeping an eye on him as well.

I am pretty sure that when the summer ends we will have reached our annual out of pocket maximum for our health insurance. Between that and the dog's surgery, I am resigning myself to being broke for the rest of the year. At least I will have a baby to snuggle and fuss over. :)

A Few Photos....

Annie was baptized by her Daddy on her 9th birthday!

The girls and I attended a Mother/Daughter Tea.

We enjoyed the circus over spring break!




The entire gang geared up for the circus to begin!

Alive and Well

I honestly didn't mean to neglect this blog quite so much. Life just got in the way and I am all about living life rather than sitting at the computer blogging. I may check Facebook and my email twenty times a day but to actually sit down and blog is something I find hard to fit in. So, what have we been up to?

We have been plugging away with homeschooling. My original intent was to take the months of June, July and August off, however, I have since decided to keep right on trucking as long as I can. I figure that if we school for most of the month of June then I can take even more time off once the baby arrives next month! Of course, even better would be if I had a great delivery and could jump back into schooling mid-August! That would mean that we would have a lot of flexibility the rest of the school year! I find that prospect exciting!

Annie is doing really well with her math...finally. She still doesn't love it but she has learned that it's a necessary evil so she keeps working hard. We have added in more grammar, spelling and dictionary skills the last few weeks and those have been a nice change of pace for her. Something new to occupy her mind and keep her on her toes.

Meg is hanging in there with her reading. She just lacks confidence. She is always so shocked when she realizes that she can read something. In her mind, she still thinks of herself as a non-reader, when in fact, she can read! I just keep encouraging her and hoping she will eventually develop more confidence in her reading abilities. She has really gotten into drawing lately. We have checked out several books from the library about drawing and sketching and most evenings you can find her at the kitchen table with a drawing pad and pencil where she tries to follow the instructions in the book. Her Abuelita is quite artisic so I am guessing she is getting this trait from her. I can hardly draw a stick figure so it sure isn't coming from me!

Lily had a rough finish to her first year of preschool. She has been beyond clingy with me and the last few weeks she refused to go to school. It's so hard to see my normally independent little girl like this. She is even refusing to go to her Sunday school room at church, which she normally loves. All she wants is to be with Mommy all the time. I am guessing she is feeling a bit insecure about the baby's arrival, so I am doing all I can to reassure her. One thing that has helped is that I have started doing "school" with her as well. She has been working through a preschool workbook each day and that really seems to occupy her and keep her happy. I know she will make a great big sister to Claire once it's all said and done though.

Noah has entered the terrible two's with a vengance! He is a little monster most days. Don't get me wrong, he is still the most loving little boy around, but when he decides to act up it's awful! One minute he will be cuddling on the couch with me and giving me kisses and five minutes later he is having an all out fit because he isn't getting his way about something. I know that the girls went through this as well but they were always dramatic and loud to begin with so it wasn't too shocking. Noah, however, has always been so laid back and sweet tempered so this feels like it's coming out of left field. This too shall pass though.

I am doing well. I have officially reached the point in pregnancy when it's just no fun. I am huge and everything hurts. The heat is driving me over the edge! I think I am going to end up freezing the family this last month of pregnancy. I have the house AC set low, a window unit AC in my bedroom, the ceiling fan on high and a tabletop fan blowing directly on me and I am still hot! The kids are always tucked up under fleece blankets and I am laying around like a whale sweating. It's quite the scene. I have about four or five more weeks to go. I keep telling myself that I should be enjoying this time because it's going to be so much harder once Claire joins us, however, it's hard to trump the misery I am feeling on a daily basis. Someone please remind me of this a month or two from now. :)

We have had a few medical issues as well, but that's a separate post.... For now, just know that we are happy and doing fine. :)