I can hardly wait

until tomorrow.
Mindy's test results are being brought to the board for approval tomorrow at noon and then we schedule surgery!! Eek!
Keep checking in, i will update as soon as we hear!

7 months.

A 7 month old? i can not even imagine how different my life would be right now if sweet brenham boy was here with us. crazier? less crazy? who knows? All i know is that there is so much that i am missing out on.
I looked up baby's milestones at 7 months old and this is what i found:

Your baby now can bear weight on his legs when you hold him upright.
He can sit without support.
Baby can stand while holding onto someone or something.
He can pull himself up to a standing position from a seated one.
Baby walks by holding on to furniture.
He babbles.
Baby plays peekaboo.
He plays patty-cake.
Baby waves good-bye.
He can say "mama" or "dada."

oh sweet brenham i would love to be playing peek-a-boo with you right now and hearing you giggle. I wish i could watch you wave bye-bye to daddy when he leaves for work. And most of all i wish i could hear you call me "mama".
love you baby!

Peritoneal Dialysis 101

PD is going great this time, i guess third times the charm!! I love being at home and not having to sit in that chair for 12 hours a week. Ahhh, love it!

I thought i would let you know how it works, it is a lot easier on my body b/c it is working continuously just like healthy kidneys instead of just 12 hours a week, so it is less intense. It works with fluid and not blood so that helps with the fatigue and headaches i was having too! I have a tube in my stomach (sewn in place this time so that it doesnt move out of position again). the end of the tube comes out about 16 inches, i usually tuck the end into my pants to hide it, but this is what it looks like un-tucked.

I have a bag full of solution and a drain bag. The full bag gets put up on an IV pole and slowly drips into my stomach (peritoneal cavity) through the tube. Its 1500 cc's or about 3 pounds of fluid that goes in (so i got a little tummy bloat going on!). that fluid sits in there for about 4-5 hours during which it draws toxins out of my body and then i drain it out using the same tube into the drain bag and start all over again by putting another bag of solution right back in.

bag of solution

drain bag
I do that process 4 times a day and it takes about 20 minutes. Pretty simple concept, but i think it is all pretty amazing how that works. but there was a lot to learn. And it takes a lot of planning. I always have to make sure i am home on time to do a treatment. But its WAY better than going to the dialysis center.
So there you have it. Do you feel smarter now that you know all about PD? Hopefully it is all useless knowledge to you and you never have to use it though!

******************************************************************************

Thank you for all of your sweet comment on sweet brenham's video, they mean so much to us. He is so special to us and we are touched that he is to you too!

he came blazing right into my heart

Oh, those summer nights

good-bye summer,

hello fall!!

How do I look??

It was time for a little make-over!! What do you think?

Patrice, thank you so much for creating my new blog design!! I love it!
Check out her other designs here!

a little bump in the road.

i have been a bad blogger lately, sorry for the lack of updates. It was a busy week around here.

Mindy and Kyle got back from Mayo on Thursday. She was not approved on the spot like we were hoping b/c one of the tests didn't go as well as they hoped. So she is going to re-do that test here in Michigan sometime this week hopefully and if her score is better this time, her case will be brought to the board at Mayo and she will be approved if everything else looks good. And then we schedule transplant!! whoo-hoo. Please pray that this test goes better and that her score is right where it should be.

I try PD again tomorrow. I REALLY want this too work, i refuse to go back to the center for a third time. If it does go well, i should be home free (literally) until transplant. Thanks for all of your prayers!!

My sista

My sister Mindy is at the Mayo Clinic this week getting her donor evaluation testing done! Eek!
Please pray for her and her husband Kyle as she goes through the different tests and that she will be healthy and ready to donate. We are hoping that if she passes we can schedule the surgery soon! It seems to good to be true, things might finally be turning around!! Please pray hard.

~thanks mindy for doing this for me! I am so lucky to have a sister like you. love you

(on mindy's wedding day, do you think we look alike?)

~and thanks everyone for letting us pray for you. i will continue checking back on that post so keep me posted. I have loved being able to pray for you and will continue to do so.

Let me pray for you

I was reading through my old posts today and realized something.....i am a prayer hog! Asking for prayer about something in almost half my posts!!

So in return I would like to pray for you, leave your prayer requests in the comment section and be assured you will be lifted up in prayer! So let me have 'em. big or small. they all matter.

I think this will be great.

happy birthday to me!

well i would be lying if i said my birthday was wonderful, it wasnt really the way i had hoped. I had dialysis so i spent 4 hours there and another 3 hours at home sleeping afterwards. But robb took me out to eat at night and we had a really good time. I may not have had the best birthday ever but i did get the best gift ever...robb surprised me with letters from all of our family members telling me what they remember about brenham. It was so thoughtful and i LOVED reading everyones memories. I will cherish that forever. Thank you so much mom and dad r, mom and dad l, jeremy, ryan, lisa, kyle and mindy!! I love you guys!!

He also got me the Willow Tree Nativity set that i have been wanting for a couple years now, so that was really exciting! And some knitted boots that i love!! I am so spoiled! I also got lots of other fun stuff from various people. I truly appreciate your thoughtfulness!!

not a hernia

After waiting for the doctor for almost 2 hours (luckily robb was there to keep me entertained) he told me it's not a hernia, if it was he would have scheduled another surgery right there, but he is not sure really what it was. Something about air escaping into somewhere it shouldnt have. I don't know, the way he explained it sounded much better. So I still have to take it easy for the rest of the week and no doing PD until a couple more weeks. Which i am not happy about but at least its not another surgery. Your prayers worked! (finally:)


P.S. Thanks for all the b-day wishes!!

Better late than never

Labor Day weekend~
We had a great time relaxing at the cottage with my family all weekend and i wanted to share some pictures:

eatin'

paddle boatin'

fishin'

soakin' up the sun!
thats about all we did. oh and i slept a lot too but sorry, no pics of that!!! It was a great time.

*update for you*

Thanks everyone for your great suggestions and prayers. Things are going a little better, the swelling has gone down. When i talked to the dr. over the phone on monday afternoon he said it sounded like a hernia and to lay low until we know for sure. A hernia? what??
He thinks i have probably had it for a while and it just never flared up until i started PD because PD works by putting about 3 pounds of fluid in your stomach and letting it sit in there for 4-5 hours, taking it out and then putting more right back in again and this flushes out the toxins. Anyways, he thinks that if there was an underlying hernia that the pressure of all the fluid made it come to the surface. I have an appointment today at 12:30 to find out for sure what it is and what we do about it. I will let you know!

i USED to love my bed

I now have a greater appreciation for those who have to be on bed rest, i am laying in bed all day so far and its only 11:00. As long as i lay flat the swelling doesnt bother me as bad. But it is so boring....anyone have any ideas to keep me entertained??

You better sit down for this.....

problems. I might need surgery AGAIN.
Friday i was released to start up PD and it seems to be working fine this time, BUT my whole stomach has swelled up like a balloon leading the PD nurse to believe i have either internal bleeding (less likely) or there is a leak somewhere in my stomach where they did the surgery so its filling up with fluid. GREAT. I am waiting for my dr. to get in the office and set up an appt. and see what he says.

So in the meantime could you pray that this is nothing and i don't need another surgery within the same week as my last one. I cant understand why i can't catch a break. I am afraid to say that at times the devil seems to be winning this fight. Why won't he just leave me alone???

Welcome Emma Grace!!

Our friends Jason and Jessica welcomed their beautiful daughter Emma on August 30. She is such a doll!

Congrats on your new addition!!

Rachael Ray's got nothin' on me

Last week I made tomato sauce and it was so yummy i thought i would share the recipe:
(i wasnt kidding about #99 on the posr below!)
here is what you need:

2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons garlic salt
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
4-5 fresh tomatoes from the neighbors garden! chopped

Heat oil; sauté onions, and pepper in the oil until tender. Add garlic, salt, pepper, tomato paste, and tomatoes, Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

The Verdict: So good!

Post # 101

Wow, that's a lot of blogging, to celebrate, here are 101 facts about me!
1. I started dating robb when i was 15 years old.
2. We got married when i was 20
3. we totally gutted out our house and redid it all before we were married.
4. it took two years to complete
5. my favorite color is orange
6. i love to sleep
7. i have never had a cavity
8. i have never broken a bone
9. i love to decorate
10. i am very ticklish
11. 11 is my favorite number!
12. i have been in two car accidents, both not my fault
13. i got pulled over by a cop last week on my way home from work for a burnt out head light!
14. i hate to exercise so i just dont do it
15. i drool when i sleep, haha
16. i love my robot vacuum
17. i love music
18. i swam with dolphins
19. I love going on vacations
20. every time i see a sunflower i think of my grandpa.
21. i love fresh fruit and veggies.
22. i wish i could sleep in late everyday
22. i am on the computer more than i watch tv
23. i love reality tv
24. i'm addicted to love!
25. i'm a cuddler.
26. i prefer hugs over kisses.
27. fall is my favorite time of year
28. when i was a little girl i always said that i wanted to marry my dad , lol
29. i always wanted to be a young mom
30. brenham was conceived on our 2 year anniversary, i know TMI!!
31. i wear contacts
32. i had braces
33. i love playing games
34. i almost always sleep through thunderstorms
35. i take over 25 pills a day.
36. i love coffee
37. i love to eat out
38. cotton candy is my fave
39. i hate to do housework but once i start i cant stop until its all done.
40. i scrapbook- but i am very behind on it
41. my closet is color-coded.
42. i love to shop
43. i am a bargain hunter.
44. target used to be my favorite store until i realized that is where all the preggy's hang out
45. i love accessorize my outfits from head to toe.
46. i just roll out of bed before i go to dialysis, no makeup, no doing my hair, nothing.
47. mascara is a must have for me
48. i have way too many shoes.
49. my pet-peeve is bad drivers
50. i have never shot a gun but i am a pro at duck hunt on Wii
51. i love to be barefoot
52. i check my email at least 5 times a day.
53. i hate clutter.
54. i love watching movies
55. i always day-dream about the future
56.i want to write a book someday
57. i love pictures
58. i dont eat potatoes
59. ice cram is my love.
60. i have the cutest dog ever.
61. my dog is named after a character on "dawsons creek"
62. i love my hubby more everyday
63. i am a list maker. i make lists for everything.
64. i love getting massages
65. i dont mind going to the dentist.
66. i bite my nails when i am bored
67. stress makes my hair fall out.
68. i like scary movies
69. i cant wait to meet my Savior.
70. i love meeting new people.
71. robb spoils me so bad and i love it
72. i have a large collection of purses.
73. i have horrible hand-writing
74. i love getting mail.
75. i am very competitive especially with my dad
76. i cant go without breakfast
77. i snack all day long
78. sunday is my favorite day of the week
79. i have 2 sisters and 3 brother in laws
80. i love giving gifts to people.
81. i love to cook i just dont do it very often
82. but i hate to bake
83. i wish i had a maid.
84. i played basketball and volleyball in high-school
85. i have had 5 surgeries in the last 5 months.
86. i get really excited just like my mom when my flowers start to come up in the spring.
87. i have never mowed the lawn
88. i tried learning to drive a stick shift but ended up in tears.
89. i was voted "best eyes" in high-school
90. i had a hot air balloon ride
91. i want a tattoo in memory of brenham but i am too scared so i probably wont
92. i took 3 years of Spanish in high-school but hardly remember a thing.
93. i have always wished that robb could play an instrument and sing to me, wouldnt that be cute
94. i cant draw at all.
95. my birthday is next week Thursday
96. i feel way older than i am sometimes
97. i want to build our next house.
98. i weight the same right now as i did in 8th grade
99. sometimes when i cook i talk out loud and pretend i am doing a cooking show!
100. i am very forgetful
101. i am blessed.

Thanks for your prayers.

Surgery went well. The nurse got my IV in the first time, woot woot. We prayed for that!!

The pain was horrible yesterday, but its getting better. I have an appt. with the PD (peritoneal dialysis) nurse on Friday to make sure it works and then hopefully i can get going with PD again.

For real this time

my surgery is tomorrow at 1:30. Hopefully it works this time and I'll have a painless and speedy recovery!

Hope everybody had a nice Labor Day weekend, we sure did. More on that later!