News...already?!

**DISCLAIMER** If you have a weak stomach or are eating, I would hold off on reading the first part of this blog. Don't say I didn't warn you.

This morning I hit the ground running......for the bathroom! I'm not sure if I have a bug or if it's just a combo of the REALLY BAD food I ate all day yesterday and the stress, but I'm not feeling so great. I was sad because I am supposed to be going to Arkansas with Claire and Brian for a fun visit with my best friend (Auntie Monica) and her husband (Jungle Ben). Jungle Ben is a nickname that Claire is responsible for...we love it! However, I'm thinking we may have to wait until next week. Maybe we can stay a little longer that way and hopefully meet up with Tiffany and Kennedy too!! Anyway, of course only on the mornings when I am feeling yucky do things like this happen. Cohen's diaper broke in the middle of the night.....yeah. Luckily, Brian put him in his "spacesuit" (another nickname by Claire for "footie" jammies) so it was contained.....but seriously. Thank goodness Brian was still home because he took care of it! I still haven't dealt with the "spacesuit" but I will probably just put it in with the vomit clothes from yesterday!

With that out of the way, breakfast on the table, pot of coffee made and e-mail checked the phone starts ringing. First my pediatrician's office to see how our appointment went (WOW!) and to schedule and ultrasound for Monday Feb. 4th. Wow! I just realized that was the day, 12 years ago, that Brian and I went on our first date!!! (Kim and Andy, thanks for waiting on us while we smooched on Brian's front porch!) Anyway, the nurse was worried about Claire being able to drink 32 oz. of fluid in an hour and hold it. I assured her that it wouldn't be a problem! The kid can put down milk like no other! So we will go on Monday and do that. It's easy and non-invasive so no biggie!

THEN...the bomb. Dr. Spade from Children's Mercy called to schedule the MRI and discuss the results of the bone age. We will go on March 17th for the MRI. We are planning to spend the weekend up there and make a vacation out of it with Grandma Connie, Nanny and Papa!! Then she said they have the results from yesterday. Claire is 3 years 6 months old. Her bone age is 5 years 9 months. I'm stunned. In less than a year she went from a 10 month difference to a difference of 2 years 3 months. I am still stunned. Dr. Spade said that it is a definite cause for concern and that I was right to push to get her into Children's Mercy. She assured me that we are doing the right thing and we will get to the bottom of this. I would have thought that my first instinct would have been to be so angry with the docs in St. Louis and with my old pediatrician for blowing me off, but it wasn't. I feel such a sense of peace because I know it's God's plan. He is so present in my life right now. I think that I am so overwhelmed by the kindness and compassion that I feel from Dr. Turpin and Dr. Spade that I am at peace and I know I'm in the right place. I'm not sure I would appreciate that had I not been treated the way I was treated in St. Louis. I feel like last summer was a summer of my life where God was preparing me for so many things. Here is just another example of how he was equipping me with the strength and wisdom I need to get through this. Connie and I talked this morning about how it may be a blessing and a curse that we know what Brian went through. It's a blessing because we can prepare and have a little more info to offer. It's a curse because we don't want Claire to have to endure the pain that Brian did! He started getting HORRIBLE migraine headaches when he was 6. He doesn't get them anymore because he doesn't have the pituitary issues anymore. So it's scary. But truly, I am at peace.

LONG DAY!

Here's a little run down of our day.

9:00 am--Leave Nanny and Papa's house. DVD player and Shrek going strong.
9:15 am--Get gas and go through Sonic. (Mommy and Nanny need fuel too!)
9:30am--Check temp outside.....65 DEGREES!!!! Head out of town.
10:30am--Notice it's getting a little weird looking to the north, check temp.....52 degrees
10:40am--Crank up heat, check temp again....42.
10:45am--Get advice from Papa, find out Papa is in West Plains where it is currently 75 and they are calling for tornadoes and hail!
11am--Check temp....32.
12 noon--We have snow! Papa calls....get more advice (poor Papa was worried sick!) Get on 71 North and pray for the best!
12:10pm--Claire gets carsick and throws up all over herself, Froggy, Woody and the car. Claire then tells Nanny, "Nanny, I was just gettin' ready to tell ya to pull over so I could throw up."
12:15pm--Watch crazy drivers slide all over, visibility reduced to about 15 feet, wind blowing like crazy and we really don't know EXACTLY where we are going.
12:30pm--Pull into Children's Mercy (2 hours early) and thank God that we got there safely. Check temp--19 degrees, Change Claire's clothes (thankfully I took an extra set of clothes....minus underwear!), find a bathroom, go, bathe Froggy and Woody in the sink, find the office, get checked in and plop down in a chair...(BIG SIGH!!!)

The appointment went great. I was VERY pleased with our doctors. They were wonderful and sweet and listened to everything I had to say. They assured me that I was completely right to be concerned and that there were in fact issues that needed to be addressed. So here is the deal. They sent us over to get another "bone age study" which is just an X-Ray of her hand and we will get those results back soon. We are then going to schedule an ultrasound that can be done in Springfield. They will check her ovaries and uterus and will be able to tell if anything is maturing that shouldn't be. The last thing they want to do is an MRI to rule out any tumors or growths on or near her pituitary gland. She said that this should be done because of Brian's history. We will then follow up with her every 6 months. The best part is that they come to Springfield one day each month so we will be able to see them here rather than make the trip to KC. We do have to go up for the MRI which I'm okay with because it is a great hospital with the kids best interest in mind. They didn't seem to think there is anything to be concerned about right at this moment but they do feel it's necessary to move forward and start ruling things out.

Claire was such a big girl and I couldn't be more proud of how brave she was!!!!! So there is the medical stuff. I will post more fun stuff later, but for now.....I'm pooped!

Beauty Tips

Here is the best list of beauty tips I've seen in a while.

-For Attractive lips, speak words of kindness.
-For Lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
-For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
-For beautiful hair, let a child run their fingers through it once a day.
-For poise, walk with the knowledge you'll never walk alone.
-written by Audrey Hepburn

Answered Prayer

We have an appointment with an endocrinologist tomorrow at 2:30 in Kansas City. To those who have never tried to get into a pediatric endocrinologist, this is nothing short of a miracle. Please pray that we get some answers and that the weather holds out so we can actually get there! I am just sitting here in awe of the fact that God is so present in my life. "Thank you Jesus for the blessings in my life." (this is the way we end every prayer in our house. It might be the most precious thing to hear come from a 3 year old.)

Thanks again!!

Thank you again to my WONDERFUL husband! He got up with the kids and kept them out of our room so I could catch a few extra winks this morning!!! When I woke up and the clock said 9:45, I thought I had either went to sleep and woke up in Heaven or one of the kiddos had changed the clock! I feel rested and refreshed and I'm looking forward to spending the evening at home with my family and my FAVORITE LITTLE NIECE! Claire has agreed to help me babysit tonight and I think she will do a wonderful job. I'm making spaghetti (my sauce is Brian's favorite) and I'm thinking we may watch a movie. Life is good. Then I get to serve in the nursery tomorrow at church and we have life groups which always gets me ready for a new week. (A week in which I will be headed to Arkansas with Brian and Claire to FINALLY see my best friend's pregnant belly!!!!!) It's a good day and I can't believe how blessed I am.

Who's my big strong man?

Cohen had his 15 month check-up today. (yes, he is actually 16 months!) He weighed in at 36.3 pounds and was 35 & 3/4 inches long! He was so cute and acted like such a BIG BOY! We love our new doctors office and they are so sweet! The nurse came in and let him eat a freeze pop before his shot. Then it was time. He seriously didn't cry!!!!! I was stunned! He was so brave and I was one proud momma. We also will be getting a second opinion in Kansas City for Claire with a pediatric endocrinologist. I learned today that her appointment will be sometime in March. I can't believe how quickly we were able to get in. I know God is listening to my prayers because this Mommy is getting very anxious and I am just ready to get a second opinion and hopefully this doctor will be a little better as far bedside manner is concerned. I will keep everyone posted as we hear more!

Family Night Out!

I want to say THANK YOU to my sweet dear husband who noticed that I have been a little frazzled lately. I haven't left the house much lately and neither have the kids. Unless of course you count trips to the doctor or to get pictures taken, neither of which are enjoyable to me! Brian decided that we were all a little tired of looking at each other and took matters into his own hands! He called yesterday and said, "Get the kids ready! When I get home we are going to Splash Country!" I protested of course. "It's too cold. I haven't showered in two days. I haven't shaved in 2 weeks!" He assured me that I would be fine and told me just to get ready. I managed to squeeze in a quick shower and shave and was ready to go when he got home. Despite Claire falling from the truck onto the garage floor head first, it was a WONDERFUL evening! We were one of two families there and I even managed to sneak off for a few minutes and relax in the hot tub......ALL BY MYSELF!!!! Cohen and Claire loved it there and Brian couldn't believe how much Claire had grown since he took her last year. Since we are just 20 minutes from there it was no farther than going to Nanny and Papa's house and it was only 5 bucks a person! We really enjoyed our evening together and it left us all exhausted but totally refreshed!

I am watching Ellen as I post this and she is interviewing Dr. Wayne Dyer. He just said something that I thought was hilarious but also very valid!

"It's no better to have a smoking section in a restaurant than it is to have a peeing section in a swimming pool."