I am SO fired....

As a blogger! It's really been almost two months? No excuse. ;)





Well, Nancy got married. Amy has been ear infection free for over a month. Elizabeth learned mutliplication facts through 5x12. Jason killed a lot of bugs. We got new sewer lines. Guess that's about it? Will you forgive me if I post some pics from the hitchin'? Here ya go..



  I promise she did this pose herself.

Isn't she pretty?

Amy thought Uncle Gary was GRAND
 

...

Let it snow!!!

Last Thursday, rumor had it that we were going to get snow---and a lot of it! Well, about 8 Thursday night, it started freezing raining. (Is that proper grammar? Sounds funny) It rained for several hours, and then turned to snow. Then, it snowed for hours more. Then, more freezing rain. By the end, we had a snow sandwich---.25 inches ice, about 5 inches of snow, and .25 inches more of ice. The kids were out of school Friday, Monday, and again Tuesday. Surely they will go back tomorrow!!!!



Elizabeth was so funny—all afternoon Thursday she kept saying “God let it snow so we don’t have to go to school on Friday”. Well, she got her wish, but she was supposed to go to a slumber party on Friday night that was cancelled. She was NOT happy about that!



Jason went to work on Friday, but they sent him back home. I stayed home until he got back, and then I worked for a while. I wasn’t crazy about driving in the ice, and I REALLY wasn’t crazy about driving in it with the kids in the car!!! I worked until about 2, then went home and we played outside for a little while. It was still sleeting/snowing, so we didn’t stay out very long; the kids were getting beat up! Friday night, we hung out together and watched movies. E and I slept in the living room so that she could have a slumber party. :) She discovered the Neverending Story, and I think she watched it 3-4 times over the weekend.



Saturday, we played outside again. It was much better this day, and it wasn’t raining any more and we could really have a good time. We were out for quite a while. We weren’t able to build a snowman, but we managed to amuse ourselves anyway. The snow was strange, you could lift up big sheets of the ice off the top of it.



Church was cancelled on Sunday, but we had heard rumors that some people from Northbrook were meeting up at a school in Jackson to go Redneck Sledding. So, we braved the elements, took our pool toys and camping mattresses, and headed over. Oh, my goodness!!! Such FUN!!!!!!! Someone had left some kiddie pools there, and they make the best sleds! I guess there were about 25 of us there from church, and we stayed a good three hours, going up and down the hills. We are all so sore, but man!!! FUN!!!!!! Amy ate her weight in snow, and Elizabeth finally realized that it would be ok for her to sled down the hill with her friends.



Monday, we had to go back to work. The roads were still a little rough, but neither of us had a problem. I did take Amy back to the doctor again for a recheck on her ears. They are clear for now. Dr. Amy put her on a month of antibiotics to try and ward off any further infection. We shall see…. That evening, Jason stayed home with the girls while I went to dinner with my Bible study group from church. We had a great time, and didn’t get kicked out of the restaurant or anything. HAHAHA!!



Things seem to be back to normal today. The roads are pretty clean, but there is still snow in all the yards. Wonder if it’s hanging around, waiting for more? I hope not. I’ve had my fix, and I’m ready for spring!!!!

Whew.

January 2010


Well, it’s here. 2010. A new decade. Feels pretty much like the old one, but it’s neat to write “2010”. Simple things for simple minds, I guess.

We have certainly had our share of doctor visits lately! Amy has had three ear infections in the last 6 weeks. Yesterday, the doc told Jason that her eardrum was about to rupture. Guess that explains the blood-curling screams that we had at 2 am Monday morning. Poor kid. She just can’t kick it. She had to have a shot and some super duper antibiotics this time. We go back in 10 days, and if she still has the infection or gets another one in the near future, we will have to have tubes put in. I am not happy about the thought of surgery, but I am so sick of seeing my poor baby hurting. Elizabeth has also been to the doc, we thought she had strep or tonsillitis, even the doc was surprised when the culture came back negative. Then, we had to take her back again, official diagnosis was CRUD. Her ears were also clogged (really). Not infected, but dripping back down into her throat and making everything else messed up. I’m about tired of all this!!!!! HAHAHA

We have had some COLD weather! Thankfully, it’s warmed up now. I have never seen it be so cold for so long.

On New Year’s Day, we decided to go visit Nanny. I am so glad that we did. We had a wonderful visit with her at her new house as Amy called it.

Nanny was very happy there, and stayed 11 days. On January 4th, I got a call from Daddy. Nurses came to get Nanny for a shower. I can remember thinking, “Oh that will be nice. She hasn’t been able to take a shower in a long time (unstable when standing). But, she’ll be worn out after that!!!” Anyway, while she was in the shower, or after they took her back to her room, I am honestly not sure, her heart stopped. Mama was there, she was in the waiting room while they gave her a shower. Next thing she knows, everyone is running to room 202, and the paramedics are there. All they would tell Mama was that she was unresponsive. Turns out, she died, and they revived her. Now Nanny has had a DNR for YEARS. Since I’ve known what one was, I knew she had one. BUT----it turns out that in a nursing home if the doctor has not signed the DNR, it is not valid. Since she was admitted over the holidays, the doctor had not signed the form. So, we had to watch her die over the next 4 days. Warning---this may get graphic.

Monday: After I got the call, I went to Clarksville. Nancy and Rory came to get me, as we only have one distance traveling car and Jason would need that when he came to get me. I was very glad that they were able to come and get me. We got to Clarksville too late to be able to see her at the 5pm visitation (she was in ICU), but we were able to go the 830 one. It was very evident that she was gone, and only the tube down her throat was keeping her alive. We were not able to do anything that night, as she had to stay on the machine a certain amount of time before they could take her back off. While we were in there, the sweetest nurse came in. She told mama that she was not allowed to come back unless she ate both supper and breakfast. :) She also asked if Nanny had had a flu shot. The woman is laying there on life support, and they want to know if she has had a flu shot. Sometimes you just have to laugh, and we have laughed and laughed about that one. Anyone that knows my family knows that we laugh. It’s what we do.

Tuesday: When we went back the next morning (Mama’s 60th birthday), we were able to meet with the doctor. He knew our wishes, Nanny’s wishes, and was happy to honor them. She was totally unresponsive, and would not be alive without the machines. He made arrangements with the nurses to turn the machines off when we asked. After we made the decision, we were all naturally very emotional. Mama locked herself in a bathroom and cried. I waited until she calmed down and went in with her. There were 8 babies born that day. As we opened the door to leave the bathroom, the lullaby went off. I literally hit the floor. I felt like someone just pulled my feet out from under me. I don’t think it would have mattered where I was, I was going down. I felt like I was going to faint, got punched in the stomach, and I don’t know what else all at once.

We called Daddy to come over, spent some time with Nanny, and then asked the nurses to turn off the machines at 10 am on Tuesday, January, 5, 2010. They asked us to wait in a small room by ourselves, and then came and got us when they were done. On tv, it happens just like that. Last peaceful breath, and your loved one is gone. Not so in real life. She was breathing evenly, but they told us it could be anytime…now or a week from now. We never imagined how strong Nanny was. They let us stay in the ICU with her until around 2, then moved her to a private room on the 5th floor. The room was huge, and it was a private room at the beginning of the hall. I believe it’s what the room was made for, for families to spend the last little bit of time with their family. Time is crazy in a hospital. It seems like you’ve been there forever, yet no time at all. I held Nanny’s hand for hours on end, literally. It seemed like 5 minutes and I would look up and it would have been 2 hours. We joked that my “post” was beside her bed, I kept my chair there, and if I was in the room, I was there.

It became evident that her kidneys had stopped working at this time, as the catheter never filled again after we moved up to the 5th floor, and never did again. All the fluids they gave her just pooled in her belly. Also, they had a poop bag (I have no idea what it’s called) on her. Did you know that the stuff that comes out at the end is the same that comes out in the beginning? Black and tarry.

Nanny had stayed on the 5th floor before, and we had some of the same nurses. Mary was the first one, she was wonderful. She knew who we were, and took good care of all of us. Daddy and I spent the first night there. He stayed up until 4, and then I got up and sat with her until Mama came back around 6. Sally was our nurse that night, and she was wonderful. Then he and I went home to get cleaned up. He was planning on sleeping for a while, and I came on back.

Wednesday: I got cleaned up and went back to the hospital. Joyce and Jimmy were there, and we were so happy to see them. They came and gave Nanny a bath. After the bath, things got bad. She was gasping for air, obviously in pain. The nurse we had that day was less than desirable, to say the least. Nanny was hurting so bad, and the nurse would do nothing. But, at the same time, it was like a magic time. Nanny was turning her head toward our voices, and was responding to our voices. I don’t know if she really was or if we just needed to believe she was, but it was important to us. She was crying. Tears. We could see pain on her face. I am not saying that we were glad she was in pain, never never, never!!!! But her interacting with us was magical. We finally realized that she was on her side, and she didn’t like to be on her side. We moved her back to her back, very carefully, her skin was thinner than paper, and then she calmed down. In the mean time, we called Daddy to come back again, b/c we thought this was it.

I was planning on staying that night with Daddy again, but had a severe blood sugar drop. Thankfully, Daddy had some candy and I was able to revive a bit. You truly do forget to eat. I think its b/c you don’t see the outside for hours on end, and you have no concept of what time it is. Anyway, I went home, and Mama and Daddy stayed. Sally was the nurse again Wednesday night. She made coffee for Mama and Daddy at 1 in the morning.

Thursday: It started snowing. Mary was our nurse again. It was a long day, but thankfully uneventful. Nancy, Rory, and I stayed Thursday night. Both nights I stayed, I slept holding her hand. I could sleep as long as I felt the bed moving. By now, the bed shook every time she breathed, and it was obvious every breath was tougher than the last. Sally was our nurse again Thursday night.

Friday, January 8, 2010: Still snowing. I went home to take a shower. Oby was our nurse that day. She called us all “baby”. I had decided that Jason and I were going to Erin on Saturday to make arrangements. He was coming to get me. I didn’t want to go home, but I hadn’t seen my babies since Monday. I have never been away from them for so long, and I don’t care to be again anytime in the near future. Mildred came to be with us. After lunch, I asked Daddy if he didn’t want to just go and do the STUFF. I called the funeral home in Clarksville, and it turned out that we could take care of everything there. We went over and I picked out a simple wooden coffin, and a new blue dress and white sweater. I think Nanny would have been pleased. We officially signed Nanny into hospice that day. However, they arranged it so that all it was was a paper work move, and we would have more nurses, and more pain management. Also, they put her on a special bed b/c her skin was tearing so bad. You could literally see spots burst open. When Daddy and I got back, Beth and Katrina were there. I knew as soon as we walked in to door that it was time. She was scrunched up and gasping. We held her hands, talked with her, told her to go home. Someone went and got a nurse, who said that she would have few more breaths, called them something and that would be it. (She said it much nicer than that). I could not find her pulse, and Katrina checked and couldn’t find it (she’s a nurse). Mama and I were holding her hands when she finally lost the fight. I think she was waiting for me and Daddy to get back to know that everything was taken care of. We stayed for a few minutes, and then I went and got a nurse. Official time of death was 430pm on Friday, January 8, 2010. Hospice came soon after to clean her up. I was glad that they were there when we left; I didn’t want to leave her alone. The nurse said she would stay until the funeral home came.

Daddy went to take a load of stuff home. We had amassed quite a bit, and we were in the truck (Nancy and Rory had stayed home. Nancy did not want to be there when it happened, and I think that is just fine. I did, and am glad that I was.) Mama and I waited in the lobby for him to come back. I can remember helping Daddy carry stuff back and telling Mama wait for me, I’m not done yet. I have to come back and see her again.

I called Jason after it happened. He came. We stayed at our county inn and suites that we always stay at. We went out to eat, all of us. This may sound strange, but that’s what Nanny would have wanted us to do. She was a feeder. So, we ate. I was so worried about Mama the whole time. I wouldn’t take my eyes off her. She is doing remarkably well, thought.

Saturday: Still snowing. We went over to Erin that morning, and got the final arrangements taken care of. Visitation was 4-8 Saturday evening. It was long, but there was a pretty steady stream of people. We left around 730, since no one else was coming. Had dinner at Fitz’s in Erin. Jason and I stayed at the Deerfield in Erin. It was much nicer than I expected.

Sunday: got the funeral home about 9, funeral was at 2. Had a good turn out. Jason read Footprints. That was Nanny’s favorite poem. Went to the cemetery. We left from there. It was so good to see my babies again.

Well, all the thank you notes are written. The flowers are all delivered. It still doesn’t seem real. We went shopping last weekend, and Mama and I kept thinking “Nanny would like that”. Jason and I are planning on taking the girls to the cemetery soon and taking some flowers. The hardest part of the whole thing was telling Elizabeth. She took it as well as could be expected. Jason didn’t tell her before he left. We decided to wait until we could tell her together. I brought her a paper from the funeral with Nanny’s stuff on it, and that seemed to make her happy.

Several times, we overheard nurses commenting about us. How it was evident that we loved each other. What an amazing legacy for an amazing woman.

86 years is a good life. Rest in peace, Nanny.

Christmas 2009

Well, we have had work parties, and Church parties, and family get togethers, and we are worn out!!! It really was a good Christmas, though.

Last weekend, we went to Clarksville to be with my family. Nanny had fallen again a few days before, so she was not at home. But, we went to see her at the hospital. Amy stayed with Granddaddy. I’m not sure who had more fun, or who was more worn out… HAHAHA! After we left Clarksville, we had planned on going to see the Christmas lights at Opryland, but the traffic was literally backed up for miles on the interstate. Needless to say, we didn’t get to go. We still had a good time, though. We hung out at the mall, went to Build A Bear, and then bummed around Nashville for a while on Sunday. We ended up going to the Bicentennial Mall and the Farmer’s Market there. There were some couples swing dancing and the girls thought that was the coolest thing they had even seen. Amy insisted that we take a picture of them so that we could remember it. ;)

On the 24th, we got a call that Nanny was moving to the nursing home. It was not an easy decision, but we all (Nanny included) realize that it is time. She got moved over there, and has already settled in quite nicely. Mama and Nancy went to see her yesterday, and she told Nancy that she could have her room back, because she (Nanny) has a nice new room. Mama says that the nurses and staff are very nice, and that they are really fussing over Nanny, which is great. She just eats that up.

On Christmas Eve, we just hung around the house. It was GREAT. Then we headed to Memaw and Papaw’s for dinner. We had our Christmas with them, and then we went to see “The Princess and the Frog”. Elizabeth has always LOVED movies, and it would seem that Amy is following suit. It was a really cute movie. A little intense at times, but we all enjoyed it. It’s nice that Amy is old enough now that we can do family things like that together.

We actually had a bit of SNOW of Christmas morning! That counts as a white Christmas in West TN. On Christmas morning, we all read the Christmas story together. After that we opened our presents. Cause, as I’m sure you can understand, my kids don’t have enough toys. They really seemed to like what they got. Jason had hidden my presents with a scavenger hunt. That was quite fun. We just hung around the house again that afternoon, and then Memaw, Papaw, Granny, Uncle Kevin, Hunter and Darrell came over. We had homemade pizza for supper. YUM!!! We did the rest of our presents, and then Hunter and Darrell stayed and we played games and hung out.

Saturday, we went out for a while. Then we got a VERY nice surprise when Nancy called and said that she and Mama were headed this way and wanted to come and have dinner with us. It was SO nice to have Mama at our house!!!!!!

We have really had a great Christmas. It was very low key, and I think that’s what made it so nice. I honestly don’t think we have ever just stayed home for the entire thing

We convinced Mama to open her birthday present a little early. This is a rare photo, she's smiling and MEANS it. HAHAAHAH!

Happy Third Birthday, Amy Hope!!!

Well, the baby is finally three. We started the celebration over Thanksgiving with a party with Grams, Granddaddy, Nanny, Aunt Nancy and Rory in Clarksville. Amy had a little one person cake (so cute!) and got her presents. She was so happy that it was finally her birthday!!!

Then, on Dec. 11, THE day, we went to Red Robin for supper. She had a great time. The waiters came and sang to her and that was big excitement. She told everyone it was her birthday, in case they couldn’t tell by her shirt. HAHAHAH

On the 13th, we had a party for the Humboldt side of things. We had cake and ice cream with Granny, Memaw, and Papaw. We tried for a Mickey Mouse theme, but do you have any idea how hard it is to find a Mickey Mouse cake? We managed to get plates and napkins, thought, and she was happy.

So, today is the 27th, and it’s STILL not what was supposed to be her birthday. (She was due on the 28th). I had a random thought the other day that she could have been the New Year’s Baby if she has decided to fully cook before making her grand entrance.

quick funny----

Amy is pretty much potty trained. She poops in there most of the time, but always pees. She even gets up at night to use the potty sometimes.
Any how, this morning she tells me she needs to poop. So I say go to the potty. She goes in there and piddles around and ends up pooping in her pants.
Me: "Amy you need to put this in the potty. Why did you poop in your panties and not in the potty?"
Amy: (looking with sweet round eyes and in the most innocent little voice) "I pooped in the potty on Tuesday."

It was about the funniest thing I have ever heard. Needless to say, there was no way I could be mad after that.

Amy quote

"I so strong Mama. I SUPERBABY!!! I fly like a budderfly!!!"

But the question is, does she sting like a bee? ;)