One look at our blog and you know we are in the thick of a major reno. The electrical is done and drywall boards are in place. We are managing quite well in our small kitchen downstairs and are enjoying cooking with a frying pan and hotplate. We also have discovered Donairos, a very delicious restaurant that makes donairs (yummy). Although life is chaotic we consider this a normal chaos. We even had a leaky water tank and a leaky roof but we still don't feel we are buckling under the pressure. I think we built a lot of resiliant muscle last year and we continue to stay strong despite these minor inconveniences.
Last week I was able to help out two very dear people with the deliveries of their babies. For the first one, I got to be right there when the baby arrived and the second one, I was able to help them in the beginning of the labour. What an awesome job I have!! I feel honoured that those special moments were shared with me and I could work along side them.
The swine flu hit Shaelyn last week. It was confirmed that her classmates had it. Shae had an unbreakable fever for 3 days and a very sore throat and dry cough. She bounced back rather quickly. Kourtney's school had been hit hard also by the virus. Thanks to parents obeying precautions and keeping their kids home, Kourtney has not been hit yet. (I was thinking the drywall dust must be protecting her nares) - just a side note . . . there are some doctors that are suggesting nasal pharyngeal washings. Just the though brings tears to my eyes. Of course having just said that she just came home from school with a stuffy nose. Todd and I both remain as healthy as can be and are hoping it stays that way.
Kourtney is still doing quite well. Over the last year there was a peculiar odor that was dominating her. It was sometimes so bad that we could smell it as soon as we walked in the house. I phoned Dr. Courtemanche, he suggested trying antibiotics to clear it up. We had tried that many times before and the smell dissapated but never completely went away. So we tried again and to our complete joy the smell is now gone. We can now leave the dressings for up to 48 hours and the smell is minimal. I know it may seem petty but to a 12 year old girl, it is very important,
Typicaly November to about February can be the worst months for Kourtney and the rest of our family. We are savouring the good times and continue to feel blessed that we weathered the storm and continue to stay strong. We are planning a trip at spring break and a Harrison get away over the holidays. We are looking forward to the completion of our kitchen and feel overwhelmed by the generousity of the trades people in getting the job done with expediancy.
This is the one year anniversary of our blog!! Thanks for reading and supporting us with your prayers, concerns and interest.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Continuing to Smile
It is Sunday morning 0900 am and I am still laying in bed, dog at my side, cup of coffee and my laptop!! Shae and Kourtney continue to snooze and Todd is at church. The quietness of the morning has given me some time to reflect on this week. All I can say is that life has a interesting way of working itself out that just makes me grin. There is a certain beauty to life when you "lose the control" (not lose control) and allow God to work things out in His time. It is a practice that has not been perfected by any means in my life . . . but this week I felt as though I have come a long way.
If I were to step out of the room this morning I would be hit by the fact that there is a huge kitchen reno going on. The kitchen has been taken right down to the studs. I feel the drywall dust in my teeth it is so thick in here, but somehow it doesn't seem to matter to me. Of course I know that the end result will be a spectacular kitchen. But I am thankful I can see the forest through the trees. Todd has worked very dilegently in getting the kitchen ready for the different trades people. At the beginning of this week we weren't sure how long this reno would take but we have all our trades people lined up ready to start work. How awesome is that!! If everything goes according plan we should have our new kitchen by the middle of November.
We went through a difficult thing with Shaelyn this last few weeks with some friends. I won't go into detail. The old mama bear in me wanted to intervene and micromangage the situation, but, Todd and I both decided to let things play out they way they needed to. I just could not understand why, for once in our lives, things couldn't just fall into place. In the end Shaelyn proved herself strong, confident and capable to have many people take notice and comment on her skills. Things fell into place . . . just not in the time frame that I wanted it in and without me trying to stick my nose into it.
This semester at school Kourtney has done very well in math. She has always struggled with the facts, not the problem solving. Most summers I have great intentions for her memorizing her math facts, usually with hindering results, (reason right there why I chose nursing over teaching) but this summer I didn't push anything on her. I released the control and in the end Kourtney found her own way of excelling in math. I feel this ways with her anemia issues, her walking, and her skin. I have to let and allow life to work itself out the way it needs too.
This week I found myself in a very sticky situation, but was able to get through the crisis and see amazing results out of it all. I stayed calm and was able to say the right things. Years ago I wouldn't have known how to handle this but over the years I have learned just to "wait".
I have come to the conclusion that this is a very difficult balance being a mom, wife and all. But there is a certain beauty in not staying awake at night trying to work things out in my head. I almost feel spoiled in this role of motherhood that I can enjoy my life and not have to worry about trying to make life happen. I am looking after my self spirtualy by throughly enjoying a Beth Moore bible study, mentally by breaking up the daily grind by going to work and physically by doing Yoga. It is a very freeing area of life to be in and I take comfort in it (even right now Shaelyn wants the laptop but I am holding her off).
This morning I woke up with a grin on my face. . . . now have to take this grin out of bed and start some much needed housework.
If I were to step out of the room this morning I would be hit by the fact that there is a huge kitchen reno going on. The kitchen has been taken right down to the studs. I feel the drywall dust in my teeth it is so thick in here, but somehow it doesn't seem to matter to me. Of course I know that the end result will be a spectacular kitchen. But I am thankful I can see the forest through the trees. Todd has worked very dilegently in getting the kitchen ready for the different trades people. At the beginning of this week we weren't sure how long this reno would take but we have all our trades people lined up ready to start work. How awesome is that!! If everything goes according plan we should have our new kitchen by the middle of November.
We went through a difficult thing with Shaelyn this last few weeks with some friends. I won't go into detail. The old mama bear in me wanted to intervene and micromangage the situation, but, Todd and I both decided to let things play out they way they needed to. I just could not understand why, for once in our lives, things couldn't just fall into place. In the end Shaelyn proved herself strong, confident and capable to have many people take notice and comment on her skills. Things fell into place . . . just not in the time frame that I wanted it in and without me trying to stick my nose into it.
This semester at school Kourtney has done very well in math. She has always struggled with the facts, not the problem solving. Most summers I have great intentions for her memorizing her math facts, usually with hindering results, (reason right there why I chose nursing over teaching) but this summer I didn't push anything on her. I released the control and in the end Kourtney found her own way of excelling in math. I feel this ways with her anemia issues, her walking, and her skin. I have to let and allow life to work itself out the way it needs too.
This week I found myself in a very sticky situation, but was able to get through the crisis and see amazing results out of it all. I stayed calm and was able to say the right things. Years ago I wouldn't have known how to handle this but over the years I have learned just to "wait".
I have come to the conclusion that this is a very difficult balance being a mom, wife and all. But there is a certain beauty in not staying awake at night trying to work things out in my head. I almost feel spoiled in this role of motherhood that I can enjoy my life and not have to worry about trying to make life happen. I am looking after my self spirtualy by throughly enjoying a Beth Moore bible study, mentally by breaking up the daily grind by going to work and physically by doing Yoga. It is a very freeing area of life to be in and I take comfort in it (even right now Shaelyn wants the laptop but I am holding her off).
This morning I woke up with a grin on my face. . . . now have to take this grin out of bed and start some much needed housework.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
We will take what we have....
Yesterday Kourtney and I went to Children's hospital for a few appointments. We have now been discharged from seeing the pshychologist since we have now "slayed the bath dragon" and the post traumatic stress disorder is now been worked through and processed.
Kourtney received another iron infusion yesterday. We were somewhat in shock when we found out that her hemoglobin still remains low. Unfortunately the iron still has not been mobilized from the bone marrow to create stores of iron which are needed for red cell production. The hematologist is now going to talk to the big guys down in the USA about possible treatments for her anemia. He doesn't know if Kourtney needs more iron or more EPO . . . anyways, I still feel my daughter is back, happier, healthier, and full of life. She is loving voice lessons, using her wheelchair less at school, doing well in all subjects at school and is crying less during her bath. I am so glad that I don't have to worry about desperately trying to find possible solutions to her anemia issues. Is it not a little strange that these "bone marrow" issues keep popping up? I still have a feeling that a bone marrow transplant will be in the works in the years to come.
We have now officially started our kitchen demolition . . . yay! I still have a fridge and dishwasher for a couple of days, then it will be hotplates, barbecues and frying pans. The existing floor plan is gone. This kitchen will be nice and user friendly!!
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. We will be celebrating our Candadian Thanksgiving with our international relatives all the way down in Bellingham, Washington. It will be a better one than last year. Life is good around here. We will continue to keep you updated.
Kourtney received another iron infusion yesterday. We were somewhat in shock when we found out that her hemoglobin still remains low. Unfortunately the iron still has not been mobilized from the bone marrow to create stores of iron which are needed for red cell production. The hematologist is now going to talk to the big guys down in the USA about possible treatments for her anemia. He doesn't know if Kourtney needs more iron or more EPO . . . anyways, I still feel my daughter is back, happier, healthier, and full of life. She is loving voice lessons, using her wheelchair less at school, doing well in all subjects at school and is crying less during her bath. I am so glad that I don't have to worry about desperately trying to find possible solutions to her anemia issues. Is it not a little strange that these "bone marrow" issues keep popping up? I still have a feeling that a bone marrow transplant will be in the works in the years to come.
We have now officially started our kitchen demolition . . . yay! I still have a fridge and dishwasher for a couple of days, then it will be hotplates, barbecues and frying pans. The existing floor plan is gone. This kitchen will be nice and user friendly!!
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. We will be celebrating our Candadian Thanksgiving with our international relatives all the way down in Bellingham, Washington. It will be a better one than last year. Life is good around here. We will continue to keep you updated.
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