Counting Blessings...

Here are all of Avonlea's medications-yucky! Poor kid.






There's nothing worse than having a sick little one and wishing it was you who was sick instead of them. Avonlea wound up at the doctor's office three days ago after waking up at 10:45 in the morning. She normally wakes up between 7:00 and 7:30am. I let her sleep because I thought she might have had a long night or something (she was coughing quite a bit, but never cried for me to come and get her). Anyway, being new at this, I wasn't sure what to do but after waking her up and feeling her forehead and entire body burning up, I immediately called the pediatrician. They said to bring her right in. She had a temp. of 101.6 and her pulse-oxide was 92 (it's supposed to be 100) meaning she wasn't getting enough oxygen through her lungs. They gave her two breathing teatments (nebulizer again) and some medication. We were there for 2 hours!!! She kept falling asleep (very unAvonlea-like) in my arms as nurses were rushing around her checking stats, etc. I was NERVOUS! They sent me over to the hospital for a chest x-ray to make sure it wasn't pneumonia (yikes!), but luckily it wasn't. Being pregnant, I wasn't allowed in the x-ray room and poor Avy had to be held down by the x-ray techs. while I waited outside getting teary-eyed. Not a fun day. We had to keep her on meds all through the night every four hours and the following night as well. Last night she actually got a full night's sleep (praise the Lord) and she's much better today with the acception of her coughing and occational wheezing. She'll be on medication for the next week and then breathing treaments (a steroid called Pulmicort) until April. Hopefully we'll get this nipped in the bud, not only for her sake, but also because Lincoln will be making his way into the world June 11th, if not before.

As far as how I'm feeling...nights aren't a restful time anylonger. Getting up to pee 4-5 times a night and rolling around trying to get comfortable isn't my definition of a good night's sleep. That's not to mention listening to the baby monitor making sure my little girl is still breathing okay. I thought life as a stay-at-home mom would be easy...um NO! I find myself more in charge and responsible for things. I constantly calling people and making appointments for the house addition (contractors, etc.), keeping the house spotless so that at the drop of a hat, people can come and view the house (which has been happening-yea!) and trying to teach Avonlea as much about being patient, waiting, and how to handle frustration as possible before little linebacker shows up.

It's weird. I was on the couch last night watching American Idol (will Sanjaya please leave!!!) and I could feel Lincoln's foot kicking hard. I pressed in and he kept pressing out, like we were playing a little game or something. It wasn't until last night that I started getting ancy to hold my little boy. I had a weird dream last night that his foot was sticking out of me (strange) and I was walking around with a foot hanging out of my belly! I've also been "nesting" lately with washing the new clothes we've received, sorting through Avy's old stuff seeing what he can wear (green/yellow/white onesies, socks, bibs, etc.) I have so much to do: packing up our entire house, moving and picking out what the kids' bedrooms are going to look like (I'm a nut and think that both kids' rooms will be completely done by the time the baby comes-NOT!). It's times like these that I have to hand everything over to God, trusting that HE will take care of things, including my sanity. I've always strived to be a "Proverbs 31 wife/mother" and have to remind myself that it's okay to mess up once and awhile. It's okay to ask for help, to cry, to need time for myself, etc. I'm only human. It's times when I'm just having an "off" day that I have to remember that there are so many mother/wives out there who have families just like I do and can't give them the healthcare, the nutritious meals, the safety and all the things a mother/wife should be able to give her husband and kiddos. It's those times that I thank God for His provision and blessings.

**Take time today to thank God for allowing you to be a free American, fed, clothed, educated, allowed to voice an opinion, opprotunities, healthcare, employment and able to worship God freely. We have so much to be thankful for and yet how often do we really thank God for all that He does in our lives?