Faith

On October 3rd my Grandmother was rushed by ambulance to the hospital with a 104 degree fever, a blood pressure of 70/55, and a ton of blood in her urine. She had a raging sepsis infection and her doctors were less than optimistic.

After weeks of roller coaster like emotions, Hospice being called- she starts to prove everyone wrong and decides that despite the fact that her doctors gave her less than a week to go- she'd like to call the shots when she wants to head to Heaven.

Now is not that time. She's eating again. She's recognizing us again and is back at the nursing home. Not the ideal place for her; however, it is our only option as she requires twenty-four hour care and her insurance doesn't cover that.

The exact day she headed home my Father had a doctors appointment. A bit past due, admittedly. He's not a fan of doctors and thinks that because his Father is still happily trucking along at 95 that he will, too.

A few hours after his appointment the VA(Dad's a Vet so they handle most of his medical needs) called insisting that he come to their ER as his blood count was critically low and he was critically anemic.

The whole family heads down there. I do mean everyone:my Brother, my Mom, Kenzie, Duane, and myself. Dad's blood was even lower than in the afternoon and he earned himself a bed on the fifth floor and 3 pints of fresh blood.

After lots of test his doctors discovered that he has a large(expected to be cancerous)tumor in his colon. They're a bit thrown off as benign tumors typically don't grow that large; however, cancerous ones are painful and Dad isn't experiencing any pain. Tomorrow he's scheduled to have it removed and Kenzie and I will wait it out in the waiting room.


Our family seems to be really being tested through trials and tribulations. Sometimes I wonder why everything gets put on ones plate at one time. Each second I remind myself that God is in control of everything. I have caught myself saying that I cannot handle that- but God seems to know my limits a bit more than I do.
I thought that my heart would not ever be able to love again after Zoey was called home- and here I am- completely in love with her sister, while still aching for her. God works in mysterious ways and all I am left to do is pray. Good old fashion prayer is better than any doctors diagnosis. I think my Grandmother's recovery is proof of that.

McKenzie: You're 11 months old today!!

Wow. In one month you'll celebrate your first birthday. I cannot believe how fast you've changed over the past 11 months. You complete our family more than you'll ever know.

Month 10 was a big month for milestones for you. You totally ditched crawling. You learned how to stand up without using something or someone as support. You've decided that walking is over-rated and you've begin to run. It i so cute as you still waddle a bit. You learned to clap along to songs and actually did this task when prompted to do so. You've never been a "parrot" type of baby, so this milestone shocked Daddy and I more than any other.

You're stomping your feet now when Mama sings, "Stomp, Stomp, Stomp your feet, stomp your feet today!" I made that up. Are you impressed? Haha.

You wave, blow kisses, and give high fives! You initiate love ALL the time by hugging and kissing those you're closest with. You absolutely love to kiss and hug on Bayleigh. Bayleigh humors you by giving you big, wet, slobbery kisses. You laugh hysterically and the two of you repeat these cycles.

You can say "No, No, No" but you shake your head yes when doing this. Daddy and I try to tell you that you're confusing us.

You're well on your way to ditching the bottle next month. You're only getting a breakfast bottle and a bedtime bottle. Everything else is in your sippy cup. You also learned to drink from a straw! Finally. You're a straw sucking pro now. You tried whole milk for the first time. Mama bought the Organic kind- you're not a fan of it quite yet. We Keep trying though.

You're fiery personality came out this month, too, with full fledged, toddler style temper fits. Complete with screeching and attempting to slap. You've earned some cool off time in your pack in play for this new milestone.

Nanny got you your first Rays shirt. You're quite proud to support Pop Pop's baseball team as they battle the Phillies in the World Series.

I cannot wait to see what month 11 has in store for us. We love you a bit more every day.

Up she goes

Kenzie has finally learned how to stand unassisted. This was her last milestone to ditch crawling. She's too freakin' cute with her bum in the air, I think!

The quality stinks as we were in the hospitals court yard waiting to visit my Grandmother.

Vote?

For who? I have no idea. I was dead set on one candidate and now I am not so sure.

McKenzie may have decided for us when she opted to tear my mail-in ballot. I was really shocked to see a dozen candidates. Oi. The debates are annoying me; the attack ads are, too. Duane isn't voting for anyone. I've never been so torn in any election. Moral issues are VERY important- but nowadays, the economy is, too.

Eeek! How many days do I have left to decide?

Discovering

McKenzie discovered the ocean today. She was fascinated by its sounds and colors. It is simply amazing to watch her when she first sees something new. Everything we take for granted she is amazed by. With her innocence I am amazed, too. She tried to grab at everything. Nothing was off limits. Not even waves. She didn't understand why she couldn't grab them. It was a bit hysterical. She quickly got frustrated and sat down which meant a nice wet tooshy for me. She rode home in a T-shirt and her diaper. Nice.

Shells and sea grass were loads of fun, too. She had an endless playground of objects she wasn't allowed to put in her mouth to sample.

Walking in the sand.Notice the grabbing?!

Bayleigh has a new best friend.

McKenzie has learned how to feed the dog. The dog gladly accepts McKenzie's new found generosity.