Bunk Bed

Violet recently moved into the bottom of the bunk bed. She and Amelie are both quite pleased.

A Shutterfly Shout Out

Yeah, so this ISN'T a sponsored post, but Shutterfly is going to get some free advertising here.

Amelie has recently gained control of the mouse. (she's been having a great time on Starfall, by the way.)I bought Linus' birth announcement from Shutterfly last week. Amelie wanted to see them, so I pulled up the website and signed in. I must have walked away at that point.

Fast forward two days. I sign in to Shutterfly to track the announcements--to see when I can expect them to arrive. The tracking thingy isn't working, so I check my order history to make sure everything is hunky- dory. I notice not one, but three orders in my order history. Huh? I just placed one order, right? Apparently, two orders for 200 prepaid prints (at 12 cents each which is a fabulous price, by the way) have mistakenly been charged to my account.

Yes, you read that correctly. TWO orders for 200 prepaid prints.

Let's see...
200 times 2 is ...
400 PRINTS!!
WHAT?!?!?!
I most certainly DID NOT make those purchases.! I sent an e-mail immediately to customer service stating just that as well as asking what they were going to do about crediting my account. Humpf. I most certainly will never use them again!!

And then, AFTER I sent the e-mail, over the next day or so, I thought about it. I think you can probably tell where I'm going with this. You've got it. Amelie, my non-reading three and a half year old, unknowingly purchased 400 prints. I received a reply from customer service. Here's an excerpt:

"Placing an order is not something that is easy to do accidentally as the items have to be added to the cart then you have to click on check out, enter your credit card info and then click one more time on a Place order now button. Might another member of your household have placed this?"

"not something that is easy to do accidentally" That was my favorite line. Pretty funny. I've tried to duplicate what she did and haven't been able to do so. So I replied and explained my situation. Duncan and I had talked about how we probably haven't purchased 100 prints since Amelie was born and that it was unlikely that we'd use 400 over the next two years. (yeah, so there good for two years which is a good thing) We decided to ask that they cancel only one order, since I can use some prints to finish their baby books and others to send to relatives. (and 12 cents a print IS a great deal!) I also included an apology for my tone in my original e-mail--assuming that it was their fault and not mine, which, in reality, couldn't be further from the truth!

So here's the free advertising. Shutterfly graciously agreed to remove one of the orders. I was very thankful that it was as easy as sending a few e-mails. And yes, I've learned my lesson. When you teach your child to use the mouse, don't abandon the computer when you're signed into websites that house your credit card number. Fellow parents of small children, please take note and learn from my mistake--even if your child has demonstrated a knack for knowing a good deal when she sees it. (I'm so proud.)

Disposable Diaper Review

Since we are nearing the end of our exclusive use of disposable diapers, which started on August 6th, I find it appropriate to express some opinions about diapers of the disposable variety. First, allow me to offer a little back information. We were given excellent advice before Amelie was born. We were encouraged to wait to start using cloth diapers until the baby was two months old. It was pointed out that babies poop constantly until they are about that age. At that point, they slow down and poop only two or three times a day, in general. (This is for breast fed babies, by the way. I don't know about those fed on formula.) The thinking is also that so many people start out using cloth enthusiastically and then stop quickly because they are so discouraged by the amount of laundry they're doing.
Once I had a c-section with Amelie, the decision was made to start using cloth diapers when she was around two months old, which is what we did, and it worked out really well. She was in cloth diapers exclusively except for vacations, the occasional lapse in laundry, etc. until Violet was born. When that occurred, they were both in disposables until Violet was two months old, when we resumed using cloth. That was the plan when Linus was born, but since I was in the hospital for the month before he was born, Violet has been in disposables for an extra month. I'll also add that when our children are in disposables, we have exclusively used Pampers. We felt that they were superior over the other major brands.
Upon Linus' birth, we were given some of every variety of disposable diapers--Huggies, Luvs, and Especially for Baby (the Babies R Us generic version). When Linus was in all of those varieties, he consistently had leaks. When he's in Pampers, leaks simply don't happen! Now I've heard the same thing from other parents, only with a different brand of diaper. Their children only stay dry in a particular brand. I find this so interesting. Is it because of how the child is built? For example. my children's body type best fits in Pampers, while my friend's child fits best in Huggies. What has been your experience? Do you have a favorite brand of diaper?
Oh, and the above picture? An 18-month old Amelie with a disposable swim diaper on her head, of course!

Just for Fun--Comparisons at One Month

In order of birth--Amelie, Violet, and Linus. Anyone see any resemblances? If they are there, I have a hard time seeing them.

Road Trips and Field Trips and Trips to the Potty

Thanks for your prayers for our trip this past weekend. The kids did well on both the trip up and the trip back. On the way there, however, we hit major traffic trying to get out of town. It took us two hours to get an hour away--ugh! It's so discouraging to start a trip like that! After we got an hour away in two hours, we stopped for dinner. When we started up again, it was a relatively uneventful and productive trip.
(Oh, and Lisa, we were headed to Central PA, not Western PA. Next time we're headed your way,however, we should try and hook up!)

Yesterday was Amelie's first field trip with her preschool class. They went to a local farm to visit their pumpkin patch. I went so I could experience this with her. It killed me to think she'd experience something like this without me! It was also fun to get to know the nine other children in her class, the teachers and some of the other moms. Grandma babysat Linus (along with Violet) for the first time (for about three hours) and he did just fine! She didn't even need to feed him. I fed him right before I left and right when I got back. It worked out really well.

In other exciting news, Violet seems to be potty training herself! I don't think I've changed a poopy diaper of hers in over a week! She lets us know when she has to go by saying "poopy potty." Sometimes she also pees, but that hasn't been her focus, so to speak. I'm certainly not deluded into thinking this is it, but I'm excited at the possibility that she'll be trained by her second birthday which is in February. I'm also not doing anything active about it (ie. putting her in underwear) since I have a six week old. Any advice from anyone about this topic would be much appreciated.

Linus Update

I know you're all dying to know how much Linus weighed at his one month check-up today! (Not really, this is just the only place I have to record it that I know I won't lose!!) He weighed 9 pounds 6 ounces! Woohoo!

In other news, Duncan's grandfather, Linus' namesake, is not doing well. We're making a last minute trip up to PA so Duncan can see him. Linus will also get to meet some more of his aunts, uncles, and cousins. If you read this before the weekend, please pray that our first trip with three children (much sooner than we anticipated!) goes well!

LVS is One Month Old!!

A sleepy Linus whoops it up as he celebrates his one month birthday by dozing on his Daddy's belly last night. He weighed 8lbs. 13 oz. this past Thursday. He's FINALLY over his birth weight of 8lbs. 11.5 oz!

Sisters

I'm amazed at how these two sweet little girls can have such a good time loving one another one minute and then be driving one another crazy the next. Such is the life of two girls two years apart. My prayer is that ultimately, they will be best friends.
Below are two videos from Friday. The first I took just because I thought the girls were super cute, standing on chairs and "working" at the counter while I unloaded the dishwasher. The second one I call "Amelie's Turn."(As a bonus, I get to try out this new blogger video feature.)

Tummy Time

The whole "back to sleep" campaign has apparently caused lots of babies to develop flat heads. So, doctors recommend periods of "tummy time" each day. I must say that since Violet has accidentally hit or kicked Linus several times WHILE I WAS SUPERVISING, putting him on the floor, on his tummy has not happened very often. The vulnerablity scares me. Needless to say, Linus' tummy time occurs in the late evening after all sisters have been safely tucked into their respective beds.

An Introduction to a Bouncy Seat

Last night, Linus got to sit in the bouncy seat for the first time. He was 24 days old and he noticed and played with the toys immediately! Amelie and Violet were weeks older, if I remember correctly, before doing this. Needless to say, this mama was highly impressed!

Walking in the Forest

an attentive Amelie on the tram ride
Violet was slightly stressed by the tram ride, so she went to sleep as a defense mechanism.


Yesterday, we had our first "just because" outing as a family of five. Amelie has had a desire to "walk in the forest" for quite some time, so we decided to visit the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. They have a visitor center surrounded by trails. They also have a tram ride that you can take to learn more about what goes on there. It was a great time and at a 10 minute drive and a total cost of $7 for the tram ride, we decided to be frequent visitors of this facility. Amelie's already asked to go back.

Twenty-three

Today, Linus is twenty-three days old. Does that number ring a bell? Twenty-three is also the number of days I spent in the hospital BEFORE Linus was born ( I was there for another four after he was born). For some reason, this past twenty-three days has gone by much quicker than the twenty-three days prior to Linus' birth. I wonder why =).
Recovery is going well. Linus continues to thrive. He's still not up to his birth weight, but he's gaining at an appropriate rate. Here's a summary--
On September 5th upon discharge, he was 7 lb. 11 oz. He lost a full pound in the hospital.
On September 7th, he was 7 lb. 13 oz.
On September 11th, he was 7 lb. 15.5 oz.
On September 19th, he was 8 lb. 6 oz. (which was my birth weight!)
Amusingly, Linus birth weight (8lb. 11oz) at 36 weeks, was more than either of the other two babies from church born this past week, both PAST 40 weeks. One was 8lb. 1 oz and the other 8lb. 8 oz. Duncan and I got a chuckle out of that one.
I've been essentially on my own with the three kids since Wednesday. It's probably a tad too soon, but I am just so ready to be back to normal. What used to seem like such a chore (loading and unloading the dishwasher, cleaning up after meals, changing Violet's poopy diapers etc.) is honestly such a joy. I am simply reveling in having my home and my family back. I look forward to being up for laundry and general cleaning. My house is returning to a semi-tidy state, slowly but surely.
I can't even express how full of thanks my heart is right now. I'm just so content and pray that I'll be able to keep things in perspective on a long term basis.

Linus' Original Birthday

Here's my Linus today, at 20 days old on what was supposed to be his birthday. Although, as far as God was concerned, it was never supposed to have been today. Hmmm. Deep thoughts.
All three kiddos in one photo--not an easy feat.
Linus on my shoulder. Duncan loves the position of his hands.
My first attempt of all three together. Not so successful. And I love my knees in the picture.
Ah! What have I gotten myself into?


So today, September 18th, was Linus' original birthday. The really funny thing is that the two women at church who were pregnant with me, and both due last week, are (were?) both in labor at the same hospital as mine with the same doctor as mine, today. Duncan asked if I was jealous. The weird thing is, in some ways I am. In other ways, NOT AT ALL!

First Day of Pre-School

The only tears shed were my own. I'll chalk it up to hormones. She had a great morning.

Tomorrow it should be Linus VICTORY!!!

On Monday, an "unhooked" Linus--finally we can see his sweet face!
It's rough being a baby! (I'm a sucker for yawn pictures.)
This was on Sunday when I nursed Linus for the first time.
On Friday, Amelie and Violet hanging out in the hospital waiting area.
On Saturday, Amelie and Birdie Grandpa (Duncan's dad) coloring at the kitchen table.


Tomorrow, well later today, as I check the time, Linus is expected to be discharged from the hospital. We are so excited at the prospect of being a whole family for the first time since August 6th. I'm ready to sit on the couch and nurse my baby. All this running back and forth to the NICU seems to have made my recovery speed up. My pain level is so low that I don't even feel the need to take my pain meds. However, the swelling is still pretty bad in my legs, which will get better once I can keep my feet up a bit more. Hopefully, that will be possible after tomorrow. I wish I could show you how big I'm smiling at the thought of Linus HOME with the rest of us.

Six posts in one day?

It's definitely a record. I'm going home tomorrow. I will be spending time enjoying my girls, my husband, my home and traveling back and forth from the hospital at least until Wednesday. (That's when Linus' course of antibiotics will be over.) I'm alone tonight and know I won't have much time to blog after going home. I so appreciate all of my blogging friends and family and wanted to share as much as possible, while I had the time. I'll update when I can, but can't promise it'll be very often. Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your love and prayers through all of this. God is so good.

Just the facts, ma'am.

I'm not ready to share the birth "story" complete with emotions, but I can share the factual details.
*My c-section was scheduled for noon, but they were running a bit behind schedule on Wednesday. I didn't enter the operating room until about 1:00.
*They were unable to start a spinal on me, so I was put under general anesthesia.
*Because I was asleep, Duncan had to wait in the hallway for Linus to be born.
*Duncan said he was born within 5 minutes of my "going under."
*Duncan got to be with him almost immediately and got to trim the cord. (They left it long when cutting it from me.) He's never cut the cord before!
*I woke up in the recovery room and got to see Linus for a few minutes before his trip to the NICU. Duncan went with him.
*My recovery took a while. It took my uterus a while to contract (I got a shot to help it) and I lost a fair amount of blood.
*I got to visit the NICU to see Linus and hold him before I went to my room.
*Linus is amazing and totally worth all of it.
*I am so thankful for modern medicine.

Pictures from yesterday and today...

Amelie LOVES baby Linus. This picture from Friday should prove that! Since the sibling age limit in the NICU is two, Violet hasn't seen him yet. She's pretty clueless about his existence anyway. She did see pictures today and got very excited. We'll see how she feels about his constant presence in our home in a few days.
This is Linus chilling out in his warmer this morning. He has an IV on his foot and a tube in his mouth for feeding and removing air from his tummy. Everything else is external.
This morning, I got to see Linus' eyes for the first time. It was very fun.

What's in a name?

I'm sure some of you are wondering where the name came from. As with our other two children (Amelie Muriel and Violet Ella), Linus' first name is one that we like and his middle name is one of his great-grandparents' middle names. Duncan's paternal grandfather, Maurice Victory Salada, was born on November 11, 1918. For those of you that aren't up on your history, that is THE day that The War to End All Wars, also know as World War I, ended. Grandfather was given the middle name Victory to commemorate the day on which he was born. We thought that was really cool and so we decided to use it. In light off the circumstances of my pregnancy with him and our birth experience with him, I feel it has many meanings, that I'm sure you can imagine.

Why is Linus in the NICU?

Overall, Linus is slightly premature and was born via c-section. These two things combined can be cause for breathing problems. When babies are in a contracting uterus and pushed through the birth canal, they benefit by getting the fluid and mucus in their lungs squeezed out. Since Linus was lifted out of a non-contracting uterus, his lungs were full of fluid and mucus. Often babies in this predicament will struggle with their breathing for an hour or two. If they don't stop "grunting," or struggling, they end up in the NICU. Since Linus' lungs are a bit immature, he's been slow to improve as his lungs develop. So, Linus continues to be in the NICU, but everyone is very pleased with his slow, but steady progress. He started eating today (my breast milk though a tube in his mouth) and once his respiration rate goes down, I will be able to try and nurse him. He's been on "room air" and the amount of pressure to force it in to him has been lowered twice today. This is a great thing! We're so thankful for the wonderful nursing staff that have been taking such good care of him. We'd appreciate your continued prayers for his improvement.
By the way, we are ever so thankful for the decision to wait three weeks to deliver him. Had he been born at 33 weeks, he probably would have struggled so much more. It makes the three weeks I was here SO worth it.

Linus Victory's "Birth" Day

These are some photos from Linus' birth. More later. Promise.

Drumroll Please...

Duncan, Nancy, Amelie, and Violet would like to announce the birth of---


Linus Victory Salada
8lbs. 11.5 ounces
20" long
born at 1:49 pm
on August 29, 2007

It was not and is not the most ideal of circumstances, but mom and Linus continue to improve. More info about a c-section under general anesthesia, Linus' continual stay in the NICU (which as of today is only until next Wednesday! yipee!), photos and a name explanation will come soon. Just wanted to give y'all a quick update. Thanks so much for your continual love and support through all of this. To God be ALL of the Glory!

This is it! 17.5 hours and counting!!

Tomorrow is the big day! Check back within the next few days for a bloggy birth announcement! If you think of it, please pray that all will go well tomorrow around noon. Thanks for all of your support through this experience!

Day 20 or Three Days to Go?

Which way should I look at it? I think I need to consider both. If I've been here for 20 days, I can certainly handle three more, right? I've settled into my new room, which is much smaller. It's more like a regular hospital room. The labor and delivery room I lived in for 17 days was about three times the size. However, I certainly didn't need all of that space. After I have the baby, I should be up on the postpartum floor, unless it's full. The overflow is down here by antepartum. I wouldn't be in this room, however, since it's not big enough to have one of those comfy beds, which Duncan needs in order to stay with me! So, we'll see how it all works out. Other than that, there's nothing much to report.
Thanks for your comments. And tammyo, I haven't read anything except for Harry Potter and some magazines. Concentration is pretty hard. HGTV has been another popular diversion. Although, I'm kind of sick of it. Makes me happy we don't have regular cable.

New Digs

It that even how you spell that? Well the big news today is that I've moved! The hospital decided to open their antepartum wing this afternoon and I get to be one of the very first "guests," as my doctor put it! My room is much smaller than the labor and delivery room I've lived in for the past 17 days. It's more like the postpartum rooms I've visited. So, if you're one of those people that calls or visits me, please e-mail me for my new direct phone number and room number. I pity the poor women that labor in my old room who keep getting phone calls for some lady named Nancy!
Six more days!!

Day 16

Seven days from now, I should be in a lot of pain and holding my little boy. I am so excited to meet him! And even more excited to introduce him to his sisters and to show him where he lives!! (Along with being there myself!!)

A Fresh Perspective

As my little boy hiccups, I'm marveling at the wonders a good night's sleep can do for someone in my situation. I didn't let on yesterday, but I DID NOT sleep well on Saturday night for a few reasons. I was kept on the monitor all night AND they started another IV. The nurse heard something "funny" with the baby's heartbeat and was essentially freaked out by it. Which, in turn, kind of freaked me out, understandably, I think. It turned out to be nothing that lasted, for which I'm grateful, and it seemed to be much more drama than was necessary. The frustrating thing to me was that it never would have been an issue if I were home, since I don't hook myself up to a fetal monitor three times a day while I'm there and it had nothing to do with the placenta previa. (Whoa, major run on.) So needless to say, I feel much better about things today. We're on Day 14 and that means 9 days until the c-section. Hmmmm, come to think of it, things sound better every day. As always, thanks for your prayers.

Negativity

As you all know, I've been trying really hard to be positive in this situation. However, today, I'm feeling pretty down in the dumps. I'm really struggling with feeling sorry for myself. Today is Day 13 and if all goes as planned the baby will be born in 10 days. That is exciting. I just miss my girls, my husband, my home, my life, my responsibilities so much. I yearn to be a whole family once again. It occurred to me, while Duncan and the girls were here this evening, that if all goes as expected, we should all be home together two weeks from today. But, I realized I haven't been here two weeks yet. Not until tomorrow, that is. That is discouraging. Ugh. I feel like such a whiner. I'm sorry to go on and on. If you think of it, please pray for my attitude.

Day 11

Yesterday was such an exciting day. So incredible, I didn't even get to post about it!
1. My doc said I could have wheelchair rides! So when my sister Karen came to visit, she wheeled me around the hospital, inside and out, for an hour. I still can't believe I spent 10 days in this room without leaving!
2. My doc said I can have showers EVERY DAY. You heard right, folks. This is such great news.
3. My c-section was confirmed for Wednesday, August 29th at noon. That's only 12 days from now! I'm nearly halfway there, when considering how long I've been here already!

Thanks for your continued prayers, calls, visits, comments, and overall support.

Roll Call

In no particular order, these are the folks that have called and/or visited me since I've been here.
Thank you, Lord for--
Carol Grace Duncan Amelie Violet Stephanie Mike Barbara Lynn Joy Linda Chelsea Megan Glenda Bob Irma Erin Megan Jen Mom Dad Terri Julie Carla Barbara Joy Diana Jill Suzy Ruth Jean Stef Pam Fix Rachel Heather Jean Becky...

Thanks also for your comments. It's exciting to receive them! It's not official, but my doc's surgery scheduler has requested Wednesday, August 29th as my c-section day. That would be two weeks from today! Hopefully, I'll get a confirmation soon.

Today I had a steady stream of visitors. Some even overlapped a bit. It certainly makes the day go fast! I feel bad I'm not partaking in all of the diversions people have brought for me, but talking to actual people is much better than just about anything else.

Duncan and I were talking about how it's nice to sit and talk with people, with no distractions or responsibilities. I've literally just sat and talked to folks for hours! I never get to do that anymore.

Oh--I finished the last Harry Potter book this morning. If anyone wants to discuss it, let me know!

Unexpected Happenings

Thanks so much for your sweet and encouraging comments. They are definitely a bright spot in my day, as is any contact with the outside world. Yesterday, my doctor said he doesn't like someone in my situation (a complete placenta previa) to go all the way to 37 weeks, so we're probably looking at 36 weeks. That means that I'm about a third of the way done with my time here in room 220. Have I written about how I haven't left this room since 11pm on Monday, August 6th? That's right. We're on Day 8 now. I'm glad it's an attractive room. It doesn't have a window directly to the outside, but rather a window to the lobby of the building, which has windows to the outside. So, from my bed, I can see what color the sky is. That is an encouragement to me.

And now, I can't say I expected--
* to wear a hospital gown for a whole week. I now have my new comfy pj pants from Old Navy.
* to take a shower using only one hand. My iv hand gets all taped up,with a glove over it so it doesn't get wet. It's pretty impossible to use in this predicament.
* to sit on a bench while taking a shower. The girls arrived during my shower yesterday and Amelie thought this was HILARIOUS.
* to only ever eat in bed. You've heard of breakfast in bed, but who's ever heard of lunch in bed and dinner in bed--every day?
* to get my sheets changed every day. Sheet changing is not my forte at home.
* to shop, blog, e-mail, and surf the internet from a hospital bed. Hence the new comfy pj pants from Old Navy.

I'm sure, as time wears on, I'll be able to add to this list. But that's enough for now.

Still here...

...not much new to post. I'm still here and am thankful to have six days behind me--six more days that the baby's been able to grow and develop and six days closer to when I deliver (whenever that may be!!)
I've had lots of phone calls and visitors, but am ALWAYS happy to receive more.
I had a very little bit of bleeding last night, which FREAKED ME OUT. Thankfully, Duncan was here and was actually able to spend the night. I'm not sure why it freaked me out, I think I just figured: "I'm on bed rest. I only get out of bed to go to the bathroom. I'm taking it easy. Therefore, I shouldn't bleed." But my day nurse was very frank with me today, saying--you've got previa, you're going to bleed. A little bit isn't bad. It's when it becomes very heavy and doesn't stop that it's an issue of needing to deliver the baby quickly. So, my struggle with anxiety continues and learning to rely on the Lord continues, as well.
I had a sweet visit with my girls today. We watched a Barney dvd on the laptop and ate Cheeburger Cheeburger. It was way yummy. Oh yeah, Daddy and Ducky were there too =).
In other news, the maternity p.j.s pants I ordered from Old Navy are in Baltimore and should arrive at the house tomorrow. I'm very excited to be out of the hospital gown. I've decided it makes me feel sick to always be wearing it. I'm excited to actually wear some clothes. I think I get to take a shower again tomorrow. That's exciting.
This post is very boring, I know. Maybe my next post will be about my i.v. That would CERTAINLY be more interesting, I'm sure.

++++Accentuate the Positive++++

Taking a shower for the first time in over four days is an amazing feeling. I don't know that I'll take a shower for granted for a long time. I've been here for just about four days and I'm settling in, I guess you could say. I've got books (including the latest Harry Potter), a cross stitch, a Bible, a Beth Moore Bible study, cable tv, my laptop, a mix cd that my niece made for me, and my cell phone. I've gotten to see my sweet husband and our sweet girls at least once every day. I've had many phone calls and several visitors. I can sleep as late as I want. Can you tell I'm working on remaining positive? Thanks for you prayers.

On being on bed rest...

...I knew it may happen, dreaded it even! This past Monday night, I started to bleed and went straight to the hospital, as my doctor had instructed. I was admitted and the bleeding stopped shortly thereafter. However, I'm here at the hospital, on bedrest, for the long haul...probably 3 or 4 weeks. That is, unless I start bleeding again. At that point I'd have a c-section regardless of how far along I am. I'm 33 weeks right now, so they're hoping to get to 36 or 37.
So, I blog from my hospital bed and am so thankful for my laptop and wireless internet service in the hospital.
*I'm also thankful that we changed health insurance, so that I can be at this different hospital that is only 15-20 minutes away from home, rather than the 30-40 minutes that it took to get to the hospital where the girls were born.
*I'm thankful that Duncan's mom was with us to help while my family was away on vacation. Because she was with us, and had been for four days already, we were able to walk out the door with out even giving her any instructions. We knew we were leaving the girls in good hands. Since she was with us, Duncan has been able to spend the night with me the last two nights. God was so good to have set all of this up for us.
*I'm thankful that the nursing staff here is WONDERFUL and that I've felt their empathy, received their care and experienced their compassion. I'm also thankful that many of them have no problem telling me that I could have it worse...helping me to keep things in perspective.
*I'm thankful for my sweet husband who is so good to me. Words can't even express.
*I'm thankful for my sweet little girls who come to visit me, Violet with her smiles and fingers to "tickle, tickle" my toes and Amelie who is being so brave and kind to me. She insisted on saving bits of her cookie for me, so that I could eat it when the doctor said I was allowed to eat. When I was told I was getting food, she handed each bit to me, only taking a bite of one of them=). She wipes my tears when it's time to say goodbye and sits in my bed with me for the majority of her visit. Man I miss my little girls.
This is just the beginning. I haven't even been here for 48 hours. I pray that God will use this time to draw me closer to Him...to help me gain perspective on life...to glorify Him.
If you're in the area, stop on by. I'm here and probably will be for a while.