Love the Summer and Looking forward to the fall!

JUST SAYIN!

Lately I have been paying close attention to a few people in my life whom I feel are pretty judgemental.   Not that I spend too much time dwelling on it, but I feel I need to vent just a little!    I question why people judge others?  Do they feel its their sole responsibility to point out the mistakes that are made by people whom are less than perfect?   I have heard rumors of someone pointing out things about me or judging me lately.  Keep in mind this person in particular has spent very little time around me and has no idea what a wonderful person I am!  LOL    Being in the field of psychology tempts me to constantly ask myself questions about human behavior.  What is the motive behind it?  What happened to this person (who is the judge and jury) in their childhood to make them so unhappy?   The more I think on this subject I realize that I may be judging the people that are judging me!  WHAT THE HELL?   I have also came to realize that everyone has an opinion and people have motives, feelings, thoughts that I don't always understand!   In a very stressed out world its easy to take the focus off of ourselves and put it onto others!     In my life I will try to judge others less and be a more positive person!  Forgiveness is a good thing!  Just let people be who they are!    I will have to work on the forgiveness part, because I'm just too PISSED OFF today!

DOING GREAT!

 It is so hard for me to believe how well Lucas is doing.  They removed the tube from his chest today, and he is in alot less pain.  He is up walking around!  Watching movies, eating pizza and enjoying a banana split.  I could not ask for his surgery to have gone any better!!!

Friday May 6th! Our LIttle Boy!

   Lucas is more awake this a.m, well for longer periods of time anyway!  They have taken him off his pain medication drip.  He got some Tylenol about an hour ago and seems to be doing well with that.  He does complain that his chest hurts but it doesn't seem to be as bad as yesterday.  He still has the drainage tube coming out of his chest.  I want them to take that out but dread it at the same time.  It is my understanding that this will be very painful for him.  He will be moving to a regular room soon and we are very happy about this.  He has had one nurse that is for him and him only!  This hospital is wonderful!  So far its less pain medications, moving to a regular room, getting the tube removed and hopefully eating!  Hes coming a long well! Oh I forgot to tell you his biggest complaint, his but itches!!!!  LOL

Resting!

  Lucas is resting well.  He woke up once asking for someone to help him sit up and asked for a pillow.  A couple of hours later he woke up crying in pain.  The nurse was wonderful and gave him more pain medications as soon as she could.  He had pace maker strips coming from his heart that have now been turned off.  His heart is keeping a healthy rhythm without them.  His blood pressure is good as well.  So all is good so far in this recovery process!

The hard part is over!!!!!

  So glad to report that all went well with Luke's surgery.   The doctor came in and talked with us about 30 min ago.  He says the surgery went well!   They did have to stop his heart and put him on bypass.   His heart was a little slow to start back up on its own.  But he is doing well now!   Our understanding is that he will be in intensive care for a couple of days and then a regular room for a couple of days, Then we get to go home!  That will be a good day.  A few weeks of recovery time and Lucas will be as good as new.  It is our understanding that this surgery will not have to be repeated.  Its a good day!   Thank you for all your prayers!    Keep them coming!     

Bless Lukes Little Heart!

   We arrived at the hospital about 6:15 this morning!  We registered and got Lucas Ready for his surgery.  They took him back about an hour ago.  They just called us to inform us that they had began his surgery and that all was going well!
  Charlie, myself and my mother are waiting patiently in a private waiting room that was reserved for us.  Someone from the surgery will call us every hour or so.  Its a very scary time.  They tell us that this is a common surgery for them and that the risk are minimal.  That's easy to say when its not your son.  They have been using words like Bypass, this is not a word I ever wanted used in the same sentence as my sons name!   For those of you just catching up Luke has 3 holes in his heart that could not be repaired by the procedure he had last month.  They informed us at that time he would have to have open heart surgery.  Back to today, the procedure should take about 3 hours.  They do have to cut through his breast bone and put him on by pass.  The thought of my sons heart not beating on its own scares me to death.  I know hes in good hands and this has to be done, however I would truly rather be having a long day at work, or cleaning my house with the kids!  Those days are looking better and better all the time!
Will keep you all posted!

Life Goes On!

       We had a wonderful Easter Weekend.  I spent some quality time in Carmi for a couple of days ALONE!  Well without short people that is!  Dad and I had been planning a turkey hunting weekend and he got stuck out of state when his semi truck broke down!   So I got to hunt by myself for a couple of days.  It was a learning experience to say the least!  Dad had spent about 5 grand on Turkey hunting supplies.  I learned a lot about turkey calls, owl calls, crow calls etc. 
My first morning was promising.  I was up around 5:00 a.m. ready to go to the woods!   Took my grandmother some coffee on the way! (she had no electric and that's another story all together)   I entered the woods in an area that dad had seen turkeys earlier in the year.  When I walked in I saw several Turkeys first thing.  SO EXCITING!  Well I saw their buts that is, walking away from me.  I used my calls for several hours and never saw them again.  Off to shed and mushroom hunt.  The next morning I had 2 hens come out of their roost in front of me, no males.    So I called and called with no luck.  The 3rd morning dad finally came home and we went together.  He went on on side of the woods and me on the other.   I immediatly heard GOBBLE GOBBLE several times!  I used my call and the gobblers started responding to my call.  Shortly after I had 3 male turkeys coming toward me!  YEA  We had turkey for Easter Dinner!   It was a good day!!!!!!!
         Carmi was in terrible shape after the storms last week.  My grandmother who lives out in the middle of country was out of power for ever!   The town was highly damaged.  As far as I know no one was hurt and that's all that matters!!!!!
         The kids and I enjoyed our weekend also with Grandma Brenda and Grandma Jean!   The kids love staying with my mom!   Its a holiday all in itself! 
          Back to reality!   Work is stressful,  The funding for the care of people with Mental Health issues seems to be decreasing all the time!   I do however get to go back to work full time and I am so thankful for that.  I have been part time for a couple of years. 
           My wonderful mother bought us a new floor for our living room, so our house is a mess!   I will be so glad when its done.  While Charlie has been working on the living room floor, our bedroom flooded!  Figures!  I am determined to get our home organized and repaired BEFORE Luke's surgery.  If I don't have some kind of mental break down before!  LOL
          Luke's surgery is scheduled for next week!  We will be so glad when it is over!    He may be in the hospital for 4 or 5 days!  After he gets healed up we are going on vacation.  It may just be to Carmi again, but this crew is going to do something fun!!!!!!
           So the point of all my ramblings today is I am completely stressed out!  Worried about Luke's surgery and dealing with a house that is driving me crazy!!!!
In about a month I am hoping that we can get on with Life!    I plan on getting back to not letting unimportant things stress me, Like the house!  
          We did have a wonderful weekend!  I am so thankful for my family!  My cup is really more than 1/2 full!

Happy St. Patricks Day!

    Well St.Louis has been interesting to say the least.  We arrived on Wednesday hoping to rest and relax before Lucas preop on Thursday!  Checked into the hotel, got some dinner and headed to the pool.  The indoor pool at the hotel is also the outdoor pool.  Lucas loved swimming through the divider and going outside.  The weather has been wonderful.  We enjoyed our first evening of relaxing.

  Thursday we headed to the Children's hospital for pretesting for Luke's surgery on Friday.  He got chest xrays, an EKG and a sonogram.  As always Luke was a trooper!  The day of testing went well and we decided to go to the zoo for the last hour and 1/2 it was open.   Well not paying much attention to all the traffic, assuming it was normal, and all the people running around in green.  We aren't very observant I guess!  I had totally forgotten it was St. Patricks day!  Even after spending hours with the twins building Leprechaun traps, I still forgot!  It took 30 minutes to get near the zoo and it was packed.  I am told that the biggest parade and celebration that St. Louis has was happening today.  Of course we missed it!  

  We headed back to the hotel for dinner and another swim!   Then Lucas and his daddy started playing a game on the computer that I thought would never end!

  Friday morning we arrived at the hospital for Lucas surgery.  Dr. Nich, as we like to call him, came into talk to us about the possibilities.  All those things that parents don't like to hear.  Then they always add in statistics.  I tell ya, I have had my fill of statistics.  I really don't want to hear about them anymore!  Well this surgery was to be 90 something percent effective.  There was a 15 percent chance that they could not repair the hole in his heart.  Sounded good to me, both STATISTICS were on our side!

  After the surgery Dr. Nick informed us that Lucas had 3 holes, 2 that we did not know about.  He said this type of surgery could not fix the holes.  Lucas will have to have Open Heart Surgery in May!  So much for Statistics!  As I write Lucas is resting well, not moving and on some good medications to keep him that way!  I have read 1/2 of a novel and ate everything I could afford in the vending machine!  Charlie is sound asleep!

I have faith that Lucas will be OK, but I am horrified at the thought of him having open heart surgery!  But we keep doing what we need to do!   Enough Already!

The Benefit!

I am actually at a loss for words, but feeling like writing anyway!   Last night my friends got together and held a benefit to help with our medical expenses.  This story starts about 2 months ago.   My friend Melody asked me what I thought about a benefit.  My immediate reaction was no and a big no!  Don't ask why?  I really have no idea.  I just didn't want to accept any help!  Well fast forward a few weeks later and 2 of my other friends suggested it again, not accepting an answer immediately, they gave me time to think.  Well I did and decided it was a great idea!    So all of these women got together several times and planned the big event.  A lot of cell phone minutes were used up during this planning process!    It was to be an all you can eat buffet with fish and shrimp from a catering service.   The catering service canceled at the very last minute.  So my friends had to come up with something to feed a crowd, purchase the food, and cook the food in under 3 hours!  I think I would have just threw my hands up but they pulled it off with flying colors.  All of their husbands cooked hamburgers and pork burgers.  The food was wonderful and the deserts were to die for.  They gave away a lot of wonderful prizes!  It was just a wonderful night!  Our children had a great time at the "dance party" they called it!   I enjoyed seeing so many friends and family that I had not seen in a long time. 

I really am at a loss for words!  I don't think anyone has ever done anything like this for me in all of my life.  I cant put into words what I think about all of these women.  They banned together and made Lemonade out of Lemons for sure.  I suggested to them that they do this once or twice a year for different people because they were so good at it!  I'm not sure if they liked the idea or not. 

We received a lot of help from Charlies buddies as well!  They banned together to really help us in a crisis!  It was wonderful to see all the cards and messages we received from different people.  Going to the mail box was fun for a while!  LOL

In the end I have learned how precious  life is, keep your eyes on people that matter to you, and there are alot more people that care about you than you think!   We are a very lucky family!   To whoever is reading this I have a lesson for you!  If ya need help ask for it!  If you get help pay it forward to someone else.  Always BELIEVE in people around you and yourself!  God Bless!