A Crazy Sort of a Day

Since midnight last night...

9pm Cara cried and cried in her crib. She is not feeling well and sounds very croupy.

10pm Still struggling to get to sleep, Cara is really wheezing.

11:30pm Still wheezing, Cara and I sit in the bathroom while the hot water creates enough steam to hopefully open up her little lungs.

1am Matt and I decide that Cara can't wait until tomorrow morning to get something to help her wheezing. We have a quick "Who's going to take her" discussion and I, despite having taken a Tylenol PM earlier in the night, decide I'll go.

2am Little Cara and I are seen by a very nice doctor in the ER who confirms, yes it's croup, but she will be fine with a dose of steroids.

3am We arrive home (did I mention it was 9 degrees on our ride home?) and Cara settles down for bed.

Matt, my sweet and considerate husband, called his mom to see if she would come over in the morning so that I could sleep. When I woke up the furnace repair men were already busy in the basement. So dear, sweet Grandma Sandy had the 4 kids in Allie's room, with all the doors closed, with a bunch of toys trying to keep warm while we were without heat. Cara was already feeling better, although kind of cranky (those darn steroids).

Allie continues to be quite stuffy and has a little cough, and poor Eli is pretty sick himself. I was able to take my nephews to the movies in the middle part of the day and we had a great time!

I think the Williams family is going to be just fine in a couple of days. I'm so happy to just have stuffy noses and coughs compared to what I know other families are dealing with. For now, I have four sleeping babies, a nice warm house, and a really great family picture that I'll be sharing with you sometime this week. Let's just say, there must have been some divine intervention to capture this picture! I LOVE it!

Why are the Kids Teeth Chattering?

Ah, another adventure in our house!

Around 9am this morning I finally sat down to have my first cup of coffee. I had been running around for the past 1 1/2 getting breakfast ready, feeding the kids, cleaning up, changing some diapers...Once I sat down I started to notice I was a little chilly. I asked Brady to come sit next to me and warm me up. Then I asked Eli to come over with us...that is when I noticed his teeth were chattering. Brady's nose was red and his cheeks were really cold too! So I checked the thermostat which is always set at 68 during the day and it read...62!

It was then I realized something was wrong with the furnace. I turned it up, nothing. I turned it off, then on again, nothing. I looked at my four kids, all of whom are sick, and knew it was going to be one of those days. I gave Matt a quick "We have a problem, fix it!" phone call. He got a hold of someone but they couldn't come until later in the day. He gave me a few options of using an oil heater and a tiny electric one. The idea of keeping my 4 monsters off of heaters all day long frightened me down to my very chilly bones. I made the decision that we would pack up and head to Grandma's for a while.

So we spent a few hours over there with all of the cousins. After lunch the repairman called to say that the problem was our thermostat and that our 21 year old furnace wasn't great, but it was working okay. So we decided to head home at nap time. It was snowing pretty hard, that really wet snow. The kids noses were running all over, they were cranky, I was getting soaked. I almost cried when I pulled into the driveway to see that the repairman was parked directly in front of the garage. That meant I had to schlep the kids out of the van, into the snow-filled driveway, while carrying the baby--and two huge bags, and get us all across the driveway, through the garage, up the sidewalk, up the stairs, and into the house. We finally made it there and thank God it was nap time.

It turns out we will be getting a new furnace tomorrow anyway. Apparently the tax incentive and energy efficiency make it a good purchase. That old thing could go any day. So tomorrow, with temps in the teens I think, we will be without heat for part of the day. Great plan for those who will be at work tomorrow, scary plan for the person who will be here with 4 sick and cold children!

Actually I'll be gone tomorrow for a little bit and Grandma Sandy will be here with the kids. I'm taking my nephews on a lunch/movie date. It's an annual tradition! Of course I'll have to see how the situation is going here at home. We may need to take another field trip to stay warm!

Here's hoping you are staying warm wherever you are!

The Fun Continues

The family is in town through next weekend, so the Christmas party continues over here! Today we did church, then lunch at the Chinese Buffet. Yes, totally classy, I know! But what other establishment can give us a table for 13 with 5 booster seats? Matt and Allie stayed home to give Allie and her cold a rest from all of the excitement.

Later on in the day everyone came over to our place for pizza and wings. My sister and her family just crave NY pizza and wings and Santinos never fails to satisfy their craving:) I think it is safe to say that Minnesota isn't known for its pizza. My kids played with their big cousins like wild hooligans for hours. It's amazing to see how out of control they get with just a little bit of extra attention!

Matt is back to work tomorrow:( But how nice to have my sister and family to fill in the lonely time without him!

So Very Merry

 

Christmas 2009! The day truly exceeded our expectations! We started the day at home, with Grandma, Grandpa, and Great Grandma Vera joining us for Christmas morning!

The kids followed me into the living room as I jingled the sleigh bells. Here they are as they first saw the Christmas tree!

Brady quickly realized that the cookies we had left for Santa were gone!

Then the fun began!

  Allie came down with a cold on Christmas Eve, but she had a fun day despite not feeling well!

Eli opened a small helicopter and decided he didn’t need anymore gifts. He went into the playroom and sat all alone, to play with his new helicopter. What a sweet boy…

Allie climbed on top of the pile of gifts!

Brady wanted to open every gift and FAST!

 

 Cara got a new little doll house!

Next it was time for brunch…  Then we played for a bit and settled the kids down for a nap.

Later we were off to Grandma Kathy’s for dinner and gifts with my side of the family. This of course includes 8 grandkids, 6 of whom are 3 and under! My mom doesn’t “do” baby proofing, so it is non stop baby chasing!

Here are 5 of the kids: Allie, Natalie, Aubrey, Cara, and Eli

Cara’s beautiful princess outfit!

 Uncle Andy showing Brady his new car set.

 

Grandma Kathy and Allie, snuggling her new baby doll.

 The boys helping daddy open his new wrench set.

 

And my favorite picture of the day. Grandma and Brady by the tree. They are our two cancer survivors, or as they call each other “Numma and Goofball!”

I posted a facebook status update yesterday that went something like this, “Present are opened, stockings unstuffed, the excitement has dwindled. But the true meaning of Christmas, the birth of our Savior, is the gift that goes on and on…”

I’m so glad for that!

Twas the Night Before Christmas…

 

And all through the house…

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse…

The children were nestled, all snug in their beds. While visions of sugarplums danced in their heads.

 

 

The Williams family

is ready for Christmas!

 

The cookies for Santa are out…

 

The stockings are filled…

And our hearts are filled with the joy of Jesus’ birth!

O Come, Let Us Adore HIM! 

 

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

What a Happy Birthday

So I'm 31...and I'm okay with it. I certainly feel 31 and some days more like 51!

You can't complain when you kids sing you Happy Birthday all throughout your day! They were so sweet about it and couldn't wait to have cake!

I started the day having breakfast with two other special people at my church who share my birthday. We had such a great time that we are going to try and make it a tradition. Thanks Pastor, Joyce, Greg, Laurie, and Allison for a great start to my day! By the way---did you know you get a free Grand Slam at Dennys on your birthday? Now you know!

The middle part of my day was spent home with the kids. I did a lot of cleaning and prayed that they would settle down for a long nap. Happy Birthday mommy, they all slept from 1-4!!! Matt came home a little early and he and I snuck away for a quick dinner out. My sister and her family flew here from MN today and were at our house after dinner for cake, along with mom, and my brother's family. Total chaos ensued as the 8 cousin (6 of them 3 and under) played, wrestled, chased, and got reacquainted!

So--it's official! It's Christmas! Merry Christmas to all!!!

Flashback to Where It All Began

It was one year ago tomorrow that Brady's saga really all began. December 23, 2008 was the day we were told that there was something wrong with our sweet boy. I thought it important to tell the story of that day. Mostly because I didn't start blogging until January 14, so I never wrote it all down. I want Brady to know about that day, how our hearts were broken, and to understand how God was working out the details each step of the way.

December 23, 2008
It was 2 days before Christmas and our house was busy! The triplets were 1 1/2 and Allison was just 6 weeks old. It also happened to be my 30th birthday. We had made an appointment 2 months prior to see a developmental pediatrician at Strong Hospital. Despite being told my 2 physical therapists and even our own pediatrician that Brady was probably just "behind", we both knew something was wrong.

Brady had done everything first. He was the first to come home from the NICU, first to sleep through the night, first to sit up and to crawl...but then the firsts stopped. Eli and Cara caught up to him and then surpassed him. At 18 months of age he wasn't walking, and in fact seemed to be regressing. We had sought out early intervention for him 2 times, and he finally qualified when he reached an age at which the gap between his age and his motor skills was big enough. Physical therapy wasn't going well. Brady was unhappy and just seemed to be falling further behind. Our boy that used to pull to stand rather quickly began to struggle to get his legs under his body.

I don't remember too much about what I was thinking on our way to the appointment. Looking back I was totally oblivious to what "could" be wrong. I thoroughly thought the doctor would just tell us that Brady was a low tone kid, maybe because he was born 6 weeks early. The doctor listened to us describe Brady's history, and then began evaluating his reflexes. This is something Matt had done several times and had detected an irregular reflex. The doctor asked to see him walk, Brady reluctantly held our arms and attempted walking. I remember the doctor asking Matt and I what thoughts came to mind when we heard the term, "Cerebral palsy." I instantly remember that horrible flushed, hot, sick feeling you get when you hear words that will change your life forever. I remember answering him by saying, "It's a life long condition, you don't get better, you can't physically do everything a typical person can." He shook his head in agreement and then went on to tell us that Brady had spastic diplegia, a form of cerebral palsy that affects both legs. The next few minutes were a blur for me, I remember hearing that this problem probably occurred at birth, due to prematurity and small brain bleeds that often accompany being born early.

I hated that he was telling me that this was because Brady was a triplet born early. In my head, I argued with him, "No, I carried those babies to 34 weeks. All the doctors told us that we were out of the woods for those types of things." I was devastated that this had to do with my pregnancy and carried a lot of guilt out of that office.

He told us that Brady would need to have an MRI of the brain to confirm evidence of a brain bleed. The scan wouldn't be for another month. I think at some point I interrupted him and blurted out, "So, will Brady ever play t-ball?" It sounded like a stupid question, t-ball? My son was just diagnosed with a permanent, life long condition and all I could think about was t-ball? I asked this question because I knew at the moment, in that room, my husband's heart was breaking. This was his Brady boy, his little clone. I knew that all of Matt's hopes and dreams for Brady were now in limbo and that with a little bit of hope from this doctor that yes, he would play t-ball, that Matt would be okay. I'll never forget when the doctor looked at me and answered, "He won't be able to do everything, but he will find plenty he can do." After that heart-breaking response, he went on to tell us that he was confident Brady would walk, but when and how well would remain to be seen.

Matt and I didn't talk much on the way home. We cried and cried, we sat in silence. I was overwhelmed to think that I had triplets, a newborn, and now a disabled child. How would God give me the strength to handle this all? Why was God piling this all on me? Didn't He remember that I was the kind of person who could find herself depressed and anxious when life handed out too much?

He knew all of that. He also knew that He was preparing me for the biggest battle of my life. This terrible day really brought Matt and I together. In the month that followed, leading up to the scan, Matt and I scoured the internet during every waking moment. Every night he would be on the computer upstairs, while I was on the laptop downstairs, reading every article, journal, and blog we could about CP. We read, we took notes, we discussed, and a seed of doubt started to grow. We both started to question this doctor's diagnosis, the pieces just didn't fit. CP is a condition from birth, Brady had developed normally until about 13 months. A regression of skills led us to believe that Brady wasn't born with this, something had happened at some point. We didn't know what it was, but I started to really believe that the doctor should scan Brady's back just to check things out. I even remember saying to Matt, "Honey, people have all sorts of tumors in weird places that can cause all kind of problems." We frequently watched Mystery Diagnosis, and I was a bit of a hypochondriac after learning about all of the diseases out there! I told him I was going to call the doctor and insist on a spinal scan.

When I did call, the receptionist questioned me and said, "What makes you think this needs to be done? You aren't the doctor!" I called again and again. She finally told me that if our insurance would cover it, then they would do it. Our insurance denied the scan. Luckily it was the beginning of January, and open enrollment for insurance plans was just starting. Matt had to switch plans at work, and once we did, we resubmitted our request and then scan was approved immediately. This is one of those times in my life that I know God intervened on Brady's behalf. Without this scan, we never would have known that Brady had cancer. The tumor would have paralyzed him without us even knowing it was there, and most likely the Neuroblastoma would have spread beyond a point of survival.

You all know the rest of the story. If perhaps you are new to our blog, you can go back and start reading at January 21, 2009.

Christmas was a very sad time last year. We had broken hearts, a crippled son, and our hope was fading.

What a different feeling this year. My sister arrives tomorrow, the Christmas season will be in full swing, and my heart is full of so much joy and hope. This isn't just because Brady is healthy this year, but because of all that God has shown me in the year 2008. He has taken my broken heart and restored it. He has taken our sorrow and shown us a greater purpose. He has taken our critically sick son and given him a hope for a full life! All of this from the God that was born in a simple manger so long ago. It is my hope that all who read our story will come to know the hope and joy that can only be found through Jesus.

Thanks for allowing me to share that story with you all tonight. I'm sure I'll be checking in with some great pictures in the next few days.

From our very merry family to yours, Merry Christmas one and all!