Elizabeth Update

We went to the doc yesterday, and I promised to give an update. However, we don't have any real answers yet. I am so excited to have found a pediatrician who is very thorough and kind. Her staff was also very kind...even in spite of Elizabeth missing her nap and acting like a little two horned monster.

Here is what we know:
Something strange showed up in Elizabeth's lung during the MRI. So the radiologist asked for a doc to follow-up with another x-ray or CAT scan. We have already given Elizabeth several x-rays so rather than rush to put Eliz through more radiation, we are going to double check the x-rays that we already have, but rather than check Eliz's spine, we are going to carefully check her lungs. The x-rays aren't with the radiologist anymore so I have to go to 2 different docs to get them and drive them downtown to the radiologist. This time the radiologist is going to talk directly with our new pediatrician to discern whether or not we need additional x-rays or the CAT scan as suggested. Eliz is NOT acting like she has any type of sickness now. She is even more rambunctious than usual...and giving me quite a run for my money :( It's a good thing she's cute.

We don't know:
What the problem is still remains a mystery. It could be that during the MRI Eliz wasn't taking a full deep breath thus relaying a "problem" in her lungs. It could also be that since Eliz was a preemie, her lungs weren't fully developed. Or it could mean that with all the RSV, bronchitis and other illness Eliz had as a baby, her lungs were damaged. At this point, we have NO idea. And since she isn't exhibiting any signs or symptoms of pneumonia, we are not gonna just dope her up on antibiotics.

I believe that the pediatrician is being very thorough, and she will not stop until we have all the right answers. I am very thankful to have found such a diligent, caring pediatrician. We have certainly found some amazing docs since the accident, and we are praising God for his provision.

I have cancelled any further appointments with the pediatric ortho doc (who has been completely wonderful) until we have further answers on Eliz's lung condition. I will follow up with her once we know more details about Eliz's lungs in case we need to revisit some bone issues - which at this point the MRI has revealed a clean bill of bone health!!!

Keep praying for answers, and pray for my sanity as we drive all over the place getting the right care for all of us!

And a brief update of the rest of us:
- Mat's wound has completely healed!
- Mat sees an ortho doc next week to find out what's wrong with his knee - speculation of a torn meniscus.
- I am in my 5th week of physical therapy and seeing small bits of improvement already!
- The Highlander is back in the shop for the 2nd round of fixing b/c we were very disappointed in the first fixing. We are currently driving a BRAND NEW GMC Acadia as a rental.
- We have not purchased a 2nd car for Mat, but we are borrowing a very nice Honda from Mat's mom's husband's mother who also lives in Orlando and has been very generous to lend it to us!
- Our house in Dacula is currently on the market! We are waiting on an inspection and appraisal, and we are heavily praying that it's appraised for what we are selling it for!
- Mat cracked a tooth & gets it fixed Thursday.
- I get braces Thursday of this week.
- I am going to an arthritis doc, and we think I have osteoarthritis and sjogrens. Further tests are being run to check the diagnosis :(
- We have had a flood in our bathroom (again) so repair guys have been here for a week trying to solve the flooding problem. SOooo glad we are renting!
- And as if we don't have enough chaos in our life, we are starting school MONDAY!

Shewee...that's a list. But our spirits are all positive, and we are so thankful for God's constant provision!!!

MRI Results for Elizabeth

Holy cow, I'm reeling a little bit from the news we just got. Many of you know that Elizabeth had an MRI last week b/c she's been complaining that her back hurt ever since the accident. There was a bruise on her back and continued pain that made her fall to her knees crying out in pain. So 6 needle pricks later b/c the nurses had such a difficult time finding a vein in my dehydrated little princess, Eliz was put to sleep and given an MRI of both her thoracic and lumbar areas.

Today I got the phone call that the results were not clear. In fact, they didn't show any back injuries at all. They showed that Elizabeth has had pneumonia all this time! I immediately called a NEW pediatrician, and we have an appointment scheduled for tomorrow at 3:15. Her pediatric orthopedic doc is forwarding the MRI results to the pediatrician so she can get a good look and diagnose it.

I honestly don't have any experience with pneumonia. I do have experience with a loving heavenly Father though. I know that He may very well have used this accident to get Elizabeth the treatment for her pneumonia that we would never have known she had if we didn't follow up with the complaints of her back hurting.

Right know, we are still suffering through the inconveniences of getting the car fixed, finding another car, going through physical therapy, having tons of doc appts, plus we are still seeking treatment for Mat's knee and praise Jesus that his wound has nearly completely healed. However, I would go through all this inconvenience to get treatment for my daughter for a problem that we wouldn't have known about if we didn't have the car accident.

I'll update you all on the doc visit tomorrow. I never thought I would hear that she had pneumonia, and I'm kinda blown away by all this. We serve an awesome God!

An not so Typical Date Night

I have been listening to happy sounds all morning. With all the craziness in our lives this summer, there has been only a few random stay at home do nothing moments. Today, we have a few hours before our first doctor appointment (and it's even non-wreck related!), and I am sitting here with a smile on my face and a happy heart.

Last night was date night. Each of us took one child out and treated them to a very special evening. All morning the children have excitedly been sharing with the other all the events of their evening.

Mat took Elizabeth to Magic Kingdom where they road a ride of Elizabeth's choice (happened to be Pirates of the Caribbean - who would have thunk???). Eliz is a daredevil. She loves spice, but she won't admit it. She loves scary, but she wants a hug. Mat said he had his arm behind her, and she grabbed it, wrapped his arm all he way around her, and clung to it for dear life in the dark of that ride. Then they headed to Main Street Bakery for a sweet cinnamon roll treat. You should see the smile on her face that Mat captured in the photo of them eating. I'll try to post the pic later.

Andrew...well, let's just say that I treated him a little extra special. We enjoyed American Idol together. It's a show that we never watch, but this season started during a very busy time at the Sports Complex. Mat was working so Andrew and I made AI OUR special show. We watched every episode together, and we voted along the way. From the very first audition, Andrew loved Scotty. He was a die hard fan, and he voted for him, cheered for him, and most of all, he loved every second of Scotty on TV. So when I found out the American Idol Tour was coming to Orlando, I decided to pay the ridiculous cost to take my sweet boy to the Amway Center to watch the show. I had a little prompting from another AI fan, Robin, who told me that children Andrew's age often go to the AI Tour (she knew from past concerts she attended).

I didn't tell him until we arrived, and to say the least, he was speechless. He didn't have a reaction at all b/c he was in shock. I've never seen him that way. I even made a sign that said, "Scotty's #1 Fan!" and hid it from Andrew until we arrived at the Amway Center.

Needless to say, Andrew thoroughly enjoyed his evening, and I did too. We sat way up high which in the Amway Center is extremely steep. I've never seen such steep seating in my life. When they asked us to stand up, everyone in our section remained seated for fear of tumbling down the isle...every single person. It was actually kinda nice to stay seated! The kids did a great job singing, but by far, Stefano stole the show. He even took off his shirt, but we mostly liked his "show" that he gave while singing (and not the stripping part tho all the ladies did go crazy). He's going to be a famous actor one day. Mark. My. Word. Scotty and Lauren and Haley too...ok I'll throw Casey into that good category too. They were our favorites all along. We couldn't hear James very well, but he was also one of our fav rockers!

Now, a day later, we are a little tired for the late night, but the kids are enjoying each other and enjoying just being home. Right now, Andrew is reading a book to Elizabeth. It's a precious sight, and I'm going to enjoy it with them.

Elizabethisms

Ok...so I actually remember a few of the sayings from the day, and I wanted to post them before I forget.

Elizabeth has been drinking out of a big girl cup (aka normal plastic cup) while we are at home, but I've been packing a sippy cup for the road. Today, I packed an older princess "Bobby" (her name for her sippy cup), and said Bobby was all chipped and old looking. Elizabeth (who dislikes being called Lizzy now and promptly reminds me when I call her Lizzy that her name is E-Liz-Abeth (her break up of the syllables of her name is all too cute) told me with these exact words "Mom, my Bobby is all screwed up." I was tickled, but I also chastised her for using inappropriate language. Wow, the things 2 year old pick up and repeat!

We were on our way to watch the new Winnie the Pooh movie when Eliz (my preferred nickname since she now tells me not to call her Lizzy) found out we were meeting one of her favorite friends named Laura. Laura seems to be a difficult word for Elizabeth to say so she calls her Allah. Anywho, Eliz immediately became concerned about how she looked when she found out we were meeting her friend, and she said, "Mom, my hair is a mess. Do you have a hairbrush to fix my hair and make it like yours?" I told her I didn't have a brush, but she did want me to use my fingers to fix her doo.

So on this same car ride, Eliz asked me to tell her of there were "vellors" on my computer. I was so confused. I asked her if there were flower on my computer, and she said NO. By the time I finally figured out that she was saying "letters" she was shouting the word vellors at me in frustration. Poor thing. She's trying so hard to communicate.

Meanwhile, Andrew was reading one of his chapter books quietly. I just went to the library yesterday, and he's already completed at least 3 of his new chapter books. I'm talking serious reading. He asks if he can take his books with him everywhere. Now all he needs is some glasses and a pocket protector. Poor smart little guy. I gotta say, he teaches me something new that he's read about every hour. He is going to be a genius like his Dad!

And to complete the day, Eliz hurt herself slightly while I was in PT today. She then got upset with me b/c I took the object with which she injured herself away from her. That brought the tears, and she screamed...and went a running to her big brother for support. All the PTs thought it was absolutely adorable how Eliz ran to her big bro for her support, but I was irked. She ran to Andrew to "tell on me." Little punk! Love her, but she's still a punk!

Sweet Memories

I try so hard to write down the cute sayings my kids concoct. That is often challenging b/c usually the kids say the craziest things while I'm driving, and my memory is so bad that I simply forget when we arrive at our destination.

We were driving to PT the other day when the kids saw a convertible mustang with the top down (in the rain I might add). Elizabeth said, "Mom, that car looks Good!" I *dislike* her calling me mom, but it was just too cute that she was expressing interest over a convertible already.

Today, we went to story time at the library. Lizzy had been freshly bathed and had two piggy braids. She even snookered me into putting makeup on her cute little self. We were a bit late (meaning on time), and the room was already packed with children. Somehow my 2 managed to creak up to the front middle of the room where they sat like little angels. Andrew kept putting his arm around his lil sis, and she just stared up at him with eyes full of all the admiration she felt for her super hero big brother. At one point, Andrew invited her to sit in his lap which she gratefully accepted. All the adults in the room were watching my perfectly identical angelic children with awe. It was a super proud mommy moment! I wish I had more of those!

Andrew is full on devouring chapter books now. I have a precious friend who allowed me to borrow her Sonlight curriculum - for those of you non-homeschooling friends, Sonlight is a very expensive heavily reading based curriculum. I would never have allowed myself the luxury of purchasing it myself, but God made a way for me to share it with my friend. Andrew is so excited about it that he already started reading the books. He finished 1 1/2 (and they aren't shabby lil chapter books either) already, and I've caught him snooping through the rest. He will read books like the Wheel on the School, George Muller, and Heidi in addition to OH about 30 other books including some classics. I'm very excited about our school year.

Elizabeth whips out the ABC's and 123's often to "show off" a bit whenever Andrew and I start spelling something so she can't understand whatever it is we are talking about. I have got to get a video of her doing this b/c it's just too funny to see her all upset and roaring (with gusto expression) her alphabet. It's quite comical and always gives me and Andrew a good laugh. That girl is full of spunk. I say spunk b/c it's not just passion...there is something way to sassy in her attitude to simply say passion. She is a full on mess. She jams all the time, and in the car, I promise she just asked me if Blake Shelton was singing. ...and for all you readers who are interested in celebrating her birthday very soon with us, she wants a PINK Bible and Hello Kitty bedding for her new double bed/big girl bed. She has told us all a thousand times to make sure we remember.

I'll try to do a better job of remembering (er at least writing down) their cute sayings. They quotes come all to often, and you would all get a kick out of the way they talk. I know kids say funny stuff all the time, but my kids have a way of making their -isms very original.

Lizzy and the Ortho...

Elizabeth has been seeing a pediatric orthopedic surgeon since the accident. I'm pretty sure we found the best on in Orlando. She's been carefully following up with me, and she is very watchful of Elizabeth. Eliz seemed fine at the accident site, but she went home with a friend and started complaining of back pain. She ended up with a large bruise on her mid/low back area, and she didn't sleep b/c of the pain. We got a referral to a great doc who took x-rays and specializes is situations like this with children. She spent a great deal of time with Elizabeth watching her, poking on her, and talking with me. After a couple of these visits, she believes that Eliz needs to follow up with an MRI of her spine. B/c of the length of time it takes to get a spinal MRI (and likely b/c of Lizzy's age), they will need to sedate her for he test. After the MRI, we will need to follow up with the ped ortho doc. We are praying that NOTHING shows up on the MRI. I hope you will join me in praying for a clean MRI. If there is something there, it could cause growth issues.

I'm concerned. I'd be lying to tell you differently, and here is why: Yesterday, she slightly bumped her back while I was working in her SS class at church, and it caused her to scream in pain. Today I ran over her foot with a door, and she said ouch. The girl doesn't cry unless she's being dramatic. She never cries b/c she's in pain. She's complained incessantly about her back being hurt from the "car wreck." I think she may be acting dramatic or copying me, but the doc confirmed that we just can't be sure. I'm so thankful to have found such a thorough doc!

Update on our June

I haven't been on the computer much in the past few weeks, and that would b/c I haven't been home much. And the time spent at home has been filled with chores. But with half of the chores done, I wanted to take a sec to tell you about how things are progressing this summer.

The wreck was I don't know 5 or 6 weeks ago now. Mat's wound is healing up nicely, and he has returned to work. He still has a couple of much smaller holes in his leg, but he can get around better. He is still experiencing discomfort now clearly in his knee. The ortho doc says that we will have to do an MRI on his knee after his leg wound has completely healed. There is suspicion that a torn meniscus is the source of the pain, but we will only know further once the MRI is done. He can't walk around much without get a very swollen knee, and he limps by the end of each day. He has to ice it and just take it easy for a while...which is a challenge for someone as active as Mat. He is doing fine following doctor's orders, but he is frustrated with the length of this ordeal...as we all are.

I am super sore myself. My hip hurts like fire, and my neck isn't doing well either. I'm on pain meds, I have physical therapy 3 times a week (which doesn't seem to have helped at all at this point but I'm still hopeful), and as if that weren't enough, I have arthritis, tremors and I'm getting braces on Wednesday. Could this summer get any more exciting?

I'm so behind on all the things that I need and had hoped to get done during my summer break. I had hoped to reorganize my school room, change Lizzy's room from a baby room to a big girl room, and get our book shelves under control. A portion of each task has been accomplished at least.

We still have our super helpful Amy here with us for the next few weeks, and we had hoped that she could babysit the kids so we could go on a date. Our dates have consisted of hospital stays, doc visits, and physical therapy trips. We're still hopeful to get to go on a date before the summer is over!

Now we have had a bit of fun. We had one pool day this summer - well, Amy, the kids, and I did while Mat sweated on the sidelines. We also took Amy out last night for a super special birthday dinner at a Downtown Disney restaurant. And...Amy, Andrew and I went to Animal Kingdom for a couple hours a week ago. We've also watched lots of Netflix movies recently. My goal before the summer is over is to visit a beach or go to a waterpark...both attainable considering Florida summers last longer!