The Abney Family

Happy Valentines Day Aunt Sis!

2012-02-12T20:10:00.002-05:00

This is for my Aunt in New York, who sent us shoppin' this weekend so the kids could pick out something fun for Valentines Day!

T H A N K Y O U !!!

Daddy Daughter Dance

2012-02-10T19:31:00.002-05:00

So there must be hundreds of "daddy-daugher dances" going on tonight! Who knew there'd be a run on corsages at the grocery store??? Little Miss C is hopefully having a fun time with her Daddy right now!

Christmas in February

2012-02-01T21:00:00.004-05:00

THANK YOU, POP & GRAN, FOR SENDING CHRISTMAS OUR WAY! AS YOU CAN SEE, WE'RE SUPER EXCITED AND OUR HOUSE IS FULL OF THE SOUND OF MANY BELLS RIGHT NOW. :-)

A New Room!!!

2012-01-29T21:32:00.001-05:00

Well, we did it!!! Our wonderful parents kept the children for the weekend and I worked on giving Mr B a new "big boy" room! Here's the happy little man in his new bed when we arrived home tonight.

Grandma, Nana, Papa, Grandpa....here's a part of what I was able to accomplish with your generous help - T H A N K Y O U !!!!!

The Beautiful Part

2012-01-05T18:51:00.002-05:00

So if you read my last post and saw the reality behind the wonderful, here's a glimpse of the fun part:

A plethora of Hello Kitty "stuff" from Grandma...

The Tractor (with the dead battery that we didn't realize was dead until Christmas Eve...so the poor kid had to just sit on it for the first week he had it!)

Me and My Boy

Santa's Cute Little Helper

Reading the Book with Nana

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year from Us to You!

Lest It Seem Perfect

2011-12-27T20:28:00.001-05:00

Before I post our best Christmas pictures and make you believe our life if picture perfect, I will show you the reality that was my kitchen on Christmas Eve. Have a good laugh. :-)

Ben laying in the kitchen floor playing with play-doh....play-doh which was supposed to have stayed in the cookie sheet. Yeah right, Mom.

My kitchen table is under here somewhere. Play-doh containers, a princess wand, box of lasagna noodles, purple tin of stickers, basket of cloved oranges, kleenex, a princess crown.....

The kitchen island. I managed to keep it clean for a few weeks after Thanksgiving, which was quite a feat! Now....a half-eaten banana, a half-finished cup of coffee, a gift from under our tree that Ben decided to unwrap, saran wrap, a piece of the dollhouse that needs new batteries (it still needs batteries 5 days later), family photos, coupons....

The only crowning jewel is my clean stove tackeled amidst this chaos

(it doesn't look perfect in this photo, but trust me it was as clean as it gets)!!!!!

We'll follow-up with our fairy-tale Christmas day soon! :-)

2011-12-20T16:50:00.000-05:00

Quote of the Day:

"I have to get on my underwear, then I'll marry you." Ben to his sister, after he stepped off the potty, as she was acting like the Princess-in-waiting.

If that's any indication of our day....here's what Ben chose to wear on his head earlier this morning:

(In case you can't see - it's a pull-up)

We've been anticipating every day until Christmas by either having a special treat or doing a special activity. Last week we made a gingerbread house - which is now half-eaten. :-

Yesterday we made Christmas cookies - the kind you roll out, cut, bake then decorate. They came out very cute...we love sprinkles!

Early in the month we attended the lighting of the Marietta Square Christmas Tree and arriveal of Santa Claus. The kids had a great time listening to local school choirs sing on stage and then watching Santa arrive on an old Marietta Fire Engine! Here's a photo op before the sun went down.

Tonight we're going to drive around and look at Christmas Lights. So I'd better go and make the spaghetti so we can get out of here. As for Mama, I'll be up 'til midnight trying to get some gifts wrapped. Our barren tree looks pitiful!

Choo-Choooooo!

2011-12-07T15:19:00.000-05:00

On Sunday my long-time friend and I got brave and took our kids to ride the Blue Ridge Railroad's "Santa" Train! Ben and our friend especially love trains and were excited! On the other hand, Little Miss "C" informed us on the way there that she didn't care much about trains because they were loud. :-) But she ended up having fun anyway!

This was a "conductor" - he didn't drive the train, but gave us a good photo op!

Sitting in our seats.

We were visited during the 1-hour long ride by Rudolph, Frosty the Snowman and Sanda & Mrs. Claus. We sang Christmas carols, heard a Christmas story and were given jingle bells, a coloring book and candy canes.

Back to our house - the other morning Little Miss "C" brought me several hand-written invitations to the Ball. She and I were princesses and Ben was the Prince. He had to pick who he wanted to marry at the end of the ball. He picked his sister. :-)
Can you tell we're reading Fairy Tales in our house EVERY day????

Twick o Tweet

2011-11-01T21:43:00.002-04:00

Here's pics for the Grandmas, Aunts, Friends, etc. I'm all out of words...but it was fun!

"Don't Come In"

2011-10-15T14:09:00.003-04:00

I bought a pillow at a garage sale last weekend. It says, "Little Miss Drama." That describes life with my 4-year-old little girl to a tee!

She's started writing a lot of notes and things, some which I can decipher phonetically. One night last week she came into Ben's room while I was putting him to sleep and told me, very seriously, "Mom. Don't come into my room." After a few questions, I agreed to knock before I came in.

When I left Ben's room and entered the hallway, there in front of her door was a pillow (to block the way) and this note:

Can you make out the 1st three "words"? "Dod kum n" = Don't Come In

Then, of course, she had to pose with the note yesterday when I was taking a picture of it.

And yet another photo shoot, which she directed, of her black cat dress and spider headband. I think she made me take 4 or 5 shots from different angles, with various props, etc. The other day she yelled to our neighbor, "I'm pretty!" oh man.

Little Miss Drama - Little Miss Interesting - Little Miss Negotiator

We love her.

Oh Me, Oh My

2011-10-07T21:26:00.000-04:00

Oh Me, Oh My! Where does the time go???

When our story last ended Little Miss "C" had started her new school! Now we're 7 weeks in and she's doing great, although I do hate to have to wake her up and hurry her along on the mornings that she goes. 4-year-olds just won't be hurried!!! They've far more important things to do like wear buckets on their heads!!

Mr. B started Mother's Morning Out at the end of August. I was shocked and proud that he entered his first day of class like he'd been doing it forever! But don't you know that little boy ended up with a cold a day later! Due to his cold and our beach vacation, he basically missed his firs two weeks of school! He had fun at home, though, playing in the empty storage bin. :-) No....I didn't put the lid on.

Ahhhhh....the beach. We waited until most folks were in school and took our family to the Gulf Coast for the first time (I hadn't been there in 9 or 10 years!) We rented a cute little cottage across the street from the beach and enjoyed finding seashells and walking on the beach. Nobody swam in the ocean for some reason....it didn't help that the 1st day we went to the beach our neighbors pointed out a small shark swimming along the shore! We met a nice family from Arkansas with four children ages 5 and under, so the kids had friends to play with on the beach and we had a few good conversations about our faith and family because they pastor a church.

Kids trying to smile as they got bitten by flies while Mom tried to get the perfect picture!!!

Look at me, Mom! (His favorite phrase

All this boy needs are a few cars or trucks and he's a happy guy.

The week after September 11th we visited the flag field at Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield. 3000 flags - this was my second time seeing the famous"field of flags."

I can't possibly remember all the stuff that we've been through and experienced the past two months, but can tell you that Ben is talking up a storm and wants to copy everything he sees his sister doing and hears his sister saying! He's so good at playing by himself with his cars mostly. He LOVES being outside and especially jumping in puddles. He's very into "bumpies" (i.e. speed bumps/humps) these days. He just HAS to run over the bumpies in any parking lot where we happen to be, and will stop and watch cars go over the bumpies. More interestingly, at home he'll open books and lay them down so that the book spine makes a "bumpy", then drive a car or truck over them. He's also into Monsters - being a monster, playing like there is a monster, asking "where are the monters", etc.

Little Miss "C" is becoming quite a drama queen. She just can't stand to be by herself and just has to have a friend to play with. The other day, there was only ONE chair in our den that she could possibly sit in - she had a complaint about every other chair in the room. She still loves doing "projects" that involve glue, scissors, paper, paint, etc. I'm trying to find an inexpensive and small desk to put in her room so she can set up a "project station" in there that little brother can't get his hands into. She's quite a little mother hen - and also a bit bossy. The other day she went with Daddy to Home Depot and Dad was having trouble locating what he needed. She told him, "Dad. We have to find a manager. A manager can help you!" When he didn't respond, she took it upon herself to walk to the end of the aisle and find someone who could help. When Dad looked up, she was talking to a customer explaining the situation. Later, after Dad called her back to him, she wandered to the other end of the aisle and started motioning for someone to please come help her Daddy! :-)

Four

2011-08-15T21:14:00.001-04:00

Baby girl turned 4 this month. She's been a very busy girl this summer! Here's to you, Sweet C.

Painting pottery for a "girls night out"

Getting ready to go golfing with Dad (holding a birthday gift...dunno why)

1st Day of School

The "big girl" bike she got for her birthday!

There's so many more fun photos and stories to share from summer - soon to come!

Two

2011-07-24T15:23:00.000-04:00

HAPPY [BELATED] BIRTHDAY, MY DEAR BOY!

June 30, 2009

June 2010

June 2011

June Fun

2011-06-15T19:29:00.000-04:00

June is rolling right along and, as I type, RAIN is finally coming down outside! Feels wonderful...and my grass thanks you, God. Just took a sinfully delicious peach cobbler out of the oven and thought I'd plop a few photos online before plopping cobbler into my mouth.

Once we returned from vacation, we had Little Miss "C"'s first sleepover. Her cousins and Aunt came over...we went swimming, roasted marshmallows, watched a movie and negotiated sleeping arrangements (now THAT part was funny!).

Little Miss "C" managed to have a burnt marshmallow and didn't like it...not because it was crunchy on the outside but because it was mushy on the inside!

Ben is talking up a storm and putting together 4-word sentences. His lastest fun things to do are to jump (with both feet in the air), to put on his hardhat while he's playing, and looking at a book about BIG trucks and construction vehicles (we have to read this book in the morning AND before bed every day). He can hear a motorcycle in the distance and identify it, and is learning the differences between types of construction equipment. His favorite toy this week is a toy chain saw that my friend loaned to him (now that it's making noise in MY house, I know WHY she "loaned" it to us!)

Little Miss "C" is attending Princess Dance Camp this week and loving it. She's learning a dance about Rapunzel, as well as Princess Table Manners...which include saying "Please" and "Thank You" and drinking quietly! Here's our dress rehearsal as we packed her backpack on Sunday:

Today when Ben and I went to pick her up, Ben ran out of the church and totally wiped out on the sidewalk. He whacked his forehead pretty hard....see the red spot that appeared after his nap? Poor thing....both my kids have bandaids on BOTH knees. Been a "rough" summer for them so far...but ice cream pops make everything better!

Finally, my baby will be TWO in two weeks. Sad when it's your last one and you know you won't have any more baby to hold! He's a hoot and we are so grateful for his sense of humor and his love for all the things that draw his attention. Little goof ball...

The Canadian Rockies

2011-06-02T13:33:00.000-04:00

It's gorgeous! Daddy is sitting in his conference this morning so I went driving around and came across these mountain goats.

Our hotel in Banff is just like a castle.... a pricey castle!!

The view from our hotel room window. Sunset is around midnight - sunrise starts around 4:30am!

Grizzly bear cub we saw alongside the road yesterday.

Lake Louise - still frozen.

Canyon hike we did yesterday.

Fun Days

2011-05-25T21:42:00.000-04:00

This is what happens when my daughter has to play alone in her room for a while...she finds a reason to come out. She not only dresses up now, but she bows and sways and kind of moves in slow motion to "act" like a princess. I'm not quite sure what the cat mask is all about, but it HAD to be around her neck!

We had some HOT days early in May, so we broke out the sprinkler and a new water/sand table that I scored for $2 at a garage sale to have some fun in the sun. Little Miss "C" got mad about something....so I took a picture of her mad face:

Mother's Day Tea at the beginning of May was very sweet. The children brought us into the room one at a time, sat us down and asked us, "Would you like Water or Lemonade?" They were so proud to be serving us and have us at school!

Last Friday was our 1st official day of "summer" (no school), so we went with friends to Canton to visit Farmer Sue at the Art Barn. The kids got to touch and pet goats, sheep, a cow, donkeys, a horse, chickens, pigs...and go on a ride behind the tractor. Here are a few photos of our morning.

"Things I Should Be Doing" Have Won

2011-05-08T16:22:00.034-04:00

How do I catch up on...what???...almost 4 months of life? The "things I should be doing right now" has been winning the blogging war, and rightfully so. We are, indeed, still on the face of the earth. And so that I can free myself up to enjoy the next thirty minutes, here's what I really should be doing right now:

Cleaning my closet, including putting ALL of my winter things away
Entering 5 months of receipts into Quicken
Writing down my recipe plan and shopping list for the upcoming week
Going through the kids clothes and packing them away appropriately

Cleaning my floors (My mom was here this weekend and said, "One way to tell how clean the floors are is to look at your socks." She should have said, "one way to tell how dirty your floors are - my socks aren't white anymore!"
Enjoying doing NOTHING on Mother's Day......

OK...now for the photos and stuff we've been up to.

FEBRUARY
Coordinating in Brown! Ben was fighting a cold & ear infection part of the month.

Little Miss "C" went ice skating for the first time and did pretty well, I thought!

Ben tried finger painting for the 1st time :-)

Little Miss "C" enjoyed her 1st circus with friends in Atlanta. These are the guys who ride the motorcycles in the round cage. Unbelievable...

Wearing Mom's old (VERY old) Mickey Mouse Shirt!

MARCH
Daddy spent all of his spare time studying for his Boards, which he passed at the end of the month! Then it was turkey season, so he hit the woods. We were able to get outside a lot more - YEY!

This is pretty much what Ben plays with 90% of the time - anything with wheels. We've got more cars in our house than I ever dreamed we'd have!

Just like Daddy riding his 4-wheeler in the street.

APRIL
With April came spring break, a trip to Papa & Nana's house, a few days for Little Miss "C" with Grandpa & Grandma, a family trip to Stone Mountain and Easter. Busy month....

Goofing off at Papa & Nana's House

Stone Mountain

Easter!

We've Played, We've Cooked, We've Cleaned...and now, we're finally OUT!

2011-01-12T14:22:00.002-05:00

The snow is still hanging on for dear life - our "total" has gone from 6 to 4 inches on the deck and we've got beautiful icicles hanging from the gutters! Yesterday morning was great fun sledding outside - Daddy made it home from his night shift at work via his 4-wheeler, and Mommy got busy in the kitchen with Peach Cobbler and "from scratch" dark chocolate brownies!

Passing the time completing a Light Bright picture! Daddy got it started and Mommy helped with the finish.

Mommy finally got to get on a sled - Ben didn't like it very much!

Several friends let Little Miss "C" ride with them down the hill across the street.

Today Little Miss "C" had her 1st visit to the dentist! She did wonderfully and has a paper airplane and a little rubber ducky as prizes to show for it.

It was nice to get out, but the roads are still pretty icy in many spots and it's soooooo cold - the wind blew us right inside into our warm home. And now we're going to all take a rest.

We're Seeing White

2011-01-10T13:18:00.000-05:00

Somewhere between 6 and 7 inches is the official total at the Abney house today! It looked like we were inside a gorgeous snow globe last night around 10:30, and it just kept falling. Daddy has spent much of the morning outside - his 4-wheeler has proved great entertainment for the neighborhood! The "hill" in the yard across the street has made a perfect place to sled as well, so it's just now at 1:00pm that we're back inside, dry, fed and (mom hopes) ready for some REST.

I'll Get It!

2011-01-06T20:19:00.001-05:00

I know I owe Christmas photos...but the funniest thing just happened! The telephone rang and Ben started walking toward the kitchen saying, "I'll get it!"

That was a first... He's repeating everything these days which is loads of fun and, many times, funnny. He is a little clown and loves to get a laugh from anyone who might be around. 18 months and growing in every way - so thankful for the blessings and God's grace over us.

Here's a nice family shot from our white christmas - it's hard to tell, but that's snow on the ground behind us!

All the Grandkids with Papa & Nana on Christmas afternoon

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

2010-12-17T15:20:00.001-05:00

Peanuts, Turtles & Trees

2010-12-10T20:44:00.003-05:00

We braved the frigid arctic air to watch the tree lighting at the Marietta Square last week. Little Miss "C" loved listening to the school choir sing and asked later if she could be on stage and sing one day. :-)

We had a friend over this week and Mommy had the bright idea of letting the kids play in the styrofoam peanuts that had come in a box that day. It was hysterical!!! By the time we were finished playing in the "snow" there were little pieces of white all over EVERYTHING - kids, cabinets, hair, walls, potty. What fun...and thank goodness for canister vacuum cleaners!

Little Miss "C" and Daddy had a special day at the Aquarium today! Here are a few pics from their day.

Breakfast with Santa at school this week was great, although I don't think Ben had a clue! Little Miss "C" has told Santa that she wants a pink clock (and Santa didn't know that until this week...he thought he was finished shopping).

Our little Elf. Joy.

Next adventure - a Tree. Mommy insists on a REAL Frasier Fir, and that's what Daddy picked out. But when it came inside our house tonight at 8:45, Mommy insisted that it didn't SMELL or LOOK like a Frasier Fir. After much protest a Douglas Fir (argh) tag was located. The impostor tree is currently being returned and one very tired and frustrated Daddy is looking for ANOTHER "perfect" one.
Sorry, honey. I love you!

With Thanks

2010-11-26T08:51:00.000-05:00

I sat down last night and wrote a letter to both of my kids, telling them just how thankful and blessed I am to be their Mommy. It may not feel like it in the moment sometimes, but they truly are a special and long-awaited gift. Here are some photos from our November - can't believe it's been a month since we posted some!

Little Miss "C" loves her whiteboard - here's another fun drawing! She enjoys making pictures for our grandparents and sending them in the mail, too.

Ben with "B" in his mouth...typical day in the life!

All dressed up and enjoying a beautiful Fall day outside.

Funny little man...he's just learned how to say, "One....Two....Threeeeeee!" Also, "Thomas" is a new favorite and he thinks Thomas (the Train) must be on TV all the time.

Me and my beautiful baby girl enjoying Thanksgiving with Daddy's family on Thursday.

Trick or Treat

2010-10-31T21:10:00.001-04:00

Little Miss "C" had a fantastic time tonight - she was beyond excited to both get and give out "treats". Here are some photos of our Lion & Scarecrow!

Before the festivities...and celebrating 16 months!

2010-10-30T19:26:00.002-04:00

Before we have photos of tomorrow's dress-up to post, thought I'd take a few moments while Super Why is on (thank you, PBS Kids) and glimpse back at the past month. Especially since our little guy is officially 16 months old today!

Ben enjoying a cooler day out in the front yard, scooting around the grass! But GOOD NEWS....he started walking on Thursday afternoon!

Little Miss "C" with her hat and safety goggles, out in the back yard helping Daddy with some work.

Little Miss "C" had some fun days at school this month, including Spider Day. Don't know if you can see it well, but this precious hat has eight long legs sticking out from around the headband. Too cute! She's all into writing notes & lists these days (only some of her letters are legible) and carrying them around the house. Any "project" with markers and stickers is also a fun past-time.

While Daddy was in the woods for a few days, we took off to the mountains to visit Papa & Nana. Little Miss "C" had Scarecrow Day at school the morning we went, so she left her scarecrow costume on to "scare" Papa when we arrived at his house.

Nana & Little Miss "C" in their funny hats having a good time coloring.

As for Ben, he's a picky eater but he DOES like spaghetti!

I imagine that over the next week Ben will gain strength and start walking more than scooting, which will be a welcome thing for me (I think)! He's adding more words to his vocabulary....on the way to Nana & Papa's house, he spent about a mile of the journey "meowing" for some reason. He says "choo-choo" and is very interested in trains now. My friend Carrie says he's all boy because I complain that he goes from completely happy to pitching a fit in a matter of seconds. We'll see how that all plays out! He was pretty ill during the middle of October and awoke a lot at night with cramping & fever. For some reason since then he's waking a lot during the night and crying - usually the bouts of crying are exactly 1 hour apart and last about five minutes. Last night it was 12:45am, 1:52am, 2:56am and then 6:01am. Don't know what's up, but Mama is getting SLEEPY!

We've got a busy day tomorrow going to Church, carving a pumpkin, playing in the leaves and getting dressed-up. Can you guess what one of the kids will be????

Fall

2010-10-17T14:46:00.000-04:00

I'm embarassed at how much time has passed since I threw some photos up here! We've been hunkered down for three weeks fighting illnesses - from runny noses to runny bottoms and everything in between. Daddy is in bed today with a fever, Ben is napping and and Little Miss "C" is upstairs (supposed to be napping) on her 3rd outfit change of the day crying, "I need help!!!" Welcome to our afternoon, folks.

Ben trying his hand at coloring back in September

"Caroline Appleseed" came home from school a few weeks ago

Farmer Ben at Cagle's Dairy Corn Maize

Only $15!

He's a keeper.

The Beach 2010

2010-09-09T22:16:00.000-04:00

Here are some fun photos of our family's vacation at the beach the week before Labor Day!

Ben wasn't a beach-lover at first...he'd scoot across the sand and when he got tired of it, he'd point (and then scoot) towards the stairs back to the condo. I watched one time to see what he'd do if we didn't take him back, and he scooted all the way to the steps, crawled up them, and started scooting across the boardwalk. He meant business! By week's end he was more interested in the water and willing to play a bit more in the sand.

Little Miss "C" is a beach gal. She skipped and sang and played in the surf and sand like it was something she'd been doing every day of her life. The funniest thing that happened is at the condo - one day she decided that she needed/wanted to get her bathing suit on while out on our deck. So that naked little girl stood outside and struggled with her suit...that day and EVERY day afterwards! Hysterical...

The best we could do getting everyone to smile and look at the camera!!

It took a while for Little Man to get used to the beach!

Listening to the sound of the ocean in a shell

Ben's 1st "taste" of the surf in the ocean!

Our 1st attempt at a sandcastle

Sippy cup in the sand....yum

Hurry up, Mom, so we can get these hats off!!!

Little Miss "C" without her hat - wild hair girl!

Being Sweet

Ben's Turn

2010-08-18T22:03:00.005-04:00

Bennie, Ben, Ben....that's what we say around here! My little guy isn't so little anymore and it's taken me until almost 14 months of age to get some 1 year photos online...sorry kiddo. Second child and all...

Proud Little Man

Definitely a Mama's boy!

LUVS his Binkie, too!

Here's some of the latest things going on in his world:

*Still scooting around instead of walking, but will walk if his hands are held.

*Crawling up the stairs and learning to come down backwards (with my standing guard of course, Grandma's)! He's thrilled with himself.

*Finally getting that pesky 4th front bottom tooth!

*Drinking mostly from a sippy cup now, with a bottle at bedtime.
*Riding your riding toys around the house - learned how to go forwards this week! Most fun is banging into objects over and over.
*Still fascinated with wheels and cars.
*Says "car", "whee", "No", "Ba" (bottle), "Bi" (Binkie), "roun, roun" (round & round). Talks all the time...in his own language!
*Climbing and going down the little slide in our basement into the ball pit.
*Climbing onto/sitting on the large play table - actually, climbing or sitting on anything he can (books, toys, games...)
*Really good at playing by himself most of the time
*VERY bad separation anxiety with Mommy for a few weeks now!
*"Chasing" his big Sis around the house with high-pitched screaming ("girl screams") from both of them. Hey...at least they're not hurting each other!
*BAD temper when you don't get your way...we've got to work on that.

Wonderful days - they'll be gone too quickly! Love you Baby Boy.

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

2010-08-09T21:42:00.000-04:00

Three years ago today Little Miss "C" was welcomed into our family. She was knit together by our Father's hands and all of her days have been ordained by Him even before one of them came to be. We are honored to be given the opportunity to spend each day with her.

You are loved, baby girl. Happy Birthday!

Little Miss Independent

2010-08-04T22:26:00.000-04:00

Little Miss "C" had a swimming lesson this morning at our community pool, which is a quarter mile or so from our home. As we were getting in the car, she decided getting in wasn't an option for her. So I pulled the 'ole reverse psychology and told her, "Okay. Then don't get in. Do you want to walk home?"

"YES!" she said. Of course. As I backed out of the parking space she was smiling and waving, "goodbye Mom!"

I drove about 10 feet ahead of her and kept my eye on her behind me, on the side of the street (with many prompts from my car window), and that little darling walked all the way back to our house....happily. A concerned neighbor even asked her if she was lost, not knowing I was in the car piddling down our street (glad to see we have some observant neighbors!), so I had to explain what was going on.

Should have known....she pulled the same thing back in July or August and wanted to walk home from the neighborhood next door.

My Dad reminded me that she "gets it honest." When he was a boy he was telling my grandmother how much he loved his friend's house. She finally told him that if he loved it so much, maybe he should live there. So he packed up his things and walked down the street. Funny.

One more funny (Gran, hope you enjoy reading this!) that happend last night when a teacher friend of mine was visiting with us. She was trying to find a game to play with Little Miss "C" and asked, "do you have Go Fish?" To which Little Miss "C" replied, "Yes, we have chocolate goldfish and cracker goldfish."

Ben, you're next buddy. Mommy will share some of your 1 year photos that we finally had done - right before the HFM (more to come).

Ohio

2010-07-27T15:26:00.001-04:00

Last week we took off on our 1st long road trip! Nana, Papa, Mommy, Little Miss "C" and Ben braved the open road for 7 days to visit family in Louisville, KY and friends in Mansfield, OH.

We ate frozen custard on the way....OH YUM!

We sat on an awesome back porch swing...

and looked out at the pond of a 5 acre farm every day.

We drifted on a Tom Sawyer raft...

and got up close with Alpacas down the street.

We rode a gorgeous carousel...

and ate the most delicious (and nutritious) food thanks to our gracious hostess and host!

Let me just tell you that low temperatures and humidity made it THAT much better!!!

For You, Gran!

2010-07-09T07:22:00.000-04:00

We are pleased to send this fine Happy Birthday with to our Gran today. Much love to you!

Also thought you might like to see these photos from our visit "down South" a few weeks ago:

Ben's Haircut

Little Miss "C" and her Birthday Hat

Ben wearing his Birthday cupcake

Watching cartoons in bed so we don't wake Pop & Gran

Is she cool?

Riding in his big truck and loving it!

Hey Pop - Happy Birthday!

2010-07-08T10:10:00.003-04:00

In true Abney fashion, we are continuing our Summer Birthday series. This one goes out to Pop Abney in south Georgia. We're glad we got to celebrate with you a few weeks ago and wish you a wonderful day!!!

Mom's Turn

2010-07-04T21:31:00.004-04:00

So I've snapped a few photos lately that every Mom can relate to. It's all about trying to keep your house in order - only to be quietly thwarted by little ones who mean absolutely no harm.

First, while I was cleaning and cleaning the kitchen & house getting ready for Ben's birthday party Little Miss "C" wanted to make a birthday "place" for everyone to eat their cake. So one by one my cloth napkins were laid down the hall, each accompanied by a plate and a spoon!

Later, I was trying to unload the dishwasher....and so was Ben.

Then the other day Little Miss "C" thought the pantry was the wrong place to keep milk boxes, so she conveniently placed them on the playroom shelves.

Oh the joys.....yet the two photos below are truly joys! A beautiful daughter and her proud face riding her "big girl bike" on the street.

More to come soon....still have to post photos from Gran & Pop's house!

Happy Birthday to My Daddy

2010-07-03T12:34:00.003-04:00

(If anyone out there can enlighten me on how to get the video upright, I welcome the comment!)

Happy First Birthday!

2010-06-30T20:56:00.006-04:00

One year ago today Ben was welcomed into our family and we're thankful to the Lord for him!

He had two tries at birthday cake this week. First with Pop & Gran in Brooklet, GA:

Then at our family party here over the weekend:

You might say that the 2nd time was not as much fun - he was over it.

He's scooting around like crazy, doing a few crawls here and there, finally pulling up on things, trying to climb the stairs, saying "no" and "wow", and putting Mommy to the test with some temper tantrums. He loves playing with anything on wheels! His gag reflex is still strong but he has managed to eat a few solids like noodles, peas, carrots and sweet potato pieces - and Cheerios have become a staple! Unfortunately he also caught a cold, so we've been wiping runny noses for a week now. No new teeth that Mommy can see. We go for a 1 year checkup tomorrow!
We've had a busy few weeks and there are many fun photos to post, but with Daddy's birthday only a few days away Mommy has been busy....so stay tuned for more next week!

The Heat of Summer

2010-06-19T15:08:00.002-04:00

We've been plugging right along, trying to find fun ways to fill our summer days without being out in the heat too much. Here's a few of the latest happenings:

Ben pretty much fills his time scooting around the house and, lately, pushing trains or cars as he goes.

Reading with Papa (we've been lucky to have Nana & Papa visit us twice in past few weeks!)

Painting wood with Daddy. Our screen porch is finished now, and we can swing and play in the sand without being eaten alive by mosquitos!!

Eating ice cream cones with our cousins.

Building tall lego towers on the playroom bench! (P.S. Mommy got the playroom windows washed the other morning. Little Miss "C" had gotten a wet washcloth and a dry fabric napkin and was giving all the little square windows a good cleaning! She fell off the bench about 6 squares into her work and that was the end of the fun!)

Ice Cream Dinner

2010-06-05T17:57:00.004-04:00

The ice cream truck came by yesterday evening. Little Miss "C" had never seen an ice cream truck in person before, so I figured it would go by unnoticed. BUT...our friends and neighbors were staked out waiting. The result: I had to let her get something....the smallest thing they had in the truck. And it took the place of dinner. (But hey...it's the beginning of summer, right?)

Little Miss "C" started her adventure in a white shirt... which was promply taken off when blue and red started dribbling down her chest. Thank you, Jennifer, for introducing me to the wonders of oxy clean spray!

Baby brother had to hang out in his walker and act like he was having fun.

Much of the sugar-induced hyperactivity was run off in front yard with the "crazy daisy" sprinkler. It was a great "official" welcome to summer and we all enjoyed a few moments of fun on the warm, breezy summer evening!

11 Months

2010-06-01T20:46:00.004-04:00

It's really unbelievable - even more so when you know it's your last baby who is about to have a full year under his belt! In 29 days we'll celebrate one year...and I'm blessed with a son who is beautiful inside and out.

The child has chosen not to crawl yet. In fact, when he is placed on all fours he pushes himself back into a seated position and proceeds to SCOOT - everywhere. That's a first for me, but I guess as long as he can get around... The most telling part of scooting all over my hardwood is that the appearance of the bottom of his clothing at the end of a day clearly reveals the cleanliness (or lack thereof) of my floors. Ugh...

He is being pretty stubborn about eating. He's graduated to cheerios, but won't even open his mouth for pieces of soft cheese, carrots and pears that I've placed on his high chair tray. He just swipes them away. In the same light, he won't consider drinking his formula from a sippy cup. Water is OK...but don't dare put formula in the cup! Funny...he's so laid back and able to entertain himself for hours, yet when it comes to some things he's picky and stubborn. Hmmm...guess I'm not stressing too much about the food thing because I don't know many boys who don't eventually eat you out of house and home!

Ben loves is big sister and follows her everywhere. He gets so excited when she comes into a room! She, in turn, trys to close doors to get her privacy. Ben has taken on the challenge and become very interested in pushing doors open and closed. The only problem is when he closes himself behind one (like closing himself in my dark closet and sitting behind the door so I had to push him across the carpet with the door to get him out). Never a dull moment!

Sprinkler Time!

2010-05-18T17:19:00.002-04:00

Gran & Pop gave Caroline this funky flower sprinkler last year, so we decided to finally put it to use! After one run through the water, Little Miss "C" requested her froggy goggles.

Ben watched his big sis play in the yard...

then he got into some water action of his own in a roasting pan, of all things!

Summer Has Begun!

2010-05-16T09:29:00.001-04:00

I can't believe that Summer is upon us - at least it is in our world. Schoold (a.k.a. Mother's Morning Out) is over and our days are wide open! Translation....the house is in an unending state of toys-spread-all-over-the-place! Here are a few of our latest and greatest moments:

Grandpa & Grandma come for a visit. Grandma comes to play with us often, and every now and then we get to see Grandpa, too!!

Ben is scooting all over the house. He won't crawl yet, but likes his mobility. Guess the gates will be going up again soon!

Daddy got a turkey last week, so we went to "Uncle" Roger's house to fry it up. Little Miss "C" enjoyed picking flowers out of his garden.

More to come of our fun time outside in the sprinkler this week!

10 Month Old Patient

2010-05-05T08:39:00.005-04:00

Ben is 10 months old! Just this morning he's been subject to a physical examination from Little Miss "C" which earned him a bandaid on his arm.

He is getting around mostly by scooting on his bottom, which works pretty well on the hardwoods! He is drawn to tags, for examply he immediately feels around for the tag as soon as I put a bib on him. Most things go right into his mouth, of course, like the other night while he was in the bathroom during his sister's bathtime:

He's got 6 teeth and I think that one more is coming in on the bottom!

We had a busy week/weekend last week doing a garage sale, and were blessed with a visit from Nana & Papa to help watch the kids on Saturday. This culminated with Little Miss "C" being able to go watch her cousin's dance recital on Sunday night. Now she wants to do ballet and "magnastics" (gymnastics) around the house!

Chattanooga Adventure

2010-04-19T14:26:00.006-04:00

It's 2:20pm and both of my babies are napping.....they've had a busy morning together, first to the bike shop for a quick repair and then to get the oil changed in the van.

A few weeks ago we took Little Miss "C" to Chattanooga for an overnight adventure! She got to visit the park, get on the old Delta Queen riverboat, swim in the hotel pool and visit the Tennessee Aquarium. A huge thank-you to Grandma & Grandpa for staying at home with Ben so we could have some special time together!

Sitting on a stone lion in the park

Daddy's Girl

Getting on the Delta Queen

Ben enjoying his snack of dead grass as he relaxes in the front yard...he's all boy!

2010-04-06T21:26:00.000-04:00

Peter Cottontail and his family hopped over to our house for some Easter festivities this weekend. He's quite a character....

Look Alikes

2010-03-22T12:53:00.004-04:00

Me and My Son

The Latest and Greatest

2010-03-20T20:33:00.002-04:00

Poor little guy is cutting all 4 of his top front teeth at the same time! We actually see two of them, now... He's starting to say, "da, da, da, da...." a lot and is working on his "ma, ma...". Still won't get off his tushie to try and crawl yet!

Got our "Big Sister" and "Little Brother" shirts on today for a photo op....here's the best that I could do!!!

I obviously don't feed my kids enough....

Have a great weekend!

Oh Poo!!

2010-03-10T11:35:00.005-05:00

I love my son! He loves to laugh, smile, play and we have a great grunting game that we play. This week, though, he's giving me an unintentional run for my money. Here's what I found when I pulled him from his crib a few minutes ago, after a wonderfully long morning nap during which I enjoyed baking cookies with Little Miss "C":

That's NOT chocolate pudding....and it wasn't only on his sheet. He got wiped from head to toe, although fingernail beds are a bit harder to clean. Don't tell his grandma's that some was also on his chin (his fingers are ALWAYS in his mouth)....YUCK.

Now I know that these kinds of things are an expected part of babyhood. But this is probably our third or fourth "incident" this week of escaping the diaper. I've lost count of the laundry loads that have been run on his behalf since Sunday...and it's only Wednesday!

Is it a boy thing? Only once do I remember my daughter having such an unruly poo!

To give my little guy credit, he's teething AND on antibiotic to fight off a sinus infection - and the Dr. warned that loose poo might be a side effect. So I'll give him grace....and continue doing laundry with love.

Thanks, Mom!!!

Frosty

2010-03-03T12:48:00.002-05:00

Snow Day! It started around 9am and snowed non-stop until 1pm...yet it was such a wet snow that much of it melted and we ended up with about an inch on the ground. Daddy was finally able to play, too, so Mr. Snowman was created just before the sun went down!

2010-02-28T20:47:00.003-05:00

Our little man is 8 months old this week! We've got to be close to more teeth - he chews on his fingers (and anything else he can get his hands on) constantly. He's still a cuddle-bug and loves to laugh, especially while watching the antics of his big sister. One morning I walked back into the kitchen and spied him reading his favorite Barney book...

A few weeks ago I got the kids dressed in their scrubs as a surprise for Daddy. Medical school, here we come!

Little Miss "C" got down to business with her two Doctor kits.

Removing something suspicious from brother's ear. Hmmm....

Here are a few funny stories from the last week.

If you know my father, you know he loves to sing. Just say any word and he'll find a song to go with it. Well, looks like his genes got passed on to my daughter. The other day I was explaining that after nap Little Miss "C" would be visiting with her friends, whose last name is Bush. After my explanation, we got ready for bed and she asked for a song. What song? "A BUSHel and a Peck, Mommy." I couldn't believe it...go figure. My Dad, of course, is thrilled!
She gets it honest from me, but I've got a back-seat driver on my hands at 2-1/2! I was traveling down a busy road the other day and traffic would occasionally slow down and then speed back up again. Three different times down that road when I slowed down, Little Miss "C" questions from the back seat, "Whatcha doing, Mommy?" Like...why are you slowing down? Why aren't we moving? Can't you DRIVE????!!!!!
Cootie is, in my opinion, not a really fun game to play. And the way Cooties pieces are made these days....they won't stay put together! Our Cooties always fall apart. But today we discovered that it IS fun to play with your put-together Cooties and take them on picnics at the beach, out to eat, etc. Especially when they're talking with each other and in the middle of the conversation one of them loses his head...or his eyes fall out. Little Miss "C" was in stitches! Just another day in the life.

And we are blessed.

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE

2010-02-14T21:20:00.004-05:00

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

Little Miss "C" spent our snow day helping Mom make a Valentines Day Cake. Once it was iced, she decorated it all by herself with red and white sprinkles. It was fun!

Here's the finished product and our new fake smile.

Extra cupcakes made a yummy treat!

My boy's 1st Valentines Day! We welcomed a 2nd bottom tooth this week, too!

WHITE RAIN

2010-02-12T21:24:00.007-05:00

TODAY I TRIED EXPLAINING WHAT SNOW IS TO A 2 YEAR OLD - WHITE RAIN!

We had a gorgeous afternoon and evening, and Daddy was even able to make it home from work after dark!! Enjoy the photos of our busy day...
An enchanted evening...

Ben's 1st Snowfall!

Little Miss "C" staying warm in the white stuff...

Making snow angels with a friend

ER Visit #1

2010-01-25T13:23:00.007-05:00

It was bound to happen sooner or later. I just didn't think it would be my fault! But last night after Little Miss "C" finished her bath and hair wash (which is an event unto itself...) I was carrying her down the basement stairs to see Daddy and Ben. And I slipped...two steps from the bottom thank goodness. Down I went on my tailbone (sore like mad) and into the corner of the wall went Little Miss "C"'s head. At 1st I didn't see the gash, but as she calmed down and I started looking more closely I saw that this one would need some stitchin'.

So thankful for our dear neighbor who came to stay with Ben while we trotted off to an ALMOST EMPTY pediatric ER (praise God). She was a trooper - I tell you this gal is made of steel. Cried during the shots to numb her head, but was fine quickly after the 3 staples went in. Now if I can just get used to the staples in her head. Thankfully she never got sick, passed out, etc. so we look good to go. Daddy will try to remove the staples in about 10 days.

Otherwise we've had a good month so far, although everyone has had/continues to have runny noses and sinus congestion. Little Miss "C" being the worst....running like a faucet. Here are some photos of our weeks:

Ben gets a ride in the baby stroller - don't tell anyone he wears recycled pink bibs when we're at home.

Little Miss "C" at the Imagine It! Children's Museum in Atlanta - we went for the Curious George exhibit in particular.

Ben has his 1st tooth! Mom wants to get his 6 month photo taken, but he keeps scratching his face so a "good day" hasn't come about yet. He was 27 in long and 17 lbs 12 oz at his 6-month Dr. visit. Doing well!

Little Miss "C" being tickled by Daddy on Saturday after having been to the "jumpy place" for a birthday party.

A Glimpse of Christmas

2010-01-02T18:35:00.004-05:00

Whew - it's all I can say. December flew by and was B - I - Z - Y!!! Here are some fun photos for you...

Little Miss "C" got her first hair cut from Gran at 28 months old!

Gran tried to get Ben - he thought it was pretty funny!

And then the "head-wear" fascination continued....below is the plastic underwear.

Followed by the reindeer antlers on Christmas Day...

Topped off with her Brother's toboggan for the wintry weather!

If you know of any need for hat models, please forward me the information!

Thanksgiving, Etc.

2009-12-01T17:06:00.007-05:00

We took Little Miss "C" to the Pink Pig at Macy's this afternoon. I hadn't been since I was a kid and it was downtown on top of Rich's. It was cute - think she enjoyed it.

The Ellison side of the family gathered the day after Thanksgiving for our "feast". Aunt Amy made a delicious turkey and after pumpkin pie & ice cream, the girls were "little crazy girls" all evening!

Poor Ben has the cold we've been passing around, but he's still smiles today when I snapped a photo of his 1st Christmas outfit.

How Sweet the Sound

2009-11-21T09:51:00.002-05:00

I was just finishing up my Blog entry below a few minutes ago. Ben was upstairs in his crib crying (hopefully crying himself to sleep - he needs a nap). Little Miss "C" was behind me playing with her dollhouse - or so I thought. Through the monitor amidst Ben's screaming I hear her singing Jesus Loves Me....did she really? I turned around - she was gone. So I went upstairs to Ben's room. She had pulled her stool in beside his crib and was standing up there singing to him and telling him, "Calm down, Ben." What a little sister.

Pigtails & Mountains

2009-11-21T09:25:00.004-05:00

It's a Saturday. Time to sleep in - relax - play with the family, right? Not. By 8:30 we'd be up, eaten breakfast and been to the store and back. The things I do sometime to avoid crowds make me question my own sanity!

So here's Little Miss "C" with her hair in pigtails for the first time. She had to wear it like that three days in a row until the novelty wore off. She's walking around our driveway on the roads that we drew - she walks and rides her toys on the "roads" and goes to visit her grandparents homes, Publix, church and "chicken cows" (a.k.a. Chick-Fil-A) which we also draw on the driveway at various points along the roads. It's great fun until it rains and Mommy had to draw the whole thing over again!

Our little firecracker also has an affinity for having things on her head. Goggles were first. A few weeks back panties came in to the picture, followed by a Christmas nightcap that she found in Ben's dresser. We'll have to send her to the Kentucky Derby one day.

Last weekend while Daddy chased down deer in the woods, the three of us visited Nana & Papa in the mountains. It was a gorgeous weekend, so we played at the lake and also managed to get in a picnic before heading home.

Ben is becoming an expert jumper in his "jumperoo" - he's jumping in it much earlier than Little Miss "C" did, and it keeps him upright for a while without me holding him all the time. Love. It.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

2009-11-01T21:09:00.003-05:00

Raggedy Ann...

Lil' Punkin...

And a very hairy Raggedy Andy!

Happy Fall Ya'll

2009-10-26T15:22:00.011-04:00

Just in case anyone is "out there" wondering what we've been up to, here's your update!

Potty Training
Well, folks, my baby girl isn't such a baby anymore! I purchased the book Toilet Training in Less than A Day figuring I'd certainly rather try one day of training 1st...and if not successful, then do my best over the coming weeks. But really, Little Miss "C" was ready and we got down to business one Wednesday about two weeks ago. She did great (although that was a hard day, folks) and is now fully in her "big girl panties." I took pictures of the day shamelessly (even the 1st poo poo for Daddy to see) but I'll spare her the embarrassment and just show you her happy face in front of her Potty Chart full of stickers - a special thanks to Ms. Barbara for the Chart!

Taking Advantage of Great Weather (and not so great...)
I'm already sad about the time change, shorter days and cold weather because I love to let Little Miss "C" outside to play on nice days. Here we are on a recent outing to the local park - it was cold, windy and overcast so we were the only ones on the playground!

And Living Life
Little Miss "C" loves playing in my closet, and one Sunday morning came out sporting my aqua sandals. Lovely.... We're hoping to move her to a twin bed this week - yet another small step in this growing-up process. She loves to sing, sometimes real songs and sometimes things she makes up. Unfortunately it's nearly impossible to get a good video of it all, because as soon as she sees me with the video camera she STOPS what she's doing and walks toward the camera saying, "I want to see.." Today she made the local news at 4 and 6pm! The reporter was there when she went for her Swine Flu vaccine.

As for my little man, he'll be 4 months old on the 30th! He's somewhere in the 15 pound range. I've discovered that he's very ticklish and loves to have his face stroked and kissed on. "Mama kisses" I call them! He's rolling from his belly to his back and attempts to get back over. Probably could if Mom gave him more "tummy time." His attempts to talk have increased dramatically lately, which is fun for us! And he give more and more smiles every day.

Stay tuned for Halloween photos - Raggedy Ann and Andy....

It's Raining, It's Pouring

2009-09-20T06:25:00.010-04:00

Good Sunday Morning! Ben and I have been up since 5 - he just dozed off in the bouncy seat, so I'll post a few new pictures while it's quiet (Little Miss C is still asleep....for now!).

Over Labor Day I took the kids to my parent's house for two nights. We had a picnic at the lake and Little Miss C played in the water a little bit. She was so fascinated watching the other kids who were there playing at the beach.

We also had a visit from Gran & Pop, who came up from Brooklet. To Little Miss C's delight, they brought a bubble-making machine that constantly produces a shower of bubbles...with the help of 6 AA BATTERIES!

Everyday life in our house is challenging trying to keep a curious 2-year-old busy with new things! Here are a few "projects" - a crown for the Princess (that she painted with finger paint) and adventures with new playdough toys (as well as the Frog goggles that Gran & Pop brought - she loves to wear these around the house!)

Little Miss C makes her Mom & her Papa proud - she walks around singing all kinds of songs. New to her list this week is the rhyme "It's raining, it's pouring..." and two songs: "Blue bird, blue bird through my window..." and the Barney song, "If all the raindrops were lemon drops and gum drops..." I love it!!

A Day in the Life

2009-08-22T14:15:00.004-04:00

Not much happening here except for "daily" life....Mom's of little ones know what I mean!!

Ben is almost 8 weeks old now and we love it when he smiles! He is stretching his nighttime sleep to 5-6 hours most nights - I am sooooo hopeful for 7-8 hours sometime soon!! Am not usually a coffee drinker, but lately caffeine has become my friend for sure! Ben still has reflux issues and is now on Prevacid to make him more comfortable. I'm told it will likely be 6-7 months before it's resolved totally, since he'll be able to sit up by that time. We moved Ben to his own room about a week ago - YEY! He follows Little Miss "C" around with his eyes and she hugs on him a lot. His favorite time of the evening seems to be his bath - smiles, coos and lots of fun moving his arms and legs freely.

Little Miss "C" never ceases to amaze....and challenge....me. We're working on her colors and identifying shapes and numbers. Lots of times I think she's teasing me when we play "games" with her flashcards and she purposely points out the wrong things. Here are some funny stories from the past week:

Getting out of the bathtub one night when Ben was screaming/crying in his crib: "Calm Down, Ben" (she said very slowly...). What???? She repeated several times, "Calm Down!" It was hysterical how she said it....and where did she pick that one up? Her Daddy later owned up to it!
She'll do something, move something, put a toy in a certain place, etc. and ask, "That better?"
She walks around "talking" to her cousins or her grandparents on the play telephone. Her conversations get more detailed the older she gets, and usually include a report about what Ben is doing at the time. "Hi....yep....Ben sleeping....ok....bye"
The terrible two's habit of saying "no" to Mommy has started - not fun!
She loves taking her vitamin ("medicine") each day and wants to take 2-3...not one.
I figured out that she has the Barney Goes to the Farm video practically memorized

Many Moms probably have a photo like the one below - so typical of the "staying at home" life. Peanut Butter & Jelly sandwich, sippy cup of milk, "Baby" (which she sleeps with) and a child who has fallen asleep while eating lunch!!

Time Flies

2009-08-09T12:02:00.010-04:00

What a busy few weeks!! Baby Ben will be 6 weeks old on Tuesday and we're finally seeing a few smiles out of the boy! He's weighing in around 10.5 pounds now and is more alert to what is going on around him. He's lost some of his hair - which is so different from our experience with Little Miss "C"'s full head of hair from Day 1....and his eyes are still very blue.

Little Miss "C" turned 2 today (Aug. 9th) and we had a family birthday party for her yesterday. She has turned into quite a chatterbox and a singer. She walks around the house and lies in in her bed singing "Happy Birthday to You", "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star", "ABC's" and "Jesus Loves the Little Children"....among others. Our parents say that she knows where everything is in the house, and she'll point out if something is missing or moved. Many times now she doesn't want her hand held as she tries walking down the stairs (but Mommy insists on standing beside her even if she won't hold my hand!) and she has to "do" everything on her own. She loves seeing her grandparents and especially going to the pool when they visit. Mommy is very happy that she loves her little brother and doesn't seem to be too jealous over him - although sharing "her" things has been a challenge. For example, I can't put any of her old bibs on him without a fight! Anyway, enjoy the birthday pics...

Her cousins came to celebrate with us!

Finally, Mommy gets in a picture!

2009-07-17T21:09:00.011-04:00

Oh, if they'd only be this sweet to each other for the rest of their little lives.....

A little Dawg cheerleader in the making....she see's the Georgia "G" on the baby's pacifier and says, "sick 'em....woof, woof!" Her daddy and grandpa are training her well!

Our big boy gained almost a pound from Week 1 to Week 2, breaking the 8lb mark during that time. It's amazing how much babies change during the first weeks of life.

It's been a whirlwind week for us. Daryl went back to work full-time and is feeling good - praises! Because of his work schedule he's been doing "baby duty" at night, allowing me to get a good night's sleep...ahhh. And his wonderful mother blessed us by coming to help with the children for a few days, giving me some time to get groceries and catch up with "things" around the house. Our parents have so unselfishly given their time and energy to us many times this year -- we are deeply humbled and grateful for their unending love.

Unfortunately we've had friends and extended family facing the loss of loved ones this week, so we'll be attending two memorial services this weekend. While we celebrate new life, others are mourning and our hearts go out to them in their grief. Just a reminder for us to enjoy every moment we're given and to take nothing for granted...a lesson that I seem to too quickly forget amidst day-to-day duties that seem so all-consuming. We're supposed to be in for a cooler, dryer weekend - take advantage of it and savor a few special moments with friends and family.

Some Pictures for You

2009-07-08T14:18:00.005-04:00

Enjoy!

Home At Last!

2009-07-05T17:38:00.002-04:00

WARNING: Don't put a vase of flowers (which are supported with water) near a laptop at the hospital. People pushing baby carriers around might knock down said vase and spill water onto nearby laptop - flooding the keyboard and causing technical difficulties!

Sorry for the delayed news!
We came home on Saturday July 4th. The baby was allowed to leave the Transitional Nursery on July 3rd and our pediatrician thought he looked really good on Saturday so we all were released home.

The baby is in his "eat, sleep, poop" stage and he's mostly quiet and sleeping. Little Miss "C" has been fantastic with him and enjoys "holding" him in her lap, checking out all his parts and this morning trying to help with his bottle. Of course, she's inundated with attention from all of her Grandparents, so she's in heaven right now and not feeling at all de-throned (yet). Some dear friends even sent her a new baby doll that coos and sucks on a bottle and makes baby noises, so she's had her own baby to look after since yesterday.

Wendy's parents are here for the week to help us transition, and Daryl's dad Jerry & his wife Carolyn came up Saturday and were with us overnight too. We were blessed with two meals from friends yesterday, which we've thoroughly enjoyed - and which have eliminated the hassles of trying to cook AND settle everyone back in at the same time.

Can't wait to post new photos. Upon returning home and looking at our own newborn photos, the Baby is a spitting image of Wendy's newborn photo (without the 1960's requisite mohawk hairstyle). It's amazing how much we look alike - so world, watch out!!!

With Mom & Dad

2009-07-03T12:16:00.004-04:00

Our boy has been released to stay with us! He is doing much better and has had a busy Friday morning so far, including a little "snip snip" if you know what I mean.

Little Miss "C" visited with little brother yesterday afternoon in the NICU briefly and she was so sweet. She wanted to kiss and hold him right away and enjoyed pointing out his nose, ears, eyes, etc. She'll be back this afternoon for another visit in our room and we'll probably be going home tomorrow.

Here are a few photos of our two kiddos together for the first time:

On a side note, as I sit here and type a lovely young lady (whom I used to babysit for starting when she was 6 months old) is on HER way to the hospital to give birth to her 1st child - a baby girl. Praying for her and must begin negotiations about an arranged marriage for our two little ones...ha, ha, ha!! Love you, Linds!

NICU Day #2

2009-07-01T19:12:00.009-04:00

(It's Wendy typing this time...) "Here we go again"...it's the way that I feel right now! More blog posts about the ups and downs of days in a hospital. Is this my new calling in life?

Ben seemed to be doing very well today, so he came back to "live" in our room -but within 2 hours he was back in the NICU. I was nervous because the poor guy was breathing so quickly and "shallow" and his oxygen saturations were borderline again. Not being in the medical field, I wasn't sure how to handle it. Our wonderful nurse watched him closely and through great teamwork it was decided he would be better off with more one-on-one care tonight back in NICU. Hopefully he'll continue to strengthen and be back with us tomorrow.

So since I finally got to spend some time with Ben in NICU earlier in the day, Daryl was able to capture a few more photos for you.

We covet your prayers, as usual, and will post an update tomorrow!!!

Big Foot Has Arrived!

2009-06-30T16:29:00.006-04:00

Baby Ben7 lbs 6 oz

18 inches

Born at 8:19 a.m.

Baby Ben joined our family "in person" this morning - and yes, he has big feet with long toes (WOW). So much so that his toes even grasp hold of my finger. We thought initially that he had red hair, but after a bath it appears more of a brown color.

All seemed well until about 2 hours after being born, as he continued to "grunt". This is usually what babies do when they are struggling to breath. The short story is that he had to be taken to the NICU and placed on a hi-flow oxygen setup with a diagnosis of TTN (Transient Tachypnea of the Newborn). What is this? My Respiratory NICU friends could probably do a better job with this, but from what I remember, this is a transient phase that can occur with babies (especially with C-Section babies) having fliud left over from the womb that hasnt absorbed into the system yet. I think that the normal vaginal delivery takes care of this. Again, it is supposed to be "transient" --- meaning temporary and should resolve rather quickly. At present, they have weaned some of the oxygen and he appears more comfortable. The nurse said that he eats very well. (That's my little man.....)

Wendy is ok. Very tired, but ok. She has our room feeling like a meat locker.----- You know those hormones. I had to bring an insulated sleeping bag! She even had the engineering guy inspecting the AC thermostat to make sure it was truly working right. : )

Pray for speedy recovery of our baby and for Wendy. Pray for peace in this as we learn to continue trusting God, even in the little "hiccups" of life.

Daryl

Wendy's Turn

2009-06-29T20:10:00.003-04:00

Enough with the Daryl stuff. (this is Daryl attempting to do the blogging thing : ) )

Well, Wendy is geared up for the big day tomorrow. The C-Section is planned for 8 am. We have to be there by 6:30am. They tell us the our surgeon is very particular with detail and thus is slow with the surgery (this is a good thing !). Therefore, we are told not to expect Wendy in her room until 11 am. Of course, I will be in the OR with her with the video cam as before, hoping that I dont drop the cam from all of the excitement. She is doing Ok, yet with abit lethargy and occasional pains. Needless to say, she is ready to get baby "B" out.

You can check back here for pictures. Of course, I will have to wait until Wendy is awake enough as I am rather "computer/cam challenged" to do such things.

In the meantime-- please pray that all goes well and smoothly. We are abit anxious given all that we recently went through. But, we are confident that the Lord is not only with us in all of this but that He will see it through smoothly.

I want to thank all of you who have kept us in your prayers and for all of the prior encouraging blog notes. You have no idea what that meant to us during some rather dark hours. Maybe later I can expand on things we learned through it all once the dust settles with our next big event. This next one should be a more "happy" time in comparison.

Daryl

PS: Little Miss "C" is very excited about being a big sister. : )

Celebrating 93 Years

2009-06-24T10:15:00.002-04:00

Daryl's Great Aunt Gladys turned 93 yesterday! We took her out to lunch and were fortunate to have gotten this picture of everyone.

Daryl worked his first shifts over the past weekend and did well - now he's just recouperating from night shifts, which is a little harder in his condition. But he's back to work!!!

"The Whipple Pain"

2009-06-15T14:14:00.004-04:00

So we're still here - taking each day as it comes. Here's a little Daryl update, then news about our soon-to-be-born Son to follow.

"The Whipple Pain" is talked about on many message boards by various whipple procedure patients, yet Surgeons don't seem to acknowledge it or know much about it. But Daryl sure does!!! Researching this phenomenon and getting solid answers is kind of like dealing with the Bermuda Triangle, I've decided.

The Whipple Pain has hit Daryl about 6 times since surgery, with a few other more minor incidents. The good think is that it lasts only 1-2 minutes. The bad thing is that "you think you're going to die" before those minutes pass. Daryl describes it as "someone grabbing your heart and squeezing it so tightly that you can't catch your breath." Many times it causes a cold sweat and clammy hands, etc. And the really bad ones make Daryl almost pass out (we don't think he's passed out yet, though). The most scary part of "The Whipple Pain" is that it's unpredictable, so he could be driving down the highway and have it hit....and be unable to make it to the shoulder and stop the car.

Most days Daryl is very aware of food as it processes through his GI tract and when/if he starts feeling gas bubbles creeping up toward his stomach, he has to take immediate action to ward off this "Whipple Pain." So it seems to be a constant struggle and unknown part of recovery....not everyone claims to experience it, nobody seems to know what causes it....and it's terribly frustrating!

So I'd like to ask those of you who are praying for Daryl to ask that he be healed from this phenomenon of "Whipple Pain". The Lord can do it - he's the Great Physician, our Creator and Healer. I'm in....hope you are too!

Daryl will begin working again this coming weekend, so keep him in mind as he starts the overnight shifts again.

Okay, now with some HAPPY news!! "Baby Ben" has two weeks left to enjoy the quiet tranquility of my belly. If he chooses to stay there until then, we have a c-section scheduled at Kennestone Hospital the morning of June 30th (one week before my actual due date). This will enable Daryl to spend the week with me in the hospital before working the following weekend shifts. We go tomorrow to have a sonogram to check out how much Ben weighs, etc. so if anything changes we'll let you know. And we'll post photos here as soon as he arrives!

Air Travel Amazes Me

2009-05-26T20:41:00.002-04:00

Sometimes the speed and convenience of air travel amaze me. I mean, Daryl got up at 5a.m., flew to Baltimore and made a 10a.m. appointment, and was home again by 4p.m. Unbelieveable....thank you, Delta!

Daryl's follow-up visit with the Surgeon went well - no more follow-up needed unless he has serious complications moving forward. The Surgeon does want Daryl to have another specialized Scan in 6 months and then six months after that to watch for any additional tumor growth. Then yearly scans for 5 years beyond those. So we'll look for a place (hopefully closer to home) which has the capability to perform the Scan. And Daryl will decide if he really wants more radiation in his body.....

Now he has to concentrate on building strength and stamina so he can return to work and prepare to help me take care of a toddler and a newborn-to-be! 6 weeks and counting until my due date.

We'll continue to post updates as our lives move forward, so stick around okay? We love you all for the way you've supported us through the hardest of times. Still much healing to take place, but we've had answered prayer after answered prayer...and for that, we are blessed and humbly thankful.

One Last Shower with the PICC Line

2009-05-18T16:07:00.004-04:00

Daryl's PICC line is to be removed today - YEY! When I was wrapping his arm for a shower, Little Miss "C" requested her arm to be wrapped as well. Just had to snap a shot of the two of them.

Daryl is still eating and managing to keep it all down. There is definitely discomfort & pain at times. Still has a long way to go as his body gets "re-conditioned" - walking, exercising, etc. Poor guy hasn't driven a car since March 17th! He's traveling next Tuesday the 26th to Baltimore for the day for his follow-up appointment with the Surgeon. It will be a long day, flying up and back on the same day, so please be in prayer for his strength and pain as we approach next Tuesday. Thanks!

Status Quo

2009-05-12T16:05:00.003-04:00

For those of you still "following" our progress through healing, thought I'd do an update for the week. And thank you for your continued prayers...at the end of this post are a few specifics for the week to come.

Daryl had 7 days of TPN (IV nutrition) which ended Monday. He did well on it and the doctor doesn't forsee any need to do it again, but his PICC line will remain in place for another 5 days just in case.

Every day brings good and bad. Daryl still has a lot of "tightening" in his stomach area, along with some pain. The TPN gave him so much nutrition that he ate very little each day, but he DID keep the food down.

Now the goal is to have 6 small "meals" a day and try to keep his calorie count up. He is also very weak from just having been laid-up for so long, but he's been trying to do something each day that demands a little effort in order to build back his strength and stamina.

One funny story from last week. Daryl and I cut up one of his socks to use around his arm to hold his long IV lines in place during the day when he wasn't hooked up to the IV. Well, Little Miss "C" woke up one morning last week and when I took socks over to put on her feet she held up her hands and said, "hands." She wanted to wear socks on her arms like Daddy...and proceeded to walk around the house for at least an hour with the socks over her hands and arms! She loves her Daddy.

Those of you who are praying for Daryl, here's how you can pray specifically:

Increased appetite and intake of food
Decreased "tightness" and pain
Increased stamina
Positive outlook despite the very slow progress

As always, thanks and God Bless!

So Far, So Good

2009-05-06T08:40:00.004-04:00

Daryl has done well at home, keeping food down the whole time! His TPN started Monday night...."feeding" via IV. What a set-up! We have to hook him up every night to his large IV bag, be sure his lines/ports (whatever...) are clean, be sure the vitamins are mixed into the bags, etc. Lots of needles, syringes, alcohol wipes and hand washing. He should continue this routine through Sunday and then we'll see where his nutritional status is.

Now we're focusing on building his stamina and appetite. Walking several times a day is my answer....

So grateful for our parents who have gone out of their way to lend a hand during the hospital days here and on through yesterday. I can't tell you how blessed we are by the time and energy they've put in. I've been quite uncomfortable with this pregnancy with ligament and back pain, so simple tasks around the house are slow-going - but my mother-in-law and mother have both offered so much help that at least my house doesn't feel like a total disaster area!

Here's a photo of Little Miss "C" yesterday with Nana.

Home Again!

2009-05-03T15:51:00.002-04:00

Daryl was discharged yesterday! We're thrilled that his nausea has been kept at bay for two full days now and pray that it continues down this road. He does have a PICC line in (a large IV) and starting tomorrow he'll be receiving nutrition via the PICC - he can eat, too, but this guarantees a certain number of calories which his body needs for healing.

Thanks for keeping up with us - we'll continue to update!!

Still Trying

2009-05-01T15:32:00.002-04:00

Daryl remains in the hospital, even though we had hopes of his coming home today. On Wednesday he got a PICC line which is being used to provide nutrition via IV. I think this will be a tremendously positive thing for his overall recovery, providing the calories and nutrition that his body needs to heal itself.

But he is still struggling with nausea and vomiting, despite the fact that he's not eating any food to speak of. Just a few saltines, which have actually stayed down!

Anyway, we'll let you know when he is able to return home and/or when he starts to feel better. The Surgeon at Hopkins keeps calling this a "bump in the road." Feels more like a never-ending uphill climb to Daryl, but what can we do?? I told him that when he's well, we're having a BIG celebration and you are all invited!

Home is a No-Go

2009-04-28T16:55:00.002-04:00

My sweet husband is still not able to keep even liquids down and he's starting to show signs of malnourishment, so likely he'll start receiving nutrition via an IV today or tomorrow. In my opinion this will be good, as his body needs to heal from surgery and can't do a very good job of it if he's not getting good nourishment. I think it will make him feel better.

So he'll stay at the hospital for now - and he's not really excited about the prospect. He just wants to be home...any of us could understand....yet needs to be here. We'll explore the possibility of him going home with the IV once we see how it goes. The hope is that as his stomach gets better he'll be able to keep down liquids and make some progress.

EGD News

2009-04-27T14:07:00.002-04:00

Thanks for all of your email responses "standing with us" in this! Daryl's procedure this morning went well. The opening from his stomach into his intestines (which was re-connected during the initial surgery) was really small, which was likely the culprit. Some of that was due to swelling. The physician was able to stretch out the opening a great deal. Daryl has been sleeping SO WELL since the procedure - I'm thankful (and he is too) that he's getting some overdue rest. He can try a clear liquid diet today, but so far hasn't been awake enough to really try anything. We're hopeful that now he can move forward and start trying to get some nutrition in again. We're blessed by your support and will keep updating his status.

Scoping the Stomach Tomorrow

2009-04-26T22:08:00.002-04:00

Just a quick update. Again, Daryl battled nausea & vomiting today - not anything in his stomach to come up, though. He's scheduled for a scope of his stomach tomorrow to be sure there are no blockages in the area where his stomach was re-attached to his intestines during surgery and to see if anything else may be going on "in there". Too many technical medical terms to repeat all the details (I'd mess it up big time), but I will update the Blog tomorrow after the procedure.

Heave Ho

2009-04-26T07:58:00.003-04:00

From what I understand, Daryl battled nausea just about all day yesterday. He's the type who wants to crawl into a cave and be left alone when he's sick, so Little Miss "C" and I were at home most of the day until late afternoon when she went to play and I visited the hospital. By that time he was on 3 different anti-nausea IV drips trying to get something to work. One of them pretty much knocked him out, so I came home to bed.

What's going on? Not sure. Drs want to do an Upper GI to be sure everything is passing through his system OK, but Daryl knew he wouldn't be able to keep the radioactive stuff down long enough to run the test - so it's postponed.

I'm wondering if this nausea/vomiting thing is a typical complication with Whipples, as one of the patients on our floor at Hopkins was there 3-weeks post-op because she couldn't keep food down.

It's hard to see the forest being down in the trees right now. Please pray not only for answers and resolution physically, but also for encouragement that Daryl would somehow hold on to the hope that this is only a small fraction of time. Will let you know what we find out today, as I should be with him most of the afternoon.

Thanks ya'll....

ERs & Hail Storms

2009-04-24T14:16:00.004-04:00

Does anyone else hate the feeling of being inside a building in a windowless room and hearing a horrible storm pummeling the roof? You just HAVE to find a way to a window and see for yourself what's happening outside - and if you can't find out, it's very unnerving. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you last evening at the hospital ER! What a storm - I'm still waiting to really "check out" the hood and roof of the car to see if there was any damage.

So Daryl continued to feel bad after his episode Monday night, and after a few more bouts with nausea, vomiting, fever/chills, etc. we decided to head over to the hospital for some tests to see what's up. He's being very well taken care of. I think just getting some fluids has made some difference. So the plan is to do a few more tests and see if we can figure out what's happening.

Frustrating after having had such a great weekend only 5 days go, yet not unexpected to be dealing with a few bumps in the road after such a major procedure. We'll keep you posted...

Yes, We're Still Going to "Post" Updates

2009-04-22T08:25:00.006-04:00

Sorry! Our updates have been non-existent for the past week and many are asking how Daryl is doing with his recovery at home. Let me update you, beginning with Daryl's new "look" in our family photo on the left. Those who have come to visit with him over the past weeks have acknowledged that they wouldn't have recognized him if he'd walked past them!

Just as a reminder, Daryl started out (prior to surgery) around 195 lbs, ballooned up to the 230's with fluids while in the hospital, and is now down around 170. Quite a shock to his sytem and part of the reason his energy level/stamina are rather low.

He had a few really good days over the weekend, getting out for a few errands with me and helping a friend do a little work in our front yard. He was even able to go to church for the 1st time since he's been home. They were good days.

Monday night he had an epidsode of illness, probably due to food he'd eaten before bed. That impacted his energy level yesterday and was a bit of a setback. So, as before, it's two steps forward and then one step back.

We are blessed with friends who have called and stopped by to keep him in touch with the rest of the world. He's talking on the phone to work colleagues and anxious to get back to doing something interesting with his time instead of sitting/laying around the house in recovery mode.

I'm hoping his food intake will increase and that his body will get the nutrients it needs on such a small quantity of food. And hopefully the warmer weather this week will give him the right environment to get out and walk some more to build up his stamina.

Your continued prayers are coveted - we're still "in this"!!! Love to all -

Home Sweet Home

2009-04-10T22:04:00.002-04:00

(Directly from Daryl, forgive any typos) Yes, I made it home, Thanks be to God. It is so good to see trees and green stuff again instead of buildings, concrete and yellow taxis. The pain is slowing improving but still with occassional reminders that my insides have been re-worked. It still requires pain meds. I have lost alot of weight with this thing, more than I ever expected--- even Caroline can eat more than I can at a single setting at present. That should improve over time.

You all have been so good to us with your encouraging words and the cards that were sent. I really dont know how to express our thankfulness. There were many nights in the hospital that your words and prayers helped us through them. Those days and nights may have just been the worst of my entire life. Thank you so much for seeing and praying for us through them. You have no idea how dark some them were.

I really want to dedicate this blog to my wonderful bride. Many of you already know how special she is, but really only know the half of it. I am sure that some of those nights with me brought back memories for her. Most of you dont know, but eleven or twelve years ago, she lost a gentlemen that she was engaged to due to respiratory complications from lymphoma in a Unversity Hospital setting. So, those days and nights of my shortness of breath were a struggle for her. The only difference was that here lay her husband complaining of the shortness of breath while he would"encourage" the Resident Physicians to do chest xrays and give "40 IV Lasix" to get the fluid off the lungs. Of course, the short order of it all was noted in the prior blogs.
Wendy was the real trooper. Here she is 26 weeks pregnant, sleeping at the bedside in a rather uncomfortable chair that is supposed to make out to a bed with a husband that is occassionally "challenging" the Residents -- while hallucinating about some old lady coming out of the wall and why the picture frames on the wall had a better brand of martial arts than him-- beating him up during night (effects of the meds). Go figure. She was there with me through the pain and the nausea. She helped me bathe and assisted me in the middle of the night with bathroom issues. She made sure that all of my needs were met and then some. Even when she needed a break, she made sure that a family member was there for me. She cried with me and prayed with me. She was the voice in the dark of the night that when I barely grunted or sighed different, she would ask "are you ok, honey?" She was my partner in this battle : My wonderful wife and beautiful bride. I love her so much and thank my God for having her in my life for such a time as this.

Daryl

Delta = Home

2009-04-07T14:01:00.002-04:00

Daryl has officially been "released" from Baltimore, MD and will fly home tomorrow afternoon!!!! Both of his remaining drainage tubes were pulled today so he'll be much more comfortable on the flight home. He is struggling with a head cold, so continued prayers are much appreciated.

Thank you to our dear friends who have provided buddy passes enabling Dad and Daryl to fly home with some flexibility. We're hopeful they'll be able to get on their flight as planned and spend as little time as possible sitting on the plane and in the airport.

We will post again (I'll have Daryl do it this time!) once he's home and rested. God Bless...

Benign...

2009-04-05T16:38:00.002-04:00

Although we were thrilled when we received the "benign" diagnosis, as the agonizing days of recovery passed we couldn't help but ask ourselves if Daryl was enduring such a challenging surgery and recovery for no reason. Should the tumor simply have been watched? Would anything bad ever have happened.... anything worth enduring the agonizing recovery?

So before I left Baltimore I asked the Surgeon point blank - if the benign tumor had been left in, could it have changed and become malignant/metastatic? His answer was a quick and certain "yes." By removing the tumor, Daryl has been cured surgically while the tumor was still benign...before it had a chance to grow and spread (metasticize) to the lymph nodes or grow into other areas of the pancreas. Leaving it in would have left Daryl at a high risk for a metastatic diagnosis down the road.

So, as horrible as this experience has been for him, it was necessary and curative. I think he has to keep reminding himself of that every day!!

D-DAY!!!!!!!!!

2009-04-04T09:54:00.004-04:00

Praise the Lord!!! Daryl is being released from the hospital today!!!!

Don't ask me what happened between yesterday and today to change things around...I'm not sure, but I'm sure not asking questions!

He is planning on spending the next 2-3 days at the hotel in Baltimore with a follow-up visit to the Surgeon on Tuesday to have his final two drains removed. If all goes well, Delta may bring him home to us on Wednesday. We'll keep you posted.

Pushed Back Again

2009-04-03T14:14:00.003-04:00

No release right now - bummer - but the Surgeon is adamant that Daryl be/feel well before he goes....and we know that's the right thing. They're trying to figure out why he's experiencing the dizzyness and vertigo, so consulted with physical therapy. Their assessment will continue early next week. The nausea is not as bad today, I'm told, but still not gone. Hopefully he can eat more and gain some strength. Daryl's white blood cell count went back up a bit, so they're keeping him on the antibiotic.

On a personal note (hopefully Daryl will enjoy seeing this) Little Miss "C" was blessed with an Easter package from some very dear friends. She was still in her jammies this morning as she tried on her new Easter Bonnet and Purse.

Still a Bumpy Road

2009-04-02T21:23:00.004-04:00

Dear Friends & Family - I'm safely back in Atlanta (thought I'd never make it with the weather, etc...) only to hear that Daryl has struggled with dry heaves and throwing up today. He's barely eaten anything. An ENT group was consulted and they really have no clue what's going on. He's being given something for the nausea, but says it's really not helped. And the sweats/chills are back this evening.

Here I sit at home - torn to pieces because I want to be in both places and know both need me. I know this too shall pass - just one of those steps back. He's still focused on trying to be released tomorrow...maybe being out of the hospital environment will help in and of itself. So we'll see what his surgical team says when they round in the morning.

On a positive note, as I was walking down the hallway to leave for the airport Daryl's friend Forrest was walking towards his room for a totally unexpected visit! His timing couldn't have been more perfect. Daryl wishes he'd felt good and been better company, but just to see a familiar face was "good medicine." Thanks, Forrest, for your time and effort to make Daryl's day special!

There's a Light at the End of this Tunnel

2009-04-02T09:28:00.002-04:00

Good news early this morning! Daryl's white count has come down significantly, so the hope is to be discharged from Hotel Hopkins tomorrow!

And, as is typical, with this good news has come a morning of nausea....always something.

But we'll take the good news and make plans accordingly. He'll probably have a follow-up appointment next Tuesday with the Surgeon to have another drain or two removed, and then be released to return home hopefully on Wednesday.

Will keep you updated - I'm on my way home this evening.

Another CT Scan at "Hotel Hopkins"

2009-04-01T10:20:00.004-04:00

"Hotel Hopkins" must be a term the physicians around here have coined and right now it feels mighty accurate!

Daryl had a great day yesterday. He dressed in his own clothes complete with the requisite ball cap and enjoyed some Internet time, computer games with my brother, reading your Get Well cards, etc. He started the IV antibiotic and we expected that "things" were looking up.

Last night around 7:00 the sweats/chills and cramping came back with a vengance after seemingly having disappeared two days back. An on-call surgeon came in the middle of the night and ordered another blood workup to be sure there's no infection in the blood. The weird thing is that Daryl never has a temperature during these "episodes" so the nurses aren't quite sure what to think.

This morning Daryl's surgical team has ordered another CT of the abdomen to look for any other potential abnormalities with the drainage tubes that are still in place. One of the drains continues to contain consistent puss, which they have assured us is the likely source of the infection. The Surgeon himself came in this morning and reassured Daryl that the antibiotic had not had enough time, that things should be getting better, and that the CT is just precautionary.

I'm sure you can "hear" it in my words....everything seems to be dragging out, his 6-10 day hospital stay now at 12 and counting. Daryl really wants to check out of Hotel Hopkins!

I'm listening to all of you and am clinging to your encouragement. Tomorrow I go home and I hate to do it - yet know I need to get Little Miss "C" her Mommy back. The Lord can take care of all the details and I pray He will, whether I have to return here or whether someone else may be able to come up and help my Dad if Daryl's discharge continues to be delayed. So again, wish I could come up with a stronger word than "thank you" to express how critically important and treasured your prayer support is and has been. We love you -

Finally the Source of the High White counts

2009-03-31T09:16:00.003-04:00

So things are moving in the right direction as of this morning. Daryl and I really prayed last night that the Lord wouldn't have Daryl leave the hospital until he was feeling well and "acting" well.

As of 9:00a.m. the Surgeon came by to let us know that his high white counts are likely related to the drainage coming from one of the "hook-ups" where they attached his pancreas to the intestines. That drain began having ugly looking stuff come out yesterday! To combat the white count issue and ward off any infection that is present, they are starting Daryl on a very strong IV antibiotic today. It should take care of any pancreatic/surgically-related infection.

So we're hopeful and some of the anxiousness about a too-early release has been relieved. The next day(s) in the hospital we pray will bring continued improvement in how Daryl feels and how his body is healing.

My Dad is heading up Wednesday morning to become primary caregiver - a "changing of the guard" if you will - and I'm planning on being home Thursday evening to resume Mommy duty. It will be hard to leave and I pray that Dad will have the stamina and help he needs to assist Daryl for 5-7 days outside of the hospital.

I'm believing that your prayers have carried us to this point, and know that they will continue to pray Daryl back to complete healing and wholeness. Thank you!

Cautiously Optimistic

2009-03-30T08:17:00.003-04:00

Some good news, yet still we're "treading lightly." Daryl's CT scan yesterday showed NO blood clot on his lungs - very good news!

Daryl's white blood cell count remains high, but hasn't gone higher. They continue to take blood samples, samples from his three drains, etc. to check for infection and/or the cause of his high white count. They don't want to use any antibiotics until they know what they are dealing with/trying to treat.

One HUGE praise report is that Daryl has gone 24 hours with NO sweats/chills. Thank you for praying about that!

Daryl's Sunday was much better than Saturday. He showered for the 1st time, walked a little more and enjoyed some great company with my brother. He finally "hit a wall" around 4pm and was done for the day, but that was great compared with Saturday.

Last night he had a lot of pain associated with the fluid around his lungs. Sharp-shooting pain as he tried to breathe. So today they will give him more lasix to work on the fluid and he'll use pain meds to help control the pain, yet doesn't want to use so much that he feels "out of it".

Today is more testing, and one of his three drains may be removed, and hopefully more walking which maybe will increase his appetite.

Daryl wants you know how grateful he is for standing with us in prayer, for the emails and cards, etc. We know that yesterday's progress and the abatement of the sweats/chills is the Lord's grace and answer to your prayers. Daryl truly has been blessed to experience "community" during this time.

Our parents have provided invaluable help with Little Miss "C". We're told that she goes to the backyard window often and points to the shed Daryl built last year and says, "Daddy's house." Guess she thinks that Daryl is out there....

Something is Wrong

2009-03-29T09:58:00.002-04:00

Hi Friends. Please keep praying - I've been up half the night and I've pleaded with the Lord that someone around here would have insight and wisdom into what is going on with Daryl.

Surgically, as far as his pain and healing, he seems to be doing well. However for four or more days now he continues to struggle with shortness of breath, weak spells, periods of profuse sweating & shivering (but no fever) and - at night - bad dreams that interrupt his sleep. These things keep him from doing the very things that will speed his healing - walking and eating.

His white blood cell count continues to rise, which would indicate infection or a PE (pulmonary embolysm). Last night they put him back on oxygen because his levels were low and he remained short of breath even just lying in bed. Another dose of lasix yesterday did help a little, but his numbers appear to be worse.

He's off now for a CT scan with contrast - more detailed, I guess, than yesterday's scan. Also doing blood work and a urine culture (even though the order for the culture was somehow missed...please pray for expedition of this, as miscommunication has happened before and often causes 1/2 day delays or more).

Friends, I'm really discouraged as is Daryl. If it weren't for this unexplained shortness of breath and lethargy he'd feel so much better. It seems that nobody has an answer for it....and every day that passes without an answer delays his recovery and his return home. Very discouraging, and all I know to do is to plead with the Lord to reveal the causes of this and break through them for us. We just don't know what else to suggest/do/ask for.

Thank you so much -

Washin' Up

2009-03-28T14:42:00.003-04:00

It's hard to believe that it's been just over a week since surgery! Many of you know from experiece what I'm learning - that life in the hospital is lived hour-by-hour, medication dose by medication dose, vital sign by vital sign....and then suddenly you look up and the day has passed.

Daryl achieved a few milestones today. His IV fluids were stopped, his PCA (pain med) pump was removed and he got "washed up" thanks to a persistent CA who pushed a bit and made it happen. Even got a few laughs out of the process, and laughter is good!

The Surgeon sent Daryl for a chest & abdomen CT scan today just to be sure nothing is going on undetected. Daryl's white count remains higher than normal, which could indicate infection. Could also be some pneumonia because he is very short of breath. So hopefully the results will give the right explanation so that the problem can be nipped in the bud.

Daryl's father & Carolyn headed back to GA this morning - I couldn't have done this week without them. Tomorrow my brother is headed up...he graciously volunteered this morning to help bridge the gap before my Dad comes.

Thanks for your comments and emails....they really are the highlight of my days!! As Daryl stays more awake I'll have him surf through them for himself.

GOOD NEWS!

2009-03-27T09:25:00.002-04:00

Daryl's tumor pathology came back. BENIGN! The lymph nodes were also free from tumor/cancer, so no chemo or further treatment should be necessary. Praise the Lord!

A lung xray did confirm that Daryl has fluid on his lungs. Somebody "dropped the ball" last night and he never got a 2nd dose of lasix (which helps take the fluid out of his body), so he had a rough night. But this morning we KNOW he has orders for 2 doses - he just got one and it's started working almost immediately.

Daryl is still very weak and not motivated much to get out of bed and walk or eat. I'm hoping that the good news about the tumor will be motivation for him, but also know that much of how he's feeling is related to carrying around the extra fluid.

The surgeon did say that this fluid issue has definitely delayed the expected recovery period, so I'm not sure how many more hospital days he has left. Could be another week. Please pray for wisdom as I make some decisions about how to handle the next week if he is still at the hospital. I'm debating having Caroline brought up here for a few days, but not sure that would be in any of our best interests (even though it's in my "heart's" interest!!!). My Dad is planning on coming so I can go home, but I think it's too much for one person to be at the hospital 24/7. I really need to stay. Decisions....

Thanks again for praying!

Daryl Asked Me To Tell You...

2009-03-26T17:51:00.004-04:00

Daryl wanted me to give this message to you:

"As much as I'd like to report progress again, this has been my roughest day yet. Some have left voicemails and emails for me....please forgive me for not responding yet. I've been too short of breath and fatigued to carry on a conversation for any length of time. (I know you understand...) Apparently I've had a bit of a setback, but am assured that I'll get through this."

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He's really not felt well today - sweats, lethargy, sleepiness, etc. While his surgical team isn't overly concerned, one of them has really listened to Daryl's concerns and is evaluating his lungs with x-ray and blood workups just to be sure they're not missing anything. Another one of the Surgeon's colleagues gave Daryl a much-needed pep talk this afternoon.

It's been an emotionally draining day for me. Guess I got a bit discouraged by Daryl's discouragement (well, not to mention pregnancy hormones, lack of sleep, etc.).

No pathology results today - and to be honest, I'm thankful. One thing at a time.

Looking forward to the "turn-around" that all the RNs and physicians say will come. Thanks for your encouraging words posted here and to our emails. Always good to be reminded that you're in this with us.

Good night from Baltimore, where the rain comes down just like it's doing there. God Bless You!

Climbing Up a Mountain of Sand

2009-03-26T11:00:00.002-04:00

I told a friend last night that recovery seems like 2 steps forward, 1 step back...kind of like climbing a mountain of sand. This morning it feels like we're closer the bottom of the mountain than the top. Nothing majorly bad has happened, really. It's just that nothing majorly good is happening either.

Daryl perked up yesterday afternoon and took a 6-lap walk around the Unit and felt like he was making progress. His friend (and one of our Pastors) Terry flew up and surprised Daryl with an overnight visit. What a blessing it was, even though I'm sure Daryl was frustrated at not feeling like interacting more while Terry was here.

This morning we're in a different place. Daryl is really tired - he describes it as a "malaise" - general body weakness, lethargy, discomfort. He's worried that something is going wrong, even though the Drs and staff think he's doing OK. I think Daryl feels like he's "failing" them in some way by not being far enough along or acting like a weakling. I don't get this sense at all, but I'm sure if it were me in the bed I might just feel the same.

So please continue to pray for God's Grace and Mercy to flood into Daryl, and for internal/whole-body healing. Pray for energy to get up and move around, and for wisdom to know when "enough is enough" so he doesn't overdo it.

Maybe it's the overcast and rainy day that is making it feel overcast and rainy within this room right now. Anyway, thanks for lifting us up. I'll update later -

Two Sleeping Mr. Abneys - What a Sight!

2009-03-25T13:24:00.002-04:00

I wish I could post a photo, but I've been told "no photos" are allowed right now. I'm sitting here on the computer checking out email, blogs, etc. and across the room Father and Son sit reclined in their respective chairs, mouths open, slight snores, sleeping like babies. It's hysterical!

Daryl had a good/challenging morning. He weighed in about 30 lbs beyond what is "normal" for him - so he's packing all that extra fluid weight which he has to carry around with him. Despite this, he took 2 laps around the Unit around 8:30 this morning. Then he decided to get bathed, brush his teeth and shave. He looks good, he smells better....and he's EXHAUSTED. Tried one more stroll around the Unit and barely had the energy. We'll see what this afternoon holds.

He has been OK'd for a clear liquid diet, so had his 1st sips of Apple Juice earlier. Some cramps came on later, so we're holding off on more for now (not to mention he's asleep anyway).

More later - slowly but surely this too shall pass.

Daryl's First Post to You

2009-03-24T19:03:00.004-04:00

Daryl asked me to dictate this to you (my comments in parethesis):

"I'm sorry for being so quiet, but right now it hurts to laugh or cry. Everything hurts. It's getting better but very slowly. Thank God for this little PCA pump in my hand (pain meds)! I've been able to get out of bed for the 1st time today to really walk, but it still requires help from 2 nurses to get me out of bed. I feel like a 90-year-old walking around the hallways, all slumped over and shuffling along. And it's hard to shuffle with 10+ liters of extra fluid on your body. But I did manage 6 laps around my Unit today (his goal was 3)."

"I'll attempt to put my own words on this Blog as I feel better. Just know that Wendy reads me your comments and email. Thank you for your encouragement, prayers and kind words."
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Daryl is worn out from all of the walking today, but that is good! His Dad got here today - he and Carolyn were able to relieve me and stay here this afternoon as I went back to the hotel to nap and shower. I'll be here again tonight with him. I

f you are praying and want a specific thing to pray, can you pray AGAINST several things?

1st - discouragement about what appears to be slow progress, even though the Surgeon is pleased with it.
2nd - pray against nausea/vomiting - pray that his GI system will receive the clear liquids well as he progresses into that stage of recovery.
3rd - Little Miss "C" threw up this morning but seems to be doing better - pray against illness for her, please!

Thank you! We'll post again tomorrow.

No More Bells & Whistles

2009-03-23T15:27:00.003-04:00

Good News! At 1:00 today Daryl was stable enough to be moved out of ICU to a private room. He's really happy about it, too. No more constant monitor alarms, people in-and-out of the room, etc. The prospect of getting more than one hour of uninterruped sleep is closer to becoming reality.

With this transition he was "disconnected" from his heart monitors, one IV that measured his blood pressure constantly, oxygen and the NG tube that drained his stomach. Much more comfortable....

He's still retaining fluids, so is still somewhat uncomfortable with the extra weight. But that should start to come off during the next 24-48 hours. He also has a good knot in his shoulder muscle which needs to be worked/relaxed out. But other than that he's not feeling much pain from his abdomen (he's still on pain meds) which has always been my concern.

Daryl took a good walk (assisted) around the ICU unit last night and is expected to do the same on his new floor today. All in all he's moving in the right direction - and we're thankful!

Please pray for his shoulder muscle to relax, for his fluids to start dissipating and for MY peace of mind as we are less "attended-to" tonight. I'll be staying with him overnight and am a little anxious about everything going well. Thank you so much....really. I can't tell you how much it means to me knowing that so many of you are concerned, praying and standing together with us even though we're far away.

Little Miss "C" is having a super time being spoiled by her Grandparents. Mommy, on the other hand, is missing her a lot!

Gotta get packed and back to Johns Hopkins for the evening. Daryl's Dad and his wife Carolyn are on their way to Baltimore today to keep us company until the weekend. Until tomorrow...