Getting back into the Swing of things!

I don't even know where to begin...too many things have happened, so I guess I will just list them for now and maybe write short explanations.

1) I had abdominal surgery
It all started with me thinking I had the stomach bug. Then, it changed into extreme pain in my bowels. To be very honest, I would have rather gone through childbirth a few times before having to do all this over again. After two ER visits and wrong diagnosis both times, I met with my OBGYN and she performed a laparoscopic procedure on me only to find that she had to perform abdominal surgery on me as well. She ended up having to call two other surgeons in during the surgery because of what they found. I had a pelvic abscess (which is usually a contained infection) that had leaked and spread all over inside of me. It was a mess and they had to clean me up really well. I was in the hospital for 6 days and had to be on strong antibiotics for quite a while. After many tests they still don't understand what caused it, which is pretty nerve wracking, but we are keeping a close watch for any more negative signs. I am still weaker than I was (since I was sick for so long before I even went to the doctor), but I am definitely getting back into the swing of things. My insides are still giving me some funky feelings every once in a while, but it is definitely getting better and I am pretty much pain free! Yeah! My immune system is pretty low still. The first time I got out I came back home with a cold which I am still fighting. Hopefully, echinacea and vitamin c will fix that!

2) Both my kids are finally home with me
A HUGE thank you to my mother and mother-in-law and a few other friends for all the help and support they have been for me and my family! They took care of the kids during a lot of this time and even got Maya to take formula while I was in the hospital. We wouldn't have been able to do this without their help! I have had Maya with me since being home from the hospital, but Calvin has been on the Taylor's A LOT! Thanks Kathy for being willing to take care of him so much! It was also so nice to only have Maya with me while I was recouping. Although, I am so glad to finally have both kids home and to be able to get back into our normal routine. Last week, I actually got into the car with both kids and did a couple of errands. It was GREAT to get out of the house! We were even able to get some fun books for Calvin at the library. Calvin is back to potty training and things are going pretty smoothly...with some M&M's as incentive ;) Maya is flipping around on both sides now and gets frustrated a lot more. Calvin is so loving towards Maya and they are starting to enjoy one another a little more now that Maya is getting more interactive (she will be 4 months already on the 28th of this month). Crazy! They are two wonderful kids and I am so blessed to have them as my own! I LOVE watching them play together...When Maya gets upset, Calvin likes to go up to her and entertain. He tries to get her interested in the toys. It really is the cutest thing to watch! Here are some fun pictures of the kids.






3) Maya is breast feeding well again
First, it was quite the ordeal to get Maya drinking formula. We tried different bottles and different formula until she finally picked one she seemed to do alright with. I pumped while I was in the hospital (although my milk supply was extremely low from having been on just liquids for quite a while). I was allowed to nurse with the antibiotics that I started taking when I got home, but it hurt Maya's tummy, so she was pretty fussy for a while. I am now off the antibiotics and my milk supply is better now and Maya is nursing well! So, that is a HUGE relief to me! I love being able to fill her tummy with the best nutrition I can give her! She deserves the best even if if took a lot of work and frustration to get it going again! Here are a few pictures of Maya. The first four are a sequence of pictures I took one day...I love all her expressions. She is such a delight!






3) Thank you EVERYONE for all the meals...I am finally cooking again
We had an overwhelming amount of meals brought to us and that was the biggest blessing ever! We are so thankful for that as I was not feeling up to cooking. I am getting my energy back now and am so happy to be cooking for my family again. It was so nice to have a break, but there is something about being able to prepare special meals for my family that I missed.

4) Johnny had a job interview
He interviewed for a Graphic Design position at Penwell and we are still waiting to hear back from them. It is something that we both really want, but God does know best and so we shall wait patiently for His timing and His will. Johnny is the hardest worker I know and I am so proud of him. He deserves the best! We think we know what is best, but only God can make that decision...He is our Father and He is the only one who knows what is best for all of us!

5) My dear dad has aggressive cancer and is in his last days before he goes to be with the Lord
My dad has been fighting cancer for a while now. He has gone through chemo and a lot of pain and suffering. But now His time to be with the Lord is near. I am still grieving, but I am now excited for what is to come for him. My dad is a wonderful man of the Lord and I am so proud of him and the way he has handled his suffering. I know for a fact that my dad will be in a much happier place! I praise God for this! These scripture verses have been on my heart lately. I know that I am going to be with the Lord one day because I have asked Jesus to come into my own heart. I have a personal relationship with Him. To be honest, it has its ups and downs, just as a normal friendship does. Even with its highs and lows, I know I will have a place in heaven because of His promises to me and to any other person who chooses to believe in Him.
John 14:6 says: Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life! No one comes to the Father except through me."
John 3:16-18 says: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.
My dad is an inspiration to me and my family and I am sure to MANY others that know him as well! He is going to be missed dearly!

6) Happy Thanksgiving
To be honest, we (my family) are going through a tough time right now. We have had a lot of things happen to us that could easily cause us to become discouraged...sickness, financial hardships (enormous hospital bills with no insurance), death, and being physically and emotionally exhausted. But we are persevering and both Johnny and I are growing together in all of this. Johnny has seen me at my weakest yet and I have seen him very discouraged, but we are keeping our heads up and completely relying on God for His help, strength, guidance, love, peace and much more. We know that we will be taken care of because God is our provider. He loves us dearly as His own children and will take care of us!

With this being said, I have so many things to be thankful for... I am extremely blessed! Thank you Lord for my amazing and hard working husband and beautiful family! Thank you for the most awesome dad who was the best role model ever! Thank you for a cute little house and two cars! Thank you for showing me the importance of staying home with my kids and giving us the ability to do that! Thank you for my mommy body (even thought I don't always show appreciation for it)...it's a constant reminder of what an amazing miracle it is to grow a child inside of me and what a privilege it was as well! Thank you Lord for all the loving support from family and friends that we have been given during this rough time! Thank you for reminding us of the importance of spending time with you daily...you are our source for everything!

And here are a few more pictures to end this posting with. The first is of Calvin when he fell asleep in his highchair while he was eating his lunch. He had never done that before and it was hilarious. He didn't even wake up when I put him into his bed! Here is the video of it:


The second picture is Calvin listening to music with dad's headphones. He really enjoyed that! The last two are just silly ones of Calvin and I trying on his little "safety glasses" that he got with his garage sale tool set that daddy found for him! It was quite the silly moment!