Happy Halloween!

Today is Halloween and all is well. Mary went to the doctor this morning, but I have not heard from her as of yet. Hopefully her meds have adjusted. When they increased them the other day, then the level was too high. I know it is going to take some time to get her "regulated", but we know that eventually she will be running full force. We can't wait. I really believe she will be feeling great by the holidays, and that is going to be wonderful.
I went to WW last night- another BIG number- .6! That means I have lost 2 pounds in the past 2 weeks. I am doing my part (save the exercise!), so I know that I am just at the point where the loss is going to be slow. 80 pounds in 10 months- not too bad. At least this is something I can live with. Even at the rate of .6 that is nearly 3 pounds a month, so I guess that is a good way to look at it. The girl that does the weighing at WW is so sweet and encouraging. I was kind of bummed and she said- "Girl, that is great. You have had a loss every week but one and that is almost unheard of!" She made my day. I have about 3 pounds I really want to shed by Thanksgiving, and I think I can do that even with my trip to Gatlinburg next week (I am soooo excited about my trip!)
I am looking forward to our Halloween party tonight. I made cheese dip and it is soooo good. I am going to have me some, even if it is like 20 points! Oh the holidays are hard for watching food consumption.
On a cute note- Lila is such a big girl and she is talking very well for a baby who is just 12 months old. On Wednesday night at church when the kids did Trunk or Treat she was saying, as plain as day, "I have candy!" So cute. All the kids looked so cute and had a great time. We have photos and I will try to add some later.
Have a spooktacular day.

Mary Update

The biopsy showed some "mild" rejection, so they are increasing some of the anti-rejection drugs. Hopefully this will get Mary over this hurdle. While we knew these things could happen, we hoped that the trip would be without any of these type of problems. She is sore and bruised from the biopsy, but still seems to be doing well. She will have more blood work this morning. Please continue to pray that the medicines will do the trick.

Happy Birthday, Kim

I am typing from the waiting room at UAB. We are waiting on word. The doctor came by and got our phone numbers and said he should call with the results around 4 this afternoon. We are not certain if they were already doing the procedure or not. I will update when I have news.
Today is my first-born child's 30th birthday. I cannot believe I have a 30 year old child. My goodness, I am getting old! What a great 30 years. Kim is my heart, my first beautiful baby, the one I probably made a lot of mistakes with, but also learned how to "mother". She has made us so proud- what a great kid!
Also, happy birthday to my wonderful niece Lisa. Lisa and Kim share the day. Lisa was born when I was 8- one of the big events of my childhood. She, too, has made my world a better place. It's kind of funny the Kim and Lisa share a birthday, and that my sister and myself also nearly hit having a baby on the same day a second time- Laura's birthday is August 3rd and Daniel's is August 1st. That would have been a real coincidence!
Keep praying- we hope for good news today.
Susan
'

Please remember Mary in prayer today

Mary went in for her blood work this morning and her liver enzymes had doubled over the weekend. They will do an ultrasound this afternoon and a liver biopsy tomorrow. While we knew there would be ups and downs, it has been so "up" that we were not prepared for a "down". We fully trust that all will be well, but I am personally asking that today you say a special pray. Even if Mary is starting to reject, the doctors have told her that adjustments in medication often stops the rejection process. I know that Mary is worried, and certainly dreads having to have the biopsy (which will be done under sedation). She has done so well through this whole ordeal and we are praying that this is just a small bump in the road to a successful recovery. I love you, Mary and I am trusting God to see you through this procedure and recovery.

Thanksgiving Early

You know, I love the fall. I love Thanksgiving- being with my family, the cool, crisp days, the thought of Christmas just around the corner. In reality, I feel like our family has had Thanksgiving early this year. Mary is doing great and I am so thankful. This has been such a stressful time for the family, especially Mary, Billy and the kids, and to have everything to have gone so smoothly is just a blessing from above. You know, David's side of the family is pretty small- just David and Billy, their parents, one aunt, and one cousin. So Billy, Mary and the kids have been such a close part of our lives. I told someone at work that I don't think that some people understood how emotional this had been for me, since they probably thought- well, it is just her sister-in-law. But coming from a small, close little family it has been a big event. I believe that the turkey is going to smell better than ever, the dressing will be moist and tasty, the peanut butter pies will be just right, and the day after Thanksgiving sales will be the best ever. I am also excited about Christmas. This time last year we were in the mode of wondering when the transplant call would come. We have been afraid to plan or do much this past year, in anticipation of that important phone call. That feeling has subsided, and although in my heart I know there will be other things in life that stress us, and give us cause for concern, but for today, just for today, all is well in my world. Mary is just my hero through all of this- she has been brave and strong, and I am so proud of her.
I hope you all have the bestest week ever!!!!

Out of the mouth of the elderly...

Okay..laugh at my expense.
Yesterday, David and I made a trip to the nursing home. As you enter there are glass doors and I was looking at myself thinking.."Okay, I can tell I have lost weight." I almost had the "thin" feel to myself (okay- believe me, thin is not what I am!), but I did have on black pants and a dark top, so I was feeling pretty good about myself. Anyway, we get into the Alzheimers unit and there is this little lady (well, she is actually short, but she is pretty chunky) and she comments, very quietly to the lady at the table with her (who does not know if it is day or night), "She is tall, (so I am thinking, "Oh, I am tall, that's okay), and then she adds, "and big, too!" Boy, talk about bursting a bubble. Go ahead...laugh... I did.
Mary is having a better day. She is up walking and they have her off the morphine (which was making her itch again). She is doing great. She still has a recovery ahead, and with 70 staples in your stomach you have to be sore, but she is still on target. She wanted to see Addi, and Jasmine and Alex took her today, so that was great medicine. We had Lila's first birthday, and of course she had a big time. She received several nice gifts, had a cute as pie cake, and had great fun eating her personal cupcake. She also had her other grandparents here from Oklahoma and we have enjoyed spending time with them today.
I will update soon, but for now, all is well. Please remember to pray for Mary each day when you say your prayers, and for little JaKeria (I put the wrong name on my last post- I have a student named KaKeria) who is still in ICU, but doing well at last report.

Oh the joys of this October morning!

UPDATE!!!!!!!!!!! Mary may go to a room as early as this afternoon. Whoever out there praying, keep on because it is working! BONUS UPDATE!!!!!!!!! SHE IS NOT ITCHING!!!!!! THANK GOD IN HEAVEN FOR HIS MERCY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I can't help but think of the song by Frankie Valli that starts like this...
"Oh what a night...late December back in 63, what a very special time for me"
Only our version is early October in 2008!
Mary is going to be a poster child for liver transplants. She came off the respirator by midnight and was talking! The doctor in ICU was amazed, as she said that was very rare. We are so thankful, as Mary was dreading having to be on the respirator. She is strong and a survivor, for certain. We are so blessed. Continue your prayers.
On another note, the baby was doing well. When the doctor came out to talk to Temeka she was sitting in the circle with all of us and he said- "Is this your family?" Of course, I guess you have assumed that Temeka is a young, black mother, and all of us are white, which is correct. She looked around this circle of like 30 people and looked at him and said, "Yes, this is my family." Anyway Kakeria is doing great. She will probably go to Children's today, so we will have to keep track of her. Thanks to Mia, Tina, Teresa, Lindsey, for helping me put together a Kakeria fund. We were able to give her enough money to eat on for the weekend. The tears flowed as I pressed the money into her hand (which she did not want to take or did not ask for but was so appreciative of). Tina has already contacted a friend at Children's who knows the ends and outs and she is going to try to make certain that the family receives the correct services that they offer. We are a pretty good team when we all work together! Once she gets to a room, she will have a refrigerator and a microwave, so we can help them out with stocking the frig. I am going to go buy the baby some pajamas at some point today and try to pick up a few other little things. You know, I don't need anything..but they do. I am sooooo blessed. We are going to take care of both our liver people. I am surrounded by some of the greatest people on God's green earth. For my blog commenters, I love each one of you and appreciate your checking on Mary. Mary is special to so many people, and once she can, I am certain that she will go back and read all the comments. I will try to update as we get news.
Again, love to all!

God is so Good!!!!!

God is so good! The transplant could not have gone better. The doctor said they might even get the breathing tube out tonight! He said the liver was wonderful and that it was already doing it's job. The baby (our new relative) is also doing great. The mom is with us as I type. She is anxious to see her baby. God is so good! We have been surrounded by family and friends, so many people. What a blessing. Keep praying!

Update

We do not know anything at this point, but I want to share this. I decided I needed to meet whoever's child was getting the other half of the liver, so I made a trip around the waiting room until I located this young lady with a red wagon. I asked her if her baby was having surgery and she started to cry. She told me she was getting a liver- I just grabbed her and hugged her and told her we were getting the other half. They are from Jackson, Mississippi. The little girl, KaKeiria, is 2. The mom, Temeka, is here alone. Her husband is in Miss with their 4 year old who has a cold. She is so alone. We brought her to our part of the waiting room (which is full) and have adopted her. How sad to be alone. Then the tears flowed as she told us that her first baby boy had died of this liver problem at 13 days old. Okay folks...are you using tissue yet? I am. She works at a nursing home as an aide, and she said they had just started to try to save some money to make it through this time, but since it happened so quickly (3 weeks) she had not had the time to save much. Now you know we are going to have to help this situation out. Once the baby comes out of ICU she will go to Children's and then after 2 weeks they will go to the Ronald McDonald House. Pray for Mary. Pray for KaKeiria.

They Just Took Mary to Surgery!

They just took Mary. The nurse said it would still be 30 minutes to an hour before they started, and then 4-7 hours after that. Keep praying!

Still Waiting...

3:30- still waiting. They say they will take her back in the next "little" bit. We were told they had started on the liver separation about 1:30. A 2 year old little girl is getting the other half. At this point, we are looking at late night. Keep praying..............

Still Waiting

As of last news- they have not "harvested" the liver, but will at about 2. It will take an hour and a half to split the liver, and they should begin about 4. If the surgery takes 6-8 hours, it might be midnight. Mary has been nauseated, but they gave her something. We are all just waiting. Keep praying, also for the baby that is getting the other half of the liver.

Good Spirits

We have just returned from the hospital, and Mary is in great spirits. The surgery is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. but could be earlier. The operation will take 6 to 8 hours, so it will be a long day. Mary will be kept under full sedation for about 24 hours, which originally she was told 3 days. They say 7-10 days and she could be home. The doctor said the liver was in excellent shape. A little boy from Memphis is supposed to get part of the liver, but they were having a hard time reaching them so it might go to someone else. I can't understand why you would be unreachable if your child was waiting on a transplant, but then again, who am I?
Say a special prayer that the transplant is successful and that Mary does not have a rejection problem. We are hopeful that everything is going to go smoothly, but we still know that this is not like having a hang nail removed. UAB has a tremendously successful rate of success on liver transplants, but it is not every day that someone close to us is added to the statistics! We are so thankful that the day has arrived.

MARY GOT THE CALL!!!!

YES, MARY GOT THE CALL!!! SHE HAS TO BE THERE IN AN HOUR AND HALF, BUT THE TRANSPLANT WILL NOT BE UNTIL TOMORROW MORNING. PLEASE, PLEASE, SAY YOUR PRAYERS FOR HER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Better Late than Never!

I am so behind on my blogging. I finished the Cataloging class I was teaching this term. It took some of my extra time, so blogging fell to the wayside!
Updates-
First and most major, as most of you know, we are going to have a new grandbaby! We are very happy with the news from Josh and Katie. They are great parents, and we know this baby will be loved by everyone. Hannah will be a great sister, I know. What a girl!
WW continues to go well. I am at about 80 pounds, and still going. I have almost NO clothes, no coat, no shoes (my shoes are too big) and the underwear- well, we will not go there! I am going to go shopping on Columbus Day. One pair (I am serious as a heart attack) of pants does not a week make.
Lila is about to be one year old. What a baby doll she is. She is walking, talking, and being a big girl.
Addi and Levi continue to amuse us on a daily basis. Addi is doing great in school, soccer, and Fall ball. Levi is my heart- enough said! He seems to be doing some better with his busy self, and actually did good in church on Sunday night. He is going to do great things in life, if he survives childhood intact! Hannah continues to amaze me at her maturity. Things about her make me think of Kim at that age. She is wise beyond her 2 years, for certain.
David, my love, is still busy trying to return money to the Veteran’s Administration. Seriously. How can a government agency send you an extra $30,000.00 (or more)? He has tried his best to give it back, and nobody will take it. If it were not serious in regards to PaPa’s eligibility for Medicaid, it would be funny. It is almost like a bad dream that will not end. Pray for him.
Better run. I will try to do better at blogging- we shall see!