Food for Thought

BE THANKFUL
Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire.If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
Be thankful when you don't know something,for it gives you the opportunity to learn.
Be thankful for the difficult times.During those times you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations,because they give you opportunities for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge,because it will build your strength and character.
Be thankful for your mistakes.They will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you're tired and weary,because it means you've made a difference.
It's easy to be thankful for the good things.A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are also thankful for the setbacks.
Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive.Find a way to be thankful for your troubles,and they can become your blessings.
~~ Author Unknown ~~

Well, Dr. Phil would be happy

I bit the bullet and gave away most of my too big clothes. Pray I made the right choice! Dr. Phil says give them away, so I did.
We are okay- still trying to cope and still praying for Josh and Katie. It still seems unreal for me, so I know it does for them.
I am looking forward to Thanksgiving. We have much to be thankful for, even in light of the loss of this past week. Life is truly a roller coaster- and we are strapped on for the ride as long as we are on this side of eternity.
My co-workers have been wonderful to me since I returned on yesterday. I have had gifts and tokens placed on my desk, hugs, cards, and tears shared. I am blessed beyond words to work where I do. I also found out we had been selected as a Title I Distinguished School, which is a rare honor. I am going to San Antonio in February to receive the award, along with my principal and assistant principal. We will be there from Thursday until Sunday. Should be fun!

Blog Therapy

Thanks for all the sweet comments concerning the loss of the baby. I think blogging is pretty good therapy. I think we write things that we might not verbalize- and that we respond with words that we might not be able to vocalize.
We are all still trying to cope with this loss. I have this great mental picture of my dear mother reaching out to take this sweet baby's little hand and welcome him or her to eternity. I can see MaMa Studdard making certain that God turns up the thermostat because there is a little baby in the house. I know that Bill and Lila Mae have to be there on the welcoming committee, as well as so many others. Lila Mae probably has that baby a quilt made! While I certainly do not know how Heaven works, thinking of images such as these helps to ease the pain. The sun will rise tomorrow, Lord willing, and with each day we will move forward. For Josh and Katie, the move will be slower- but we are here to hold their hands and to help them as they deal with the emotions of this loss. Continue to pray for us. The concern and love that have been shown truly means a lot to me, and I know to Katie and Josh, as well.

Our Hearts are Sad Tonight

Our hearts are sad as our sweet, unborn baby has been lost. I have never lost a baby, but tonight I have lost a grandbaby. We had such anticipation, as we have with the other grandchildren, and now we feel very empty. Though this baby had been in our lives just a short time, that does not minimize the hopes and dreams that we all had for this wee one. Katie and Josh are heart-broken, as this was a much wanted and loved sweet soul. Please pray for all of us, but especially Katie and Josh. Hannah hugged her daddy for such a long time tonight- she seemed to sense his hurt and put her sweet head on his shoulder for the longest time. Katie will be having a D & C tomorrow, so hold her in your thoughts and prayers.

Pray for JaKiera

Please remember to pray for our transplant baby. Temeka talked to Mary yesterday and JaKiera is going through the same thing Mary went through last week. They are doing a biopsy today and she said she would let us know what was going on. She has been readmitted to the hospital, which I assume is because of her age. They had hoped to return to Mississippi on Friday, but I am certain that is not going to happen at this point.
Mary went to the movies yesterday! They were the only ones in the theatre, so we will not give her too hard of a time. Her bloodwork is improving and they hope to get it all adjusted where her shaking will stop. Thankfully- NO ITCHING!

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

I have had some random thoughts on this Monday morning, so I decided to blog. I have been thinking about how wonderful the month of November truly is, and not just because it is my birthday month. November is like the threshold to the holidays- and, like most people, I love the holidays. I enjoy Thanksgiving and Christmas because of the opportunity to celebrate with my favorite people- my family. We have been blessed to have parents, children, grandchildren, siblings, in-laws, nieces, nephews, and even our children’s in-laws to celebrate the holidays with us. I enjoy fixing the Thanksgiving feast and watching those around me enjoy the meal. What fun. I also love the period of time between Thanksgiving and Christmas- the shopping, Christmas carols, food, gatherings, you name it. I can hardly wait! This year, of course, will be even more wonderful since Mary has her new liver and will be feeling better. We might even string some lights on her!
Christmas is so exciting, especially when there are little ones around. Our Christmas Eve and Christmas day have been made so special with the addition of the wee ones. For several years it seemed like we had “older” kids, but since Addi’s arrival, the little ones have been resupplied. Our family has always been on the “smaller” side, but I think we have made good progress at moving into the “mid-size” range. I am not certain what the numbers are for “mid-size” but I will just say we are.
One of my mother’s wishes was that her family remain a “family”. I think she would be proud of us.
In other news and notes- we are going to take a trip to Gatlinburg this week. We are leaving on Friday morning and we will be back on Tuesday night. While a little short, 4 nights is a nice get-away. I am excited to see all the decorations- it is beautiful during the holiday season.
This morning when I got out of bed I thought to myself that I had no aches or pains. How great. Prior to losing this weight, my back would hurt me if I stayed in bed very long. I guess it was a “touch” of arthritis, but now I never notice it. Is that not good? I have been blessed to not have many of the “fat” folks problems- diabetes, high blood pressure, etc., but I knew I was a ticking time bomb. I still have to give myself a lecture when I am around food- like this weekend, but then when I get on the scales, I am thankful that I did not give in. Reality is- if I can just hold on until I go to bed, once I get up I am not even hungry. I usually wait until about 9 or 9:30 to eat something in the morning, and even at that I am not just starving. I always tell myself if I give in and eat, especially at night before bedtime, I will not even realize that I have eaten it come morning- does that make sense? David put us up a new flat screen digital TV in front of the treadmill. He was walking when I left for work- so I am going to have to get on there and add the exercise to my program. I think having the TV will take away from the boredom of just walking by myself.
Well, enough random thoughts. Am I the only one looking forward to the holidays???

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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!