Old dog+toddler=a trip to the ER

Where to begin? A couple of weeks ago we had just finished breakfast. I was cleaning the dishes, Jer was on the phone with his mom and Drew was playing. Next thing we know, Drew is holding one eye screaming, Jer is yelling at his mom, 'I have to go. Pinkie (dog) just got Drew in his eye!' I scoop Drew up and run upstairs trying not to panic or cry and calm him down as we hurry up the strairs. He wouldn't let either one of us look at his eye. We could tell it was bleeding and as I was trying to clean up some of that I caught a glimpse. It didn't look like his eye was injured just an eyelid. Phew. Jer overreacted about the situation while I tried to remain calm....that was hard. HARD. I mean here is my baby, who is now a toddler, with an injury to his eye. I was upet about my dog that we thought had bitten Drew. I was upset with Jer for over reacting. It was a lot to bottle in. ***I would also like to note that in typical Jeremey family style the entire family thought that he had lost his eye. Literally.

Once at the ER we find out that he needs immediate repair. A plastic surgeon was called in and Drew left with 4 stitches to his lower eyelid. We were told that one of his tear ducts was torn and it would need repair. Ugh, another procedure? Anyway- that afternoon we were home. Drew was acting as if nothing had happened.

The next day we have an appointment with an eye surgeon who informs us that everyone has 2 tear ducts but 60% of the population uses only one and the remaining 40% uses both. Oh, and there is also no way of knowing where a person falls until they grow up. We were scheduled for surgery the following day.

I can't even tell you how that day was the LONGEST day ever. Seriously. We couldn't eat or drink for 8 hours prior and he wasn't even scheduled until 5:30pm that night! Drew was being such a trooper until around 3:30pm when we were into his naptime hour, no food or drink, and we were in the OR prep room. No bueno. AND, the surgery before us took longer which pushed us back to the 7:30 mark. This was one unhappy momma about to unleash on the poor nurse who was relaying messages.

This is the slightly out of it Drew right before surgery. They had given him something to relax him before they took him back so he wouldn't be upset.

This is the next day. I was scared to take of the patch for fear of what it would look like but we took it off and you couldn't even tell! It's amazing. He has been healing well and the doctor will take out the tube in a few months.

  This is what their relationship is usually like. It's hot and cold!

Newness

I'm toying around with a new design. I'm bored with the other. I think I might even change the pictures too! I need inspiration.

On a side note, I'm listening to my Razorback Marching Band cd (nerdy I know) and loving that it is football season!!

Often

I often find myself thinking about one constant thing. My family. My immediate family and my extended family. I often think of what our lives would be like if we lived in close proximity to family. Currently we live 17 hours away. SEVENTEEN. It's difficult because you can't make it in a day. (Well, you can. It's hard with a toddler.)

Did you ever hear the saying, 'you go where the money is'? We have lived that montra for the past 4 years, and let me tell you that money isn't always that great. Please don't take this as I'm not thankful for the life we live because I AM. I am blessed beyond means to be able to stay at home with my child, and I have a husband with a determination to do whatever it takes to make us happy. We have sacrificed relationships with family and friends to pursue the bigger goal in hopes that one day we will move back to our family. I have anxiety over this matter that it often interferes with my ability to commit or want to commit to relationships now. It interferes with my willingness to be open with people and invite them in because I know/hope we will be moving in a couple of years. It's inevitable because I know that we will be closer to our family. It has now become our goal and our main priority....to make it back 'home.'


There is any opportunity that has presented itself and I am hoping for clarity from Jer's boss this week. Meanwhile, GOD may have a slightly different plan and HE may want us here. I don't know. I hate not knowing, but I talked with my sister tonight and she told me to pray about it because it really isn't up to me.


So, that's what I'm going to do. Pray. I'm going to pray and be thankful for my life, my family's lives, for my husband who has a job and the time I get to spend at home with my son. I'm going to pray that HE will decide what is best for our little family. I'm going to give up the anxiety of our fate and pray that HE will give us comfort. I may not be the best at 'walking the walk' but I know how to pray.

Hooties all the way!

So begins a series of posts with this one telling the tales of my trip to Orlando. This was my first Chi Omega convention! First! A group of five of us drove down from Charlotte, only an 8 1/2 hour drive. By five of us...I mean two advisors and three active ladies. We drove down a couple of days before so we could have a "fun" day before convention started. Our resort was amazing and minutes from the major attractions of Orlando. We went to Universal Studios and experienced the new Harry Potter attraction! It was awesome and the best ride at Universal!

I had the BEST experience at convention. I told the girls that I was in a slump of Chi Omega before we left, and being at convention with 1200 other women who have or are serving Chi Omega currently rejuvenated my love for this organization! I am so happy that I have the opportunity to serve such an amazing organization that supports women and promotes the ideals that I hold dear to my heart.

Home

I get to go home in a few weeks!!! I'm so excited. Even though it's only been since March, it feels like an eternity. I have missed my family. Every time we go home it's literally like this: get out, unload suitcases, stay the night, load the truck, drive to next location. Literally. I hate it. I do love that my family will come to see me at Jessica's house. It's not too much to ask considering we drive 17 hours and they drive 1 1/2 hours. Right?
My sister's baby is due July 3 and I am praying that he waits to make his debut until I am there. PLEASE. I hate that I haven't been able to see her change and that she hasn't posted any pics (hint, hint). I was in the room when Parker was born and I am so thankful that she asked me to be, but this time I am supposed to watch Parker while Peyton is being born. Keep in mind I will be watching two 2 year olds. What would you rather do? HA! As of right now I will be traveling from Orlando to XNA because of a Chi Omega convention that I am attending. Jeremey will have already been in OK/AR for work, and he will be leaving D and traveling back to NC. Which means that we will probably not see each other for a few weeks. Sad face. We are extremely blessed as a family to have the life we have, but sometimes I loathe his traveling with his job.

I can't wait to come home. Let's think positive thoughts for us as we travel and as Peyton decides to bless us with his presence! Please wait baby P until Aunt Sissy gets to AR!

Update on prayer request

I'm just updating on Scott's condition as of late last night. The MRI was performed yesterday evening. The results are that Scott has DAI, or Diffuse Axonal Injury. The brain is still swollen and it has been difficult for the doctors to see how much dead tissue he has. He is now breathing with the ventilator vs. the ventilator breathing for him. He still has no brain activity and the section of the brain that is the personality will be affected in some way.

The family has set up this site with CaringBridge http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/scottagnew

Thank you for your prayers and I ask that you please continue to pray.

Please Pray

As some of you may know, I am an advisor for a Chi Omega chapter at Wingate University. I have been advising for years in the various locations that we have lived and I love it. I can't imagine not doing it. I had such a wonderful experience in college with Chi Omega advising is my chance to give back.
The chapter at Wingate had 15 seniors graduate. Fifteen! I have grown close with many of these girls and I am sad to see them go. Today, I found out terrible news regarding Emily S. and her fiancee, Scott. Yesterday Scott was assiting his dad while tree cutting and the tree fell over and crushed him. While I don't know the logistics of how the tree fell, etc., I did speak with Emily today. Scott is currently unconcious and has been for the last 24 hours. His lungs were punctured by his ribs and his spleen has a tear. He has also had a trach put in. The doctors are hoping to have an MRI tomorrow to see the extent of the brain damage.

Please, please pray for Emily and Scott and both of their families. These are two people who have dated most of college (if not all) and are engaged to be married next summer. Emily is the sweetest, bubbliest person you will ever meet in your life and I can't imagine her having to go through something so tragic.

Girls night!

I don't know about you, but I rarely get an evening out to myself with the girls. Mainly because the time I do have to myself I want to spend with Jer because of his traveling schedule, or I have a million other 'mom' things to do like cleaning the house or doing the laundry. I also volunteer a lot of my time with Chi Omega and I schedule my free time with that. Anyway, tonight I am going to eat dinner with a friend and a movie! Wendy is one of my closest friends here, and she is also a sweet Chi O! She recently last her aunt to cancer and after our movie tonight we are going to the all night Relay for Life to walk in honor of her aunt. I can't wait! We both wanted to go but didn't want to go by ourselves and just happened to ask me about it today! I'm really excited that I can be there for her while she goes through this, and I can also light a candle for my special friend, Bron Warren who passed away this year of prostate cancer. (Who by the way was only 28.) It's definitely going to be a long evening, but I am really excited about it!

Oh where, oh where?

Where have I been? Just when I think that I have recommitted myself to blogging, I fail. Miserably. I feel like I am all over the place since staying at home. My goal is to set a schedule for myself and Drew and try to stick to that as much as I can. I'm hoping to change up my page a little as well which will give me an extra incentive to blog! I can keep telling myself that right?

S.O.S.

S.O.S. please, someone help me...words from one of Rihanna's songs that immediately popped into my head today. I haven't blogged in so long and many of you don't know that I left my job in retail management because I was tired of the scheduling...and the drama. I have since decided that I am okay with being a stay-at-home-mom (SAHM). By the way, I hate that moniker. Loathe is more like it. It makes SAHM moms sound as if we were living circa 1950s as June Cleaver. But, I digress.

I have officially been at home with Drew since the end of January. I must say that during the past couple of months I have enjoyed being at home. I love waking up and knowing that I get to spend the entire day with my little man. I don't love doing the housework, taking care of the bills, grocery shopping or the laundry. I do it all and I try not to complain because I am extremely fortunate.

The past week or so has taken a toll on me. I have gone from having a sweet little boy to a two year old who thinks that "no" is his favorite word and I am his personal jungle gym. He likes to hit on occassion and throw the meanest temper tantrums, all while folding over his bottom lip, a signature look I might add. He came out of the womb with that lip folded over. Lately, I am wiped out by 2pm and that's on a good day. Today was no different...exhaustion hit, followed by crankiness and this was just how I was feeling. I kept thinking to myself, if I can just find a place to hide....

While I try to buck up and make it through the evening I keep chanting, "It's almost bedtime. It's almost bedtime."

Stare, stare.

Jeremey came home this afternoon from Asheville. He had been at a meeting for the past couple of days and instead of cooking dinner we decided to eat out. For those of you who know us, we eat out a lot which is odd because Jer loves to cook...LOVES to cook. Destination- Texas Roadhouse. I LOVE anything that is Texas and the Texas Roadhouse is a definite love. This location recently opened and it is constantly packed. Drew was a tiny bit moody and he was fine up until the our waitress brought us our dinner salads and the fit commenced. This is pretty much how it went...
M: "Drew can you tell mommy what's wrong?"
D: "No." continues crying while he is standing up in the booth.
M: "If you can't tell mommy what's wrong and you don't calm down we are going to walk outside."
D: " NO!" He is now screaming.
Mommy gets up and we walk outside. We talk about his behavior and he said he is ready to go back and sit down, so back we go.
And then, he starts again.

M: "Drew. I can't help you if you can't tell me what's wrong. Are you hungry?"
D: "No." crying.
M: "Do you want to sit by daddy?"
D: "No."
He screams and cries all while Jer is trying to offer him food. Jer's turn to take him to blow his nose because by now snot is everywhere. They come back and he is smiling as soon as he turns the corner and sees me. He sits down and points to his plate, which is empty, and what does he do? Screams. Screams as loud as his little voice will scream. I'm not one to spank in public, so I pick him up while trying to remain calm and grab our things and out the door we go. Jer is left to pack up our food and pay the bill.
Meanwhile, I'm standing there waiting for Jer to hand me my jacket and everyone around us is staring. And, oddly enough everyone is old enough to be grandparents except for this one family who was sitting behind Jer and they were staring as well. I understand that a 2 yr old screaming and crying at the top of his lungs is not ideal dinner entertainment, but is it really neceassary for you to stare? I mean these people were hard core staring which just irritated me even more. So, what do I do? I stare back. It was really more of a glare, but I'm sure my deathray stare made my point because I noticed that people wouldn't look me in the eye. Who's embarrassed now?