santa claus is coming to town

we're home just in time to get ready for christmas! emma had her christmas program at school the night before we went to the hospital. while she was up on stage singing, madeline was clapping and cheering, "wooo hooo, yeah em!". the girls are so excited for chrismas. emma has a list a mile long and madeline wants a sippy cup and fruit snacks...typical!

claire bear

We're home!! What a scary couple of days that was. As we were leaving the doctor's office on Friday to head to the ER, our pediatrican told us that if Claire didn't have RSV (she had already tested negative twice that morning) than there really was nothing else that it could be other than meningitis because her softspot was bulging and there was a lot of pressure on her brain. Praise God that after a lot of prayer, all of her testing came back negative. It turns out that the pressure was a result of an upper respiratory infection and not a viral infection in her brain. Since it was just pressure and not an infection her brain will not be damaged in any way. We had a long few days in the hospital....they are really backed up right now and we spent the first night in a holding area with 5 other beds and the second night in a treatment room that they converted into a "room" for us. No TV and no bathroom!!! Thank you, Norma for bringing me a DVD player to keep me occupied. On Friday, Claire was really zoned out and not acting herself at all. That night I didn't sleep at all because she was really struggling to breathe and I was terrified to take my eyes off of her. By the next morning, we had our happy little girl back and she was playful and smiley in her crib all day. The nurses all wanted to eat her up! We had to stay in the hospital for the full 48 hours to completely rule out meningitis, but as soon as that timeframe was up, we were able to leave. We got home last night and she's doing great. She threw up last night, but the nurse said that that's to be expected for the next few days. I am so thankful for everyone's prayers and that my baby is home and healthy in time for Christmas.

As I write this, Claire is in the ER waiting to be admitted into the hospital. The doctor is pretty sure that she has meningitis and possibly pneumonia. All beds are full, so we are waiting it out in the ER until a bed opens up for her. She needs several tests, including a spinal tap and then we are looking at least the next 48 hours in the hospital depending on how it all goes. At one point today, the doctor said to me, "They don't all survive this". Those have been the hardest words for me to hear and they keep repeating in my head. I am so thankful that I have a God who is in control of all circumstances and who is bigger than all of my needs. I don't know when I'll be back at the computer, but I'll keep you all posted.

crayola factory

Just a random pic of the girls at the Crayola Factory in PA. They had so much fun!!!

i'm old

Well, I'm oficially old. When did this happen?! I had a great birthday...Ryan knows what a big deal my birthday is to me and he always goes out of his way to spoil me. The day started with me sleeping in...Ry got up with the girls at the crack of dawn (maybe the best part of my day!) and then he made me breakfast in bed. There was so much food, I couldn't even come close to finishing it. When I finally got out of bed, I opened my presents from Ryan and the girls and then we went to church. Afterwards, we went to brunch with Ryan's parents and then had an entire day of shopping. We went EVERYWHERE. It was a nonstop shopping trip from Fort Myers to Naples hitting all of my favorite stores...I loved every second of it. We took the girls to the Naples mall to see Santa and they actually wanted to sit on his lap!! This was our third attempt to see him this year and so far they have been too scared, so I was thrilled that they finally went through with it. Madeline kept saying that all she was gonna ask Santa to bring her is candy and fruit snacks. There's a surprise...she eats more than anyone I've ever met!! All in all, it was a great day spent with my family...I wouldn't want it any other way :) Someone asked me today how old I was and it felt so wierd to say that I am 30. When did I grow up? Was it almost 10 years ago when I got married or when I had 3 kids or Sunday when I left my twenties behind?! I can honestly say that I am blessed beyond measure and that my life is everything that I would've hoped it would be at this point in my life. I have a husband that I couldn't imagine living without and three precious little girls that I am fortunate enough to be able to stay home with everyday (somedays I need to remind myself that this is a blessing!). Most importantly, I've got a God that loves me in spite of myself. If you had asked me when I was 15 where I would've seen myself at 30, this would be it...though I might've been driving a Range Rover and not a mini van :)