We did it!

We did it ... we bought our first HOME! Closing should be within the next week so I'm starting to pack things up and I've donated a ton of stuff. The kids are doing great with packing up and sorting through their stuff. It's been a huge help.

Here are some pictures - they are not the greatest but TRUST ME there will be more! Thank you to everyone who prayed with us during this process.The fireplace (and our realtor)The kitchenThe livingroomEntryway

What an amazing year ...

A year ago today I was standing in my room while my mom waited patiently for me to take me to the hospital. I was taking "before" photos. After about 5 minutes she asked what was taking so long and I replied "I look fat in all these pictures!" Smartly she answered, "well, isn't that kind of the point?" She was right. What was the point of a before picture if I didn't want to remember what I looked like. And that was just it. I didn't. I wasn't happy. I wasn't living life. I was just living. My obesity took over and I gave up. Having surgery not only changed my appearance but it changed the way I look at things. The way I live, love and give. It has given me a new prospective and outlook.

I started my journey exactly 1 year ago today. Weighing in at 271 pounds and wearing a size 20/22. I rarely got dressed and usually wore pajamas and flip flops. I didn't do my hair or wear make up unless I really felt the need.

Today, I weigh in at 154 pounds and wear a size 8. I can go into the store and grab clothes without trying them on. Something I never can remember being able to do, not even growing up. I love getting dressed and doing my hair and make up again. I still wear my pajamas, but only after a long day and at home. Funny how when you are thinner, even wearing your pajamas can look cute :)

Kaylee's Surgery

Well this post, much like the others, is a bit late. Kaylee had her tonsils and adenoids removed on Friday 2/12. The night before she drew an adorable picture of what she thought would happen and wrote "I love surgery it is so much fun." Of course now that I am looking for the picture, I can't find it but when I do, I'll try and post it.

She was told no eating or drinking after midnight prior to surgery and we were scheduled to check in at 9am. She woke up at 6am. She cried and cried because she was hungry. I prayed. I didn't know what else to do. She was hysterical because she was so hungry and she just wanted to eat. And I felt helpless. No sooner than I lifted my head, the phone rang. It was the surgery center saying there was a cancellation and asked if we could be there in 45 minutes. THANK THE LORD. What an amazing answered prayer. Kaylee would still be hungry but we would be on our way and out the door within minutes.

She was in such a good mood before the surgery. They had her change and gave her a cute "hat" and "shoes" to wear. She was very giggly and telling jokes the the staff. Here she is before surgery ...

Ready to be brave with her Hello Kitty blanket and stuffed animal

Here she is with her "hat" and "shoes" giggling awayWalking back to surgery

The surgery only took about 45 minutes. The surgeon said she did great and that we could see her in about an hour when she woke up ... when we went back she was no longer the giggly little girl happy and excited about surgery. She was miserable. She wouldn't drink. The nurses said she needed to drink at least 6oz of water or eat her popsicle before she could leave. 2 hours later, she had maybe only 2oz in her. They let her leave but cautioned me to call them or take her to ER if she didn't start drinking.

Her tonsils

After surgery .... and miserable.

This last week has been tough. We've had our ups and our downs but I know that this will be something that will help her so much in the future. We have one more week of recovery.

Updates 2 of 2

Friday 2/5

Well ... I called the Doctor to let them know what Kaylee's blood sugar was last night and they said that they wanted to have her seen again. They said we'd do some blood work first and have a follow up appointment on Thursday 2/11. I still had Kaylee drinking the Pedialyte and any foods that she wanted ... she kept everything down and seemed fine. It was as if the last few days never even happened. It was so weird.

While all this is happening, we are still trying to get Kaylee pre-authorized for her surgery. There were some issues with the insurance however we got a call this day and were told we were approved for the surgery. The surgeons office said there was a cancellation for 2/12 and we could get her in then. She would need 2 weeks off of school, thus I would be off work for 2 weeks for recovery. We scheduled the surgery. The following week was going to be a busy one.

Monday 2/8

We stopped off at the doctors office after I got off work and went to get Kaylee's blood drawn. The lab person had a family emergency and left early for the day. I wanted to make sure we got the blood work done and back before her follow up appointment on Thursday so I asked them to send the order across the street to the hospital and we'd just do it there. They did. While we were at the hospital - Kaylee handed the tech her orders and when they called us back, Kaylee decided she would be brave. Taylor and I stood there (Taylor around the corner as he is not a fan of needles ...) and the tech asked Kaylee if she needed to hold someones hand or if she was going to move. Kaylee told her no thank you and that she was ready. And she was. She didn't move, flinch, cry, scream, anything. Taylor even poked his head around the corner and asked when they were going to do it and was shocked when he saw Kaylee laughing with the tech as she was filling the viles up. Kaylee just smiled at him and said "Look Taylor! I'm growing up and getting brave!" She was so excited.

Tuesday 2/9

We headed to Salem after work on Tuesday for the pre-op appointment. They told her she would need to get blood drawn as part of the procedures and she just smiled and handed them her arm. I let them know the situation from the past week and that she had blood drawn yesterday ... they got the results from the hospital and did not have to take more blood. We were done. Surgery was scheduled for Friday 2/12 at 10am. Check in was at 9am.

Thursday 2/11

Follow up appointment ... the results? No diabetes. Her blood sugar was actually a little LOW this time. Her keytones were still off the charts so more than likely it is another UTI. But crazy how that works because she is acting completely normal. No fever, no aching, no smelly urine, no stinging, nothing. She gets UTIs a lot and we don't know why ... and she usually has no indication she has one either. We will start her antibiotics following her surgery.

Updates 1 of 2

So many updates to post! I've been taking care of Kaylee so I am sorry for the delay.

Wednesday 2/3 - Thursday 2/4

Kaylee started to throw a fit. This is something she has been doing lately and Brent and I decided to let her throw them and ignore her. It's starting to work - they have started to go away. She ended up falling asleep around 5:45pm. My first thought was "wonderful" because anytime she falls asleep that early, she's up in a few hours and refusing to go back to sleep - however, this was not the case. She slept all night.

I went to wake her the next morning at 5:45am (12 hours of sleep) to get ready for school and she told me her tummy hurt and she was still really tired. She loves school and hates missing it so we let her decide if she felt okay enough to go and she said no. She walked into our room and literally fell onto the bed and fell asleep within seconds. She slept there and hardly moved. She got up maybe 4 times and threw up. Each time she was awake for maybe 5-10 minutes and fell right back asleep. No fever though. She was losing color quickly so I called the doctor. It was now 3:30pm. (Sleeping for about 21 hours at this point)


I couldn't keep anything down her. They had me take her in immediately. While we were there, they did a urine test but could not do a blood test because the lab person had already left for the day. Her urine test showed that her keytones were off the charts - over 160. The doctor indicated that this was either due to a UTI or possible type 1 diabetes. No fever and no indication of a bladder infection led the doctors to feel it was the latter of the two. They wanted to get her hydrated though so instead of taking her to ER, they gave her something to stop the vomiting and told me to give her Pedialyte.

We got her prescription and went home. 30 minutes after giving her the medication, we gave her some Pedialyte. She was so thirsty. She drank half of it within 10 minutes ... and kept it down! We took her blood sugar about 45 minutes after drinking it and it was 196. Not a good indication but we also knew it was probably not accurate because she had been dehydrated, not eaten all day and just had Pedialyte. So, it was on to more testing.

And the results ...

Just a quick update that after Kaylee's appointment with the Ear Nose and Throat specialist yesterday, they decided to take her tonsils out. We are being pre-authorized for the surgery now and I should be able to call back next week to schedule a surgery date. Kaylee was upset about it at first, but I reminded her about the ice cream and popsicles she would be able to eat and she got over her fear quickly. Now she wants surgery tomorrow. Ha-ha.

Sick, Sick and more sick

Well, tis the season for sickness, right? Right before Christmas, Kaylee had complained of a sore throat and then after throwing up blood we decided to take her to ER. She had strep throat. Now, a month later ... sore throat again. This time it's tonsillitis. So, we are taking her to an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist on Thursday to see about having her tonsils removed. Needless to say, she is less than thrilled. Taylor had his out when he was her age so I am sure he will be very supportive and tell her how much fun the ice cream, jamba juice and non-stop movies all day will be - praying he leaves out the part about how much it hurts, lol.

These pictures are from last month when we went to ER ... after getting the IV she commented about how she was brave but would have been more brave with a Hello Kitty blanket - good thing grandma got her one for Christmas! I'll keep you posted :)

saying "I Love You"

Trying to get some restWaiting for the Dr.The IV ...Finally getting some rest