Update on Rachel

We are still waiting for one last test to come back for Rachel from the immune deficiency clinic. There is only one test pending; however, it is the one that we need to compare with the other tests. So we continue to wait.

We have found a natural product that is supposed to help with the immune system. (We have tried a lot of them!) This one has seemed to help! She did come down with a virus last week; and that has made this week a bit of a yucky week; but we do seem to have more energy than 3 weeks ago. We continue to try to do our best to build up her immune system and to get into her body optimal nutrition. She is taking a liquid supplement that contains all the vitamins, minerals and enzymes the body needs. (She says it does not taste too bad - looks like it does, though.) LOL. She also is taking pretty good doses of vitamin B - as her thyroid has shown some weakness in some of the natural screening we had done. We have her on omega 3-6 to help with the overall inflammation in the body.

On the pain management scale, she still has quite a bit of pain. They believe that this is related to the guillian-barre syndrome from this summer. The GBS affects the nerves and this still seems to be an issue. She takes quite a bit of prescription pain meds - both for nerve pain and muscle pain. We have been able to pull her back a bit from some of this and not have her in so much pain that she is not able to move. We want to see her off all the meds asap; but we also need her to have mobility in order to get her better. Another fine line we are walking. UG.

She has been doing her physical therapy exercises and also able to go for walks to get the fresh air. She is usually tired and sore after a walk around the block; but we keep doing it. We have had to discontinue her regular PT session at the clinic because she continued getting sick every time that she went in.

The sore is back on her lip. She is scheduled for a biopsy on her lip on Monday morning. They want to determine exactly what we are dealing with there. The great thing is that they have ruled out bacterial infection ( like MRSA). That is great to know. Her throat is very sore most of the time, and the cultures keep coming back as strep. We have an appointment with an ENT in a couple of weeks to discuss a tonsillectomy. Not our first choice, but at the same time there does seem to be some issues coming up due to her throat and swollen tonsils. We have a great ENT that has done a good job with all of Zak's ear,nose, and throat issues.

Well, that is about it on an update for Rachel. Thanks for all your prayers. On a personal note, it has been so much easier balancing all of this without having the hours of driving in the van each day. I am enjoying very much having them home!

Thanks for stopping by - I am so glad you did.

Blessings,

~Martie

Boots and Brushes

Found Anna in the bathroom brushing her teeth. What I loved was the shoes that she was wearing. She received these for Christmas. She LOVES these boots! She wears them all the time. She wears them out when she plays. She wears them when she is playing with her kitchen up in her room. We even have found her sleeping in bed with them on. She told me that she was wearing them to help her be able to brush her teeth better.

Whatever it takes, honey! I love having little ones around the house. The things they do, the things they come up with can keep you on your toes; but I would not have it any other way.

Thanks for stopping by. I am so glad you did.

Blessings,
~Martie

I'll Take the Chaos

I was sitting the other day, waiting for two of the kids to get done with music lessons. In the distance I could see a van entering into a driveway. Someone was coming home from a day at work. I noticed that the house seemed shut up, dark and when he approached the door, he fidgeted for his key to unlock the door. I thought of how different it is for my husband when he comes home from a day at work.

The house is never shut up. The window blinds usually have failed to get pulled down, even though darkness has already set in the night sky. The lights are on - usually throughout the house as various rooms are used for the after school activities. I can also assure you, that my husband does not have to rummage through his pocket to find the key to the house. Usually there is one or more kids standing in the doorway, holding the door open, eager to greet him with their questions. ("What are we going to do tonight?" "Did you have a good day at work?" "Did you bring anything home for me?")

I think about the times I come home. Sometimes I have been out for a grocery run, or just taking some time to be out by myself. Coming home is never uneventful. With five kids in the house, there is always some element of organized chaos going on. I never get in through the door without some sort of question being launched my way. Normally, it is more than one question by more than one child. I will normally have to step over a set of shoes in order to get through the entry way safely.

Our kids have never been the kind that sit on the sidelines and watch life happen. They tend to be right in the middle of whatever is going on. Sometimes, they even are the ones that are making things happen - that can be good and that can be bad! If Rob and I come home from a date and decide to sit out in the car for a few minutes to finish talking, I can guarantee you that there will be children looking out the window, waving at us and watching us as we talk. (If we stay out too long in the car, the cell phone is bound to ring - the kids calling to ask us what we are doing out in the car.) Never a dull moment.

So, as I sat and watched the man go into the house, the lights within being turned on. I thought about the differences. While, coming home to our house requires some sort of mental preparation gearing up for what will meet you on the other side of the door, coming home to quiet seems far worse to me. Someday, they will all be grown and gone. We will come home, the house will be quiet, the lights off, the heat turned down. The prospect of having three teenagers this summer, makes me realize that 'someday' is closer down the road than I wish it were.

So, while coming home to our house is not for the faint of heart, I am going to enjoy having the chaos. Someday I will have my quiet, today I have energy and life staring me in the face. Children truly make your life more interesting; but when I walk past their rooms at night and seem them sleeping snugly under their covers I know that I have been blessed by God.