the times...

are tough...

i was telling rachel how it has been hard for me to post, because things seem too negative and rough to share. funny thing is, they haven't been awful. in fact, i'd say things are going well and getting better.

and then we have bumps in the road. or head on collisions.

i am hoping for some prayer from my blogging friends.
my grandmother had back surgery last week to free some tangled nerves that were debilitating her. after a successful surgery and pain free week in physical therapy, she woke up monday morning with a high fever and a diagnosed staph infection, which, the doctor's say, could be MRSA. she's been transferred to the hospital, of course, and is undergoing lots of tests to find out where the infection is (MRI, blood cultures, etc). please pray for her recovery...healing. she's 86. a widow.

then this morning my mom called me early. mommom is ok, mom is on the way to the hospital to see her and talk to her docs. but my sister, lura, called my mom in tears. her sister-in-law called her to say they found her mother-in-law in bed, unconscious. when the paramedics came, her heart stopped. she's at the hospital now, and i don't have any updates. chris, my brother-in-law, lost his father about 4-5 years ago. he was very young (55?). chris is very sweet and loving. please pray for chris, lura and jonas (their baby boy). please pray for cheryl, his mom, lura's mother-in-law. please pray for chris' brother and sister, his niece and nephews.

sometimes, you just don't know where to begin.

10 x 10

{i'm hi-jacking the 10 on 10 project via ann-krestene and jen. enjoy!}


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7pm::

we're home

the endoscopy is done.

relief.

tired.

eli did great, and everything looks fine. dr. tung took biopsies to make sure of everything, but the pics look "normal". while we have copies of the photos: esophagus, stomach, intestines, i think i'll spare the weak tummied.

thanks for your prayers and thoughts. results in 2 weeks.

now, to take a nap.

pray for eli

tummy boy
Originally uploaded by picking.up.purls.

well...another trip to the pediatrician results in more failure to thrive. this time, eli fell off the growth chart for weight all together. we saw his GI doctor yesterday who prescribed a battery of tests: urine ph, pancreatic elastase, IgA level, and Celiac Panel, along with an upper endoscopy to be done on the 26th. i've called the nutritionist again, but can't see her until december 17th (!) but asked her to call me...as i need this to get moving a.s.a.p.

he weighs 20 lbs. 15 oz.
he's 18 months old.
he is 31 inches long.
he is developmentally at a 2+ year old level....what the heck???

he doesn't eat much at all.....
he's so sweet and smart.

please pray for him (and us).

thanks.

in over my head...

whew! what a weekend...and it's only saturday!

thursday started it all w/ a follow up visit to eli's g.i. doctor. he didn't like how little eli gained (again) and scheduled an endoscopy to biopsy eli's stomach monday morning. i freaked out. there are no symptoms except low weight gain to signify such a procedure (which includes anesthesia, intubation and biopsying the tummy)...nope not doin' it. no way. i refused. which brings me to my now diligent schedule of feeding eli. i will fatten the boy. i will feed him stuff he will eat at every meal. if that means brocolli for breakfast, by-golly that's what he'll eat.

argh.

then stella got a cold. yep, again. fever, cough, runny nose. the whole works.

and we are babysitting my 3 nephews at my sisters house in PA till sunday. shoulda been fun. instead, tired and boring for the kids, as stella is sick, and i'm stuck inside w/ her. today was supposed to be a trip to charis' wedding shower...but can't go. chris took the "big boys" (aka brennan and landis) to papa's house to do some mulching and tree-trimming. hopefully tonight we can do campfire hotdogs and s'mores. we did watch the spongebob squarepants movie last night. chris and i both thought it was funny. ashamed to admit that, a bit.

ok...seems like i'm rambling on. must need an ear.

also realized today that i missed my very best friends birthday this week and i feel like crap. happy belated birthday, rachel...i hope you enjoyed yourself and i hope to talk to you soon! i love you!!!


alright...i'll stop whining...
big sigh.
i'm gonna go do some laundry. yeah!!

a little mundane, but never dull.

well...i feel like i've neglected my blog...and how ridiculous is that? like this thing is now a being i need to tend to. nuh-uh. no way. not going to feel guilty. anyway...truth is, i'm really enjoying this blog stuff. i'm finding so many inspirational sites (see the link list on my other blog) my mind is reeling.

here are things i want to do next:
cozy friend pillow for mamma made
crocheted cardigan for mamma made
mini quilt for my wall
bigger quilt for stella's bed
embellished t-shirt for the project of the month
figure out printing onto fabric
um...that's all i can think of right now...

in the mean time, there is life.

monday was the visit to the nutritionist for eli's "failure to thrive". i was so stressed, feeling like just one more doctor telling me what's wrong with my kid...well, i was wrong. this woman was so wonderful and supportive. told me i was right for plotting him on the new WHO breastfed infant growth chart! (i felt so crazy before...now, vindicated!) she thinks he will be fine. she did encourage me to use butter (on things i'd normally butter), and heavy cream. just a tablespoon adds 50 calories. so i'm doing this to his yogurt and milk (if he'll drink it!) i figure, though, that as i add butter and cream to his stuff, i'll gain 10 pounds by eating his leftovers, which are always plentiful!

tuesday night, stella came down with a headache and woke up with a fever. still fevering on now. i took her in to the peds today because her neck hurt. i think she's gonna be ok. the peds think its just a basic old virus. they did test her for strep, though, and it was negative. however i must describe this process.
this is the 2nd time stella's been tested for strep. and they make you open up wide and swab the back of your throat with big long q-tips. the first time, stella threw up in a cup. yuck. so today, on our way to the peds, stel starts crying and saying, "i don't want them to take my germs out"...i'm confused and think her fever must be going nuts. then when the ped wants to test...she says no..."don't take my germs!"...i get it now. poor girl...they took her germs out...and lots of them, too.

today, we stayed put (after said ped visit). i did 5 loads of laundry. not a good sign. things were seriously backed up. feelin' clean now. we'll be putting it all away tomorrow (kids are asleep...can't put it away now!)...and taking it easy again tomorrow...gotta get this fever gone.

so...there is the update of my wacky week. a little mundane, but never dull. hoping for a restful and interesting weekend...will let you know!

a year...

well...happy birthday to my dear little boy...


what a year it has been...
elisha david palladino
born may 3, 2006 at 1:57pm...really easy birth (although i felt like i was hit by a freight train)...happy, healthy boy. a dream!

he rolled over at 3 months, sat at 4months, started commando crawling at 5 months, up on all 4s at 6 months...he's now taking steps and saying words. in so many ways he's getting so big...

and then he's not.

as so many of you know, eli was diagnosed as "failure to thrive" 3 months ago when he stopped gaining weight. (or dramatically slowed - 1 ounce month doesn't count). so today we sang happy birthday and all went over to the hospital for a sweat test to see if he has cystic fibrosis. his lack of weight gain mixed with his bronchiolitis/pneumonia battles since october (although we have had one healthy month so far!) make our peds suspicious. i have a hard time believing he has the disease, but right now i'm in knots waiting the phone call with the results this afternoon. will let y'all know...

to add to the fun...as we are leaving the hospital, stella pukes in the trash can waiting for the elevator. yep. love it. i am so sick of sickness!!! i want health and wellness...she is on the couch with a bucket and some saltines right now. here's hoping.

here's a photo of her modeling my latest mamma made design for fall...we just did these photos last weekend...


alrighty...i'll post the results as soon as we know...in the mean time...pray pray pray...