Goodbye, Uncle Jeff

We received some sad, but not unexpected, news today. Ben's Uncle Jeff passed away about 3pm this afternoon at the very young age of 49. He had been very sick with cancer for at least a year. He was a very kind man and always doted on our kids when we visited Arkansas for Thanksgiving. Over the past year, Madelyn has talked about Uncle Jeff quite a bit ever since we got a call saying that he was in the hospital VERY, VERY sick. She has prayed for him often, asking God to make him better. This picture is where she was able to sit with Uncle Jeff this last Thanksgiving. He had been released from the hospital and was able to join us in celebrating. Madelyn loved sitting with him, talking, singing, hugging, and playing. We also thanked God for making Uncle Jeff better that day and many other days too.


I also pulled these pictures out of the depths of our picture archives. They were taken at Ben's sister's wedding. I think this was the second time that Uncle Jeff was able to meet Madelyn. She is about 6 months and loving every minute she spent with him! It is one of the snapshots in time that I will never forget because I remember her belly laughing and just being entraced by Uncle Jeff. We will miss you, Uncle Jeff....

Greyson is all better!

Good news! Greyson is officially better. Yesterday his fever broke and he is definitely back to himself. Actually, he's not quite himself... since he was the center of mom's attention for 3 days (as I was worried sick about his high fever that wouldn't go down!), he has turned into a spoiled one! He is now not grumpy because he doesn't feel well, but instead grumpy because he isn't being held or cuddled all the time. We know this because as soon as you pick him up he is as happy as can be. So, now we have to reteach him how to be content even when he isn't being held and reteach him to sleep at night again (since he isn't doing that either!). Oh well... I'm just glad that my little boy is well again. Thanks for your prayers!

update on Greyson and weather

The little one seems to be doing better today. The Tylenol is starting to break through to knock down the fever and he isn't so crabby either. I'm thinking that he is "over the hump" in this illness and on his way back to being well again. I will update again soon.

As for the weather, I'm glad that I didn't have to go anywhere today! It is snowing A LOT! It is predicted that we will have at least 12 inches before the night is through. I took this picture a few minutes ago. It is beautiful right now, but if in about 24 hours it gonna start looking dirty and then when it warms up just a little, it gets very slushy! Oh fun! Ben will get out and snowblow the driveway soon (he was sent home from work for the first time due to snow since we moved here) and then probably again tomorrow morning. We'll see if the forecast proves to be right. Maybe Madelyn and I will go play in it after her nap.

Greyson is sick

After coming home from day care yesterday with a 102 degree fever and no other symptoms, I gave Greyson a dose of Tylenol and then he went down for a nap. An hour and half later he woke up still running a 102 degree fever! This surprised me and I called the clinic. They said to bring him and off we went. They checked him over and took some blood to check his white blood cell count. Then they came back and said that his WBC count was high and I should go to the children's hospital ER - ughh, not only was I not looking forward to an ER visit but this also meant that my baby could be REALLY sick! So when I got there, it was 3:30pm so we were sent back pretty quickly. The doc checked him over and said that they needed blood, urine, and they needed to get an xray for their tests to determine if he had a bacterial infection. Hmm... my thoughts immediately came out of my mouth by saying, "and how do you get those?" The lady doc looked at me kind of amused and said, "it is a little more difficult with these little ones..." So they ended up give Greyson an IV and taking his blood that way, cathing him for his urine, and strapping him down to a backboard for the xray. Needless to say, Greyson was not happy! Every time I would get him settled down from the last procedure, they would come in saying they were ready for the next one. He got to the point that he would just cry every time someone walked in our room. All the tests came back without indications of a bacterial infection so they used the IV to give him a prophylactic antibiotic and sent us home saying that it is most likely viral and that it just needs to run its course. Greyson is still running the 102 degree fever and I'm giving him Tylenol in an attempt to make him comfortable (with little success). I hope his fever breaks soon! I have to call in a little bit to get him in for another appointment at the clinic this afternoon. Wish us luck...

Greyson with his IV in his ankle.

Greyson getting his antibiotic.

GramBunny passed very peacfully...

It has been a sad day... My GramBunny passed away at about 8am this morning. She was surrounded by hers and my family and from what I understand, her passing was very peaceful. I praise God that she was able to go in such a peaceful and non-painful way. As I talked to my family today, I realized that they were in the "sigh of relief" stage. They had witnessed GramBunny's slow decline in the hospital. They were instead praying that she not linger. I, on the other hand, was not in that frame of mind this morning. Unfortunately, it was this morning that it hit me that I would never see her again. That she would not be there the next time I went to visit family in Alabama. That she and I would never get into it over whether or not she should help clear the table or not. That I would never be able to watch her with my children again. That she would never be able to meet Pipsqueak and Pipsqueak would never be able to meet her. Today was my day of grieving my grandmother. I miss you GramBunny!

GramBunny isn't doing too well....

My GramBunny was admitted to the ICU a couple of days ago. Day before yesterday, her vitals were returning to normal, especially her white blood cell count, and she seemed to be doing much better. However, yesterday, her white blood cell count started to rise again and they have discovered that there is a portion of her digestive tract that is not working properly. This requires a surgical procedure to repair but GramBunny is just too frail to undergo surgery. She has become more and more frail and forgetful over the last couple of years. But as think about her these days, I am drawn to the memories that I have her. GramBunny is my step-grandmother and entered my family about 15 years ago. She was widowed and has a large family of her own, but when she came into my family, she took us in as her family too. She filled in as grandmother wonderfully, as my grandmother had died a couple years before. She was, and continues to be, one of the sweetest, yet feistiest, women I know. And she has had a wonderful impact on my family through my Grandpa. Before GramBunny, he was gruff, tough, and reserved. But with GramBunny by his side, he has become more open, gentle, loving, and able to laugh and joke! It has been wonderful to see this side of him unlocked by this wonderful woman. Recently, she has also proven herself to be an awesome great-grandmother with Madelyn. Madelyn absolutely adores her! They can play for an hour at a time – reading, singing, cuddling – it is so sweet to watch! GramBunny has brought so much to our family!

This brings me to my sadness…. Being 36 weeks pregnant, there is no way that I can go and be with my family right now. The only thing that I can do from afar is pray earnestly. So, will you pray with me?

Can you pray for:

• GramBunny, that she be as comfortable as possible and for healing
• Grandpa, for it is his birthday today and I know that he could use some supernatural uplifting
• My Mom, for she is helping in GramBunny’s care and in organizing all the details that come with an elderly family member being in the hospital. She is also stressing because she was planning to be in Minnesota with me soon…
• The hospital staff, that they be sharp and act appropriately to the information that is presented to them
• The rest of my and GramBunny’s families, that we all cope well with the uncertainty that this brings and help in bringing comfort to GramBunny at this time

Happy Birthday, Grandpa!