Shingles

I am waiting for the vegetables to cook in the microwave and the Chicken Tetrazinni to finish in the oven. I hear Logan crying (off and on) while Todd tries to put him to sleep. Since I have nothing better to do with my time, like the regular chores that I am always behind on and stressed about, I figured that doing a 3rd blog post today would be a good idea.

I have Shingles.

I went to the doc today and have started antiviral medications, which are hugely expensive, by the way:-(

I have a small rash, maybe 3 inches long by 2 inches tall on the right side of my back. I am currently not in much pain... just itchy, thank goodness! I am very hopeful (and prayerful) that the symptoms do not worsen and that I don't give Chicken Pox to the babies.

(Shingles are contagious, in the form of Chicken Pox, to people who have not have Chicken Pox before. Shingles are not contagious as Shingles.)

I cannot be around anyone that has compromised immune systems, like Dad (because of his chemo) .

**I have not updated on Granddad Dan... He does have very aggressive lung cancer. He does not have any feasible treatment options and has been sent home with Hospice care. It is so sad to report that he appears to be declining quickly. To make matters worse, Grandma Pat fell and hurt herself today and cannot walk.

So, that's about it.

What A Trip

Aunt Pat suggested that we take the twins to see their Great Great Aunt Valentine. She lives in a nursing home near Austin. Valentine is 93, I think.

Pat stayed with us Thursday night so we could get on the road after the boys' first feeding Friday morning, around 9:00. We attempted to put their car seat bases in Pat's car, but her new VW coupe with bucket seats is too spiffy for the car seats to fit. We didn't want to take my Mountaineer, since I'm afraid the transmission will go out any minute and Pat didn't want to put the miles on it (bless her!). So, we ended up renting a van Friday morning. It worked out great for the car seats and the space it provided for me to move about and feed them along the way, but it prolonged our departure time. We didn't leave until 11:30, after another feeding.

The trip there was better than I expected, but still pretty busy for me taking care of the boys. We got to see Aunt Valentine and had a good visit with her while she got her hair done. She loved seeing Logan & Nathan. Her first husband's name was Nathan, so I think that brought back some memories for her. She kept saying "Thank you, Jesus!" as she gushed over how sweet the babies are. It was neat to watch her interact with them. It was a little sad for me to see her, though. I could easily see the resemblance between Valentine and my grandma (who passed about a year and a half ago {2 years in August}).
We stayed with Valentine for about 1 1/2 hours, then went to LaGrange to visit Great Great Aunt Elizabeth and her daughter. It was another good visit with family, and a great opportunity for diaper changes. (Yes, I changed their diapers more than just this one time.)

We finally made it home around 10:30 that night. It was a very long day, but the boys did great. We were all a little off-kilter and sluggish the next day while we recouperated from about 8 hours on the road.

4 Months Old

The boys are 4 months old!

(This is as good as it's getting this time! Oh well.)

Here's what's going on with them these days...

• They love to smile, laugh, cackle, sigh, blow bubbles, and "talk".
  
• They had found Peek-a-boo to be a fun game.
• They watch everything.
• Logan's hair is still filling in more on top.
• They grab at objects and bring them to their mouth.
• They like looking in mirrors.
• They are usually pretty content.
  
• They cry when they are hungry and sleepy.
• They wear size 3 diapers.
• They wear size 3-6 month clothes.
• They eat 7 or more ounces 4 times a day.
• They sleep all night; usually about 10 hours!!!
• Nathan has blond streaks/highlights.
• Nathan turned himself upside-down in his swing. (Scared his mama! Buckle up for safety!)
  
• They ate rice cereal for the first time last night.
• They like to play in their exersaucer or on their activity mat.
• They are perfect, and their doctor agrees.

Logan

Weight - 16 lbs., 2 3/4 oz. -- 75%
Length - 25 1/2 inches -- 75%
Head - 42 1/2 cm. -- 50%

Nathan

Weight - 15 lbs., 11 1/4 oz. -- 75%

Length - 25 1/4 inches -- 60%
Head - 42 cm. -- 40%

Don't mess with my schedule!

Logan decided to start his day at 4:30 this morning. I held him off to eat until 5:30. Nathan woke up and ate at 7:45. I hate when they are not together with their feedings because I end up feeding babies nonstop! This is the first time they have been down for a nap together all day. It's 1:00 and I'm still in my PJs!!! So, instead of running to take a shower in the few minutes I have before Logan wakes up to be fed again, I decided to blog about it. Ha!

Tomorrow my family and blog friend, Kathy, is coming to babysit one twin while I take the other shopping. Kathy has very generously given up a few hours every Thursday to babysit while I get out of the house with just one baby. She came for the first time last week. I do go out with both babies alone, but taking one is just so much easier. Kathy, I'm so glad you volunteered to do this. It does me a world of good!

I don't have any new photos. My camera battery has been dead and I just charged it last night. I got a new camcorder for Christmas, so I have some short clips that I will be sharing soon. Here's a professional pic Todd took of Logan last month.

Tim, Linda, Dan

Tim
Dad had some more tests run recently. The doctor determined that he will continue to take his chemo pill, Tarceva, just a different dose. She has also started him on an IV chemo treatment that he takes once every 3 weeks. He had his first IV treatment a few days ago and he is definitely experiencing the negative side-effects it causes. He is feeling very crummy, to put it mildly.
I know Mom and Dad, both, would really covet any prayers for them at this time. We are praying for Dad's quick recovery from the nasty side-effects, and that he is able to keep a positive outlook. Also, for Mom, that she is able to remain a strong caretaker for Dad. We are praying that they both have peace of mind through all of this.

Linda
Some of you may know that my Aunt Linda (Mom's brother's wife), has been treated for Lymphoma with chemo and a bone marrow transplant. She is having a very difficult recovery and is extremely weak. She is frequently in and out of the hospital from her recovery center and has "gotten blood" many times. She, Uncle Tony, and Lyndsi (their daughter), could really use a lot of prayer right now.

Dan
Todd's Granddad Dan is in the hospital. He has pneumonia in his right lung. He also has a "mass" in his lung, about the size of an orange or grapefruit, that will be biopsied. He has asbestosis and only has about 20% of his lung capacity. Grandma and Dan request prayers, too.

I know so many prayer requests at one time is a lot to ask for, but it's not too much for our God. He is the Creator and the Great Physician. I know that through Him, all things are possible. Thanks in advance for your petitions to Him for our family.

Wordless Wednesday

We Sing! (100th post)

This is my 100th blog post! Wow, I must have too much to say! :-)

My dad's side of the family has a great, and I think rare, tradition. We sing together! Pretty much any time we gather at Aunt Pat's house (used to be Grandma & Grandpa's house), we break out the songbooks and have a little worship service. This tradition goes back as far as I can remember. Each family member has "their song". Cousin Jim's is "I'll Fly Away", mine is "Living by Faith". Other favorites include "Kneel at the Cross", "I Walk With the King", "The Gospel is for All (Lauri)", and "Victory in Jesus" among many others.

The stack of songbooks are of varying years and publishers, so as we flip through them and find a song that we want to sing, you'll hear, "In the green book, it's number 311", then another will call out the song's number in the maroon book, etc.

I might be old-fashioned, but I wish there were a recording of old church songs from the songbook that I could buy and sing along with. I really like the new songs, but I miss the old songs, too.

It's special to me that I have a family that worships God together in this way. I loved seeing Todd hold Logan and Annie holding Nathan as my babies experienced this for the first time. Does anyone else have a family that does this or something like it? What are your family traditions? Do you have any traditions that bring your family together to be with God?

Holidays and Such

We had some great Christmas celebrations this year. We started off with Christmas day at our house with Todd's mom, Alicia, and her husband, Jimmy, visiting us. The boys got lots of goodies from Santa and Grandma & Jimmy. Mammaw and Timpa came to see the boys have their first Christmas, too.
A few days later, my sister and her family and my brother came in to have Christmas at Mammaw & Timpa's house and then another Christmas with the whole family (cousins, aunts, uncles) at Aunt Pat's house.
So... lots of family, lots of fun!

**I realized that these pictures are out of order. Forgive me, but it's staying that way. Time's limited!!! :-)
***You can click on a collage to see it bigger, then arrow back at the top of your window to return to the blog.




We were excited to go out to eat with a group of friends after church today! I'm so glad to start to be able to do normal things like that again. We have been making it to church, but today we even made it to class. Though we try to not let it, the boys' feeding times determine if we make it to class at church or not. Today worked out well for class, but they were ready to eat again just as church services started. Logan cried first, and I ran out with him. Todd followed with Nathan pretty soon after. Logan ate quickly, so I was able to go back before the sermon started. Nathan took the entire church service to feed. We made it back to church tonight, then went to Subway with Mom & Dad afterward, as usual.



Dad has a follow-up day at MD Anderson tomorrow. He will have more tests run to determine the effectiveness of his chemo pill, Tarceva. So far, all of his previous reports have revealed that his tumors are shrinking. Praise God!!! We continue to pray for positive reports. He has been suffering from some irritating side-effects of his treatment, but he remains very upbeat and positive. I love you, Dad, and am always praying for your health and comfort.