Hubby Update

Just a very quick post to let you know The Hubs' gallbladder is definitely a problem but his upper and lower endoscopic showed some minor irritation of his stomach. Gallbladder was set to come out next week but he has still been in constant pain and has been unable to eat, drink or sleep due to the pain. He was admitted to the hospital today because of the pain. He is also very dehydrated. Based on the location of the pain, the doctors think it is colitis. We're now having to wait for this to get some better so that his gallbladder can be removed. Hopefully, he'll be better soon!

ICLW & Sick Hubs

Happy ICLW! Since it's been so long since I did an introduction, I think I'll do that for this post.

I am Lynn, otherwise known as Wistfulgirl. I've been married to my fantastic husband (The Hubs) for 11 1/2 years. We spent almost 10 of those years attempting to start a family biologically, but it just wasn't in the cards for us. In 2012, we were approved as foster/adoptive parents. We received our first placement, a 22 1/2 month old little boy, on October 9, 2012. His birthmom voluntarily relinquished her rights to him in May 2013 and his birthdad's rights were terminated in October 2013. He was officially placed as an adoptive placement with us on February 6, 2014 and we finalized his adoption on March 3, 2014. He is our little Monkey =D

We had a sibling group we fostered from May 2013 until December 2013 when they moved on to an adoptive placement (we chose not to adopt them due to family being in the area and the danger associated with them).

In April 2014, we were made aware of and began visiting with a sibling group of 3 children, a boy and two girls. Upon the end of the school year, they moved in with us on May 17, 2014. Parental rights are in the process of being terminated and we are planning to adopt them. They are Prissy (13-year-old girl), The Dude (9-year-old boy) and Princess (8-year-old girl). We are in love with them and Monkey adores them! We're so excited for our family!

We're experiencing all the things we've never really done before. We're getting ready for school, which starts two weeks from today. It has been an experience buying new school clothes and supplies. I'm glad I have a year to plan for it before I have to do it again for all four children! Monkey will start Pre-K next year. Good learning experience for me though!

Sorry I went missing last week. It's been a rough week around our house. The Hubs is very sick. He's been experiencing a lot of abdominal pain for quite a while now, but it has gotten so much worse in the last week. The doctor is pretty sure his gallbladder isn't functioning properly but there is also a concern for Crohn's Disease being present. He had a Hida scan done on Friday to check the functioning of his gallbladder and he is scheduled for upper and lower endoscopies tomorrow. We don't yet have the results back from the Hida scan, but if the gallbladder isn't functioning, it will probably be removed at the same time.

It's quite probable I won't post tomorrow or get to visit any blogs due to being at the hospital with The Hubs, but I will be back ASAP and visiting! Expect me to come by your place on the web =D

Remaining Summer Plans

For a weekend that contained very little other than a Harry Potter marathon weekend on ABC Family, I feel incredibly tired. Part of this seems to be the fact that, no matter how tired I am, when I finally get to go to bed at night, I lie there unable to fall to sleep. So during the day, I'm exhausted. I wish I could break this cycle and feel less tired during the day.

The kids love it because they're getting to sleep longer each day. This will have to stop in a couple of weeks though, because school starts back in three weeks. They'll have to be getting up and getting ready for school early in the day. I'm actually looking forward to earlier bedtimes with the hopes I can get myself used to them. I'll miss the kids during the day, though, but it'll be nice to have some time with Monkey each day since he doesn't start school until next year. I'll have a 3rd grader, a 4th grader and a 7th grader this year. Seems so weird to think I'll have kids in school this year, lol! Will take some getting used to!

With such a short time left before school starts, we have several trips planned for the kiddos! This weekend we're going to see the site where Fried Green Tomatoes was filmed and then going on to a zoo. The following weekend, we're headed to the beach. The last weekend before school starts, we're going school clothes shopping. Lots to look forward to!

This afternoon, though, I have to go tackle the grocery shopping. With 4 children. By myself. Lord help me!

Down For The Count

I'm in a pretty bad mood today. My ankle is so very swollen and painful. At least it's not like I have anything to do like a house to clean or kids to parent....oh, wait =( Not good. Not good at all.

I'll be very honest. I'll be glad for the weekend to get here so The Hubs can be home. It's felt like a really long week and I miss him. I love the kids, don't get me wrong. But I've really missed The Hubs this week. Hopefully we can have a nice, relaxing weekend. The kids are wanting to go to the beach, but I think we'll save that for next weekend with the hopes my ankle will be better next week.

There is so much we have to get done over the next few weeks. School starts back in 3 1/2 weeks and I still have to get the kids registered as well as get their school clothes and supplies. We're trying to wait for the Sales Tax Free Weekend in Georgia, but I'm a little concerned because that is the weekend before school starts back on Monday. It feels like it's cutting it a little close, but it'll be alright. We'll make it work.

I think I'm going to start doing a little online window shopping for clothes so I'll know where to get the best deals from for the kids. I know the older two want clothes from Aeropostale and Holister (although, I'm not too sure about the latter) and the younger one wants clothes from Justice and Crazy 8's. Should be fun to at least start planning.

May give me something to do today, seeing as how I can't even walk! Hope you have a great day!

ENT Visit

Today is my only "busy" day this week. Monkey has an appointment today with his ENT. He was having a problem a few months ago with not being able to clear his lungs. We gave him antibiotics, steroids, breathing treatments, etc. Nothing was working. The ENT stated one of his tubes had expelled itself. We had a lung x-ray done to check for pneumonia, which was, fortunately, negative. Still he was coughing and rattly in his lungs.

Since then, his lungs have cleared up greatly. He still coughs some, but the rattle seems to have gone now. Hopefully, the ENT will release him today. I don't particularly care for his ENT. He's a bit abrupt and uncomfortable. Monkey doesn't like him either.

We also have church tonight. Since Prissy likes a boy in the church youth group, she's unlikely to let us miss tonight, lol! Having said that, The Hubs has been having a lot of problems with his stomach (gallbladder and diverticulitis) lately and is having a bad day. Also, my ankle is very swollen again today. We'll have to see how the day goes and how we're all feeling this evening.

I guess it's time for me to get this day going! I'll post more later!

Kids Gone Wild

Looks like this week will be slower than initially thought. Monkey was supposed to have speech therapy two days this week, but we had a call from the therapist to state that the authorization from his insurance has run out and she has to resubmit it. Until we get that approval through, we can't schedule any more visits. So, I'm working with him at home on his speech.

I really hope the kids are calmer today. Yesterday was a hard day. It seemed like every single thing I told them went in one ear and out the other. We have very few rules, but one of those is to ask before you take and/or do something. So, when I came out of my room from having a shower and discovered that Prissy was on my phone and was having The Dude get her a glass of chocolate milk (which he had spilled all over my counter) - none of which had anyone asked about - I was a little miffed. I took my phone off Prissy, cleaned up the milk and sent all four of them outside to play (we were having a fairly cool summer day in Georgia - only 85 degrees). Five minutes later, Princess came and asked "can we come back in now?" I told her no and sent her back out. Five minutes after that, Prissy came in and went to the restroom. When she finished, she snuck into her room. I went to see what she was doing only to find her settling down for a nap. After getting her up and sending her back out, I thought I might be able to get a little housework done in peace. About 10 minutes later, Prissy came in to tell me that The Dude had used a water gun to spray down the windows of my van with dirty water. Monkey had, in the meantime, gotten out his Power Wheels Jeep, which was in desperate need of cleaning and was running into the van and the house with it.

The Hubs got home around that time and he set The Dude to washing the van. Prissy went to pout on the swingset. Princess was warned off helping The Dude with the threat of time-out. Monkey was gotten out of his jeep and put in the bathtub to wash the grime from the jeep off of him. And I went back to making dinner.

I was so ready for bedtime to get here! I'm really hoping today is better. Otherwise, I may pull my hair out!! May your day be a good one!

July Fourth Followup

Hope you all had a wonderful Fourth of July! We had a great weekend. Thursday night I put steaks in a marinade so they were ready to go on Friday. We grilled sirloin steak and had baked potatoes, baked beans and salad with it. It was sooooo good! Afterwards, we took the kids to see the Fireworks. It was a great night!

On Saturday, we went swimming at my sister's house. The kids had fun and The Hubs and I got to introduce them to the game "Assasin". So much fun! We had church yesterday and that was pretty much our whole weekend!

The Hubs and I did make Toad in the Hole for the kids for lunch yesterday. It was a real winner! Princess - who is incredibly picky about her food - declared it delicious! We call that a win! Definitely in our repertoire of meals for the future. That's handy since our kids are so picky about their food.

I'm not normally one to play Facebook games, but I have recently become addicted to one I recently discovered called Township. I love it! But kind of hate it at the same time. I enjoy playing it, but it moves very slowly - it's one where things are made over time and I'm currently up to it taking several hours for things to be made. I know this is done to encourage you to purchase additions with real money, but I flat refuse to spend money on something so silly. I guess I'll just play til I lose interest and then move on to the next game.

Have a fairly relaxed day planned today before the chaos starts again tomorrow. Getting ready now to start school shopping for the kids since school starts in less than a month!!! Have a great day folks!

July Fourth Prep

I have no huge plans for today, but I do have a few things I need to get done. First off, I need to finish purchasing the materials for our Fourth of July meal. I've already purchsed the steaks and hot dogs we'll be grilling. Today I need to get potatoes to bake and salad. After that, I need to clean house and then I have some peas to shell. I actually like shelling peas, so that will be fun.

I plan to go ahead and get head to the supermarket before the kids get up. My mom will watch them while I'm gone to the store. It'll be a pleasant break to head out by myself. Of course, I'll also be glad to get back to them after I've finished my shopping but it is nice to have a small break. But....I do have to make it out of the house before they wake up first!!

It'll be good to have The Hubs home for an extra day this weekend! I can't wait to go with him and the kids tomorrow night to see the fireworks. It's always my favourite part of July 4th and it's been our custom for the last 8 years to go see the fireworks at the same venue. So much fun!

Guess I'd better get going. Time to get one more cup of coffee, finish watching the rerun of Charmed I'm watching and get a shower to get ready to head out. Have a great day!

Interesting Phone Call

I received an interesting phone call yesterday. It was from Monkey's birthmom's boyfriend's mother. She wanted to let me know Monkey's bio sister had been born and to express her concerns about the baby's safety. She also had some questions about why Monkey was placed in foster care.

Without going into details, Monkey's birthmom had told her boyfriend's mother that the reason Monkey was put into foster care was completely innocent reasons and an unfair and illegal placement. She also failed to tell her that she voluntarily gave up her rights to Monkey. And that Monkey at 22 1/2 months old only weighed 18 pounds when he came to us. Basically, her version was that she was completely innocent and her child was ripped away from her for no reason.

This was simply not true. There were some serious neglect issues behind Monkey's placement.

I explained some of this to the boyfriend's mother - what I could at least without violating privacy issues. I basically told her if she had concerns that she should report it to her local Child Protective Services. As much as I have my own concerns, I have seen nothing with my own eyes. I only have hearsay knowledge. She, on the other hand, has witnessed the things she has concerns about. Therefore, she will need to report it herself.

I'm not sure what will happen with the whole situation, but I hope they find the best living situation for that child. She deserves a good life.

Our Lost Baby

Something happened recently that I haven't yet reported on my blog. Our dog we've had for 12 years passed away on June 13. It was a devestating loss for us.

We got Pog (who's real name was Isabel) on October 5, 2002. She was a rescued dog. I remember the date she came into our lives so clearly. It was the day I got my wedding gown. We went to the shelter to choose a dog. We were looking for a small dog who could stay inside and be with me while The Hubs (or The Fiance at the time) was at work. She was one of many dogs we saw that day and she was not the dog most people would have chosen. The Hubs' dad and step-mum were with us. She would not come to the front of her pin to see us when all four of us stood before her. However, when The Hubs and his dad and step-mum moved on, I stayed behind. That sweet little girl inched forward and licked my hand then. I was a gonner!

She went home with us a few days later, after she had been given her shots and checked over by the vet. She was my comfort during those days in England when I was so homesick! She kept me company during the days when The Hubs was at work. It was so great to be able to get out with her and take walks. She was a wonderful companion. She was very protective of me; she kept me from walking out in front of traffic when I looked the wrong way (I was an American girl in a country that drives on the opposite side of the road from what I was used to, after all. And, not used to walking much of anywhere, as I was also raised in a rural area where you have to drive to get where you want to go.). She was such a great friend.

When our life changed and we immigrated to the USA, it was simply unthinkable that she wouldn't come with us! So, we got her paperwork all done and she flew on the same flight we did and became a US pup. She enjoyed living in the USA because it was a lot easier for her to get more outside time. She could even go outside off her lead! She acclimated very well.

She was our first child. During the dark days of infertility, she filled a bit of the void our childlessness left. I can't count the number of times I held her and cried into her soft fur. She was great for snuggling when you were feeling down. And she always knew when you just needed to hold her. She never tried to wrestle away from you when you were feeling down. She just stayed still dand received the love you were giving while returning the cuddles you needed.

When our children came to live with us, she was so jealous!! We had to transition her to being an outside dog because she growled and barked at the baby so much. Over time, she came to love him and they had a great relationship. Monkey loved her so much! Since she's been gone, he has talked ceaselessly about "my Izzy Belle". Whenever we watch The Wizard of Oz (one of his favourite movies), he always points at Toto (whom Isabel Pog resembled) and asks for her. It's been a hard time for him, as well as for us. During Vacation Bible School last week, one of the lessons was about Jesus being our treasure in Heaven. The children were given little plastic coins to represent this and when Monkey put his coin in his bag, he pointed at it and told his daddy "Isabel is in my bag". She's his treasure in Heaven.

The other children didn't get an opportunity to become as close to her as Monkey did, but they loved her as well. I think, when you've lost so much in you young life, it's difficult to add another thing to that list. With that being said, although The Hubs and I would have preferred to wait a while before getting another puppy, we decided it was better for the kids to go ahead and welcome a new puppy into our home, thus Sophie came to live with us. She'll never replace Pog, but we'll love her as well.

Here's to our beautful Pog Dog who will be forever loved and never forgotten!