Tuesday, December 14, 2010

December!


Oh how I can't believe it is already the middle of December. How much I love this time of year and yet how fast this time of the year goes! We will be doing our annual Christmas baking this weekend and then next week will be heading to Wisconsin to see my family! Then, Jan. 1 is right around the corner and we will be leaving for Mexico!!! My "To Do" lists have started and are long! So much to do and not enough time! But so looking forward to relaxing on the beach with my wonderful husband who we just celebrated 4 years of marriage together!


Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I probably won't be back blogging until after the trip!


Saturday, November 20, 2010

Thankful

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I felt a Thankful post was due! I have so much to be thankful for I don't even know where to start!!!

1. First and foremost, I am thankful for my husband. He is an amazing, supportive, caring, loving husband and I could have never asked for more! He is such a hard worker and even though there are some days I really hate being alone all the time, I know he is doing it to help us and someday will pay off.

2. I am thankful for my son. (& Step son). They keep me young and give me so much joy. I cannot imagine my life without them and never in a million years thought I would have two boys. I thought for sure I would always have girls!

3. I am thankful for my job. In these trying times of the economy, it truly is a blessing to still have a job!

4. I am thankful for our Country and the people who serve our country.

5. I am thankful we have found a church in our new community that we love and that loves us! We just become members last week!

6. I am thankful for all of my friends! I don't get as much time to spend with them now that I have a family but miss them and love them just as much as before!

7. I am thankful for our home. There are a lot of people these days that do not have one.

8. I am thankful for my health. I never know if it will last another day.

9. I am thankful for my parents as they are the ones who have molded me into the person I am today. They are amazing people!

10. I am thankful for God. And the life he has given me.

What are you thankful for this year?

Monday, November 1, 2010

The Calling

My life is about to dramatically change.


Forever.


Come June 4th, 2011 I will embark on my first ever mission trip to...



Guatemala!


Right when we think life can't possibly get any crazier, I am taking on this new venture and making it even crazier!


How did it all start you ask??


Well....here is my story.

It all started years ago. I have always wanted to do a mission trip. Ross and I talked about going on one when we were older. Like retirement age. Kids grown up and out of the house. No jobs. Lots of free time. Perfect...right?

Well...a few weeks ago I woke up in the morning with a burst of energy flying through my body. I was smiling ear to ear all morning and was on "cloud nine." The reason? I was being called. Called to serve the Lord. Called to help others in need. Called to leave my home. My family. The comforts of my own home. and take on the challenge of helping others in need. I have never had this "feeling" before. This huge desire that I HAD to do this and had to do it now. And alone. I was being called by God to do this alone. Not bring Ross. Not bring the kids. Alone.

So, I called my church and asked if they knew of any mission trips coming up. The secretary didn't know anything about them but said she would pass on my information to the pastor to see if he knew of any. That evening I went home and went onto facebook and I see my step brother in law's facebook status talking about hosting a Guatemala trip in June and starting to get ready for it. I sent him a message about it and within ten minutes my inbox was filled with applications and information on Guatemala 2011. You cannot tell me this is a coincidence.

The paperwork is filled out and mailed and in 8 months I will be embarking on a new journey. A journey of love. faith. hope.

Now, this may all seem crazy to all of you and honestly, it is to me too. I am a very organized person. I have my life planned out to a "t." However, how I envision my life is not always how God envisions my life. I always pictured my life to be perfect. Healthy, two kids, a husband that works normal hours, a job I love, etc. I've ended up with a lifelong diagnosis, one child, one step child, a husband with about 4 jobs, a stressful, busy job and a life of craziness. And here is God again, upsetting my "vision" of a life.

I'm scared. Really, really, really scared. Leaving my son. My husband. My step son. for 9 whole days!!! I have never done this. And alone. Going into a country I have never been to. I don't speak their language and living with a "team" of people I have never met and will spend every waking hour with for 9 whole days!!

So...I have been praying a lot. Praying for God to give me the strength to take on this wonderful challenge. I know it will be amazing. I know I will be changed forever. I know this will be the most amazing opportunity of my life and I'm ready.

So there it is! So please, I ask for your prayers as I accept this new journey in my life. Please pray I get the strength to accept this journey and be excited about it and not be scared. I ask your prayers as I try to learn some Spanish before I go there. I ask for prayers for comfort and peace and stability and be ok leaving my family for 9 whole days!!!
I will keep you posted with many Guatemala details these next 8 months!

Monday, October 25, 2010

Updates

I can't believe October is almost over with. Fall is literally flying by this year! A few weekends ago I ran the Becker 5K Halloween 5K race. It was an extremely hard race consisting of running on cross country trails! Most of it was hills, leaves and sand. Basically everything I'm not used to running in!! I finished 7th in my age group (which was out of 20) which wasn't horrible! Really dreading the rest of the fall/winter treadmill running.

Ross & I recently booked a trip for the two of us to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for 1/1/11! We are so excited and can't believe it is only 2 months away already!

I have been doing excellent health-wise but lately I have been so tired. I tacked it up to just being busy, not sleeping as well, etc. However, I went to the doctor for my quarterly visit last week and did a urinalysis and they found a "massive" amount of red blood cells in my urine. This is very unusual for me. It could be anything from a UTI to a bladder infection or kidney problems, etc. They aren't really sure at this time so the next step is re-testing me. I will be going back next Monday for a re-test. I'm really hoping that it was just a "fluke" and my tiredness and the red blood cells are not a sign of something worse.

Lastly, I just completed the book "Love and War" . What an amazing book. Every married and soon to be married couple should read it. Honestly, my views on marriage have forever changed and I will never be the same after reading it. I would highly recommend. The book starts out slow but once you get half way through it gets to be much easier reading. Especially if you have never read a Christian book, it can seem "boring" at first. But, I highly advise you to keep going and you will be throughly impressed! The next book I will be starting is called "Purpose driven life" This book is asking you "why are you here?" "What is your purpose in life" "Why did God put you here on Earth?" I'm excited to dig into this book and will share my reviews of it once I complete it!

Have a wonderful rest of October!

Monday, October 11, 2010

The Sign I was waiting for

Today I had my 4 month check up with my rheumatologist. Everything looks great as expected. She then goes, "Well, are we ready for the baby talk?" ................
I wish I could have seen my face when she said this. I'm pretty sure my jaw dropped. I guess I was so surprised because even though I had 100% planned on talking to her about getting pregnant at today's appt, I had almost chickened out knowing that as long as I don't talk to her about it, it's not 100% a "no" yet. Logical thinking on my part, right?

I then asked her if she has been talking to Dr. Anjum (My nephrologist that I talked to a few months ago about having another baby). She goes, "no, why?" "The only reason I'm asking is because your son is almost three. That's usually the time when people start figuring out if they want another one."

Well the news was not good. It was not what I wanted at all but honestly, I expected it so I wasn't shocked. She is mailing me some more information but some quick statistics she told me are as follows:
-75% or greater chance of having a miscarriage

-Almost 100% chance of having a lupus flare up during pregnancy which would result in me being put on high doses of steroids

-Getting off a few of my medications and switching to one chemo type drug.

-and she's not 100% sure my kidneys could handle another pregnancy

She told me she cannot tell me "no." This has to be Ross & I's decision but it is her job to give me the necessary information to help make up our decision. So, instead of being upset I am looking at this like it is just the sign I was asking for and praying to God for.

There have been a few adoption meetings at our church lately so Ross and I might stop in and see what those are all about but for now I think we are going to be laying low on this subject for awhile. So with that said, you won't be seeing a "baby" blog post for awhile.

And if I am meant to just have Nolan, so be it. He's happy, healthy, and the sunshine in my life everyday.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Little Blessings

There have been so many little blessings in our life lately I just had to share!


We are expecting two more neices or nephews in 2011! One is due in February and one is due in April! (Sister in law's on Ross's side) We are so excited for these babies to come and wish both of the mommies a happy and healthy pregnancy!!!


A few weeks ago Ross received direct contact from his birth sister who he has never met!!! (She was given up for adoption 38 years ago because her parents were too young to take care of her). We are excited to build a relationship with her and learn more about her! We feel God played a huge part in this process of finding her. Sometime maybe I will tell the whole story but will wait for now. It will give you goosebumps though, I'll leave it to that.


Ok..these were more than just little blessings. These are HUGE blessings!!!


As the fall leaves are turning, the weather getting cooler and the football fans getting louder, I realize that yet again another year is coming vastly to a close and I am getting closer to celebrating two years in complete remission. Though two years may not seem very long to some, it is centuries to me. Years that have given me back that spark in life, that drive, and the energy to "Seize the Day."


Yet again, this is the very thing that could possibly be taken away from me if we choose to have another baby biologically. The selfish thing that I don't think I'm ready to give up...my health. This has been so heavy in my heart lately and I feel I need to talk openly about it on my blog to get it off my chest. I wake up some days feeling like my family is not complete and knowing that God has a plan for us to expand it someday. But then, some other days I wake up and feel complete. Our family is what it is, and we are 100% content with it. This is God's plan for us and I have accepted that. I hate being torn. I feel like there should be a strong urge one way or the other, but there's not. Maybe God isn't ready for us to make that decision yet. Maybe I feel the pressure to make that decision so soon because Nolan is turning three in February. Or Ross turning 30 in June. Or me turning 28 next July. Or me being healthy at this point in my life. I don't know....


Either way, I'm asking God to lead me into the right direction. I am asking for the strength and direction and if I am meant to be a mother a second time, I will be one. And if I'm meant to be just a Mother to Nolan and a Step-Mother to Ian, I will be just that and I will be 100% happy with that.

Please pray that this decision that God makes for us is accepted with open arms by not only myself but my husband.

Happy Fall to everyone!

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Lupus Walk 2010

Yesterday was the 2010 Lupus Walk. We had beautiful weather and a great turn out! On my website, it's showing my team raised $340, however I know some people turned in donations that day and those haven't been accounted for yet. I think my team alone did about $400.00 which is awesome! THANK YOU to everyone who came out and walked and who donated online!!! Here are a few pictures from yesterday:

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

" I will never do that when I have kids"

Have you ever heard someone say this before?

I am a poster child for that saying. I remember me saying that a ton before having children. I thought for sure I would be the perfect mom with the perfect kids and the perfect husband in the perfect house! Well, come on, don't we all?

Anyways, one of the most vivid memories of me saying this is regarding buying my children a power wheel. You know, those annoying little mobile cars that go like 3mph? They come in trucks, cars, 4 wheelers, even john Deere tractors and riding lawn mowers now!

I used to always say I would never buy my kids one because once you buy them one, they will never ride their bike. Well, I have once again caved in, and this "toy" was supposed to be Nolan's Christmas present, but once I got it home there was no way I could keep it a secret for 3.5 more months! After seeing his eyes light up when I showed him it, It was all worth it and my "I'll never do that when I have kids" was once again out the window.

Luckily this 2.5 year old still has 13.5 more years until he can drive. He is a crazy driver!!!


Thursday, September 2, 2010

2010 Lupus Walk for Hope!

I can't believe I forgot to post about this weeks ago!

The Lupus Walk for Hope is coming up in one week!!! It will take place next Saturday, September 11th in Plymouth at French Regional Park.

You can either do a walk (Free) or a 5K run ($25.00). Registration is from 9am-10am, 5K starts at 10:30 and the walk starts at 10:40! You can also register the day of.

You can join my team or donate at: https://sna.etapestry.com/fundraiser/LupusFoundation/Walk5K/team.do?participationRef=797.0.427235358

My team has reach 64% of our goal. Please help us get to 100%! I know I have said it a million times, but every dollar counts. 100% of the money raised goes towards research to help find a cure.

Even though I am in remission, every day I am symptom free is truly a blessing. I may seem like I look well, but inside the Lupus could be possibly attacking another organ of mine and I will not know until it is too late. The medication I am on just helps prevent the lupus from attacking my kidneys for now. It does not prevent it from attacking anything else in my body. Some possible targets include my heart, brain, liver, thyroid. We need to find a cure sooner than later and with your help we can!

Thank you so much for praying for me and my family, supporting us, and thinking of us. I am ever so greatful to have such wonderful people in my life! Thank You!

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Another summer coming to a close...

I cannot believe another summer is coming to a close. I wish I could write about all the exciting adventures we took this summer, but I really can't! With this being the first summer of our cabin, we spent every single weekend up there. Though it's been amazing, I am ready to start spending some time at home! Boating, bon fires, S'mores, fourwheeling, and sun is starting to get a little old. I'm ready for pumpkins, pretty leaves, and sweaters!

Another thing I can't believe is that my little boy is already 2.5 years old. It seem unbelievable that he will be turning 3 this winter! He will start ECFE classes this year with Ross and I and is fully potty trained. His speech gets clearer and clearer everyday and is getting sassy as ever!

A few weeks ago I had a check up with my Nephrologist. Having another child has been on my mind a little lately. Baby fever maybe? Nolan turning 3 this year maybe? Seeing a bunch of pregnant ladies lately, maybe? Who knows.... Though Ross and I have not made a decision on if we are going to expand our family someday, I just wanted to run it by one of my doctors just one last time. I knew they had told me "no more kids biologically" before, but I wasn't fully ready to accept it. Saying I was surprised by his answer would be an understatement. He said that he feels more than comfortable to have me try to have another child biologically. WHAT?! He said with how fast my body has taken to the medications and how stable my labs have been he said that he doesn't see any reason to not try to have another one. WHAT?! Obviously...there are risks. Infertility, Miscarriage, Kidney failure, Pre-mature delivery, Preeclampsia,etc. I would have to be watched like a hawk, dealing with a high risk OB, put on different medications and taken off some, and taking a pretty big risk. With that said, this is a decision that will not be taken lightly but I can definitely promise that it will also be a decision that is made within the next year. I also need to still talk to my Rheumatologist about it. She may have a complete different answer than my Nephrologist for taking that next step! Whatever the choice, I ask for prayers to accept the decision we choose and know that decision is the right one for our family.

With that being said, here are a few updated pictures of Nolan from this summer...






Have a blessed ending to your summer!

Monday, August 9, 2010

I'm Back!

Sorry for the inconvenience of having my blog be "private" for the week. Ross and I are going through a custody battle with Ian's Mother (Ian is my step son) and we had court this week. Without going too into detail, the issue has not been resolved and we are choosing to deal with it privately until a final decision is made. (Decemberish). I don't think I write about anything inappropriate in my blogs, however I choose to not have any information out there for anyone to tear apart and change things around I have said. My health has already been brought up in court and although I feel that is irrelevant in this case, I am taking pre-cautions because I know how lawyers can change things and rip you to shreds. My running blog will become public again as I haven't really been writting in it and if they want to rip apart that I workout and run, then they should go for it. However, my health is very confidential and should not be open for debate in the court of law.

After being sick for two weeks I think I'm almost 100% better. It all started with me having the worst migraine ever for 4 days in a row. Bless your heart if you can handle a migraine for two days, but FOUR?! Finally, after losing 6lbs, missing days of work, and being in bed for days in a row I told Ross that we had to go to the ER. I thought that something was seriously wrong. When I got admitted they did the first thing I wanted them to do...CT Scan. Thankfully the things they were checking for: meningitis, brain tumor, and brain aneurysm all checked out negative. Praise the Lord!!! They then gave me some iv's of fluids and medication and I was sent home.

The next day I started getting a sharp pain in my stomach. After a few days of that, and the headache was still there, I went back to the doctor for some more tests. They did an ultrasound to check my stomach for what was causing the pain and again, found nothing! They were mainly focusing on my liver as this is where the pain was steeming from. I was really anxious about it wondering if Lupus has now choosen to try to take yet another organ of mine. They did some lab work and that turned out great too! I'm in the "mysterious diagnosis" bucket I guess!! Everyday the pain is getting better.

I'm thinking most of it has been stress induced. Stress can do crazy things to your body and it would be an understatement to say I am stressed. I'm feeling better though just waiting for the rest of this headache to go away and the minor pain I have in my stomach to go away also! I have really been focusing on giving my stress to the Lord and having him take care of it for me. In fact, just a few days ago I prayed for the Lord to take this custody battle stress away from me so I can get healthy again and to accept whatever decision was to be made. I went to bed and woke up feeling like a ton of bricks was off my shoulders. The anxiety and anger were all taken away from me and I felt like I was ready to take on the world. It is a feeling that I cannot even start to explain but I know that God is feeling my stresses right now and that has immensly helped me get better.

Well that's my update on where I have been and how I've been feeling! Thanks for all the emails and messages of concerns. I wasn't trying to worry people this week, just really needed some extra prayers. If we could stay on your prayer list the next few months that would be appreciated. We have a few long, stressful and emotional months ahead of us. Though I feel like both Ross & I have dealt with this together extreamly well, you have to imagine it is also extreamly hard on our marriage. I pray this makes us stronger in the end and accepting it as just another "bump" in the road.

I will end with The Serenity Prayer that I have been living by these last few weeks:
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His will
That I may be resonably happy in this life and
suppremely happy with Him forever in the next.

Amen.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

I DID IT!

check out my running blog to read my completion on my first half marathon!!!

http://www.anneburau.blogspot.com

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Just a quick update

Just had a doctors appt w/my rheumatologist. I haven't had one in so long I was actually kind of excited to see her! Labs still looking great for blood work which is what I expected. Lupus has now officially started affecting my skin though. I used to be so happy that it hadn't bothered my skin and I could lay out in the sun and not be affected by it, but not anymore! I have been breaking out in rashes from the sun. I have cream to help make the rash go away and not itch but am suggested to wear long sleeves and hats and stay out of the sun as much as possible. Definetely a bummer. Especially since we just bought a cabin up north on the lake and all....

She also checks my knee that is having pain and it doesn't seem to be lupus related (again I figured that). She said to not run anymore until race day, and she gave me some more numbing type cream to be putting on it 3 times a day. I also got a knee brace to try out. Hopefully these all work to make the pain go away soon and make for a more comfortable run. (if you can have a comfortable run for 13 miles!)

My weight has dropped a few more pounds since last visit. I'm down to 118 with clothes on. Doctors don't seem concerned yet. We will wait until training is over to see if I can put any weight on or if I am still losing. That will be the ultimate test.

Just had to journal this appt so I have it to look back upon. Glad things are still going strong!

Monday, May 31, 2010

Look what a year in a half difference makes..

This was November 08' at my highest dose of steroids:

1.5 years later: steroid free, flare up free, kidney problems free! (and no puffiness in my face and body!:))
I just found that old picture and just had to re-post it. It reminds me how blessed I am and how far I have come in such a short period of time.

Next Sunday, I'll be defying the odds of people with Lupus and the comments of previous doctors and will be running my first half marathon! Though I'm nervous as can be, I'm so excited and feel so privileged to be able to have this second chance in my life to run again. I feel like I'm not only running this race for myself and to prove something to myself, but I'm running it for every person with Lupus and kidney disease. Though the diagnosis seems grim, there are good things that can come out of it. I do not know the next time I will be sick, but I'm sure thriving on these good days I'm having and pray there are many more good days to come!

I will post the results of the race when I get back next weekend! Wish me luck!!

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Almost passing out episode

Pretty sure this doesn't have anything to do with Lupus or Kidneys, but I'm blogging it to journal it so if it happens again, I have a record of when, how, etc.

Tuesday at 10am I was sitting at my desk at work typing and noticed all of a sudden the screen was blurry and I was light headed (note I was also sitting down at this time which is weird). I turned away from my screen and almost felt "out of body" experience like. I yelled for a co-worker to come in as I thought for sure I was going to pass out and didn't want to be alone. I was sweating and shaking. My Co-worker gave me a granola bar and water and within the hour I was fine. I called my doctors and they both thought glycemia. Now, I'm not diabetic or anything but apparently this can happen to perfectly healthy people without any diabetes. It's basically just low blood sugar. The thing that is weird about this is that I had a good breakfast. Bagel w/cream cheese and orange juice and water. I wasn't dehydrated or hungary. I did have a medium skinny vanilla latte from Starbucks, which isn't too unusual for me. I usually have 1-2 of them a week but am taking a break from them for a little bit. I have since been drinking more water and eating something every 2 hours and *knock on wood* it hasn't happened again. Again, journaling this event just in case it does happen, I have a recollection of it.

Other than that, feeling great! When I called the doctor about this episode they looked it up and I guess I was supposed to come in in April but missed scheduling an appointment so they are going to hold off until June. As much as I love my doctors, it sure is nice to not see them as much. And much easier on the pocket book too:)

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

It's been awhile!!!

I guess it is hard to keep up two blogs!! I've been updating my running blog pretty frequently. You can read that at www.anneburau.blogspot.com if you haven't checked it out yet. Countdown to my half marathon is a about 4.5 weeks!!

Healthwise, I've never been healthier! (knock on wood....) I haven't been to the doctor in months and don't have an appointment until June! I only got ONE cold this whole winter/spring and it only lasted about 5 days. It's been amazing!

Nolan is growing and changing like crazy! He now stays 3-4 word sentences and repeats EVERYTHING!! He also says "mom, what's that?" to just about everything. He's super stubborn with everything and his personality has came out full force. He is also very obsessed with Daddy right now. Daddy has to give him a bath, daddy has to read him a book, daddy has to tuck him in. I should take advantage of this "free time" i have but it makes me too sad!! This "stage" has been going on almost a month now! I hope it ends soon...I miss being the favorite person in my little boys eyes!

Were also back to getting a cleaner for the house. During the summer months, I would rather be spending time at the cabin, running, playing with the kids, etc than cleaning the house!! We're excited to have some help around the house again. Now, if only someone could cook meals, do laundry, and mow the lawn we would be good to go:)

The next time I update will probably be pretty close to marathon date or afterwards so I'll update with how that goes!!

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

New Blog!

I decided to start a new blog to keep a journal of my half marathon training. If you want to read it you can click here.

It will be interesting to see if I can keep BOTH blogs up to date!

Friday, March 12, 2010

Random Updates!











Nolan's 2nd Birthdy party was a success. We ate train cake, unwrapped a ton of presents, and got our pictures drawn by a caricature! I think he had a great time. He sure was pooped when it was all over. AND we think he had an allergic reaction to the raspberries. His face turned brigh red after he ate them...we are going to try them again in a few weeks and see if he gets another reaction. Very weird!!!
Nolan just got diagnosed with RSV and double ear infections yesterday. He had been coughing, low grade fever, runny nose, etc for a week so we finally took him in. Both things he has never had, guess it's a first for everything. He's on a neubulizer every 4 hours and antibiotics twice a day. He seems to already be feeling better and coughing less so hopefully he will be better by Monday! I have been coughed on so many times it will literally be a miracle if I don't get sick. So far (knocking on wood) i feel great and have no signs of getting it:)

I am up to running 5 miles and my offical training starts in just a few weeks. I have my running watch ordered and need a new pair of shoes, and then I will be set. Now that the snow is melted, I am pretty much ready to start running outside! I am very excited to get off the treadmill!!! Praying for a healthy 10 weeks of training!










Thursday, February 18, 2010

Ok I finally have some time to write about our trip!!!

First, I have to admit. It was probably one of my favorite trips of all time. It's funny though. The weather pretty much sucked, Nolan's diapers leaked on the plane, we never got to use our water park tickets I bought, we got locked out of our hotel room once, and had some fun tantrums on the plane! But none of this stuff mattered because we ended up turning this stuff upside down and having such a glorious time!

We went to Seaworld, Busch Gardens, Cocoa Beach, and visited a bunch of family and friends! It was wonderful to spend a whole week with the whole family. Not interrupted by work, phone calls, or dishes. It was awesome. In fact, it was so great, I am still having a hard time coming back to reality.


Nolan got to spend his 2nd Birthday in Florida. How cool is that? How am I ever going to top that? Next year I'm going to have to take him to Europe or something! His birthday party is on Sunday. How cute is he?!

Cocoa Beach...Nolan was so scared of the waves! We kept trying to take pictures with the ocean in the background, but he kept turning around looking at the waves and screaming so none of the pictures really turned out. We settled for sand pictures:)



This is one of my favorite pictures. It's so innocent. It's so real. A little boy about ready to chase a duck/goose type bird. I say that because I really don't know what it was. It was very weird looking and Nolan was very interested in it!
Ok, now I want everyone reading my blog to go "awww...." :) I love this picture too. I enlarged it and hung it in our bathroom.
Here's a picture of the boys and I at Seaworld. Ian played a basketball game and won two "Shamu's" for Nolan and him. These were the hit of Seaworld. The boys carried their little "Shamu's" everywhere.

I can't wait until the next trip! I just hope I'm as healthy as I was for this trip for the next one. I noticed while I was on this trip that I was constantly thinking about how this could be my last trip healthy so to enjoy every second of it, and never turn down anything. I made sure I did every ride, took every picture, tried any new food. Hopefully there are many more, but you never do know! Live life to the fullest:)


Saturday, February 13, 2010

Memorable

Florida was beyond memorable and amazing. More to come on that........

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Whirlwind

Between working full time, being a mother/wife full time, managing a disease full time and now training for a half marathon full time I feel like im living in a tornado!

We will be leaving for Florida this weekend and are beyond excited for a nice family trip. The bags are packed (well almost..), the airline tickets printed, and the laundry done. We are ready. I think. Wow. So much to remember when you bring two kids! Nolan will be turning "2" while we are in Florida. What a bittersweet moment for me. My "baby" is not a baby anymore. He is officially a toddler. We don't count his age by months anymore, we count it by years. oh my! Here are some things about him right now:

--He knows what he wants and once it's in his head, he's going to get it no matter what the price. (pretty sure he gets this from me.)

--His vocabulary is rapidly expanding. Every day he is saying a new word. My favorite "love you, ma."

--He doesn't call me mommy, mamma, or mom. He calls me "Ma." It makes me feel old but at the same time I love it. It's 100% Nolan.

--He calls me "Anne" when he really wants my attention. This just makes me ignore him even more. I will not answer to the name "Anne" from my child!

--His favorite song is "wheels on the bus" and we listen to it everyday in the car ride to daycare and home. I have to do the hand motions with him in the car or he will yell at me "ma!" Pretty sure the people in the other cars I pass are wondering what the heck I'm doing but it's fun.

--He loves pizza and everytime I ask him what he wants to eat he says "izza!"

--He just had his 2 year appt and he is "lean and tall" as the doc said. He is 40% weight and 70% height. He's absolutely perfect and healthy!

----He is stealing my heart away more and more each day!

--He loves trains and so his birthday party will be a Thomas the Train theme. Again, I will be going all out--pictures of the party to follow after we have it:) Since we will be gone for his birthday, here's for him: Nolan Happy 2nd Birthday, I love you with all I am!
Regarding my health--I am super healthy (knock on wood) and feeling great still! Marathon training is sure draining but makes me feel great when I'm done with a good run. I'm running 4 miles right now. My goal is to get to 5 miles by March. We'll see. Treadmill training is not the best and definitely not the most fun!!
Bon Voyage!!!


Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Relief!

That's all I can say as I got the call from the nurse the other day on my lab results. Everything is going back to "normal." I'm back on the meds and they are working as usual. Awesome news to start out the new year! Speaking of the new year--I just looked back at my old posts a year ago from now. Wow--what a difference makes is so many ways....

Nolan will be 2 in a little over a month and as I write this I still don't believe it. I'm excited, sad, and scared all at once. Excited to see more of his personality come out and experience more things with him, sad to see him get out of diapers and lose the last of his "babyness" and scared well--because of the terrible twos:) He is talking like crazy. Some of it I understand and some I just pretend to understand. He just learned my name this weekend and has been calling me "Anne" all week. It was funny at first and now I'm just annoyed! I just ignore him when he calls me Anne now and wait until he finally calls me mommy. He also has started potty training. He goes about 3-4 times a day on the potty but is still in diapers full time of course. He loves trains, Elmo and vacuums! Literally--he's obsessive compulsive over vacuum's. I can't wait until he's older so he can vacuum the house. I'm sure by then he will hate vacuums!

We will be taking our first trip as a family in February. All 4 of us are heading to Orlando, FL! We are super excited.and a little nervous to be flying with two kids for the first time, but I know everything will be fine. Just need patience is all:)

I hope everyone has a wonderful blessed 2010!