She's been taking some time to stop and smell the roses!

Caught on Camera

I captured Isabella on camera in the middle of a huge laugh-fest!

The Joys of Home Ownership

Really, I do love owning a house, the good things definitely outweigh the bad. We haven't had anything major, just little things here and there. With that being said, our plumbing issues the other night were a little more than we bargained for. The next day as I was scrubbing the floor in the main bathroom, I noticed a ridge or buckling of the tiles. When I pressed down on the floor I could hear water squishing around all under the tiles! I knew immediately that was going to be a problem. If something wasn't done soon, it most definitely would have turned to mold, which in turn would be an even bigger problem. Monte's mom, upon hearing of our troubles, immediately called Monte's brother-in-law, without our knowing. His brother-in-law is quite the handy man, he works on remodeling projects and home improvement projects as a hobby. He came to lay carpet in Isabella's room over the summer, and he saved us tons of money when we moved into our house almost three years ago to the day, by laying flooring and doing other updates. So anyway, he called on Friday night, told us to go buy some flooring on Saturday, and he would be here on Sunday and go home Monday! He brought our nephew along, so that was a sweet treat, and Isabella had a blast with him! They live four hours away, we are SO grateful to him for traveling all that way to help us out. At first we were disappointed about having to get new flooring, since what was there was only 3 years old, and we didn't want to spend the money, but in the end we like the new floor even better. AND, since we were going to the trouble, we replaced the closet door in the bathroom as well, since the old one hasn't worked in about a year! I also totally cleaned out the big closet in there, cleaned out all the other cupboards and drawers, washed the curtains, washed the walls, got new wood trim since the old was starting to rot a little, and did a very minor update by getting new handles for the drawers and cupboards. So it might not look like a huge difference, but to us, it is!

Before

In between

After

A Big Step

We converted Isabella's

crib into a toddler bed on Saturday. I was a little apprehensive about it, but it's gone very good so far. I put her to bed at 8:00 on Saturday, and I could still hear her talking at 9:30, usually she goes right to sleep. So I went in and asked her if she wanted me to stay with her until she fell asleep, which she of course wanted. It was a sweet treat for me, especially since I had just heard this song for the first time that night. I put pillows on the floor, and at about midnight I heard her cry out for a second. When I went in about 5 minutes later to see if she had fallen out, she was just standing in the middle of the floor holding her head. But that has been the only time she has fallen out so far. And just as Monte and I predicted, she absolutely will NOT get out of bed once we put her in there either at night or for her naps. When she wakes up either he or I go in and tell her it's okay for her to get out of bed! So at least we don't have to worry about her constantly getting out of bed. Overall, I think she likes it, she really likes climbing up into bed and "reading" books throughout the day.

A little too soon to be talking about this

The other day I watched my friend's two youngest kids for her. The three year old had a blast playing at our house, and did NOT want to leave when his mom came to pick him up. Yesterday my friend told me that her little boy was asking who all was going to be at Bible Study. She responded that Isabella was going to be there. His response, "Oh good, Isabella's my girlfriend." I later told Isabella that he had said that, and she responded, "No, I not his girlfriend, I Weston's (another little boy we know) girlfrend!" Yikes, all this two year old drama, I don't know if I'm ready for it! :)

Nothing can ruin this day!

Things have threatened to ruin this day, but nothing can ruin it. When Isabella and I got home from Bible Study this morning there was a message to call the Drs. office. With my heart pounding I called to see if they would give me the results since Monte wasn't home. And sure enough they had the biopsy results. I believe her words were, "It's nothing bad, nothing more than you already know, no cancer." The only thing that showed up was a confirmation of the diagnosis of Crohn's Disease. Phew! Talk about a load off of my mind (I say my mind because Monte told me later that he wasn't too worried about it . . . okay, whatever, leave the worrying to the woman :) ) Also, Monte felt GREAT today, yes great!! Day 2 of the steroids and he actually has energy, no pain, and a crazy appetite. I knew he was bad, but I guess I didn't realize just how bad he has been these last months until now that I see him feeling good! The doctor wants him off of the steroids by March, so we'll cross that road when we get to it, but for now, for today, he felt great. So that's how we'll take it, one day at a time.

So besides having a horrendous headache tonight, something really weird happened today. I was washing a load of clothes, when all of the sudden one of our toilets just randomly overflows. Then the other toilet starts bubbling and making all sorts of weird noises. THEN the bathtub and the kitchen sink started filling up with water! Our house started smelling like sewer too. Monte discovered that two vents on the roof were clogged with ice, which after calling the experts (his dad and my dad) we thought was probably the reason. So we spent two hours pouring hot water down the vents, which helped the kitchen sink but nothing else. We could not get a hold of any plumbers until about 5:00 this evening. They worked for two hours. The problem was that our pipes were clogged with tree roots, how crazy is that?! So we spent the majority of our afternoon and evening dealing with plumbing issues, but that's okay because nothing can ruin this day!

Update

Just a quick update - everything went about as we expected yesterday. The doctor came and talked to us while Monte was in recovery (he was put under for a while). He told us things do not look good, and according to the report sent home with us, the ENTIRE large intestine is "severely inflamed, scarred, ulcerated, and diseased". They also took biopsies, which is quite concerning, that could open up a whole other scary subject that I don't even want to think about right now. So Monte is now on 3 different drugs which are not good long term. One of them is high doses of steroids. The hope is that these drugs will help to get things under control for right now, then we go back two weeks from today to consult with the doctor about long term plans. We are also waiting for news on the biopsies. It's been an emotional, difficult time, your prayers are greatly appreciated.

A Bad Day!

Wow, I'm not quite sure where to start, but I did have a huge sobfest earlier so I now
feel much better (nothing like a good cry every now and then). The day started out with a phone call from Monte's mom telling us that they just found out my dear father-in-law has prostate cancer. There's something about the word cancer that makes your mind go about a million places. Monte also had a dr. appt. today, I wasn't origanally planning on going with him, but decided to give our friend, Sister Mary Edwin, a call to see if she could watch Isabella. She happily agreed to what I thought would only be a couple of hours, but of course I was wrong. He saw a wonderful doctor that we had never met before, but there was LOTS of waiting. The kind where you think surely they must have forgotten about you! He took one look at my poor, sickly husband and knew he was not well at all. His color is, well, greenish, and his weight is in the 130's. That's bad, considering his healthy, pre - Crohn's weight was about 180. Let me just say, I hate this disease, I hate what it's done to my only 29 year old husband, I hate seeing him in so much pain that he honestly has a hard time even standing, I hate what it's done to our life, and I hate that Isabella has seen me so upset and emotional the last few weeks. I hate that his parents are so worried about him, when they now have so many worries of their own. I know, I'm not supposed to hate anything, but really, that's how I'm feeling right now.

So he had some tests done today, and they gave him a couple of prescriptions for antibiotics. The trip to the pharmacy involved a LOT more waiting, where they screwed up his prescriptions, had to make numerous phone calls, and more waiting, which made me extremely annoyed as Monte was in so much pain I thought he was going to pass out! THEN, we went to pay for them, and wouldn't you know there was some kind of problem with his insurance, so we had to pay the full amount for the prescriptions. We were told to contact the insurance company and figure it out with them, then we could possibly bring the receipts back in and the pharmacy would reimburse us . . .whatever, all we wanted to do was go HOME by this point.

So now we are home, I missed my sweet girl like crazy, but she had a blast with Sister. The dr. today made Monte an appt. about 100 miles away for a procedure to be done this coming Tuesday. So that's what we know for now, we'll know much more after Tuesday, and hopefully get some options for treatment so that he can get back into remission. Thankfully, my mom is going to take some time off of work and come out to take care of Isabella. And tomorrow we are heading to Monte's parents to spend the weekend. It's been a LONG few weeks, and it's been SO cold (30 below 0 today!) so I haven't even been able to get Isabella out. We need a change of scenery, and Monte's parents could use some cheering up (which our resident, goofy, two year old can provide!). And although it's easy to get down, I have hope and trust. Hope that things will get better, and trust in our loving God, that through this all, His will be done.

Interesting Things (or not so interesting in my case)

Here's how it works: All the ones that are 'bolded' are things I've done or seen or whatever because I just KNOW you wanted to know all this about me. I'm tagging Connie, Kristin, and Meredith (if you want to do it) and anyone else who wants to play along.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain.
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty (I only went half way up so I guess it doesn't count)
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill ( I was definitely tempted, but could never bring myself to do it)
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29 Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33 Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41 Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud (and subsequently got glass in my eye, which was of course followed by an emergency room visit!)
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class - no, BUT I used to do a Tae Bo video a la Billy Blanks in the late 90's - does that count?
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason
64 Donated blood, platelets, or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66 Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67 Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy (several - as long as my mom hasn't thrown them away)
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone (just a finger)
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79 Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

The Best

A few days ago we had a busy day, we were gone and Isabella didn't get a nap. She fell asleep on our way home. When we got home, I got her out of the car and she woke up. I thought since she was pretty groggy, I would rock her for a minute. She ended up falling right back asleep, so there I sat, rocking my "baby" while she slept with her little head on my shoulder for over an hour. It was the best!

Bring it On

The FREEZING cold weather, that is. I know it's been here for a while, but now we're REALLY ready.

Miss Sensitive

Isabella has always been so sensitive (just like her mother). Ever since she started hearing the word "no" when she was a baby she has rolled her bottom lip under, and cried because she feels so bad. She still does this, but now she tries not to cry as her lips are quivering, and tears well up in her eyes, it's quite a sorry state! She can't stand seeing anyone else sad, or any other kids crying or upset. Just last night she said something she had been hearing extended family members saying, that we don't want her saying, ("Oh my G-O-D"). I didn't get upset because it's not her fault, it's just what she heard. All I said was that we don't say that in our house, and she felt SO bad that she immediately started crying, and did the whole lip thing. Then she just kept repeating over and over through her tears, "I no say that, I say oh my goodness or oh my gosh." And still today she kept saying, "I say oh my gosh or oh my goodness."

As I've mentioned before, Monte is not doing good right now with his Crohn's. He's really not able to do much. It's starting to take a toll on Isabella as well. This morning Monte was doubling over in so much pain, that Isabella started crying. She just kept hugging, kissing, and patting him. She is now saying quite often, "oh no Daddy, feel better Daddy". And she won't leave his side, she just stands there next to him, handing him her blanky to make him feel better, and hugging him. I really hope we can get this all figured out soon, because I need my hubby back, and Isabella needs her Daddy!

Pictures to go with the previous post . . . and lots of them!

Part 1: Christmas Eve at our house.

Silly girl with the big bow from her kitchen.

The new kitchen, she absolutely loves it!! It makes noises like boiling water, frying, and timers.

This is when she first saw it.

Both sets of our neighbors gave her a new baby! She's quite the little mommy. She loves that the big one talks, cries, laughs, sneezes, sings, etc.

Part 2: Christmas at Monte's parents.

Playing play doh with a couple of the cousins.

A Christmas day visit at the nursing home with Monte's 95 year old grandpa. (Pictured with Monte's oldest sister)




Part 3: Christmas weekend with my family.

I LOVE this picture! She especially loves her older cousins, here she just kept backing up into cousin Luke like she couldn't get close enough to him.

All the grandkids with my grandma. I don't know how we managed to get this picture, but not a picture of all the grandkids with my parents.

All the cousins again. Three 2 year old girls!

Having fun with the boys.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

We've spent the last week spending time with both Monte's and my families celebrating Christmas, our 6th anniversary, and New Year's. It was a great week! I haven't even been on the computer for an entire week, so I don't think I'll be able to catch up with all the blog reading, and I just got my email cleaned out, I get way too much junk email. We started out by spending our first ever Christmas Eve at home. It was just Monte, Isabella, and I, it was so nice. We went to Mass with our neighbors in a different town in the afternoon, since all we had here was midnight Mass which I absolutely LOVE, but I have a feeling it will be years before we are able to attend that again. When we got back from church "Santa" had come and brought Isabella a play kitchen, she absolutely LOVES it. We had some appetizers, and opened presents. Monte got a book and some clothes, I got some books, clothes, and lotion, and we got Isabella some books. I'm so glad we didn't get her anything else because between grandmas and grandpas, aunts, uncles, neighbors, and even extended family like my aunts and uncles she got an outragous amount of toys. I don't know where I'm going to put everything, I think I'm going to take some of my Christmas money and buy one of those cube organizers with storage baskets.

We got up early on Christmas morning, and headed for Monte's parents. All of his sisters and their familes were home, so it was a busy, crowded, loud, fun household. Isabella had so much fun playing with her cousins, she is at such a fun age. We had told her on the drive there what we expected of her, she listened well, and played so nice, and shared. She even slept great in the toddler bed at Grandma and Grandpas. On Friday we made the trip back to our house for a quick rest, then headed out again on Saturday morning for my parents. We celebrated Christmas with my family on Sunday, which was also Monte and my 6th anniversary. Monte had also come home on Sunday so he could work on Monday, but Isabella and I stayed with my parents until yesterday. Isabella did so much better than the last time we were there. I think it helped that Daddy was there to begin with, he serves as a sort of security blanket for her I think! My parents brought us back yesterday, and babysat so we could go out and celebrate New Year's and our belated anniversary. And that was our week, maybe I'll get a chance to upload some pictures later. Our New Years Day is nice and quiet. We went to Mass with my parents this morning where Isabella loudly exclaimed "YAY, CHURCH" right at the end, then my mom and I made a big breakfast. They headed for home this afternoon.

And on a not as good note (this should probably be a different post, but oh well), Monte is really not doing so good with his Crohn's Disease. He hasn't felt good in months, and I'm starting to get really worried that he'll end up how he was the first couple of years of our marriage. It's getting very frustrating for both of us, but I'm trying to stay positive since having a negative attitude is not going to help the situation.