Merry Christmas!

I have been REALLY bad about updating this thing lately! I only have a minute right now, but I do intend on posting about our (well, my family's & my) trip to AL to see the rest of the fam (Elizabeth I'm sure you're disappointed in me) and Christmas and all that goodness......hopefully tomorrow. In the mean time, I hope you & yours had a VERY Merry Christmas and that you are all staying warm!

a typical day

As unusual as this morning has been, it feels so routine at the same time. I spent this morning going to 2 doctors offices and a hospital to get blood drawn for testing and to get a Holter Monitor (basically a portable EKG) put on. It all started about 2 months ago when I asked my OB if it was normal to be laying down and suddenly feel my heart pounding so hard - the answer was yes because my blood volume has increased being pregnant it can do that from time to time. Perfectly normal and nothing to think about unless my heart rate also raises above 100 when I'm laying down. Normally it just beats hard and eventually calms down, but the other night it decided to play around with me a bit. I had been laying down for about 10 minutes or so and it started beating hard as it does sometimes, then it felt like it threw a few extra beats in there, and then my heart rate went up. Not high enough that I thought I was having a heart attack or anything, but fast enough that I knew I'd have to be calling my OB. I was having issues watching the clock & counting the beats myself (you wouldn't think it was very hard) so Greg came to my aid. He sat me up and had me take some deep breathes and he took my pulse after it had calmed down a bit. Well, it was 100 then so I'm not sure how high it had been. After it finally went back to normal he had me sit on the couch with my feet up for a bit to make sure I was okay and when I could finally muster up the energy (the ordeal zapped my energy completely) I headed to bed. The next day my OB told me she wanted to check me for anemia, thyroid problems and possibly an arrhythmia. So today I went and got blood taken for testing with her, had a consultation with my Primary Care doc to "order" the Holter Monitor, and ran by the hospital to get all plugged in. I have to keep track of any abnormal feelings I get whether I think they are heart related or not (except my little guy moving) and what time they happened according to this device. I also have to keep track of when I sleep and if I get up in the middle of the night so they can understand the declines & increases in my heart rate when they print out the report this thing is recording. When it has run for 24 hours I get to take it off, stick it in a baggie with my data sheet, and drop it off the ER. Fun times ;-)

On a slightly different note, Greg finally has some answers about the pain in his leg lately. He had an MRI last week (our hospitals love us lately I'm sure) and it turns out that he has dysplasia of the L4, L5 & S1 vertebrae and the S1 is sitting on a nerve, causing the pain down his leg. This is good news and bad news. It's good because we finally have some answers about his back/leg issues AND because this MRI has finally shown something his past MRI's haven't. Now we can get cracking on treatment and hopefully have a new man by the time this kiddo arrives next April. The bad part is not huge, it's only a possibility really, but it's still not great. He begins specialized physical therapy daily starting next week, which is probably going to cause him some pain until he gets used to it - that sucks. They are hopeful that it will help the problem and get him to a better point than he's been in years - that is great. There is a chance that it won't be enough, which we will know 2 weeks after he starts, and if it's not then they do surgery - that SUCKS. I am hoping and praying that the therapy (and the drugs they've given him) will be all that it takes to get him on the right side of things. I pray that it doesn't come to surgery, but that if it does I can stay calm during the ordeal and that he can recover from it before the baby comes. He wants so badly to be able to play on the floor with his son and run around or play ball when the day comes, but that couldn't happen as things are now. Only time will tell how things turn out.....

So that's us in a nutshell lately! I DO get to start the baby registering today though!!! My beautiful sis and I are going to the store after work today and will be picking out all of the fun and necessary things for her favorite nephew!! That right there could make the crappiest day great, I'm so excited!!

snips & snails & puppy dog tails...

Well our ultrasound was this morning and all signs point towards a BOY! The little booger was being stubborn at first and had his legs smashed together so the tech went about her business checking all of the things she needed to check. When she finally came back to the gender he decided to cooperate and showed her his goods few times! The he decided to be stubborn like his daddy and kept turning his head away or sticking his hand in his face every time she went to get a good profile picture - needless to say we didn't get one! We got a few pictures, probably as good as any ultrasound pictures are. I am looking forward to January when we go do a 3D ultrasound and really get a look at his precious little face! He looked healthy and strong - his heart rate was a strong 156 and they estimate his weight for now around 9 ounces already (YIKES!)

I am SO excited to really start planning now - finalizing bedding, painting & decorating the nursery, picking out his name (not sure I'm looking too forward to that one though, it's so hard!) Greg and I just couldn't be happier - it's so surreal when I think about where we were just 5 months ago and where we are now. Every time I hear his little heart beating or see his picture I just couldn't be happier!! Such a huge blessing we've been given, one I wasn't sure we'd ever get, but already couldn't imagine life without.

17 weeks!

Well today marks 17 weeks for me! It is either the shirt I am wearing today, or I reached the point where I wake up and go "WHOA! I actually look pregnant!" I guess we'll see if I still look this way as the week progresses ;-) We have our big ultrasound THIS WEDNESDAY - as in less than 48 hours from now!!! I will post any news we get later that day or shortly thereafter, and some pics of munchkin! Still in disbelief how fast this is going, but I am so ready to see and hold this little blessing!!!

a little fun with baby

So I decided that I wanted to try the old wives tales that can sometimes predict the gender of your baby. I was hoping to get some consistent results that I could compare to the ultrasound in a few weeks but no such luck. Here's what I did get though:

Chinese Gender Chart - Tie
I tried a number of these, mainly ones that didn't ask for you to use any formulas to figure them out. Out of the ten that I tried (maybe a little overkill, but I was trying to break the constant tie), I came out with a tie - five boy and five girl.

The Drano Test - Inconclusive
There is actually an over the counter test you can buy at the drugstore that is similar to this so we decided to try it. Unfortunately the box clearly states that is you have PCOS (which I do) that it won't give you clear results. We tried it anyway but as the box says, it was not clear which way it should read. We decided to try the actual Drano test too, but it turned out the same way.

Heartbeat Test - Girl
I had an appointment this morning (just shy of 15 weeks) and the heart rate was 157 and beating strong. Apparently this points towards girl.

Cravings - Girl
I guess they say if you crave sweet the it's a girl and if you crave sour it's a boy. Well, I never really have like sour and that hasn't changed. My sweet tooth has gotten significantly worse though, especially where candy is concerned ;-)

Wedding Ring Test - Inconclusive
SO I tried this on my wrist and on my belly. Once we stabilized the ring we waited, and waited. It never moved.

Husband's Opinion - Girl
Greg has been positive it's a girl from the start, no question about it. Of course he has said that he doesn't prefer one over the other and is just excited to have a baby in general, but he just feels that it's a girl this time.

General Opinion of Friends/Family - Boy
So far according to the poll I have posted on the left, more people feel it is a boy that a girl.

Well, that is all that I have tried. I guess more say girl than boy. I don't really have a feeling one way or the other. We are both SO excited to find out though, so I hope that this munchkin cooperates on November 4th!!!

well hello second trimester, so nice to see you!

I am still in shock at how quickly this pregnancy is moving so far! Yesterday marked the beginning of my second trimester - already! Life is just so wonderful right now. Today is my 31st birthday and the bible passage on the top of this lovely blog today says: “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” SO true......there couldn't be a more perfect passage for today for me. I have already gotten so many birthday wishes from friends & family - thank you all! I am so blessed in so many ways and it just becomes more & more obvious with each day that passes.

On a different note, I have tried the old wives tales for gender prediction for this little munchkin and I hope to have a moment to post the results in the next few days. I'd do it now, but my list is at home ;-)

12 weeks and counting...

Well as of yesterday I am 12 weeks along - already!! I can't believe how fast this is going - I mean we've now known for almost 8 weeks that we're having a baby. My next appointment is coming up in 2 1/2 weeks, at which point I will be at the start of my second trimester already - holy smokes! At this point I am still feeling good for the most part, weekends are kind of rough sometimes (it's like my body knows that fun occurs on weekends and decides it wants to feel sick instead have fun), but overall I am doing great! I am really wanting the next 6 weeks to go by so we can find out what this little munchkin is - I want to know so bad!! Speaking of - I am starting to experiment with some old wives tales that predict the gender of your baby to see what they all say, and then to compare it to the ultrasound when we find out. Nothing like having a little fun to pass the time ;-) I have added a poll to the blog so that I can get everyone's opinion on what we're having - I can't wait to see what you all say! I will post the results of all my experiments after my next appointment (I want to see if I can get a heart rate for the baby first) and then we will see in November who's right!

Oh, and a quick shout-out to my cousin Elizabeth - hope you had a fabulous birthday yesterday and birthday weekend full of celebration! Wish we lived closer so we could've helped you celebrate, but we'll see you in December for sure!!

moving right along

Well yesterday I had my first appointment with the OB that will deliver my little love in April. My normal doc retired the end of August, so unfortunately I have to start all over with a new doc during pregnancy. Although, that is a lot of appointments and getting to know her, so I suppose it will be a fairly quick way to tell if I really like her or not. So far so good - she was very friendly and informative and made sure she answered anything questions I had (which of course I'd forgotten them all - I really need to remember to make a list next time).

Everything looked good to her. She tried to hear the heartbeat with the Doppler but "we" weren't cooperating, so no such luck this time. She did however give me a free ultrasound (apparently my insurance doesn't cover OB ultrasounds) so we could watch the little heart beating since we couldn't hear it - nothing like seeing that little heart blinking away to give you peace of mind. It was so fun to see that little body, it's arms & legs on that screen - this kiddo is growing and changing so fast! No picture to take home with me this time though :-( My next appointment is a few days after my second trimester starts - the Friday after my birthday! Eight weeks and we should be finding out if my little love is a boy or girl - November can't come fast enough!!

It's really true!!

After a long and hard road, Greg and I are finally having a baby!!! Our prayers have been answered and mid-April (the 12th) we will turn into a family of three!! Because of our situation we have had multiple doctor's appointments with our RE so far including 6 week and 8 week ultrasounds and everything is looking great! We have been released to my OB and will start "normal" pregnancy appointments next Friday. We couldn't be more thrilled and I can't wait to share this journey!

Slacker!

I am still alive - I promise! No tragedies or anything - just life and all that goes with it keeping me too busy to blog! I can't even remember the last thing I wrote about - oh I just had to check (how sad) - apparently the subject matter was a lack of free time - HA! Here is the best recap I can come up with of what had been going on since mid-May:

• family vacation to Disney and a Disney Cruise: It was an incredible trip, but Greg and I have decided it was not a vacation by our standards because that to us means relaxation and this trip was way too busy for that! We had a great time overall and have made some wonderful memories - but we are glad to be home! The best day was spent at the Atlantis resort in Nassau - we have some pics on here but I will be getting some more of our Dolphin encounter shortly. Greg kissed a 23 year old girl named Michelle and I have a picture to prove it (don't worry, so did I......did I mention Michelle was a dolphin??) I went a little crazy and have a grand total of 319 pictures I uploaded to my shutterfly page tonight....and that is after going through them and deleting a bunch. Greg got a hold of the camera a few times on the boat and was playing with settings so if you notice any random pictures (or multiple pictures of the same thing) I'm sure those are probably his doing! Here is a link to my Picasa album, which has all of the pics I took (the ones with captions) and eventually everyone else's will be there too
  

• New Addition: my SIL Diana got married in a beautiful evening wedding in her dad's backyard in Norman. I was an IDIOT and got the wedding invite & reception invite cards mixed up and we ended up missing the wedding all together! We realized this as we were walking out the door - and we thought we were running early!! We still went to the reception though to congratulate the happy new family (their daughter Isabella Grace turns 2 next Wednesday!) Couldn't be happier for them - welcome to the family Patrick!
• 4th of July: we had no spectacular plans other than watching the fireworks from our backyard as we do every year!
• 30 Vegas Style: my best friend (and her husband) turned 30 this summer and they had a big casino party at her parent's house. We got to play blackjack, craps and Texas Hold'em - I enjoyed a little Hold'em and then went on to learn craps - it was a lot of fun! Glad we were playing with fake money though - even though I enjoyed myself I still don't think I'd really gamble if we went to Vegas
• Another Year Older: more summer birthdays in the family include my nephew (turned 3 on June 20th) - my mother (I won't tell how old she turned on July 26th - she doesn't look or act it anyway!) and my niece (turned 5 on Aug. 3rd)
  
• FORE! I took golf lessons at the beginning of the summer with a good friend and have really taken to it. Mind you, I still suck, but I think it's fun and it has been something I have enjoyed doing. I go every Saturday morning with my parents (and occasionally my sister and/or Greg) and Greg and I enjoy playing 9 holes in the evening during the week at a short course near our house. He bought me my own clubs and everything! He has really enjoyed me getting into golf and has been able to play with me for the first time since he originally hurt his back! I love the time we get to spend together!
• Oh baby: things are still going for us in the baby department - lots of doctors appointments and pills trying to expand our family! Hopefully soon one of these treatments will work and we will have a little one! In the mean time, I have found out that one of my very best friends is expecting her second!! I've got a few other people from high school, college and my current circle of friends that are expecting either their first or second too! And some of the most exciting news is one of my sister's best friends is FINALLY getting her baby girl from China - they have been in the process to adopt for YEARS and I am so happy that they are finally getting their baby!! Babies, babies, everywhere (almost)!
  

Well, I can't think of much more that has been going on. Lots of work, golf, cleaning, laundry, doctors and then more of the same! Hope everyone is doing well - I'll try to keep up with this more!

Free time, what's that?

Well I haven't posted in a LONG time it seems - things are just so busy! Let's see - a quick overview of things that have been going on since my last post......my MIL had a birthday on April 7th - hope it was a good one! I went to the Pollard Theatre in Guthrie with my parents, sister, nieces & nephew to see Beauty & The Beast. We had a really good time and I think the kids did too ;-) Our friend Patrick got married on April 25th so we spent that Friday night and Saturday in Norman celebrating with them - congratulations Patrick & Katie - the wedding was beautiful!

The beginning of May I started a new drug so we are anxiously awaiting the end of May to see if it's working or not! May 5th I started taking golf lessons!! It was a random, spur-of-the-moment thing that popped up because a friend of mine was going to start them, but I am really enjoying myself! My wonderful & loving husband took me on a date night to go see the Lion King on May 6th - it was FANTASTIC!! Granted we had incredible seats (row D, center!!), but the show itself was just really well done. From an artistic standpoint I loved being that close because I could see all of the intricacies of the costumes and set decoration so I was in heaven the entire show! I hadn't even noticed that the kid sitting next to me threw up until lights came on at intermission - thank goodness it didn't stink or I might've too! I got yet another sinus infection so I had to miss our postponed bunco from April that my friend Stephanie hosted on May 8th - I was rather peeved about this because I love my nights I get to socialize with the girls! Mother's Day we met Greg's mom & stepdad after church for lunch and then spent the evening with my family. The ladies in my family had spent the day before together too going through my mom's closet (she has us do this about once a year so we can help her rid her closet of things that are out-of-date or that don't fit her anymore) and then shopping for new bedding/accessories for their back bedroom. I LOVE to shop for that kind of thing - especially when I'm not the one paying for it! May 11th I started back to the sand volleyball league I used to play in - it has been 3 years since I played but I actually didn't suck! I love the team I play with though (a bunch of my friends) so that always makes it fun! We did pretty good - we won the first game in 2 sets and then won the first set of the second game only to lose the other 2 sets. This past Saturday I got to see my cousin Jenny who was in from NYC for her baby shower. It was so nice to see her and the others at the shower that I hadn't seen in a long time. Yesterday while Greg had to work (ARRGG!!!) I rode with my parents, sister & her kids up to Tulsa for another cousin's daughter's baptism. My cousin Jenny was the Godmother so that is the primary reason she was in town. ANYWAY - we went to Georgia's baptism and then back to Liz & Gavin's house for a brunch. Thank goodness our two weeks of rainy, crappy weather ended and we had a gorgeous, sunny day to celebrate! We had the patio doors open and just roamed from indoor to outdoor enjoying the weather.

Tonight I am looking forward to playing some volleyball in the sunshine - we always seem to get so few sunny days that aren't scorching! Tomorrow I have my last golf lesson and will finally have a sunny day for that too! Friday I am going with one of my oldest & best friends to a stage production of Steel Magnolia's - I am looking forward to a girls night out with her - we are both so busy I hardly ever see her! And then this weekend is, of course, Memorial Day. No spectacular plans for us - maybe some golfing for me with my parents on Saturday morning. Besides all of this stuff going on our work schedules have bother been kinda crazy - I'm losing a coworker in a week (she's going to work for her BIL - we didn't have any lay-offs) and Greg's work has been CRAZY busy! As always, we are hoping things calm down a bit - but my theory is they won't until we die so we might as well live it up ;-) We leave for vacation in 19 days so we are ALL excited about that! Someday maybe I'll have time to post some pictures.....until then I hope you all are doing well and enjoying some nice weather!

a quick little note...

Happy Easter everyone! I hope that you all had as nice a day as I did, surrounded by the ones you love!

Pita Pit!

So last night we went to Friends & Family night at The Pita Pit in Edmond to celebrate their opening. This is my friend Jen in the picture with me last night - the girl has been around forever and been with me through it all - I'm lucky (and surprised) she's kept me around! Her sister's boyfriend is the owner so we got to get the sneak peek. I was really impressed with the location, the store itself and the food - it was delicious! I highly recommend anyone that likes a good sandwich go eat at the Pita Pit. It's on 5th St. between Boulevard & Broadway in Edmond. GO EAT AT PITA PIT!! Sales pitch is now over :-)

Tonight we have our monthly dinner with the Taylors, Blake & Stephanie - we are trying out a new Mexican joint by the lake. And then tomorrow night is my monthly bunco night - I have really lucked out and only had to cook dinner two nights this week!! Next week Greg wants to start "dieting" with me. It's technically a diet, yes, but more importantly it's a lifestyle change so it will be something that we will stick with. I have been doing it (WW) since this past November and have lost over 20 pounds so far. I was going to stop there, but I decided why stop if I'm not pregnant - so I'm going to keep it up until that happens! We are starting our daily/every other day workout on Monday too. This next week is going to be a big week for us (more for Greg, but for me because I'll finally have someone doing this with me!) I've also decided to start playing in a sand volleyball league with some friends. I used to play but I quit the year I got married - I hurt my back right before the season started and then I only had a few months before the wedding and I didn't want to get hurt anymore than I already was so I stopped and just never got back into it. But, no sense in sitting around waiting to get pregnant - I'm going to do all I can while we are "waiting" for this to happen. So I'm looking forward to the next month of getting in better shape with my hubby at my side and getting back into outdoor sports. Today I am just looking forward to the beautiful spring weather coming back - a winter mix in late March, really??

college hondos

So two weekends ago I had my girls weekend in Stillwater Oklahoma. Not the glamorous destination most people would think of for a girls weekend, but a perfect spot to catch up with college friends without spending an arm & a leg for flights and hotels and such. My 'little' (little sis in the KD house) flew in from DC on Thursday night - she was SO excited to be home! We hung out all night and chatted and enjoyed some Mazzio's (her request for dinner) before turning in. The next morning we got up early and drove to Moore (her hometown - about 30 minutes SE of us) to surprise her best friend from HS who just had a baby a few weeks earlier. It was a really neat surprise - her friend had no clue, but her husband was in on the surprise so we were really able to pull it off. After visiting with their family for a whole we drove back to OKC to meet up with the other Baltimore girls that were just arriving for lunch at Ted's. Ted's is an awesome Mexican joint for those that don't know and it is a must for these girls when they come home because as they put it "the east coast doesn't do Mexican food right!" After lunch we hopped back in the car and headed to Edmond to visit my little's SIL who was in town from DC and at her parent's house recovering from back surgery. We visited there for a bit, got to see their BEAUTIFUL little girl, and then hopped back in the car yet again to head to Stillwater.

Driving into town was very strange for me. I had not been back to Stillwater since December of 2002 when I graduated. Everything is SO different! There is a nice new WalMart that they built on the highway as you come into town where there used to be nothing. Neighborhoods are gone and in their place are hotels, restaurants and new parts of campus. Things have been built up everywhere! After stopping by HES to see one of my little's former professor's we all went to the KD house to check it out. Some of the girls laughed as we asked questions about how things had changed - the fact that we were shocked that the house was all wireless and everyone had laptops now was particularly funny to them! We would've stayed a bit longer and chatted with our housemom, but she left shortly after we did and is a housemom in some other state for the Theta's of something. Mom Judy was the greatest!

We went to the hotel, got settled and met up with the KC girls before heading to dinner. Pizza at the Hideaway and then drinks at Murphy's and Dirty's Tavern. Our usual spot, The Wormy Dog, is no longer there - but the manager from our day (and a friend of all of ours) is now part owner of Dirty's so we got VIP treatment. I hung out for a bit, but only really have one beer on these meds. Bars aren't my thing really, and this weekend just confirmed that. After getting a horrible headache (courtesy again of my meds and unbeknownst to me an oncoming sinus infection) I headed back to the hotel to turn in.

The next day we went for lunch at Joe's (Eskimo Joe's for those that know it by it's proper name) before heading to the OSU/Baylor basketball game. I have been craving Joe's pasta salad for years now and I finally got to enjoy it! At the game we befriended a five year old boy who was sitting two rows in front of us (we had pretty bad seats, but it didn't matter) and spent about half the game talking to him or his dad. After OSU's victory we headed back to Joe's for a drink or two and then to the hotel to veg out. We decided to lay low that night because the Baltimore/DC girls had to fly out of OKC at 8:15 the next morning, so we had to hit the road by 6 to get them there. We got together one last time for dinner at El Vaquerro, a usual spot for some of us in college for some good Mexican. After dinner a few of us ran over to catch up with an old friend from the pledge class above us (an old roommate of mine) who lived in town and is a few weeks away from having her first baby. It was great to see her, she's been going through some rough stuff lately but is looking fabulous and doing well. The we gathered in one of our hotel rooms for a bit longer to chat some more before we all headed our separate ways.

All in all I had a great time getting to catch up with everyone in person instead of by email for once. I totally vote for more of a spa weekend next time or somewhere that has other things to do than bar hop. It was still nice to see everyone though and to see how much everything is changed there, but Stillwater is just not for me anymore. I have some pictures, but still need to get some from the other girls. Once I get them I will stick a link at the end of this post!

same 'ole thing

I haven't posted in a while because there just hasn't been that much going on. Greg has been working extra lately and I have been lucky to make a full 40 hour work week - things are a bit slow for us right now. We (and by that I mean "I" because Greg was working) had the pleasure of helping the Taylor's celebrate Molly's 1st birthday and then the next day I celebrated my niece Kayden's 6th birthday with her & my sis. It was a weekend of birthdays! In the midst of all of that we had some visiting to Greg's stepdad in the hospital. He had a kidney stone (rather large) that had gotten lodged and had to be surgically removed that same weekend so we spent the evening after Molly's party visiting with him and my MIL.

My "little sis" is flying in on Thursday to stay with us for the night and the two of us are heading up to Stillwater for a girls weekend on Friday with a group of ladies from my pledge class. I haven't been back to Stillwater since I graduated so it'll be a bit strange, but it will be really nice to see everyone. We have girls coming in from the Dallas/FW area, the Kansas City area, the Baltimore/DC area and then 2 of us from the OKC area. I think the last time I saw a decent-sized group of us together was at Brooke & Adam's wedding (which was 2 months after mine) so it'll be great to catch up. I'm sure I will have something to post about after this weekend and maybe even a few pictures. Hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day!

just a little praise

I just wanted to take a minute and praise God for bringing Greg into my life. He is the most incredible husband - fun to be around, really rather funny (apparently there is a side of him that has only been seen by yours truly!), he has one of the biggest hearts of anyone I know, family oriented, has a good work ethic, knows how to be lazy if the need arises, knows how to make me smile when I need it and how to make me think about anything but what is troubling me at any given time after talking me through it. He has truly been my rock in quite a few instances and I'm not sure how I would've made it through those times without him by my side. I am not worried about anything that the future might hold because I know in my heart he will be there to make the journey with me.

The other day I had a really low moment (lots of moments rather) and he turned my day around by merely being there and sitting next to me. We are taking a path that we expected to take, but that is still hard to handle sometimes. He has been really beyond incredible in "handling" me and my emotions so far! I have never felt so blessed in my life as I have since he walked into it! Anyway, enough gushing on him, I just wanted to take a minute to "shout it from the rooftops".....thanks for asking me to be your wife, it's the best decision I've ever made!

a few more hours

UPDATE: Kate lost her battle to cancer about an hour ago and has joined her brother in heaven. Thank you for your love & prayers for this family. God has gained an incredible angel today.

Well Saturday Julie updated Kate's CarePage to tell us that Kate's left lung doesn't work anymore, leaving breathing up to her right lung, which is plagued with tumors. She has told her mom that she is ready to go, and has been comforted by Julie's thoughts of her daughter finally being reunited with Ryan (Kate's brother) in heaven, which made her smile. At Kate's request, she has been put in a drug-induced coma that will put her out of pain until she goes and allow her to rest and be able to breathe. It will be soon, probably today. She told her mom, dad, step-dad and brother that she was ready to go, so they called the doctor to get things started. She can't sleep anymore because her breathing is so bad that just as she falls asleep the breathing trouble wakes her up. She is very, very tired because of this. She said her goodbyes to each of her parents and her brother, and the process got started. I just can't imagine.....God, please bring them peace and comfort.

keep the prayers coming

Kate at the start of her fight, summer 2007

So now that I've gone to the happy side of today I will go to the not-so-happy side. Please keep the prayers coming for our niece Kate. Pray not that she will recover, because she won't, but instead that she and her family have some peace at the end. Pray that she won't be in pain anymore. We got the latest update this weekend, it wasn't pretty. This will probably be the last update on Kate that we get....

Posted on CarePages 2 days ago:
"Hello dear praying friends, I really don't have my thoughts together like I would like to but Kate is sleeping sound and I will say a little more than I have. Kate's oncologist, made a home visit this week. He has been a fantastic doctor to her. They love to smart off to one another and Kate always has the last remark. He stayed and talked with her for about an hour, which was the most she has done in at least a week. He then spent time with us. He confirmed she does have fluid in her lungs, and does not think she will be here with us till the end of the month. I really expected him to say not even one more week, which may well be the case. She drifts in and out of sleep, and from time to time feels panicky because she can't breath right. She has been so sweet, and is putting things in order for those she wants to leave something with, like photos in frames and her car tag signed to Shane. There is no resistance to life, she just wants to sleep. I know she has given something to all of us, without handing anything to anyone. In our heart talks I have assured her of this,and she will never be forgotten. She is worried about me, but I told her to remember how God gave peace after Ryan went home to be with the Lord. There is no time for depression and withdrawing from living. There is great pain of separation, but I can truly smile at the thought that my children had a happy life, though short, and are already in the presence of the one who created them in the first place. I will use these experiences in life for the Lord in some way as He shows me how. One of the songs that goes through my mind often because of the lyrics is I Surrender All. "All", includes my children. I can't close without saying Thank You for everything that is done for us! I will keep you posted. With deepest love, Julie"

Greg and I were talking last night and we are just in awe at the faith that this family has. We think of ourselves as strong believers in Christ, but neither of us think our faith would be this strong in a situation such as this. We should all strive to have such faith in any situation. We think of you always Sullaway/Langford family, I just wish the next time we see you wouldn't be for such a sad reason.

last photo of Kate before paralysis, Winter 2008/2009

counting backwards...

Greg is usually still in bed when I leave for work in the mornings. Occasionally I will try to start a conversation with him, which isn’t very nice because he is usually still half asleep and can say some pretty strange things. I find it funny though - most of the time, mind you, I am really trying to ask him something important before I leave and sometimes I will get a good answer and sometimes I can tell he’s talking to me as if I am in his dream. Sometimes I will TRY to get something funny though, just because his comments are usually so random and sometimes make no sense whatsoever. So this morning I lean in to wish him a happy 31st on my way out the door and he replies with “I’m 29”......so I try to see if he’s awake or asleep still by saying “oh, what....you spend one year at 30 and then you work your way back down huh?” and without missing a beat he just lays there (eyes still closed and the way he mumbles I honestly can’t tell if he’s awake or not) and says “well yeah, I’m counting backwards now”.....

Okay hun.....good luck with that! Hope you have a happy birthday babe - I love you!!