Birthday, Financial Peace, Cydney Update

Today is my niece, Baylee's, 14th birthday.  We went to her house this afternoon to have cake and ice cream.  She and Claire are only 13 months apart, so they are close in age (the twins and Baylee's youngest sister is only 5 days apart).  It was great seeing my family.  Even though we only live about 5 minutes away from each other, we do not see each other nearly enough.  So, Happy Birthday Bay!  We love you!

Heath and I attended the Financial Freedom Conference at our church.  It was wonderful and was able to help us get a focus for our money.  We have to sit down and set our goals.  I'll update you on that when we have time to sit down and go over everything.  I am the one that pays the bills and spends the money.  He just brings the money home to me.  Now that I think about that....it's a scary thought.  That will be changing very soon.

Cydney is feeling better.  Thank you God for keeping your hand on her and allowing her to get better here at home.  She also had another tooth break through the skin today.  The one on the bottom front.  I can't wait until they are in and you can see them when she smiles.  I think she will have beautiful teeth.  Time for a toothbrush!  Also, Cydney has learned to clap her hands and use sign language for more, night night and momma.  If you don't know already, the doctor says that her airway above her trach is so swollen that the vocal cords are not able to vibrate because they are just one big lump of tissue. Therefore, she can not make any sounds with her mouth.  Even though there is a device called a PassiMuir Valve, she can't use it because of the airway being shut.  This makes us very sad, but we have to accept that fact and find another way to communicate-sign language.  She has also learned to get our attention by blowing really hard through her trach to make it sound like she is sneezing.  Once you give her attention, she stops....but don't look away or she starts again.

A new business opened up in Helena and I can't wait to visit.  Since I was at the conference today, I missed the grand opening.  I will definately go there next week.  Well, it is off to bed for this lady and I pray you all have a wonderful night.  Once again, I am unable to load pictures, so I will have to catch up later.

Birthday, Sick Hubby and Synagis

Happy Friday friends-  Today is my brother Jason's birthday.  Most people call him "Bear" and don't even truly know his real name.  He is 20 months younger than me so we grew up really close.  We had a lot of the same friends (ok-I lie.  He was popular and I just hung out with him so I could have friends too).  Happy Birthday Bear!



Heath was sick today so he has been in bed. Chicken Noodle soup for him!  We started the day with me taking Claire to drama practice.  The drama queen is getting ready for her big performance in February, so it's practice, practice, practice.  Then I had to hurry back home to meet with the home health nurse.  She came by to see Cydney and give her the monthly Synagis vaccination (which is actually two injections because they can't put that much in one muscle).  Synagis (prevents RSV) is very expensive ($4320 per dose-total of 8 doses).  We are so thankful that insurance saw the need for her to get them again this year and pay for them.  Our sweet chocolate princess is up to 15lbs1oz.  That is amazing.  She has had some increased oxygen requirements over the past couple of days and so we have increased her breathing treatments and added another antibiotic and steriod.  That should knock it out-or off to Children's we have to go. 

For some reason I can't get pictures to load, so no picture today.  Sorry!

Not so great Cydney

Happy Thursday to you all.  Today has been a "not so great day" for Cydney.  Over the last few days she has been sleeping more than usual and more tired.  She has also had increased secretions and just not being her perky little self.  Today I think was the final day to just sit back and give an extra breathing treament here and there.  We had to bring out the big guns and bring on the steroids and antibiotics.  So, she had hours of breathing treatments.  Thankfully she doesn't seem to care since she doesn't have to hold anything or sit a certain way.  It attaches to her set up just like she were going to bed or playing in her room.  Please pray that my sweet little chocolate princess feels better soon and we don't have to make a dreaded trip to Childrens.  We have been the longest stretch in her life without having to make an ER trip.  I am super excited and hope that the trend can continue. 



In other news today-I got back to work on the council items today.  We have gotten a lot of comments on the Helena-Alabama facebook page.  We are getting ready for a council meeting Monday-Do I know it is a major football game day?  Of course-that's why we moved the council meeting to 5pm instead of 6.  Yep....football dominates everything in the south it seems. 

I did talk to the nurse about Macie's cultures and biopsies from her surgery on Dec 18. She said that the cultures came back as bacteria and infection but nothing serious that an antibiotic shouldn't clear up.  That is great news because I was scared to death when Dr. Wiatrak said he had cultured and then later said he felt the need to biopsy the polyps found in Macie's left ear.  Now we just have to tackle the hearing loss issue.  It's late, so until tomorrow, please pray that Cydney has a good night (not looking promising since her oxygen requirements are up) and that tomorrow holds a well baby girl.  Thank you!

Life is Grand

Today I continued on my plan.  Children are moving rooms and things are turned upside down here at the Bartlett household.  Macie and Conner have been sharing a room (they flip-flop from time to time-seperate rooms, share room, seperate rooms, share...you get the idea) and have decided that they are ready for their own rooms again.  So, since Cydney was in Macie's room, Cydney started the move first.  She is going to the old classroom in the back (which I think will be better for her since all of her equipment needs room to breathe and we need a big space to store all of her supplies).  She had also been in a portable bed, so she moved to the full-size crib.  The portable crib will come to our room to hold our sweet little foster babies.  Then, Macie desperately needed a new bed because she other one we had repaired and pieced together too much already.  I found a beautiful daybed at Sam's today and thankfully Heath said ok.  We had just finished moving our den back to it's original place since Heath's mom passed away (her bedroom was our former den).  As you can imagine, with Christmas and everything else going on, you couldn't figure out what belongs in which room.  Most of you know that I have a hard time staying on task, so I have been very faithful in this task so that I can get things back to normal.

Tonight was First Wednesday at church.  We didn't attend at our campus, but we did watch online.  I love our Riverchase campus, but I also love watching it online because we usually all sit in the den and watch it together.  Tonight, everyone was listening, but not sitting in the den.  Some would filter in and out while they were still doing whatever it was they were doing.  I had gotten up to get Cydney a toy and came back to this:

My sweet girl was worshipping like she was there.  It didn't matter that she was in the den and it didn't matter that she was worshipping alone.  Her eyes were closed and she was singing like crazy.  The one thing that came to my mind is that I pray all of my children feel confident enough in their walk with God to be able to worship him under any circumstances.  I broke down in tears and thanked my parents to bringing me up in church and thanking my church that they have invested time in my child to teach her that you can worship anywhere.  I leave you with this thought: Are you praising God everywhere?  If not, what's holding you back?  Is it the people you are hanging around with?  The people around your desk at work?  Make a way-and Praise Him!

First Day of New Year

Happy New Year!  Today is the first day of 2013 and I am so honored that you had decided to join our journey.  Most of you are probably viewing the blog because of the card and update pages you received in the mail.  If so, read away.  If you have found me because of some other means, read away as well. 

We rang in the new year as a family and didn't go anywhere.  We celebrated on Eastern time so that I could get into bed.  We had cute party hats and even had Sparkling Grape Juice.  The twins thought it was nasty and decided they don't ever want wine again (yeah).  Heath shot fireworks well before midnight and that was truly the highlight of the night.  Macie said, "This is the best day ever." 

Heath had to work today, so it was just me and the kiddos.  The weather was cold and rainy so we didn't get out.  Cydney sounds a little tight in her chest, so I am doubling up on breathing treatments to try to clear it up.

New Years Resolutions?  Nah, because I can't ever keep them.  But, I do have some things that I want to achieve.  I want to:
Be a better wife than I was in 2012.
Be a better mom than I was in 2012.
Remind myself that I am on council to serve the citizens of Helena.
Spend more time with my grandmother.  She loves my family and always calls to check on us.  I know that most people do not have their grandparents to spend time with, so I want to make the best of the the time we have.
Send more snail mail so that people know that I am praying for and thinking about them.

Well, from my family to yours, I hope you have a blessed year in 2013.