Hmmmm?????

It has been one month since Emma was sick and in the hospital last....and, guess what! Yes, you guessed it....she is sick again! I should be thankful because this is truly the longest we have gone in 6 months without being on antibiotics (it is usually every 2 wks), and I am thankful that we are not in the hospital....yet! However, I find myself feeling so sad for Emma. How fun is it to be sick SO much? I look at her today and she just looks miserable. She has a 103 degree fever (on Motrin), she's coughing, runny nose, and she just wants to sleep, sleep, sleep...but not drink or eat. I realize that children get sick...but, wow! This is a lot! I got spoiled last winter. She stayed healthy all winter...until March. It seems as if she has been sick ever since March.

Then, I stop and I AM thankful because Mr. Liver is HAPPY!! So, that is good. We take the good, we take the bad, we take them both, and there you have the facts of life:) (can you tell that I am sleep deprived also???)) UGH! Anyway, if Mr. Liver is happy then Denver is happy, so they will NOT want to see us in person....THAT is a great thing!!

I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Ours was GREAT! Emma did not really start to get sick until yesterday. So, yesterday I took her to our Urgent Care, and they put her on Zithromax. She has had 2 doses today...and she is WORSE!!! Does that make any sense?? NO!!

Well, enough of my gripe session for one day! Thanks for "listening" I feel so much better! Now, I'll just pray that Em feels better soon too!!

Oh, by the way, I changed my options on my Blog so that EVERYONE can post comments now...so, post away...I would LOVE To hear from you!!

I'm Thankful For

The list of things to be thankful for is vast. I cannot begin to tell you ALL that there is to be thankful for in my life. However, I would like to make an attempt at a few of the very important things that there are to be thankful for. So, here are my top 5. I would love to have you tell me in the comments section about the things that you are most thankful for.



1) I am thankful for Emma's donor and the donor family. To make the decision to donate your child's organs in your most intense moment of grief would be very difficult. Not a day goes by that I don't think of them. They are the reason that our girl is here to spend this Thanksgiving day with us.



2) My family. My husband, who has been my rock through all of the chaos in our lives. My sister who helps to soften my moods when I get angry. Of course I am very thankful for Miss Emma...but I will get to that. I am also very thankful for the rest of our families...and our extended family (our very close friends)....you have been there for us through everything!!



3) My job. The children in my class and most of their parents are SO wonderful! They are just amazing!



4) For Caringbridge and the ability to "connect" with other families going through times that are not "typical" in parenthood.



5) Last but not least....my beautiful and amazing Emma. I would not be who I am today without you Baby Girl. You are the light that brightens my every day. Your laugh makes my heart melt, and your love for everyone and everything is contagious. Don't ever change a thing about you Baby Girl. You will go so far in life because you are who you are. I love you SO much!!

A "few" Pictures

Well, this weekend I was feeling as if my camera needed a little workout. It was feeling a bit neglected, so I took a "few" pictures of Miss Emma. We did have a "very Foley" weekend...as my friend Becky would put it. You see, in our household we have very few relaxing weekends...especially lately. We are in the process of completely re-doing our basement. And, it is looking mighty fine I might add. However, attempting to do this with a 2 year old proves to be a challenging, yet humerous experience (I wish I would have had my camera as she was bringing every tool to her dad and saying "Dad!!!" like, "listen here buddy, I know you need this"!



Anyway, on to pictures of Miss Em. She loves having anything on her head these days as you will see...hats, Shrek ears, princess crowns. She is also a big fan of "helping" to do the laundry and the dishes. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving. OH, and PLEASE sign in and let me know that you were here. I know that many check this site....but where are the messages??? Thanks!

Kindergarten perspective on Thanksgiving

I asked my kindergarteners a few questions about Thanksgiving today, and found it to be so interesting to see the perspective of a 5 year old. They are so innocent and wonderful. It is amazing that they have only experienced Thanksgiving 4 times! Now, we had talked about the pilgrims and indians in class, so they did have some background knowledge. I am going to just post a few of my favorites.

Who were the pilgrims??

*They were people who made a feast and they called it a first Thanksgiving.
*The people who died...and their horses died too.
*They are the people who always make fruit.
*They came over on a boat called the "Flower May".
*They growed lots and lots of food.


Who were the indians??

*They were the people who lived in America, but they live where it's very very hot.
*They taught the pilgrims to plant stuff.
*They were the bad guys.
*They wear make-up and they live in tents.


Why do we celebrate Thanksgiving today?? (this was my favorite!!)
*It is SO close to Christmas
*Because it is a special day...we eat a lot.
*It's almost Easter...it comes right after Christmas.
*The pilgrims are very hungry.
*It is a really special day. We eat turkey and corn because Christmas is almost coming.


OK, so the tie between Christmas and Thanksgiving....not sure where that came from?? Isn't it interesting though to peak into the thought process of a 5 year old?? However, do any of us really THINK about WHY we celebrate Thanksgiving?? It IS a difficult thing to put into words...especially for little ones. They give me a new perspective every single day, and today I thought I would share with all of you!

What a difference

While watching my sweet little girl this evening, I found myself reflecting on the events of her life. She is such a miracle! I am reminded every day of the beauty within her, and how fortunate we are that she is here to spend one more day! Her laugh, smile, the way she runs away from me when I'm trying to get her...I wouldn't change it for a minute. Now, there is the occassional moment like dinner tonight when I want to scream (she thought it was funny to chew a few bites, take it out of her mouth, and throw it at Mom) UGH!! but, I would not change a thing about her. I just had to share 2 pictures today. The first one was 5 days after she was listed for a new liver in 2003! She was SO sick, and had no energy! The second picture was taken recently! What a difference! Life is the most precious gift we can be given, and she was given SO much life with her new liver! Thank you donor family for making that choice in your most difficult time!

Happy Halloween

Pictures of my " cute little pup! " Isn't she sweet?