Kimberly's Daily Grace: Insanity in September

This week was insane. Monday the fair was in town (which I insist we go to every year no matter how busy we are in memory of my grandfather who died a few weeks before Sarah-Grace was born, loved his grandchildren like no one else and would always drag us to the fair every year), Wednesday Tad had his 1st launch, Thursday I had school lunch (corn chowder with hot ham & cheese sandwiches), also on Thursday there was a benefit for adoption I promised to go to and a Brad Paisely concert (which I missed in order to stay home and make sure Charlotte got lots of rest for yesterday), yesterday was Charlotte's 1st CT scan, a school Hoedown that I was helping coordinate and Tad hosted a hayride for and then when all that was over Tad left around 11pm for Tuscaloosa for the weekend. The only night we had free was Tuesday and it feels long ago.

Charlotte did very good yesterday. She had to have her 1st AFP blood test and an abdominal CT scan with dye contrast (something she hasn't had before) and she had to be sedated. She did well. She didn't cry for her IV - so far 4 sticks and no tears for any of them!! She couldn't eat or drink anything all day and she didn't complain ONCE. We are so blessed. Every time we are at Scottish Rite the nurses just gush over what an amazing patient she is - Tad and I truly believe God is with us and especially her on these days. A sense of calm comes over her that no one can explain. And trust me, anyone who has a 2 year old who has to sit in a hospital for 6 hours with no food, no drink and people coming in every few minutes to poke and prod your child would know it's a miracle that she doesn't cry or complain ONCE all day. It took her a little longer this time to come out of the sedation and her heart rate spiked a few times while she was waking up, but other than that she did wonderful. We should have the results sometime next week but we are expecting everything to be normal. These are just baseline tests to give the ultrasound techs a good reference for her regular screenings. Since we did all this yesterday her next round of AFP bloodwork and abdominal ultrasounds will be in December.

Below are some pictures from the Hoedown yesterday. It was a fundraiser/social event that the PTO board I am on this year hosted in response to requests for more "social type fundraisers hosted at the school". We sold Whitt's (or whatever it's now called) BBQ, had a petting zoo (with the farm animals the school has running around), hayrides, a chili cook off and a bake off (that was won by an upper elementary girl who is constantly by my side every week during school lunch preparations so I was super proud of her). I think it was a great success!!

Sarah Grace, Lexy and the new baby goat "Gretta".