Finally

I got my test results back on Friday. The blood tests all came back fine. The MRI showed that I have a bulging disc in my neck. My doctor believes this is the source of all the headaches. It really explains a lot....why muscle relaxers, heating pads, massages didn't help...and why I can't lay on my back b/c the back of my head and neck are too tender. I have to follow up with a neurosurgeon in 2 weeks to confirm this diagnosis. If it is confirmed, my doctor thinks it will be fairly easy to treat with traction and physical therapy.

I really felt like the MRI was completely unnecessary but I followed through with it just so I could check it off the list and then get on with finding the problem. I can't explain what a relief it is to hopefully have an answer. When I walked out of the office on Friday, it felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

Grizzlies Game

We went to the Grizzlies game on Saturday night with Kristi & Trevor. Trever knows Chris Paul and was able to get us tickets. Our seats were great. I've never been to an NBA game, and even though I'm not a huge basketball fan, it was so much fun. I loved it. The game also went into OT so we got to see even more. The Fed Ex Forum is really nice...I'd never been there for anything either. Very fun night.

The only thing that could have made the night better is if the half time show wasn't a bunch of ladies doing jazzersize.

Let It Snow

All Played Out

When I pick Miles up at daycare around 5:30pm each day he's usually laughing and playing. He is always wide awake. Some time during the 5 minute ride home he falls into a deep sleep.

This is always the site I see when I arrive home and open the back door to get him out.

Yesterday we decided to let him sleep in his car seat b/c he was tired, and selfishly we had a lot of stuff to do. Finally at 8:15pm we decided to wake him up. He played for a while, ate and went back to sleep until we woke him up at 6:30am. He gets the ability to fall asleep in less than 5 minutes from his daddy......along with his snoring.

So Classic

This morning was a classic morning with a 5 month old. As I was changing his diaper he pooped. While I was cleaning that up, he peed all over the wall. Again, I cleaned everything up and got him dressed. We walked straight to the car seat to get him buckled in.....and he spit up on both of us.

Ava & Miles

I have a feeling these two are going to be buddies.

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Darrin & Miles finally got to feeling better on Wednesday.....and then I had another episode with my headaches starting that night. I went to work on Thursday, but only made it until 11. I left in tears b/c my head hurt so badly. I went to the doctor that afternoon, which makes my 3rd visit to this doctor. He drew blood to test for a few things and then scheduled an MRI for next week. He also gave me a shot of Demerol. The Demerol made me sick before I even left the office, but did take the pain away temporarily. I was in bed all day Friday. I felt better when I woke up on Saturday and haven't had a headache all weekend until about an hour ago :(

Everyone keeps saying it's got to be stress, but I really don't think it is. There are too many other symptoms that I don't think I would have if it was just stress.....nausea, stiff neck, joint pain, and ridiculous fatigue.... I'm hopeful that the blood test will show something....maybe a vitamin deficiency or a chemical imbalance. You know, something easily treatable! Even though I really want an answer, I don't want the MRI to show anything.

I'm glad it's a new week which may lead to some answers but I am so nervous about work. I hate missing work. And, I'm anxious that I will get a headache or feel too fatigued to be productive. I am really busy right now and need to be able to get several things accomplished. The doctor always makes me feel comforted in that he is concerned and will do everything he can to figure this out. I pray he's right.

On another note...some friends of ours have an eight year old son that was diagnosed with Burkitt's Lymphoma. Please pray for Garritt as he begins chemo this week.

Still Sick

Well, one more day was not enough to get them better. I'm home from work today. Miles and Darrin both had doctor's visits yesterday. Miles has an ear infection. The doctor also tested him for RSV, but it was negative. He said his lungs actually sounded ok, just a little rattling. He started taking Amoxicillin yesterday and seems to already feel better today.

Darrin is still sick. He has the worst stomach virus I have ever seen. The doctor gave him Phenegran and told him to drink Sprite.....there's just not much you can do for a stomach virus. Without the details, this is seriously the WORST ever. He hasn't slept in 3 nights (even with Phenegran) and is achy from the fever. Really hope he gets better soon. It's been 4 days since he held Miles and he is really missing him.

Sick Baby

Miles has been congested since Thursday. He ran a low fever on Friday night, and just hasn't been himself lately. He got worse yesterday.....and then Darrin started running a fever. Last night they both went to bed at 9pm with fevers. Darrin's was around 101, and Miles' was 102.3, which is the highest he's ever had. Our pediatrician said to go straight to the ER if his fever gets to 102 at this age. I actually got dressed and was prepared to take him, but it dropped a little to 101ish. He got up around 10:30pm and was crying. Per Darrin's cousin, who is a labor & delivery nurse and has 2 kids of her own, I put him in a lukewarm bath and kept him there until the water cooled off. It was kind of pitiful b/c he didn't not like it and I could tell he was cold. But, I knew if his fever would break that he would feel better. Worked like a charm. He went right to sleep after the bath and sleep until 5am. That's kind of early for him, but he slept a lot yesterday. He also threw up his entire night time bottle, so he was hungry. I fed him 8 oz and he went back to sleep until 7:15am.

He's resting in his room now, which is like a Vicks Vapor chamber. The humidifier is going, he has Baby Vicks on his chest and there is a Vicks plug-in in the wall. That regiment seems to have really helped his congestion.

Darrin is a little better today. He doesn't have a fever but he is still very achy.

I'm off tomorrow for MLK Day. I'm glad I have one more day to get both of them better.

Take Another Look

People are always saying how much Miles looks like Darrin. Lately I've been looking at Miles thinking he looks like my brother, Chris. And, Chris and I look a lot alike.

I wondered if Miles may actually look like me. He did when he was first born, but we thought he had outgrown it. This made me dig out the baby pictures.

My baby picture...

Miles now....

While there may be some question when comparing baby pictures, I have no doubt that Miles will grow up, shave his head, and look like a McClure....it's inevitable. Darrin's dad is the youngest of 12 children, so Darrin has around 100 cousins. You can spot a McClure man from a mile away. And, the older they get, the more they look alike.

Darrin and his brother, Aaron...

Darrin & his dad...

This post makes it seem like I care, and I promise you I don't. I think my husband is hot, so I'd be happy for Miles to look like Darrin :)

January 5, 2009

A year ago yesterday, I woke up at 5am and went to the gym. I decided that I was going to start working out before work as part of my New Years resolutions. It was a Monday morning....that's when all diet/work out plans start....on Mondays, right? Anyway, I woke up and went to the gym. I worked out for about 30 minutes and decided I wasn't into it. Everything I tried to do seemed hard....I was tired.

Back up a year and a half.....July 2007. Darrin and I were driving home from my cousin's wedding in Bowling Green, KY and I asked Darrin if I needed to get my prescription for birth control refilled. I had been ready to have kids for a while but Darrin wasn't there yet. Every month I would tell him it was time for me to refill my prescription and then ask "Do I have to?" He would always say yes. I would usually follow that up with a quick, not too pressuring, comment about how we weren't getting any younger, and then move on. But, on this night he said no. I couldn't believe it!!! We were actually going to have a baby. The rest of the ride home we talked about baby names and random other baby topics. I was ecstatic, and I think Darrin was secretly pretty excited too.

When you decide to start trying to have a baby, I'm not sure anyone anticipates problems. You always just think it will happen. Over the next year and half I took tons of negative pregnancy tests. Any time I felt the slightest bit tired, or was one day late, I took a test. I know a year and a half isn't that long, and doesn't even signify problems, but when you decide to have a baby, even a couple months seems like forever.

In December of 2008, I finally decided to go to the doctor to see what the next steps were. I went for my visit and she explained some tests and even some fertility procedures that we could look into. I made a follow up visit for early January. At this point, I had given up on getting pregnant without help. Even though I was frustrated, I was encouraged that we had a new plan. I decided not to think about it at all until I went back for the next visit in January.

Now, back to Monday, January 5, 2009....I was leaving the gym and decided to go to Walmart to get a pregnancy test. I was 5 days late but had not taken a test b/c I did not want to see one more negative test. I walked into Walmart around 5:45am and bought the cheapest pregnancy test they had. Drove home to take the test. Darrin was still in bed and the house was quiet. I never told him what I was doing b/c I didn't want to get his hopes up at all.

So I took the test and waited. After only a few seconds it showed positive. What? Positive? Really? Surely not. Looked at it again. Got the box out of the trash to examine what a positive should look like verses a negative. I think it's really positive. OMG!!! So I ran to our bedroom and jumped on top of Darrin. Guess what? I'm pregnant! We were so thrilled. It was amazing. Just like everyone says...when you give up, it happens.

I had to get ready for work and then go and act like it was just a normal day even though nothing was normal. Then, I got nervous. What if I read the test wrong? Off Darrin went to Walmart with instructions to buy a digital test. I didn't want there to be any question.

That day lead to one of the happiest days of our lives...

Sleepy Boy

I'm tired after a 3 day weekend too.

Toys, Toys, Toys

Now that Miles can control his head, he's enjoying some of his toys. Some of them are from baby showers and some are from Christmas. As soon as he learns to sit up, he'll have even more to play with.

Not quite big enough for the walker!

This is the cutest LeapFrog toy. His name is Scout. Darrin programmed Miles' name, favorite color - blue (UK of course), favorite food - sweet potatoes, and favorite animal - a dog. Scout talks to Miles about his favorite things and sings songs. When you turn him on he says "Hi Miles. Do you want to play?" It also sings bedtime songs. Before it starts to play them, he says "Snuggle up Miles". It is the cutest thing.