The next two weeks are going to fly by. This week is going to be spent preparing for next week. Before the 8th, my house needs to be spotless, all the meals for the next week need to be planned out and prepared for as much as possible, I have to buy the kids' their Christmas outfits, and I need a dress for 3 parties/events. I also have to finish lining up babysitters for the next week.
And then, the madness begins.
8th: Alex's pre-surgery physical, ear recheck, and flu shot.
9th: Between 3 and 4 we'll be told what time Alex's surgery the next day is going to be held at. Then we have the Life Group's Christmas party. It's being held at Kate's house. We'll put Princess to bed there and leave her there that night.
10th: Kate will take Kairi to whomever's house she will be spending the day with. We're close to knowing who that will be, but nothing definite yet. Alex will have surgery. That night is church, but we'll decide how the family's doing that afternoon before we all head out there.
11th: Ship's Christmas party. Looks like Kate to the rescue again, because she just volunteered to keep them as late as we need her to that night. Semi-formal event held in a ballroom. I need a nice dress.
12th: Church's Christmas party. Formal event. Wearing the same dress as I did at the ship's party. Chris is singing in a quartet. Kate and I are discussing a possible skit.... We'll see. It's a child-free event, so we're trying to arrange childcare to be held at the church so that we can all go. Otherwise, they'll find that most of the young adults can't attend -- we all have kids!
13th: Chris is taking me to dinner and then to a musical. We still need childcare for this night as well.
14th: Chris has duty.
So as you can tell, unless we have things perfectly prepared for that week, life's going to fall apart! Wish us luck in getting ready for the holiday whirlwind!
ETA: As of this morning (the 1st), Chris will be out of town until Friday. Leaves again the following Monday, and comes back that Tuesday. Any one else want to throw some more into this week?
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Alex saw the ENT
Alex has temporary mild to moderate hearing loss caused by the multiple ear infections. There's quite a bit of fluid on his ears. We will have tubes put in his ears on the 10th. After that, he should regain his hearing and make a full recovery! We suspected that he had muffled hearing. He barely responds and just is not speaking. The only time he babbles is when he doesn't have a cold (which is near never). I was shocked to hear the words "hearing loss" but not about what caused it. And I'm thankful that it's not permanent.
He also has moderate reflux. We're treating it w/ prevacid solutabs.
He also has moderate reflux. We're treating it w/ prevacid solutabs.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Friday, November 21, 2008
Alex Update
I had Alex checked out again today because he just wasn't acting much better.
He has a double ei. The worst yet. He received 2 shots today and was prescribed a medicine that's so new on the market that TriCare won't pay for it. Luckily, he had samples for us. He's meeting us at the office tomorrow morning to check him out again.
And we have to see an ENT because Alex needs tubes.
Thankfully, Chris made it home just in time for the appt. And I will spare you the details of most of it, b/c it involved a lot of crying from a baby and Mommy near tears because of Alex's discomfort. Dr. Weiss does his best, but it still hurts and that makes Mommy want to cry.
I'm happy that we're on the road to get him better. But I want to cry at the thought of tubes.
:(
EDIT: Saturday, November 22
Alex's left ear is clear! His right ear is still yucky, but thank God for progress!
He has a double ei. The worst yet. He received 2 shots today and was prescribed a medicine that's so new on the market that TriCare won't pay for it. Luckily, he had samples for us. He's meeting us at the office tomorrow morning to check him out again.
And we have to see an ENT because Alex needs tubes.
Thankfully, Chris made it home just in time for the appt. And I will spare you the details of most of it, b/c it involved a lot of crying from a baby and Mommy near tears because of Alex's discomfort. Dr. Weiss does his best, but it still hurts and that makes Mommy want to cry.
I'm happy that we're on the road to get him better. But I want to cry at the thought of tubes.
:(
EDIT: Saturday, November 22
Alex's left ear is clear! His right ear is still yucky, but thank God for progress!
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Several more serious updates....
I've been avoiding writing these, but I need to get them down before I forget to altogether. I'll include a cute story at the bottom of the post to make up for it. ;)
1) "The Pain"
I saw the doctor on Friday, the 14th. The same day that Chris' ship set out of a week long "cruise" so I was praying for good news that wouldn't take much adjusting to.
I have markers for Epstein-Barr Virus. It's related to mono somehow. When you get mono, you get EBV or something like that. In any case, in rare cases EBV can cause severe joint pain. And after the acute case is over, the pain will come and go but never completely leave. I blamed it all on my brother b/c he's the one that gave me mono when we were younger. ;D
I am taking Celebrex (and had been for 2 weeks before the appointment) to help control the swelling in my joints, and will experiment with other joint pain remedies until I find something that works.
Anyway, it's been wearing me down, and really affecting my mood as well as my energy level. I'm happy in some ways for this diagnosis as it's not something as severe as Lupus or RA as both were on the list of possibilities, but it's also frustrating because there's not much to do with it.
I've begun taking Move Free (thank you Mama!) and will be adding tart cherry extract to the list soon to supplement my medication. Hopefully one day soon I can say that that day was a truly "pain free" day!
2) Alex was diagnosed with what "might be" an ear infection Monday. It was red and obviously irritated, but there was no fluid in the ear yet. The key word being yet. Due to his history, chances were REALLY high that it'd turn into an EI. So we started treatment Monday.
Today he's still unbearably grumpy, dizzy, and pulling at his ears. We're going back to the dr tomorrow. While there we're also going to discuss the terrible rash that the antibiotics gave him. Poor baby fights me over diaper changes now where as he has NEVER done that before.
3) My landlord has raised my rent. It's not worth what she's asking. We're moving. Hey, that was an easy one! ;) Seriously, I'm happy about this for the most part. It means that we'll have a chance to save some money. I think we're looking at base housing so that'll be good too. I am sad about losing our fireplace. But at least we'll not be dying every month!
Ok, the funny story.... Hmmmmmmmmmmmm. Lemme think. Here's one to make you smile.
Kairi has quite an attitude at times. For being only 2 years old, she certainly talks back like a 12 year old. Today it started after lunch. I told her to throw something away. She told me no. I insisted. She SLOWLY complied. And then it came.
"Mommy, say thank you Kairi. You welcome Mommy. See? Not hard."
Yes, that came from my daughter. And, yes, I am smiling because as frustrating as that was at the time, it is now funny. She perfectly mimicked my tone of voice in saying it as well.
The "smartness" continued this evening as I was getting children ready for bed. Right before I began to pray with Alex I told Kairi to go to bed. She made it clear she didn't want to go. I laid Alex down and went in her room to get her ready for bed. There I was told:
"Not yet Mom. YOU go bed. Not me. NO."
She went to bed. "Mom" won.
1) "The Pain"
I saw the doctor on Friday, the 14th. The same day that Chris' ship set out of a week long "cruise" so I was praying for good news that wouldn't take much adjusting to.
I have markers for Epstein-Barr Virus. It's related to mono somehow. When you get mono, you get EBV or something like that. In any case, in rare cases EBV can cause severe joint pain. And after the acute case is over, the pain will come and go but never completely leave. I blamed it all on my brother b/c he's the one that gave me mono when we were younger. ;D
I am taking Celebrex (and had been for 2 weeks before the appointment) to help control the swelling in my joints, and will experiment with other joint pain remedies until I find something that works.
Anyway, it's been wearing me down, and really affecting my mood as well as my energy level. I'm happy in some ways for this diagnosis as it's not something as severe as Lupus or RA as both were on the list of possibilities, but it's also frustrating because there's not much to do with it.
I've begun taking Move Free (thank you Mama!) and will be adding tart cherry extract to the list soon to supplement my medication. Hopefully one day soon I can say that that day was a truly "pain free" day!
2) Alex was diagnosed with what "might be" an ear infection Monday. It was red and obviously irritated, but there was no fluid in the ear yet. The key word being yet. Due to his history, chances were REALLY high that it'd turn into an EI. So we started treatment Monday.
Today he's still unbearably grumpy, dizzy, and pulling at his ears. We're going back to the dr tomorrow. While there we're also going to discuss the terrible rash that the antibiotics gave him. Poor baby fights me over diaper changes now where as he has NEVER done that before.
3) My landlord has raised my rent. It's not worth what she's asking. We're moving. Hey, that was an easy one! ;) Seriously, I'm happy about this for the most part. It means that we'll have a chance to save some money. I think we're looking at base housing so that'll be good too. I am sad about losing our fireplace. But at least we'll not be dying every month!
Ok, the funny story.... Hmmmmmmmmmmmm. Lemme think. Here's one to make you smile.
Kairi has quite an attitude at times. For being only 2 years old, she certainly talks back like a 12 year old. Today it started after lunch. I told her to throw something away. She told me no. I insisted. She SLOWLY complied. And then it came.
"Mommy, say thank you Kairi. You welcome Mommy. See? Not hard."
Yes, that came from my daughter. And, yes, I am smiling because as frustrating as that was at the time, it is now funny. She perfectly mimicked my tone of voice in saying it as well.
The "smartness" continued this evening as I was getting children ready for bed. Right before I began to pray with Alex I told Kairi to go to bed. She made it clear she didn't want to go. I laid Alex down and went in her room to get her ready for bed. There I was told:
"Not yet Mom. YOU go bed. Not me. NO."
She went to bed. "Mom" won.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
You know it's time to Potty Train
When your 2 year old takes off her diaper and presents it to you saying that it's a stinky mess. She's done it twice in a row now.
We've been doing a little bit of potty training up till now, but I think it's time to really hit it hard.
Thank goodness she doesn't know how to take her jeans off yet. I can at least put those on her for now and expect the diaper to stay.
We've been doing a little bit of potty training up till now, but I think it's time to really hit it hard.
Thank goodness she doesn't know how to take her jeans off yet. I can at least put those on her for now and expect the diaper to stay.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Princess Shoes
Yesterday I ran to Target to buy more diapers for Kairi.
While there I decided that I needed to buy the kids the shoes. Alex no longer has any that fit (other than one pair of sandals) and Kairi needed black shoes to wear w/ her winter dresses.
First I look for Kairi, I find a style I love, but the 6 1/2 they had it in was almost too small, and no 7s. While I was still searching for a 7 in it, my mom called. Kairi suddenly yelled "Pincess Shoes!!! Mommy! Look! Pincess shoes!!! Pincess shoes!!!" Every one in hearing range turned around to look at her. My mom heard her. I whipped around to see what she was talking about. There were red sparkly shoes on the rack. And apparently they were princess shoes. I decided that we would NOT be getting them b/c where in the world was she going to wear red sparkly shoes? My mom decided that Kairi had to have them though. She's sending us $12 to reimburse us. In the end, the other pair of shoes she got were black sparkly shoes, b/c it was the only black pair of dress shoes that were in a size that'd fit her. In my mom's defense, she started naming all the dresses in Kairi's closet that would go w/ the red shoes and once I thought about it, there are more than I originally thought.
And then I looked for Alex. I wanted soft soled shoes that looked like real shoes. They had converses for $15. They're soft soled and REALLY cute. (I still haven't found hard soled shoes that will work for him besides sandals though.) And when I bought them, I got a free $5 gc from Target. Which the cashier was nice. She immediately rung up everything up to that point, I paid it. And then we rung up the diapers and Alex's onesie separately and paid for that so that I could use the gc on some of it.
I may go back after I get paid Monday and buy another pair of them in a larger size so that he has ones to wear when he outgrows the 3's. Oh, and Kairi wanted me to buy the black sparkly shoes that matched hers but in my size. She told me that they were Mommy-pincess shoes.
While there I decided that I needed to buy the kids the shoes. Alex no longer has any that fit (other than one pair of sandals) and Kairi needed black shoes to wear w/ her winter dresses.
First I look for Kairi, I find a style I love, but the 6 1/2 they had it in was almost too small, and no 7s. While I was still searching for a 7 in it, my mom called. Kairi suddenly yelled "Pincess Shoes!!! Mommy! Look! Pincess shoes!!! Pincess shoes!!!" Every one in hearing range turned around to look at her. My mom heard her. I whipped around to see what she was talking about. There were red sparkly shoes on the rack. And apparently they were princess shoes. I decided that we would NOT be getting them b/c where in the world was she going to wear red sparkly shoes? My mom decided that Kairi had to have them though. She's sending us $12 to reimburse us. In the end, the other pair of shoes she got were black sparkly shoes, b/c it was the only black pair of dress shoes that were in a size that'd fit her. In my mom's defense, she started naming all the dresses in Kairi's closet that would go w/ the red shoes and once I thought about it, there are more than I originally thought.
And then I looked for Alex. I wanted soft soled shoes that looked like real shoes. They had converses for $15. They're soft soled and REALLY cute. (I still haven't found hard soled shoes that will work for him besides sandals though.) And when I bought them, I got a free $5 gc from Target. Which the cashier was nice. She immediately rung up everything up to that point, I paid it. And then we rung up the diapers and Alex's onesie separately and paid for that so that I could use the gc on some of it.
I may go back after I get paid Monday and buy another pair of them in a larger size so that he has ones to wear when he outgrows the 3's. Oh, and Kairi wanted me to buy the black sparkly shoes that matched hers but in my size. She told me that they were Mommy-pincess shoes.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
I Quit!
You had a glimpse of Kairi's most frequent pose in Alex's birthday pictures, but here's a reminder:
She makes that face with her arms folded and declares for the world to hear "I QUIT!". She most frequently "quits" when she's told that she can't have what she wants to eat for supper. Here's how this evening's dinner went:
K: Mommy, No. I wan pie.
M: No pie. Eat your supper.
K: I QUIT!
takes a small bite of her food after scowling for a few minutes
K: Mommy. Pie, now.
M: No pie.
K: I QUIT!
M: Fine, go to bed.
K: NO! I QUIT!
M: If you're going to quit, then quit in your bed. Otherwise, eat your food.
K: No, Mommy.
takes another bite
K: Mommy, where pie? I wan pie.
M: Kairi, you're not getting any pie. Eat your rice.
K: I QUIT!
Mommy ignores.
Kairi takes another bite.
K: Mommy, it no good. I wan pie.
M: Kairi. There is NO pie. Stop asking. Take a bite of spinach.
K: NO! I QUIT!
takes another bite of food
M: Kairi, if you say that you quit one more time you're going to bed. Got it? Good.
K: Mommy, no bed. No tired. Mommy, I eat.
M: Good job Kairi.
K: Mommy, pie peez? Pate empy ... see?
Mommy looks over to see an empty plate with food scattered all over the table.
M: Kairi, you are not getting pie. You are not done with your food. Eat your food or else go to bed.
K: I QUIT! Mommy, I go to bed.
She's in bed. She did not take herself there as she implied she would, but Mommy insisted.
I don't know where either the pie or the quitting obsessions started. I do know, though, that when she decided that her enchiladas were pie Thursday, that I allowed her to continue to believe that they were. She ate them, and that was the important thing. I also didn't correct her when she declared her breakfast pie yesterday morning, or her grilled cheese for lunch today. So what makes something worthy of being called pie? Most days she loves swiss steak (our supper this evening), but it certainly didn't qualify as pie....
She makes that face with her arms folded and declares for the world to hear "I QUIT!". She most frequently "quits" when she's told that she can't have what she wants to eat for supper. Here's how this evening's dinner went:
K: Mommy, No. I wan pie.
M: No pie. Eat your supper.
K: I QUIT!
takes a small bite of her food after scowling for a few minutes
K: Mommy. Pie, now.
M: No pie.
K: I QUIT!
M: Fine, go to bed.
K: NO! I QUIT!
M: If you're going to quit, then quit in your bed. Otherwise, eat your food.
K: No, Mommy.
takes another bite
K: Mommy, where pie? I wan pie.
M: Kairi, you're not getting any pie. Eat your rice.
K: I QUIT!
Mommy ignores.
Kairi takes another bite.
K: Mommy, it no good. I wan pie.
M: Kairi. There is NO pie. Stop asking. Take a bite of spinach.
K: NO! I QUIT!
takes another bite of food
M: Kairi, if you say that you quit one more time you're going to bed. Got it? Good.
K: Mommy, no bed. No tired. Mommy, I eat.
M: Good job Kairi.
K: Mommy, pie peez? Pate empy ... see?
Mommy looks over to see an empty plate with food scattered all over the table.
M: Kairi, you are not getting pie. You are not done with your food. Eat your food or else go to bed.
K: I QUIT! Mommy, I go to bed.
She's in bed. She did not take herself there as she implied she would, but Mommy insisted.
I don't know where either the pie or the quitting obsessions started. I do know, though, that when she decided that her enchiladas were pie Thursday, that I allowed her to continue to believe that they were. She ate them, and that was the important thing. I also didn't correct her when she declared her breakfast pie yesterday morning, or her grilled cheese for lunch today. So what makes something worthy of being called pie? Most days she loves swiss steak (our supper this evening), but it certainly didn't qualify as pie....
If you have my phone number....
Call me.
I can't find my phone. I need to find my phone. Chris isn't home to call my phone for me. He won't be home for over a week. I need it before he'll be back.
Thank you!
And yes I feel ridiculous posting this, but it's that important.
I'll update when I find it again.
***EDIT: Phone's been found! THANK YOU!***
I can't find my phone. I need to find my phone. Chris isn't home to call my phone for me. He won't be home for over a week. I need it before he'll be back.
Thank you!
And yes I feel ridiculous posting this, but it's that important.
I'll update when I find it again.
***EDIT: Phone's been found! THANK YOU!***
Thursday, November 13, 2008
The things my daughter says
I love listening to Kairi talk. She astounds me every day. It's hard to believe that a year ago today I could barely understand her. She had maybe 20 words in her vocabulary.
Moments ago she ran up to me holding a turtle we bought for her at the Dallas Aquarium.
"Look Mommy! It's a turtle!"
Now, turtle doesn't exactly sound right, but such a good try!
My favorite, though, was last night when she announced:
Mommy! I a pincess!
You're a princess?
Yes, Mommy, I a pincess.
Are you Mommy's princess?
Yes! And Mommy pincess. Kairi and Mommy pincess!
I'm a princess too?!?
Yes Mommy! You pincess. Kairi pincess! Like spider pincess. (Miss Spider's Sunny Patch -- watch the princess episode and you'll understand)
And then we talked about how princesses are nice and loving and take care of other people. Princesses share and help everyone they know.
She talks constantly. And I love to listen to it. *sigh* :) What a wonderful way to spend my day.
Moments ago she ran up to me holding a turtle we bought for her at the Dallas Aquarium.
"Look Mommy! It's a turtle!"
Now, turtle doesn't exactly sound right, but such a good try!
My favorite, though, was last night when she announced:
Mommy! I a pincess!
You're a princess?
Yes, Mommy, I a pincess.
Are you Mommy's princess?
Yes! And Mommy pincess. Kairi and Mommy pincess!
I'm a princess too?!?
Yes Mommy! You pincess. Kairi pincess! Like spider pincess. (Miss Spider's Sunny Patch -- watch the princess episode and you'll understand)
And then we talked about how princesses are nice and loving and take care of other people. Princesses share and help everyone they know.
She talks constantly. And I love to listen to it. *sigh* :) What a wonderful way to spend my day.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
The Boy Just Can't Get a Break
Alex has had a cold for over a week now. He's been snotty, and grumpy, and sleepless. At first I thought it was related to his shots, but within 2 days I realized that it was a sickness that we were all getting. The rest of us feel crummy as well, but it's not been as bad for us as it was for him. The worst part was that he couldn't breathe at night, so he wasn't sleeping. I have his mattress elevated on one end at all times because he's obviously prone to this. I can not begin to count the number of times he woke up and just couldn't go back to sleep. It's been a long couple of weeks.
Then it happened, he had a full night of sleep! HURRAY! That was Monday night. Last night it happened again! TWO NIGHTS IN A ROW -- I'M IN HEAVEN!!! He still had a snotty nose, but it wasn't as bad so I was satisfied that he was getting better.
But this morning he woke up in a terrible mood. Very unlike him. Even with double ear infections he's in a good mood 90% of the time. I got him a cracker and cup of juice and set down to check my email when it happened. He vomited. EVERYWHERE. I got him cleaned up, my newly steam cleaned floor mopped up, and calmed him down. That's when I noticed it. He was burning up. Temped him and yup, he's running a fever. *sigh* My poor baby. Will he ever be NOT sick?
Then it happened, he had a full night of sleep! HURRAY! That was Monday night. Last night it happened again! TWO NIGHTS IN A ROW -- I'M IN HEAVEN!!! He still had a snotty nose, but it wasn't as bad so I was satisfied that he was getting better.
But this morning he woke up in a terrible mood. Very unlike him. Even with double ear infections he's in a good mood 90% of the time. I got him a cracker and cup of juice and set down to check my email when it happened. He vomited. EVERYWHERE. I got him cleaned up, my newly steam cleaned floor mopped up, and calmed him down. That's when I noticed it. He was burning up. Temped him and yup, he's running a fever. *sigh* My poor baby. Will he ever be NOT sick?
Monday, November 10, 2008
Alex's 1st Birthday Party!
Uncaptioned pictures.
They're clickable again.
Lauren and Kairi both received presents as well.
First remember,
in the hospital:
first day home:
They're clickable again.
Lauren and Kairi both received presents as well.
First remember,
in the hospital:
first day home:
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Pretty BooBoos
One of the many "blessings" of childbearing is that most mothers end up with a roadmap of stretchmarks across their stomach. I have no need of a map to get from my house in Florida to my parents' house in Texas as I have a permanent map on my stomach. And no matter how much weight I lose, the marks are still there--fading with time, but there nevertheless.
This morning was hectic. Shoot, it still is hectic. I am simply taking a small break in the insanity before I forget this moment. I wasn't able to grab a shower until 11:30, despite having been awake since 6:10am. After my shower, Kairi was talking to me as I got dressed. Suddenly she noticed the scars from my gallbladder surgery.
Booboo Mommy?
Yes baby. Mommy had surgery there.
I sorry Mommy.
It's ok baby. It doesn't hurt anymore.
Nudder booboo Mommy? (Pointing to another gallbladder scar.)
Yes baby, another booboo.
I sorry Mommy.
It's ok baby. That one doesn't hurt anymore either.
Oooo ... Mommy, another booboo? (Pointing to a stretchmark.)
Yes Kairi. That's another booboo.
Mommy, is petty.
It's pretty?
Yes Mommy. And dat one and dat one and dat one and dat one and dat.....
Ok! I get it. Mommy's stretchmarks are pretty. And there's a lot of them.
silence for a moment
Mommy?
What Princess?
I like petty booboos. Kiss it?
Kairi kissed several of my pretty booboos while I desperately tried to not laugh from her ticklish kisses.
What a perspective she has though...I usually look at them as pesky unattractive marks. But they are a symbol of the things I went through while carrying both of my babies. And for that reason, they really are "pretty booboos".
This morning was hectic. Shoot, it still is hectic. I am simply taking a small break in the insanity before I forget this moment. I wasn't able to grab a shower until 11:30, despite having been awake since 6:10am. After my shower, Kairi was talking to me as I got dressed. Suddenly she noticed the scars from my gallbladder surgery.
Booboo Mommy?
Yes baby. Mommy had surgery there.
I sorry Mommy.
It's ok baby. It doesn't hurt anymore.
Nudder booboo Mommy? (Pointing to another gallbladder scar.)
Yes baby, another booboo.
I sorry Mommy.
It's ok baby. That one doesn't hurt anymore either.
Oooo ... Mommy, another booboo? (Pointing to a stretchmark.)
Yes Kairi. That's another booboo.
Mommy, is petty.
It's pretty?
Yes Mommy. And dat one and dat one and dat one and dat one and dat.....
Ok! I get it. Mommy's stretchmarks are pretty. And there's a lot of them.
silence for a moment
Mommy?
What Princess?
I like petty booboos. Kiss it?
Kairi kissed several of my pretty booboos while I desperately tried to not laugh from her ticklish kisses.
What a perspective she has though...I usually look at them as pesky unattractive marks. But they are a symbol of the things I went through while carrying both of my babies. And for that reason, they really are "pretty booboos".
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Alex's First Haircut!
Alex had his first haircut yesterday! :cry: When did my baby get so big?
Before (1 week ago):
After-- I took them with my phone so they're not amazing. I'll get better ones later.:
And I just realized that he's wearing the same shirt in the pictures. ;D
Before (1 week ago):
After-- I took them with my phone so they're not amazing. I'll get better ones later.:
And I just realized that he's wearing the same shirt in the pictures. ;D
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
It's both an exciting and a sad day for our country
*WARNING -- POLITICS TO FOLLOW! You probably won't agree with my statements. I'm certain that family will soon be calling to gripe at me for my thoughts. But these thoughts had to be posted somewhere and I have no censure hwere other than myself.*
I'm writing this long before a winner is declared in today's race, so no I'm not sad about the outcome. I may be by the time you read this, but as I write this, I'm not.
What I AM talking about is what both candidates mean for our history. Neither truly represent our Founding Fathers' values for our country. And I'm not talking about religion. I fully recognize that the majority of our "big name" Founding Fathers were deists. Instead, I am talking about their beliefs on government. They had a clear intent when they wrote the Constitution to provide the most freedoms to the average citizen as possible without infringing on the rights of others. This meant that the government stayed out of everyone's business, including their fiances, health, religion, etc. They made basic laws that prevented anarchy and supported unity among the states (primarily in order to prevent England or another country from trying to take back over) but they kept legislation from going farther than that.
Perhaps it was inevitable, as the nature of man is to always seek more power, but as time went on, future presidents and Congresses began to claim more and more and more power. But inevitable or not, that doesn't make it right. And due to that, in the truest form of being a Constitutionalist, I do not support anyone that continues to grow our government. Instead, in order to get back to the true nature of our government, in order to make it work the way it was supposed to, our government must decrease itself, significantly. Not that that will ever truly happen because no one wishes to shrink nor volunteers to fire themselves -- but it still should happen.
And by that measure, I have to say that neither candidate is a good choice. When I voted, I chose the one that I believed would grow us the least.
I do believe that it's important to vote. It's not a hopeless cause to strive to restore our country to the original intent. And it's something that we should teach our children about.
So I hope that today (or at least in this election) that you went out and voted. But in the end, I have to say that I'm sad for what it means when neither of our candidates truly represents the Constitution.
I'm writing this long before a winner is declared in today's race, so no I'm not sad about the outcome. I may be by the time you read this, but as I write this, I'm not.
What I AM talking about is what both candidates mean for our history. Neither truly represent our Founding Fathers' values for our country. And I'm not talking about religion. I fully recognize that the majority of our "big name" Founding Fathers were deists. Instead, I am talking about their beliefs on government. They had a clear intent when they wrote the Constitution to provide the most freedoms to the average citizen as possible without infringing on the rights of others. This meant that the government stayed out of everyone's business, including their fiances, health, religion, etc. They made basic laws that prevented anarchy and supported unity among the states (primarily in order to prevent England or another country from trying to take back over) but they kept legislation from going farther than that.
Perhaps it was inevitable, as the nature of man is to always seek more power, but as time went on, future presidents and Congresses began to claim more and more and more power. But inevitable or not, that doesn't make it right. And due to that, in the truest form of being a Constitutionalist, I do not support anyone that continues to grow our government. Instead, in order to get back to the true nature of our government, in order to make it work the way it was supposed to, our government must decrease itself, significantly. Not that that will ever truly happen because no one wishes to shrink nor volunteers to fire themselves -- but it still should happen.
And by that measure, I have to say that neither candidate is a good choice. When I voted, I chose the one that I believed would grow us the least.
I do believe that it's important to vote. It's not a hopeless cause to strive to restore our country to the original intent. And it's something that we should teach our children about.
So I hope that today (or at least in this election) that you went out and voted. But in the end, I have to say that I'm sad for what it means when neither of our candidates truly represents the Constitution.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Pain Update
I mentioned before that I've been in a bit of pain recently. I saw the doctor Friday morning. After the physical (I'll save you the gory details), we went over my bloodwork results.
First the good news:
I'm not diabetic.
My kidneys and liver are fine.
All my results look normal EXCEPT for the ANA (antinuclear antibodies) which is speckled 1:130. Anything more than 1:80 is considered positive. And I can't explain what the speckled means. I did all the research I can stomach and still don't understand it.
This means that I could have a variety of things. I'm not going to list them all. Lupus, RA, and EBV are on that list.
In the end, they drew 8 tubes of blood Friday morning, and I was told to schedule another appointment to go over the results.
I see the doctor November 14. I'll update when I know something.
First the good news:
I'm not diabetic.
My kidneys and liver are fine.
All my results look normal EXCEPT for the ANA (antinuclear antibodies) which is speckled 1:130. Anything more than 1:80 is considered positive. And I can't explain what the speckled means. I did all the research I can stomach and still don't understand it.
This means that I could have a variety of things. I'm not going to list them all. Lupus, RA, and EBV are on that list.
In the end, they drew 8 tubes of blood Friday morning, and I was told to schedule another appointment to go over the results.
I see the doctor November 14. I'll update when I know something.
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