Happy Four Months Haleigh

   I totally forgot to write a blog post on Hales turning 4 months old yesterday!!!

Baby Girl,
    I just can't get over how much you change by the day. From the moment I saw you it was LOVE!!! Your little personality is so BIG and I absolutely love it. You make me smile every time you pout those adorable lips, bat those beautiful eyelashes, and giggle the day away. God gave us a wonderful gift when he gave us you. I love you baby girl and I can't wait to watch you grow.
Love,
Mommy

    My post of the day shall go as this...I'm TIRED. I'm STRESSED. I'm in need of a BREAK. Oh...and tomorrow is MONDAY. BOO!!
     To make a long (make that VERY LONG) story short, we went grocery shopping today and both the kids were in "lovely" (note the sarcasm) moods. It was only by the Lord's will that I didn't throw myself down in one of the aisles kicking, screaming, and throwing my own little Mommy tantrum. And for that, I thank God for instilling me with even a small dose of patience. As I've always said, GOD IS GOOD!!!

Our Love Story

     Nine years ago today, I started dating my best friend. And yes, I asked him out, lol. We met at a day camp where we were both camp counselors. I had a boyfriend at the time but things just weren't going great with that relationship. The first time I met Caleb I thought he was cute, but kind of nerdy. *grin* He was into comic books, video games, and all the things that this girly, girl was not. But even so, there was just something about him that made me smile. For example, to get my attention, one day while we were at camp, he tripped over a root on purpose just so I would bandage up his knee; and yes, he DID bleed. Quite an extreme to go to just to get a girl to pay you attention, but I still think it was super cute. 
    On one of our breaks that week, we sat on a picnic table talking about our families, friends, beliefs, likes and dislikes. It was at that moment I learned that he was a Christian and also when I started to think the world of him. Call it infatuation, if you like, but I knew it was love from that moment. I did have the tiny little issue of having a boyfriend, and trying to figure out a nice way to let him know I had met someone else. :-)  Even though in that moment I wanted nothing more than to hold this boy's hand and ask him to be mine, I resisted. I just wasn't the type of girl to cheat on a boyfriend...regardless of how crummy the relationship was and how HOT this new guy was. *smile*  But, I invited him to church as I was raised to do and headed home contemplating on whether or not to make the phone call to break up with the current boyfriend, but decided against it for that moment. 
     Caleb ended up showing up for church that Wednesday night for youth group and I was ECSTATIC! But then, my boyfriend at the time walked through the door shortly after Caleb arrived. And it was in this moment that the boy I had already fallen so hard for learned that I wasn't available. One of my friends shouted out down the hall..."Raquel, your boyfriend's here!!"  I looked away from Caleb, down at the floor, and willed a rock to show up so I could crawl under it. No such luck. The truth was out and I was humiliated. But, you know what? Caleb didn't leave. HE STAYED and was even nice to my boyfriend. I knew for sure in that moment I would be making a phone call to break things off as soon as we got home (as I knew better than to have relationship drama at youth group). I said goodbye to Caleb and said I would see him the next morning at camp.
     I got home and made that phone call; in my opinion, the BEST call I ever made. I was nervous at the time for reasons I won't repeat on here, but in the end, I broke it off. Not without him calling my house at least six to seven times that evening that ended in my Mom giving him up the river for calling so late. So yeah, it was officially over and I was officially FREE!!! 
     I spent the next couple of days at day camp getting ready for the end of week show with the kids. I did get one of my friends to ask Caleb for his number, which he wrote down on a piece of napkin since that was the only thing available to him at the time. I sent my email back to him (by a friend) on another piece of napkin and got ready to leave for the day. Hoping against all odds he would email me soon. And do you know...HE DID!!! We emailed back and forth for quite a while and then he called me a week or so later. Talking to him on the phone that first time was seriously the most nervous I had been in my entire life. I was finally experiencing true love..and I knew it. :-)  I told him I would need some time to get over my last relationship (which was really just a ploy to reel him in even further). Playing hard to get is the oldest game in the book but most guys are still totally oblivious to it...as was Caleb! *grin* He told me that he would wait for me FOREVER! That totally made my heart melt on the spot. I waited a couple of days and then asked HIM out! He was shocked, but said yes. And let me just say, it was a few weeks before we decided to kiss but that is a day I will NEVER forget. None of that tongue down my throat stuff either...a sweet kiss on the cheek and another one on my lips. I swear I didn't stop smiling for days. 
     God has blessed me with an absolutely incredible husband. That's our love story...and the rest is history!

Well Visits

     I totally forgot to update with a post about Noah and Haleigh's well visits for this past week. Noah went for his 18 month on Tuesday. It was the first doctors appointment I have missed with either of the kids, but that's because I was at the eye doctor learning that I'm some sort of medical marvel and finding out how to be a pirate for the next few months or so...let me just say, I am totally rocking the eye patch!!! *grin*  Noah is 32 1/2 inches long and weighs 22 pounds. Dr. Beazely says he is right on track for growth and from what he can tell from his growth chart, he shouldn't grow up to be an obese teenager...which made me happy. :-)  Haleigh went yesterday for hers and weighed in at 12 1/2 pounds and was 22 1/4 inches long. I compared her four month to Noah's and they are exactly the same on everything except for weight...she is two pounds lighter than he was. I'm guessing that's probably because she doesn't eat a bottle at night anymore and he did up until he was probably six or seven months old. So yeah...it was nice getting to hear how well she is doing. The funniest part of her visit was when the nurse gave her, her shots. Haleigh looked the nurse dead in the face, started pouting which quicly turned into screaming/lip quivering, and didn't break her gaze. She started that nurse down until I even felt like telling the nurse I was sorry for her...what a crappy job to have; making babies cry. :-(  But yeah, besides that, everything went really well.
     Right now, both of the kids are asleep for their naps and I'm so grateful. It's so hard to make it through my days now that I only have vision in one eye. It's been giving me horrible headaches everyday and that just puts me in a bad mood. I have to work extra hard to remain positive, but even so, I am trusting God with this. I know that He is giving me this to make me stronger...I won't let this break me. I guess I will get off of here now so that I can rest my eyes for a while and then maybe get some housework done. Hope each of you has a blessed day.

Central Serous Retinopathy

     This is what I was diagnosed with this morning at the retina specialist clinic. Basically, it's a disease where fluid leaks from the veins in your eyes and pools under/behind your retina. This causes blind spots in your vision, which is what I have been experiencing since last Friday. I currently have 20/400 vision in my right eye making me legally blind, for now. The doctor put me in observation period which will take place over the next three months. Basically, I just have to wait for my body to correct this on its own, which could take as long as three months. If it doesn't go away then I will be having lasik eye surgery sometime in October to fix this issue. 
     You can imagine, I had quite a breakdown in the doctor's office this morning when he gave me the news. It's not the worst thing that could happen, and I know that, but living with blindness in one eye for possibly the next three months is just not an easy thing to face. I feel like the past six months have been nothing but bad news and I am very much looking forward to having this behind me. 
     Please pray that the Lord not only takes this away SOON, but that I will remain positive throughout this experience. One thing's for sure, I am definitely starting to appreciate my sight much more and I no longer want to take things for granted. 

     Yesterday I started having a lot of pain in the eye that's been giving me trouble. I called my eye doctor and they moved my appointment with the retina specialist to this morning at 9:30. I'm really worried about it and I'm praying that it's something that can be fixed within the next few days. My vision is really impaired and it's hard to do anything...especially drive. Yesterday I took the kids to a nearby park just so they could get out for a while. And even though it was super close to home, I was still scared to be driving. Then, I guess because my left eye is trying to work to compensate for my right one, I got a horrible headache and a ton of pressure behind my right eye.  I will try to update with a post later depending on how the appointment goes. 

    ** I do have a special prayer request for my blog readers. Friends of ours recently gave birth to three triplets (born two months early) and their little girl has a large heart murmur which still hasn't corrected itself after two rounds of medication. She may have to have surgery to correct it so please keep her in your thoughts and prayers. My heart goes out to this beautiful little baby and to her parents (and baby Es two brothers). I will update as soon as I know more.**

Ocular Anemia

   This is basically where fluid covers the retina. The doctor thinks it could possibly be a post strep complication (as she normally doesn't see this in people under 40). But, if it is fluid caused from a leaking blood vessel it won't go away on it's own. I have an appointment set up to see a Retina Specialist on Friday at 1pm. Please pray it goes well. If this doesn't clear up on it's own in a couple of weeks (or if I do have a leaking blood vessel) I have to have lasic eye surgery. So yeah, that sucks. I have deal with impaired vision until this corrects itself or surgery does which is really getting me down. I'm trying so hard to remain positive but I'm just so sick of having all of these issues to deal with. God is good and I know His will, will be done in this. Thanks to you all for your constant prayers and support; it truly means so much to me. My eyes are really sore from all the tests they did today so I'm going to get off of here for now. I just wanted to update everyone with my results.

Out of Sight, Out of (my) Mind

    I thought I was experiencing "floaters" in my right eye, but when I called to set up an eye appointment this morning, my eye doctor seems to think it's something more serious. I am really worried I am losing my sight in my right eye but we won't know for sure until after my appointment at 2:00 today. Please pray for me...that this is NOT what is happening and that the Lord would give the doctor wisdom of how to fix this issue.

Quick Post

     So, I have a ton I would LOVE to blog about but at the moment, my sight is slightly impaired. Another side effect of Keflex, which I didn't know until Friday, is that it can cause floaters. Basically, it's like seeing the spots in front of your eyes that a camera flash causes, but constantly. It's supposed to go away as soon as the antibiotic is out of my system (which could be as long as TWO WEEKS..YIKES!). I also have to wear an eye patch for a while so that my left eye doesn't become too strained (hardy, hardy har, lol). I'm trying to make the best of this situation and remain positive but I have absolutely made up my mind: no more antibiotics unless the condition won't go away without them and definitely no more Keflex. So yeah, life is crap. No, not quite that bad, but I'm starting to get a bit down at the thought that my body just can't handle illness the way it once could. Geez I feel old.
     So, tomorrow or maybe Tuesday (or whenever my eyes are strong enough to blog about my most amazing weekend), I will do that. I have a ton of pictures to upload of our trip to Monticello and Foamhenge (heehee) and can't wait to share our awesome memories. Please say a prayer for me if you get the chance...that my wacked out body will correct itself soon. Thanks to all!!!

Finally Got Some Answers

     I thought it was odd that my strep throat (and blisters) weren't going away after 5 days on antibiotics, so I called the doctor's office. Turns out, I have oral thrush, which was caused by the antibiotics. So now, I kind of have to deal with it until I'm done with the dose which I think is this upcoming Wednesday. I am supposed to eat yogurt, because that's supposed to kill a lot of the bacteria or something; I'm not sure I quite understood everything, but yeah, so that stinks. Oh well. Going to enjoy my weekend regardless of my body's weird malfunctions! Have a nice night everyone!!!