A Mommy of Many Adventure…………..

The last few days have been an adventure in mommying. So I thought I’d tell a story.

Saturday morning I packed up my little ones and JJ and went to our church to help get boys who had come into town for a retreat, to their destination. Even though my van is a pain to park sometimes, it sure comes in handy when you want to haul a bunch of people somewhere. So, we got it loaded with boys and gear and drove up and out of San Diego. It was about an hour and 1/2 drive into the countryish, mountainish terrain. Luke-Xavier and Gabi chattered and made noise the whole way. Luke-Xavier has been going through this phase where he says, “poop” after everything. Example; “More pasta. Poop”. We’re long past the stage of telling him to stop or that it’s not nice and now I’m just trying to ignore it. So, we’re on our way to this retreat and I thought it would be a good idea to offer a prayer for a safe journey. So, we quiet the noise in the van down and take a minute to ask for a safe trip and a fun time for the boys. Everyone said, “Amen” and then we hear, “Poop”. Imagine the burst of laughter from a van full of boys at a 2 year old ending his prayer with “poop”! Luke-Xavier was very proud of himself and you could just see on his face that he felt like one of the boys. I think that little charmer is going to give me a run for my money when he’s a little older.

So, we made it up to the camp and I was really thankful for having offered to drive because it was so beautiful. I haven’t really taken any drives in the last couple years. I’m constantly in the car and never really going anywhere!

I drove back up on Tuesday to do the pick-up and get boys back to the church where they would make their way to their planes. When I got to the camp, I was told that JJ had been in pain for the last couple of days and that I should take him to the Dr. to make sure it wasn’t his appendix. You could see by how he was walking that he was in pain. So, we got the boys to the church and I dropped my family off at home (I had loaded up a few more of the kids for the return trip because I wanted them to see how beautiful and peaceful it was) and headed to the ER. 5 hours later…….finally a bed! 2 Drs. came and examined him and felt that it was his appendix and put an order in for a CT scan. Another 5 hours……finally the CT scan. It ended up being inconclusive and still we waited while several more people came by to poke at JJ’s stomach. May I just take a moment to offer a thank you to cell phone makers and Apple for creating the iPod? Seriously, I would have gone mad if not for being able to text people what was going on and being able to listen to some music. I listened to ER Drs. argue with the surgeons about what to do with him. It was an interesting exchange. Finally, after the change of shift, it was agreed that he should be admitted for observation. Sometime around 11:30 we made our way up to pediatrics to a room. All I could do was hope that there was somewhere to lie down. Whew! I was beat! So, JJ endured many more stomach poking episodes. I left him around 1pm to come home to shower and check in. My sister had been with the kids and miraculously, didn’t have to work until 7pm. How the puzzle of my life fits together is always a wonder to behold!

After a shower, I decided to bring the kids over to see JJ. We got there to find out that they were going to feed him and then watch how he dealt with the food and possibly send him home. So, I shuttled the kiddos back to the house and made a quick dinner. In the time I was home, I had 3 friends and neighbors come by to see if there was anything they could do. I swear that I can never leave San Diego! The community of fabulous people that have been put into my life would be impossible to replace. Thank you to everyone who checked on us and offered up assistance!

I went back and agreed to bring JJ home and watch him here. He tolerated the food and has slept well. So, now we just keep our eyes open for any signs of fever, increased pain or nausea.

That’s the adventure of the last couple of days. Whew!

Again, thank you to everyone for your words of encouragement and love. Really, you are all truly appreciated!

Have a great day~