SEPTEMBER!!!

The month of September has been a busy one for us. The first week of September Austin had a terrible stomach virus.
As soon as we walked into the doctors office Austin vomited all over Matthew.





He had a high fever and diahrrea, but hadn't vomited all day. Unfortunately, the first time he did vomit daddy was holding him. We didn't have an extra change of clothes... all we could find was this hoodie in the backseat of my truck. So he wandered around the office in his diaper and hoodie. So sad. Thankfully he was able to fight off by the end of the week.

We spent that weekend (Labor Day) in Weatherford with Matthew's family and had a blast. It is always fun to watch Austin and his cousin, Megan, play with one another. We definitely wish we lived closer to them.

The following week Austin got his first haircut. He did a great job- didn't shed a tear.
BEFORE:

AFTER:



Last week was a rough week for all of us. On Monday, Matthew woke up around 2am vomiting & had diahrrea. Later that morning Austin also woke up vomiting. We took Matthew to the doctor at 9am and his doctor gave him a shot that knocked him out for nearly 5 hours along with some other meds. Austin continued to throw up until his doctor finally gave in and asked us to take him in for a check up. They tested for strep and the flu... both test were negative so they figured the vomiting and fever were just due to the stomach virus he had dealt with nearly two weeks before. Matthew returned to work on Wednesday morning, but Austin was still vomiting and by then he also had diahrrea. We decided to take him back to his old pediatricans office for a second opinion. The doctor who saw him was incredibly concerned so she requested a stool specimen. THANK GOD! Early Thurday morning I woke up vomiting and had intense body-aches. My doc recommended I make a visit to the ER in order to rule out the flu & to make sure that Sophie was doing well in my belly. I got some nausea meds & IV fluids. Totally helped! They figured it was also a stomach virus. Friday morning Austin's doc called and informed us that the stool sample came back positive for ROTATVIRUS. UGGGHH! Apparently we all had it. We ended up taking Austin to the ER on Saturday because he was still vomiting and had severe diahrrea. His Doc was worried he was dehydrated so off we went to the ER. They gave him IV fluids and nausea medicine too. As Matthew put it, "4 doctors visits, 2 ER visits, 5 medications, and lots of soup for the whole family: hundreds/thousands of dollars. Everyone still alive and finally doing better: priceless. Don't mess with the Rotavirus!" We all survived this darn virus. Matthew only worked 2 days that week- he stayed home for two days while he recovered and had to take care of Austin and I on Friday since I was sick. My mom flew in Friday evening and stayed thru Monday. It was nice to have her help. She took care of Austin while Matthew and I rested and took care of things around the house.

He had no energy/strength. Poor baby.


Today we are all doing much better. Praise the Lord for a healthy family.

We were able to see Sophie on Tuesday during our scheduled 3D/4D ultrasound (will post pictures soon). She is so cute!! It was neat to notice the minor differences between Austin's 3D/4D ultrasound & hers. Their lips and noses look different... I wish December was closer. 85 more days! My belly is measuring on target, I've gained 16 lbs, passed my Gestational Diabetes test & have been exercising regularly. Wish I had only gained this much when I was pregnant with Austin. I had probably gained about 30 lbs by point in my pregnancy him. =)

We are so glad everything is looking well for Sophie and I.

I will leave you with a few recent pictures of Austin! Enjoy!!!
Austin & Daddy at Ethan's party!


Austin sitting on the bench like a big boy!! (at the end on the right side... the little guy)


Austin with the birthday boy, ETHAN!


Austin hanging out with the big boys from our neighborhood.


Out for a walk with mommy & daddy.


Sporting his new camo hoodie!


Wlking to the mailbox.


Hanging out with dad.


Peek-a-boo!


caught you!


focused...


Austin & his buddy Timothy!

heartbroken

This past week has been emotionally challenging for me as I found out a week ago from today that one of my former clients died in a car accident. This sweet little girl died on August 30th at the age of 3, 5 days short of her 4th birthday. She was such a jewel, a treasure to be around.

I began working with her family early 2008 and continued to do so until the day I resigned from my previous job to stay home with Austin. This family, consisting of a single mom and 3 children (1 boy & 2 girls), is incredibly dear and near to my heart. I worked with the mom and each child individually to help find solutions for various social needs. This is a family that understood the concept of self-determination, personal responsibility and hard work. Not once did they ever try to abuse the system, nor ask for more than what was needed. As a social worker, I live by the idea that I will only put forth as much effort and heart into each working relationship as the client puts into it. If they choose to work towards their goals whole-heartedly I will give them my time and effort whole-heartedly. This is exactly what I did with this amazing family.

This single mom works odd jobs in order to provide decent meals for her family and pay the bills. She cleans homes around the city and vacant apartments, as well as the laundry facilities throughout her apartment complex. Encouraging and teaching her to care for herself was a hard task for me. She was always on the move, mainly so that she could be home by the time her kids were out of school.

On Sunday, August 30th I received a message from her son informing me about the accident. I hadn't heard from them since I stopped working for the agency, so receiving this message was incredibly shocking. He told me about the accident and gave me their number so that I could call them. I waited a day before contacting the family. Longest day ever... I finally contacted the family on Tuesday after discussing this with my previous supervisor and getting the "go ahead."

HEARTBROKEN! I was speechless and still feel at loss for words to help describe this situation. It is hard to believe that such a young life has ended so quickly, so tragically. A quick reminder of how fragile life is.

I attended the viewing which was held in the family's home. Walking down the parking lot, up to their apartment felt eternal. I could see the casket way down the sidewalk and couldn't keep myself together. As a mother of one, soon to be two, the possibility of losing my children causes my legs to weaken and my heart to feel heavy. HOW COULD THIS BE!?!? I walked past the casket directly to mom's room and hugged her tightly. Again, I was speechless. What do you tell a mom who has so tragically lost her youngest daughter??? All I could do was hug her and listen to her sob and whisper softly into my ear, "How will I ever get through this, I love her and I need her." Listening is often the best medicine, the best response.

This precious baby girl could light up the room with her vibrant smile and grace. It didn't take much for a her to catch the attention of another. I have never experienced the death of a client, much less that of a child. Having worked so closely with this family & for so long, felt as if I was losing a family member. As a social worker, you get to experience life with your clients- the good, the bad and the ugly. You rejoice with them and you cry with them. Never did I imagine crying with a family for this particular reason. I am incredibly thankful for having the opportunity to work with this family, especially this sweet little girl.

Major PRAISE!!! God is good all the time! The family had to raise over $7000 to pay for the funeral costs; the money was raised in 4 days with the help of family, friends, classmates, and strangers. Praise God for his provision!!! The funeral was very special. The church was filled with family, friends and teachers.

RIP sweet girl.

Do keep this family in your thoughts and prayers as they work through the loss of a daughter, sister & friend.