What's with all the craziness?!

It sure has been busy around these parts!

We've been back and forth to preschool, the hospital, my parents house, the doctors, my sisters house, work, shopping, parties...PHEW.  I wanna go back to bed just thinking about it!

Here's what's been going on around here...

First of all, my dad has been in the hospital for the past two weeks...quite unexpectedly.  On November 1st he was scheduled for surgery to repair an incisional hernia...a quick, less-than-24-hour-stay kinda fix.  Well, the repair ended up being much more extensive that what the doctor had originally planned for.  He had several small hernias throughout his abdomen...in the doctor's words "it looked like Swiss cheese in there."  So, he was going to be there for a day or two.  He was in a lot of pain, but that was to be expected, or so we thought.  Well, by day 3 he wasn't getting any better, and in fact was feeling much worse.  His stomach was distended and hard as a rock.  Another CT scan showed two large palm-sized blood clots in his abdomen...which is why he wasn't feeling any better.  They immediately scheduled another surgery for the following day.  Everything went well with the surgery, but while he was in recovery things got a little scary.  He spiked a fever, his oxygen was low, his heart rate was high, he was really confused....he didn't know where he was, why he was there, he was pulling out tubes, trying to leave, etc.  They kept him in post-op for almost 4 hours and finally he started to come around.  They still couldn't get his fever under control, but it finally broke about 9 hours later.  Apparently this was all caused by an aspirated pneumonia, which happened while he was in surgery.  We thought the worst was over and that he'd finally be healing and heading home.  Keep in mind, he still wasn't able to eat or drink anything at all...they even took away his ice chips, which he was NOT happy about!  A few days later, he still wasn't feeling any better, and again was feeling worse by the day.  Another CT scan...another large hernia....another surgery.  Yep, another surgery.  So, he's been in the hospital for 10 days at this point...9 days longer than expected, and has yet another surgery looming.  They inserted a PICC line and started giving him 2000 calories a day through it...he had a tube down his nose and into his stomach to suction the nasty stuff that he aspirated in the previous surgery to prevent the same complications, and he was on IV antibiotics.  Thankfully, the surgery went well.  He did great, and when they brought him up from post-op recovery one look at him told me he was feeling better than he had in the previous 10 days that he'd been there!  Today is day 15 and he's finally coming home!

While all this was going on, my mom still had her home daycare.  That meant that on several days I was there watching the kids while she was at the hospital with my dad.  Which also meant there were a few days that Jay had to pick Taylor up from preschool.  Jay and a friend were replacing all of the floors in their house at the same time, so on the days they were laying hardwood, I picked the girls up and we all went to Grandma's while I watched the other kids, too!  It got a bit crazy, but we all pitched in and got it all covered.  I'm glad it's over!!!

Matt's been loving his new job, and the new schedule that comes with it.  He decided where to go and who to see on what day, and usually ends up home by late afternoon.  Every other week he goes to the Tri-cities and spends the night, seeing customers in the Tri-city area one day and Yakima the next before heading home.  It's kinda nice to have a quiet evening to myself every other week, and it just so happens to be on a preschool night, which means Taylor's always more tired and ready for bed a bit earlier than usual.  Perfect! :)

As for me, I've been seeing a fertility specialist and have some good news!  It turns out that I have a genetic condition called MTHFR {methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase for those of you that get that kind of stuff...it might as well be in German to me}.  The good news is that knowing that I have this genetic disorder could prevent future miscarriage!!!  Apparently, my body lacks the proper enzyme that converts homocysteine to folic acid, which means my folic acid levels have probably been too low.  Multiple pregnancy loss is very common in women who have the disorder, along with a higher risk of birth defects {specifically spina bifida} and Downs Syndrome, and I am also at a higher risk for blood clots and heart disease.  Having this knowledge, I can't tell you how many times I've thanked God for my healthy baby girl.  How on earth did I carry her with no problems and how is she so perfect?  Seriously.  I am so grateful...  The progesterone issue is a separate issue and one that will still have to be monitored, but we're hoping that with high doses of folic acid and B vitamins to combat the MTHFR, my next pregnancy will be a successful one! :)

Adding to the craziness, we've had Scentsy parties, birthday parties, I filled in at my old office a few days last week and yesterday, and I've started Christmas shopping...

This is definitely the most wonderful {and craziest} time of year!! :)