August 31, 2010

After I dropped the girls off at school, I went and picked up my mom to run to Kohl's. We really needed a new sheet set. Just my luck! They had sheet sets buy one get one free!! Whoo hoo!!! Then headed straight back to Greenville to volunteer at the school. Volunteered from noon until 3 o'clock. Then brought the kids home from school, did homework, and they played for a short while. We then had to run back into town for a 6:00 appointment for Alyssa to try different instruments. She tried playing the clairanet, sax, flute, trumpet, and trombone. She was able to make a sound with all of them! Ultimately she ended up signing up for the flute. We came home and ate dinner. After dinner Alyssa asked if I would work with her on playing the flute. She did really very well. We're both so proud of her and know that Grandpa Watson would be very proud of her as well. She's wanting to be a band teacher when she grows up, following in her Grandpa's footsteps.

We have an appointment tomorrow morning with Trystan's surgeon. He'll be doing more x-rays to see if the break is healing or if it's gotten worse. Please pray for a good report.

August 30, 2010

Took and picked up the girls from school today. School still seems to be going pretty well for both of them. Thanking God for the continued blessings He gives us.

August 29, 2010

Started off the morning well. Girls were up and ready to go to church. We went to McDonald's drive-thru for breakfast on the way to church. We were almost to Alhambra when Alyssa yelled in the backseat that Trystan was gagging and looked like she was going to throw up. I grabbed the McDonald's bag, which was full of trash, and handed it to Trystan in the backseat. She had gagged on some phlem and then did get sick a little. Tracy pulled over and I got her out of the truck. She was fine after that. We went ahead and went to church because she said she was fine. Trystan was asked to talk to the other kids in Children's Church about her cancer experiences. I went down to Children's church with her to record her speaking to the other kids. She did an awesome job! We are so proud of her! Way to go Trystan!!!

After church we came home and ate lunch. The girls continued to play throughout the day and I cleaned house. I was happy with how much I was able to get accomplished today.

August 28, 2010

The girls woke up this morning and right away were playing. Thankfully they were quiet enough that Tracy and I could sleep just a little longer. I wasn't able to do too much today because I still wasn't feeling quite well. This evening we went to Toby's sixth birthday party. The four of us went and everything was going well until Trystan wanted to play in the basement with the other children. When she came back up I noticed some splotches on her arms. I immediately gave her a benedryl and she wanted to go outside for some fresh air. That was when her eyes and throat began to itch. It was then that we decided to go ahead and leave. When we got home I put her right into the bathtub to get any dog dander that she may have had on her body off. The entire time she was struggling to stay awake from the benedryl. Pretty much right after she was finished with her bath, she fell asleep for the evening.

August 27, 2010

Went to bed last night feeling like I was coming down with the same cold that Trystan has. Yep! All through the night, I couldn't breathe and it's in full force today. Praying that Tracy and Alyssa don't get it.

The girls were glad that it's Friday. No homework tonight and no school tomorrow! Yippy!!!

August 26, 2010

I think the girls are glad to be back to school. Except of course having to get up early! Homework has started coming and studying for their first tests as well. I am so happy though that we are back in a "normal" schedule. Especially not having to run back and forth to St. Louis for chemo treatments and blood transfusions, as well as, running three times a week to Maryville for blood work. We are so thankful for God healing Trystan!

August 25, 2010

When I picked up the girls at school today Trystan told me that she had an AWESOME day. While the other kids in her class had to go to P.E. she got to go to Miss Gramlich's first grade class and help out. She was there to listen and help them read. It sure made her feel big and special. :) Trystan's cold seems a little bit better today, but now she is starting to cough. I hope that it doesn't go into a full blown cough!

August 24, 2010

Trystan was much better this morning when she woke up. She is still very much congested but her nose isn't running anymore. The girls seemed to have had a pretty good day at school. Being back in a routine is really great! One thing they don't like about the routing is getting up and going to bed early. But that is just any kid! :)

August 23, 2010

Through the night last night, Trystan wasn't able to sleep due to a runny nose and congestion. She woke up this morning still feeling a little puny and very tired. No fever so she went to school. Took the girls in to school this morning and came home to clean house. Just after lunchtime we got a call from the nurse at school. She told us that Trystan's been up in her office for about a half an hour with a tummy ache. No fever, vomitting or diarreah though. I decided to go ahead in and pick her up. By the time I got into town to the school, she seemed to be feeling better and decided to stay. So I was off, back to the house to finish cleaning the house and laundry. Was only home about an hour when it was time to go back into town to pick up the kiddos. When we got home, the girls did their homework, and then played for a while. Then it was time for Alyssa and I to go back into town for a meeting to sign her up for band. Came home, ate dinner, watched a little tv, and it was time for bed. A busy day, but not complaining. Much better than the position we were in last year at this time. We daily thank God for her showers of blessings.

August 22, 2010

Went to church this morning. Alyssa is feeling much better and her fever blisters are looking a lot better. After church we went to lunch with Tracy's mom and Tim's family at Kahuna's again. It wasn't as good today as it was last night. :( But the girls still enjoyed it. :) This evening we decided to go for a dip in the pool. We haven't been able to use it quite as much since Alyssa's been so sick, but we were excited to be able to do it tonight. After we were finished swimming the girls went up and took their baths/showers and went to bed. Full days of school start tomorrow!

August 21, 2010

The girls played the Wii this morning. After lunch they played with their baby dolls along with all of the baby stuff Tracy got out of the attic closet. The girls were excited because I made the chocolate chip cookie brownies. One of their favorites! This evening we went to Grantfork Homecoming to watch the parade. The girls got a ton of candy! We didn't stay after the parade for supper. We decided to go and try Kahuna's in Greenville. The girls loved it!

August 20, 2010

Today was the first day the kids had to go to school until 2 p.m. When I picked the girls up from school they were excited to tell me that they had a great day at school! Makes me feel a whole lot more comfortable. Hoping that next week will be as good as the first two days of school. :) Alyssa seems to be feeling much better today. Not quite as puny and has much better color. Thank you Lord for the wonderful day today!

August 19, 2010

Today was the first day of school! The girls woke up pretty easily this morning. By the time we pulled up and parked the car in the parking lot, they were both complaining their bellies were hurting. I'm pretty sure it was just nerves. School let out at 11:00 this morning. After picking them up at school, I took them to the park for a picnic. We didn't stay at the park very long due to the heat. All and all another pretty good day.

August 18, 2010

For breakfast Alyssa was able to eat a piece of toast and drink a little. At lunchtime she ate some crakers and drank a little. But by this afternoon she was doing much better. She decided she felt well enough to go to the Back-to-School Carnival to take her things in to her classroom and meet her teacher. Alyssa did pretty good and even ate a little supper. Trystan used her walker and tired very quickly. I ended up having to go out and get her chair. But for the most part a pretty good evening. Looking forward to taking my kiddos to their first day of school tomorrow! :0)

August 17, 2010

Alyssa woke up still not feeling well. :( She's not thrown up today but cannot stay out of the bathroom. We've tried very hard to get her to eat and drink today. Unfortunately it hasn't been very successful! Hoping tomorrow brings a change.

August 16, 2010

Alyssa woke up this morning feeling really cruddy. She wouldn't eat anything and complained of abdominal pain. Sometimes screaming and crying in pain. I gave her her antibiotic and something to drink. About an hour to an hour and a half later she vomitted. Her fever seems to be back and higher than last week. I called the doctor's office about 11 a.m. and they couldn't get her in until 2:30 p.m. When I called they still didn't have the results of her culture.

We arrived at the doctor's office and Alyssa couldn't get out of the car. I went in and signed her in and when I came back out to the car she was getting sick in the car. When they were ready for her, the doctor's office came out and got her with a wheelchair. The nurse took her temp and it was all the way up to 103.2 and her heart rate was up too! A little scary!! The nurse also told me that her throat culture came back negative. That was good news! When the doctor came in she said that it looks and sounds like a virus. Have her to take a sip of gatorade every 1/2 hour and if she doesn't eat anything today it's ok. She also said that if she isn't any better tomorrow to give them a call.

When we got home from the doctor's office, Tracy had to come out to the car to carry her in. I've never seen her so weak before! I also re-read the side effects of the antibiotics she was on and they were abdominal pain, nausea/vomitting, fever, etc. Wondering if she is allergic that? The side effects also sound alot like a stomach virus. Hmmm. I guess we'll never know if it is a virus or a reaction.

Please pray that whatever this is would subside and she would be well enough to go to the back to school carnival wednesday night and begin school on thursday.

August 15, 2010

Went to church this morning as a family. During church Alyssa had some stomach pains still. Spent the afternoon here at home. Still on an off Alyssa had abdominal pain. This evening we went to Carrie's house for Kortnie and Derrick's birthdays. Had dinner, cake and ice cream. Yummy! Alyssa seems to be feeling a little bit better everyday. We should find out tomorrow what the results of the culture are that they did Friday in the doctor's office.

August 14, 2010

This morning Alyssa woke up feeling really good. She even ate breakfast. It was a little bit of a challenge to get her to take the antibiotic that the doctor prescribed. But, eventually she gave in and took it. All that it took was a little reminder of all the medications Trystan had to take orally over the past year and a half. Throughout the day Alyssa would get stomach pains. But the pains didn't last long. This afternoon we had a wedding to go to at church. Just after the ceremony, Trystan lost her balance and fell. Her leg was hurting for a little while after that, but seemed to be fine later.

August 13, 2010

This morning Alyssa woke up now with a sore throat. Wasn't sure if she just has a virus, strep throat, or sinus infection. So, as soon as the doctor's office opened, I called to try to get her an appointment. We got her an appointment for 11:00 a.m. The doctor looked Alyssa over and did a quick strep test. The quick test came back negative. Doctor wasn't happy with that so she sent it over for a culture at the hospital. In the mean time they are going to put her on an antibiotic and if the culture comes back positive she'll already have a few days of medicine in her. If the culture comes back negative we will just stop it, no harm done. Should get the results back sometime Monday afternoon. Hoping Alyssa sleeps well tonight and wakes up in the morning feeling better.

August 12, 2010

This morning Alyssa woke up still sick. :( She didn't eat much today and just laid around on the couch all day. Poor thing!

I finally got Trystan's sewing machine together and working. Trystan was so excited! She made two pillowcases and is planning on sending one of them to Jazmine and the other to Gracie. Both are girls that are fighting cancer. Jazmine lives in England and Gracie here in Illinois. She's super excited about sending them to the girls. The rest of the day I spent cleaning the house.

This afternoon Tracy began to not feel well with the same symptoms as Alyssa. Hope he's not getting it as well.

August 11, 2010

Trystan has continued to complain about pain in her leg. Praying that it's nothing. I called down to Dr. McDonald's office this morning to ask what they thought about it and if he thought she needed to be seen or x-rays, etc. Kelly, Dr. McDonald's nurse, called about 12:30 p.m. after asking many questions and talking it over with the doctor, the consesus was to have us bring Trystan in for x-rays and evaluation. Our appointment was a 3 p.m. We left the house about 1:30 p.m. and arrived about 2:45 p.m. for x-rays. After x-rays we went over to see Dr. McDonald. We were called back to the room about 3:45 p.m. Dr. McDonald had to break the news to us that Trystan has a hairline fracture in the bone that was put in. He told us she is to be non-weight bearing on her right leg once more. She either needs to use her wheelchair or walker/crutches. Trystan is devistated with the news of not being able to walk again. We keep try to tell her the positivies of it: no surgery needed and no cast either. Right now it isn't making any difference to her. She'll have to start school not walking. :(

On the way down to see the doctor, Alyssa began to complain that she had a headache. The headache continued the entire time we were at the doctor's office and all the way home. By the time we got home she had a fever and was feeling sick to her stomach. She went to bed still not feeling well. Hoping tomorrow she feels better.

August 10, 2010

We started off the morning by going up to the school to register. When we finished registering we went and picked up my mom and ran to Alton. We had to go to Alton to take my flute in to be worked on. Alyssa wants to play the flute so it has to be fixed in order to use it. The man at Halpin that'll be working on the flute said it should be finished by Saturday! I couldn't believe how fast it would be done. The girls, my mom, and myself met Carrie and Kortnie in Highland and all went to the Highland public pool together. I pretty sure they had a good time! BOY was it hot today! The girls and I came home after swimming in just enough time to change and go to the Bond County Fair parade. Tracy and the girls rode with Tim and Cade in the parade. They were so excited to be in the parade and throw candy! Tracy said that Trystan would throw the candy out and tell people to enjoy the fair. :) My mom, Lori, and myself watched the parade. It was so hot outside for the parade.

August 9, 2010

Woke up early this morning and headed out the door to Children's for Trystan's scans. Had to take a minor detour due to two different accidents that closed down interstate 70. We thankfully made it on time. She had her CT Scan at about 8:45 and her bloodwork and injection for her bone scan at 9 a.m. We were told to be back by 11 a.m. for her scan. We ran up to the 9th floor to drop off her viles and tell them that we would be late for her doctor appointment because her scan was pushed back to 11 a.m. We went out to the garden and then down to the cafeteria to waste some time. Got back to radiology about 10:45 a.m. and were called back just before 11 a.m. Trystan did awesome for her bone scan. She laid so still! We are super proud of her. We then headed back up to the 9th floor for her doctor's appointment. The doctor told us that the CT scan of her chest looked great and her bloodwork was good as well! The bone scan wasn't out there yet for viewing so we left there without knowing the results of the bone scan. We were told that they would call us later with the results. They also told us that they think her leg pain may just be from not walking for almost a year and now doing so much too quickly. The doctor called finally at 5:30 p.m. He let Tracy know that the bone scan was clear!! Praise the Lord! More answered prayers!!

August 8, 2010

This morning we got things together and cleaned/picked up the camper to come home. Trystan has complained off and on today about her leg hurting. Tomorrow Trystan has her three month scans tomorrow. We are praying for clear scans.

Made it home safely from our camping trip! Amen.

August 7, 2010

Today it has been one year since Trystan had her first surgery. She has begun to complain of leg pain today. We are a little concerned but hoping that it's just muscle pain or something minor. Other than this the camping trip so far has been going well. The kids were a little disappointed that there wasn't a swimming pool or playground to play on. But, they did an excellent job of using their imaginations and keeping busy playing. Going home tomorrow.

August 6, 2010

This morning I finished packing to go camping. Before we left, Tracy went out to cut the grass. While he was moving the wooden platform for the pool, one of the screws pierced his fore arm. We cleaned it up right away and covered it. He went ahead and finished the yard. We left about dinnertime to camp. Arrived in Missouri on the campsite and were set up just before dark. We all were at Tim's campsite enjoying each other company when a conservation officer came and told Tim that he couldn't use his bug zapper because you aren't allowed to kill mosquitos. Because the mosquitos feed the bats. Can you believe that? He agreed and turned it off. After the officer left we all laughed about how rediculous it was.

August 5, 2010

This morning we had yet another doctor's appointment. This one was Trystan's allergist at Cardinal Glennon. My mom came with us. She stayed in the waiting room with Alyssa while Trystan and I were back for her appointment. We won't have the results of her bloodwork until next week sometime. They are just checking on the peanut allergy this time. He said that she may be one of the few kids that actually outgrow a peanut allergy. Over the past three years her levels have decreased on peanuts. This is another praise! After her bloodwork we headed to Highland Pool because Grandma had some free passes to swim. The girls were super excited to go. Alyssa jumed off the diving board almost the entire time we were there and Trystan was going under water! Another milestone. Next step is to get Trystan to swim underwater. Baby steps. It will come with time.

August 4, 2010

This morning Trystan's friend Olivia came over to play for a little while. Not only did they play but they went into the pool and swam for a bit. After lunch we dropped Olivia off and headed for another doctor's visit but for both girls. They had to see the dentist. Got a great report of "no cavities" on both girls! Woot! Woot! It's the "littlest" things that make us happy these days! :)

August 3, 2010

Today we hung out at home. It was just too hot to do anything. The only reason we left the house was to go to physical therapy. On the way there my car said that it was 106 outside! HOT!!! Trystan did pretty well at pt today. She did have one small melt down because she felt that what they were asking her to do was too hard, but soon got over it. :) Came home from pt and the girls swam with daddy. Praising and thanking God everyday for our cancer-free, walking miracle!

August 2, 2010

We went to the zoo today! Alyssa brought Shelbi and Trystan brought Olivia. I think the four girls had a really good time. They got to see a ton of animals and touch the sting rays. It was hot but not quite as hot as I thought it was going to be. The zoo had different areas where they had misting fans and other water type stations to cool off. All in all a really good day!

August 1, 2010

This morning Tracy and I got up, ate breakfast, and headed to church. We were so glad to be able to see the girls. I think they had a good time at Grandma's house! Came home after church and went swimming. Ended the evening by eating dinner at the Huddle House here in Greenville. Another day to be thankful for!

July 31, 2010

Today was the Rieke Family Reunion in Breese at the park. We arrived a little after 12:00. We ate lunch and visited. While we were there, the girls played on the playground equipment. Trystan was able to climb on the equipment and slide down the slide. All by herself! She was so excited to be able to do all of this on her own. They also had swings, one of Trystan's favorite things to do. We were there approximately 3 1/2 hours and she was on the swings about 2-2 1/2 hours! After getting home from the reunion, the girls took their bath/shower and then Grandma Watson came by and picked them up. Alyssa, Trystan, Cade, and Grandma had a sleepover! The girls were so excited to be able to do something special with Grandma. Tracy and I went out to dinner at Outback Steakhouse in Fairview. It was nice to be able to spend time just the two of us. We sure do miss our girls when they're away.