Summer Recap . . . So Far

It's been more than 3 months since my last blog post . . . YIKES! A lot has changed in the last few months. Thought I'd post a quick update for my family and friends.

Most of you know that I left my job with Wichita Public Schools after 10 great years! It was a tough decision to make, but one that was definitely in the best interest of our family. I am now working a couple days a week with Joey at Weber & Associates. We've managed not to kill each other yet:) Actually, I'm loving it and the flexibility it offers me with the girls being so little.

Here are some other things we've been up to . . .

1. Swimming, swimming, and more swimming. We are SO blessed to have neighbors across the street that let us use their pool whenever we want.

2. Trying to stay cool. This may or may not involve ice cream and other sweet treats!


3. A couple of Summer Play Dates for the girls. This is an awesome program at our church! On this particular day, the kids got to go on Pony rides!



4. VBS - Bailey participated and mommy helped in both the kitchen and a 4-year old class.

5. Finished our master bathroom remodel. I need to post before and after pictures, but we'll save that for a later date.

5. Survived an enormous garage sale . . . and I truly mean survived. Garage sales in this part of the country are intense . . . like 100s of people and 1000s of dollars intense. We were happy to get rid of some "treasures" and help grandpa and mom do the same. Wish I had some pictures of all the crap (I mean wonderful stuff) we got rid of.

6. Managed almost 10 days with Daddy out of town. He was home for a couple days in the middle of the stretch, but it felt like he was gone forever!

Looking forward to some down time with the family and much more time by the pool!

Wishing you a safe and Happy 4th of July!

Cammy

One Year Later

One year ago this morning, we were awakened by some terrible news . . . Joey's dad had passed away sometime during the night of a heart attack.

The next few weeks and months were a time of sadness, memories, and busyness as we planned for the memorial service, cleaned out closets and bedrooms, and tried to help Joey's mom move forward one step at a time.

A year later, I still miss Joe so much. Bailey asks about him at least a couple times a month. In December, we lost a whole bunch of her birthday balloons out of the back of the car. As they floated to the sky, Bailey said "That's OK - Papa Joe needs balloons for my party too in heaven." It broke my heart. I doubt that she will remember him much as she gets older, but I am praying she does, no matter how small. Joey and I took the girls shopping for a new mattress for Bailey and for ice cream last night. They were being their normal, silly selves. Joey commented that his dad would be "eating them up" right now at their current stages. Papa Joe used to call Bailey a "regular old magpie" . . . and that surely hasn't changed. She talks and asks questions constantly! Molly's personality is "blossoming." She giggles and laughs and shakes her head yes really fast when she wants to do or eat something. Papa Joe would love it! Even when she was 3 months old, he talked about how he couldn't wait until she was old enough to take her for ice cream. That was his thing.

So, one year later I'll shed many tears, treasure the memories, and continue to pray for my dear husband and his family.

We love you Papa Joe and miss you so much!

Cammy

In the Spirit of Thankfulness . . .

I LOVE this time of year!!!!! Fall . . . .a little quiet before the craziness of the holidays sets in.

God has been teaching me to be more thankful...honest, raw gratitude for the many ways He has blessed me.

My goal is to create a Thankful Thursday list each week this month. Here is Week 1 . . .

This week, I am thankful for . . .

1. Serena Shurtz and Ian Johnson - two freelance photographers who have blessed my heart by taking beautiful pictures of my family. They each did an awesome job of capturing the girls' spirits and personalities. You are both blessed with incredible talent. Thank you! (If anyone wants their contact information, let me know!)

2. My parents. They are awesome. They took care of the girls all of last week while I traveled to California with Joey for his annual sales meeting and a little vacation. They managed all of the schedules and events without missing a beat. I'm sure it wasn't easy. Thank you mom and dad!

3. My husband. He took me to the SPA in Palm Springs for my birthday!!!!!! The frugal me told him I just wanted a manicure and pedicure. But, he pushed me to get a facial and massage too! I will not lie - it was glorious! Thank you Joey for spoiling me.

4. My girls. I never dreamed I would be so in love with the two of them. Molly started walking before our trip. I forgot what a cool thing that is to watch and be a part of. . . how much they learn and change in those first few years is incredible. And Bailey . . . her spirit and zest for life makes me smile. She's keeping me honest, that's for sure. I called daddy a "turkey" yesterday and she replied very sternly "Mommy, we don't say that about people. How would you feel if someone called you a turkey?"

5. Our home. As many of you know . . . we are weekend (and weeknight) warriors with home improvement projects. There's always something . . . but I am so thankful I have a home to come home to every day - not just a house, but a home. . . . even if the master bathroom is still floral and VERY pink:)

I hope you take some time this month to reflect on what you are thankful for. It really helps me keep my pride in check.

More next week. For now, I'll leave you with a few pics of the girls:)

Cammy

Molly is ONE!

I know this is very cliche, but where does the time go?

Molly, you are one today.

One year ago today, I was recovering from your birth. For those that don't know, I got to the hospital a little late and you were in a BIG hurry to get out...in such a big hurry mommy didn't have time for an epidural. Yikes!

Someone asked me the other day if you are a good baby. I replied "yes." Daddy and I were pretty sure we were done having kids when you were born, but you make me want to have two more . . . two more just like you.

At one year . . .

• You love to smile and get other people's attention. Today at Walmart, I think we made at least five new friends. Random strangers who just had to come and talk to you and marvel in your cuteness.
• You save your biggest smiles for Daddy. When you see him, you clap your feet together and get so excited.
  
• You REALLY like to eat. You love milk, meat, and any kind of fruit. You used to love vegetables, but in the last few weeks you've been a little stubborn about eating them. Last night, you threw a green bean in Daddy's face. He wasn't too pleased.
  
• You are an absolutely fabulous sleeper. You've been sleeping through the night (8 hrs or more) since you were about 8 weeks old. This morning you slept until after 9:00 AM! You still really need two naps during the day - about an hour or so in the morning and almost 3 hours in the afternoon.
• You love to be around your big sister. You are constantly watching and learning from her.
  
• You aren't walking yet. You walk around everything, stand by yourself, and walk with help, but whenever we let go, you just sit down and crawl.
  
• You love to play with balls, Little People, and puzzles. You can already throw the ball - you really amazed your Aunt Beth last week with this skill!
  
• You have grown very attached to your paci. So attached, I usually find you sleeping with one in your mouth and at least one more in your hand.
  
• When I came in your room this morning and sang Happy Birthday to you, you just giggled and laughed for about 3 minutes - it made me a little self-conscious about my singing!
  

I love you Molly Sue! We can't wait to see what year number two has in store for you!

Mommy

Do-Overs, Diagnosis, and Darn Good Pictures . . .

Warning: If you want to see the darling pics of Miss Molly, you'll have to scroll through the following mess first:)

Yesterday I posted on Facebook:

"Wishing I could have a 'do-over' today with a different outcome:("

Have you ever had a day like that? Yesterday was it for me. I normally wouldn't share this on a blog, but here's what's going on.

Yesterday morning around 10:00, I got a bit of a surprising phone call at work from my doctor's office (after a routine physical on Wednesday of last week)

The nurse said "Dr. G got your blood work back and you have been diagnosed with pronounced hypothyroidism."

Huh? What did she say? I was pre-med at Friends so I knew exactly what she said and what it meant, but was so shocked to hear it, for a moment I didn't think she was talking to me.

For my non-science-geek friends out there, my thyroid is not producing enough hormone - not near enough. It's a feedback loop that's a little tricky to explain, but think of it this way (way over-simplified, but trying to make a point): There is one hormone (TSH - thyroid stimulating hormone) that your body produces to tell your thyroid to produce another homone (T3). If your body doesn't make enough T3, it produces more TSH to tell your body to "step it up" and make more. The higher your TSH, the worse the problem. Basically my thyroid isn't listening at all to the TSH and making enough T3, so my body is making more TSH, but my body still isn't listening.

To give you a point of reference, a normal range of TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) is 0.5-2.5 and mine measured at a 60!!. This basically means that my thyroid is being super stimulated to produce the necessary hormones and it's not producing what it needs.

I was surprised and completely freaked out to say the least. My MIL (a nurse) sent me a paper that listed the symptoms of hypothyroidism: feeling cold all the time, dry, itchy skin, paleness, weight gain, constipation, loss of energy, exhaustion, hair loss, muscle aches, blurred vision, sleepiness, mood swings, puffy skin around the eyes.

Really didn't have any symptoms beyond the fact I've been having a horrible time losing the last 5-8 pregnancy pounds even with running almost 15 miles a week. In all honesty, I thought I was just getting old and my metabolism was slowing and I tended to hang on to a little weight with Bailey until I stopped nursing. But, my doctor even told me on Wednesday that my weight is well within a healthy range for my height.

Have had about 24 hours now to let it all sink in and am feeling a little better about it today. I was written a prescription for thyroid hormone replacement and started taking it this morning - probably will have to take it the rest of my life. Will go in 6 weeks to have bloodwork done again, levels adjusted if necessary, and then may be referred to a good endocrinologist if needed.

Questions abound . . . How did this happen? Does it always come on suddenly like this? I had the same physical last year and nothing. I've heard horror stories about people gaining 100+ pounds with this condition and taking years to regulate their medication. Apparently, it is not all that uncommon and can definitely happen all of a sudden, especially after pregnancy.

Absolutely hate the thought of being on medication the rest of my life, but the other end of the spectrum could be worse. Your body depends so much on thyroid hormone for nearly everything - from metabolism to healthy hair, teeth, and nails, to mental state and memory.

Unexpectedly, someone here at my new job put it into a little better perspective to me today (her husband has the same issue). . . it's not really medication, it's a synthetic hormone supplement - if I was anemic, I would take an iron supplement right? This helped calm me down a bit.

So anyway, that's the story of my last 24 hours. Yes, it could be worse. No, I'm not dying. Yes, I wish I could "do-over" yesterday and not get that phone call.

On a completely separate note . . . Got some preview collages back of Molly's first year pictures that we had taken on Saturday. To say they are "darn good" in my opinion would be a huge understatement. I LOVE THEM! Isn't she beautiful, even if her mommy is a diagnosed, do-over desiring mess! I sure think so.

Cammy

September Craziness

September at the Todd house tiptoed in, but this week is looking more like a freight train!
A brief look at our crazy week . . .

Tuesday - Mommy works (busy inservice day for USD 259), Bailey at WEE Care, Molly has to be picked up early from daycare due to provider's daughter's tennis match, Bailey birthday party for a friend at 5:00, Cammy's first night of BLT (Tuesday evening Bible Study).

Wednesday - Mommy works, Bailey at WEE Care, Bailey meet your teacher at Kids Day Inn (10:45 - noon - who sets these times anyway?), Dr. Appointment, Bailey's first night of Awana

Thursday - Bailey's first day of Kids Day Inn, Molly 1-year pictures, Clean, Clean, Clean, and Home Team

Friday - Clean, clean, clean to host Bunco at our house!

Yikes! Not sure I'm ready for this crazy schedue, but ready or not, here it comes! So thankful that Joey's job is flexible enough to allow him to pick up Molly today and take Bailey to "Meet Your Teacher" tomorrow.

On another note, Bailey fed horses at her Aunt and Uncle's house for the first time over the weekend. It was fun making this memory with her. A few pictures . . .

The Loot . . .

All Ready

Learning to hold my hand flat.

Bailey loved it so much, she begged me to climb the tree to get more apples!

On the way to WEE Care this morning, Bailey said some funny things. It's crazy how their little minds work . . . amazing actually that they are constantly thinking and learning.

"Mom, why isn't the sun awake yet? (it was cloudy) There's a seven on my clock and it's supposed to be awake. I better bring my sun dudes (sunglasses) to Miss Leslie's just in case it decides to wake up."

"Hey mom, I just thought of something. Mud and blood rhyme." Yes, Bailey, they do. Not sure that would be most kids' first thoughts for rhyming words, but you are right.

It's things like this that help me survive the craziness.

Have a great week everyone!!

Cammy

A few pics . . . and thoughts

I know I promised pics last week, so here are a few from this summer's adventures . . .

Bailey's First Experience with VBS

Some Fun Outdoor Pics of Molly
(I love all of her expressions!)

Fun Day at the Zoo

I got a little sappy today. I was driving to a school for a training and turned on the radio. Here is what was playing ("Blink" by Revive)

Teach me to number my days
And count every moment before it slips away
Taking all the colors before they fade to gray
I don't want to miss even just a second more of this

It happens in a blink
It happens in a flash
It happens in the time it takes to look back
I try to hold on tight, but there's no stopping time
What is it I've done with my life
It happens in a blink (x4)

Slow down, slow down
Before today becomes our yesterday
Slow down, slow down
Before you turn around and it's too late

It happens in a blink
it happens in a flash
it happens in the time it takes to look back
I try to hold on tight but there's no stopping time
What is it I've done with my life
It happens in a blink

My girls are growing up before my eyes. Molly is going to be ONE in less than a month. There is not an ounce of toddler left in Bailey. She has become a little girl.

The summer flew by. It's going to be September in less than 36 hours.

God is teaching me a lot these days . . .

...I need to slow down
...The necessity of "no"
...That gratitude is a powerful emotion.

I thank God everyday for my beautiful family and that God has entrusted Joey and I with the care of those precious girls. For a husband who works hard everyday for us, but is never too tired for hugs and "smooches." For the opportunity to be home with my girls several days a week.

What are you thankful for today?

Cammy