by Sarah | Nov 7, 2011 | All About Denver, The Teenager
[flickr id=”5888954984″ thumbnail=”small” overlay=”true” size=”small” group=”” align=”left”]For many years when he was little all we ever heard was that he wanted to grow up and work at NASA. Space was the thing. That was it. No questions asked.
Then around fifth grade there was a weird flakiness that popped in and he said he wanted to be a birdwatcher.
A BIRDWATCHER?
Archie & I both cringed and hoped it was one of those things that would pass.
Thankfully it did.
Tonight I learned something new.
He wants to be a doctor.
Not just a doctor.
He wants to work at Riley Hospital.
That’s our hospital. The one we’ve been going to since Angel was a baby. That we’ve seen so many specialists in.
We love Riley Hospital.
Now we know that our kids love it just as much.
Big dreams.
But the kid is brilliant. Being a doctor is something I know he could do.
If he worked at Riley Hospital – nothing would ever make me prouder than to have my son pass on the love and caring to more families. To grow from being a patient at an amazing children’s hospital – to being a doctor at an amazing children’s hospital.
by Sarah | Nov 6, 2011 | All About Denver, All About Kennedy, All About Molly, All of Us
[flickr id=”6270891807″ thumbnail=”small” overlay=”true” size=”small” group=”” align=”left”]Today Angel ran up to me giddy with excitement. “Mommy! Mommy! I lost my tooth!!”
It’s the last of a first. The last child to lose her first tooth (Riley lost hers last year at this time – almost the exact same tooth).
My baby girl is growing up. She’s giving me a new stream of last of the firsts.
She’s still so little. Some days it’s easy to pretend she’s still my baby girl.
But every day I must face a little more that all my baby days are gone. I’ve just got big kids now.
All grown up and growing up faster every day.
A teenager. Two girls in elementary school.
I still don’t know how that happened.
by Sarah | Oct 5, 2011 | All About Denver, All About Erik, All About Family, All About Home, All About Kennedy, All About Marriage, All About Me, All About Molly, All of Us, Crap
[flickr id=”5293689107″ thumbnail=”small” overlay=”true” size=”small” group=”” align=”left”]Cross Country season is drawing to a close. The final (County-wide) meet is in less than a week. Coming up there is nothing but PTO meetings, Parent/Teacher Conferences and life in general.
This also means that the teen will be home before 4PM every day.
I always thought once the girls were both in school I’d go back to work. Nothing so dramatic as full-time day jobs (and definitely NOT banking again ~gag~). I figured I would return to waitressing. With the teen old enough to babysit in short spurts, I’d be able to get a job at a real restaurant with real tips since I could now actually get into work before 6PM. Maybe we could get a (slightly) steadier increased income. Maybe we could leave SSI and its unreliable, and ever decreasing, amounts behind. Become self-sufficient again. Maybe even one day live the dream of giving up Child Support (or actually putting that in savings).
Now that day is here.
Yet we hesitate.
Last year Angel ended up in the hospital for the first time ever. It was five days where our only focus was her and making sure we saw the other two kids. Last year she wasn’t even in school. Only exposed to those hundred of viruses on the periphery.
It could happen again at any time.
We are six weeks into the school year and Angel has already missed five days due to illness. That’s one week out of six. Most of them in the past three weeks.
So now we toss up in the air whether I would even be able to maintain a job or if I’d constantly have to take off for illness or hospital stays or whatever.
I know, we can’t live life hanging by that ‘what if she gets sick’ thread…but it is a fact and a factor in everything. Having to weigh the consequences of not just being away from home several evenings a week – versus the likelihood that I will have to call in at least a couple of times, maybe more.
The thought of working again only scares me peripherally. I actually like the thought of having adult interaction, even if it is only as server to customer. I worked in banking for about eight years. It sort of ripped out my soul and stomped on it and I never wanted to work again after it. But I did, and I found a job at Bob Evans (the only place that would hire me w/ the hours I could work). The tips weren’t horrendous, but they weren’t top of the line. BUT. But…I loved my job. Even when I didn’ t like my new manager, and the employee turnover brought in some people that weren’t my favorites…I loved what I did. It was fun. It was interactive. It made me happy.
There are positives, many of them, to me going back to work…
But there are so many balls up in the air I’m afraid tossing in one more would be too much. Plus, I’d really hate to get a job I love, maybe even start earning enough to lose SSI…only to lose that job because of things well beyond my control.
We can’t live in the what-if’s…
But we can’t ignore them either.
by Sarah | Sep 22, 2011 | All About Denver, Cross Country
[flickr id=”6083043811″ thumbnail=”small” overlay=”true” size=”small” group=”” align=”left”]In the past several weeks, Brandon has gone from being improved over the previous year and turned into a DYNAMO.
In just two weeks he’s gone from a best time of 12:21 for the 1.9 mile race…
To a best time of 11:40!!!
40 seconds improvement.
While watching the race today, several of the female team members were standing near us (near the finish line). As the runners came in, our team was in 1st, 3rd, 5th…and then several more runners started trucking in. As they came into view the girls were saying, “Oh, there’s one of ours. It must be…” And they rattled off another kids name. Once he was in full view they all gasped, “It’s BRANDON!!”
Shocked and thrilled, screaming for him like we were.
He’s now 4th on his team. He’s competing in ALL the meets, where last year he had to sit out because they only let in the top 7 runners.
He’s kicking ass. Competing against himself and winning.
And we couldn’t be more proud.
So expect to keep hearing about it for the next couple of weeks.
(Don’t worry. The season is over by mid- October)
by Sarah | Sep 12, 2011 | All About Denver, Cystic Fibrosis
[flickr id=”5888954984″ thumbnail=”small” overlay=”true” size=”small” group=”” align=”left”]It’s been a couple of weeks since the appointment I didn’t want to go to. Time to process. Time to settle into acceptance.
Oh yeah, and time to be swamped with school stuff.
Just last night I realized I never told you what was determined. What the “Final” conclusion is.
After the weird.
After the tests.
After more questions.
After nothing.
The pulmonologist said that once the test (that new ‘gold standard’ test) was sent to the official lab to be read by the person that is the know-all and be-all of it, he demanded more data. All of Brandon’s records were sent…and the conclusion THAT person came to was…
Brandon has CF. While his test ‘looked’ normal on the surface, a deeper examination plus looking at his medical records the conclusion is CF.
So our final official diagnosis for Brandon is “Atypical Cystic Fibrosis.”
We have our answer.
No more tests.
No more ‘but’.
Maybe one day it will change in the distant future. For now, though…for now we move forward with an answer. With the comfort of the likelihood being that he will not see some of the worst aspects of this disease. That there is a hope that he may never be seriously affected by it.
But there is an answer.
That is so much better than never ending questions.
Plus, the answer took so long in coming that by the time we finally settled into it, Brandon was not a wreck over it. He’d already adjusted to it being a likelihood. He’d done his research and made his peace.
And that is the best part of all.
by Sarah | Aug 26, 2011 | All About Denver, Cross Country, Cystic Fibrosis
[flickr id=”6083043811″ thumbnail=”medium” overlay=”true” size=”small” group=”” align=”left”] I knew he’d do me proud.
That was never in question.
But right out of the gate.
First meet of the season.
He blew me (and everyone that knew him) away.
He paced himself well.
Drafting behind another kid.
Then at the end hauled ass like you wouldn’t believe (see picture).
Pulling in 6th place overall.
4th on his team.
A final time (in the 1.9 mile race)…
Of 12 minutes, 12 seconds!!!!!
That is an entire minute than his best ever time.
His best placing ever.
The kid is a rocket.
And ready to roll the rest of the season.
He made me proud.
Okay, he made me cry – but I didn’t embarrass him by blubbering all over him.
Best.Race.Ever. Until next week 😀
*******
P.S. Can I tell you how hard it is to photograph when you’re screaming your heart out for your kid?
