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Home Sweet Home

Where oh where do I begin?

Sooooo much has happened in such a short amount of time. Scott went back in to the hospital for testing overnight last week, and his heart is healing. :)

Ella created these lovely towers for her dad when he went in for the long 2 week stay, and saved them for him when he returned. They sat for the entire 2 weeks untouched which was a miracle in its self. :) Daddy loved them!

Ella is now 95% potty trained. Only wearing a pull up at night. She also converted into a toddler bed, AND got her ears pierced today! She told me that she is all grown up now. Oh Lord help us all!!! (I love EVERY minute of it!)

Ella and I went to the mall today, had lunch, got her ears did and bought lots of girly stuff for her and M.E. Fun times! I told her that we would be doing these kinds of things for the next 60 years and having a ball. This is just the beginning. :)

We went to Newport on the Levee and saw some sharks one afternoon. It was a nice day.

We also got a new roof, gutters, windows, siding, and a backdoor. Yay!! We officially have a maintenance free exterior. Hip hip hurray!!

Home at last

This saga began on Monday morning the 15th of Febuary, 2010.

I called to check in with Scott after my 4:30-9:30 am shift at the Y before I got in a quick work out. Spoke with Scott and everything was fine. I told him I would run and grab a couple of things from the store on my way home and call to see if they needed anything else.

I called his cell 2x's and he did not answer which is not like him. I then called the house and Barbara answered but Scott did not come to the phone. I called the house again and asked what was wrong. Scott got on the phone and calmly told me to come home he needed to go to the ER right away. We were having a snow storm and the roads were not very good, but I got home as quickly as I could.

Scott told me that he had a dull ache in the center of his chest all night long, but did not think much of it, just that maybe he had slept wrong. Until he got up and was getting the girls and our guests breckfast. His hands and feet went numb, he got nauseated, lightheaded and faint. So he went to lay down.

I took him to Norton Suburban ER. The hospital where both of our girls were born. They gave him an EKG which prompted the hospitalist to contact a cardiologist. The cardiologist immediately started freaking out demanding Scott's prior medical records. I was going on 3 hours of sleep, and was getting a bit wigged out by the way the cardiologist was ranting and raving. I fumbled for Scott's phone which had all of the numbers of LPTS and people who had access to his files. I could not find his phone, but had a collegue of Scott's, Amy, in my phone, so I called her to see if she could help me. The seminary was closed for snow, and we were not going to get these medical records in any sort of quick order. The cardiologist was pacing and nervous at the nurses station talking to the hospitalist and he said that Scott was having an Acute Massive Heart Attack. I was like, look, I can't get you these records do what ever it is you need to do to save Scott's life. The next thing I know, he is being loaded onto a stretcher taken by ambulance to Norton Audobon Hospital for a heart cath.

The heart cath came back clear. No massive heart attack. So whatever was going on had nothing to do with his heart. Or so they said.

Scott was on his back for the alloted 4-6 hours after the procedure and when it was ok to get up and use the restroom, the artery opened up and he bled. ALOT! He just stood there and looked at it. The nurse got him on his back ASAP and he then had to stay in bed another 6 hours with out moving.

The next day, (Tuesday the 16th) a dr. came in for 3 seconds and told Scott he was free to do. End of story.

The day after that, (Wednesday the 17th) we went to a follow up with the cardiologist who again reiterated that his heart was fine, see another type of dr. if you want to try and see what was wrong. Both Scott and I left that appt. feeling frustrated because he still had the same symptoms!

Our house guests came back on Saturday the 20th and left on Sunday the 21st. On Monday the 22nd Scott insisted on teaching his evening class even though he was visibly sick. Tuesday the 23rd, again he insisted on going to work, I was very concerned and with out telling him first I called the Dean and a collegue of Scott's to let them know, that Scott was really sick and not paying attention to it. By that night he has cold chills and a high fever. I made him cancel his appts. for Wed the 24th and he stayed in bed all day. I had been bugging him all week to call a pulmonaologist. He hadn't. On Thursday the 25th, I called him after work before I worked out as usual and he could barely talk. He insisted I go work out, and I begged him to see a Dr. he said he was fine, go work out and just bring him home some cough syrup.

I came home ASAP with out the cough syrup. I called a urgent care center on my way home and they said get him to the ER ASAP.

Scott was in the den (he is never in the den) barely breathing and exhausted. I quickly packed a bag got the girls in the van and dropped him off at Suburban ER. I could not stay as I did not have a plan for the girls.

By 7pm, I had a neighbor come and spend the night with the girls. I headed up to the hospital, he was STILL in the ER alone and struggeling to breathe. The Dean luckily had came to stay with him or he would not have gotten anything to eat.

This was Thursday the 25th, the rest is really a blur. He had surgery for pericardial effusion on Monday, March 1st. The neighbors and a friend from the Y helped to care for the girls. Sometime even spending the night. Scott's best friends Steve and Dale both came in at different times to stay with me and were a great help/comfort in this very trying time

.

The girls behavior during this crisis was EXCELLENT.

Maya had no idea what was going on and went with the flow quite well. Ella on the other hand had her breaking point and was just flat out depressed. On top of all of this Maya was the first to run high fevers and go on antibiotics, then Ella spiked one with a terribly painful double ear infection.

Scott was released from the hospital on Friday night the 5th of March. He got home and settled by around 9:30 pm.

Ella was up sick every couple of hours, ( I told Scott welcome home, just like in the hospital, no sleep) It took Ella a couple of days to really warm back up to her dad.

We saw the surgeon on Tuesday the 9th to remove his stitches and the assistant made it very clear to Scott how serious this was and always will be. If he so much as gets a sniffle he is to high tail it to the cardiologist. For the rest of his life. This could re occur and if caught early enough may be able to be treated with steriods. If left untreated could cause irreversible heart damage and he could have to have a heart transplant. All of this from an air borne virus that anyone could have caught. Our family all caught it in different degrees. Scott just got hit the worst.

Ella is still having some behavior issues, that I feel are related to her being mad at Scott for being gone for so long and not understanding why.

Today was a good day.

An excerpt from a letter to Syd

The surgery went well. They drained 300 cc's of fluid from his heart and continue to have a tube in draining. An additional 200 cc's came out yesterday.

They believe that it is a virus that has attacked his heart. We will know for certain when the labs come back.

His heart is quite inflamed and has been in A-Fib a bit here and there. They are regulating his rhythms with many meds.

The heart is one issue, then there is his asthma. From all of the fluid in his heart and lungs he has not been able to breathe. A normal persons lung cap is around 80-100%, an astmatics 40-80%, Scott's during all of this 30%.

In addition to Scott the girls are ill as well. Fevers of 103, Maya is on antibiotics and is on the up hill swing, her fever is down and she is healing, she is too young to really get what is going on, so she is pretty much herself.

Ella is currently 103 fever, and miserable, I just gave her more motrin, stripped her down, and have her sleeping soundly beside me.

She is grieving the absence of her father. Up until yesterday, I have been telling the kids that daddy was at work. She has been asking questions about where daddy was daily, but I was able to keep it light and redirect. Yesterday she met her breaking point, frantically grabbing me sobbing from the heart asking when she would see her daddy again. Calmed her and then later in her high chair she sat expressionless, stoic, with tears just streaming from her eyes.

I decided to tell her that daddy was sick and he was at the hospital getting all better. Seemed to have helped we could then refocus on all of the fun things we could do to make daddy feel better.

Our neighbors have been great with caring for the girls, and a lady at the y. I have had to have them spend the night a few times, and scotts best friends, Dale/Boston and Steve/Chicago have both been in. Dale is currently staying with me, and will be here thru Thursday, he will stay if Scott stays in this condition. (He is in TCU)

The seminary has been great we have already been given some $. I have been and will be off work for about a month and with the loss of my income and the medical bills, well lets just say they are going to be a couple of bucks.

Oh and if this all isn't enough, I was in the guest room changing the sheets for the next round of help coming in and I was getting wet from a leak in the roof. LOL. We knew we needed to replace the roof from some storm damage some time ago, but we put it off as 10K is not just laying around. Well, I have a roofer coming today to put a new roof on the house, and have not told Scott about any of it. When he gets home he will have a nice new roof over his head. I just had to laugh, because literally the roof was caving in around me.

There was a day when, I was just pissed at God, I was like, "Is this a joke?? I am 37 years old and our 6th wedding anniversary is the 27th of this month, my life is just getting good! How dare you mess with this now or ever?!" My husband and 2 children are ill, my roof is falling apart and I am alone and sick as well. But I can tell you first hand that the power of prayer is not only real it is palpable.

Yesterday I felt so strong and secure I felt as if I could conquer the world and heal Scott myself and carry him home on my back. God is good, I am blessed with great friends and family, and it is in a time of crisis where you really get to know yourself and what you are made of. I always knew I was tough and strong, and lets just say that I will never doubt myself again, cause I am doing it and doing it well with His Grace. This all started on the 15th of Feb, today is the 3rd of March. It has been a long time, and I just pray and wait for our lives to get back to the way they once were (perfect to us) only better!

5 under 5

And the ROCKSTAR mother of the year award goes to.......... BARBARA ANDREWS!!! (yeah, crowd goes wild)

On Valentines day the Williamson family welcomed Aunt Barbara, Lucas (5), Mia (4), and Jonas (20 mo.) to our home. They were traveling from their home in Boston to visit Nashville and made a stop to see us on the way.

Little did anyone know when they arrived at 8pm Sunday evening that their presence would not only be a lovely visit and a chance for the kids to get aquainted but it would also become a God send.

I left the house the next morning at 4:15 am as usual for work, and by 11 am Scott and I found ourselves in Suburban hospital ER with what the Dr.'s thought was a Massive Heart Attack.

Thank goodness Barb was there to save the day. She cared for all 5 children for 2 days and one night single handedly. I don't know what I would have done with out her calming reassurance and care for our girls and home.

Thank you so very much Aunt Barb!! xoxoxo

Makeup 101

So, tonight is date night and Scott & I have tickets to go see Lisa Williams @ the Browne Theatre.

Cevelle from next door is coming over to sit with the girls. I gave the girls baths and let Ella hang out for a while and play in the tub while I did my hair and put on my makeup in the bathroom. Something neither of the girls have really ever seen, given I rarely do anything with myself anymore and when I do, it is generally when they are not around.

Maya wanders in and looks at me as if she is startled and Ella exclaims, "Mommy! Why are you drawing all over your face with that pen!? We aren't supposed to write on ourselves mommy!"

Ahhh...The cosmetologist in me must rise from the ashes. I can not raise girls who don't know what makeup is for goodness sakes. :) LOL

Basketball & Bicycles

Ella Grace has gotten her first bicycle! She went with Mommy to Dick's Sporting Goods Store to purchase her first basketball, and in the process she happened to run across a nifty 12 in Princesss bike on the display floor and she started zipping all over the store as if she had been riding for years. It was the first time she had ever even been on a bike. :)

We had actually gotten her a bike for her 3rd birthday, that we purchased on line, and when it came it was in many small pieces. After toiling over and over, needless to say it went back to the store and Daddy and I figured we would wait until spring rolled around and it was warmer so she could actually ride it once she got it. Unfortunately Ella has only ridden this bike a couple of times because it has been too cold and sometimes snowy. The good thing about small children is that "out of sight, out of mind" so she doesn't mention it too often.

Basketball with a group of 3 year olds is a hoot. Ella is the only girl and the youngest on her team. Most are about to turn 4. She was into the idea of basketball and has enjoyed tossing a ball around, but the first game was on the 24th and she could not have cared less. She spent more time playing off with other kids, picking her nose, rolling around the floor, anything but playing the game. But, most of the kids were the same way. 3 is pretty young to try and get into the game.

After nap the girls are getting a new 'freedom'. They get to watch a movie in mommy and daddy's room and play throughout the house. They have pretty much been contained to the playroom up until this point. So far it has been going pretty well. Today was the first real thing that made me a bit bummed about them not being 'contained'. Maya managed to get my brand new glasses that I just paid $200 for and broke them. I don't think they can be repaired either. Oh well, it's just $$ right? I only got them last week too. :( But hey she's just a baby and that's my me-me. Can't stay mad at her or Ella for too long. They are just way too adorable. Plus it's my fault anyway. Should have had them where she could not have reached them.

I turned 37 last Saturday and the girls and daddy baked me a chocolate cake. They (esp. Ella) were so excited about it. Gave me an angel as well. :)