My Granny

I would like to ask each person reading this to please stop and say a prayer for my granny...

Granny Hahn at Christmas 2011

Granny Hahn with great grandkids Southern, Caleb, Cameron, and Remington at Christmas 2011

me and my granny, circa late-1980's

She has had an ordeal these past few years. She has had multiple surgeries on her hip/leg after breaking it in mid-2000's. She actually put off one surgery by a couple months so that she could walk at my wedding. At least one of the surgeries was botched, and her healing hasn't been complete. Most recently, she has been having to deal with poor blood circulation and sores on her legs. At Christmas this past year, she was able to walk around but had to wear plastic bags on her feet because of the draining.

To add to matters, my grandfather, her husband, was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2006. He was given a few months to live. Now, 6 years later, he is still hanging on. We thank God for that. But it has put a strain on my granny taking care of him. He's not an easy patient.

On Thursday, Feb 2nd, my granny told my dad that she wasn't feeling well. She wanted to call the doctor in the morning. Then late that night, around 11pm, she called my dad to tell him to come get her and take her to the emergency room. She was feeling that bad. Well, when he got there, she was too weak to get out of bed. They called an ambulance to come get her. She was in the Yoakum hospital for a few days before they figured out what was wrong with her. We went to see her that Saturday. She was smiling and joking while talking to us. She kept telling us she would get better. Her speech was slurred due to the medication, but she seemed to be doing alright. At that point, they thought maybe she had a blood infection. Turns out it was staph.

They decided she needed 30 days of IV antibiotics and that she would be moved to Warm Springs in Victoria as soon as a bed opened up. After another day or so of waiting, they decided that they would just move her to Warm Springs in Luling since there was room there. Meanwhile, during all of this, my grandfather had to be moved to a nursing home. He has a problem with loose bowels and can't really walk so he couldn't stay home alone.

We went to see him that Saturday as well. We also saw him again yesterday. He's doing as well as can be expected. He was really happy to see us and would ask if we knew anything of Granny's condition each time. He's worried about her.

Unfortunately, Granny's condition is REALLY bad right now, hence the prayer request. She is confused and scared. She's refusing her medication. She's resisting the nurses changing the wraps on her legs. She calls my dad to report all the crazy things she thinks are going on. She asks him to come get her and take her home. She's not getting the treatment she needs. The doctors, nurses, and my dad are at a loss as to what to do now.

I want so badly to help her, but I don't know what I can do. I can't take her home... I want to visit her, but that might just make things worse. Plus, she's highly contagious. I'm not worried about myself as much, but I don't want to risk passing anything on to the kids. I'm just sick about it all. My poor Granny.

A Couple of Fish

Then...

Southern with Aunt Carly on his first birthday in March 2010

and now...

Aunt Carly and Southern (almost 3 years old) in Jan 2012



Dentist Visit #2

It's that time again... almost one whole year since Southern had been to the dentist.

There's a bit of a story to this visit. It started back in December when one of Southern's great grandmothers asked us what she could get Southern for Christmas. This was about 2 weeks before Christmas, and we had already given all of our good ideas to other people. And, if any of you have seen our house lately, you know we don't need any more toys!

So I brainstormed and came up with a great idea (or so I thought). I found a really cool Yo Gabba Gabba toothbrush online that plays a song from the show while you brush. I suggested she get him that along with a dentist appointment. That way he has something fun to open at Christmas and it's a way for him to have an annual check-up at the dentist's office. It was around $70 for his first and only visit last year, and we just don't have that kind of extra money right now. Plus, he likes going to the dentist! But even after I explained all this, she said no. She wanted to get him a toy.

Soooo... him going to the dentist was just up in the air this year until I saw a post on Facebook last week about a free check-up!! A local dentist was offering free dental exams to uninsured children under 12 during the month of February. A prayer answered! I called right away and got appointments for both Southern and Remington.

in the waiting room

 Southern was excited. He had been to the dentist's before and had a great time. I explained to him that this wasn't our usual dentist, but he would probably do the same type of things during the visit. They had Rio playing in the waiting room, so Southern was happy. Remington was happy looking around and gnawing on the chair's armrests.

ready to see the dentist :)

 This waiting room didn't have a kid's toy section so it made the wait seem a little longer (it was about 15 mins which wasn't bad but was longer than at our normal place). Between the movie and a magazine that Southern picked out, we were fine. They called us back and put Southern in the chair. Remington and I sat beside him to wait for the dentist.

with his balloon and a Sports Illustrated from the waiting room

 The kids were each given ballons - the highlight of the visit!

Remington loved his balloon too - his first one!

 We waited here a little longer, and then we got to see the dentist! He looked in Southern's mouth and asked if he brushed his teeth. Southern told him, "no, Mama". He felt around a bit and used a mirror to look in the back. Then he said it was Remington's turn. I sat down with Remington on my lap. The dentist changed gloves, looked in his mouth as well, and said we were done! He said everything looked good. And that was it. We were given a goodie bag for each kid with a toothbrush, toothpaste, sticker, and coloring book. And as we were walking out, the lady made small talk. One of the things she said was to make sure to get Remington off of his bottle soon. Umm... I told her he'd never had a bottle. She blinked at me and then said "oh, good". By that time we had gotten back to the waiting room so she said bye.

such a good patient!

All in all, I'm so glad that we went. It was worth it. But I also am reminded of that old saying, you get what you pay for. At our regular dentist, she asked us many questions and filled out a form on Southern (was he drinking juice, did he use a sippy cup, etc.). She spent more time looking in his mouth and took x-rays. She also brushed his teeth for him and talked to me about tooth care in children. But, it was free... ;)

Remington / Mommy at 6 months

Remington at 6 months old



Lindsey at 6 months old


Do we look alike?

Baby Grandad

We've been going through old photos at grandparents' houses and scanning them. We've been finding some priceless ones! So far, we've only done a couple hours worth and need to do much more!! But between the kids and Dustin's crazy work schedule, we can only do them a little bit at a time.

I thought I'd share these two of Grandad (my dad) when he was Southern's and Remington's ages.

My aunt Debi and dad (he's 8 months here) in 1960

My dad (at 3 years old) in 1962

Walking

Remington is showing signs of walking soon!!

He will pull up, stand at the coffee table, and look around at the toys/books on top. Then if he sees something he likes at the other end, he'll hold on while crab-walking to the side. He can go the whole length of the table!

He also is starting to stand unassisted for a few seconds. He'll be standing up holding on to something and will then let go. He stays standing for a little while and then drops down on his booty.

And last night, he pulled up on the back of his Jeep walker. He grabbed onto it and just started walking forward, pushing it all the way across the kitchen. What a big boy!

Super cute shirts

These shirts, made by Simply Adorable in New Braunfels, are super cute!!

http://brandycwebb.blogspot.com/

And they're having a give-away. I would love to win one for Remington's first birthday...