Part 4

Time to get down to business!

Sher and Joy had to leave on Wednesday morning to get back home.
So, my sister, Lisa stayed with my girls at the hotel for 2 nights.  We decided while I was in the hospital, that the girls would probably be more comfortable and would be more at ease in their own beds, with all of their toys.  So, on Friday, Lisa took them back to our house and stayed with them until Sunday when my friend, Christina took them to church and stayed in our home with our girls, for the week. 
Am I blessed with some amazing people in my life, or what!?  How many people, sister or not, would drop their work, husbands and kids to go take care of someone else's family?  I don't know many...Well, I know of a few, for sure.  So, from then on out the girls pretty much stayed in the same place {except for the occasional night spent at Christina's house} while Lisa and Christina swapped places. 

Chemo started on a Thursday and it was 7 days, all day.  I didn't have a break, except for the 5 minutes while the nurses changed my poison bags out.  They gave me some fantastic pre-meds, so I only experienced a little nausea.  But, I was really weak and worn out. ALL.the.TIME.
I was also on an antibiotic drip.
This may be TMI for some people, but the story is too funny not to share.  I had a little abscess on my thigh, I informed my nurses about 3 days into my chemo, because I am just that observant. Not really.
So my doctors came in and looked at it.  Yes, I said, Doctors.  Begin Rabbit Trail:  Being at a hospital on a college campus, obviously it is going to be a TEACHING school.  So, they have doctors at every stage: student, intern, resident, fellow and attending.  All those people came in first thing in the morning.  It was like the 1st season of Grey's Anatomy. end rabbit trail 
So, they came in to look at it.  They said I would need to get an ultrasound on it, so THAT professional came in to look at it and then they wheeled me down to get a ultrasound.
After that, it seemed like every 5 minutes someone was coming in asking to take a look at it.
"Excuse me, Mrs. Elwart, I heard about your abscess.  Can I take a look at it!?" As they snap the blue, latex-free gloves on.
"Sure! Why not!  You are lucky number 17!! "
Jackie and I joked one time, it was going to be the person that delivers the food, to ask to see the abscess.  It was getting a little ridiculous.  But, really funny. We also contemplated charging a fee.
I doubt it would have worked, but it would have been worth a shot.
At least we had a little entertainment.

My week on chemo was filled with walking the unit, hospital professionals: ranging from nurses to therapists, taking meds, family and friends!

The SC Elwarts : Scott, Lauren, Ryan and Susan

{it'sthe only group picture I took of them, and I didn't tell them I was taking it! }

Plus, I am pretty sure they were trying to get celebs tweet them back for me! haha

So, it's okay.

 

My Grandma and Aunt Lori

 

The Hamtramck GIRL Elwarts: Liz, Sabrina, Abigail and Isabelle

{Jason and Zach were there, too}

 

My sister, Lisa.

I had a few more visitors, but I didn't get pictures of everyone

The Elwart family {both "locations"} were very kind in bringing me crafty things to do and pictures to decorate my room with!!  Also, a zebra blanket and some socks and slippers.  It felt like Christmas!  I was being spoiled.  I am not complaining one bit!

Liz hung up yarn in front of the window {picture above..} so I could hang all the cards I was blessed with! 
I can't remember who brought the clothespins, but, I used mod podge and scrapbook paper to decorate them with :

It made the room a little more festive and less like a hospital room.  Everyone loved it! I even had two nurses come in that were not MY nurses, just to see what all the other nurses were talking about!


I knew the girls were in good hands with Lisa and Christina, respectively, but, I knew they missed us.  So, I thought it would be good for Jackie, the girls AND me if he went home for the weekend to be with them. He didn't want to leave me, especially since I was getting off chemo that weekend.  I talked him into it, but he didn't want to leave me alone, so we asked Lisa if she could stay with me instead of the girls for the weekend.  Thursday, Lisa brought the girls up for a visit {and to bring the vehicle for Jackie to get back home}  They stayed about an hour or so, when the girls started getting cranky, they left.

We named my IV machine : Pablo

 

 

Thursday, I was taken off of chemotherapy.

 

 

 I still had to take antibiotics, so Pablo and I were still attached 2 times a day for 2 hours at a time. But, I was FREE for most of the day!!

Part II

I am going to do my best to finish part 2 for y'all. But, there are a lot of gaps for me because I was out of it a lot during this time.  Most of my information is secondhand.


So, after the doctor's dropped a bomb on my lap, they told me I was to get over to Dr. #2's office right away to have an emergency bone marrow biopsy.  I was scared.  I was tired.  I didn't feel good.  I still don't think I knew what was going on. 
The nurse came in and said that my husband was back. {that's coming in a bit} When Jackie came in, I was still dazed, partially from being sick and partially because I was still in shock.  I told him Dr.'s #1 & #2 thought I had leukemia.  I started crying and Jackie said to me something comforting but for the life of us, neither can remember what it was.
Dr. #1 came back in the room and explained it all a little more thoroughly to Jackie. He then told him to take me across the street to Dr. #2's office to have the biopsy. After that he was to take me to the hospital to be admitted immediately.
When we got there, he wheeled me straight to the back and the nurses prepped me for the procedure.
Dr. #2 came in and said because of how quickly he had to perform the biopsy, that he could only give me a local anesthetic.  Hence the name EMERGENCY biopsy.

Let me give you one piece of advice, if someone is standing on the street, or anywhere for that matter, and offering FREE EMERGENCY bone marrow biopsies, RUN AWAY!!! 
I am not trying to discourage anyone from donating bone marrow, by all means, no! But, I am trying to save you the pain of having a bone marrow biopsy with only a local anesthetic.  Ask for lots and lots of morphine and you'll be fine! I promise! Trust me.  At the time of writing this post, I have had 3 total. I am now an expert :-)

Continuing on:

I will spare you the details of the screaming and crying during the biopsy in Dr. #2's office. Oops, too late.
After the biopsy was finished, I had to lay flat on my back for about 10 minutes to make sure the bleeding stopped.  When that was all done, Dr. #2 sent us to the hospital to get checked in.  They wheeled me into my room and got everything set up. i.e. my hospital gown, my IV, etc.

Deuteronomy 31:6

Now, is when I will switch gears and start another story:  Sadie. This starts back kind of at the beginning of my story as well.

All of the girls had been sick, as I mentioned in part 1.  Charlotte and Audrey, both, had been feeling 100% for a few days.  Sadie had escaped a lot of the illnesses until much closer to when I went to the doctor.  She woke up from her nap on Monday, screaming her head off.  So, I ran upstairs.  It was the fastest I had moved in days. {but this part isn't about me }  When I got to her, she was sitting up in her bed, there was vomit on the floor beside her, and all over her sheet.  She had her back to me, still screaming, when I went to pick her up, I saw all the vomit in her hair, on her shirt and pants, stuck to the poor girl's face and arms.  I felt terrible for her.  I wished I had checked on her sooner.  It looked like she had been sleeping in it for a while. 
I put her in the bathtub, she was still screaming.  I tried my best to calm her down.  But, this was the first time she had ever thrown up and she was still half asleep. And, ontop of that, I was spraying her with water, trying to get it all off.
I wrapped her in a towel and took her downstairs to sit with me for a little bit. I figured the throw up on the floor and bed could wait. Charlotte & Audrey were awake now, they came downstairs to join us in watching something on tv.



Everyday, Sadie seemed to be fine and then, she would throw up. I think it was the day before I went to the doctor {that Tuesday} she threw up 6 times. We knew it was pretty bad, but we thought it was just a bug and we were trying to wait it out. [big mistake, we know that now.} Wednesday came.  She didn't throw up once.  But, she had a fever and was acting sick, which is not normal for our girls.
 

By the time I had had enough of both of us being sick, I told Jackie to take me to the doctor, he then replied: "Then I will take Sadie to the doctor after you get some meds and come home." I was all for that.  We decided it would be faster for her to go to the ER since she had been throwing up so much and her pediatrician office is in Winterville. 
Jackie checked me into Dr. #1's office and waited out in the waiting room with the girls. Moments later, the nurse came out and told him that I was dehydrated.  They were going to put me on fluids and it was going to be a couple of hours.  So, he took the girls back to the van and went to Bojangles to get the girls some food.  Because they were hungry and we didn't realize then, just how sick I really was.  He drove back to the Dr. #1's parking lot and stayed in the van with them.
Sadie pooped in her diaper and we didn't have any extra diapers in the van, so Jackie drove just down the street to Walgreens to get some.  While they were walking up to the register, Sadie threw up all over Jackie.  While Jackie was trying to clean himself up, his cell phone rang.  It was Dr. #1's office which told him to get back to the office immediately.  That I would need to go to the hospital. So, Jackie rushed out to the van, changed Sadie's diaper and took his shirt off and put his fleece on to wear as a shirt because he obviously didn't have a change of clothes.
When he got back to the office, a nurse offered to stay at the van with the girls so he could go in and be with me.
When we left Dr.#1's office to go to #2's office, Jackie called my friend, C, to see if she could come sit with the girls while he took me there and to the hospital.  Sadie sacked out in her carseat and Charlotte & Audrey were happy eating and watching Tom & Jerry.  Jackie and C worked out a plan that her husband could come and get Charlotte & Audrey, and C would stay in the van with Sadie until Jackie could take her to the ER.
I told Jackie that I wanted him to take Sadie to the ER, not C because she needed her daddy.  I knew she would be scared and Daddy's are good at making their daughters feel better! I don't know what it is with the bond between a Dad and his daughter, but there is certainly something magical about it.
So, he took her to the ER, Pastor met them there and then, while they waited, she threw up again.  So they shuffled her to the back and started checking her out.  They discovered she had RSV and hooked her to an IV.
This part is so hard for me to write because this is my baby we are talking about and all I wanted to do was to be with her.

Sadie in the ER.  Bless her little heart with that pretty smile, even when she was so sick!

They admitted her, she was just down the hall from me.  So close, but I couldn't see her.
There we were.
Sadie in a hospital gown and an IV and just down the hall, me, in a hospital gown with an IV.
Poor Jackie was torn.  He wanted to be with Sadie, but he wanted to be with me.  I told him I was a grown up, I can handle being alone if I have to.  Sadie is in a strange place with strange people and all she knows is that these people keep sticking her and hurting her every time they go into her room.  She needs her daddy. 
Somehow, Jackie found a few minutes to write an e-mail out to his family in MI & SC, and called my family here.
Little did we know after his sisters, Sher & Joy, received the e-mail, they packed up and started the long 14 hour drive down to be with us!


Psalm 46:1-3

And, this, is where the Part 2 train stops. Part 3 will be along soon, I hope!!

Big Sisters

Our girls.

They are THE big sisters.

This morning I woke up to Sadie crying in her crib. But before I could get to her, Audrey got out of her bed and went to Sadie and started singing to her!

"twinkle twinkle little star"! And then she sang "rock-a-bye baby".

This is only one example, though.

They do this A LOT!

Sadie actually stops crying when her sisters sing to her.

It is the sweetest thing I have ever seen.

They love Sadie to pieces (literally sometimes) and they can get Sadie laughing like noone else.

I have a feeling that it won't always be like this. But I have another feeling that tells me sometimes, it just might be like this. What a blessing my 3 girls are. And what a blessing to Sadie to have 2 wonderful big sisters.

7 Months old

Sadie Eloise Elwart

I cannot believe it has been 7 months since the day you were born!
How quickly time flies! 
Let's see what you have been up too:

You have been crawling! 
And the other day, I found you sitting up in your pack-n-play!!

You make the FUNNIEST faces.  I call this one your Popeye:

You love tags.  Wherever you are, you can find one!  In your pack-n-play, the girls' couch, clothes..anywhere!

You have 2 bottom teeth and getting a third!  Because of that, you like to suck and chew on EVERYTHING.  Yesterday, Audrey gave you one of her kitchen food pieces and you loved it so much!  If it had been a real slice of cherry pie...you would have inhaled it!

 Speaking of food: you love to grab at our utensils and our plates.  You just want to eat! 
You had your first taste of meat last week!  Turkey! YUM! 
And, a friend snuck you a hush puppy at dinner one night!!  You couldn't get enough of it! Everything was going fine until you got to the very end and got a piece off that was too big.  I took the hush puppy from you and you started squealing!  Sadie girl, you are just like your momma!  Don't mess with our food!!

Sadie, you are such a doll baby!  Generally you are a very easy going baby.  And flash a smile at anyone who talks to you! I cannot get enough of your sweet baby smell, laugh and smile!

You love attention from your big sisters.  They ADORE you, as well!  {who could blame them, eh!?}

I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always.

As long as I'm living, my baby you'll be!

happy 7 months birthday to sadie!

Life with 3 kids....

has not been what I thought it would be.

And yet has been more perfect than I thought it could ever be.

It's hard.  Not fun at times. And induces moments {or days} of wanting to do nothing but scream, pull my hair out and get in my car and drive off a cliff.

Now if that doesn't make you want to have another baby, I don't know what will.

Wait, yes I do....this:

And this:

Oh and I cannot forget about THIS:

Having three girls is the biggest blessing I have ever recieved in my life.

I thank God everyday for my girls.

I love my girls so much, sometimes I ache.

But they are very time consuming {who would have thought parenting would be!?!?!?!}

And, compared to THESE girls, the blog just comes in last place.  That is why I haven't been up here lately.

I find just enough time to update Facebook and that's about it! 

I am going to try to be better.  And when I get on here, I am going to try to WRITE better.

Maybe 2011 will be the best year yet!

It's official!

Just placed our order for birth announcement cards with Shutterfly!!!

Storybook Setting Birth Announcement

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View the entire collection of cards.

A little pre-occupied!

Welcome to the world, little Sadie!!!

SADIE ELOISE ELWART

Sadie was born at 9:37 am on November 26, 2010
6 lbs 15 oz and 19 in

A Black Friday baby!!

I know with both girls, I gave the play-by-play on the births.
And, perhaps I will with Sadie's as well. 

I love the finished product, what I got out of the delivery, but the delivery itself left much {and by much I mean EVERYTHING} to be desired.  {like an epidural....}
Without getting into NOW, I will say that after Charlotte AND Audrey was born I found myself saying : "I could do that again, no problem" .  After AND during Sadie's I found myself saying "I DO NOT want to do that again"
bahahahahahahaha
No seriously.

But enough about the bad stuff.

Sadie is a dream baby! She is so easy going and just wakes to eat and falls right back asleep.
I couldn't love her anymore if I tried! I get giddy just looking at her.

I didn't know if my heart could handle 2 kids, now I have 3!  And, my heart is bursting with love for each of them!

Sadie Eloise, your sisters ADORE you!
Everytime you cry, Audrey gets this concerned look on her face and comes running to tell me that you are "trying".

Charlotte loves to hold you and helps to soothe you if you are crying!

She loves to rock you and say "shhh" {like a mommy, not an annoyed big sister}

She also strokes your cheek and tells you how sweet you are.

Audrey and Charlotte LOVE to give you "big baby bear hugs" and kisses all the time. 

You are one loved little lady, my Sadie!!!

Within your first few days of life, you surpassed your birthweight like a champ!  By Monday {3 days after you were born} you had grown to 7 lbs 1 oz and 20 inches!!  It was amazing!

You love to eat and I love that I can provide that for you.

It is some of the best times of the day when I just get to hold you and feed you!

Welcome to your family, Sadie!