Twenty years later and I am more grateful than ever....

Many years ago, my parents decided to adopt Regina. When they went to pick her up, she refused to leave my side.  So since no one else was wanting me, I got to go with her.   It took a lot of time for it to become official, but twenty years ago today, we were officially the Sweeney girls.!!!!  Twenty years ago, James and Sheryl decided that they wanted to raise us, love us, and take care of us.  Most parents just get to deal with the kids they get... Momma and Daddy got to pick  and they CHOSE us....  How special is that?  They gave us the life we have now.  Opportunities that we would never have had before were presented to us.  Every year we had a special dinner to commemorate the special day in our family.  Every year we would get phone calls from our grandparents and godparents.  Since we were in college, we haven't had the family dinners, but the phone calls and emails we still got.  This year though, we won't get a call from MawMaw.  We are 12 days away from one whole year without her.  I wish we could have had the dinner in this special year, but we can't do that seeing as though I am an hour and a half away.  Family has always been a special thing to me because of this day.  Because of someone saying they actually wanted us.  People who are born into a family don't have to ask for love.  They are blessed to have it from the beginning.  Regina and I were lucky, we were CHOSEN to be loved.  I know the rest of the family didn't always seem like they loved us.  Sometimes we felt like outsiders in the beginning.  Sometimes still I feel like an outsider.  But I know they love us.  We were given a special gift.  We were taken out of a horrid situation and put into one that was easily a billion times better.   We were abused in many ways.  Food/ mealtimes weren't fun.  food wasn't always around.  We were forced to eat whatever was on our plate.  If it fell on the floor, we had to eat it.  Bugs were everywhere.  The house was a mess.  Things were so bad, I have a mental block on things.  We were forced to beg for money (Momma and Daddy found this out by how we acted when we went in a mall with them.  We begged people for food and money)  We knew all the hiding places in the mall as well.  But that ended fast.  We didn't need to do all that!  We had good parents.  But that time I think still impacts our lives.  I think that the fear of not being loved sometimes still reveals itself.  But we won't go into that today... for today is a happy day.  Today is the 20th FAMILY DAY.  So, now that we are both married and have families of our own now, Family day takes on a new meaning.  We wouldn't have our family and kids if it weren't for James and Sheryl.  We now have more than just Momma and Daddy's family, we now have our own kids and our inlaws to share family day with....

SO::

HAPPY FAMILY DAY TO ALL MY FAMILY!!!  I LOVE YOU ALL!

~LIZ

Now that I have some time.....

The drama of the week: 
Monday, we go to the doctor's for pre op stuff...   Chest xrays at Danna's office, Labwork at Lab Corp.  Xrays weren't fun.  DJ didn't like the big machine that Mama couldn't hold him in front of.  But they were clear so we were good to go there.   Lab work started fun.  The boys were having a ball looking at the fish in the tank.  hermit crabs, fish, snails, a shrimp, and lots of TINY starfish.  Many ooos and ahhhhs later, DJ is called back.... Let the fun begin.  he did fine until they went to put the needle in his arm.  It took me holding one arm and his body on my lap.  One nurse had hold of the arm they were pulling blood from.  And by hold I mean that she was struggling to hold his arm still so he didn't hurt himself.  Its amazing how strong a little boy can be when he strongly dislikes what someone is doing to him!  The other nurse busied herself with filling vial after vial with blood.  You would have thought they had enough after the fourth vial, but nope.  DJ's arm refused to give anymore.  I think probably because they were having to hold so tight to his upper arm his arm was turning blue.... So they stopped taht and for the last tube (for the platelet test) she pricked his finger.  End Day one of Surgery fun here.....

Tuesday:  we have Early Steps come to the house.  These are the speech therapy people.  I fill out more stuff, answer more questions we find out DJ does qualify for therapy in speech.  She also said that he qualified in fine motor skills too.  I told her i didn't see how.  He seemed fine in that department to me!  She agreed since he "barely qualified".  So he isn't doing that therapy.  So Tunjia leaves.... and I get a phone call from Dr. Danna's office.  They called to say DJ was going to have to go get more labs done because his platelet test came back with a low count.......   It kinda was bad news... If they weren't up on Tuesday, he couldn't have surgery on Wed.....   We race to the lab place and have another finger stick done, not bad at all.  I worry for like 5 hours and then give up and call them.... It was fine.  Count up!  So we take Benny to spend the night at Nonna's house.

Wed.:  4:45 am, I get up to eat so DJ doesn't see me eating and want some....  5:10 i GET joey up.   WE get dressed and ready then get DJ up.  Leave house at 5:30am.  We had to be at the hospital at 6 am.  We had a good time playing with DJ until they took him back.  The best was DRUNK DJ..  They gave him something to relax him.  They  told me to make sure I held him the whole time till they came back.... Its a good thing too!  He was sitting on my lap struggling to get down and read and everything like he normally does..... Then he loooked like a drunk kiddo.  His body relaxed and he couldn't sit up.  He kept attempting to, but it wasn't working.  He couldn't hold his head up even... And Joey and I couldn't stop laughing.  So they came and took him back.... he didn't even attempt to hold on to me.  We sat out in the lobby for about 35 or 40 min and Dr. Danna came and told us he was doing well.  they had to let him wake up first so we waited another 30 min or so and got to go back.... to hear DJ SCREAMING..... he was very unhappy.  As soon as his Momma was holding him, he was semi okay.  He stopped screaming as much.  He sounded horrible.  The adnoid procedure made him congested.  he still sounds bad when he goes to sleep, but its not nearly as bad as it was!  

All in all, the week wasn't so bad.  It was just a long week of fussy kids.  DJ's speech will start week after next and he will have one hour a week for a while.  It shouldn't take long for him to catch up.  we will see!

Who Dat ?????

Dear Saints,

Thank you for showing up on Saturday to play.  I will admit you had me pretty worried in the first minute or so when you let the Cardinals score a TD on their first possession!  But then you pulled yourself together and played well.  I am proud of you!  My children were running around screaming Who dat (video to follow if I can find it).  I am looking forward to your game against the Vikings next week.  We must bring our A game, guys.   No slacking off.  And as a side note to Cowboys Fans, WHO DAT????   You said we couldn't get further than you... and look, we did!  We won and you got your butts kicked by the VIKES. 

Good luck next week, Saints!!!!


From a TRUE Saints fan, not just a fairweather friend@!

ESW

Hello Doctor...

Well, DJ will have surgery again.  He will have his adnoids taken out and his old tubes replaced with new ones.  So more time iwth tubes in his ears.  He goes under on the 27th.  On the 25th he has to have xrays, labwork and preregistration all done.  Ben will have his first slumber party at Nonna's house the night before surgery.... He is staying htere so he doesn't have to get up at 5 am.  Alyssa is going to keep him while we are at the hospital.  Shouldn't take long, we SHOULD be home fairly fast by about 9 or so.... We will let you guys know when we get out how he is doing.  He should also be starting speech therapy soon too... i haven't heard from Early steps this week like i should have... oh well

New year, new things

Well its 2010 and we have lots going on... First, we had Ben's birthday party on New Years eve and shot fireworks off as well... it was so much fun having everyone over.  Of course getting ready for it wasn't so fun.... We decided to paint the kitchen the day before the party.... finished about an hour and a half before everyone came over... TALK ABOUT STRESS!!!  but it turned out cute:

The Cars themed party was fun.... Ben has a slight (okay more than slight) addiction to Lightening McqUEEN.... he had a blast!:

Have to comment on this one... I was trying not to laugh, I was watching his face and you could almost see his thoughts:  "oh, i want to dig in to the cookie, or maybe play with those candles.... " and then he tried to grab the candles... hhahahaha

Fireworks time

Benny and Bit (ben didn't like the noise)

yes, Matt drained the bottle of beer so they could have something to shoot out of! haha

Now in other news:  DJ had his first develpmental delay screen, and failed.  Now we are waiting for another screen and will go from there.  We were supposed to get a call this week and haven't.  He may pass the next one though.  She said if he does, he will probably not pass the one at 24 months... so we will see.  He also had his hearing test yesterday.... and failed.  The audiologist said that his hearing on the right isn't very good.  He always looked left first because he heard it on that side first.  He also was missing some tone ranges on the left as well.  He did a lot of looking at her for visual clues and at his bubba for clues too.  She said he will be a visual learner.  Second person in a week to tell me this.  So at this point she isn't saying he needs hearing aids or anything, right now we have to contact Dr. Danna's office.  She said he needs to have his adnoids and possibly tonsill's (sp?) taken out and possibly new tubes as well.  After having at least the adnoids out, she will test him again and see what is going on.  If he is still having problems, we will go from there.  She said that she thinks if he can get his ears cleared up and STAYED that way, he could catch up fast with his speech and all.  So that is where we stand, Danna's office was closed yesterday after we got out so I am calling today.  I may have to get another referal first for Medicaid... who knows!  Will keep updating , but in the next month or so we will probably have another surgery.

Christmas: rounds two, three, four (five i failed at being a photographer)

Christmas this year came in stages:  One, being at Momma and Daddy's with Regina and her kids (see previous blog), two being our family Christmas, Three being at Nonna and Poppa's with them, Bit, Lyssa, Val and her family, And Grandma and Grandpa.  Don't forget Christmas eve cookies, Church etc!!!!

We did Christmas cookies on Christmas Eve, it was a blast with the boys as usual... imagine kiddos with color-staining dye mixed with icing and cookies..... so... sugar, sugar, sugar and some sugar on top! 

Next comes some pics of us all dressed up!

The Mafia picture (if you don't know, all three are Don)

another  cute picture!!!

so, if you want to see more, click :   http://picasaweb.google.com/eswilhelm/Christmas09Rounds24#

Christmas at MawMaw's house was a bit sad.  As you know, my grandmother passed away Feb. 13, 2009, and this was the first Christmas without her and PawPaw didn't come out of the nursing home for Christmas either so it was kind of sad on that part.  But this is also the last one in that house.... they are selling the house after the new year.  I will miss that house but the memories will live on.  We had a good time one last time.  Next year things will be different.  We miss you MawMaw!

Three years later.....

That tiny premie baby boy has turned into an inquisitive little man full of energy and very mischievous..... Yes, my Benny-boy is three today as of 7:08 am.  I can't believe that much time has gone by since our emergency trip home, water breakage in the car, a terrified couple calling people to come help them, breathing excercises via phone done by a great friend, Leah.  Getting to the hospital and having to sign papers in between contractions and with TONS of shaking ( I had preregistered so what was the point of that, i don't knjow)  After the epidural, all was great.  I still had some time to go till 10cm was reached but at 6:45 am, they let me start pushing and our first little bundle of joy joined us just a little bit later.  At birth, he was 6lbs 5 oz and 20 inches at 4 weeks early.  Thankfully, he was healthy and didn't require NICU treatment.  His godmother was able to care for him in the regular nursery and the staff took great care of him. 

Since then, he has grown so much.  He is about 38 ish inches (try holding a 3 yr old still long enough to get a size while the 22 month old wants to be held....) and 30 lbs.  He is one smart cookie too!  I don't know where he learns everything he does, but I am glad he is smart!  Because of his birthday, he can't go to preschool till next year, but hopefully we can get him in three year old preschool next fall.  I have to start working on that this year. 

From this:

To this little man.  My has he grown!

If you want to see more pics of him, check out the facebook albums! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BENJAMIN MICHAEL!!!!