The DDA Trouble Free Zone Part 7

[UP Disney]

Mrs. Heg, you must be so proud of your daughter. No matter what trials were thrown in her way, she found a way around it. This graduation will be so much more meaningful than many of the others for that reason!!!! It sounds like you did a great job in raising her!

 

[bear74]

The Peds Surgeon called tonight. He thinks that the Diverticula (area in the Esophagus that has pouched outward) may be the culprit as it can cause the symptoms Rees is having. The GI doc found it during the Endoscopy, but blew it off. I looked up Distal Esophageal Diverticula and it sounds just like Rees. The Surgeon also thinks it might be a hernia (para-esophageal hernia). So, he's calling tomorrow am to schedule some more tests. He too was worried about the weight loss and not eating and said he didn't want to have to put a feeding tube in. So Rees will have to go through more yucky tests. If it is the Diverticula, Rees will need Esophageal surgery to correct it. He said if it is the Fundo, he has a 90% success rate of repeating the surgery laparoscopically (vs open). That was good news.

I'm glad I got a 2nd opinion. And our GI doc sure won't want to see me and John if the Surgeon is right...

Denice,
I can't believe the GI doc just blew it off. I am so glad rees has such a diligient mom and that you got the second opinion.
Heres some and for Rees during his tests.

 

[PNO4TE]

When I was a baby (around 1), my parents moved to St. Ignace. They were very poor - dad had been in & out of work - this was another temporary job. Mom walked to the library. She got some books & took them to the counter and they told her it would be $1 for a library card. Mom didn't have a dollar so she had to put the books back. She was so embarrassed that she never went back to that library. Luckily, we lived there less than a year. We ended up in a town by the time I was 4 that had a great library that didn't cost anything. I spent many wonderful hours there exploring books.

Vicki - your story made me cry. My Mom also grew up poor and put herself through college. She was a librarian. She would have paid for your Mom's library card.

 

[julia & nicks mom]

Since you guys have great advice can you help me with a dilemma.

My SIL finally found out 100% that she will be stationed in England starting in July. So my MIL is planning on visiting her next summer and has asked Emma to go with her. Emma of course has said Yes, I want to go! I am adamant that Emma not go with just my MIL. I think it is too far for her to be away from home at a young age. I have no doubt Emma wants to go but once she gets over there she will for sure want to come home and get very upset. My MIL is not the most warm person in the world. Shows no emotion other than being stubborn. Oh I lied, the dogs, her 2 and our 2 get more attention/affection then any person in the family. She is also dealing with medical issues from a almost life threathening sinus infection years ago, she is on a ton of medication and it affects her and if you were around her you would know what I mean.

So I know this is a year away but I know it will be brought up everytime we see each other. Am I crazy to say no? I also want to take the girls over to Europe as a family. We are planning a trip in 2/3 years when Molly is older, to visit Eric's relatives in Germany and if his sister is still in England then I would force myself to visit her for a day or so. Eric thinks she should go, a great oppurtunity and all. I worry about her emotional state, not mentioning that is something were to happen, we just do not have the kind of $$ to pick up and fly to England on no notice.

So any and all opinions/view points are welcome.

Robyn

first you and Eric need to get on the same page

you know Emma best and how she will react in the situation -

you didn't say how long they would be gone for

I gotta say - I am with you on this one -

honestly - I would tell her that at this point in time that you do not think Emma would be okay with it and you want to wait and see where she is maturity wise in a year and you will revisit it then

 

[ReAnSt]

Since you guys have great advice can you help me with a dilemma.

My SIL finally found out 100% that she will be stationed in England starting in July. So my MIL is planning on visiting her next summer and has asked Emma to go with her. Emma of course has said Yes, I want to go! I am adamant that Emma not go with just my MIL. I think it is too far for her to be away from home at a young age. I have no doubt Emma wants to go but once she gets over there she will for sure want to come home and get very upset. My MIL is not the most warm person in the world. Shows no emotion other than being stubborn. Oh I lied, the dogs, her 2 and our 2 get more attention/affection then any person in the family. She is also dealing with medical issues from a almost life threathening sinus infection years ago, she is on a ton of medication and it affects her and if you were around her you would know what I mean.

So I know this is a year away but I know it will be brought up everytime we see each other. Am I crazy to say no? I also want to take the girls over to Europe as a family. We are planning a trip in 2/3 years when Molly is older, to visit Eric's relatives in Germany and if his sister is still in England then I would force myself to visit her for a day or so. Eric thinks she should go, a great oppurtunity and all. I worry about her emotional state, not mentioning that is something were to happen, we just do not have the kind of $$ to pick up and fly to England on no notice.

So any and all opinions/view points are welcome.

First of all I have no kids, but I'll give my opinion anyways. I don't think I would let my 7 almost, 8 year old go to a foreign country with a relative, especially one who has health issues. I agree with Eric that it is a great idea for Emma to spend time with her grandmother, but not in a foreign country and not at the age of 7. Maybe in 3 years or more depending on past experiences it might be a consideration but I feel she is still to young. You and Eric know her best.

Has Emma ever been away from home without Mom and Dad for a period of time? Has Emma ever spent a week or longer at this Grandmother's house? If so how has she done. If she hasn't stayed away from home for several days or a week, I definitely would not let her go. Has she ever went somewhere to another state without you or Eric?

Before I would send my kid overseas, they would have needed to progress from one night overnights to like a week in another state several hours, before they are going to another country thousands of miles away, where Mommy or Daddy can't hop in a car and be there in a few hours.

If she has spent lots of time with her grandmother and you feel you can trust her than perhaps, but I still feel it is too long and too far away at that age.

This is just my childless perspective, you can do with my opinion what you want.

 

[PNO4TE]

Thanks to all for the warm welcomes. Browsing through this thread my heart goes out to each of you with little ones who are ill. I know the feeling all too well, my oldest daughter was hospitalized twice before she was six weeks old, being 19 with a jerk for a husband (now ex but that's another story) it was a horrible thing to go through. We spent the better part of her first year at the doctor's it seemed like until they finally diagnosed her and did surgery at 13 months, thankfully the surgery worked and she hasn't had any problems since.

She is now 25 and just received her Bachelor's in education, it has been a long hard struggle for her. ...

Sorry to go on and on,
Hope you all have a good night.

P.S. J&N's mom, that's the reason for the Congratulations Tara, the Disney trip is our graduation gift to her.

Mrs. heg - now YOU have me crying too. what a wonderful story and what courage for your daughter and those around her to complete eveything that they did in the face of such adversity. I have a former student who goes to Loyola University in New Orleans so I have heard a little of the struggles of colleges and their students.

I hope you and your family celebrate like nobodies' business!

 

[UP Disney]

I struggle with self esteem issues as I'm so unhappy with the extra pounds that I carry. My oldest is already on the heavier side and I'm concerned about how the other kids will treat him if he doesn't start eating better and most importantly exercising. I have tried and continue trying to teach him to make good food choice and to get moving, he doesn't think of himself as have any weight issues and considers himself buff. I guess we have instilled plenty of self esteem in that one He actually described himself as cool and buff in a school assignment.

Deb

You are such an awesome woman! Why is it that we listen to all those stupid magazines, models, actresses, etc. on what is attractive, feminine or whatever else they are trying to sell us. I would so much prefer to have someone like you in my life as a friend than one of the plastic women that we are supposed to believe is attractive. It makes me sick when I see these women being touted as role models for our children. You are great just the way you are!!! If you can get rid of the extra pounds for yourself, great but don't let it take away from the wonderful person you are!!!!!

 

[bear74]

Hello everyone! I wish I had the time to read through the 100's or is it 1000's of posts I have missed, but I just don't have the time right now. I hope you are all doing well - I include you all in my daily prayers and ask for the Lord's blessing on each of your lives. Even though I may not know each of you're particular needs right now, I know the good Lord does! Just a quick update on why I have "dropped off" - I have lived on our family farm all of my life. My parents, my sister and her family, and my grandmother all live on the farm property as well (each in their own homes). Well, due to some health complications with my dad and his severe diabetes, he has had to make the heart-breaking decision to sell the family farm . As if this isn't diffult enough to deal with, it also means we are all losing our homes. We just finished moving my sister to a town 25 miles from here (I am used to her being next door - so this feels like thousands of miles!). My grandmother will be moving to Florida on the 25th (that IS thousands of miles!). My parents are building a new home (only a mile away). And we are well... soon to be homeless. But I have complete faith and trust in the Lord that he will see us through and provide for our needs. Sometimes it's just so hard to "let go, and let God", you know? I want the answers NOW, and it's hard to wait for His timing and His will. So, as you might imagine, our lives have been turned upside down. It is all happening so fast, and so unexpectedly. I am just trying to take a day at a time, and especially to get through this year's homeschooling (I am hoping to finish on Friday! ) Please keep our family in your prayers and I will try to update and catch up with you all as I can! THANK YOU for letting me get that all out!
Miss You Guys!
Shana

Shana heres some prayers, and Just remember that God does have a plan and all good things come to those who wait.

 

[UP Disney]

For those that stay mostly on this thread, my Pal Mickey (Nicky) has headed off on his adventure. I posted info on the Pal Mickey DDA Adventure thread if you are interested. He should be to Kate's by Wednesday.

 

[ReAnSt]

You are such an awesome woman! Why is it that we listen to all those stupid magazines, models, actresses, etc. on what is attractive, feminine or whatever else they are trying to sell us. I would so much prefer to have someone like you in my life as a friend than one of the plastic women that we are supposed to believe is attractive. It makes me sick when I see these women being touted as role models for our children. You are great just the way you are!!! If you can get rid of the extra pounds for yourself, great but don't let it take away from the wonderful person you are!!!!!

Ain't that the truth. This is because women have been altering themselves for thousands of years to conform to some standard of beauty that is constantly changing and we are always striving to achieve whatever is the in thing at the time.

Speaking of these fake plastic women. Not only are they fake but they are digitally altered beyond belief. Check out this article on digitally altered pictures. The original picture is nothing like what was printed in the magazine.

 

[julia & nicks mom]

Vicki -

today we got a very small package in the mail and the first words out of Julia's mouth was - IS IT MICKEY?!?!!?

I know she is going to flip out when he gets here - but is probably going to be pretty mad when he goes to WDW with me next week!!

 

[my3princes]

Thanks to all for the warm welcomes. Browsing through this thread my heart goes out to each of you with little ones who are ill. I know the feeling all too well, my oldest daughter was hospitalized twice before she was six weeks old, being 19 with a jerk for a husband (now ex but that's another story) it was a horrible thing to go through. We spent the better part of her first year at the doctor's it seemed like until they finally diagnosed her and did surgery at 13 months, thankfully the surgery worked and she hasn't had any problems since.

She is now 25 and just received her Bachelor's in education, it has been a long hard struggle for her. She went to her first two years of college right after high school, then in her Junior year my mom took ill and it pretty well tore the family up. She passed away from Breast Cancer, my daughter ended up failing all her classes and became a single mom. After my grandson was born she decided it was time to pull herself together and went back to school.
Now working full time and raising a baby it took her longer to finish. School starts here in August and she was starting her student teaching and had only one class to take and she would be done. Two weeks after school started along came Katrina, she was so proud of the way she had decorated her classroom and had spent hours and hours working on it. Her instructor had not even been there to see it yet. Here's a picture of the school entrance afterwards, the light at the end of the hall is there because the walls are not.
Here classroom only had one wall left.

Her college didn't fair any better as it was right on the beach. Well the college was a branch of another school in a town north of here so her records were safe, they were able to finish there classes in a local high school at night, and the best part of all the teacher she was student teaching for had taken photos of the room and put together an album for her to take to her instructor. They shared classrooms with the high school for a couple of months until their trailors were set up for classes.

Fast forward to now, since her college was a Baptist college and only a branch of the bigger one they always had their graduation ceremony in the local Baptist church, one look at the picture below explains why they can't have it there.

So they were invited to attend the main colleges graduation and be recognized, and only be able to invite a limited number of people.

After all that she has been through that just wasn't good enough for me, so I'm planning a reception for her to give everyone a chance to congratulate her. Any decorating ideas will be gladly accepted, I was thinking about doing the school motif with apples, books, etc. If anyone has any fav recipes for
appetizers I would love some new ideas.

Sorry to go on and on,
Hope you all have a good night.

P.S. J&N's mom, that's the reason for the Congratulations Tara, the Disney trip is our graduation gift to her.

Congratulations to your daughter and to you. Thanks for sharing.

Deb

 

[my3princes]

Funny Definitions!

ARBITRATOR:
A cook who leaves Arby's to work at McDonalds.

AVOIDABLE:
What a bullfighter tried to do.

BERNADETTE:
The act of torching a mortgage.

BURGLARIZE:
What a crook sees with.

CONTROL:
A short, ugly inmate.

COUNTERFEITERS:
Workers who put together kitchen cabinets.

ECLIPSE:
What a barber does for a living.

EYEDROPPER:
A clumsy ophthalmologist.

HEROES:
What a guy in a boat does.

LEFTBANK:
What the robber did when his bag was full of money.

MISTY:
How golfers create divots.

PARADOX:
Two physicians.

PARASITES:
What you see from the top of the Eiffel Tower.

PHARMACIST:
A helper on the farm.

POLARIZE:
What penguins see with.

PRIMATE:
Removing your spouse from in front of the TV.

RELIEF:
What trees do in the Spring.

RUBBERNECK:
What you do to relax your wife.

SELFISH:
What the owner of a seafood store does.

SUDAFED:
A litigation brought against a government official.

Deb

 

[mommy2emmersNmo]

Thanks for all the replies thus far...

I have no doubt in my mind that Emma will not be going on the trip. And Eric will support my decision what ever it is. He is one that has gone overseas by himself as a child as has his sister. To them it is a natural thing. I had a similar trip with my grandparents as Vicki's DD's to Niagara when I was little. I loved travelling with them and was ok to be without my parents for extended periods of time. But there was never an ocean between my parents and me.

I really appreciate all the comments. I guess I needed to get my thoughts out there and have them validated. And who knows a year is a long time from now. Maybe will we have hit the lottery and be able to go as a family.

 

[Glynis]

Glynis, I wouldn't say she is too old to learn. She might start off being a little behind other girls, if the other have been going for awhile. However, starting older she is able to understand the coaches direction and should be able to pick up on things quicker being older. Does that make sense?

Yup. Makes perfect sense. We just joined a rec center, so I think I'll check into getting her into a class while I'm doing water aerobics. That could work! She could still do soccer in the Fall if she wants to.

 

[Glynis]

Thanks to all for the warm welcomes. Browsing through this thread my heart goes out to each of you with little ones who are ill. I know the feeling all too well, my oldest daughter was hospitalized twice before she was six weeks old, being 19 with a jerk for a husband (now ex but that's another story) it was a horrible thing to go through. We spent the better part of her first year at the doctor's it seemed like until they finally diagnosed her and did surgery at 13 months, thankfully the surgery worked and she hasn't had any problems since.

She is now 25 and just received her Bachelor's in education, it has been a long hard struggle for her. She went to her first two years of college right after high school, then in her Junior year my mom took ill and it pretty well tore the family up. She passed away from Breast Cancer, my daughter ended up failing all her classes and became a single mom. After my grandson was born she decided it was time to pull herself together and went back to school.
Now working full time and raising a baby it took her longer to finish. School starts here in August and she was starting her student teaching and had only one class to take and she would be done. Two weeks after school started along came Katrina, she was so proud of the way she had decorated her classroom and had spent hours and hours working on it. Her instructor had not even been there to see it yet. Here's a picture of the school entrance afterwards, the light at the end of the hall is there because the walls are not.
Here classroom only had one wall left.

Her college didn't fair any better as it was right on the beach. Well the college was a branch of another school in a town north of here so her records were safe, they were able to finish there classes in a local high school at night, and the best part of all the teacher she was student teaching for had taken photos of the room and put together an album for her to take to her instructor. They shared classrooms with the high school for a couple of months until their trailors were set up for classes.

Fast forward to now, since her college was a Baptist college and only a branch of the bigger one they always had their graduation ceremony in the local Baptist church, one look at the picture below explains why they can't have it there.

So they were invited to attend the main colleges graduation and be recognized, and only be able to invite a limited number of people.

After all that she has been through that just wasn't good enough for me, so I'm planning a reception for her to give everyone a chance to congratulate her. Any decorating ideas will be gladly accepted, I was thinking about doing the school motif with apples, books, etc. If anyone has any fav recipes for
appetizers I would love some new ideas.

Sorry to go on and on,
Hope you all have a good night.

P.S. J&N's mom, that's the reason for the Congratulations Tara, the Disney trip is our graduation gift to her.

Wow! Thanks for sharing her/your story with us! I think you are absolutely right in wanting to throw a bash for her! She deserves it! I'll look through my recipes tomorrow and see what I can find for you! I love the idea of the school motif; apples, books, erasers, old schoolhouses, etc.

Tell your daughter "Way To Go" from one who used to be a schoolteacher! I know how hard it is. She's chosen a great profession!

 

[Glynis]

I don't think she is too old to learn gymnastics, although she might be the oldest in her class. My one friend started gymnastics at 10 or 11 and continued through high school, she was always the oldest in her class. If she won't feel out of place and wants to do it I say go for it. Ask her what she wants to do or is interested in.

Thanks. I will talk to her about it tomorrow. Summer would be a good time to start something like this.

 

[Glynis]

It really depends on your expectations of the training. If she is doing it to become competitive, then she will have a lot of catching up to do. If she is doing it to learn, have fun & get some exercise, then it is never too late. Becky didn't start gymnastics until she was 11. She learned a lot and had a good time. However, after a year she realized it wasn't really her thing so she switched to Karate. She absolutely love Karate and has been doing that for 5 years.

I don't think she'd ever want to compete. She's just not like that. I would like to see her do something that would give her a good time, boost her confidence, and let her get some exercise. I think it's time to talk to Katie, right?

 

[kc10family]

Ok people I am in need of the Cliff Notes version of what has happened since page 1987. (Not the year 1987, I was in high school and I remember most of that so far, I have yet to get to the senility stage)

Here is my update for you all. (aren’t you a lucky group)

Friday DH came home; we got pizza and watched a movie. Saturday I went to work all day and when I got home we went to Sam’s Club. The girls went to bed at 7:30 (PST in the event you were questions that) and we got to sleep a few hours later. Sunday I got to sleep in, DH made the girls breakfast and then he got ready to go/ 0900 he pulled out of the drive way and we spent the day playing outside.

Now that brings me to today, it was a standard Monday in my house, nothing out of the ordinary.

 

[julia & nicks mom]

what dumb ***

I just read that David Blaine only made it to 7 minutes before they had to rescue him from the tank

the article said that he was beginning to suffer liver failure in the tank but refused to come out

I think the saddest thing is that he must be a very lonely man - b/c I know someone who had others who cared about him and he cared about would not let him do this - and he would not do this to them - he has to know he will not have a normal life expectancy

and if he needs a liver transplant - do you really think he deserves one? Don't they refuse to give them to alcoholics? This would seem to fall into the category of someone who is responsible for his liver failure - in fact - I think he is more responsible than an alcoholic would be!!!